“Got a minute, Skeeve?” Pookie said, stepping forward.
“Well, I was on my way to say hello to Bunny …”
“Fine. We can talk as we walk.”
She fell in step beside me, and Aahz graciously fell back to walk with my other two bodyguards.
“What it is,” Pookie said, without preamble, “is I’m thinking of cashing in and heading back to Perv.”
“Really? Why.”
She gave a small shrug.
“I can’t see as how I’m really needed,” she said. “When I suggested I tag along, we thought you were coming back to a small war. The way I see it now, it seems like the crew you’ve already got can handle things.”
As she spoke, I snuck a glance back at Guido. He was trudging along, his posture notably more hangdog than usual. It was clear both that he was infatuated with Pookie, and that he wasn’t wild about the idea of her moving on.
“Umm . . . Actually, I’d prefer it if you stuck around for a while, Pookie,” I said. “At least, until I’ve made up my mind what to do about this situation with Queen Hemlock. She’s been known to be a bit nasty when things don’t go her way.”
“Suit yourself,” Pookie said, giving another shrug. “I just wanted to give you an easy out if you were looking to trim the budget.”
I gave a smile at that.
“Just because we’re going to be working on the kingdom’s finances doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with our treasury. You should know your cousin well enough to have faith in his money managing.”
“I know Aahz, all right,” she “said, shooting a dark look at that individual, “enough to know that before he’d part with money unnecessarily, he’d cut off his arm … or, more likely, someone else’s.”