"Ye don't do anythin' fer me," Zhi muttered as he talked. "Have t'twist yer arm, I do."
Still, his capitulation was well enough received, and she backed a few steps away from him with a wary, pinched expression. She scratched between her ears, pulled free a small fin, and dropped it to the side. "It was in th'barrel, remember? Ye took the fish, I took the gil -- after we got th'barrel in past th'Gate an' th'goods t'the right place."
Her voice had lowered in volume considerably: a disappointment to any lingering gossips, and a relief to those settling in to sleep, no doubt.
They had been the in-betweens, sandwiched between one set of clients and the other, final group who had set the caper up to begin with. One side knew that the fish, and the goods, were smeared across the harbor, mashed into a fine paste by dozens of angry feet. It seemed an impossible task, thinking about it. All from some simple, lucrative job that shouldn't have taken more than a bell to complete! She groaned. Wrong sort of people to piss off.
"Could make any number o'things, but I don't have a feckin' clue what they was smugglin'. Don't get paid t'ask questions, better t'not know." Her eyes narrowed. "Why, d'ye know? Wait. Mebbe -- it's a four-way job, right? Th'merchants what shipped it ain't know they're movin' black goods. We could jes, y'know, use some weights or summat. Whatever they was, have t'be small enough t'fit down a herring's gullet. Ain't our fault if th'packers split on th'deal, right?"
Of course, there was the problem of news of the mob and the upended fish barrel reaching their employer, but . . .Zhi could talk them out of that. Probably.
Still, his capitulation was well enough received, and she backed a few steps away from him with a wary, pinched expression. She scratched between her ears, pulled free a small fin, and dropped it to the side. "It was in th'barrel, remember? Ye took the fish, I took the gil -- after we got th'barrel in past th'Gate an' th'goods t'the right place."
Her voice had lowered in volume considerably: a disappointment to any lingering gossips, and a relief to those settling in to sleep, no doubt.
They had been the in-betweens, sandwiched between one set of clients and the other, final group who had set the caper up to begin with. One side knew that the fish, and the goods, were smeared across the harbor, mashed into a fine paste by dozens of angry feet. It seemed an impossible task, thinking about it. All from some simple, lucrative job that shouldn't have taken more than a bell to complete! She groaned. Wrong sort of people to piss off.
"Could make any number o'things, but I don't have a feckin' clue what they was smugglin'. Don't get paid t'ask questions, better t'not know." Her eyes narrowed. "Why, d'ye know? Wait. Mebbe -- it's a four-way job, right? Th'merchants what shipped it ain't know they're movin' black goods. We could jes, y'know, use some weights or summat. Whatever they was, have t'be small enough t'fit down a herring's gullet. Ain't our fault if th'packers split on th'deal, right?"
Of course, there was the problem of news of the mob and the upended fish barrel reaching their employer, but . . .Zhi could talk them out of that. Probably.
