sticker … what sort of glutton for punishment would I have to be to wear my
mailcoat all day, just walkin’ around town?
Still, he would not claim even to himself not to be unnerved. With the whole
town gettin’ to be as dangerous as the Maze, maybe I should!
He wiped wet hands on his leggings, and considered dropping in at the Vulg for a
short one. No, he’d just stay away from that place; it was no trick to spot the
two Beysibs, so very casually hanging about across the “street,” keeping an eye
on a dive to which Ahdio felt Sly’s was eminently superior. Doubtless a PFLSer
or two would be about, too, keeping an eye or four on the Stare-Eyes. He’d just
head on home and drink his own, with Sweetboy for company.
He followed the Serpentine on down and around onto Tanner. With a casual wave at
the enormous (and teetotal-ing) bodyguard of Alamanthis, the physician located
conveniently across the street from Sly’s and prospering accordingly, Ahdio went
around back. He whacked the door a couple of times while he whistled a few
notes, to avoid a misunderstanding with Sweetboy, and slipped the first of two
keys into the smaller lock. Then the other one, and he entered. He dropped the
big bar across the door behind him.
“Hey, you mangy furbag, daddy’s home!”
“Mrarr,” Sweetboy said in what was almost a travesty of a cat’s customary sound,
and meandered over. Ahdio stood still long enough to let the black, mange-free
animal sinuously whack its left flank against his buskin and pace back and forth
a few times, rubbing, getting rid of some excess fur while saying Hello Good To