approached. “Could you call someone for me? I locked my keys in my car. And my phone. And my purse.” She sighed. “Great way to start a con, huh?”
“This is your car?” Lodrán asked, getting a nod in response. “I have some, uh, locksmith training. Maybe I can get it open.”
“Oh, could you? You’d be my hero!” She laughed, a little self-conscious. “I’m Annie Chester.” She looked at Lodrán’s vendor badge. “Wow, that’s a strange first name.” After some discussion with Chuck, Lodrán insisted on keeping his name but chose “Roth” for a surname. “How do you pronounce it?”
“Much like it looks,” he said, pronouncing it for her. “It’s from my mother’s side of the family.” He took out the leather pouch that held his lockpicks. “This might take a few minutes, but I don’t think it’ll get the better of me.”
“Nice outfit, by the way,” said Annie, as Lodrán got to work. “Where’d you get it?”
“Um… I made it myself,” said Lodrán, slipping his first picks into the lock. “You should see my friend Chelinn though. He should be at the booth. I got—what’s the word?—too many people, so close together…”
“Claustrophobic. Wow, that’s gotta be rough at a con.”
“Crowds and closeness are not the problem, so much. But I was stuck in that booth and couldn’t move around.” Lodrán twisted his picks and heard a click . “Ah!” He pulled on the handle and the door swung open. “That went a little quicker than I thought it would.”
“Yes!” Annie squealed and hugged him, then gasped and froze a moment before releasing him. “Sorry. I got a little excited.” She looked embarrassed.
“I’ll survive.” Lodrán grinned. “I think there’s still a line at the front. I can bring you in the back if you like.”
“Tempting. But I’d need to get my pass and stuff anyway.” Annie scrutinized Lodrán’s vendor pass again. “Age of Heroes. Will you be there?”
“That’s my home away from home this week.”
“Okay. Well, thanks again. I’ll swing by when I get inside. Hey… what are you doing tonight? You wanna show an out-of-town girl around?”
“I’m from out of town myself, but maybe we can discover this place together. N— Chuck says there are parties in the hotel every night, and a vendor badge will get me into most of them.”
“Sounds great! I’m staying in the hotel, so I won’t have to drive anywhere.” She grinned. “We’ll work out the details when I come by.” She threaded her way between the cars, jiggling in ways that made Lodrán smile. He walked back to the rear entrance, thinking about how a mere scrap that The Hand threw your way could make a difficult situation so much more bearable. Even if he never saw her again, it was… well, Chelinn would approve of him plying his trade this way.
• • •
“We did some fantastic business today, so I thought I’d treat my staff to some decent food for a change.” Chuck grinned and raised his beer mug. “You guys were part of it, at least.”
“Lodrán, why don’t you step into the lobby to wait for your friend?” Chelinn sipped his beer, then smiled and took a longer drink.
“I’m that obvious?”
“No. Someone would have to know you very well to note that your attention is divided. I just happen to be one of those people.”
Lodrán laughed, finished his mug, and stood. “Whoa. This is stronger stuff than back home.” He shook his head once, then slipped away.
“She’s welcome to join us!” Chuck called after Lodrán. He smiled, thinking about the young woman who had come by the booth at the tail-end of the initial rush. Like nearly everyone else, she’d gushed over Chelinn’s “outfit” but then told them how Lodrán had unlocked her car for her. Chuck suggested a party with an open bar that started at nine tonight, and the deal was sealed. He looked at Freddy, and grew sober. “We need to talk about tomorrow.”
“I thought that was
“This is your car?” Lodrán asked, getting a nod in response. “I have some, uh, locksmith training. Maybe I can get it open.”
“Oh, could you? You’d be my hero!” She laughed, a little self-conscious. “I’m Annie Chester.” She looked at Lodrán’s vendor badge. “Wow, that’s a strange first name.” After some discussion with Chuck, Lodrán insisted on keeping his name but chose “Roth” for a surname. “How do you pronounce it?”
“Much like it looks,” he said, pronouncing it for her. “It’s from my mother’s side of the family.” He took out the leather pouch that held his lockpicks. “This might take a few minutes, but I don’t think it’ll get the better of me.”
“Nice outfit, by the way,” said Annie, as Lodrán got to work. “Where’d you get it?”
“Um… I made it myself,” said Lodrán, slipping his first picks into the lock. “You should see my friend Chelinn though. He should be at the booth. I got—what’s the word?—too many people, so close together…”
“Claustrophobic. Wow, that’s gotta be rough at a con.”
“Crowds and closeness are not the problem, so much. But I was stuck in that booth and couldn’t move around.” Lodrán twisted his picks and heard a click . “Ah!” He pulled on the handle and the door swung open. “That went a little quicker than I thought it would.”
“Yes!” Annie squealed and hugged him, then gasped and froze a moment before releasing him. “Sorry. I got a little excited.” She looked embarrassed.
“I’ll survive.” Lodrán grinned. “I think there’s still a line at the front. I can bring you in the back if you like.”
“Tempting. But I’d need to get my pass and stuff anyway.” Annie scrutinized Lodrán’s vendor pass again. “Age of Heroes. Will you be there?”
“That’s my home away from home this week.”
“Okay. Well, thanks again. I’ll swing by when I get inside. Hey… what are you doing tonight? You wanna show an out-of-town girl around?”
“I’m from out of town myself, but maybe we can discover this place together. N— Chuck says there are parties in the hotel every night, and a vendor badge will get me into most of them.”
“Sounds great! I’m staying in the hotel, so I won’t have to drive anywhere.” She grinned. “We’ll work out the details when I come by.” She threaded her way between the cars, jiggling in ways that made Lodrán smile. He walked back to the rear entrance, thinking about how a mere scrap that The Hand threw your way could make a difficult situation so much more bearable. Even if he never saw her again, it was… well, Chelinn would approve of him plying his trade this way.
• • •
“We did some fantastic business today, so I thought I’d treat my staff to some decent food for a change.” Chuck grinned and raised his beer mug. “You guys were part of it, at least.”
“Lodrán, why don’t you step into the lobby to wait for your friend?” Chelinn sipped his beer, then smiled and took a longer drink.
“I’m that obvious?”
“No. Someone would have to know you very well to note that your attention is divided. I just happen to be one of those people.”
Lodrán laughed, finished his mug, and stood. “Whoa. This is stronger stuff than back home.” He shook his head once, then slipped away.
“She’s welcome to join us!” Chuck called after Lodrán. He smiled, thinking about the young woman who had come by the booth at the tail-end of the initial rush. Like nearly everyone else, she’d gushed over Chelinn’s “outfit” but then told them how Lodrán had unlocked her car for her. Chuck suggested a party with an open bar that started at nine tonight, and the deal was sealed. He looked at Freddy, and grew sober. “We need to talk about tomorrow.”
“I thought that was
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