“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.

I was actually living with a big, dorky demiurgus called Greid who got high all the time and made jewellery for a living.

Supressing a nervous laugh, I walked over to the window and fiddled with the wrought iron latch to push it open. My shoulders slumped in relief when all I saw was the row of townhouses opposite. We were too far from the hill for it to be visible over the city. Thank god I wouldn’t have to look at it every day.

I peered down at the street below. A young demiurgus couple in similar Victorian-esque black dresses were walking down the opposite side with arms linked, one of them carrying a big, fancy shopping bag and the other clutching a cardboard holder with two takeout cups. They looked like the ones from the coffee place on the next street over. I wondered if Greid would want to go there in the morning. Or if I’d be brave enough to go by myself.

I left the window open and went over to retrieve my suitcases, heaving the bigger of the pair onto the chest at the end of the bed. I took my time unpacking my clothes and folding them neatly before stowing them in the dresser, or hanging them in the armoire.

It was nice—and exciting—to listen to the sounds of the quiet city street outside, and the faint bustle of traffic from the nearby road. It was all just right there. I could go out whenever I wanted, without having to get the high priest’s permission and wrangle one or two other cult members into joining me. Most of them felt uncomfortable in the outside world, so only a few of them ever agreed, and only rarely. Robbie and Nancy would sometimes be willing to go out, but only for a little while, and Violet was usually too busy with work. Plus, she was getting older now, and those stairs really were brutal.

I spent a long time carefully arranging my skincare products on the vanity just as I liked them, then carried my bath products into the big, fancy bathroom, admiring the huge tub and giant glass shower enclosure with a rainfall head high above.

Even though I’d unpacked at a leisurely pace, savouring it, I was still done pretty quickly. I really didn’t have a lot of stuff.

That’ll change soon, I thought with determination. Surely I’d be able to find some kind of job. I didn’t care what it was. Now that I didn’t have to worry about making rent or not starving to death, it didn’t feel quite so impossible as it had before.

I glanced around the room, then at the door. Surely Greid wasn’t still in the shower, but maybe he wanted some time alone. Walking over to the bed, I sat down and bounced a few times to test out the mattress. It felt soft but not too soft, and the sheets were a warm, cosy fabric that I petted for a few seconds.

Spotting the TV remote on the nightstand, I grinned and lunged for it. Greid would have way more channels than we got at the compound. There, we were only allowed to watch some fancy arts channels that showed documentaries about the contributions the demiurgus had made to the arts—their paintings and sculptures and architecture. Or recordings of hours-long demiurgus operas with their strange, otherworldly music that I, quite frankly, didn’t overly enjoy.

But as I went to turn the TV on, I hesitated, glancing at the door again. I kind of… wanted to watch with Greid. Have him show me what he enjoyed. Tell me which shows were the popular ones that everyone went wild for.

And that was what I was here for, right? To hang out with him? To be his friend? Well, I was gonna damn well do it. He was letting me live here—free of charge for the time being—so I wasn’t just going to hide away in my room when all he’d wanted was to have someone around so he felt less lonely.

God, I was getting soft, because the urge to find him and give him a big hug made me squirm. I wasn’t a very touchy-feely person. At least, I didn’t think I was, but maybe that was because I’d never felt close enough to anyone except Violet. Besides, I was pretty sure Greid would stiffen up and turn into a babbling mess if I lunged at him for a hug. Just because he’d invited me here to be his roommate didn’t mean he wanted me to touch him.