“You don’t know that personally,” said Cleggs.
“I know the type.”
“She’snotcold,” I mumbled.
“She’s a Melandrach elf,” said Cleggs. “They’re all about strategic courtships. And no offense, but you, my friend, arenota strategic courtship.”
I rolled my eyes. “None taken.”
“Besides, she’s been seen at social events with Count Greanderal’s son.”
“How doyouknow that?” I snapped.
“A gnome of my worldliness has to keep up with all the social scenes.”
“Yourworldliness,” scoffed Brenda.
“Yeah. You know the old saying.”
Oh, please not the ‘once you go gnome’ thing, it’ssoembarrassing.
“What old saying?” said Brenda.
“Once they meet Cleggs, theyalwaysspread their legs.”
Dion turned slightly red.
Yoi turned brightly red.
I slumped my face into my hands to avoid anyone seeing my expression.
“Oh,dothey, little man?” said Brenda.
A bit more banter and some random giggles ensued, though I wasn’t sure of the details, I was still hiding my face.
“Could you please let me out?” Yoi spoke to Dion in a soft, apologetic voice.
“Anyway, forget about the Blade Baroness. Find someone else.” Cleggs bit his lip. “Yoi isn’t seeing anyone, is she?”
“No,” said Brenda.
“She’s cute, she’s smart,” said Cleggs.
That she was, I had to admit. I just hadn’t thought of her in that way before.
“And she seems totally repressed. I bet the sex would begreat.”
I spewed ‘mermaid’s kiss’ across the table.
“She is pretty repressed,” Brenda swirled her drink as I wiped the spill with a red cloth napkin. “But she’llneed someone with experience taking care of her.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
She downed the rest of her drink and thunked it on the table. “She’ll probably say or do something odd when she gets revved up. Something that might shock an inexperienced flower like you.”
“What makes you think I’m inexperienced?”
I glanced at the others, noting nobody jumping to my defense.
