Entrepreneurial Spirit - Chapter 5

“And that's it?” Mark asked me, frowning at the digital screen.

“That's it,” I confirmed. “Your parents should get the email soon. Completely untraceable and entirely confidential. This isn't even my first rodeo.”

“Really?” Mark asked, quirking an eyebrow. “You send messages between planets often?”

I looked up from where I was putting away the oversized desktop computer with the internal thaumaturgical array and laughed. Izuku, my part-timer, was focused on scraping up the residue that used to be a damaged component of the derelict rover Mark had cannibalized. Now it was just slag, a result of the intense energy that had been shoved into it during its short tenure as a resonance beacon.

“Mr. Sterling is actually sending a message for someone else soon, too,” the green-haired boy chimed in. “There's this girl named Luz who's stuck in another world called the Demon Realm and-”

“Demon Realm?!” Mark squawked, suddenly alert and looking between myself and my employee with wide eyes. “That, uh... “

“Relax,” I waved him off. “That particular 'Demon Realm' is fairly tame by most standards. “It's not a particularly nice place, but neither is Earth. I'd rate it about on par with the usual content of a low-level Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.”

Mark quieted, blinking thoughtfully as he processed that. “Huh... okay, I'm still concerned, but... I guess I have to trust that you know what you're doing.”

“There are some dangerous entities in that realm, for sure,” I replied, boxing away the last component of the machine I'd set up for Mark once he finally worked up the guts to ask about sending a message home. “But this is my sanctum, where my power is based. And I have the home field advantage.”

Mark sighed, nodding slowly. “Alright, you're the expert. I just hope my parents do what I asked them to in the letter...”

…

“-and then, once the circle of coins is complete, you place the copy of Wealth of Nations in the middle and ritually burn it!” Camila chuckled at the instructions compiled on the text, shaking her head at them. “Is this your idea of a joke, mija? I thought you'd grown out of this magic stuff?”

The young Hispanic girl sitting in the other chair at the table swallowed nervously, reaching behind her head as she scratched at a persistent itch. “Ah... yeah! A joke! Haha! J-just like old times, huh?”

Carmila continued to laugh as she prepared dinner while the shapeshifter pretending to be her daughter stewed in her guilt and anxiety.

Experimental Test Subject Number 5 knew that this happy little life of hers would end one day, she'd just always hoped that day would be far in the future...

...or, secretly, never come at all.

A dark part of her hoped that the stupid human girl who'd given up her perfect life here with a loving mother would get eaten by something while wandering around in the Demon Realm. Or maybe Emperor Belos could pay back a small part of the horrors he'd inflicted on her and solve the problem that Luz Noceda represented for her.

It didn't come as any real surprise she wasn't lucky enough for that to happen, though.

Still... it seemed like Luz was stuck in the Demon Realm, which honestly served her right. If Camila's real daughter couldn't come back to Earth, there was nothing stopping Number 5 from filling the role indefinitely. It was likely that the girl would eventually find her way home, but... that could take a lot longer if Number 5 was willing to cast doubt on these messages.

Maybe she could even convince Camila to get a new cell number?

It was a tempting idea for the basilisk to consider, but...

The problem was Camila Noceda herself.

The human woman was the only person who'd shown her any degree of love and kindness in her short life, and she was repaying that generosity with deception and malice towards Camila's real daughter.

Worse was the fact that, continuing to live like this now that she knew for certain Luz was both alive and trying to return would make her no better than Luz herself.

That stupid, stupid girl who had no idea how good she had it here on Earth.

The girl who wasn't Luz Noceda took a deep, steadying breath and looked up from the woodgrain of the table, wiping away the tears building in her eyes. “Mo-er... Camila? I... I have something to tell you.”

Camila turned, and saw Number 5 for who and what she truly was.

…

“This is just... a lot to take in,” Camila sighed, staring mournfully down at the drink on the bar in front of her.

“Kids can be like that,” George Watney nodded, patting her on the back as his eyes lingered on his own son as the contingent of NASA doctors looked him over. Nearby, a green-haired boy attended to the needs of a thoroughly-depressed young girl, her friends, and a younger girl with a mix of blond and blue hair.

