“We need to head towards the heights,” Mama said. “The uptown downtown. Seems the Flock’s having a bit of a tiff with the Falconer. I’d like to make sure it doesn’t turn into a squall.”
“Diplomacy,” Ivan said.
“Don’t turn your nose up at it,” Mama said, though his tone had been neutral. “It can be a useful tool.”
“It can be a useful diversion,” Ivan said.
“You’re sure you’ve got clearance to enter the west side?” Mama asked.
“Should I take it that you concede the point that the mall isn’t part of the west side?” Ivan asked.
“I concede that it’s not across the border,” Mama said. “And that on that basis, John Bull could hardly keep you out of it.”
Ivan snorted.
“What?” Mama asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Ivan said.
“You haven’t…” Mama began.
“I haven’t what?” Ivan asked after she’d let the thought hang unfinished for several seconds.
“Nothing,” Mama said. “Nothing I want to know about, that’s for damn sure.” She muttered this to herself. Mama wasn’t big on muttering to anybody, least of all herself, but the man called Ivan had a way of bringing it out in her.
She looked out the window at her city, at Jericho, and watched the neighborhoods change. Ivan avoided the midday traffic on the main arteries as best as he could, but as they were headed into the center of Jericho’s financial district, some delays were inevitable.
“Ivan, what are you doing here?” she asked when a lengthy traffic light denied her the distraction of changing scenery.
He turned his least cold smile to the mirror so she could see it.
“I am driving you,” he said. “We have gone over this.”
“In tribe, I mean,” she said. “It seems to me a man with your talents could put them to all sorts of uses. What are you doing, protecting a silly old woman and the freaks and dregs of the street?”
“Perhaps… I needed a place to disappear,” Ivan said.
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I like how Ivan never give a direct answer even to to a direct question.
… I am not a refresh monkey.
I suppose that makes you a usual nut, then?
Just started Tribe yesterday, and read the entire thing. (And then went on to read all of Void Dogs. This was after finishing Star Harbor Nights . . . which took quite a bit longer.) And now there is no more Lexy goodneess to catch up on; I have to wait for her to write more . . . .
Welcome to the club, lightdefender. I did the same thing, if not in that order. I envy the people I start on MU, they have over 100 chapters to read! I can’t wait until Void Dogs goes to often-updated status.
Void Dogs Up!!
“And that on that basis”
Mama said this somewhere in there. It doesn’t sound right for some reason…
Perhaps: “And then, on that basis,”
Or something along those lines. I just know it sounds awkward to me.