Page 25 of Dark Awakening: New World

"Vanessa invited me to stay with her during the trial, and when I decided to move to the village permanently, she offered me the guest room, and I happily accepted. I'm barely there, so it's not like I'm in the way, but I like having a place I can escape to when Pavel is having his Kra-ell friends over."

"That doesn't sound like a committed relationship, " Marina said.

Lusha shrugged. "It's not. Most of my things are at Vanessa's place. I only keep a few items at Pavel's. I think that says it all."

"Indeed." Marina put the roses in a vase and filled it with water. "How are you getting along with Mo-red?"

"Splendidly." Lusha leaned on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "First of all, I'm dating his son, so he needs to be nice to me. And secondly, he owes me a life debt, as do the others whose necks I saved from Jade's sword."

Marina winced. "Yeah, I bet. That female scares me, but I hear good things about her. She's trying not to be as totalitarian in her approach to ruling as she used to be."

Lusha sighed. "It's not going to work with the Kra-ell, but who am I to give Jade advice?"

"Why not?" Marina took out the chopping board.

"Because they are not ready for that. They need a totalitarian leader who rules mercilessly over them because that's the only thing they respect. They need time to absorb the ideas of democracy and equality and all those nice concepts the clan believes in. The problem is that they are long-lived people, so waiting for the current generation to die out along with their traditions and ways of thinking will take a long time, and in the meantime, they are indoctrinating the younger Kra-ell. I'm trying to think of a solution to this predicament, but most of what I come up with has already been tried in the human world and failed."

Marina took out four tomatoes and started chopping them into small pieces. "That doesn't sound encouraging."

"It is what it is." Lusha pushed away from the counter. "Can I do the chopping? I came early with the intention to help make dinner."

Given Lusha's own admission that she wasn't much of a cook, Marina didn't trust her with the sharp chopping knife.

She smiled. "You are my guest, and I want you to relax and enjoy. Can I offer you something to drink?"

"What do you have?" Lusha seemed relieved.

"Take a look in the fridge."

Lusha did as instructed and pulled out two Coronas. "I bet these are not Peter's or Alfie's. The immortals only drink that super potent Snake Venom beer that they import from Scotland."

"Good guess." Marina paused her chopping to take one of the beers. "Peter got them for me. You'll find an opener in that drawer on the right." Once they had both opened their beers, Marina clicked her bottle with Lusha's. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Lusha took a long swig. "This is good." She leaned against the counter again. "So, any advice about seducing an immortal?"

"Don't be shy." Marina grinned. "Which doesn't seem to be a problem for you. Just walk up to someone who catches your eye and start a conversation."

Lusha arched a brow. "Is that what you did?"

"Yep. Peter was having a drink on the lido deck, and so was I, and I asked him if I could join him. We started talking, and one thing led to another, and here we are."

"And here you are." Lusha lifted her bottle for another salute. "Planning a wedding."

Marina laughed. "Not yet."

"When you are ready, let me know. I'll help you organize."

Marina slanted her a look while dicing an onion. "Aren't you busy with that mysterious new job you got?"

"It's not mysterious. I'm working for Edna, the clan's judge and attorney. It's mostly paralegal-type stuff for now, but it's not like I can do anything else while residing in the village or in Safe Haven, and I don't think I will be allowed to venture out on my own anytime soon." She sighed. "When I do, I hope Edna will hire me for her office in the city, but to do actual legal work, I will need to pass the California bar exam."

"What's that?"

"It is necessary to pass that test to practice law in the state. It's proof that I've met all the educational requirements and I know the California law as well as general legal principles. Each place has its own legal system, and that's why attorneys need to study local law and pass exams to prove that they know it."

Marina nodded. "You studied in Finland. They probably have different laws, right?"

"Many of the principles are the same, but there are differences and nuances, of course. I'm studying when I have the time. Edna says that the test is a bitch. It is spread over two days, and many students take it several times before they pass."

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