She put one big hand over the weapons and pushed them back toward Gallina. “If I give myself that breathing room, I might just take advantage of it. I don’t want to have the excuse.”
“Oh, eight hells, Viv.” Gallina crossed her arms and pouted. Then she whisked the knives away.
“Not going to stab me with one of those?”
“Maybe later.” She sighed hugely. “Whatever, I guess. But now you owe me somethin’ sweet for bruisin’ my feelin’s so bad.”
“I’ll see if they’ve got a dessert menu.”
* * *
Gallina walkedViv back to the shop.
“So, what’s a girl gotta do to get a sack of those sweet rolls?” she asked.
“Didn’t I just buy you dessert?”
“Thing about gnomes, we got the metabolism of hummingbirds,” said Gallina, with a huge grin.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Tandri was in the middle of shutting things down and waved at them both.
Viv wrapped the last three rolls in wax paper, tied them with some string, and grandly handed the packet to Gallina.
“Should last me the walk to my room,” she said, with a nod and a wink. Then she sobered. “Look, I don’t know if I should say it, ’cause I don’t want to set you jumpin’ at shadows, but Fennus….”
“What about him?”
“I think you should just keep an eye out.”
“Did he say something?”
“No, not exactly, but… I don’t know if you had somearrangementwith him or somethin’, but… he’s been strange lately. So maybe it’s nothin’. But. I gotta listen to my little voice, I guess.”
“I’ll be careful,” said Viv, remembering Fennus’s visit and his parting remarks.
It does indeed have thering of fortuneabout it.
* * *
Viv helpedTandri finish closing up. As she washed and dried the last mug, Tandri leaned on the counter. “Good visit?”
“It was,” said Viv. “I’ve known Gallina for years. Not my finest moment, leaving the way I did. But I think that’s smoothed over now.”
“That’s good.”
Tandri’s tail did its side-to-side lash.
“But?” prompted Viv, knowing there was more.
“You should be careful. When you take the meeting.”
Viv chuckled. “You don’t live as long as I have, doing what I did, without taking precautions.”
“I think that’s what worries me. Precautions.”
Viv stared at her levelly. “Gallina offered me knives. I made her keep them.”
