"Tony." Esag kept his voice neutral, though his hackles rose instinctively. "This is a surprise."
Tony, on the other hand, didn't look surprised at all to see Esag opening the door to Tula's house. Evidently the village rumor machine had done its job, and he knew that Esag was spendinga lot of time with Tula. He hadn't officially moved in yet, but he was about to suggest that when he felt the time was right.
"Hey, Esag." Tony's smile was a little too bright, a little too forced. "This is my friend Shira, and she's a librarian. Is Tula home? I thought she would love to have a chat with Shira about book restoration."
Tony was dressed in a button-down shirt that looked new, and his hair was actually styled rather than its usual haphazard mess. Shira wore a casual outfit that showed off her curves, and she had her arm looped through Tony's with easy familiarity.
Interesting.
"Come in," Esag said, stepping aside. "Tula is right here."
He motioned to the living room, where Tula was already sitting up and craning her neck to look at the unexpected guests.
"Hello, Tony," She sounded surprised. "What brings you here tonight?"
"I wanted you to meet someone." Tony gestured to the woman beside him with what was clearly intended to be a casual flourish but came across as somewhat rehearsed. "This is Shira. Shira, this is Tula."
The female smiled brightly. "I've seen you and Esag around the village and at the party, but it's so nice to finally be able to talk to you. You both have led such long and fascinating lives."
Tula laughed. "Long, that's for sure, but I don't know about fascinating. I often felt like I was living under a rock." She gestured toward the armchairs across from the couch. "Please, sit down. Can I get you anything? Tea? Water?"
"We're fine," Tony said quickly, settling into one of the chairs with Shira beside him. He took her hand, their fingers intertwining in a display that seemed deliberate rather than natural.
Esag returned to his spot on the couch beside Tula, studying their visitors with growing suspicion. There was something performative about Tony's behavior.
"Shira works at one of the biggest libraries in the city, and when I told her about your book restoration work in the harem library, she said that she can help you with some insider information about the way libraries restore books."
Shira nodded. "Tony mentioned that you and the other ladies spent time restoring damaged books in the harem library. That's specialized work, a forgotten art that not many engage in these days."
"We learned out of necessity," Tula said. "The library flooded, and we couldn't bear to see all those old texts destroyed. Some of them were irreplaceable." She sighed. "That's the only thing I miss about that place. If I could magically transport that library to the village, I would."
Shira leaned forward, her enthusiasm seeming genuine. "Libraries are always looking for people with restoration experience. Most send their damaged materials out to specialized facilities, but if we had someone on staff who could handle preservation work..." She trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.
Tula's eyes widened. "Are you saying there might be a job opportunity at your library?"
Shira laughed. "It's not my library, but I'm good friends with the head librarian, and I can arrange for an interview. You'd need proper documentation first, though." Shira glanced at Tony. "Tony said that he didn't get his yet, so I assume none of the others who were rescued have gotten them."
Tula frowned. "I didn't even know that I was supposed to get anything." She looked at Esag. "Do you have documentation?"
He nodded. "The clan takes care of that. You should be getting yours in about a week."
Esag's gaze drifted back to Tony, who was watching Tula with an intensity that belied his casual posture, gauging her reaction to his new companion.
Aha. So that was what this was about.
Tony hadn't come here to help Tula find a job. He'd come to show off his new girlfriend, hoping to provoke some kind of jealous response. It was petty and transparent and exactly the kind of thing Esag might have done himself five thousand years ago, when he'd been young and foolish and still learning how to navigate romantic relationships.
He felt a surge of sympathy for Tony, but it was mixed with irritation. The man was clearly hurting, clearly struggling to move on from Tula, and this awkward display was his way of proving, perhaps to himself as much as anyone, that he was doing just fine.
Except he wasn't fooling anyone.
"That would be amazing," Tula said. "I've been trying to figure out what I could do here. The book restoration was one of thefew things I actually enjoyed in the harem. I'd love to continue it."
"The other ladies might be interested too," Esag added. "They are all looking for something to do."
Shira lifted her hands. "I don't know if I can get jobs for all of them, but I can call the head librarians of other libraries."
"How many are there in Los Angeles?" Tula asked.
