//------------------------------//
// Blue-Black Market, by FoME 
// Story: Group Precipitation 
// by FanOfMostEverything 
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Spending time with White Hat came with several complications. It was a bit hard to get hangout suggestions from a girl who didn't want even her closest friends to know where she lived, much less her typical routine and places where she spent large amounts of her time. Wallflower supposed most people would find that sort of thing frustrating. She knew White meant it as a challenge: Anyone who cared enough to get through all the layers of obfuscation would reap the rewards of her friendship.

Wallflower was pretty sure that was how friendship worked.

In any case, it wasn't like Wallflower was much better. Her favorite tactic when she wasn't extorting secrets by withholding Sugarcube Corner's finest was to pile on favors and suggestions until even White's Internet-deadened sense of guilt prodded her to reciprocate.

"This place is great," Wallflower said as she lead White through what passed for Canterlot's downtown. "Way better than the Noble Barn." After a moment, she added, "Actually, don't mention that place at all while we're there, or Llamazon for that matter. The owner gets... touchy."

White just gave her a sidelong look. “There's Wi-Fi, right?"

Wallflower rolled her eyes. “Yes, White. There's Wi-Fi."

"Because that botanical sanctuary on Ivy Lane—"

"I'm pretty sure that was the Selesnya students who worked there trolling you.”

White snorted. "Wouldn't put it past them."

Wallflower nudged her with an elbow. “Come on, it wouldn't kill you to get offline a bit more often."

"You don't know that. You've heard the rumors about Vignette Valencia, haven't you?"

"Who?"

"Seriously, what am I going to have to do to get you to actually use social media for something other than posting pictures of plants on Immediagram?"

"Convince me there's a point to it.” Wallflower cut off any response by pointing at the next intersection. "Take a left here and—"

White furrowed her brow. “Wait. You're taking us to Lock's Stock?"

"You've heard of the place?"

"Heard of it? I..." White shook her head. "Let's just go in."

Wallflower felt the corners of her mouth pull up almost in spite of her. “Want to see if I can figure it out for myself?"

"Figured it went without saying,” White said without shame.

Lock’s Stock lay nestled between a noodle shop and a candy store, the storefront gloomy and seemingly too narrow to be useful for anything. Within, shadows managed to gather despite it being just past noon, the clientele furtive in their browsing and the inventory riddled with tomes that had no business sitting on chain store shelves or massive warehouses. Not unless those warehouses were the sort that also held the Branch of the Covenant. The shelves themselves were all tilted and even constructed in a way that there wasn’t a right angle to be found in the entire store, making its dimensions hard to grasp and simultaneously giving senses of both claustrophobic closeness and labyrinthine vastness.

Wallflower looked around and shrugged. “Well, whatever you're not saying, the place looks the same to me. Hi, Mr. Lock.”

The grey unicorn aspect sitting behind the counter with its antique cash register nodded, his limp black hair almost hiding how the scar slashed across his nose twisted with his slight smile. “Ms. Blush.” Eyes green as witchfire shifted to the other girl and widened. “My goodness. White? I haven’t seen you since Tinfoil—”

White made a slashing gesture with a hand. “Ixnay on amenays.”

Shadow Lock gave a dark chuckle. Wallflower was pretty sure it was the only kind he could manage. “Don’t mind her, Wallflower. According to her father, she’s always—“

White slammed her hands on the counter, which was warped enough that it might have been carved from driftwood. “I will literally buy anything in this store if you stop talking right now.”

Shadow shook his head. “I have a great deal of merchandise outside of your price range, White Hat.”

Data clicked together in Wallflower’s mind. “You went to Ravnica High, didn’t you, Mr. Lock?”

He smiled and raised his hand, revealing a gold ring with three scratches in the setting. “Class of ’91.”

“Let me guess; this is basically Dimir alumni central for Canterlot?”

He nodded. “Once a Froghemoth, always a Froghemoth.”

“I seriously can’t believe you just stumbled on this place.” White’s face twisted in that lip-puckering way she had when she was about to divulge something personal. “Dad used to take me here when I was, like, six. Especially on Samhain.”

Wallflower looked around. She was pretty sure she saw something skitter behind one of the shelves. Something with an odd number of legs. “Can’t imagine why.”

“Seriously, you’re like the ultimate Dimir girl. Even you didn’t know you were for years.”

“Yeah, yeah.” If Wallflower had a nickel for every time White had said something along those lines, she really would be able to buy anything in the shop. “Come on, you’re impossible to shop for and I’m going to find something for your birthday if it kills one of us.”

“You don’t even know when my birthday is.”

“Pinkie Pie.”

White scowled and crossed her arms. “Come on, even I think that’s cheating.”