Flash Fic Challenge: Medicinal Compounds

 Medicinal Compounds

The asteroid mining stations were always pleased when the Pink Pie Tin docked at one of them with her regular load of medicines and other supplies. Not only was it a pleasure to know that they weren't going to run short of anything, as well as to see a new, if familiar face in the ship's captain, but the ship's unofficial cargo load included news and tall tales. Information and entertainment in one, and the captain always told them well.

On this occasion, though, the tale telling (a tall one, surely no one could fly by flapping their ears, even in asteroid-level gravity) was interrupted by two youngsters making a dash for the port, one dragging the other by the hand, and both looking over their shoulders in a way that suggested pursuit.

"They say," the dragger panted, "that you'll let people ship out with you - for a price."

The captain only looked amused. "They told you true. What's your price?"

"We want," the one being dragged whispered, still looking fearfully over one shoulder, "to escape. We... can tell a tale you won't believe. But not here."

"We'll discuss it on board then." The captain made her excuses to the crowd and led them through the lock into the ship itself. Once they reached a cabin, she reached down a pair of tiny vials. "Drink that, it's medicinal." After a moment, she added, "And you'd best call me Lily."

Flash Fic Challenge: Taste Explosion

 Taste Explosion

"Shush! Put a sock in it!"

"Whose sock, George?"

"Any sock!"

"Do I look like I keep spare socks for this sort of thing? There, I found the mute button, will that do?"

"It'll have to, Freddie. Now, where do you think the stuff's hidden?"

"In the oven?"

"Oh for pity's sake... This is a restaurant kitchen, not a gingerbread cottage!"

"Found it! Back of the spice rack. Guess someone was hoping for a taste explosion!"

"A regular explosion, more like. Come on, let's get out of here before anyone comes to see what all that noise earlier was about."

"Yep, sure, after you..."

Flash Fic Challenge: Takes One to Catch One

Takes One to Catch One

The man they were chasing whipped through a door, silk opera cloak just missing being trapped as it closed.

Ned grabbed the heavy fire-door before it quite shut and wrenched it back open. "Can't be far now," he gasped, as he pelted through. "Not like he's going to blend in."

Jack followed right on Ned's heels with a breathless nod. They turned another corner, and skidded to a halt on the edge of a huge convention crowd, a large proportion of whom appeared to be dressed as some kind of vampire. Cloaks, hats, canes, rags, fangs.

The perfect place for the man to blend into, as if he'd been aiming for here all along.

Jack swore, long and extensively.

Ned quite agreed.

They kept moving, kept looking, following the swirl of the crowd as it parted ahead of their running prey and his stolen plans, then closed in behind him (and in front of them).

Ned yelled, "Stop that thief!" and heads turned, but no one made as if they were going to help.

The swirl widened momentarily, as their prey darted around yet another costumed person with slicked back hair, cloak, and cane.

The cane flashed out sideways, hooking around the man's leg.

He went sprawling with a hiss and a snarl. The person planted the tip of their cane between his shoulders and leaned on it, apparently unshaken by the thrashing limbs beneath it.

Ned used the time to make up the distance, hurling himself into the fray. "Thank you," he managed, once he and Jack had the man secured.

The 'vampire' grinned, flashing a very realistic looking fang, and withdrew their cane. "My pleasure. It's those like him that give vampires a bad name. I really can't be having that." They bowed with wordless elegance and vanished back into the crowd without so much as a swirl of movement to mark their passage.

Ned put them out of his mind. "Right, you. You're coming with us," he snarled, and he and Jack began the long process of hauling the thief home.