Esag had spent the night at Tula's, and he'd brought a change of clothing, so he hadn't needed to stop by the house he was sharing with them.
Roven nodded in agreement, though his attention seemed to be elsewhere. He was scanning the crowd with the focused intensity of a hunter seeking prey.
"Have you missed Esag?" Tula wrapped her arm around his waist. "Had no one to clean up after you?"
Davuh's eyes widened. "Is that what he told you?"
"Was I wrong?" Esag challenged.
"You are a neat freak," Davuh said. "You can't stand to see an empty beer bottle standing innocently on the coffee table and bothering no one."
Esag shook his head. "We've been living together for thousands of years, and I've always been tidying up after you. I think it's time to grow up, boys. I'm moving in with Tula."
Roven gasped. "You are leaving us? I thought we were family."
"You're welcome to visit us any time, but you're just not welcome to leave your dirty dishes all over the place."
"I guess it was bound to happen." Davuh's gaze slid past Esag to the cluster of ladies nearby. "So, are you going to introduce us to your friends, Tula?"
"I don't know." She pouted. "You don't seem like good catches."
Davuh pretended to be offended. "Don't believe everything Esag tells you about us. He just wants to make himself look good in comparison."
"Right." Esag grimaced. "Let me introduce you."
"Ladies," he said, raising his voice to catch their attention. "May I introduce two of the village's most incorrigible bachelors? These are my friends, Davuh and Roven. They're training to become Guardians, which means that one day they will protect and serve, but right now they mostly just serve themselves extra helpings at dinner."
Raviki laughed, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Guardians in training? How impressive. Have you rescued any damsels in distress?"
"Not yet." Davuh stepped forward, his smile widening as he focused on Raviki. "But if you need rescuing, I'm your man."
"The only thing I need rescued from is boredom. This village is lovely, but we have nothing to do."
Esag watched the exchange with amusement. Davuh seemed taken with Raviki, and she seemed receptive to his flirting.
Meanwhile Roven had drifted toward Sarah, who stood apart from the group with a book tucked under her arm. Where had she even found a book in the village?
As far as Esag knew, the place had no library.
"What are you reading?" Roven tilted his head, trying to read the title.
"It's a book about quantum entanglement. I found it the other day in William's office, and he let me borrow it. It's about the physics of interconnected particles." She smiled. "Most people go glassy-eyed when I talk about physics, so don't feel obligated to show interest."
"I don't know anything about quantum physics," Roven admitted. "But I would love to hear you explain it, provided you use simple terms any ten-year-old can understand. My education is pretty basic."
Sarah blinked, looking lost for words. "I don't know if it's possible to explain in simple terms. I'm still struggling to understand it."
Roven's grin widened. "Good. Then we can read this together and help each other understand."
A shy smile curved Sarah's lips, transforming her delicate features. "It's quite fascinating, actually. The way particles can be connected and affect each other regardless of distance or time." She trailed off, glancing at Roven as if expecting him to lose interest, but he leaned in closer, affecting an expression of rapt attention.
He'd never been the scholarly type, so his interest was in Sarah rather than quantum physics, but he was putting on a convincing show.
Tula nudged Esag with her elbow. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she murmured.
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm seeing it."
"Isn't this wonderful? They are perfect for each other. Raviki needs someone who can match her fire, and Sarah needs someone to appreciate her mind and not just her beauty."
