No one ever came to her aid. But Val got out of the sewers on her own and came home without incident. It was only necessary to create a portal by getting out to the uppermost tier, step into it and here she is in the apartment.

- Finally at home! she sighed, leaning her shoulder against the wall.

For some reason, the portals did not want to open from the three lower floors. It seems that magnetic and electric fields were to blame.

"I'll have to ask the Masters about it," she whispered, glancing at her watch. – If they don’t give an answer, they will find new food for thought and research together with the students.

Neon numbers showed two hours three minutes of the night.

"You should have taken me with you!"

Valian glanced towards the gnashing Asa. The rapier glittered and shimmered furiously, despite the fact that the girl had not switched on the light in the corridor.

"Maybe you're right, old chap," she said wearily as she tossed her clothes into a pile on the floor. “But there is no cause for concern.

She did not hang things, but leaving them on the floor was also fraught. By morning, the apartment will be saturated with the smells of collectors.

“I hear that everything was different!”

To be surprised for the umpteenth time that As knew everything that was going on in her head did not have the strength. It's in her head too.

“I'm here, which means everything is in order,” Val answered, sitting down near the washing machine. “But next time I will definitely take you with me, if you will only let me, my friend.”

Ace became indignant at the same second, rattling with tired nerves. But it was better than dishes in a sideboard or a framed mirror. He might not. After all, the legendarium [1].

“Friend?! Is that how you spoke? After leaving me here! Among this rags and sticks?!”

He meant the umbrella stand.

“It seemed to me that you chose this place yourself,” she remarked before climbing into the tub and turning on the shower. - He refused to lie on a shelf with books and hang on a hanger next to his coat.

But As was silent for too long not to answer anything to this.

“You know, I’m not a hangman and I’m not a bookworm! And I chose this place to guard the house! Although you know I'm not a dog!

She was terribly lucky in the voices. One voice sits inside her, and the other lurks in a rapier with a twisted guard. Thanks to them, she does not feel lonely. They do not let her get bored, and sometimes even fall asleep. Sometimes it works for her. Like now, when you really want to sleep, warmed up under the jets of a hot shower, but you have to wait for the washing machine to finish rinsing things and listening to Asa's buzzing.

“You know, I just don’t understand why that scarecrow was put up,” she says, going to bed. - Not to scare, there's no one there.

Ace does not answer her right away, but does it when Val has practically fallen asleep. He does it very affectionately and quietly, which does not fit with his usual intonations at all. It sounds like the voice of a former boss, mentor and incredibly stubborn elf.

“Maybe it was needed to lure you?”

Val opens his eyes. It seems to her that a few seconds after this question. My head is heavy and my eyelids are filled with lead. She looks at the pages of books and cannot understand what happened. Her heart is pounding like crazy. Ace yells and demands to chop off some thing, a whole orchestra is located in the kitchen ...

“The smartphone will turn itself off,” she groans, covering her head with a pillow. - Stop screaming, please!

As falls silent, only to immediately say the following very ingratiatingly:

"That's exactly what he is!"

The elf opens her eyes, realizing what has been said. She jumps out of bed and just looks around for a few seconds, deciding what and in what sequence she will do.

"Vel'eri jua of jum!" she says, snapping her fingers several times before doing so.

She does not immediately succeed in concentrating, but when this happens, there is no trace of sleep left. Magic not only splashed out of her, making her look just a little bit like a container of sparkling drink, but saturated her cells with energy, strength and speed.

"Oh you! At this rate, you will have time to drink coffee!”

She's not up to breakfast. Val would just remember to put on something. Ace has fun and comments on everything she does, knocking down all the growing sense of panic.

"Shoes?! The snow hasn't melted yet!

As expected the day before, languishing in silence for several months, he tried his best to talk. This was a good sign. It is impossible with the legenarium, as with simple weapons - you either negotiate with them or suppress them with your will. As for Val, she preferred both.

"Take me with you!"

Valian stops, running his fingers over the bars of his hilt.

- In the evening, As. Not to work.

