Val, tell me what's going on? Jennifer demanded, not allowing Valian to say a word.

“And hello to you, Jennifer,” Valian replied, writing to the secretaries on a green application with a tiny tube. “So far, nothing that should cause alarm, panic or hysteria.

It was necessary to admit that Val was touched by such "things". That is, the ability of people to create incredibly attractive things. To be even more precise, she admired how people succeeded in the world of technology, subconsciously striving to imitate magical skills.

But there were also disadvantages that crossed out everything.

The elf kept looking around and saw what people had turned their world into - into one big garbage dump. Unfortunately, it could not be said that the person was so unintelligent that he did not understand this.

Mankind was aware and forbade those who were not indifferent to talk about it. The film "The World", which she found on the net, struck her to the very core. People destroyed their universe.

“You demand reports from me for the last six months, you call my superiors on the carpet to your boss,” Jen continued to say, bringing Val back to reality. - Isn't that a cause for concern?

- No.

Val doesn't want to reassure her colleague despite her good feeling. The latter can talk about the situation as a whole, but not be responsible for a single person. People are good at ruining everything. Take Christine. What suddenly got into her?! Where did her pragmatism go? Business acumen? Possession of the situation, no matter what trance is going on around?!

“At fourteen-thirty, a general rally,” the elf said, skillfully poking the keys with a pencil. “I think that's a good sign.

“You're wrong and it doesn't mean anything at all,” Jennifer interrupted her, not wanting to give up. “But if you know something and tell me, then I will change my mind.

“I don’t know,” said Val, twitching the corner of her lips. - If it were otherwise, I would have hinted.

Backwoods doesn't like being distracted and is ready to make a stir in Jennifer Wick's estate.

- No. You wouldn't do that.

- OK. Of course you can see.

Val raises an eyebrow. Just six words and her good intentions vanished. If Jen wants to wind herself up further, then who is she to interfere with her in this?

“Tell me, Val, is he cute?”

“Not a freak,” the girl replied, following the completed lines in Excel, and froze.

She had not yet coped with the past feeling, as Jenny drove a new one. The insolent girl was probing the soil and it seems that she was already aiming for her place.

Is he normal or a narcissist?

Not selfish, but...

Val straightened up, suddenly glancing in the direction of the door behind which her morning savior was hiding. An idea popped into her head. The joke she had in mind was naughty, cheeky, and could cost her her place. And she could help unravel the riddle of this man.

"He's not human!"

Backwoods sighed, slowly agreeing with this statement. Her magical vision showed her nothing but a slightly silvered aura, which meant that there was someone with magical abilities among Spheirat's ancestors. There are not many creatures in the world with natural magical protection, but they do exist and, oddly enough, most of them live on planet Earth.

"Then let's check it out?!" the voice continued to insist, and seemed to smirk.

The entity within her had always been partial to this kind of antics. Val hesitated a bit, remembering all the prohibitions of magicians from the earth, but she could not refuse her, that is, herself, this. After all, she belongs to the peoples of the dark elves, and therefore, she is not alien to a sense of revenge. Memories of “confrontation and defense against Bezos and Co.” are still alive in her memory.

– Well?.. Val, are you still here?

It seems that Jen knocked on the phone.

"I think he's a womanizer," said Backwoods, her lips curling into a smile. Or maybe he hasn't had anyone for a long time.

- Yes?

The colleague's surprise was still a little bit and you could touch it with your hand.

- Where did you get it?

“I noticed that he doesn’t have a ring on his hand and the way he looks at women,” she answered simply and I must say that this was pure truth.

In the morning she had time to properly examine him and, of course, drew attention to this detail of his appearance.

- As? Where?

It seems that Jennifer realized that she was too intrusive in her interest.

"I'm just wondering," the girl on the other end of the phone said, as casually as possible. - You yourself understand that you need to somehow have fun and rumors are our everything.

Val knew what it was, but she did not share such entertainment. There were few reasons, but in this particular case, the main one was this - Val had no time. She didn't have the luxury of meeting the girls in the cafeteria, ordering colorful smoothies, and taking selfies for social media avatars.

She's not stupid. Just working for people is a cover and a way to combine business with pleasure.

It was now that she had to say "thank you" to one reptile for leaving this part of London alone for the time being. The magical beacons that Valian scattered around this part of the city have been silent for a week now and do not drag her anywhere. Otherwise, she would have worn herself out, coming up with an excuse to merge from the office.

- Are you kidding. Yes? It's a cruel joke, Val. You know that I'm actively looking.

Val, the employees of the office and the outside world were aware that Jenny was looking for a husband or a rich patron. It was enough to look at the length of her dress, and then catch an evaluating look and a lot of things became clear.

- No. I share with you because he is not my type.

- Truth?! Rich, handsome and not your type? What's wrong with you, Val?

