Waxillium frowned, looking at his friend. “I don’t remember that bet.”
“You weren’t there when we made it.”
“I wasn’t there?”
“Yeah.”
“Wayne, you can’t make bets with people when they aren’t there.”
“I can,” Wayne said, tucking the book into his pocket and standing, “if they shoulda been there. And you shoulda, Wax.”
“I…” How to respond to that? “I will be. From now on.”
Wayne nodded, joining him and looking toward Elendel. It rose in the distance, the two competing skyscrapers rising on one side of the city, other smaller ones growing like crystals from the center of the expanding metropolis.
“You know,” Wayne said, “I always wondered what it would be like to come here, find civilization and all that. I didn’t realize.”
“Realize what?” Waxillium asked.
“That this was really the rough part of the world,” Wayne said. “That we had it easy, out past the mountains.”
Waxillium found himself nodding. “You can be very wise sometimes, Wayne.”
“It’s onnacount of my thinkin’, mate,” Wayne said, tapping his head, increasing the thickness of his accent. “It’s what I do wif my brain. Somma the time, at least.”
“And the rest of the time?”
“The rest of the time, I don’t do so much thinkin’. ’Cuz if I did, I’d go runnin’ back to where things is simple. You see?”
“I see. And we do have to stay, Wayne. I have work to do here.”
“Then we’ll see it done,” Wayne said. “Just like always.”
Waxillium nodded, reaching into his sleeve and sliding out a thin black book.
“What’s that?” Wayne asked, taking it, curious.
“My uncle’s pocket book,” Waxillium said. “Filled with appointments and notes.”
Wayne whistled softly. “How’d you take it? Shoulder bump?”
“Table sweep,” Waxillium said.
“Nice. Glad to know I’ve taught you somethin’ useful during our years together. What did you trade for it?”
“A threat,” Waxillium said, looking back toward Elendel. “And a promise.”
He would see this to the end. Roughs honor. When one of your own went bad, it was your job to see the mess cleaned up.
