Alkahest Labs galas were held regularly enough to be popular, infrequently enough to be exclusive, and they were splendid playgrounds: temporary ecosystems where the complex, delicate rituals of courtship between scientists and philanthropists took place.

For a marine biologist, there was no better time to be cute and charming than at one of these galas.

Seraphin Panorme knew how to be cute.

He was in a group of five, four of them women, and the one next to him, a tall girl with blue lipstick that matched her eyes, placed a hand on his arm.

«It must be you, little brother»

«We should approach her together. As a group»

«She doesn't want to be approached by a group» the woman replied, with a sly smile «She wants to be approached by a handsome young man with a well-combed forelock. She told me so»

«That's not true, Marti»

«Okay, she didn't tell me, but that's true. A handsome young man with a nice forelock, very long legs, and a lovely smile. And, oh, maybe at least a master's degree».
Seraphin ran a hand through his wavy hair, watching her with amusement.

A benefactor longed to see their name associated with successful research, whether out of genuine interest in a certain branch of science or, more often, to further their own financial interests (this was almost always the fate of geologists, recruited to determine the suitability of a particular terrain for the construction of this or that structure) or as a shining demonstration of philanthropy (and here the favorite subject was medicine). Research teams had to target the tenderest spots of their egos and ambitions, display their degrees like a peacock's feathers, seduce their prey with the best they had to show.

The allure of the deep gave Seraphin and her sisters a better chance than some unfortunates of having their research funded. Seraphin greatly pityed entomologists: sometimes it was difficult to make bugs seem as interesting as a mysterious deep-sea fish, however worthy they were of attention.

These feats of seduction took place under the watchful eye of the president, who circulated with the confidence of an empress among her guests, displaying this or that influential friend on her arm like a precious jewel. That evening, it was the turn of a handsome man with a trim beard and a pearl earring, whose dark complexion, generous waist, and modest stature seemed to have been chosen specifically to accentuate the pale, statuesque appearance of President Alkahest.

Seras Alkahest was a brilliant woman, in more ways than one: with her diaphanous dress and a light glitter on her cheeks, she looked like a cruel fairy; her long, free-flowing blond hair, which reached mid-calf, resembled a silk cloak; She had invented smartwatches powered by the body's electricity (and sweat), cars that ran on the power of perovskite solar panels, and it was rumored she was even a talented magic user.

Seraphin felt acutely aware of all this as he walked toward her, holding his back straight to show off his full height. He wasn't particularly muscular—in fact, he was definitely on the slim side of the scale—but at six feet three inches, he still made many men jealous. He always tried to dress to accentuate his build, wearing tight pants and a blue-purple shirt with vertical lines to emphasize the length of his torso. The shirt had the top two buttons open, revealing his chest and highlighting the curve of his long, elegant neck.

«Oh, and who is this handsome young man?» The president immediately asked, turning her head to look at Seraphin «Good evening!»

«Good evening» Seraphin bowed his head slightly, but without lowering his eyes, taking care not to take his gaze from Mrs. Alkahest's «My name is Seraphin Panorme, I'm a marine biologist»

«A marine biologist!» The president, already radiant, seemed to brighten even more «How wonderful!»

«I agree»

«He studies my people» whispered the chubby man on Seras's arm, but loud enough for Seraphin to hear

«It seems so, sweetheart. That's interesting» the woman replied, feeling no need to lower her voice «So, Seraphin... exactly... what do you do? What do you study, in the sea? I'm very interested».

Seraphin smiled brightly, thinking about how his sisters, behind him, were probably smiling too. Bingo! The president was interested in his field of research.

«My specialty is deep-sea fish and, of course, the abyssal plane. Nearly ninety-five percent of the ocean floor is unexplored, unmapped, and I believe those places may hide immense treasures for humanity. It's a question of biodiversity, first and foremost»

«Oh, I totally agree. The deep, then, huh? You should meet Sangreal. I'm sure you'd have a lot to talk about with him».
Him. Men were rare these days in that part of the world, but the president always had a swarm of them around: usually they were handsome and educated, dressed to look like nobles, shown off at parties. Seraphin had never heard the name of this guy, Sangreal, but she had no doubt that Seras Alkahest had countless of her men present at the party.

«Sangreal doesn't like being in crowds» The president continued «He's a loner, poor thing. But he loves shrimp, so you'll almost certainly find him near the buffet table»

«I'll visit him later, then» Seraphin lied

«So, what kind of research are you proposing right now?»

All right, straight to the point. Now Seraphin had to be good and precise, he had to get her to fork over the money... or at the very least, an email and a promise to write to her later.

«My research group and I would like to conduct a census of Oarfishs, one of the rarest and least observed fish in history. They are majestic animals, with impressive sizes, but at the same time, it is extremely rare to observe one. Deep-sea exploration technologies have changed in recent years, they have diversified, they have become more powerful, but despite this, we have no extensive study on Oarfishs, and we can learn so much, so much, about them, because...»

«Oh, Oarfishs are so cute» the president interrupted him «Who's funding you at the moment?»

«Um... um... no one» Seraphin replied, taken aback

«And you need money, right?»

«Yes...» Seraphin was about to add, "that's why we're at the gala, that's why all the other scientists at the gala are here," but he held back «Unfortunately, Ikremer doesn't consider our project fundamental at the moment, although obviously understanding the health of such an elusive species could actually allow us to better understand the health of our entire sea and...»

«Can you give me your phone number?» she interrupted again «And you really should work with Sangreal»

«Of course» Seraphin took a business card from his shirt pocket, holding it between his index and middle fingers, and handed it to the president «All my contacts are here»

«Wonderful. Oarfishs are that are dear to me».

