“You can say that again,” I agreed. “ I sure got ambushed by the cost. Of course, I’ve never been here before, so I couldn’t know . . .”
I broke off, realizing he was staring at me.
“Which brings us back to my original question, Skeeve. What are you doing here and why do you want to talk to me?”
My moment had come, and if Aahz’s mood was any indication, I had better make my first pitch good. I probably wouldn’t get a second chance. Everything I had considered saying to him the next time we met face to face whirled through my head like a kaleidoscope, mixing randomly with my recent thoughts regarding myself.
My search had given me new insight into Aahz. Seeing the dimension that spawned and shaped him, having learned about his schooldays, and having met his mother, I had a much clearer picture of what made my old partner tick. While I was ready to use that information, I resolved never to let him know how much I had learned. Someday, when he was ready, he might share some of it with me voluntarily, but until then I felt it was best to let him think his privacy was still unbroached. Of course, that still left me groping for what to say here and now. Should I beg him to come back with me? Should I play on our friendship . . . or use the campaign against Queen Hemlock to lure him back for just one more job?
Suddenly, Kalvin’s advice came back to me. There was no right or wrong thing to say. All I could do was try, and hope that it was good enough to reach my alienated friend. If not . . .