“Though I don't know what we would have done if Mark had runaway to Mars when he was still a teenager,” Samantha Watney affirmed, also still keeping her red-rimmed eyes on her son, occasionally sniffling as he smiled and waved off the concern of the staff.

Camila Noceda gave a helpless chuckle. “Another planet would be one thing, mierda. The Demon Realm, though? I have to wonder if I did the right thing when I stopped attending mass.”

“For what it's worth, those demon kids seem just like regular people,” George commented idly. “I'm not sure of the particulars of what the good book says about this, but I really don't see them trying to eat souls or damn us for eternity or anything like that.”

“...and, not that my input is all that warranted, but judging by the way she and that purple-haired girl are holding hands, I think you probably dodged a bullet on the whole Catholicism-thing,” I commented slyly.

Camila jerked upright, her head almost snapping over to where her daughter and Amity Blight were trying not to be obvious about their cuddling. Which, given that they were teenagers... they were pretty obvious. Still, the most incriminating part of the affair was when they noticed Camila staring and instantly leaped apart, once again trying and failing to look innocent, though this time with deep blushes on their cheeks.

“Oh, Luz...” Carmilla sighed, returning her gaze to her drink. “What am I going to do with that girl?”

“A grounding sounds good,” George replied dryly, a smirk showing beneath his mustache. “God knows Mark's going to be grounded when he gets back. Absolutely no leaving Earth for any reason for at least a decade.”

Samantha and Camila both laughed at that, even if the sound was a tinge manic.

Then Camila downed the liquid in her glass and pushed it forward to me. “Another one, cantinero. Tequila, straight, two fingers.”

“I've got classic, wormwood, and rotgut if you're feeling particularly like drinking yourself into a stupor,” I replied with a grin.

That made Carmila hesitate, then sigh again. “I really shouldn't. I'm not young enough to roll out of bed with a handover and I have work tomorrow-”

“I also offer hangover cures for five bucks,” I added, my grin widening.

“Hell, I might take a few of those,” George muttered, reaching for his wallet.

“George,” Samantha warned, and the man wilted before continuing to take out a few bills from his wallet.

Giving me a tired and disappointed look, the older man stated, “Cream soda.”

“I've actually got authentic butterbeer,” I offered, making the two Watneys perk up and Carmila frown curiously. “It's a little bit more pricey than my usual fare, imports being what they are, but I can do half-off for the first glass.”

Money quickly changed hands and, after assurances there was no alcohol in it, Camila had one as well.

“Oh, that's sweet,” Samantha hissed as she took her first sip, “but... wow, it really does go down easy and makes you feel warm. Huh.”

“So this is from a book series you've read?” Camila asked, her eyes going wide as she tried her own sip. “That's good!”

“Harry Potter series, yeah,” George nodded, nursing his own glass. “It's kind of hit-or-miss from the original books, but I think it's so ingrained into the culture now that there's no going back.”

Samantha giggled. “Even going on thirty years after the last book was published, kids these days still know what 'expecto patronum' means.”

Camila nodded slowly, then turned to look at me. “So... you can get things from fictional worlds, then?”

“Everything is real somewhere, somewhen,” I replied. “But, yes, I can get items that you would consider 'fictional' to sell in my store.”

“Okay, Mr. Snarky,” Camila snorted, drumming her fingers in a nervous motion. “Do you have anything from... Cosmic Frontier?”

“Never heard of that one...” George commented with a frown. “It a Trek clone?”

“Trek?” Camila asked, frowning herself. “No, I don't think so. Cosmic Frontier was a book series that came out in the nineties, when I was in middle school – ugh, that makes me feel old – about a group of brave space explorers. It was... pretty popular. There were conventions and merchandise and... a lot of stuff.”

Camila blushed.

“It certainly sounds like Star Trek,” Samantha stated, reaching up to pull a long lock of red hair from her face and rest it over her ear.

“Never heard of it,” Camila riposted with a smirk.

