Mancomb Seepgood was sitting in a wide, plush chair, watching a small screen in the corner of the room, his back to them. He wore a long black overcoat, but even through it, Wally could see he was very fat. His head was almost invisible under the layers of mangy black hair, sideburns and beard. Wally's first thought was of a beanbag with hair.
Then he turned and saw them, and instantly came to life.
"Gaybrush Thripweed!" shouted Mancomb, quickly rising out of his chair and coming forward to grab Guybrush in a huge bear hug.
"Mfff," said Guybrush.
Mancomb released him and looked at him. "As chipper as ever, eh? And who's this friend of yours? Looks like a fine chap."
"Um, I'm Wally," said Wally.
"Splendid," said Mancomb. "Well, this calls for a celebration! Anyone up for a game of billiards?"
"The billiards will have to wait," said Guybrush. "I'm afraid we've brought you some rather unwanted news."
"Oh," said Mancomb. He sat back down in his chair and swivelled it behind his desk. There were two chairs on the far side of the room, which Guybrush and Wally sat down in.
"Spill," said Mancomb.
Guybrush didn't take long. He told Mancomb that they'd lost their ship, that they'd been rescued by Government officers, and that a fleet of Government ship were currently hovering above, ready to strike, with an hour countdown that was currently one-third through.
Mancomb took all of this quite calmly. "Well, good of you to let us know early enough," he said. He reached for an intercom control on his desk, and flicked it open. A microphone popped up, into which Mancomb silently mouthed some very rapid instructions. When the microphone disappeared from view, he was smiling again.
"Well, that's that taken care of," he said.
"Uh, how?" asked Wally. "What are you going to do?"
"Simple," said Mancomb. "We're going to run away."
"Are you sure?" asked Wally. "There are a lot of ships up there."
"Trust us. We're the experts at running away." He looked at Guybrush. "Well, I guess we won't have time for a long reunion after all. Tell me, what are you planning to do? I'm sure the Galactic Police will be happy to pick up you up, but..."
"Actually," said Guybrush, "I was hoping we could swing a ride with you guys."
Mancomb smiled. "Oh, Guybrush. You know I'd love that more than anything. But we have quotas. Limits. I just couldn't make the room for you. Besides, I've repaid my debt to you. We agreed we were square quite some time ago."
"I can pay," said Guybrush.
"How?"
Guybrush leaned forward. "Portal stones," he said.
Mancomb paused, and glanced at Guybrush. "Portal stones?"
Guybrush nodded. "It's a long story," he said.