Taking a rather large fang-like tooth from the middle shelf, they said, “I found this one in an alley.”
“Was it attached to a body?” Jude asked.
“And was that body still alive?” Oliver asked.
“I don’t think we want to know,” Liel said.
Zef didn’t hear them. “I believe it belongs to akyro, but I still need to get it appraised.”
“What about that one?” Bryce said. “It has a corkscrew root. That’s wild.”
“That is awybltooth.” Zef said, voice pitching higher in what Bryce took to be excitement. “They are very rare creatures who live in the forest and ingest certain types of tree wood. That is why they have—”
“Serrated edges,” Bryce finished for them, and they nodded.
“Yes, to better saw through the hard bark. And the roots must be deep and secure enough that the sawing action does not knock them loose from the jawbone.”
“Hence the corkscrew root,” Bryce said, and Zef’s antennas quivered wildly.
“Yes,” they said, almost breathlessly. “Yes, exactly.”
“That’s amazing.”
Nearly vibrating now, Zef nodded again. “I think so too.”
“Do you have a diagram or something? Like—”
“Yes! I have many diagrams. And books. And—they are in my room. I will fetch them—”
Before Zef could, the door behind them opened, and everyone jumped as Gem shrieked in fright. “What the fuck are you all doing in the hallway? Were you listening to me pee? That’s so weird!”
“We weren’t listening to you pee,” Jude said.
“We were looking at Zef’s tooth collection,” Oliver said.
“Bryce wants to see my diagrams,” Zef said animatedly, and Bryce’s chest warmed.
Several emotions, most of them in the family of disgust, passed over Gem’s face, but he schooled his features and smiled weakly at Zef. “That’s so cool, Zef. I love that you collect teeth. From dead things. It’s very… cool.”
“Thank you,” Zef said primly.
“Where can I put Bryce’s suitcase?” Liel asked, and Zef maneuvered through the small crowd they made and led them to the door next to the bathroom Gem had exited.
“This is your room,” Zef said, pushing the door open.
Inside, Bryce shrugged off his backpack and let it plop onto the bed. The room was small but not cramped. A double bed, one side table, and a dresser were the only furniture. On the side table was a retro lamp, the shade an orange floral pattern that reminded Bryce of his nan’s couch from the 70s.
The bedding was simple and gray, and the window across from the door was shielded by matching gray curtains. Daylight filtered through the sheer fabric, catching the floating dust particles in its rays. The room smelled like clean cotton and something sharply chemical, like dusting spray.
Zef placed Bryce’s duffel at the foot of the bed before immediately retreating from the room to stand in the doorway. “I hope the room is agreeable.”
“It’s great, Zef. Really. I appreciate you helping me out like this, especially with how short notice it all was. I just…” Not sure how to finish the sentence, Bryce let it float in the air before he managed to say, “I guess I just wanna say thank you.”
Zef clasped their lower hands in front of their stomach as their upper hands straightened the already-straight collar of their blouse. “It was no trouble. You were in need of a room, and I had an empty one in need of you. Of someone, I mean. Anyone. A person. To help pay the bills.”
Their brows drew down in frustration at their verbal tripping, and Bryce did his best not to laugh. “Still. Thank you.”
With a slight bow, they said, “You are most welcome. A friend of Oliver’s is a friend of mine.”
