Jul 11th 2011, 16:41 by E O Hatterpol | 1228 AU FROM SUN
"How?" I demanded irritably. "How am I going to win back all that money I just lost, huh? It wasn't even mine to lose!"
Heartbreak smiled.
"I'll tell you how," he said. "But it's a secret."
The way he looked at me, I couldn't resist. He had this aroma of swagger about him that might as well have been curling off his shoulders in loose, pink clouds. That probably explained all the hot chicks on his arms (even if they were a bit muscular for my tastes).
But as I sidled in closer, one of his girls stepped in between us and put her lips to my ear.
"There's an underground fight club on Starbase Octopus," she whispered.
I didn't believe her. I looked up at Heartbreak and frowned as if to say, "Are you being cereal, dude?"
He nodded reassuringly. I think that meant, "Like Count Chocula, broheem."
Heartbreak's girl pulled me in closer. With her physique, I wasn't surprised she had a kung-fu grip.
"Me & the other boys, we go down to Tentacle Six & beat the tar out of each other. Winner gets tons of space booty, loser gets paid, too, and we do bets on the side, of course."
I pulled back & looked at Heartbreak's girl like she was crazy. She was clearly a girl. So why had she said "Me & the other boys" like she was a boy herself? Just because you're ripped doesn't mean you're a dude. You're just a ripped chick -- duh!
I was intrigued anyways. I had picked up an unstoppable fighting technique or two back in the Kuiper Belt; maybe I could win enough money to buy Ravi the Bookman's first edition books so I wouldn't have to confess my greed. I'd be happy just to get that much, let alone enough to win Nixie back!!
Heartbreak's girl put her lips to my ears again.
"Meet me tonight way down at the tip of Tentacle Six past all the construction tape. Password is 'steel drums'. Any & all weapons allowed: scimitars, maces, even boxing gloves," she said.
Behind her, Heartbreak held up his own boxing gloves as if to say, "But I'm the only one who wears boxing gloves. I'm just sayin', you can if you want, bro."
How was he getting the timing down? It must be because he does this shtick to poor saps like me all the time -- that's what I thought, at least. I mean, he has to find fresh blood for the fighting ring, after all. But he didn't know about me. I'd show him just what kind of poor sap I was, then!
"What about broken beer bottles?" I whispered to Heartbreak's girl.
"That's fine," said Heartbreak aloud.
What the shell? How could he have known what I whispered to her?
"No firearms or anything that shoots projectiles like a crossbow might," she continued. "See you tonight. Get ready to be a rich man."
Heartbreak's girl stepped back into the fold around Heartbreak & looped her hand through one of his arms. And then Heartbreak nodded politely to me, gathered his winnings & walked off.
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