“Keep in mind that some worlds simply don't have some media, or develop replacements in odd ways. Camila's Earth could have seen Gene Roddenbery die in a car crash or something,” I told the bickering adults.

“Roddenbery...” Camila stated slowly, turning to me with an odd look on her face. “You mean like Eugene Roddenberry? The writer of Cosmic Frontier?”

There was an odd moment where all of us looked at each other, then shrugged, and broke out in chuckles. Eventually, the laughter cooled down into an admittedly interesting discussion about divergences in various material, which lead to Camila bemoaning the fact that a lot of the 'authentic' Cosmic Frontier merch I had was a bit out of her price range.

Private, I resolved to inform Luz that she now had a great gift for her mother's birthday.

“Ugh... now that I'm done distracting myself from the fact that I apparently destroyed my relationship with my daughter to the point where she felt comfortable running away to another world instead of going to the summer camp I'd enrolled her in...” Camila paused and rubbed at her head. “Then I didn't notice when a shapeshifter took her place and acted completely differently than Luz would for weeks...”

Sam and George exchanged a meaningful glance.

I cleared my throat, drawing all of their attention, but looking directly at Camila. “Keeping in mind that I don't have any children of my own, but... the way I see it, you have three options here.”

“I'd love to hear them, cantinero,” Camila snorted.

“The first is... well, to cut your daughter loose,” I stated bluntly, and to her credit, Camila displayed nothing but shock and revulsion at the suggestion. “I know it seems harsh, but... Luz did knowingly and willfully disregard you explicit orders, run away from home to another dimension, and establish a new life for herself. Even putting the religious connotations aside, any number of parents have gone a lot further than telling their children they're on their own for a lot less than what Luz has done here.”

“I-I can't just cut her out of my life,” Camila whimpered, lowering her gaze.

“And I'm not saying you have to,” I shook my head, getting into the 'bartender' role by picking up a glass and a rag to busy my hands. “But it would be entirely reasonable for you to treat Luz like an adult from now on rather than a child. She's obviously proven herself capable of fending for herself, you shouldn't feel a need to keep providing room and board for her. Be friends with her, have her over every now and then, but make it known that she's hurt you too much for things to go back the way they were before she left.”

Camila grimaced, but the way she lingered on my words told me the pain she was feeling was more than just skin deep. Having your child do as Luz had done was a fundamental betrayal on multiple levels. More than that, it was frightening in a way Luz could barely comprehend.

There came a time when a child put you through so much grief as a parent that enough was enough and the parent had to look out for themselves. Unconditional love might be all well and good, but just because Luz loved her mother didn't mean she couldn't also hurt the woman. And she had, very badly. I meant what I'd said when I observed that I'd seen parents cut ties entirely over a lot less.

“My other two options?” Camila asked quietly.

“Sit down and explain to your daughter exactly what she did and how much it hurt you,” I informed her quietly, but gravely. “You'll need to understand why she felt she was justified in doing so, but... you'll also need to put your foot down about this. Something like this... hiding this much from you? It can't happen again, Camila. That's no foundation for a healthy relationship. You'll just start building resentment towards each other and eventually part on much worse terms than I previously recommended.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Camila snorted, looking away.

“Easy? Hardly.” I scoffed. “The other part of that is confronting the reasons why Luz felt the need to run away in the first place and that will probably involve a long, hard look in the proverbial mirror. More than that, though... you're going to need to reckon with who your daughter is now. Not who she was when she left.”

“What do you mean?” Camila asked, chancing a look at where Luz, Amity, Gus, and Willow were chatting.

“Take it from someone who's talked up more than a few heroes in his time,” I smiled and shrugged self-deprecatingly. “Doing what Luz did changes you. You become... not necessarily different; she'll always be your daughter, but... more. She's overcome challenges, learned about herself, made friends and enemies... you can't do all of that and just head back home for high school.”

Camila frowned and looked back down at her mug, taking a deep pull.

“That goes for you two, as well,” I advised the Watney parents, who stiffened in surprise at being addressed. “Mark's been through a lot. He's not going to be the same person as he was when he got on that rocket to go to Mars. Trying to make him that person won't end well, for any of you.”

