"By then the bank will have closed," Rivqua said, resigned to the fact.
"The bank!" said the robot and looked up with a snap. "You went to the bank? Did Mister Hoot Gaas make an appearance there?"
"He was a complete no-show," Zana said. "As was our advance, I might add."
"Miss secretary, whatever-your-name-is," Rivqua began in explanatory tones, "we face a problem here. It's quite simple really. We can't work without our agreement being properly honoured! We play, you pay. See how nicely that works? It's the law of reciprocal action. Works all over the galaxy. Since you're not paying, why should we play?"
"I fully appreciate the law of reciprocal action," said the robot, becoming defensive.
"Who knows when Hoot Gaas will return?" Rivqua blasted on, having had it with this nonsense. "Perhaps never! Perhaps he's thrown in the towel for good. Bored out of his head with running a casino. And gone fishing instead. Or rodent trapping. He might be remodelling his tree house! Building a picket fence and using his cell phone as a hammer! We don't know do we? You see, the funny thing about all this is that we, the Blonde Plutoz, can go somewhere else and play - where they do pay! Imagine that!"
"Hey, I'm imagining it like crazy," said Zana, arms out and looking at the bot. "Comes easy to me."
"I am well aware of this," said the secretary with force rising in her soft voice. "The Blonde Plutoz are established and reputable enough to play in many places. Your position in the hierarchy of popular culture is the reason for your booking here at the Grand Galatica in the first place."
Zana gave her sister an incredulous glance. "Hierarchy of popular culture?"
Rivqua returned a dismissive shrug and took a step closer to the secretary's desk and drew up a finger into warning mode.
"We have no choice but to speak to our manager, and I have a pretty good idea what he's going to say!"
"And that's based on previous experience!" Zana added, before stomping off with Rivqua for the elevator.
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