Dimension travelers, or Demons as you call them, are
the norm around here. As a Deveel, your main liveli-
hood comes from dealing with Demons. As for the
dragon, there's a booth not eight rows from here that
sells dragons to anyone with the price.''
"No, no! You don't understand! Of course we all
deal with Demons when it comes to business. The dif-
ference is that this Skeeve is actually friends with them
. . . invites them into his home and lives with them. One
of his permanent house guests is a Pervert, and I don't
know of a single Deveel who would stoop that low.
What's more, I've heard it said that he has underworld
connections."
The game was growing tiresome. Any points the
Deveel had made with his tribute to the Great Skeeve
had been lost with interest when he started commenting
on Demons.
MYTH-ING PERSONS 3
"Well, thank you for your concern," I said, holding
out my hand for a handshake. "I promise you I'll re-
member everything you've said. What was your name
again?"
The Deveel grabbed my hand and began pumping it
vigorously.
"I am Aliman, and glad to be of assistance," he said
with an ingratiating smile. "If you really want to show
your gratitude, remember my name. Should you ever be
in need of a reputable magician, I have a nephew who's
just getting started in the business. I'm sure we could ar-
range some discount prices for you. Tell me, what is
your name so I can tell him who to watch for?"
I tightened my grip slightly and gave him my widest
smile. "Well, my friends call me Skeeve."
"I'll be sure to tell... SKEEVE?"
The Deveel's eyes widened, and his complexion faded
from red to a delicate pink.
"That's right," I said, retaining my grip on his hand.
"Oh, and for your information Demons from Perv are
called Pervects, not Perverts . . . and he's not my house
guest, he's my partner."
