“A trade? Why surely you’ve come to the right bakeneko,” His posture changed, a little more hunched feline and less stiff-backed salesman. “I'm glad to be of service. Is there something you’re looking for?”

  That caught me off guard.

  I thought Yokocho would run circles around me using conversation, or at the very least, try to give me a hard time. But he shifted so quickly from casual conversation to business that I was left speechless. I wasn’t prepared to say what I needed. Hell, I had been so busy trying to dodge everything I didn’t know what I wanted.

  “Ah, consumer’s dilemma. I understand,” Yokocho shook his head sadly with close to genuine sympathy. “If you’ll allow me, could I make some suggestions?”

  “Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.

  “Well, now you've gone and put me in a rightful conundrum! I have all sorts of things. Let me list off what you might be interested in, Jain Hallow, and see if any of them tickle your fancy,” He began counting off his fingers, “Knowledge regarding the Hudson Witch, the Valentines, the Baeks, and a list of those whom have already expressed silent interest at being your second, a trinket to ease pain, a charm that could ward off curses, whereabouts of your–”

  Wol cut him off. “It would help my contractor if you told him the cost of these things.”

  A few of the things caught my interest off the bat. “I want to know how much it would cost for the knowledge of the Hudson Witch, the Valentines, and the Baeks.”

  “A splendid choice! Tell me what you wish to know and I will tell you what it would cost you.”

  “What kind of practitioner is Victor Valentine,” I said, and looked around as I did it, checking if anyone –especially Victor or Mina– heard. The practitioners were on the other end of the assembly, but as they were all wearing their formal robes and the familiars were all grouped up together, it was hard to differentiate them from one another.

  “That’s common knowledge enough. In exchange, I wish to know what you did for the Intellect Transit.”

  I frowned. “What for?”

  “Knowledge for knowledge, the easiest of trades,” Wol said.

  “Exactly what he said, Jain Hallow!” Yokocho agreed with a wide smile.

  I twitched my head for a negative. “No, that’s off the table.”

  Supernatural bargains or not, I wasn’t going to go around spilling the Intellect Transit’s secrets. I wasn’t sure how much information regarding her infection was out in the open, and if it wasn’t, how the information I gave could be used to piece it together.

  She’d dealt right by me, and I’d sort of failed her. Besides, I didn’t want her as an enemy.

  “Oh? Is this sentimentality I smell?” He sniffed the air between us.

  I ignored him. “Maybe I can share with you a reasonable assumption about Mina Baek’s practice? Based on what I saw?”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh. “No, that information would only be useful in a trade with you and only at this moment in time. The value of Victor’s practice to you far outweighs any potential gains I could get from trading the Baek heir’s information.”

  Was the knowledge of Victor’s practice something of import? Yes. Was it necessary? No.

  “Something else then. You said something about a trinket that can ease pain?”

  “You got it in one! Though from the look of things, you might need something stronger than the usual,” He reached in his knapsack, taking out a small pouch that could fit in the palm of my hand. It was basically a piece of fabric cross wrapped by a ribbon. “Bite onto this until you hear the crunch, and it will be as if you were never wounded.”

  Now that was something I could use. “What do you want for it?”

  “Hm. Perhaps a trinket? It would be simple, seeing as you’re lacking in other goods that I might need or want.”

  “I don’t have anything like that either.”

  “Hmm. Truly unfortunate.”

  I looked around the room again, searching for ideas. What did I have that could be of interest to Yokocho? Or maybe I knew something?

  “Shit,” I muttered and unslung my backpack again. Everytime it did, I had to redo my crutches because there was no way I was going to put it on the shoulder with the burns. “Wol, Valstein’s trinket.”

  “Are you sure?” Wol asked, but he didn’t sound surprised. If anything, he knew it would come to something like this.

  I grimaced. “Yeah. I’d rather have a surefire way to get rid of a weakness, than hold onto that on the off chance that a bat shows up for me to throw Victor’s way.”

  Wol stuffed half his body in my pink backpack and came out with the compass in his mouth. He leaned on my good leg, and handed it to me. I flicked it open. Instead of a needle, a ruby red droplet of blood reflected the light, suspended in perpetuity within the glass dome.

  Yokocho’s ears twitched in interest. It was hard to read the rest of his feline expression, but his pupils were dilated too. From the two, I could tell he was plenty interested.

  “How many of those talismans can I get with this?” I snapped the compass closed.

  “Will you consider a one for one trade?”

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  “Something tells me that this compass is of higher quality than the one you’re offering,” I said, “Not to mention that Valstein gave it to me. Wol, correct me if I’m wrong, but does who I received the trinket from matter?”

  “Greatly,” Wol said. “The inherent potential is different.”

  “I guess that’s considered branding in the supernatural world,” I mummured, “Even I can tell the compass is a level above that sack you got in your hand there, Yokocho.”

  “Ha! Since this is a first sale, then I will concede. Two talismans for the compass, and you have a deal, Jain Hallow!”

  “Deal,” I said and passed him the compass.

  I took the talisman from the cat yokai, putting one in my bag and the other in a pocket, just in case I needed to use one in a jiffy.

