10 — After DinnerDaelus sat waiting in Johnathan’s small but lush apartment. The host was standing across the room, having a moment of focus with his entourage. The projection had returned with a missive collected from one of Johnathan's various dead drops.

  Johnathan never spoke aloud to his entourage so it wasn't exactly clear what was happening, but from the timing — and the fact that Jonathan said he would not be busy tonight — Daelus felt the missive was unexpected.

  Daelus took a small sip of his wine. They had just finished dinner, and Daelus had declined the stronger digestive. He did like the wine.

  Johnathan secured the folded papers in his desk and focused for a moment, giving the entourage its next instructions. He then colpsed into his chaise lounge with a groan, as if he was being terribly inconvenienced by things entirely within his control.

  “Problem?” Daelus asked with a light smile.

  “Always!” Johnathan procimed. “I'm supposed to be master of knowledge! Ear to the ground! If it's worth knowing about I find out and make it avaible to our lovely community. Instead I'm acting as a go-between in a pointless spat.”

  Daelus lifted himself off of his chair and sat down on the floor next to the chaise lounge, as was often his way. He said it was so Johnathan didn't feel compelled to shout across the room. Really he just knew it had a calming effect on the emotional, eccentric young man. Johnathan always took on a softer demeanor when Daelus was close. Daelus pretended not to notice.

  “How terrible for you,” Daelus said, his tone half teasing. “I suppose it's completely out of your power to end this situation.” Now it was sarcasm.

  Johnathan added drama to the way he nguished on the long asymmetrical couch. “Impossible to solve! I'm helpless as a kitten!”

  Daelus knew better than to try to help or workshop a solution. Johnathan just wanted to whine. He also knew better to ask further. Any information Johnathan traded in was official delegate business and Daelus didn't want to think about that.

  Daelus spent less and less time thinking about his delegated duties. He spent less and less time thinking about the delegation and the Benefactors. He enjoyed his work. He loved the museum and what he was doing with it — even if he was repeatedly told that it was too accurate and too generous in its admiration for the cultures he was meant to illustrate as backwards and quaint — but most of all he loved being Sheam.

  He had been spending more and more time as simply her. His own body sitting slumped, staring bnkly in a locked room, while Sheam lived a life.

  “Back inside your head again, my dear friend?” Johnathan asked, giving it a tap.

  “Sorry. Tired. Distracted.”

  “What by?”

  “Oh, business. Work,” Daelus lied. “Nothing we need to think about right now. You were saying?”

  Daelus did still force himself to not fully neglect his existence as this man that was currently sitting on the floor sipping wine. His friendship with Johnathan was important to him, even if often felt like Jonathan needed things that Daelus couldn't provide.

  And so, the night went on, Johnathan saying things Daelus didn't really care about, and Daelus lost inside his own head. It wasn't ideal, but they weren't unhappy.

  Still…