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Although, he hadn’t explicitly told me the closet was off-limits…
No, Beryl! I trudged up the stairs behind him, absently watching the tip of his tail as it swished back and forth under the hem of his enormous sweater. Don’t be rude. He’s allowed some privacy. He’s letting you live in his house, for fuck’s sake! Don’t screw it up immediately by being nosy.
The only thing at the top of the staircase was a tiny, dark corridor leading to a single door. Greid opened it, revealing a large, airy attic space with a huge jeweller’s workbench taking up most of the room. Stuff was crammed onto every inch of its surface except for a single clear space in front of a wooden stool. Tools hung in easy reach from the rafters by thin strips of leather.
There were lots of bits of machinery I didn’t really understand, and a big computer monitor sitting on a desk under one of the windows, but what really grabbed my attention was the display case in one corner. I made a beeline for it as Greid trailed behind me.
“So, um, yeah, this is where I work—”
“Holy crap, you made these?” I interrupted, staring wide-eyed at the expensive-as-shit looking jewellery on display.
Huge jewels were nestled in delicate black metal shaped into vines and flowers. They hooked seamlessly onto thin chains of varying lengths, so that they’d rest neatly on someone’s chest or throat when being worn. Thick cuffs were made up of hundreds of twisted lengths of metal with tiny gems interwoven through the strands. Sets of rings connected by thin chains were studded with jewels held in place by prongs that looked like demiurgus claws.
“Well yeah.” Greid huffed self-consciously. “It is my job.”
“Yeah, but I mean… you’re so talented.” And this had to be how he could afford to live in this part of the city. I bet this stuff cost a fortune.
“Do you exclusively make demiurgus jewellery?” I asked with interest, because I could tell these were all designed with demiurgus clients in mind. The black metal, the bright gems, the organic aesthetic.
“Mostly, but I’m also stocked in a jeweller that caters more to humans.” Greid opened a long drawer in the display case to reveal more necklaces, rings and earrings that were made of a lighter metal and still clearly demiurgus-designed, but less wild and organic. More fitting to human tastes.
“They’re beautiful.” I gestured at the main display. “All of them. Is this stuff waiting to be shipped to clients?”
“Oh, no, this is just”—Greid shut the drawer with a shrug—“stuff I made. Designs I came up with. Some of them are on my website for sale, but these are, like, what I make when business is quiet and I have some time. But the hours put in means they’re, uh, pretty expensive.”
“They should be fucking expensive,” I declared, peering down at them again. “They’re gorgeous.”
Greid fidgeted beside me, long fingers picking at that loose thread on his sweater again. “You could—I mean, it’s all just sitting up here. You can pick something you want to keep. If you want. You don’t have to.”
“I’d love to,” I told him, making sure he could hear the sincerity in my voice so I didn’t offend him when I added, “but I’m not gonna take something for free. When I have a job, I’ll save up and buy something from you.”
He winced, looking embarrassed. “Beryl, they’re, like, really expensive.”
“Okay, well then maybe I can commission you to make me something small. Like a ring.” I chuckled. “I’ve never worn jewellery in my life, so I don’t think I’m going to want anything big.”
“I’ll make you a ring,” he said quickly, glancing at me before averting his eyes. “Maybe green jewels.”
“You’ll make it when I can pay you for it,” I told him firmly, wanting to grin when he looked back at me with wide eyes, his throat bobbing.
He was cute.
“Well, thank you for the tour.” I looked around again. “Your house is really lovely. I already feel comfortable here.”
When I grinned at him, he slowly grinned back, revealing all his sharp yellowish-white teeth. Ears giving a pleased flutter, he said, “Good. I’m glad. But, um… If you don’t mind, I’d kinda like to go take a shower.” He winced. “I didn’t have time this morning.”
I laughed, picturing him almost collapsing at the top of the compound’s stairs. “Sure. I’ll go unpack and hang out in my room for a while.”
“You can hang out wherever,” he said quickly as we left the workshop and made our way back downstairs. “You don’t have to stay in your room. And if you’re hungry, there’s plenty of food—Okay, there’s some food, but we can order dinner later. Soon. Whenever you want.”
“Okay,” I said easily.
What I really wanted to do was turn around and tell him that he didn’t have to try and be so accommodating all the time. That I didn’t want him to worry so much. But I’d been here, what, an hour at the most? So it was only natural for him to be feeling unsettled and awkward. I was sure we’d relax around each other in time.
Well, he’d relax around me. I already felt pretty relaxed around him.
We parted ways on the third floor, Greid thumping down the stairs while I went into my room and closed the door, more for his benefit than mine. I looked around my new bedroom and grinned, but now that I was alone, a tiny hint of panic started to churn in my stomach.
I pressed a hand to my belly. I was actually here. I’d actually left the cult.
