<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0029</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0030.txt">Next (Page 30)</A><BR> As they did, they noticed a weird, cloaked figure at the other end of the counter, who they hadn't been able to see before. The stranger looked over at them for a moment, and then went back to browsing.<P><P>"Now, I hope you two have some idea of what being a mortal involves. We have to deal with some very, very dangerous things," Nashin-Yogo said dramatically.<P><P>"We have some idea of it, but we're not totally familiar with it," Fake said.<P><P>Nashin-Yogo nodded as he continued rummaging behind the counter.<P><P>"Here's something good!" Confetti said suddenly, holding up a little uninflated green balloon.<P><P>"Well, you take care of 'em, Plura, I have to go help you-know-who," Nashin-Yogo said as he walked away toward the strange individual at the other end of the counter.<P><P>"What's so good about that balloon?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"It's not just any balloon," Confetti said. "It's a slay balloon. Much, much better than an average balloon."<P><P>"In what way?" Fake asked.<P><P>"Blow it up and pop it, and everything around you will be annihilated."<P><P>"Wouldn't that kill you, too?" Fake asked.<P><P>"Not at all. There's a safe area in the immediate vicinity of the slay balloon. And as an added feature, the destructive wave is proportional to the degree the balloon is inflated."<P><P>"So does it like kill people?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"Well, it'll kill killable people, certainly. No problem."<P><P>"Well Fake, whattaya think? Pretty useful, eh?" Daptin said.<P><P>"Definitely. How much?"<P><P>"Oh, you can get whatever you want and put it on the Caxopys' account," Confetti said. <P><P>"Cool! We'll take a lot of 'em," Daptin said.<P><P>"One great gross enough?" Confetti asked, holding up a large black box.<P><P>"How many is that?" Fake asked.<P><P>"I dunno. A lot," Confetti replied.<P><P>"Sounds good to me," Fake said. <P><P>"Sold!"<P><P>"What else?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"Let's see... oh, here's something good," Confetti said as she knelt down. Then she lifted a cinder block to the countertop. It was gray, with two large holes in it, looking a little like the Roman number III, viewed from the side.<P><P>"A brick?" Fake asked.<P><P>"A cinder block," Confetti replied.<P><P>"Does it have any special powers or is it just normal?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"Now come on," Confetti said, "at Basement-Wall-Thursday we don't sell regular cinder blocks. No, it's about as intelligent as a dog, and it can fly. Want one?"<P><P>"Let me see," Fake said. <P><P>"Okay--cinder block, fly around the room, knock over the green vase, and return to the counter," Confetti commanded.<P><P>With this, the cinder block flipped wildly into the air, knocked over a green plastic vase, swung around the interior of the store, and returned deftly to the countertop.<P><P>"Whew! I'll take it!" Fake said.<P><P>"Sold!"<P><P>"I want one too!" Daptin said.<P><P>"Sorry, last one."<P><P>"Oh!" Daptin whined.<P><P>"Don't worry, I have something for you," Confetti said, reaching under the counter and pulling something out to show him.<P><P>"Swizzle sticks?" Daptin queried.<P><P>"No! They're fucking morons, silly!"<P><P>"Fucking what?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"Fucking morons! When you break one of the sticks, a stupid fucking idiot will soon show up and befriend you for a few days. Very useful."<P><P>"Huh? What good is a fucking moron? And where do they come from?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"They can be helpful. They carry things, confuse enemies, test food for poison, y'know. And they're extremely amusing."<P><P>"Oh man," Daptin said.<P><P>"But they don't like," Fake interjected, "they don't like fuck--like, they aren't called fucking morons cuz they like, y'know, have sex with people, right?"<P><P>"Now that's sick. You have a sick mind, girl. Of course not," Confetti said. <P><P>"Well I had to ask, this stuff is so whacked."<P><P>"No, they don't fuck but they're quite delightful otherwise.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0030.txt">Next (Page 30)</A>