MA07 MYTH Inc Link by Robert Asprin Page A

with the suggestion that let you off the hook with your skin intact.”
    “True enough,” the Geek nodded. “The Kid’s got class”
    “Right. Oh! Say, speakin’ a class, you might try to run down the Sen-Sen Ante Kid and offer him a permanent table of his own.”
    The Deveel cocked his head at me.
    “No problem, but do you mind my asking why?”
    “Well, the last time he was in the vicinity for that match-up with Skeeve, I got stuck baby-sitting that character assassin you fobbed off on us. That means I’m the only one on our team who didn’t get a chance ta meet him ... and, from what I hear, he’s my kinda guy. Besides, he might appreciate settlin’ down instead of hoppin’ from game to game all the time. Aren’t any of us gettin’ any younger, ya know.”
    “Ain’t that the truth,” the Geek said with a grimace. “Say, that might not be such a bad idea. Having the best Dragon Poker player at the Bazaar as a permanent player at the casino would be a pretty good draw.”
    We talked a while more, but it was all detail stuff. The Geek was on board, and the casino was startin’ ta take shape.
    * * *
    CASINOS MAY NOT be my forte, but nobody knows retail stores like yours truly. Bunny may be aces when it comes ta findin’ class outfits at decent prices, and Tananda sure knows her weapons, but when it comes ta straight-at-ya, no-holds-barred shoppin’, they both take a back seat ta Massha.
    I had noticed this place long before the assignment came up, but it stuck in my mind so I thought I’d check it out. There were big “Going Out Of Business” and “Everything Must Go” sale signs all over the window, but they had been there for over a year, so I didn’t pay em much heed.
    For a storefront shop, the place was a disaster. Their stock could only be described as “stuff”... and that’s bein’ generous. There were T-shirts and ash trays and little dolls all mixed in with medications and magazines in no particular order. The shelves were crammed with a small selection of the cheap end of everything. They didn’t have as many clothing items as a clothing store, as many hardware items as a hardware store ... I could go on, but you get the point. If you wanted selection or quality in anything, you’d have ta go somewhere else. In short, it was just the sort of place I was lookin’ for.
    “Can I help you, lady?”
    The proprietor was perched behind the counter on a stool readin’ a newspaper. He didn’t get up when he talked ta me, so I decided ta shake him up a little.
    “Well, yes. I was thinkin’ a buyin’ a lot of... stuff. Can you give me some better prices if I buy in volume?”
    That brought him out from behind the counter with a pad and pencil which had materialized out of thin air.
    “Why, sure, lady. Always ready to deal. What was it you were thinking of?”
    I took my time and looked around the place again. “Actually, I was wonderin’ if you could quote me a price on everything in the store.”
    “Everything? Did you say everything?”
    “Everything ... including your sweet adorable self.”
    “I don’t understand, lady. Are you saying you want to buy my store?”
    “Not the store, just what’s in it. I’m thinkin’ this place could do better in a new location. Truthfully now, how has business been going for you lately?”
    The owner tossed his pad and pencil back onto the counter.
    “Honestly? Not so hot. My main supplier for this junk just raised his prices ... something about a new union in his factory. I either gotta raise my prices, which won’t help, since this stuff is hard enough to move as it is, or go out of business, which I’ve seriously been considering.”
    I thought it would be best not to comment on the union he’d mentioned.
    “You don’t think a new location would help?”
    “New location ... big deal! This is the Bazaar at Deva, lady. One row of shops is like any other for pedestrian traffic. On anyone of those rows you can find better stuff than I