Roofrats 21

His matter-of-fact declaration of being a doormat shut Nico up long enough to consider this reasoning. All right, but there's one thing...

After a heavy sigh she said, "Weft, I don't like being lied to." After that serious and somewhat disappointed proclamation she brightened up slightly. "But I can't fault your logic entirely. Even if I don't think I'd have done something like that yesterday, it's not something that I would never do."

"People seldom do like being lied to. My fault. I'm sorry."

Weft hadn't liked doing it either. Of course, he'd been following orders and would do it again if told to. He left all this unsaid. He didn't want to make his employers look bad or be seen to duck responsibility.

The monk still didn't look like he was writhing with guilt... not exactly. He was meeting her eye and being generally businesslike, but he did look a little sick.

"But I guess you would never be anything than completely truthful to your seniors, right?" Nico asked softly, smiling.

Weft reacted for a moment as though Nico had asked him to oval a yellow. When he had finally wrapped his brain around the idea, he said "Ffggh? N...of course not. How would...? Anyway, they'd know."

"Yeah, I suspected you couldn't. It's not important." She was relaxed, and smiling subduedly. "Can I walk you back to the gate, or are you headed elsewhere?"

"Yes, of course, if you want. Is..." He wasn't sure how to formulate the question. "Is that usual, then?"

She started moving at a slow pace.

"Is what usual?"

Weft followed. "Walking someone home a final time when you're..." Blink. "You are about to tell me to leave you alone, right?"

She chuckled. "Actually, I had in mind thanking you for the little tour yesterday, rather than sneaking around."

"Oh." That seemed about all he could think of to say.

After a pause, Nico added conversationally, "Of course it's when you know, or think, you're being followed, but can't spot your pursuer that it's a bit awkward."

"Yes, I'd imagine," Weft said. "Well, you won't have to worry about that soon. I hear things are coming to a satisfctory conclusion with the Mios gang, which means you'll be out of danger and they'll have better things to do with their time."

"Ah, good. And what would 'a satisfactory conclusion' look like in this case?"

"I don't know. Leaving our man alone. I guess it's too much to hope for them to stop eyeing up Mimim Jifin's old turf downslope. Mios could never control it all, anyway. Um... yes, so, that, I guess." Weft stopped talking.

"Right. I was considering heading out of the city and getting an impression of some other parts of Instar."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Weft.

Nico shrugged. "Because it's there. Also, to see what Offwhite looks like when seen from the outside."

"Oh, I see." Weft considered that. "It's pretty. Will you be back before dark?"

Chuckling, she answered, "Not only because of that. I'm not only interested in big cities."

"But I don't think there's much outside," Weft said. "It's full of... of yuck and mud. And there's the sea. I don't think there's anything else unless you go to one of the colonies, and they're just not-very-good versions of the city. I mean... go if you want, it just might not be very amusing for you."