Robert Asprin - Dragons Wild

“Sure did. Dude saw Ms. Valerie here looking all fine in her workout clothes and then forgot everything he ever did know about manners. When she reminded him, he thought he would cut her for the trouble.”

The two officers looked from Slim to the man and woman. Valerie, tall, attractive, and in sweat-stained but otherwise clean apparel. The other, filthy, dirty, and obviously still drunk. They nodded to each other and relaxed more fully.

“Ma’am, do you want us to run him in? The little weasel might try to push for assault, but I doubt it.”

Valerie caught Slim’s shake of a head out of the corner of her eye.

“No, that’s all right. I got mine in,” she said.

“That you surely did.”

The officers shared a grin, and picked up their forgotten groceries. Valerie and Slim watched them head around the corner and out of sight.

“Thanks, Ms. Valerie. I knows this idiot, and the last thing he needs is more trouble with the po-leece. We both owe you,” Slim said.

“You’re welcome, but how come you seem to know me so well?”

“Ah, well, to answer that…”

Slim bent down and picked up the knife, looking over it with an expression of disgust. He shrugged, and pressed it against the downed man’s belly. The drunk gave a pathetic squeak, and tried to curl tighter into himself.

“You open your eyes right now!” Slim said. “Right now, I say. Good. You think you seen some tourist babe fresh from the hotel and you’d have some fun. Right? Well, I gots news for you, son. This here is Griffen McCandles’s sister you tried pawing.”

The man’s eyes shot wider still as he looked from Slim to Valerie. He tried to blubber an apology, but his words still would not come. Slim nodded and straightened up, and without looking chucked the knife squarely into the nearest trash can.

“That should take care of things. Good morning to you, Ms. Valerie.” Slim nodded and sauntered away, and Valerie stood watching him go. A mixture of emotions warred through her, holding her in her spot. By the time he was gone, her eyes had narrowed dangerously. She started to leave, turned back, and kicked the man once more in the stomach, then stomped off.

The other performers cheered from their perch across the street.

Once in a while, everyone needs advice.

Valerie found herself pacing back and forth in Mose’s living room, which wasn’t really large enough for her stride. After about four steps, she had to turn and start back the other way. Mose watched her progress and leaned back in his chair, seemingly completely relaxed. It was a good act, considering her nervous energy had him practically twitching. Being in tight quarters with an agitated female dragon was something he had learned from long experience to avoid. He was thinking that he either needed to calm her down or jump out the window and seek cover.

“What am I doing here?” Valerie said.

“Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but I was about to ask the same thing,” Mose said.

She waved off his comment with an impatient gesture.

“Oh, I didn’t mean here, Mose. I meant here!”

“Thank you for clearing that up.”

Valerie drew her self up sharply, but saw his twinkling eyes and the laughter lines on his face start to deepen. With an exasperated sigh she folded herself into a chair. Sitting stiff backed and wire tight, she seemed to tower over Mose’s relaxed form. Her expression, however, had relaxed marginally, and she clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from fidgeting.

“I’m not making much sense am I?”

“Well now, I wouldn’t go that far. Let me take a guess.”

Mose steepled his fingers and looked over Valerie closely. She didn’t realize some of the changes that showed in her. Her strength and natural confidence had grown, as had her pride. Though she hadn’t changed dress habits as drastically as her brother, what she wore began to cling to her differently as she began to hold herself differently. More noticeably, though, she had a new light burning in her eye, that even with Mose’s long experience he couldn’t quite place.

He looked over her long enough, that she felt like getting up and pacing again. Finally he opened his hands wide and spoke.

“You meant here as in New Orleans. Big Brother Dragon has been changing and growing and coming into his own, and you’re wondering where yours is. Feeling restless.”

“More like useless. I came down here to protect Grifter, even if he thinks it was his idea to protect me.”

“And you’ve been doing a fine job at it by my reckoning.”

In a flash she was up on her feet again and Mose fought a reaction to wince. She tried to pace, gave up on it, and contented herself to lean against the back of the chair. Her hands gripped it so hard it creaked, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Fine! How do you figure fine! I haven’t done a single thing, and he’s got his other protectors now.”

“Jealous?”

Mose braced himself, but it was a necessary risk. Instead of another outburst, Valerie looked shocked, and with the shock came serious consideration. She sighed and leaned more against the chair, folding her elbows under her to brace herself.

“Oh, hell, I can’t be. It’s good that he’s got things working so well. It’s only; I don’t seem to have a place in it right now. Grifter doesn’t even realize that we are seeing each other less and less each week, and he doesn’t even think to ask what I’ve been up to in between.”

“Which brings up a damn fine question. What have you been up to? More to the point, what got you so agitated that you found yourself at my door?”

“Er…”

“Are you blushing?”

“No! Of course not.”

She turned away from him, and as a gentleman, Mose discreetly looked out the window. After several moments passed, she spoke again. This time her voice was softer than he had ever heard from her, and more than a little lost.

“Let’s just say I’m not used to being saved in my brother’s name. It should be the other way around.”

“Ah. Now you are being a silly little girl.”

“WHAT!?”

Now she really did tower over Mose, seeming to have swelled several inches. Her already well-defined muscles strained in tension, and Mose had to quell his imagination. For just an instant, it had felt much warmer in the room. As if a blast of heat had come out of her mouth with the exclamation.

“I’m sorry, did I say ‘little girl’? That was wrong of me.”

Mose watched carefully as she seemed to deflate, and carefully kept his tone mild and bland.

“No, it’s usually the boys that have such easily bruised egos. The insecure, overly macho ones at that. Surely you don’t have anything in common with that sort; do you, dear?”

“Okay, no need to rub it in. Make your point.”

“First, sit down. And try to relax a bit. You’re impressive enough without having to try and intimidate an old man.”

“I wasn’t trying—”

“Sit!”

Valerie found herself sitting without realizing it, and looking deep into Mose’s eyes. They flashed in a manner she hadn’t seen before, and his relaxed pose was gone. Now he was straight and tall, and seemed filled with strength that normally lay quiet and dormant in him. He made sure he had her attention, then leaned back again, not quite going as relaxed as before.

“Now it’s my turn to talk and yours to listen. Okay?”

He waited for her to nod and gave one in return. As he spoke, he ticked points off on his fingers.

“First of all, you don’t know what a mark you have made here. And not just because you are Griffen’s sister. I bet there isn’t a doorman, shill, or bartender who doesn’t nod to you when you walk by. And considering from what I’ve heard you haven’t been spending most of your time in their establishments. But you are known just the same.”