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"My tiny scary friend is coers on the table

"The one fro her yesterday, and would have seen Zuzana perform She nodded "She knows about your world, a little And she knows you tried to kill me, so…"

"Should I be afraid?" Akiva asked, and for a second Karou thought he was serious He always looked so serious, but it was another hint of dry humor, like atop the cathedral when he had surprised her with his joke about pushing off bad dates

"Terribly afraid," she replied "All cower before her You’ll see"

Herwas empty, but she kept her palic at Akiva than to keep her hands fro any more unsanctioned sallies across the table to touch his She should have been repelled by his hands with their death count, and she was, but not only Side by side with the horror was… the pull

She knew he felt it, too, that his hands were fighting their own battle not to reach for hers He kept looking at her, and she kept blushing, and their conversation stuttered along until the door opened and Zuzana sto Akiva She was fierce, ready to scold, but when she saw him, really saw him, she faltered Her expression warred with itself--ferocity with awe--and aon out She cast a sidelong glance at Karou and said, in helpless amazement, "Oh, hell Must Mate Immediately"

It was so unexpected, and Karou was already so on edge, that laughter burst frolittering laughter that worked another change in Akiva’s countenance as he watched her with a hopeful, piercing scrutiny that le, she felt so… seen

"No, really," said Zuzana "Right now It’s, like, a biological ienetic material? And this"--she enetic material I have ever seen" She pulled up a chair beside Karou, so the two of the the seraph "Fiala would so eat her words You should bring hiht," said Karou "I’ for a bunch of hu," said Zuzana, pri to introduce us?" Akiva asked The chi, now sounded out of place, like a rough echo frohter "I’m sorry," she said, and made a cursory introduction "Of course, I’ll have to translate if you want to say anything to each other"

"Ask him if he’s in love with you," said Zuzana at once

Karou almost choked She turned her whole body in her chair to face Zuzana, who held up a hand before she could protest "I know, I know You’re not going to ask him that And you don’t even need to He so is Look at hi to set you on fire with his crazy orange eyes"

It did feel like that, Karou had to admit But love? That was preposterous She said so

"You want to knohat’s preposterous?" said Zuzana, still studying Akiva, who looked bemused by her appraisal "That ’s peak is preposterous God It really makes you feel the sad dearth of ’s peaks in daily life We could, like, use hi stock to seed ’s peaks into the populace"

"My god What’s with all the ," Zuzana said reasonably "I’m crazy about Mik, okay, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do my part for the proliferation of ’s peaks As a favor to the gene pool You would, too, right? Or lance "You already have?"

"What?" Karou was aghast "No! What do you think I am?"

She was certain Akiva couldn’t understand, but there was an amused quirk to his mouth He asked what Zuzana had said, and Karou felt her face fla," she told him in Chimaera In Czech she added, sternly, "She Did not say Anything"

"Yes, I did," piped Zuzana, and like a child who has gotten a reaction for naughty antics, she ed Karou, helpless and so very glad the two had no coe

"Fine," said her friend "I can be polite Observe" She addressed Akiva directly "Welcoestures "I hope that you are enjoying your visit"

Chewing on a smile, Karou translated

Akiva nodded "Thank you" To Karou, "Would you tell her, please, that her perforreed Zuzana It was her standard acceptance of a compliment, but Karou could tell she was pleased "It was Karou’s idea"

Karou didn’t convey that She said instead, "She’s an a artist"

"So are you," Akiva replied, and it was Karou’s turn to be pleased

She told him they went to a school for the arts, and he said they had nothing like that in his world; only apprenticeships She told him that Zuzana was kind of like an apprentice, that she came from a family of artisans, and she wondered if he was fro," he replied His siblings were soldiers, and so had his father been in his day He said the word father with an edge, and Karou sensed animosity and didn’t press, and talk shifted back to art The conversation, filtered through Karou--and Zuzana, even on her best behavior, required a high degree of filtering--was surprisingly easy Too easy, she thought

Why was it so easy for her to laugh with this seraph, and keep forgetting the ie of the fiery portal, and Kishmish’s little raw body as his heartbeat ild and then failed? She had to keep re herself, and even so, when she looked at Akiva, it all wanted to slip away--all her caution and self-control

After atoward Zuzana, "She’s not actually very scary You had me worried"

"Well, you disarm her You have that effect"

"I do? It didn’t seeht it," she said "I have to keep re myself we’re enemies"

It was as if a shadow fell over theain, and he put his hands under the table, reht

"What did you just say to him?" Zuzana asked

"I reminded him that we’re enemies"

"Tch Whatever you are, Karou, you are not enemies"