A Trade Secret

More often than not, the name of Sparkling Skies Inc.’s proprietor Dagasho did not come up in the talk of cooking. Nay, perhaps it was more apt to say that the two were intentionally kept at a distance, like a beast sealed away for the good of the general public… was it a thing of folly to open the verboten door, to explore what lies beyond the point of no return? This bun doth not know, yet he pushes onward—

“Danny! Yer here, boy — and ya brought the stuff!”
“… yes, hello Dagasho. I assume you have what I’ve asked for as well.”

An odd duo stands vigilant on the floor of Sparkling Skies Inc.; Dagasho quickly waves Calcifer (or Daniel… Cal can’t get the man to call him anything other than ‘Danny’ for some unholy reason.) to the back… One would come to wonder how these two vastly-different buns came to be acquaintances, and one would be right to keep a lurid confusion about themselves. It just so happened that The Hoarde—Lord Calcifer’s bookstore-cum-archive—was just a couple blocks down from Sparkling Skies Inc.… much to the archivist’s dismay. The location of The Hoarde was perfect… yet the incessant crackles and booms from Sho’s shop were deafening enough to travel down the block and—sometimes—big enough to rattle books off his shelves. On multitudes of occasions Calcifer had stormed down to Dagasho’s shop to give the bun an earful, but the bun took Cal’s continued visits in a much… friendlier light than intended.

Eventually the two chatted enough to get to the point of friendly niceties… which is how this odd situation has come to fruition. Dagasho came to know that Cal was a connoisseur of the macabre and an expert in getting his hooves on things of substantial rarity, and Calcifer came to know that Sho was quite friendly with many of the other vendors around the place and could put in a good word for the awkward hermit every now and then. Yes… neither of them were the type to pass up a good deal when they saw it, and today was no different.

When the two of them confirmed that they were indeed alone, Calcifer brought up the briefcase that he’d carried into the shop and placed it gingerly on a counter… popping the latches open to let Dagasho peer inside. Sealed carefully in thick glass bottles were crystal-clear crackling stones; one could mistake them for salt if only they didn’t glitter as insistently as they did when the light of the store hit them. Calcifer motioned for Dagasho to move his hand forward, and Sho moved to pick up a bottle and hold it to a lightbulb to triple-check its contents.

“Ayep. Pop crystals, lookin’ mighty poppy. Yer really savin’ my bacon with this stuff, you know that Danny? Learned a couple new cookin’ pointers from Dan so these’ll help me make somethin’ great.” Sho chuckled heartily, and Calcifer couldn’t help but shudder at the idea of what ‘something great’ looks like coming from this fiery beast’s test kitchen.
“Indeed, indeed… Now don’t keep me waiting, powder keg. Let me see the fruits of your labor.” Calcifer’s stare was pointed, but against Dagasho’s big smile his glare was about as effective as a toothpick.
“Right-o, right-o. Where’d I put that… gaah, not here. Wh… no, not this. OH RIGHT! … yep, there it is. Here ya go, Danny!”

It took Sho a solid minute or two of digging around the various piles of knick-knacks to locate what was included in his side of the trade. His declaration of realization came appended with the appearance of a simple cardboard box filled to the brim with stock-standard cooking ingredients. Tofu, arugula, tomatoes, noodles… and on top of the pile was a small packet labeled ‘charcoal: for cooking’ and a tin of seaweed caviar. Dagasho placed the box on the counter beside Calcifer’s briefcase and watched in amusement as the archivist bun started rooting around in the box to take stock, making absolutely sure that everything was accounted for.

“Charcoal and caviar I could understand, y’know, but I never thought ya’d ask me to get ya groceries for pop crystals. Aren’t these things rare? Real funny for a guy like you.” Dagasho crossed his arms as he watched; he saw Calcifer’s face tint with a slight shade of pink as he finished taking stock.
“… I haven’t been able to… go get groceries… too busy…” Daniel’s voice came out in a low, embarrassed mumble.
“What was that?”
“N-nothing! I have confirmed the validity of your resolve, powder keg! Our business here is—OOF—done!” In a semi-embarrassed flurry of movement, Calcifer had quickly hefted the box into his arms… surprising himself with its weight. Just how many things were packed into that little crate? At least he was getting his carat’s worth.

“Sure, sure. I’ll get the door for ya on the way out. Good luck with whatever yer makin, Danny.”
“To… to you as well, Dagasho.”

And as the two buns retreated to their own abodes, only the most devious dishes were to be produced in time… though Calcifer’s was to be quite a bit less burnt than a certain someone’s experimental craft.