Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ERICA WOULDN'T AGREE TO INSPECT the air duct the quartet wanted her to shimmy through until Amara had given her ten samples of ice cream, and even then, she was hesitant.
"Yeah, I don't know," she descended from the ladder, clicking off the flashlight in her hand and resting her palms on the table where the blueprints for Starcourt still lay. Amara had to give Erica credit for not being the slightest bit fazed when she and the others had taken the risk of disclosing her of the Russians or what they wished of her, but she understood that persuading her to help them would be no easy task. At only ten years of age, Erica was far more eloquent and self-assured than Amara could ever hope to be, especially when she wanted something.
"You don't know if you can fit?" Dustin queried, confused.
"Oh, I can fit," Erica corrected Dustin. "I just don't know if I want to."
"Are you claustrophobic?" Robin guessed, though she already had a sneaking suspicion about why Erica wasn't adhering to their request so easily. Even so, she was the only ten-year-old they knew who would even consider crawling through a vent to infiltrate a secret Russian storage room.
Erica snickered. "I don't have phobias."
"Okay, well, what's the problem?" Steve asked, arms folded across his torso. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, for Erica's stance immediately hardened.
"The problem is," Erica retorted, mimicking Steve's posture, "I still haven't heard what's in this for Erica."
Amara stepped forwards before any of her friends could argue further, acknowledging that Erica wouldn't assist them without something in return. Truth be told, it was better than her being unable to fit or having a fear of tight spaces because it was something they could readily fix. "I could give you more samples," she offered, but even then she understood that it wouldn't be enough to persuade her.
Erica smirked, popping one of her hips. "You're gonna need way more than a few samples to even negotiate with me."
A USS Butterscotch, several milkshakes, and an ice cream cone, cup, and sundae of every imaginable flavor later, Erica was finally ready to bargain with the others. Steve slid a second banana boat across the table to accompany what was likely a quarter of their entire supply, but she merely pushed it back toward him with a simpering smile.
"More fudge, please," Erica demanded with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Go on." Steve sighed through his nose before getting up from the booth they were packed into and retreating to the counter to douse the banana boat with more fudge per her request. Amara felt bad for him, but she knew that Erica wanted them to cave. Now that they had given her what she desired, it was their time to detail more about her end of the deal.
