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βββ The Batter x Merchant!Reader
Chapter 1 β Fool
βββββ You and Zacharie make quite the pair, just two merchants squeezing little joys and credits out of a bleak world. But when The Batter stops by your shoddy stand while on his sacred mission to cleanse the Zones, he sees you as more than a nefariously charming merchant.
He sees the sin of greed incarnate. Purification in progress.
OR Zacharie leaves you to run his shop one day and you get your ass purified by The Batter after attempting to swindle him.
cw: mentions of noncon/dubcon, dark/horror vibe, depictions of violence involving bodily harm, thievin' and scammin' and stealin'
No matter where he settled, Zacharieβs nomadic shop always smelled like burnt sugar and old paper.
The sheepish customers come and go like ghosts, most being timid Elsen with their trembling hands and sunken eyes.
They donβt haggle. They never do. They just pay, as if guilt were currency. Nowadays, making a profit was aβ
βPiece of cake.β
You beam as another overworked soul hands you stack of credits. And you deceptively pay them back tenfold with your sweetest voice:
βOh, and have a wonderful day. Donβt be a stranger, come on back soon.β
They always did, even after youβd completely overcharged them.
From across the counter, Zacharieβs eyes gleam through the mask with twin holes full of stories and inside jokes youβll never get when he chats up potential buyers. The customer in front of him stutters through the choices, overwhelmed by options.
βHhhhhβ¦ t-thisβ¦ will do for n-now.β
βThatβs an excellent choice, my friend,β he purrs, and giving you a knowing glance and wink so quick youβd miss it if you blinked. βLet me get that wrapped up for you.
βIβ¦ uhmβ¦ o-only have enough for one slabβ¦ of the meat.β
Arms crossed, you watch Zacharie work his usual charm. Can someone truly afford to be so weak-willed in this world?
βAh. That really is quite the problem you have, isnβt it?β His tone holds less charisma and more of a honeyed threat. Itβs backed up by the tenseness of his stare into that poor Elsenβs very soul, because no one takes Zacharieβs (unnerving) kindness for granted.
ββ¦ Today, Iβll let you off. Tomorrow, youβll come back with the rest of your share. β
βyβ¦yesβ¦ That will be goodβ¦ tomorrowβ¦β the Elsen shuddered at the notion of even attempting to swindle their provider of confections.
Itβs harmless business, you tell yourself. You and Zacharie had even made it fun, a quiet competition that livened up your bleak days.
βAhah,β he chuckles while diligent digits flipped through the last wad of colorful credits. βOut-sold me again, apprentie. You sure do know how to gouge a man.
He taps his chest, right where his feline-loving heart would likely sit. βWill you pity the man who bargains for your heart one day?β
βPlease,β you grin. βNo one here can afford it. The Elsen here would rather die than ask for a fair price.β
βSuch hubris,β he says, but the warmth in his tone makes it sound like a playful jab wrapped in praise. βYouβve come to be quite a tyrant behind my shoddy stand. Canβt say Iβm not impressed.β
βI only learned from the best!β You reach past him with a playful, greedy hand toward his stack of credits, and he catches your wrist gently but firmly.
His laughter is muffled by the mask. You canβt play him of all people, and that you will always know.
Zacharie always was quite elusive himself, no matter how long youβd learned under him.
βSacre bleu,β his tongue rolls in tandem with his eyes. βYouβll rob me blind someday, amiga.β
βOnly if you let me.β
After cleaning piles of sugary wrappers, meat scraps, and sharing ringing laughter that would petrify even the spectres, the game of tycoon always ends the same way: on your way out the door, todayβs share of credits in his hand, and Zacharieβs gentle warning in his voice.
βCareful now, little magpie. Someoneβs bound to make you their fool.β
Deep down your pride isnβt fully sated. After all, youβve found something youβre actually good at in these depressing times.
Swindling, bartering, and survival in a spectre-ridden realm. You could at least have some fun and make a good buck off of it.
βNo one fools me, Zacharie. Not in this world.β
You gingerly take your winnings from his hand and fan yourself with them on your way out.
βBesides... if I didnβt know any better, Iβd say youβd want me to outsell you!β
Behind you, the merchant doesnβt laugh this time.
Later, youβll remember that eerie silence and understand what your elusive friend meanβt.
