“Yeah? How would you know?” my comrade retorted.
“Well… you said….”
“I said? That won’t do it, kid. What’s point-heavy for me may not be point-heavy for you. Weapon balance is a personal thing.”
“Well … I guess I’m just not used to wearing a sword,” I admitted.
“It’s easy. Just forget you’re wearing it. Think of it as part of you.”
“I did. That’s when I hit you.”
“Hmm … we’ll go into it more later.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could still see the trollop. She clapped her hands in silent applause and blew me a kiss. I suddenly realized she thought I had deliberately hit Aahz, a premeditated act to quell a rival. What’s more, she approved of the gesture.
I looked at her again, more closely this time. Maybe later I would give Aahz the slip for a while and….
“We’ve got to find Frumple.” Aahz’s voice interrupted my wandering thoughts.
“Hmm … ? Oh. How, Aahz?”
“Through guile and cunning. Watch this, kid.”
So saying, he shot a quick glance up and down the street. A pack of three urchins had just rounded the corner, busily engaged in a game of keep-away with one of the group’s hat.
“Hey!” Aahz hailed them. “Where can I find the shop of Abdul the Rug Dealer?”
“Two streets up and five to the left,” they called back, pointing the direction.
“See, kid? That wasn’t hard.”
“Terrific,” I responded, unimpressed.
“Now what’s wrong, kid?”
“I thought we were trying to avoid unnecessary attention.”
“Don’t worry, kid.”
“Don’t worry!? We’re on our way to meet a Deveel on a supposedly secret mission, and you seem to be determined to make sure everybody we see notices us and knows where we’re going.”