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You agreed to trade-in the computer, but you were reluctant to give up the capsule without getting a little more out of it.
Without him noticing, you swept up the capsule and held it up between the two of you.
<span class="mu-r">“A smart guy like you showing interest in a little thing like this? Dang. This might be worth more than I thought.”</span> you said, twirling it at such an angle that the light from Phineas’ lamp reflected off of it. It seemed to sparkle then. Phineas raised a hand as if to reach for it, but you pulled it back just as fast. <span class="mu-r">“Just…how big of a discount are we talking?”</span> you said, giving him a smug grin. You had him right where you wanted him.
The Tinkerer sighed and pulled his hand back. <span class="mu-b">“...What do you want?”</span>
You tossed the capsule up, watched as his eyes followed it, caught it, and closed your fingers around the device. <span class="mu-r">“Phin, my man. It’s not just about what you can do for me. It’s also about what I can do for you.” you said, pointing a finger at him. “You’re welcome to take advantage of whatever research you happen to come across in those hard drives.”</span>
Phineas crossed his arms and gave you a flat look that told you he had already been planning on doing that from the start. <span class="mu-b">“Just skip to the part where you ask me for favors. I don’t have all day.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Right. Do you think you can supe up my suit a bit more? Throw in some internal comms, a UI for my tracking devices, some extra pockets. All the bells and whistles.”</span> you said, listing off your demands on your fingers.
<span class="mu-b">“Anything else?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Oh, and uh…see if you can knock a few bucks off of the cost of the suit and services rendered.”</span> you added.
Phineas smirked, seemingly amused by your demands. <span class="mu-b">“...Anything else?”</span>
You raised an eyebrow and leaned in close. <span class="mu-r">“There’s more?”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“I wouldn’t be a very dependable businessman if I didn’t tell you that this volatile concoction is worth far more than what you would’ve had to pay to walk out of here with that suit. Personally, I’d be satisfied with taking it off your hands and letting you believe that you pulled one over on me, but if you ever found out that I undercut you, you might feel compelled to take revenge on me in the future. I hope to avoid that, if possible.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“So what you’re saying is…”</span>
Phineas stepped aside and held out a hand towards a door behind him with a tarp hanging over it. <span class="mu-b">“Feel free to peruse my wares. If you find something that you like, bring it to me and I shall add it to your cart. Either that, or you can save the leftover amount as ‘store credit’.”</span>
Flint nudged you playfully and you couldn’t help but smile back at him as you stepped past the Tinkerer and into his secret shop. It was filled with all sorts of contraptions and devices that you’d only ever seen or imagined in science fiction films and comic books.
(Cont.)
