Masquerades - Kate Novak [36]
"Yeah," Olive whispered back. "Thalavar's ship had right of way, but Dhostar wouldn't yield. Thalavar's sails stole Dhostar's wind, though, and went whipping past. Dhostar nearly grounded out on a sandbar. They just can't stand giving up anything to a hauling."
"That doesn't explain why in the Gray Waste you pulled a sword on me," Alias growled.
The halfling took her sword from Alias and sheathed it. "It was all for show. The Dumpster's-excuse me, the Dhostar's-minions have to be shown they can't go around stepping on Thalavar halfling toes whenever they want. I had to draw you off before you kicked the
Thalavar halflings' butts. And now Dhostar's people'll remember there was a Thalavar halfling who took on Alias the Sell-Sword. They won't remember which halfling, since they can't seem to tell us apart, so they'll have to be more cautious around all of us."
Alias continued to glare at Olive as she sheathed her own weapon.
"Honestly, you shouldn't take it so personally," Olive insisted. "I swung high. I used the flat of my blade. You know I could have hit you if I'd been meaning to."
Alias harrumphed, but then, with a grin creeping onto her face, she replied, "It's true, Olive. You never missed a target with its back turned to you." She sat down, slid off the crates to the pier, and turned about to give Olive a hand down. The halfling took her hand and jumped down.
"Thank you," the halfling said as she fussily rearranged her cloak.
"You didn't used to be so gracious about accepting help," Alias recalled.
"The knees are getting old, my dear," the bard replied.
Victor finished making financial arrangements with the Thalavar shipping clerk, then he and Dragonbait joined the two women.
Victor bowed to Olive. "Mistress Ruskettle, I'm Victor Dhostar. Thalavar's shipping clerk just told me who you were. I'm so pleased to meet you. Please, excuse this unpleasantness. Brunner and his people tend to be…" Victor searched for the words.
"Less polite to people who aren't like them," Olive supplied.
Victor nodded with a sad smile. "Very provincial, I'm afraid. I hope Lady Nettel will forgive this unfortunate incident."
"I'm sure she wouldn't hold you responsible, Lord Victor," Olive replied with a gracious smile. "And may I say, I'm pleased to meet you as well. It's so refreshing to meet someone whose attitudes are more cosmopolitan."
Victor smiled and said, "I'd appreciate any help in making sure that relationships between the Thalavars and Dhostars and their peoples run smoothly. If you have any other problems, please feel free to contact me." He held out a hand.
Olive shook the merchant's hand briefly.
"Well, now. I'm afraid I must ask you to excuse me. There is some paperwork I must examine aboard my ship." He turned to Alias. "I should only be a few minutes," he explained.
Alias nodded. "We'll wait," she said.
"He's not only cute, he's quite a charmer," Olive said once Victor was out of earshot. "If he could bottle that, he could double his family's fortune."
"Yes, he is charming," Alias agreed. "But enough about him," she snapped. "You still haven't told me what you're doing in Westgate."
"Hello, Dragonbait," the halfling greeted the saurial. "You're looking well. How're CopperBloom and the hatchlings?"
Dragonbait signed in the thieves' hand cant, Very well, thank you. It's always a surprise to see you. What are you doing in Westgate?
"I've agreed to help out Lady Nettel of House Thalavar," the halfling replied. "Lady Nettel does a lot of trading with the halflings of the Shining South and hires a lot of them to run her business. She tends to trust halflings since the Night Masks don't accept us in their guild. Lady Nettel won't have anything to do with the Night Masks, and since she refuses to pay protection, her ships and warehouses get robbed or vandalized more than anyone else's, and a lot of her halfling workers are getting hurt in the process."
"So you came here as a hired sword?" Alias asked.
Olive shook her head. "I started out teaching music