willing to experiment with a strange drink after everything
106
Robert Asprin
I’ve been saying about food on Perv. Well, truth to tell, I
was son of hoping this venture would end in disaster. You
see, by this time I had cooled off enough to acknowledge
that Kalvin was probably right about going back to the hotel,
but I had made such a big thing out of making an independent
decision that changing my mind now would be awkward.
Somewhere in that train of thought, it occurred to me that
if this new drink made me sick, I would have an unimpeach-
able reason for reversing my earlier decision. With that in
mind, I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip.
The icy burst that hit my throat was such a surprise that
I involuntarily took another swallow . . . and another. I
hadn’t realized how thirsty I was after my brisk walk until
I hit the bottom of the glass without setting it down or taking
a breath. Whatever this stuff was, it was absolutely marvel-
ous, and the vaguely bitter aftertaste only served to remind
me I wanted more.
“Bring me another of these,” I ordered the bartender,
who was still sorting through my coins. “And can you bring
it in a larger container?”
“I could bring you a pitcher,” he grumbled.
“Perfect… and pull a little extra there for your trouble.”
“Say . . . thanks.”
The bartender’s mood and opinion of me seemed to have
improved as he made his way to the bar. I congratulated
myself for remembering what Edvik had said about tipping.
“I suppose it would be pushy to try to point out that
you’re drinking on an empty stomach,” the Djin said drily.