Samantha and George looked at each other with trepidation.

“But the good news, for all three of you...” I began with a snort. “Is that your children cared enough about you, about talking to you and seeing you again, to bend the rules of space and time by sending you the instructions on how to meet them here in a place beyond either.”

That, at least, seemed to perk all of the adults up.

Although Camila deflated almost as quickly. “Do... you think Luz even wants to come home? Permanently, I mean? You were right when you said she has friends... apparently a mentor, too over there. It... did she want to see me again just to say goodbye?”

“Oh, Honey...” Samantha whispered, moving around her husband to capture the Hispanic woman in a tight hug. “Oh no. No-no-no... that hug sure didn't look anything like that. I'm sure she isn't planning anything like that.”

“If that's what she wanted, it would have been easier and simpler to just send a message saying goodbye,” I stated with a shake of my head. “I won't pretend that Luz is going to magically return to who she was before she left... and she's almost certainly intending to keep a presence in the other world, but it's much more common for her type of kid to believe that with enough willpower and spirit, things will turn out okay.”

“Her type?” Camila asked, coming out of her funk even as the tears in the corners of her eyes were wiped away.

“Like I said, heroes,” I chuckled. “The only mean bone in that girl's body is the one in her fist labeled 'righteous justice.'”

Camila stared at me for a moment, then spazzed out in a giggle fit. “Oh mierda! I can see my Luz saying exactly that! Oh, hahahaha! I needed that!”

I shrugged. “I've met more than a few in my time. Luz just strikes me as... well, the kind of person who would stand up for others without blinking an eye.”

Camila's giddiness slowly evaporated at that and she nodded. “That's... how she got into a lot of the fights she was in at school. She said it was standing up for other kids who were being bullied, but... the staff...”

“Teachers don't always have any idea what's going on with the kids,” George sighed, shaking his head. “When they run into kids brawling in the halls, it usually devolves into a he-said-she-said thing unless someone actually caught it on video.”

Camila grimaced. “I objected that Luz wasn't like that, but... it's been so hard ever since Manny died. Trying to stand up to so many teachers who all seem to agree that Luz is the problem...”

The awkward silence at that confession hung between our small group.

“It probably won't do you any favors to tell you this, but...” I sighed. “In my experience, there are people who don't fit the world they've been born into. Or the time, for that matter. Sometimes that's for the better. A random officer worker could lead a more fulfilling life as a viking raping and pillaging, but they're stuck in common daily drudgery instead. Other people... well, they only shine when put up against a terrible foe and the encroaching darkness.”

“You're right... that doesn't make me feel any better,” Camila muttered. “What was... you said there was a third option?”

“Have the same heart-to-heart talk, but do it with both your daughters,” I said pointedly.

Camila looked as if I'd smacked her in the face with a fish as she took a deep, startled breath. “O-oh... I, that... is a good point, isn't it?”

Samantha had given me a bit of a look at the inclusion of the shapeshifter, but I'd simply shrugged. Before she could speak, though, a man in a suit took a few brisk steps forward and extended his hand. He had the look of a professional and no-nonsense man who had, nevertheless, been run over a few times by the public relations-mobile.

“Dr. Theodore Sanders, Director of NASA,” he stated, looking me in the eyes and only flicking a glance to my ears once or twice.

Admirable.

We shook briefly, exchanging firm grips.

“As I informed Dr. Vincent Kapoor,” I stated, “My name is Nova Sterling. A simple interdimensional proprietor of goods and services.”

“Also, effectively, our world's first contact with alien life,” Dr. Sanders nodded with a small smile. “If somewhat differently than anyone at NASA anticipated. I've been instructed to offer Earth's warmest greetings from our government and the President of the United States.”

“It's a pleasure to be acquainted with both your government and your president,” I replied, then pulled out a data slate from behind the bar. “Here is a catalog of goods and services my store provides. Please feel free to ask for any clarification you feel are needed.”