  “...Are you in the market for a new backpack?” Yokocho said. His expression never changed.

  “No,” I said. “But I am interested in seeing what it would cost me to know who wanted to be my second.”

  “Hmm,” he said. “Names for names? Or name for a name?”

  My instinct went on high alert immediately. “What name?”

  “One of yours. Give it to me,” Yokocho said plainly.

  “Don’t,” Wol said.

  “You already know my name,” I frowned down at Wol.

  “He knows your name. He does not have it,” Wol hissed, “To give a name is to hand over a portion of yourself. Whoever owns parts of your name will have greater power over you. They’ll find it easier to curse you, find you, manipulate you. If they say an insult with your name in the same breath, karma might redirect it back at you. Merchants like this one can also sell it to others.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “I’m guessing that’s a no?”

  “Yeah, that’s a hard no,” I spat. “Come on, there must be something.”

  “I’m not in the habit of keeping inventory of what my customers have in their possession available for barter. Usually, the customer comes to me in mind with what they want, and how much they’re willing to pay for it,” Yokocho said dryly, “You go to school, yes?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I wish for a pair of keys to one of your classmate’s homes. Preferably, someone with a younger sibling between the ages of–”

  “Jesus Christ,” I swore, interjecting before he could finish the rest of his sentence. “Never mind.”

  “Ah, I see that I’ve turned you off. Fickle things, you practitioners can be. Ah! I know! I have heard you are a conjurer? I would take the name of a daemon.”

  I looked down, checking for Wol’s reaction.

  “It would… be a small cost to us. Though I am wondering if it would be of equal value in the long run. A daemon’s name will hold value for as long as the world exists. The name of those possible seconds? A measly two days,” Wol said.

  I bit my lip. “Yeah, that’s a no then.”

  “Oh?” Yokocho leaned in, canines way too long to just be a cat. “What’s this? You’re not willing to trade for a daemon’s name either? Even though your participation in the trial hangs in the balance?”

  “The whole reason I’m in this mess is because of the whole stigma that Diabolists deal in things that other people wouldn’t, and as a result, hurt people. Or leave the world in a worse state than it was before.” I shook my head. “I start giving out daemon names, I’m just feeding into that. I’m not going to cause problems that I can’t be responsible for.”

  Yokocho blinked. Then he asked Wol, “Did you teach him that?”

  “No,” Wol said. He blinked too. “I did not.”

  I scowled.

  I meant what I said. After the experience by the docks with the daemon, I had some time to think. I understood why people were so afraid of the Hallow name, and by extension, me. And if the daemon was anything like what the Shin side of my family dealt with, I could understand people’s fear for that side too.

  The block had been deserted. It didn’t register on my mind that the blizzard was a factor. There should have been someone nearby, maybe even a pedestrian or a corner pizza shop a couple blocks away. But the place had been barren, devoid of life. Like Wol said, people were avoiding it because they knew bad things happened over there. Over thirteen thousand people are reported missing in New York City every year. Hundreds of them become long-term missing cases, meaning they’re never found again.

  A few hundred doesn’t sound that bad? Just wait until it happens to someone you know. Someone you love.

  Hell, it could happen to you.

  How many of those numbers were because of the supernatural? Because of some stray daemon? Not even a demon, just a regular preternatural denizen on this side? Yokocho had just asked me to steal keys to a classmate’s house so he could kidnap their younger siblings for some sick reason I didn’t want to know about. And the other guy in this room made Yokocho look friendly.

  Yeah. I wasn’t going to do that. Not now. Not ever.

  I’m a loner. I don’t have friends. Zero. I’m also a victim –God, I hated it when people used that word to label me– of school bullying. Some people think that means I hate everyone and am angry at the whole world. A part of me is. I’ll admit that.

  But there’s some lines even I won’t cross.

  I just didn’t realize it until this whole thing started.

  “I think we’re done here,” I said.

  “Are you sure? You will need a second for the trial, Jain Hallow,” Yokocho said but his tone wasn’t as cheerful as before.

  “Yeah, it doesn’t matter if I lose the trial,” I shrugged with the crutch. “I don’t think I can do something like that.”

  Yokocho nodded. “Best of luck then, Jain Hallow! Do you know where to find me? Bah, no matter. Just ask around Sana’s and they’ll let you know. I never stay in one place too long.”

  After Yokocho walked away, I found Wol staring at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Wol mummured, “You are just… not what I imagined at all.”

  ‘You are not like your Mother, is what he means,’ Hwari whispered.

  “Well, I never knew her,” I said. “And no, that doesn’t mean start telling me about her right now. We have to find a second. We can do all the touchy-feely stuff later. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Wol said. “Are you sure about not accepting the Fae’s offer?”

  “Not unless she’s willing to work pro-bono,” I said. “I think it’s a good thing we talked to Yokocho first. I just realized, I have nothing to offer in exchange for their services.”

  “It seems you are still in the market for a second, mageling. Am I correct?” said a familiar voice.

  I turned around to find Rosefinch sitting on the chair.