The beautiful door opened, its handle clicked as if it were material and perfectly normal, and from the door emerged a man dressed in red and black, broad-shouldered, hair like fire falling around his neck.

«Sangreal!» Seraphin exclaimed, «Good morning! Are you here for the same reason we are?».

Sangreal, who had been looking at his shoes (black, pristine, with minor red details), looked up. In the daylight, in that white, airy place, his eyes didn't have the same strange shine, but they were still pale, brilliant, almost metallic.

«Seraphin Panorme, right?» He asked

«Um, yes...»

«I'm glad I remembered» A wry, yet gentle, smile spread across his face «I think we're both here for the same reason».

Marti coughed to draw attention to herself, and Seraphin almost burst out laughing.

He took a step to the side so he could point at her with his arms, as if leaving her the lights of an imaginary stage.

«Right! This is Dr. Martine Panorme» He introduced her with a smile «Besides being my sister, she also does me the honor of being colleagues in this enterprise, so I guess it's good that you all get to know each other better. After all, we're all here for the same reason».

Sangreal's light eyes shifted to the woman.

«We've met before, right?»

«Briefly. I mean, I saw you very well, sir, you saw me in the dark and thought I was a man»

«I'm sorry, I couldn't tell exactly...»

«Oh, of course, that's water under the bridge».

Martine started to offer him her hand, but, remembering the anecdote with Sangreal and the clerk, she decided that touching him still wasn't a good idea and put her hand in her pocket.

«Are you leaving, Sangreal? Have you finished speaking with the president?» Marti asked lightly

«Not exactly. Seras suggested I exercise my legs. I'm going to get her a drink»

«Oh, do you have coffee machines?» Seraphin asked, brightening.

He'd probably had enough caffeine that day... that didn't stop him from wanting more.

«Yes. Would you like a cup too?»

«Actually, yes, I'd like that»

«All right. I'll bring another»

«Only if that's the one you were going to get; you don't have to go any further for me»

«No, no problem»

«Oh! You're really very kind» Seraphin clasped his hands in thanks.

«I'll walk you» Martine said «Can I address you informally, too, Sangreal? I don't think I know your last name, and we're gonna be colleagues, so...»

«If you like. I don't really care about that kind of formality»

«Really? It doesn't look like it».

Seraphin saw Sangreal's brow furrow slightly as he and Marti walked together. The red-haired man walked straight, too stiff to maintain the same impression of elegance he conveyed when standing still: he moved with his arms slightly raised and close to his sides, taking small steps, as if expecting the ground to betray him and give way beneath his beautiful shoes.
He turned to search Seraphin's face, and the other man waved. «I'll wait for you in the president's office» He said reassuringly to the duo, deciding it was best not to keep her waiting any longer.

Seras Alkahest wouldn't return the favor.

Seraphin knocked, and the president's voice invited him in. She didn't seem to be in a bad mood, and that in itself was encouraging.

He crossed the threshold, pushing the door with one hand (discovering that it was both real and fake: there was an extremely realistic hologram around the door, which distorted slightly when his fingers touched it, but the panel it hid was solid and real). The president, from behind a huge white and gray hexagonal desk, motioned for him to sit. Seraphin obeyed, taking one of the three high-backed chairs indicated to him, three little blue eggs.

The woman raised a finger to point to her ear, which contained a small pearly shell that matched her clothes: a high-tech headset.

The man motioned for her to calmly end the conversation, but had to remain silent as the president scolded someone on the other end of the call. Her tone wasn't irritated; she spoke like someone dealing with a very, very stupid and destructive beloved pet.

Seraphin crossed his legs, reluctantly listening to the conversation from only one side.

«Of course»

«You were such a bad boy»

«You knew I'd find out, right?»

«So, why do you make me suffer so much?»

«Hmmm. Is that so?».

Seraphin looked around, feeling very small. The feeling had less to do with being ignored than with the fact that Seras's office seemed built to accommodate creatures much taller than the average human... or a tall human, for that matter.