The dark elf got up from the table, went to the window and looked longingly at the world behind the glass. She wouldn't mind if one of the little khailts went off now. She would take a walk and get distracted from her sad thoughts.

“I'm saving money to move to another country,” she explained, using her usual excuse adapted to this world, “and I don't want to start any relationship.

– Where are you going?

Jen asked the last question for show. Val heard the tone of real curiosity leave her voice.

- To Japan.

“You give,” the girl exhaled, and then hurried to say goodbye. “All right, Val, I have to go, Bonz is coming.

Until this moment, Val could not say about herself that she has a weakness for intriguers. But now she became very interested in how events would develop and how the farce organized by her would end.

“Just so Jenny doesn't get bored,” she whispers under her breath, her fingers moving over the keyboard.

She is very, very fast typing a message in the general chat, in which she writes the same thing that Miss Jennifer Wick just told. Her explanation for her own openness is very simple: “so that you stop pestering me and asking questions about the new bosses!”

But a little to Val's chagrin, or gladly, her joke is put on hold. Hull's communication with his subordinates lasted much longer than expected and did not go as rosy as Val "saw" at the very beginning. He kept asking her to print out something from the public folders, talked to one of the senior managers, then let him out and started on the next one. Everything was repeated. But that's how the rest of the day went.

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Hull,” she says, making up her mind and peering into the office.

Sfirerat Hull does not sit at the table. He, like Val, is about to leave the workplace, picks up a dark coat from the hanger and goes in her direction.

Did everything go as you planned? she asks, turning the key in the keyhole.

Did you notice it too?

She lifts the corners of her lips, appreciating the playful remark, goes to the exit and asks a completely different question: why the hell is he waiting for her and not going home on his very important business? He decided to hit on her and is he really a womanizer? She's not rude, but it would be much easier that way, especially in light of her little "conspiracy". Simpler…

- Can I give you a ride? he asks, waiting for Backwoods to turn the key in the keyhole.

“Thank you for the offer, sir, but I have slightly different plans for tonight.

Mr. Hell is in no hurry to leave, having received a polite refusal. He waits for her to close the front door, and then walks with Val to the elevator, leisurely, as if they were strolling through the streets of their native Haven.

“Too bad,” the boss replies, tossing his coat over the crook of his arm. “I think it’s my turn to buy you coffee.”

Val frowns. The emotion is exaggerated and largely feigned.

“You didn't touch the two cups I brought you.

“He worked hard trying to understand the situation,” explained the men nearby, just like Val carrying his coat on the crook of his elbow. – At such moments, I get carried away and forget about everything.

“And everyone,” Val added, because all this was very familiar to her.

Val doesn't feel a barrier between them at all. It wasn't like that with Christine. She always felt this border. The boss was friendly only at work, but outside of it she tried to avoid communication in every possible way and was so touching awkward when she had to meet on business outside the office.

- Now you can admit that I drove you.

“No,” Val stretches his lips into a smile. “It just seemed to me that Kristin didn’t go anywhere and everything that happened in the morning was one big dream.

– Let me remind you that now you can still admit that you are not at all comfortable with the authorities.

Val shakes his head as if considering his offer. But it is worth saying that she will not fall for this trap.

- Well…

Spheirath Hell gave her a stern look, which only at the last moment flickered into a smile.

“I promise,” he begins, pressing the button to call the elevator.

– What will be exactly the same tomorrow?

He smiled back at her, just as he had done that morning. Something inside her trembled, annoyed, and made her nod in the direction of the entrance to the fire escape. Very timely, I must say. The elevator doors opened, inviting them inside.

- You need to walk a little to drive off the eaten marshmallows.

– Were there also marshmallows? inquired Mr. Hull, going inside the metal cabin, slowly pressing the button.

“You won’t prove anything,” she replies, hurrying out of his sight. - Till tomorrow.

She descends the stairs, on the one hand, cursing herself for her stubborn desire to be beautiful...

The shoes of this world are a separate reason for admiration.

Yes, it is somewhere uncomfortable, but so beautiful, adds the cherished centimeters of height and makes the legs incredibly long, slender and so feminine.

“It’s just that usually you’re up to your neck in mud. What boats? What kind of studs? By the way, did you notice what a subtle compliment he made? He didn’t say it directly, but he didn’t pass by either. ”

On the other hand, she praises herself for this feint. She avoided getting close to this guy. She has time to reflect, to break her head over her and his behavior. But mostly she's praising herself, rebuilding the chain of reasoning about why she should avoid relationships on this side of the line that separates such different worlds.

“Little little romance. What could be wrong?!”

Val doesn't listen to the whispers of his inner self. There is a lot of “bad” in this, ranging from attachments and obligations to returning home. What will she do next? In addition, she remembers that it was silent while this Hull was nearby. It means he is scared. And that also means something.