Eryx raised an incredulous eyebrow at Av, as if to say, “What a trip.” But the lonely ache in my chest deepened. I blew out a long breath, trying to banish the feeling. There was nothing for it. This was the life.
As the leader of the Necroline, I had to be on at all times, detached and logical, always in control. There was no room in my life for companionship or inside jokes. I had to make do with the fumes of better relationships. I should count myselflucky that I was even allowed on the periphery of Eryx and Av’s friendship.
After the elderly couple made their way down the street, Eryx pushed open the shop door for me. I was immediately struck by the singular smell of fish tanks. The shop was dark, but for the lights in the tanks, glowing neon teal. Bubbles had the radio onto one of the local talk shows. These days, they were little more than gossip, hosts trying to get the inside scoop from the endless who’s-who of Orphium.
And there was always a new rising star. Always a fresh face, just waiting to be crushed by the city’s unreasonable expectations. If you believed what you heard or read, there was just one solution for such a feeling: buy more shit. At the back of the shop, Bubbles sat behind a cash register, embroidering a pillow that appeared to read “Sounds fishy.”
“Still listening to this bullshit?” I asked as I approached, but my tone was friendly. I loved Bubbles dearly, though they seemed committed to making me worry about them.
Bubbles was an impressive figure, with a round belly and muscular arms the size of tree trunks. Their brown skin glowed in the neon light of the tanks, and their bright floral shirt was unbuttoned halfway down their hairy chest. When they saw me, they grinned one of their signature sparkling grins. There was very little in the world as charming as Bubbles smiling.
“Hey, Bub,” they said in a soft voice, their round, handsome face pleasant in the teal glow. They lowered their embroidery as Av and Eryx followed me into the shop.
I couldn’t remember when Bubbles started calling me Bub. About thirty years back, maybe. They didn’t have nicknames for many people, so I took it as a deep compliment. I nodded once to them, waiting for the okay to approach. Bubbles wasn’t fond of folks who came in looking solely for info, but knew I couldn’t keep a fish alive to save my life.
They glanced down past my knee. A lone goldfish floated belly-up at the top of the tank. Bubbles shook their head,closing their eyes. When they opened them, the fish twitched a few times, righted itself, then began swimming slowly in an awkward circle. It was missing most of its fins.
“Poor little guy got attacked,” Bubbles explained. “Keeps giving up on me, but I just can’t seem to let him go.”
I sighed, knowing there was no use in chiding the necromancer about the dangers of bringing dead fish back to life because you liked them. This was the kind of shit that got our people in trouble with the Authority, but the idea bounced off Bubbles like rubber. There was no use in saying anything when I could do nothing to protect them. Bubbles knew the rules as well as I did. If they disregarded them, that was none of my business.
Bubbles glanced up at Eryx and waved a finger at a tank just behind him. “You ought to check out the Black Oranda I just got in. She’s a beaut.”
Eryx raised an eyebrow, but went to look at the fish. Av joined him. The two of them were unusually entranced by the creature. They stood in twin postures, hands shoved in their suit pockets as they bent to stare at the fish. There was no predicting them.
Bubbles crooked a finger at me, then resumed work on their embroidery. “You want to know what Lara Achilles asked after, yeah?”
I nodded, approaching the register slowly. Bubbles didn’t like fast movements. “What can you tell me?”
Bubbles shook their head. “Nothing much. Other than that she bought a piranha. Cute little guy. Last of the fry. Ate all his sibs.”
I cleared my throat. The image was unpleasant. “No conversation?”
Bubbles shrugged. “She wanted to know if the Pizza Queen on 88th was still in business.”
Av shifted her luminous brown eyes towards me at the mention of the pizza joint. Neon fish reflected in them, givingher the look of the gods of old, before all our deities turned to Saints. I shook off the image. The Pizza Queen was one of the Cognoscenti’s spots, run by some of Lux’s favorite girls. I didn’t remember it being particularly important, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t.
“You getting that fish?” I asked my brother. This conversation was obviously over.
Eryx didn’t smile with his mouth—ever. But his eyes smiled, crinkling up as he nodded. “Yeah. Cute little guy.”
Av kicked up her left foot, grinning for Eryx. “Thecutest.”
The sigh that came out of me rose from ancient depths. I pulled my wallet out of the breast pocket in my wool overcoat. “How much?”
Bubbles raised an eyebrow. “Two thou.”
“For the fish?” I asked, incredulous.
“For the information,” Bubbles replied. “The fish is free to a good home, you know that, Bub.”
I leaned on the counter, blinking my long lashes at Bubbles, giving them my bestI’m-so-patientsmile. “But you haven’tgivenme any information.”
“Booth 7,” Bubbles replied. “That’s where she sat.”
I forked out two thousand. Steep for what might yield nothing more than a pepperoni pie. But it might be worth it if it turned out to be more. “Bag up the Black Oranda, please?”
“Of course,” Bubbles said with a smile. “You need a tank, Eryx?”
