«Did you invite Sangreal?» Ionia asked, incredulous.

Seraphin and Marti had found two of the sisters waiting for their return behind the door, eager to hear how it had gone. They had quickly and enthusiastically updated them on every development they could think of, including the new meeting with their contact person.

Ionia crossed her arms and began tapping her foot, protected by a soft, bud-colored slipper

Seraphin gave a small, appeased smile. «And we even got the funds! Much more than we expected! Isn't that great?»

«Okay, yes, that's great. But we met Mr. Sangreal like that at a party. What, exactly, made you think it was a good idea to put him back in a party setting?»

«Oh, wait, will Sangreal be there?» asked Nana, looking out the kitchen door

«We decided to invite him, yes» Seraphin replied

«Exciting! And the funding?»

«Great! Seras will give us even more than we asked for! But we don't have mental health insurance in case we go crazy»

«Oh. Huh?»

Martine was quietly hanging up her coat in the entryway. Feeling Ionia's searching gaze, she quickly clarified: «Don't look at me. Having Sangreal at the party was Seraphin's idea»

«Okay, my idea» her brother raised his hands «But he was really a gentleman this time. Wasn't he, Marti?»

«True»

«He was at work» Ionia objected «I hope, at least, he shows up sober for work»

«And isn't it encouraging that he knows how to be professional? We'll be his colleagues now» her brother replied, batting his eyelashes.

Ionia paused to think about it. Seraphin took advantage of this opening to attack:

«We could have the party at our house. We've already told him, nothing serious: something to nibble on, music, we're playing. I think ensuring our first meetings as new colleagues are in an informal, but not neutral, environment can help us build connections outside of social hierarchies and reduce the chances of him… er, misbehaving. And then, if our first interactions happen when we embark, maybe they won't be as spontaneous, with us being a cohesive team and him being a stranger but still our superior, right?»

«Seraphin already loves him» Marti stated.

Her brother smiled and nudged her. «Hmmm? Weren't you the one who wanted to be alone with him, coffee to coffee and heart to heart?»

«Will you be happy for me if me and the big guy get together, little brother?»

«Of course».

Ionia spoke again. «All right. You're crazy, but we absolutely have to celebrate this milestone. Let's figure out how to organize it».

They decided the party would start Saturday afternoon. Seraphin kept his word and got some shrimp.

He remembered not to dress up, since they had already told Sangreal it would be a casual occasion, but for that day he still wore clothes in his favorite color (a shade of indigo he thought of as his lucky color), and spent enough time washing, putting on perfume, and styling his hair to provoke protests from Celestine (who had to go to the bathroom, thank you).

At five-thirty in the afternoon, Nana looked out the window.

«Hey! On time!» She chirped appreciatively.

There were public transportations connecting the various parts of the city, solar-powered shuttles that ran at scheduled times; Most of the time, they were the kind the Panorme family used for quick trips around the city, except when Celestine took the motorcycle for herself or to accompany one of her sisters.

Sangreal hadn't arrived on a public transport shuttle.

He'd gotten out of a luxury car, black and red, that looked like something out of a campy movie about a supervillain skinning puppies and being driven around by an evil chauffeur: it had red-painted tires, gold rims decorated with small, sharp spikes, a metal octopus statuette protruding from the tip of the hood, and tinted rear windows. As silent as a panther crouching in the grass, the car had been parked without making a sound.

It was huge.

«Holy majestic water cow» Nana said «Do you think we can fit comfortably and snuggle in the back seat?»

«All of us»  Ionia asked, glaring at her

«No, just me and himx.

Him. Sangreal wasn't wearing a jacket this time, but a charcoal-colored vest over a dark red shirt. The high-waisted trousers, clearly tailored for him, made him look even slimmer than usual. His hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, his beard neatly combed, and he wore black leather fingerless gloves. He was carrying a large box wrapped in a tiger lily pattern.

«Holy majestic water cow» Nana repeated.

The Panorme sisters dispersed, each pretending to do something different, when Sangreal rang the doorbell.

«You go, you go!» Martine said, pushing her brother «He likes you!»

