Chapter 41: John

                                    

                                          
 The day with my new teammates came to an abrupt end. Iitel turned out to be a very straight to the point, no nonsense type of person. After she showed me around and briefly acquainted me with my duties, she instantly snapped it all to a close with, 'Well, let's get you back to your cousin.' 
 	It was the vampire, Zofra, that actually paused the woman to make sure I understood and see if I had questions. I didn't, but the awkward movement of my hand I gave in response drew attention to the injury I had sustained from the battle with Sulru. Upon seeing it, Iitel slowed herself long enough to inquire as to whether it would affect my work. Of course, I once again said no.
 	I honestly hadn't thought about the wound that had been seared shut since the day it had happened. I didn't know if there was something else...some sort of medication that was burned into it, but it had stopped hurting rather quickly, and seemed to be healing well. I pointed it out to Connie when I got back home. I guess this was home now... 
 	She said it was probable, considering the strange method. Though it was also likely that a lot of the nerves were damaged and I just wasn't feeling it very well or at all in some places. Looking up from where I sat, I saw my wife still had her head stuck in the holographic book she had picked up once Malook had been able to show us his library. 
 	Apparently, Galdelierian books came in dual format: audio and script. There were CD like devices that held the story and were activated by a separate piece, which either caused the book to emit displays of words or could be inserted into the ear for the novel to be narrated.  
 	What was really incredible was how a person could switch between reading and being read to at any point, and the device would know exactly where you had left off in the other format.
 	As I watched Connie lift a finger and tap the air beside the lights in her lap to 'turn the page,' I realized that I had no idea what was going on in the story I had not been listening to.  
 	It started out explained to be concerning a man who was fired from his position as some manner of officer on a false claim. He then decided to seek revenge on everyone he thought was involved. I think I got to the part where he was about to be fired when my mind had started to wander.
 	Malook's day had been short as well. When Zofra and Iitel took me back to him, he was readying to leave, so they escorted the both of us home. Neither Sulru nor my wife was around when we arrived.  
 	According to Soare-a, Connie had 'stormed out and the vampire followed her.' I didn't have too long for worrying fortunately, as the two women came in a handful of minutes afterward. 
 	Soare-a had rolled her eyes on the sight of them and loudly traipsed to the lift, presumably up to her bed. I noticed that nobody in the room acted oddly about it either, except for Connie who shrunk into herself and averted her gaze. The rest seemed to take it as par for the course, although I wasn't sure if they were just silent, or silently judging...
 	I had given my wife a tight hug as she walked up to me with a breath of relief. Malook had made no notice of his own wife's behavior and instead instantly set attention upon his guard, asking her with a smile if the day had gone well. She answered positively while retaining her usual flat affect, her boss wasting no time in discharging her. 
 	Zofra had then dismissed himself and joined her, and Iitel went on her own way after a short conversation with the rest of us humans. Once she was gone as well, Connie shared what had happened in our absence. Malook shared his anger about how Soare-a had invited Cartef over, saying that she knew he had specifically removed Connie from regular contact with others until things had become more stable. 
 	Honestly, I found it inspiring how well his logic overrode his emotion. I would have instead been upset that my wife had invited a man into a private situation while I was not present or had known about it prior. When we parted ways with our host for the night, 	Connie told me she felt the same way, and moreover that she had a sneaking suspicion that Soare-a was having an affair with the man, which apparently, though Sulru hadn't confirmed, seemed inclined to believe it too.