Copyright 2000, Mary Mannon Reeves. No part of this story can be used in any way without written permission of the author.
A FASHION STATEMENT
A snarl rippled from the darkness. Darinay spun to face the alley, her sword already out and gleaming dully in the guttering light of the street lamp. A plainscat here? In the middle of the Orosso alleyways?
"By all that's holy in the three heavens, Ramiz, I wish you wouldn't do that to me!" Sheathing the sword, she marched away in disgust.
The snarl modified into a low chuckle. Ramiz sauntered out of the alley's shrouded mouth, cloak thrown casually over her shoulder and clothes rumpled from what had obviously been an enjoyable evening. A few quick strides and she caught up with her shorter partner.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" she said. "No luck at the guild again today, I take it."
"No, and I finally found out why. No, not here. This bit of information needs a drink to make it bearable. Is it safe to go back to the Shattered Sword?"
"Where do you think I've been?" Ramiz chuckled again and smoothed her tunic down. "Darsif was very understanding. Said he'll even pay me to do it again, come closing time."
Darinay rolled her eyes. Only Ramiz could turn a knack of imitations into coin. She often swore the luck goddess traveled in her partner's saddlebag. Last night, she'd nearly caused a riot in the tavern when she'd imitated Darsif himself, calling for free drinks all around. He'd have thrown her to the guards then and there if she hadn't cleared the place with the sound of an savage dog, loose in the room. They'd spent all but their last few coppers compensating the owner, and at least three hours cleaning the place up.
It's my own fault, Darinay thought sourly, for getting a Scavenger for a swordmate. Ramiz's tribe was an odd one, a traveling band that gleaned the unwanted from the towns that it passed through. Discarded cloth, outworn pots, unwanted children...sooner or later they all found their way to a new life in the Scavenger tents. It was an odd tribe indeed, and it's members tended to carry that oddness with them.
It could be worse, I suppose, she grinned at the thought. Ramiz only imitates animals, a trick she learned from her tent-sister. Diraza became them.
Not that that wouldn't be useful right now...
"Ready for the bad news?" She slid a tankard across the table. "We can't get hired because we're unfashionable."
"Excuse me? Speak for yourself, O short and styleless one. A Scavenger is never unfashionable," Ramiz grinned over the foam.
"Not our clothes, idiot. Our existence. Our partnership. It seems that it's the going thing for every merchant to have a sword and sorceress pair. One swordswoman, one sorceress. We're overstocked on one and out of the other."
"It makes sense."
"What?"
"Well, it does, D'nay. Get a sword to protect you from swords, get a sorceress to protect you from sorceries. If I were a merchant and had to hire bodyguards, that's what I'd do. But I'm not a merchant, and I am tired of being unemployed. Our only hope is the caravans. They'll be hiring swords in bulk and won't care if they're partnered or not."
"You're forgetting that we're in the Orosso. The guild owns this town, literally. They aren't going to hire anybody without a guild affiliation, and the guild's not stamping anybody who isn't in an S and S pair."
"And we don't have enough coin to get to Pomarin or D'suthart, do we?"
"Not after last night, thanks to you," Darinay snapped.
The pair stared glumly into their drinks.
"I don't suppose there were any unattached mages at the guild, looking for swords?" Ramiz asked softly.
"You want to trade me in?" Darinay tried to joke, but it fell as flat as her drink.
"No. I thought you might want to," Ramiz looked up at her. "Or we could both partner with a mage until we get to the next town."
"No."
"Well. Unless one of us transforms into a mage overnight, I guess I'll take up Darsif's job offer. At least being a bouncer will keep me in fighting trim."
"Even if all you exercise are your vocal chords?" Darinay laughed. "Better than that, hire on at the fair. I'll bet you're the only living echo in the Three Domains."
The idea struck them both at the same time. They set their tankards down with sloshing thumps and grinned.