Pet Part 2 (Nathayen POV)

After the acute danger had been successfully averted, Lyras drove back to his office to take care of the day-to-day business.

"Do you have to go again?" asked Dam Juliel, who just nodded. "It's a pity that you spend so much time protecting idiots." Dam sighed and shrugged. "I had hoped you would accompany me to the celebration again." 

I smiled. Taking Juliel to a party was like hiring an extra for a scene in a movie. Even if he could some admirers, he would ignore them all so much that in the end it could never become a flirtation. But next to someone as dismissive as Juliel among people, a charming smile from Dam seemed all the more radiant. 

Juliel wrapped an arm around Dam. "Next time." He pressed his shoulders, then raised his hand to wave and disappeared from the warehouse. From time to time, I wondered which contrast of the two had arisen first. Had Dam started talking so much because Juliel was so silent, or had Juliel become accustomed to silence because Dam was speaking for two? Although I had known Juliel since childhood and Dam almost all his life, I could not answer this question with certainty.

Their dynamics were always entertaining, especially since I didn't have any born siblings with whom I could share one. Therefore, Lyras, as my brother in arms, occupied a special position in my heart. All three of them meant more to me than pure family relationships could manage. To me, they were like brothers I had found and never planned to give back. 

Dam was not only a cheerful nature, but just as loyal as Juliel, who silently strengthened your back without being asked. And Lyras? Lyras had proven to me in the clearest way where we stood for each other that he could have chosen. Even though I often wished he hadn't had to pay the price he did. 

"What about you, Nate?" Dam turned to me. "Do you feel like having a bit of fun before dealing with your new pet?" 

"No, I don't think so. We both know that you have long planned your entertainment in detail. So call the lucky one or the ones and enjoy the evening." I laughed and shook my head at him with a smile. "After all, you more than deserve it today." 

“Well, if that's the case and you don't need me here anymore?" 

"Now off with you, I’ll manage by myself to keep the midget from starving. How much can he eat?" 

Damahir laughed. "That's right. He is hardly bigger than a Nemi. But maybe you should feed it properly so that it still grows?" 

“I don't think it works that way, Dam." 

“No, but it can't hurt. Have a good time. If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away." 

I nodded, but didn't plan to come back to it. Even though I knew that Dam would break off even the most passionate night at any time if one of our ringtones went off on his phone, I didn't have to provoke it. Should our fledgling repel his horns if it made him happy. I used the meantime to answer the messages that had been received during my absence. 

Most of the correspondence was handled by Lyras as CEO or Dam, whose charm had secured him the PR department. Occasionally, however, a request came directly to me from customers who had previously dealt with me. Today everything seemed quiet, though. Too quiet for my taste. It was easy for me to get involved in the action and to do something active. But sitting in front of the desk, digging through documents and waiting for something to happen?

That was a torment for me. 

Overall, it was a little earlier than I had originally planned, when I came to the container of the little one with a tray of ready-made sandwiches in my hands. I had already brought Krewood something to eat, although I did not believe that we had to keep him necessarily. But maybe he could still be used against the artist? Judging by the reaction he had shown to Dam's blows to the container, he may not have been indifferent to Krewood. Or did he have a certain sense of responsibility towards another person?

It would be great if we had caught some of his friends or a family member who we could use as leverage. Unfortunately, we had missed this opportunity. I still didn't understand how it was possible that Myro and the other Sotarineo had been slowed down by the traffic lights. But New York was a terribly crowded city and with some unpredictable turning maneuvers, a lot could be done in this traffic. Ultimately, it was too late to complain about this failure.

I opened the door and placed the tray on the bed.

"So? How many pictures have you already finished, dwarf?" I wanted to know. 

"One thing, I hope you like it." The little one met me with a false smile that made me raise an eyebrow. I reached for the pad to take a closer look at the work. A drawing of my own hand, which stretched out the middle finger towards me, had been created on the paper.

Resounding laughter broke out of me and certainly sounded to Krewood next to us. 

"Sweet try." I threw the drawing block at him and looked at him insistently. He had certainly expected to be able to provoke me with it, but with that, he came across granite with me. Being provoked would have given him his will – and I wouldn’t let him have his way.

"Nice level of detail, but not quite what I want to see." I leaned against the metal wall, completely relaxed. "So I'll tell you what you may not have noticed yet. Now that we have the real artist here, we don't need your double anymore. Are you certain this picture is the only one you would like to make?" 

His gaze involuntarily glided to the wall behind me, where Jonas' container stood on the other side of the structure. For me, that was another indication that this guy couldn't be completely indifferent to him.

"I certainly understood that. But it doesn't work that way. There is only one picture that I am currently drawing. That of the city!" claimed the dwarf.

"Oh yes?" I countered. "Last time I checked, cities looked different from my middle finger." Obviously, he had been able to draw something else. So, who did he take for a fool? I was confident that was the next attempt to prevent a concession, and I didn't plan to just let him go through it. 

"Then I have nothing more to say," was the reply of the midget. 

"Good as you wish." I left the container and closed the door behind me. If our involuntary guest could not be persuaded to cooperate on his own, I had to demonstrate to him what we were capable of. I wrote Dam a brief message that he should contact me tomorrow, and I left the dwarf to dwell on the potential consequences of his behavior tonight. 

Even though I could not say with certainty whether the little one had slept during this time, Dam and I had settled the maneuver in the early hours of the morning. I planned to wake the dwarf to Jonas' torment to take advantage of a possible disorientation in my favor. Dam dragged the screeching Krewood out of the container. His screams were to fill the warehouse. If that didn't motivate him to cooperate further, I had probably overestimated the value of relationships that humans shared with each other.