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"Oh, I rather like the shoemaker." Karp looked down to admire his boots. "These are as fine as my leather ones."
Andre shuddered. "Leather. Abhorrent."
"Yes, well, not all of us have to worry about whether or not we're wearing our grandmother and leather is a sturdy material."
Karp grinned. "Saved my life more than once, my old jerkin."
"I'm amazed you can settle into such a simple life as this, after such an exciting one," Andre said, looking out over the
street, nodding to a few passerby, the streets still mostly empty at this hour  most of Verde did not begin to go out and
about until shortly after midday.
Karp shrugged. "It's more fun playing with numbers and picking fights with ferrets than kidnapping brats and beating people
up." He absently touched the spot where his dagger was hidden against his breast. "Simple is never given enough credit."
"Indeed," Andre said with another one of those sighs, and Karp wondered what he'd said now.
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They'd been doing so well, and now it seemed he'd upset the man again. Confound it. He fell silent as they entered the
shoe shop.
"Good morning, good sirs," the shoemaker greeted with a smile. "Andre, I see you've dragged along Master Karp. I've
orders ready for the both of you, and Andre that next is nearly complete. Did you want to have a look?"
"Not at all, your work is perfect. I merely came to hear of the progress."
"Moving right along," the shoemaker said cheerfully. "Master Karp, how are the boots?"
Karp grinned and stamped his feet. "Perfect, though I've not yet tested them in a barroom brawl."
The shoemaker threw his head back and laughed. "Well, kicking or running, they'll hold up fine. I've got your new evening
boots ready. Did you want them or shall I send'em along to the house?"
"The house is fine, we've errands to run yet."
"As it pleases you then," the shoemaker said congenially. "I'd avoid the milliner for a bit, good sirs. He and his wife had a bit
of a tiff last night and his poor customers have been taking the brunt of it all morning."
Andre snorted softly. "Thank you for the warning. Always a pleasure. Have a good rest of the day."
"Oh, aye," the shoemaker said with a grin. "They come running from next door to escape the milliner and spend the money
on shoes instead. Enjoy the rest of yours, good sirs."
Karp bid him farewell and then they were once more outside.
The scent of something sweet caught his attention, and he followed it to a little stall selling all manner of cakes and sweet
buns. He pointed to three, all teeming with berries and nuts, and then turned to Andre. "Would you like anything? To make
up for the scene I caused?"
"No, thank you," Andre said stiffly, standing well away from the cart and regarding it as though it were the most contemptible
thing in existence. The women laughed softly, and Andre shifted his glare to them. This only made them laugh harder, but
eventually they subsided to quiet amused glances.
Karp felt very much in the dark, but didn't bother to ask for a torch.
Instead, he took note of the way that Andre continued to stare at the sweets, sharp eyes picking out the cakes on which
Andre's gaze seemed to linger. He added those to the pile and paid the women selling them, adding a couple of extra
coppers. He handed off a cake dusted with nuts and cinnamon to Andre.
"I said no," Andre snapped. "Keep those things to yourself."
Karp frowned. "It's only a sweet; it won't kill you." He sighed when Andre only ignored him. "If you don't eat it, I'm going to
cause a scene  and you know I'll do it."
"Yes," Andre said, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips. "Everyone is still talking about the last debacle caused by you
and the others."
"It's not our fault they keep thinking we're going to be intimidated by large Forms. Maxim is the size of a bear, and he fights
like one, so why should a couple of bear Forms stop him?"
"Perhaps, but that doesn't excuse the foxes."
Karp snorted. "We are not to blame for the fact that women seem prone to hysterics."
This time a full smile overtook Andre's face, an expression Karp wished he saw more often  was the reason for more often.
Andre shouldn't always look so severe, it didn't suit him even a tenth so well as that smile. "Do you cause trouble wherever
you go, then?"
"We never cause trouble," Karp protested with a grin. "It just always seems to find us. All we ever want is to have a bit of
fun, and somehow trouble always springs up, even in the most innocuous of places. I remember this tiny little place in
Kundou, made the finest fishcakes in the world  and until then I hadn't liked fish a bit  and it was early evening, later
summer and not even dark yet& " He launched into the story, one of his favorites though it hadn't been too terribly funny at
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the time, avidly recounting when the bandits had shown up, barely noticing they were simply walking, stopping nowhere.
"We left them on spits roasting over a small fire and took our leave. Later on we heard they'd been carted off and locked up,
and that the local authorities laughed themselves silly at the spit-roasted brigands they'd found waiting for them."
Andre shook his head. "Incredible."
"A few days later we got lost in the mountains, but we always get lost when Ferapont falls ill and we should have known
better anyway. Still, it was funny. Later, anyway. Much Later."
"I'm amazed you're all still alive," Andre said.
Karp licked a last bit of sugar from his fingers and grinned. "So are we, but our team is nothing if not a well-made fire."
Andre made a choked sort of sound and licked his lips. "Indeed."
Struggling to think of boring things, and not of what else that tongue could lick, Karp shook the thought away and made
himself speak. "So now that I've rambled, where are we supposed to be going?"
"The perfumery, though it looks rather as though the place is quite busy," Andre replied, making a face. "Other than that, my
most pressing errand was the first one, and you dealt with that rather neatly, even if the method was uncouth."
Karp lifted one brow. "Then where the devil does all your money go?"
"To the problem you so neatly fixed," Andre replied, grimacing. "That I was apparently too stupid to see."
Ah. That would explain a lot. "Hardly," he said. "I could have been more specific in asking you why you always bought so
much. Too busy bickering, I guess."
"I suppose so," Andre said with a faint smile.
They slowed to a stop as they reached the point where they had first begun. Andre swept him a bow. "We do not kill each
other, Firelander, so I will count the day a success."
Karp frowned, reluctant for the day to end. Despite the occasional tense moments, it had seemed a very fine way to spend
part of the day. "As you say. Where are you off to now?"
"Some personal errands, and as his lordship is away for a couple of days, leaving me with little to do& " Andre shrugged.
He smiled faintly at Karp. "Do not cause trouble on your way back home." With a wave, he turned and strode quickly down
the street.
Karp watched him, thoroughly enjoying how well the man's breeches fit, how elegantly he moved. Sighing, he finally made
himself move, but rather than head back to the house he opted to make his way back up the street, veering toward the
banks instead, deciding that while he was out he may as well check on a few things&
"Sir! Good Sir!" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]