close again. She had noticed my conversation with the waiter, but hadn’t been able to hear the exact words over the music.
“It’s nothing,” I explained. “The manager just bought us a round of drinks.”
“Really?” she frowned. “That’s odd. They don’t usually do that here ... at least, not for the first round. I wonder who’s on duty?”
She started craning her neck trying to get a clear look at the bar. While she was doing that, I turned my attention to our drinks.
They appeared innocent enough. Basically an opaque red fluid over ice cubes with some kind of greenery sticking out of it. Hers was a darker red than mine, but aside from that, they looked the same. Cautiously, I took a sip ... and discovered, to my relief, it tasted sort of like tomato juice.
“Hey! This is pretty good,” I declared. “What’s in it, anyway?”
“Hmm?” Cassandra said, turning her attention to me again. “Oh. Yours is just tomato juice and vodka.”
I didn’t know what vodka was, but tomato juice I could handle. The first sip had reminded me how thirsty I was after all our running around, so I downed most of the glass with my next swallow.
“Hey! Take it easy, Tiger,” my date admonished. “Those things can pack a wallop if you aren’t used to them ... and it can leave a stain, so don’t drip any on your ...”
She stopped in mid-sentence and stared at my outfit.
“Say. Weren’t you wearing a different shirt before?”
“Oh, it’s the same shirt,” I said, as casually as I could. “I just changed it a little bit. I think this is more appropriate for this place, don’t you?”
“But how could you ... I get it! Magik!”
Her reaction was everything I could have hoped for ... except she wasn’t done.
“Wait a minute. You’re a friend of Vic’s from Klah, and you know magik ... right?” she said, eagerly. “Do you know a magician there named the Great Skeeve?”
This really surprised me, but the pieces were starting to fall into place. The picture was incredible, but I managed to keep my cool.
“As a matter of fact, I know him rather well,” I said with a faint smile.
“Whatdaya know!” Cassandra declared, slapping the table with her palm. “I thought Vic was just trying to impress me when he said he knew him. Tell me, what’s he like?”
That one threw me.
“Vic? He’s a nice enough guy. I thought you ...”
“No, silly. I mean Skeeve! What’s he like as a person?”
This was just getting better.
“Oh, he’s a lot like me,” I said. “I’m just surprised you’ve heard of him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” she declared, rolling her eyes. “He’s about the hottest thing going as far as magicians go. Everybody’s talking about him. You know, he engineered a jailbreak right here on Limbo?”
“I think I heard about that,” I admitted.
“And just a while back, he got barred from the Dimension of Perv. Can you believe that? Perv?”
“It was a bum rap,” I grimaced.
“So you really do know him! Come on, tell me more. When you say he’s like you, do you mean he’s young or what?”
As much fun as this was, I figured it was time to stop before it got out of hand.
“Cassandra,” I said, carefully. “Watch my lips. He’s a lot like me. Get it?”
She frowned, and then shook her head.
“No. I don’t. You make it sound like you’re twins or something. Either that, or ...”
She suddenly stared at me, her eye’s widening.
“Oh, no,” she gasped. “You don’t mean you’re ...”
I held my credit card up in front of her so she could read the name on it, and then favored her with my widest smile.
“Oh no!” she shrieked, loud enough to draw attention from the neighboring tables. “You’re him!!! Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“You never asked,” I shrugged. “Actually, I thought that Vic ...”
But by that time, I was speaking to her back... or, to be more specific, her rump. She was on her feet calling triumphantly to the other
“It’s nothing,” I explained. “The manager just bought us a round of drinks.”
“Really?” she frowned. “That’s odd. They don’t usually do that here ... at least, not for the first round. I wonder who’s on duty?”
She started craning her neck trying to get a clear look at the bar. While she was doing that, I turned my attention to our drinks.
They appeared innocent enough. Basically an opaque red fluid over ice cubes with some kind of greenery sticking out of it. Hers was a darker red than mine, but aside from that, they looked the same. Cautiously, I took a sip ... and discovered, to my relief, it tasted sort of like tomato juice.
“Hey! This is pretty good,” I declared. “What’s in it, anyway?”
“Hmm?” Cassandra said, turning her attention to me again. “Oh. Yours is just tomato juice and vodka.”
I didn’t know what vodka was, but tomato juice I could handle. The first sip had reminded me how thirsty I was after all our running around, so I downed most of the glass with my next swallow.
“Hey! Take it easy, Tiger,” my date admonished. “Those things can pack a wallop if you aren’t used to them ... and it can leave a stain, so don’t drip any on your ...”
She stopped in mid-sentence and stared at my outfit.
“Say. Weren’t you wearing a different shirt before?”
“Oh, it’s the same shirt,” I said, as casually as I could. “I just changed it a little bit. I think this is more appropriate for this place, don’t you?”
“But how could you ... I get it! Magik!”
Her reaction was everything I could have hoped for ... except she wasn’t done.
“Wait a minute. You’re a friend of Vic’s from Klah, and you know magik ... right?” she said, eagerly. “Do you know a magician there named the Great Skeeve?”
This really surprised me, but the pieces were starting to fall into place. The picture was incredible, but I managed to keep my cool.
“As a matter of fact, I know him rather well,” I said with a faint smile.
“Whatdaya know!” Cassandra declared, slapping the table with her palm. “I thought Vic was just trying to impress me when he said he knew him. Tell me, what’s he like?”
That one threw me.
“Vic? He’s a nice enough guy. I thought you ...”
“No, silly. I mean Skeeve! What’s he like as a person?”
This was just getting better.
“Oh, he’s a lot like me,” I said. “I’m just surprised you’ve heard of him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” she declared, rolling her eyes. “He’s about the hottest thing going as far as magicians go. Everybody’s talking about him. You know, he engineered a jailbreak right here on Limbo?”
“I think I heard about that,” I admitted.
“And just a while back, he got barred from the Dimension of Perv. Can you believe that? Perv?”
“It was a bum rap,” I grimaced.
“So you really do know him! Come on, tell me more. When you say he’s like you, do you mean he’s young or what?”
As much fun as this was, I figured it was time to stop before it got out of hand.
“Cassandra,” I said, carefully. “Watch my lips. He’s a lot like me. Get it?”
She frowned, and then shook her head.
“No. I don’t. You make it sound like you’re twins or something. Either that, or ...”
She suddenly stared at me, her eye’s widening.
“Oh, no,” she gasped. “You don’t mean you’re ...”
I held my credit card up in front of her so she could read the name on it, and then favored her with my widest smile.
“Oh no!” she shrieked, loud enough to draw attention from the neighboring tables. “You’re him!!! Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“You never asked,” I shrugged. “Actually, I thought that Vic ...”
But by that time, I was speaking to her back... or, to be more specific, her rump. She was on her feet calling triumphantly to the other
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