Chapter Thirteen:
“The secret of popularity Is confidence. “
-W. ALLEN
“HOLD UP A minute, partner. We’re still together, you know.”
I slowed my pace a bit, and Aahz caught up with me, falling in step beside me.
“If you don’t mind the observation,” he said, “that little scene back there seems to have gotten you a little upset.”
“Shouldn’t it have?” I snapped.
“Don’t let it bother you,” my partner said easily. “Locals always get upset with outsiders . . . especially when their women start flirting with them. It’s a problem as old as the hills. Just ask any soldier or carny person. Don’t take it personally.”
He gave me a playful punch on the arm, but, for a change, I wasn’t reassured.
“But they weren’t reacting to an outsider, Aahz. They were reacting to me. I live here, too. What’s more, they knew it. They knew who I was and that I work at the castle, but they still treated me like an outsider.”
“As far as they’re concerned, you are.”
That one stopped me.
“How’s that again?”
“Take a look at the facts, Skeeve,” Aahz said, more serious now. “Even ignoring your travels through the dimensions, you aren’t the same as them. Like you say, you work at the castle . . . and not as a chambermaid or a kitchen worker, either. You’re one of the main advisors to the Queen, not to mention a possible consort . . . though I doubt they know that. Things you do and say on a daily basis affect everyone in this kingdom. That alone puts you on a different social . . . not to mention economic . . . level from the folks here in town.”