The walls were spaced apart, leaving plenty of empty space between the desk and the surrounding seating, the white bookcases, and the exhibits on display. The desk was surrounded by a transparent circle of acrylic glass set into the floor, as if positioned at the center of a magic circle, through which gently moving water could be seen, dimly lit from below.
Given the small artifice of the door, it was difficult to tell if there was actually water hidden beneath their feet, or how much of the animals on display in Seras's office were real. Behind her, in a long tank set into the wall to look like a window, there was the motionless body of a shark.

«Do you like it?» the president asked.

It took him a moment to register that she was talking to him: the call was over. She was nodding directly at the display case behind her, indicating it with a raised hand.
Seraphin's honest answer depended largely on how they had procured that shark.

«Oh... it was a beautiful animal» Said the researcher

«And now it will be forever» Seras replied, in her quizzical, playful tone. Will it be forever?

«Is it formaldehyde?» Seraphin asked, returning her gaze to the display case. It was the body of a splendid female sand tiger shark, a vulnerable species; it measured about three meters, its mouth half-open to reveal its curved teeth.

Sand tiger sharks adapted well to captivity and were a popular choice for aquarium displays, Seraphin reassured himself: it was much more likely that they had preserved a humanely kept specimen that had reached the end of its life than they had caught a wild one to kill and display.

«It was once in formaldehyde, yes. I had the tub emptied and replaced with glycerin; it's safer, and I prefer the final result»

«The whole process must have been expensive» Seraphin observed «But it's perfectly preserved»

«What's money compared to immortalizing the beauty of such a creature?».

Seras rose from her seat, placing her hands on the table in front of her, and instinctively Seraphin did the same. The woman laughed heartily, putting a hand over her mouth, as if she found it incredibly endearing.

«Hm, it's nice to see you here, Professor Panorme»

«The pleasure is all mine, President» the researcher replied

«Oh, yeah?»

«You look just as gorgeous when you're working in your office as you do when you're having fun at your parties»

«Oh, but you haven't seen me work yet!» she retorted, clearly satisfied with the flattery «Good, good, we can start talking about work. I obviously received your request. The project is well-structured and organized, you have good credentials, and what you do is very dear to me. Not least, you managed to impress my friend Sangreal»

«Really?»

«Oh yes. What impression did you get, of him?»

«Your friend is a person to remember, President»

«It seems you made yourself remembered, too. He put in a good word for you, mentioning you by name, dear Seraphin Panorme».

The researcher made no effort to hide how pleased he was.

There was a knock on the door, a couple of sharp raps.

«Oh, we're not alone anymore! Did you know I was waiting for Sangreal?»

«My colleague and I ran into him in the corridor; they should be back together»

«Well, well, shall we not repeat ourselves then?».

Sangreal's deep, dignified voice called Seras's name. His volume had returned to normal compared to the night of the party, as if someone had turned up the volume on his audio.

«Come in, dear» As the door opened, Seras turned back to Seraphin: «I really think you two will work very well together. Let's get to it».

Sangreal entered, and Seraphin felt the atmosphere in the room change with his presence, perhaps because he was so colorful, so warm, in a white and blue and gold environment, like something alive insinuating itself into a skull stripped bare and clean and shining. He held two steaming cups of coffee in his hands: one he gave to the president, the other he held it out to Seraphin.

«Thank you» the researcher said, taking the glass and immediately biting his tongue to keep from screaming: it was absolutely boiling, a temperature that would peel off your fingertips.

As if nothing had happened, Sangreal took a single step to the side.

«Can I sit down?» He asked politely, moving a hand to the buttons of his jacket

«Sit, sit, sit» Seras replied, giving him a prim and proper wave.

Sangreal unbuttoned his jacket for comfort, revealing a dark gray vest with scarlet stripes underneath, and sat down, his back straight, his gaze intent. Seraphin thought it reminded him of an image he'd seen in a textbook, long ago... of course! The boy on the educational poster they'd shown in school before the Gray Age, the perfect example of a diligent student, except Sangreal had a beard and was two meters tall.

Martine also entered. She held her coffee cup from above, using her fingers like the mechanical claw of an arcade machine, gripping the rim: her coffee must have been very hot too.

«Don't touch it, it burns!» She said to her brother

«Heh, heh, I noticed» Seraphin replied, his voice shaking, reaching over to set his glass down on the desk.

Luckily, the president didn't seem to take offense at this inelegant move.

