THE MOMENT
The sun hadn't risen yet, but Colonel Hale was already having a stressful day. At 0310, he received a manageable request for a thousand Rank 1 Fireballs and approved it, feeling comfortable with his supply. It would run their Fireball stockpile low, but replenishing it wasn't normally any trouble until it was. A little over two hours later, he was meeting with his supplier and being referred to someone else.
"What do you mean you're not going to carry Fireballs anymore??" He asked. "I'm in the middle of an apocalypse!"
"I need the inventory space for the Brujaja event," Ozone, his regular associate, shrugged. He hadn't even bothered to sit down. Now that he'd informed Colonel Hale of the changes, he seemed ready to leave. "And the rest of the Holidays after Halloween too. It's gonna be a while before I can spare the space for trivial items like fireballs. Monday's a reliable merchant; she can handle your orders. Cheaper too," Ozone nodded. "I know it's somewhat unexpected, so I negotiated a discount for you going in."
"Thank you," Colonel Hale nodded. Ozone's reputation helped put Aaron at ease. The man's word was golden, and if he said this new supplier could handle it, then he trusted that assessment. "I"ll continue the discussion with her, then," he nodded as the portal closed around Ozone and the man was gone. [Ozone said you'd be expecting me. - Col.A.H.] He sent the Whisper, then felt it prudent to add more context. [I need to resupply Rank 1 Fireball spells. - Col.A.H.] [Ten minutes. - Monday] she replied through the Whisper, and he heard a surprisingly young voice in his mind along with the message. A little after eight minutes, another black portal opened in Colonel Hale's office, and a teenage girl in a crisp white suit with sideswept rainbow hair emerged while hiding a yawn behind her hand.
"How many Fireballs would you like to start with?" she asked. "All of them Rank 1?" she added the follow-up before he answered.
"Uhh.. Ozone said there was a discount..?" he asked. Monday nodded.
"It's a sliding scale, not exactly linear. Your usual order of 5000 from Ozone will net you 7500 Fireballs from me, but the ratio goes up as the number goes down. Although it wouldn't be beyond Ozone to leave out the small detail of it being a one-time discount," she added. "You're welcome to verify it with him, but that's what I understood. He's letting me prove I can deliver."
"I guess I'm not surprised." Aaron nodded. Ozone's word was golden, but he hadn't said it was a permanent discount either. "Very well, let's start there. My usual order plus half," he said.
"Agreed," Monday nodded. She approved the transfer through her nanos once the sum arrived in her account. She saw her balance climb in the top corner of her vision, then she willed the products to be transferred. In moments, a horizontal black hole appeared in the Colonel's office, and it sank down below the floor, leaving five white and red crates. Then, she opened a vertical portal to exit as she waved at him.
"Wait! They don't belong here!" He said, and she stopped without stepping out of the portal completely. She was still half-gone. "Ozone always delivers them to the warehouse," he pointed out the window at the still-dark sky. It wasn't as dark as midnight anymore, and the sky was starting to turn purple as the sun struggled to break the horizon.
"I'm not Ozone," Monday shrugged. "If you want them delivered to a specific location, it helps to arrange that beforehand, and there's an extra fee for targeted delivery. You got the discounted package," she said. "If it's that much trouble, I can come back later and move them for you. But I've gotta get some rest...," she continued in through the portal, and it disappeared once she was completely inside it. But Colonel Hale heard her last statement, and it left him unsure all over again.
"..it's a school night."