She closes the door, pretending not to hear his question "why?!" and other parting words. Rapier grumbles and says that it was a mistake to trust someone like her. Which? Apparently he's talking about the women of the people of the dark elves.

‍​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‍

- Good morning, Valian!

The boss's car slowed down at her feet, just as it had the day before, and even closer, a few millimeters from the pointy toes of her ankle boots.

- Good morning, sir.

Val looks at Sfirat, biting his lip in embarrassment and annoyance. She can't escape his company, no matter how hard she tries. And he is not going to help her in this - he does not even think of retreating or being offended by her for her words. Although, maybe he's just a normal person and is she winding herself up?

- Sit down! he says in an indisputable tone, at the last moment twitching the corner of his lips in what seems to be an unsound smile. “Otherwise, your dragon boss will eat you.”

"Thanks," she says as she slides into the familiar cabin and slips on her seatbelt.

For a while they drive, silently. Nothing comes to mind except questions about dinner. But this is a bad idea! Bad, because even without words it is felt that he is not in the spirit.

How is the evening with your girlfriend? he asks, the first to break the silence. - Did you succeed?

Val nods, almost blurting out "what?!" So always with spontaneous lies. It would be nice to remember what you spun last time and not sit in a puddle. Tristan would have yelled at her for this, saying that he was ashamed of her. His science of manipulation and intrigue never lived on in her.

- For glory.

- What did you do? - continues Sfayrat with cheekbones that stand out sharply. - Did you drink?

- Sir!..

She chokes on a laugh, quickly correcting herself at his stern gaze.

“Sfeirat, Friday is only today,” she says, and, having warned the next question, she quickly adds. “That's why I never confess to anything like that.

Her boss turns to her and gives her a very long look. So long that she wonders if they didn't crash into something.

– Is that how?

“So,” Val answers at first and even nods very seriously, but then he can’t stand it and shows his tongue.

Spheirat, instead of smiling at her, turned away and changed gear, sighing and shaking his chin as he did so. But despite the discontent shown, Val felt with her whole being that her childishness had done its job - he relaxed and ceased to be darker than a cloud.

- How did you spend your evening?

- Tasty, but from time to time remembering his secretary.

His words burned Val's insides.

- Yes? - She draws in a completely stupid way, just not to smile from the top of her mouth. - Why?

“Because I can’t decide if she’s lying to me, pretending to be or not telling me.

The boss's words startled her. It was not a matter of insight (although there is no reason to prevaricate in this too!), but in frankness. All worlds sin with this - lack of courage when it comes to feelings. But not just him.

“I have to be dropped off here today,” she said in shock, and pointed to the GPS map screen.

She had never met such men. She hasn't been taken by the gills yet, as Tristan Is'hid would say.

Are you embarrassed that we will be seen together? he continued in his former strict and even demanding manner. - Why?

He chose strong tactics. Such that you need to either comply with it, or drop everything. But there was another option - to run away from him as long as possible.

“Because this is a wonderful candy store,” Val breathed, promising herself to post her resume on job search sites, “and my boss, as it turned out, really likes cupcakes.

Spheirat stopped the car at the spot Val had pointed him to. Before leaving the salon, she nevertheless answered the question he had asked, feeling that she should, as they say, disown him, choosing a worthy reason.

- I'm not afraid that we will be seen together at work. I'm more concerned about the moment before it starts and the moment after, when thoughts are born in their head and escape through their mouths.

“I heard you,” the boss replied, but without changing his gaze from which he was looking at her. - Run for cupcakes.

Val got out of the car, feeling in the strangest way. She had the feeling that everything she said and did was working against her.

"He agrees with you, but does not back down!"

Exactly. Spheirat seemed to only pretend to believe her smiles, while he himself continued to move the pawns on the chessboard.

- Nonsense! she finally breathed out softly as she left the store with a full bag of sweets.

She scooped up two dozen cupcakes of varying degrees of sweetness and texture.

"Do you want to feed him!"

The voice did not want to agree with her and told her that she liked this Sefayrat. That is the only reason why she sees in his simple questions, behavior and views something that is not there.

Are you talking to yourself? Jennifer asked as she entered the waiting room. I've been telling you for a long time that it's time for a vacation.