Dr. Sanders blinked, accepted the data slate, and pursed his lips as he tucked it under an arm. “Thank you, I'm sure the president will enjoy being made aware of your... ah, selection. I'd hoped to engage in more... diplomatic negotiations.”

“No,” I replied with a smile.

“Like an exchange of infor-” Teddy blinked awkwardly and stared at me. “I'm sorry?”

“No. I don't do diplomacy,” I replied, still smiling. “I run a store. I sell goods and services. The one and only reason I tolerate politicians is if they're a paying customer.”

Teddy, Camila, George, and Samantha all collectively stared at me.

“So... you won't be providing any kind of information as a token of goodwill?” Teddy asked, somewhat disappointed.

“I've already saved your astronaut,” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “I didn't particularly mind giving Mark a little preferential treatment here and there, as much as my Rules allow, anyway. I even extended him a line of credit when he asked to send you a message. I have no interest in providing 'freebies' to a world-spanning superpower that can easily procure funds or resources to exchange.”

“And the United States thanks you for that. Both NASA and humanity at large are humbled by the efforts you've gone to for Mark Watney,” Teddy replied, his voice remarkably even. “But you do represent our world's only gateway to the supernatural – that we know of – at the present. We'd appreciate any contribution you can make to give us a little... context about our place in the larger multiverse.”

I snorted and turned to refill the butterbeers of my paying guests. “I offer a basic primer on the top-tier powers of a given universe's local powers that I know of. The price is listed in the catalog I've just given you and you would do well to pay it instead of attempting to negotiate something for nothing. You very much would not like what the result of that course of action is.”

George rubbed at his face while Teddy stewed in momentary frustration. “Mr. Sterling, it might not be a good idea to threaten the head of NASA, if only for Mark's sake.”

I rolled my eyes. “I'm not threatening the man, I'm informing him of the consequences of his actions. My little corner store at the back end of nowhere has Rules. Powerful ones that even I have to obey. One of those is equivalent exchange. If the only thing you're offering is annoyance, the only thing you're going to get is frustration.”

Teddy seemed to realize what I was saying and chuckled. “For what it's worth – probably not much – I tried telling the intelligence community this was a bad idea, but it's hard to tell people they need to fork over more money when they're already putting down millions to send supplies to Mars by way of such a... novel method as you represent, Mr. Sterling.”

“Send them my way. I'll tell them to sit and spin with no need for you to bother,” I offered. “Because, fortunately and unfortunately for you... I'm potentially the worst kind of alien you can come into contact with.”

“Oh?” Dr. Sanders asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A capitalist who doesn't give a damn about politics,” I replied with a fanged grin.

Teddy broke out in a laugh with all of my other guests.

…

“It's just so hard to believe that there are more human worlds out there than Earth!” Gus cried, pulling at his short-cropped hair.

Luz shrugged, awkwardly avoiding the gaze of the basilisk who'd taken a rather innocuous human form sitting slightly apart from the group. “What's so hard to believe? I didn't know anything about the Demon Realm until I followed Eda through the portal. Doesn't it stand to reason that there could be a bunch of other worlds out there that even witches and demons don't know about?”

“Luz, sweetie... there's a lot of theories about things like that,” Amity hedged, “but nothing confirmed. Or, at least, nothing that's survived the wild magic purges.”

“But he's talking about humans with powers! Heck, he's a human that can do magic!” Gus cried, his body shaking with repressed energy.

Izuku chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Ah... it's not that big of a deal. At least, not compared to some of the stuff I've helped Mr. Sterling with.”

“Oh, this sounds interesting! We'd love to hear a few stories!” Willow interjected with a grin.

“Ah... well, let's see...” Izuku mumbled, rubbing his chin as he was put on the spot. Unfamiliar with being the center of attention in a way which didn't involve mockery or scorn, he stumbled for words for a moment, then nodded. “So... it was a week ago that we got an actual dragon who came into the store.”

“Is that like a hand dragon?” Gus asked, cocking his head.

“Uhh...” Izuku stopped, furrowing his brow. “What's a hand dragon?”

