Bird was examining the walnuts carefully, choosing the most perfect and largest. She glanced up at the young halfling and said, "Shill? Now where did you hear such a word?"
"From my father. He said what we are doing is wrong."
Bird took a small knife from her pocket, and proceeded to halve the walnuts. Handing Olo a nut piece, she asked "How can it be wrong? I'm good at this game. I've practiced it for years. If someone wants to challenge my skill, is that wrong? If there were a shooting contest, and I was the better archer, would that be wrong? Or if I had the better nag in a horse race, would that be wrong?"
Bird brushed the chips and dirt from her skirt, and looked down at Olo "But, my friend, I am not an archer, or a horseman. Nor a merchant, warrior, or scribe. I'm just one of many, trying to make their way in the world best as they can. I have other skills that I could use to my benefit, if I so chose. But I don't. Because THAT would be wrong. Very, very wrong."
"Miss Birdie, you don't have to repay me those pennies. I gave them freely. I hardly feel they were mine in the first place."
"Oh, they're yours, all right. Remember? 'Gold has no country!'" Olo laughed as the woman did a perfect imitation of the old innkeeper. "Besides, I always repay my debts. But you don't have to play along if you don't want to. I 'spect you'll have other things to occupy you when Holly and the others get back."
Bird checked out the sun, and said, "C'mon then. The others may be heading back soon, and I want to get this show underway before those Rangers return."
"Now why is that, Miss Bird?" said Olo with a grin.
"Because, dear Olo, they can play the game better than me."
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O.O.C. - I would have made it Three Card Monte, but I wasn't sure if they had poker decks in Middle-Earth. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
[ August 07, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]
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