Seraphin didn't jump for joy just because there were too many people watching. The president of Alkahest Labs liked Oarfishs! He didn't even expect her to know them!

«Besides, they can only be dear to you, being as elegant as you are» He said, raising one corner of his mouth more than the other, winking.

«Oh, dear! They're not at all as elegant as I am» replied the president «They would just dream to be this elegant»

«Of course» Taken aback again, Seraphin tried to extricate himself from his embarrassment «But among , they're the ones who come closest. Resplendent and elegant...» he took Seras Alkahest's fingers, taking advantage of her raised hand, and kissed her knuckles, barely touching them with his lips «...And yet incapable of matching your light».
The president laughed, but without the slightest embarrassment.

«You're a flatterer» She said, blinking slowly «And I'll need to see a little more of your project. I'd ask you to discuss it with my friend Sangreal; he'll tell me everything I need to know».
Seraphin nodded, slowly letting go of the woman's hand. And so there was no way to avoid meeting this Sangreal: he was part of the whole package, if they wanted the funding.

«Where can I meet this Sangreal, then?»

«Almost certainly at the buffet» replied the man arm in arm with the president, who nodded.

«Oh, fine. Then...»

«Go, go, dear. I can already hear dear old Gertrude calling me from across the room!».
The president and her man walked away, whispering something to each other, complicit, ready to laugh. Seraphin ran a hand through his hair, adjusting his lock. It had gone well, overall, and the president had given him far too much time for her average: she was famous for having little patience when it came to listening; if she was bored by something, she'd leave immediately.

«So?» The woman with the blue lipstick asked, placing a hand on Seraphin's back «How did it go, do you think?»

«I have to find this guy named Sangreal»

«Sangreal?»

«Yeah. The lady didn't even describe him to me» Seraphin took a deep breath «Marti, they just told me he's near the buffet table because he eats shrimp, or something»

«Come on, then. The one who gorges himself on shrimp the most must be him, we have just to find the guy».

The other scientists in the group laughed, crowding around Seraphin, patting him on the back, shoulders and arms, pushing him toward the buffet.

Curiously, the set table was almost against a series of arches that separated the room from the outside. In the open background, you could see the beach, illuminated by artificial lights up to a certain point, and beyond that the sea, black as ink, with only a few strokes of moonlight barely distinguishing the waves.
Several people were buzzing around the buffet.

«Who, in your opinion, has the face of a Sangreal?» asked one of the scientists, with orange hair and lipstick, scanning the audience with her gaze

«In your opinion, Ali, who looks like a Sangreal?» Seraphin asked back «Because to me, they all look like normal blood. You... you got it, right? Because it's called Sangreal, that sounds like someone who has blue blood because he's noble, but they all look like... normal blood to me... because...»

«There's a guy who eats shrimp» Marti interrupted «And he could be a Sangreal, if you ask me».

Seraphin looked where his sister's finger was pointing and saw a man sitting in a chair. He wondered how he hadn't noticed him before... he must have been half-blind; there was no other explanation for why the clearly most conspicuous guest at the entire party had completely escaped his notice.

He was the tallest man Seraphin had ever seen, taller than him, and it was noticeable even though he wasn't even standing. He stood straight, his head high, a small ceramic plate in his lap, picking shrimp from the table with one of his very long arms, then quickly peeling it and tearing it into pieces using only his fingers, without even looking at it. As he observed the other guests with a dignified air and a superior look, he stuffed the pieces of shrimp into his mouth one by one, swallowing them without even chewing, so small were they.

His hair was semi-long, voluminous, an orange so saturated and intense it was almost red, but it looked natural because his beard and eyebrows were the same color. He had no mustache, but the rest of his beard was thick, compact, and cut in a curiously angular way.

The closer Seraphin got, pushed by the girls, the more he noticed that the man's eyes were an unreal blue, they seemed incandescent, and they were probably colored contact lenses.

«Are you Mr. Sangreal?».

The man turned his head slowly, imprinting disdain in the movement as he gazed at him. Maybe they weren't contact lenses. Maybe.

«I'm Seraphin Panorme» the biologist continued, extending his hand «The president of Alkahest Labs told me to come talk to you about my project».
Sangreal, because it had to be him, took the small plate from his lap, with bits of shrimp shell dotted around it, and placed it on the buffet table beside him. Then he stood up. Seraphin estimated that he must be large, and probably heavy, like refrigerator he had at home; he had an aura of detachment, despite the proximity, which also made him feel cold. It was as if he didn't give off any heat... more refrigerator than human, even though his head looked like an explosion, with that fiery red hair and beard.

The man adjusted his velvety suit, dark burgundy with gold detailing, buttoning three buttons and highlighting his enviable figure: broad at the shoulders, tight at the waist, with long, elegant legs.
Seraphin withdrew his hand (he was now certain the man didn't want to shake it) and offered an apologetic smile, but Sangreal turned and walked out through one of the arches without a word, his polished shoes sinking into the sand. He walked in short steps, as if he didn't want to show any sloppiness as he crossed the beach, and continued to inched toward the water's edge, the waves splashing against his ankles,

soaking his expensive trousers.

«I don't think you made a good impression on him» Marti said

«No, I don't think so» Seraphin replied sadly, leaning against one of the columns supporting the arches, his gaze focused in the semi-darkness on the broad, receding back.

Sangreal hadn't stopped; he was wading waist-deep into the water.

Seraphin and the girls, worried, followed him, but they had no time to stop him: Sangreal advanced into the sea, until the black waves swallowed him completely, closing over his head, erasing him from the others' sight.

«He'll surely have to come to the surface to breathe» Nana said «Shall we wait a bit?».

But Sangreal didn't resurface.