Val only nodded in response, lifting the corners of her lips in an embarrassed smile. Jennifer Wick had never said anything like that to her. And if she dropped something like that, then it should be taken as politeness and nothing more. But not today.

“Maybe you are right, but you yourself understand that it is strange to talk about it now.

Val threw a eloquent glance towards the office of the new bosses, and then turned it to a woman in an ultra-short miniskirt.

“No one is irreplaceable,” said the woman on the other side of her desk, and then she caught on, trying to make amends for her rudeness. Nothing will happen if you rest for a week or two.

Valian stretched out a thoughtful “yes!”, pretended to be daydreaming and did not notice how the companion threw a fishing rod in her place. This time it wasn't paranoia. It was enough to look at her. Jennifer shone with bright makeup and styling, was dressed in a hitherto unseen costume and smelled like never before.

- Val, I need to go to your boss's office.

- Why?

Val barely resisted leaning back and watching the 'circus'. But yesterday's plan resurfaced in her mind.

- Here's the thing - Jenn began, first sitting on the edge of her table, and then quickly rising from it. Bill says he lost his golden Parker somewhere.

The elf followed the button back into place with her eyes. She terribly disliked such familiarity.

- I climbed the whole office and even looked into the salon.

Could he have left it at home? - the girl answered, deciding to play along in someone else's performance.

Jenn smiled condescendingly at her.

- Not. He never takes it home. He has small children. He does not want an expensive thing to be among the toys or mussed over by someone from ...

She hesitated, choosing a word.

“I understand you,” Val responded, reaching for the mouse. “I’ll see when Mr. Hull has a break…”

- Not! I would like to look for it now! I need to find him before Bill arrives.

Val pretended to understand her, picked up the phone and dialed the boss's office.

Yes, Valian.

The deep, powerful voice sent goosebumps down Val's arms. So she was glad that she wore a long-sleeved blouse. It was not enough for Jen to notice this and decide something with her bright head.

“Mr. Hell, Miss Wick to see you. Can you accept it?

- On what question?

“Personal,” Valian replied, smiling at Jenn with a reassuring smile. – Do you accept it now or write it down for later?

Jenn was expecting something else when she asked Val to talk to her boss about her.

- Let him come in.

Val hung up and made an inviting gesture towards the office door. Jenn's face has undergone a metamorphosis. A confident, seductive and self-aware "tigress" suddenly appeared in front of Val. She entered the office, and Val fixed her eyes on the screen, but it lasted less than a minute. She waited, experiencing hellish torments. She really wanted to see what was going on inside. But time passed, overcoming a minute, a second, a third ... After five minutes, she forced herself to delve into her work. She felt uneasy, ashamed and disgusted at the same time.

Did you find the parker?

Jennifer stormed out of the office and didn't deign to answer her. An hour and a half later, Katherine O'Connell appeared in the waiting room. Also a colleague and also with a loss. This time the cufflink must have been lost in Mr. Hull's office. Then lunch came, and the unmarried secretaries of their company took a break, postponing the offensive until the afternoon. Valian did not even doubt that there would be a continuation.

“Valian, I need you to bring a folder with documents,” Sfirerat Hull said, having managed to leave the office, but not letting her miss him.

Backwoods pushed the yogurt away from her, pushing a pad and pen instead.

“It contains a contract for the supply of paint from STJH,” the boss continued, forgetting that she was on a break.

She herself was to blame for this. She should have said this moment the day before, as she did with overtime and overtime.

- Do you remember him?

Of course not! Not after the dozen faxes and commercials she'd had to type out that morning. All she knew was the information about the paint, having read the first release, which showed that it was used in the marine industry. But out loud, of course, she said something else.

“I will find it,” she replied, not remembering, but writing down the name. What address should I deliver it to?

“At the Gauchi, at Chaterhouse 91,” Sfirerat said, and hung up.

Throwing a glass of yogurt into a bucket, Val grabbed her coat from the hanger and set off, deciding to ignore public transport in favor of official. Christine did not encourage such things, but there were no such orders from the new boss.