Once Al sees a nod from Alyce he figures they can swing the price even if the others are less enthusiastic. "Settled then. Once vacation's over I'll be happy ta buy yer stakes if ya want - always wanted a plane. Guy I know's in Seattle, an' his stock's there too. Reckon I'll fly commercial, meet y'all there. Leave the rest o' this powwow ta those who care, check outta this vomit-fest now, git all this started. Y'all know how ta reach me ya need ta coordinate anythin' else."
And with that, the obsidian humanoid that could scratch its ass winked out of existence just as an alarmingly accurate bit of flak vaporized the section of fuselage just where he'd been sitting.
He awoke just as he'd gone out, naked on plastic on the floor of his shop, the only differences being the nightmarish dizziness, the excruciating knots in his gut, the rancid taste in his mouth, the burning in his throat, and his dog Spike lapping at the pool of vomit he was lying in.