"Kink."
It was the only word Brindle heard, and he couldn't help stiffening in reaction. He smoothed that over, ducked his head, buried himself in the drink he wasn't really drinking (he needed to stay sober). He wasn't sitting anywhere, not with the room crowded like it was; wasn't no need to. He could move about underfoot, and folk would think he was getting brassy, looking for purses to cut. They'd think him downer, and needing to be fed. They wouldn't think he was listening, always listening -- cept for them few what knew him.
"Whatta 'bout Kink?" The barman replied, gruff and grizzled, long past caring about the shuffling of streetside power politics that ebbed and flowed around lowtown.
Brindle settled against the bar two seats down from the roe, out of direct sight, his mug clenched in both hands. He was a skinny lad, Brindle was, fresh off another growth spurt. Five fulms, and six ilms: Zhi had told him once he was going to be too big to be any use climbing the city, and he'd sworn to prove her wrong. He needed to prove her wrong, for more'n just that.
He knew folk were looking for her.
He was gonna find her first.
It was the only word Brindle heard, and he couldn't help stiffening in reaction. He smoothed that over, ducked his head, buried himself in the drink he wasn't really drinking (he needed to stay sober). He wasn't sitting anywhere, not with the room crowded like it was; wasn't no need to. He could move about underfoot, and folk would think he was getting brassy, looking for purses to cut. They'd think him downer, and needing to be fed. They wouldn't think he was listening, always listening -- cept for them few what knew him.
"Whatta 'bout Kink?" The barman replied, gruff and grizzled, long past caring about the shuffling of streetside power politics that ebbed and flowed around lowtown.
Brindle settled against the bar two seats down from the roe, out of direct sight, his mug clenched in both hands. He was a skinny lad, Brindle was, fresh off another growth spurt. Five fulms, and six ilms: Zhi had told him once he was going to be too big to be any use climbing the city, and he'd sworn to prove her wrong. He needed to prove her wrong, for more'n just that.
He knew folk were looking for her.
He was gonna find her first.
