they invented different things for themselves. And everything frightening is always painted in gloomy colors, and then it has become customary… All those goat horns, boiling cauldrons, sucking blood, and so on, are just from those times. The eyes of fear see danger everywhere, that can I say.
And so, here we are today.
The runes drawn with «dragonbone» sawdust brought us right to the entrance of «Elysium». A fitting name for a demon’s bar, huh? Saul always had a sense of humor… hmm… peculiar sense of humor.
The sign glowed a dull reddish-pink, not hurting the eyes, but somehow unsettling. Specks danced on the light gray stone walls, drawing strange patterns. I could have sworn they’re alive: one day after a party, I saw tiny dancing creatures with grinning faces among the reflections. Adiree insisted that it was just a hoax.
There were no queues at the entrance: after all, it was a bar, not a club. Although there were dances there.
With a nod to the bull-necked muzzle who stood at the door, keeping a watchful eye on everything around, we didn’t hesitate to go inside.
Immediately there was whistling and hooting.
Three girls from the Core World at a time… Pretties, what to be ashamed of. So, the shouts of the regulars can be understood.
I looked at my friends again.
Sunny, with her blonde curls, delicate shoulders, and pretty face, dressed in pale pink trousers and a white top, looked a complete stranger in this dark, brandy-and-tobacco-scented room.
Adiree, on the other hand, could easily pass for a local: a black jumpsuit with translucent inserts hugged her very remarkable figure, emphasizing her curves, and her scarlet hair in the dim light, it seemed, could burn with fire.
I… What about me? I’ve always been a kind of equilibrium point between them: no one would call me a cutie, but I didn’t look like a devil either. Today, my outfit consisted of a medium-length skirt, emerald like a stolen Azuin, with two high slits in the front, and a matching blouse that fell from one shoulder, revealing a bit on the breast. And shoes. Of course, enchanting shoes. Sunny and I borrowed ours from Adiree’s wardrobe again, fortunately, the size of all of us surprisingly coincided. Maybe we were friends because we could swap shoes. Shoes, you know, drive us girls crazy. Come on, just kidding… Not just because of the stilettos… but they complemented the friendship perfectly.
So… Whistling and all that… a common thing in «Elysium».
The bar, despite the lack of queues, turned out to be crowded. The entire long room, one hundred and twenty feet by thirty, was pierced by a worn stained oak rack that writhed like a snake swimming on water. Closer to the entrance, the space was occupied by open tables with simple benches, designed for large companies, then there were slightly more closed semi-offices for couples, and everything ended with a small rounded dance floor with a tiny stage in the corner. Well, we’ll get there later.
The walls, sheathed with wooden slats, should have looked smoky with eternal smoke, but no, the varnish shimmered in the light of the lamps, the polished wrought-iron decorations gleamed copper-pink.
Something exciting was playing, as always, interrupting the general hubbub and hum of voices.
We sat down on tall stools lined with old velvet. Neve, without waiting for the order, put a lemon shot in front of us.
Neev is one of the three barmaids. We preferred to choose her side of the counter. In fact, she is Neevennen, a relative of Saul’s, and a demon, respectively. I don’t know what she can do, what abilities and level she has, but something unearthly was immediately felt, as soon as you looked at her.
A thin, short-haired brunette with huge black eyes, all as if made up of only angles and broken lines, she nevertheless left a feeling of strength. Well, of course, after dragging all these tubs and beer mugs and eliminating the occasional mess the muscles will get stronger without any training. Not too talkative, she was always ready to listen to any visitor. And we, too, poured out our tearful drunken stories a couple of times. That’s right, a demoness in the role of a shoulder for crying… it’s hard to imagine. But at least she won’t talk in vain later. He won’t pat you on the head either, he’ll rather offer to burn the offender to hell, but sometimes that’s what you need. In short, Neev. In Saul’s absence, she seemed to be in charge.
We chatted and laughed, reinforcing the good mood with another portion of shots. We kicked off a couple of not too persistent gentlemen. We loudly cursed the Azuin thief, calling all the troubles on his head, and Nivennen rolled her eyes, as if amazed at our childish stupidity. Our curses, of course, must have seemed ridiculous to the demon. We drank again, something raspberry, but not sugary, and within an hour we had enough alcohol, so we thought it necessary to have fun.
After sending Neev a couple of air kisses at the end, which caused another snort, we walked to the dance floor. People were already jostling there, and the music had changed to a less jaw-dropping one.
The smells of alcohol and hot bodies… accidental touch… Not an accidental hug… whirling and transitioning… A little flirtation… whispering in an ear… silly giggles and a pleasant fog in a head… At a slow, drawling melody, we left our recent beaus in utter bewilderment, and began to dance the three of us, bending, swaying our hips, running our hands through our hair, hugging each other, and sparkling our eyes. So what?! Don’t girls like it when guys drool and imagine all sorts of frivolities? We’re imagining, too…
My legs were buzzing, but my body felt as light as a feather: the cocktails did not fail here. The scene floated before my eyes, and I decided to go out into the air for a while, to catch my breath.
Sunny chatted with the musicians, Adiree wrapped herself around a dark-haired, handsome man of gigantic stature, apparently expecting a pleasant continuation of the evening.
With a grunt, I walked towards the door with a slightly uneven gait, satisfied with the time spent and almost oblivious to the problem at work. What the hell got me to look at the dating booth closest to the exit?
At a tiny table, lounging and stretching out his legs, sat Professor Mavinus, alone. In front of him was a half-empty bottle of whiskey. A carelessly discarded jacket lay nearby.
Stunned, I stared at his trousers-clad thighs, half-unbuttoned rumpled shirt, disheveled black hair, hard jawline.
His gray eyes finally lifted, and he stared at me.
I don’t know… Anger about the project, alcohol, or something else stirred up fire in me… I just lashed out at Erchin.
«You,» I hissed, flying into the booth, «how dare you? The university trusted you! We all trusted! I was counting on… And you, damn it, took advantage of our trust, your position! At least you know what you’ve done?!» I almost screamed.
He glared at me, gritted his teeth, but didn’t say a word.
«I’ll see to it that you get the punishment you deserve,» I kept getting more and more angry. «When they catch you…» I pointed a finger in his direction and choked on the words as he grabbed my wrist sharply, pulling me towards him. I stumbled and almost fell, tried to wrench my hand away, but he held it in a stranglehold.
«Do you want to talk, dean,» he gritted his jaw again, «we’ll talk, but not here,» he stood up, got up from the table in one motion, and dragged me along. This unceremoniousness shocked me so much that for the first moments I was silent… The moment was missed.
Already at the exit, out of the corner of my eye, I saw blond hair in the crowd, Saul’s snide smile flashed, and Erchin pushed me out. Without stopping, he pulled me somewhere behind the