TWO

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

—R. NADER

A week later, Bunny opened the box the Deveel messenger had dropped on her desk and squealed with delight

"Skeeve, the new business cards are here!"

I nodded without looking up from the fifth revision of the proposed lease for the new building that the two of us now occupied. The tent had even less charm than M.Y.T.H., Inc.'s had had when we first moved in and less than a quarter of the space. The Merchants Association of the Bazaar at Deva had some idea that since it was me, they were entitled to boost the rent for the tent skyward. I was mentally composing the reply I was going to send them, starting with the information that it was still my signature on the first lease and ending with a reminder that they had not disclosed all the hidden flaws in the first tent I had rented from them, most particularly the back door that opened out into the dimension of Limbo, a fact that would have put us off renting the place if we had known. The argument was pure formality among Deveels, who, of all the dimensional inhabitants I have known, are the most fond of negotiating matters to their own benefit, preferably at the top of their lungs. While we were still in Klah, I had thought about changing headquarters to a less potentially haunted location, but after so many years, the old tent was where clients expected to find me. No sense in making people in trouble try to hunt down another address in the Bazaar. I'd had no idea that it would be necessary for the friends I had left behind that I do

so, and promptly.

The Merchants Association had been happy to take us on a midnight magic-carpet tour of available properties.



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