business etiquette said that entourages like me were to be ignored in direct address until and unless they were formally introduced, and Randon's deliberate failure to do so was beginning to irritate him. "I thought we could take a few minutes to go through them now, if you're willing."

"You have all HTI's records here?" Randon asked.

"Oh, no—just those involving shipment through Whitecliff," Aikman said. "The complete records are of course kept only in the Solitaire office."

"Ah," Randon nodded. "Well, then, I think I'll pass. Not much sense in spending time studying one corner of the painting when I'll get to see the whole thing in a couple of days, is there?"

A flicker of surprise touched both men, followed immediately by annoyance in different degrees. I gathered the local HTI office had gone to some effort to gather the records into easily digested form, and Aikman in particular was clearly put out at Randon's casual dismissal of all that work. "As you wish, Mr. Kelsey-Ramos," he said, managing to keep his voice civil. "In that case—"

"What I'd rather do," Randon interrupted him, "is see what kind of night life Whitecliff has. I presume it does have some?"

Another flicker of surprise. DeMont recovered first. "Oh, certainly," he said. "Nothing like what you're used to on Portslava, I don't suppose, but enjoyable in its own way. Here in Alabaster City, particularly, we have a wide mix of different entertainments."

"Yes, port cities tend to be that way," Randon nodded. "Though I certainly wouldn't like to think I'm too much of a snob to enjoy something new. You'll both be my guests, of course?"

Aikman and DeMont exchanged glances. Clearly, Randon wasn't fitting into their expectations, and they weren't entirely sure how to handle him. "We'd be honored to serve as your guides, Mr. Kelsey-Ramos," Aikman said diplomatically.

"Excellent," Randon said with a smile. "I'll have to bring a couple of my