“Oh, I got this,” Gus grinned, twirling a finger and summoning up an illusory image of a long serpentine beast with wings and various protrusions that looked as though they might be fingers or thumbs jutting out from it. Holding out the miniature copy that fit in his hand, Gus replied, “Like this, but bigger and meaner usually.”

“Huh,” Izuku blinked. “That's... uh, no. It was more like... oh, I can pull up the security tapes. One moment.”

Pulling up his sleeve, Izuku revealed a forearm-mounted device with various small screens, lights, and an overall very technological feel to it. “This is an omnitool. The Boss gave it to me to access some of the store's more tech-heavy systems. It's supposed to interface with some of the more friendly magic systems, too, but I'm not trained for that yet. Now, let's see...”

“There,” Izuku muttered, grinning as jaws dropped all around his small group.

“Now that's a dragon!” Luz crowed, then winced. “Not that the hand dragons on the Boiling Isles aren't awesome or anything! It's just that these are usually what humans think of when they hear the word 'dragon.'”

“Those look like they could wipe out an entire town...” Amity shuddered. “And you had one in the store? In here?!”

Izuku laughed awkwardly. “Ah, well... this specific type of dragon is actually a natural shapeshifter? The picture was taken when it left the store and turned back to its real form, but-”

“A shapeshifter?” The lone girl standing slightly outside the group asked, taking a tentative step forward-

-then she met Luz's eyes and stopped in her tracks.

Izuku cleared his throat and altered the image to show a comparatively normal-looking person wearing simple robes standing in the store proper. “Yeah, this is what they looked like when they shifted.”

“Whoa... that's a huge size-change. I'm not sure if I could do something like that,” the concealed basilisk whispered as she approached.

“The basilisk from Hexside wasn't anywhere near as big as that, either,” Willow frowned, looking between the image and the apparent girl. “Do you think you'll get bigger when you're older? I mean, you're just a kid right now, maybe you'll be able to turn into one of those dragons in a few years?”

Despite herself, Izuku watched Luz's eyes sparkle at the thought.

“Uhh... probably not?” She muttered with a frown. “Or, at least... not without eating a lot more magic stuff... and that might not be good. I think that was what caused a lot of the basilisks Belos created to go crazy.”

Izuku scowled mightily at the implications, but kept his mouth shut. He'd ask Nova if there was anything they could do about that later. Right now, it seemed like the shy girl was finally interacting with the others.

“So it's kind of like eating too much or too little food, then,” Gus stated, perking up thoughtfully.

“A-are you getting enough?” Luz began awkwardly, rubbing one arm with the opposite hand. “Magic, I mean. Living with Mom?”

“A-actually... your teacher? Eda the Owl Lady has left a lot of magic junk around the town. I've still got two stacks of Hexas Hold'em cards stashed for emergencies,” the basilisk revealed with a blush.

The teens all shared smiles at that, Luz in particular giving an exasperated groan and palming her face. “Yeah, that sounds like Eda alright. So, um... Mom didn't say anything about a name when she introduced you...”

“I'm... thinking about going with 'Vee,'” the basilisk replied tentatively. “I'm not sure yet, but... it feels right. Taking the number five and turning it into a Roman Numeral... then treating it like a letter. It's like... turning something bad into something good. An actual name, to call my own. A lot of basilisks would never get that.”

As the chatting continued, Izuku reflected that he really would have to ask Nova if they could do something about this 'Belos' guy. If anything, Luz had been too generous with her initial descriptions of the man.

~~~

Happy Easter!

Or Happy Just Another Sunday! For those who don't celebrate Jesus Rabbit Day.

Anyway...

A chapter of Entrepreneurial Spirit, as promised. And it's been... a hot minute since I've gotten one of these out. I don't think I'll be rolling over a chapter this time for this story, so this will be a buffer chapter. Next one will go public, though. Which just means everyone here on Patreon and on SubscribeStar gets to feel special about having access to it longer! Woo!

Next update.... hmm, I think I'll probably be working on a chapter of Padean Knights and another one of Mind Games this week. It's my birthday on Wednesday, so a chapter of the weird pokemon SI is my present to myself.

Hope everyone has a great week!