Free MA09 Myth Inc in Action by Robert Asprin Page B

feel a little desperate for the sound of a female-type voice. Besides, I outrank her, and figure it is about time my new stripes work a little for me instead of against me.
    “What’s the deal with the commander?” I sez, friendly-like, givin’ her one of my lesser used non-intimidatin’ smiles.
    Instead of respondin’, however, this chick just stares at me blankly like she’s still waitin’ for me to say somethin’. Now, she is a tiny little thing, a bit on the slender side, so her starin’ at me with those big eyes of hers starts makin’ me feel a little uncomfortable... like she’s a praying mantis tryin’ to decide if she should eat me before or after we mate.
    “I mean, how come he’s writin’ poetry?” I add, just to get some kinda conversation flowin’.
    “Lyrics,” she sez, in a flat sort of voice.
    “Excuse me?”
    “I said ‘lyrics’... as in ‘words for songs.’ He likes to perform in the local clubs at their open stage nights, and he writes his own material... constantly.”
    “Is he any good?”
    This gets me a small shrug.
    “I suppose he’s not bad... but he doesn’t play guitar, so mostly he has to sing a cappella. That makes his performance sound a little thin after listening to an evening of singers with instrumental accompaniments.”
    I notice that for all her apparent disinterest, this chick seems to know a lot about what the commander does on his off hours... even to the point of sittin’ through a whole evenin’ of amateur singers to listen to his set when she doesn’t really like his singin’. From this I deduce that I am not likely to get much of anywhere with her as a sergeant, so I settle for bein’ friendly.
    “Maybe he should try keyboards,” I sez.
    “Try what?” she blinks, suddenly takin’ more interest in the conversation.
    “Key... Oh! Nothin’. Hey, I got to be goin’ now. Nice talkin’ with you.”
    With that I beat a hasty retreat, a little annoyed with myself. Again my time on Deva has almost gotten me in trouble. For a second there, I forgot that this dimension not only doesn’t have keyboards, it does not have the electricity necessary for the pluggin’ in of said instrument.
    “Hey Guido!” comes a familiar voice, interruptin’ my thoughts. “What’s the word?”
    I look around to find Nunzio and the rest of the crew bearin’ down on me.
    “No big deal,” I shrugs. “We don’t even go on duty until tomorrow. The commander’s given us the rest of the day off to settle in and check out the town.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Hy Flie sez, rubbin’ his hands together like... well, like a fly. “What say we get something to eat... and at the same time see if we can find a place to hang out on our off-duty hours.”
    “How about the spaghetti place we passed on the way here?” Spyder sez, jerkin’ her head back in the direction they had come from.
    I shoot a quick glance at Nunzio, who is already lookin’ at me. As so often happens when we’re workin’ together, we are thinkin’ the same thing at the same time, and this time we’re both thinkin’ that the best way to avoid runnin’ into someone with Mob connections is by not usin’ a spaghetti place for a base of operations.
    “Ah... let’s see if we can find someplace less likely... I mean, closer.” I suggest, casual-like.
    “Well, how ‘bout we try right here?” Nunzio chimes in, pickin’ up on my general train of thought.
    I look where he is pointin’, and have to admit that it is probably the last place someone from the Mob would think of lookin’ for us. The sign over the door of the joint reads, ABDUL’S SUSHI BAR AND BAIT SHOP.
    “Sushi?” Shu Flie scowls. “You mean like raw fish?”
    “At least we know it’s fresh,” Junebug sez, gesturin’ at the second part of the sign.
    “Oh, don’t be a bunch of babies!” Spyder grins, givin’ Shu a poke in the ribs. “Wait ‘til you’ve tried it. It’s good! Come on.”
    Now, I am no more enthusiastic