«I thought you wanted him» Seraphin joked, walking casually toward the door, smoothing his hair with one hand.

He opened the door. Sangreal smiled, lifting the box slightly.

«Seraphin» He said «Hello. Is this  right time?»

Seraphin leaned out the door to glance at the vehicle. He could make out the driver sitting behind the wheel: it looked like a man, but it could also have been a woman, wearing bright red clothes and a slightly extravagant hairstyle, with completely shaved streaks on the scalp and a high, gelled ponytail that looked like a flame.

«Nice car» He said «What model is it?»

«One that walks on land» Sangreal replied

«Ah. Don't they all do that?»

«I think so»

«Come in! My sisters have been waiting to meet you»

A little awkwardly, Sangreal entered. Seraphin stared at the tiny strip of bare skin that showed above his collar: it was ridiculously pale. The man hadn't been in the sun for a while.

«Hello!» Nana exclaimed, rising from the table, holding a bag of flour: she had decided to pretend to bake a cake and had even pulled out some bowls and forks «Nice to meet you! You must be Sangreal, right?»

«Yes» the man replied cordially, bowing his head slightly

«I'm Nana!» she held out her hand.

Sangreal looked down at her fingers and tilted his head slightly to one side. He looked slightly confused, his brows furrowed, but he recovered almost immediately.

«I'm sorry» He said «I don't touch people»

«Ah» Nana pulled her hand away.

«It doesn't mean I don't enjoy meeting you» Sangreal continued «I just don't touch people, it's a peculiarity of mine»

«Do you have some... condition?» Nana inquired

«Stop bothering him» Ionia interjected, approaching with her arms crossed. She was clearly annoyed that Sangreal hadn't even noticed her fake hobby, knitting.

«Very pleased to meet you» Sangreal bowed to her too, a little more deeply «I'm Sangreal»

«Pleased to meet you. Ionia Panorme»

«Are you all sisters?»

«Yes, mister... mister?»

«Sangreal»

«Forgive my curiosity, really, it's just a... curious thing... don't you have a last name?»

«A last name?»

«Your family name»

«Ah».

Sangreal thought about it, as if he wasn't sure how to pronounce it. He looked up, clutching the box to his chest, cleared his throat, and then made a terrifying, barely articulate sound.

«Are you okay?!» Seraphin asked, alarmed, instinctively grabbing his arm.

Sangreal looked down at him, clearing his throat again. «I’d prefer you not touch me, thank you»

«Oh» Seraphin released him immediately «I’m so sorry! I thought… I thought… what was that sound?»

«My family name» Sangreal wrinkled his nose briefly «Sort of. In more ways than one»

«Ah. Sorry… sorry»

«It’s okay. Where can I put this?»

«What is it?»

«A gift. For the group»

«Oh, you can put it on the table».

Sangreal obeyed. The table creaked slightly under the weight of the box.

Martine gritted her teeth and hunched her shoulders, looking up at her brother, who responded with wide eyes.

«I'm Celestine!» Another of the sisters introduced herself, raising a hand «Nice to meet you»

«The pleasure is all mine».

After speaking, Sangreal remained standing near the table, completely silent. He was so tall he cast a shadow that reached the refrigerator.

«So... let's make ourselves comfortable, yes?» Seraphin intervened «There's a sofa if you want to sit. Or a chair. Make yourself at home!».

Sangreal looked around.

«My home is very different from this one» He said, moving his arm slowly, theatrically, to encompass all the Panorme family possessions «I don't think I can move around here the same way I could in my own home. But I recognize that it's a great courtesy, and I'm grateful. I'll sit on one of these chairs, which, being more rigid than the sofa, will allow me to get up more easily when necessary»

«Oh. Sure, sure...» Seraphin looked at his sisters, Marti shrugged, Celestine grimaced as if to say "Who does she think she is?" and Nana put a finger to her cheek to indicate that she, on the other hand, really liked that little morsel.

Sangreal moved the chair back very carefully, then sat down carefully, glancing over his shoulder every now and then, and placing a hand on the seat for balance.

«What would you like to start with?» Martine asked «Games first? A movie? Do you want to dance?»