D& D - Greyhawk - Night Watch by Robin Wayne Bailey

Garett the man was no professional. The lowest apprentice in the Thieves’ Guild would laugh at a man who wore his purse so visibly. Frowning, the man extracted two copper commons and placed them on Vendredi’s waiting hand. Then he glanced surreptitiously at Garett and sped away.
    “Hey! ” Vendredi shouted, waving another customer out of her way as she snatched a pear from the basket and drew back to throw. “You forgot your purchase!”
    The pear struck the poor man squarely in the back of the head, splattering in his hair as it flew into several pieces, knocking him flat. In no time, though, he was on his feet
    and disappeared into the crowd.
    Vendredi’s customers cheered, grateful for a little entertainment, and resumed their shopping. For a moment, Vendredi became too busy to talk to Garett. The action had actually helped her business as the curious stopped to watch. Now they pressed closer for a better look at Vendredi herself, and inevitably, they bought.
    “If you ever want to work security,” Vendredi told Garett over her shoulder, “I bet I could pay you better than the city.”
    Garett didn’t answer. He finished his apple, nibbling it right down to the core while he watched her work. Vendredi was a bright point in his day. Almost every morning she tossed an apple at him, and almost every morning he stopped for a brief chat. She had a small farm and an orchard just outside the city walls and grew the best fruit in the district. It was a rare thing for a single woman to make her own way in the world, Garett knew, and he held a deep respect for her for managing it.
    “I’d better be getting on,” he said when the apple was gone.
    Vendredi stooped down, pulled out a tin box, and set it on a low stool. She opened it, with a watchful eye over one shoulder. It was half-full of coins of all kinds: copper commons, silver nobles, electrum luckies, even a few gold orbs. Bending a bit lower over the box, she pressed a hand against her bosom and more coins came rushing up from her cleavage and fell tinkling into the box. When the cascade ceased, she straightened and gave herself a shake. Still a few more coppers and a noble appeared on the ground under the hem of her dress. She snatched them up quickly, dropped them in the box, and shut the lid. She pushed the box back under a basket and turned another of her dazzling smiles up at Garett.
    “I like the way you do business,” he said, unable to hide his grin.
    She gave the neck of her dress a tug and twitched a bit as
    she came to his side. “I think I’ve got a lucky stuck down here,” she said with a pout. “Would you like to get lucky?” Garett’s grin widened, but he held up both hands and shook his head.
    Vendredi lowered her eyelids playfully. “How about a pair of nice melons to take home?” she offered, running the finger of one hand lightly downward from her throat.
    An old ore with bad teeth and gold earrings who had stood by listening, suddenly leaned closer. “I like melons,” he said with a dry rasp characteristic of his race, licking his lips. Without sparing him so much as a glance, Vendredi picked up a lettuce and hit him over the head with it. The creature slunk away.
    “Sorry,” Garett said with genuine regret, knowing Vendredi wouldn’t be offended. They played this game with each other quite often. Sometimes she was the aggressor and he the prey. Sometimes it was the other way around. But one of them always politely, but regretfully, begged off, and nothing had ever happened between them. Garett doubted if it ever would. “It’s been a long night,” he added, suddenly weary, “and tonight’s going to be longer.” Vendredi abandoned the game at once. “Is it true?” she whispered, dropping her voice so her customers wouldn’t overhear. “Acton Kathenor was murdered last night?” Garett resisted the urge to laugh and gave a little sigh instead. The mayor and Korbian were fools. Already the story was spreading through the