Free The Prisoner's Release and Other Stories by Kyell Gold Page B

clothes,” he mused. “The sort you might need to pay a visit to the palace?”
    “ Just that sort. I’m hoping to get a noble sponsor. I think that’s the only way this will work. I have a couple names, but I need to sound them out and see how they feel about this issue.”
    “ Very bold!” Mikka clapped the other fox on the shoulder. “Have you thought about maybe giving away some of your stock to the nobles? I can tell you, that really helps.”
    “ Give away? Don’t they have enough to afford anything?”
    “ Some maybe less than you think.” The grey fox winked. “But regardless, if you couch it as a gift, they don’t have a choice about whether to buy it…”
    Jonas listened to the conversation for a little while before noticing that Taypha wasn’t paying close attention. The bear sat patiently tapping his claws on the couch, and although he affected nonchalance, Jonas sensed that he felt bored, and maybe a little bit left out. He shifted a bit to his right, closer to the bear, and smiled when Taypha looked up.
    “ You’re not in the merchant business?” he said, quietly enough that he didn’t intrude on the other conversation.
    Taypha shook his head. “I’m in the city guard.” He shrugged. “Not very exciting.”
    “ I’m sure there are exciting times.” Jonas smiled.
    Taypha shrugged again. “I guess.”
    “ What would you rather be doing?”
    “ Drinking.” The bear had brought his glass out into the living room, but was nursing this drink. He gave Jonas an abashed grin. “No, it’s okay. It just seems like these fellows here get to see more things.”
    “ Than a guard?” Jonas was genuinely surprised. “I bet you see all sorts of things they’ve never seen.”
    “ Not pleasant things. Drunk people, criminals…”
    Jonas laughed suddenly, so that everyone in the room looked at him. He waved the foxes away and waited until they’d resumed their conversation before turning back to Taypha. “Sorry, you just reminded me of something. We had this one customer…this otter. He used to come in roaring drunk and demand to be serviced, but usually he couldn’t…you know, manage to…”
    Taypha nodded, a smile creeping across his muzzle. Jonas continued. “Anyway, he’d start cursing really loudly and then usually he’d fall off the bed, stagger around for a while, and fall asleep. Once he surprised the guy who’d taken him,” it had been poor Alicar, who didn’t know what to expect, “and staggered into the hallway naked. He shut the door behind him and nearly got out into the main room before we caught him.”
    Taypha was laughing quietly now. “The funny thing was, he would come back the next day, pay handsomely, apologize, and say he couldn’t remember anything but he was sure he’d had a great time. So once we got to know him, we used to fight over who got to take him. He was the easiest client I ever had.”
    “ Well, I never met a drunk that interesting. Though there was this one raccoon who climbed up to the rafters of the inn and peed on everyone below him.” He grimaced. “That was funnier when it was over.”
    Jonas giggled behind a paw, picturing the scene. Taypha leaned back and smiled, then tilted his head. “Who was your most difficult customer? Heh. I was about to say ‘hardest,’ but that’s a different story, isn’t it?”
    Jonas was spared having to reply by Alexan, who leaned over and put an arm across him, mock-growling at the bear. “Hey, no flirting with my cougar.”
    “ I’ll snap you in half, stick-fox,” Taypha said mildly, grinning.
    “ You’ll have to get past him first.” Alexan squeezed Jonas’s upper arm. “Look at these muscles.”
    “ I have been,” Mikka murmured from behind him.
    Alexan went on. “Anyway, you’re so drunk you probably can’t tell which of the three foxes you’re seeing is me.”
    “ One, two, three,” Taypha pointed at Alexan three times, and everyone laughed. “Don’t worry, Red, I couldn’t