Apple of Discord: Chapter 6
There is a sudden swirl of energy, and the BELCH opens to reveal the smiling faces of two dark haired young men.
“Hey, Grey!” The guy calling out you recognize as Shai. He’s sort of a camp legend.
‘We’ve got news on my markers and on what’s happening at the Tipps Iron Works factory. I’m betting you’re both going to want to know what we know.” Ryan, the other demigod wiggles his eyebrows.
“Out with it. It’s like you’re both waiting to be paid or something,” Grey urges.
“Right, sorry. We usually are waiting to be paid, actually.” Shai shares a look with Ryan, and they both chuckle and shrug.
“Well, I’m sure our fine demigod here would be willing to pay you with an earnest fist bump,” Grey replies cooly.
“Done!” both guys say simultaneously, holding out a fist.
“Information first! Geeze guys, we’re on the same team!” Grey chirps, exasperated.
“Oh yeah,” Shai begins. “So, we figured out where the markers will materialize next. Pretty cool huh?”
The guys smile confidently.
“You paid somebody for that information, didn’t you?” Grey accuses them. No one could put a verbal arched eyebrow in a conversation the way Grey can.
“Excuse us? We don’t pay for ANYTHING!” Shai looks offended.
“Yeah, who do you think we are, the Stoll brothers?” Ryan chimes in.
“Where are they going to appear next?” you say.
“Why don’t we show you?” Ryan looks at his watch. “We have 15 minutes until they move to the next location. AND one of the locations is at the Tipps Ironworks factory.”
“How do you deal with the wave of nausea whenever they appear?” you ask. “I could barely move.”
“Oh, that?” Shai says dismissively. “We developed a chewing gum that helps with nausea,” He offers you a stick from a colorful pack of gum.
You look at the pack with some skepticism. “Don’t Blow Chunks? That’s what you decided to call the gum?”
“The truth shouldn’t hurt or make you puke, right?” Ryan asks and also offers a stick of gum.
Shai raised his eyebrows in mock shock. “Don’t confuse sense for messaging. It does what it says it does, and people will want it. We are about to launch the product with a nationwide group of midwives. It’ll help their clients with the pregnancy pukes. Let’s let the revenue decide and not be so judgy.”
You are a bit shocked by how useful the gum sounds. Shai and Ryan usually involve themselves in all sorts of mischievousness. This gum sounds a bit … well, upstanding.
The entire camp store crew is a confusing mess at the best of times. The boys announced they were going to trade up from toilet paper to owning all of Austin - the entire city. Owning a city!? Who does that? How do you even do something like that?
Ryan cocks his head to one side and regards you curiously. “You realize you said that out loud right?”
“Did I?”
“Yeah,” both boys say simultaneously.
“Um, weird,” you say.
“Yeah, I may have given you the other gum by mistake. Sorry.” Shai looks sheepish.
“Dude! Not our secret weapon? Shai, you gotta be more careful.” Ryan rolls his eyes.
“Other gum? Secret weapon? What am I chewing?” you ask, alarmed.
“Don’t worry, it’s gum,” Ryan assures you. “It’s just the Use Your Inside Voice Gum.”
“Care to elaborate?” you request as calmly as you can muster.
Shai sighs, shrugs and begins. “It’s the gum we give to folks who have a lot of objections to buying but won’t tell us what those objections actually are. Usually they say stupid stuff like, ‘that’s too expensive’ or ‘my kid, dog, talking-weapon, or significant other just won’t like it’. Always vague, emotionally driven, dodgy excuses really.” Shai shrugs. “It’s never what is really keeping them from buying. One stick of this.” He holds up another stick of gum.
Ryan shakes his head.
“Sorry. I mean this!” Shai says, holding up a different stick of gum.
Ryan nods pleasantly.
“And, BAM!” Shai smashes his hands together for emphasis, sending both packs of gum to tumble together on the floor. “They say what they actually mean, and we can overcome that objection. Marketing, baby!” Shai scratches his chin nervously, while looking at the mess on the floor. “Well, that’s gonna suck.”
“So, why did it work on me? You weren’t trying to sell me anything were you?” you ask.
“Oh, it works on anything that can chew gum. I’m pretty sure it’s more of a truth type gum, sort of,” Shai says, shrugging. “You’ll never catch me chewing it.”
“Pretty sure?” Your voice rises a bit.
“I’m 90% sure, but it could be lower.” Shai chuckles. “Sometimes 80. But RIGHT at this moment it’s 60. But, it could go back up. So, 45 maybe?”
You roll your eyes. “Did either of you go to school for this? Get any kind of training?”
“Nope.” Ryan and Shai smile at each other.
“People follow passion!” Shai says.
“And good messaging!” Ryan adds.
“Well, I guess I’m following you two weirdos to the markers. Let’s go!” you urge.
“Yes! Let’s please go check on my investment!” Ryan says, motioning to the BELCH, swirling behind him.
“Best trade you’ve made in years, Ryan!” Shai exclaims.
“Do I want to know how you became the supposed owner of the markers?” Grey tuts at them.
“Uh,” Ryan pauses. “It’s probably best if you stay out of it. Don’t worry, no camp funds were harmed in the making of this deal.”
“Good to know,” Grey explains. “I only manage transit and information.”
“Can you manage to get us a block away from Tipps Ironworks?” Ryan asks.
“Is the demigod standing next to you smart and good looking?” Grey asks, playfully.
“Thanks!” Shai smiles.
“I wasn’t referring to you, Shai.”
“Oh,” Shai chuckles. He looks you over, appraisingly.
“The correct answer is ‘yes’, Shai,” Grey quickly adds. “Please don’t say anything else.”
“Right.”
You grab your pack, water bottle and sword. The guys really are fun, but they’re also A LOT. Topher has faith in them and the rest of the demigods you’ve spoken to really seem to think highly of them both. Despite this, your brain is screaming, they think they’ve traded for an entire city!
“Inside voice!” Shai calls out.