«So, Sangreal» Seras said «These kind researchers have sent me some interesting requests for research on an animal that, if I'm not mistaken, is very dear to you...»

«The regaleque» Sangreal replied, his voice firm and clear

«Yes... and it's all very expensive stuff. ROVs with cameras between four and eight kappa, capable of physical sampling via mechanical arms, supported by research vessels, and they don't even have their own crew. A regional-class vessel can cost up to thirty thousand euros a day, obviously including a specialized crew. Do you know how much thirty thousand euros a day is, Sangreal?»

«I...»

«A lot, a lot of money. You couldn't afford to charter a regional-class vessel»

Seraphin raised a hand. Seras looked at him delightedly.

«Tell me, young man»

«I should make a point» Seraphin said «Thirty thousand euros a day? What ship are we talking about? We asked for a coastal-class vessel. We're not a large team. We clearly wrote in the plan we sent that it should cost around three thousand six hundred, seven thousand six hundred euros a day, depending on the resources we have available»

«You asked for the support of a research vessel. I took the liberty of upgrading the one you requested. I don't have a Coastal-class ship available, but I know where to find a Regional one»

«I just wanted to clarify» with a smile, Seraphin leaned back in his chair «That's not what we wrote in the budget»

«Yes, but that's what you'll end up with... if Sangreal decides so?».

Martine, standing behind her brother, squeezed his shoulder. Seraphin continued to smile encouragingly.

«The ship I'm offering» Seras continued «Will have a laboratory for isotopic and genetic analysis available directly on board. As for the Deep-Sea Landers, the satellite and acoustic markers, and the CTD sensors, we'll have to buy those entirely new»

«And will it be expensive?» Sangreal asked, his tone grave

«Oh, imagine buying a house. An entire house. And furnishing it»

«Hm»

«Well, much more expensive than that. So I want you to be sure, Sangreal. Because if you say yes, if you trust these people, I'll have to fork over a lot of money».

Seraphin felt his stomach tighten. Suddenly, he was much less courageous than before: Sangreal seemed serious, a person who knew how to do his job, and who might deem him unworthy at the slightest slip. He shouldn't slip up.

«The study of oarfish has often been neglected in recent centuries» He said, trying not to lower his eyes «I know it's expensive research, but that's precisely why we turned to you. We know it's in your best interest to sponsor something so important. And besides, regalechi are legendary animals, we could produce a documentary about them, further increasing the company's prestige».

Seras opened a drawer and took out a sheaf of papers, held together with a gold-colored paperclip. She handed them to Seraphin.

«I know» She said «It was in the budget, your idea of ​​making a 'cinematic' document».

Sangreal smiled slightly, only the left corner of his mouth turning up, softly. Seraphin couldn't help but notice his full, perfectly formed lips.

«I only need to ask you three questions» Said the man in the suit, joining the tips of his long fingers to form a triangle

«Of course» Marti and Seraphin said simultaneously

«Are you planning to draw public attention to the oarfish hatching grounds?»

«Yes, of course» Seraphin replied, without even thinking «We want... next to nothing is known about oarfish reproduction, and understanding how it happens, and where, could allow us to protect them»

«That partially covers my second question»

«The second... yes... there. Go ahead and ask it!»

«If your research were to find something endangering these grounds, would you take action to protect them?».

Seraphin turned his head to look at his sister, who nodded seriously.

«Obviously, if we found something wrong, it would be our concern to report it to those who can legislate» Martine explained «We don't have the ability to protect a place or stop a certain phenomenon, but we can bring data, in black and white, to those who can make a difference».

Sangreal frowned slightly. Martine squeezed her brother's shoulder.

«I'm sure the government would intervene quickly» Seraphine assured him «It wouldn't be the first time. Is there... is there anything in particular that concerns you?».

Sangreal blinked slowly, then crossed his long legs, his patent leather shoes glowing under the bright white LEDs.

«I have a third question, before I answer yours» He said, placing his hands on his knees.

Seraphin nodded. He couldn't understand why he felt so nervous around a guy who, the last time they'd seen each other, had been naked and probably intoxicated in front of him.

«Are you single?» Sangreal asked, plucking at his beard.