“Soo … you’re telling me that if you work hard and prove yourself, you can become nobility in this place?”

“No,” Ira said, “Working hard is not enough. Working smart.”

“Ira wants to telling you need to prove you is gooder than others. Lot people is working hard to prove them selves.”

“Themselves,” I interrupted Booker, the black demon, “It’s a single word.”

“Thank you. Themselves. Everyone is working hard to prove themselves. You need to show you’s more gooder then they.”

“She already tell us Booker is not gooder. Is better,” Ira corrected him, “is not same word.”

“Anyway, you need to prove you’s more skilling than others.”

“And how would I do that?”

“There need to be something you’s good at. Anything. What is makeing you’s happy?” Mun-Hee asked.

“What makes me happy? I … I don’t know. I never thought about that.”

“What you like doing?”

“I … I enjoy serving my master. That is my purpose.”

She gave me a reprimanding look, but it wasn’t as intense as before.

“You not can be noble if you’s thinks like slave! Forget master! If you’s noble, what you’s like doing?”

“Umm … aaa …”

“Sport, may be?”

Jens’ words surprised me: “Sport?”

“Yes. You’s body is good. Like you is doing sport you’s whole life.”

“When you say sport, do you mean something like magic shot?”

“Yes.”

“But I’m not a mage.”

“Sport not need magic. Can do with out it.”

“Without,” Ira mentioned.

“Are you into sports, master? I mean, your body is well developed as well. I don’t remember ever seeing someone with shoulders as broad as yours.”

For some reason, Ira started grinning victoriously at Mun-Hee. She stared menacingly at him in return.

“I work out.”

“But, I thought you’re a scholar?”

“So? Anyone can work out. Not only … hmm … how do you call people who is doing sport?”

“Uhh … players?”

“No, not good word. Anyone can be player. How you call people who do sport as profession?”

“Who what?”

“I is sure they not have it,” Booker jumped in, “they have no eflits. Like we not have profession eflits some hundred years ago.”

“Eflits?”

“It is sounding strange to you, but we have people who work nothing but sport their whole life.”

“… why … what for? What is the use of it? I mean … how do they make your nation better? Are they some warriors who train that way, perhaps?”

Booker gave me a wide, honest smile: “Surpriseing, I know. But humans like seeing special people do special things. Humans like seeing impossible. So, if you is excellent at sport, humans want to see you. It is fun, interesting.”

“Oh, you mean, like in a coliseum?”

“Yes! Like that!”

“But … sports are for warriors, to improve their muscles. I’m not one.”

“You not need to be warrior to do sport here. As long as you is good in it.”

“How you get that body? What sport you’s good at?” Jens’ asked.

I must say, it felt nice to hear him compliment me for once. I was starting to think he was ignoring me all this time because he wasn’t satisfied with my looks. Or worse …

“I don’t do any sports. I never did.”

“Then, how you get that body,” He pointed at me once again.

“I … I don’t do sports, but I do keep my body constantly busy. I do work with my body a lot.”

“You work out? Good.”

“You can work out together,” Ira suggested while raising his brows at Mun-Hee with pure delight on his face.

Not letting an opportunity slip me by, I agreed: “Yes, we can! I wouldn’t mind.”

“What is you good at? What is you working out?”

“I … I’m not strong … but I guess you could say I’m good at bouncing. I’m also very good at bending.”

“So, you can bend a long way?”

“Yes. I’m quite flexible.”

He nodded a few times at Ira, looking pleased: “Can be dzimnasist may be?“

But Ira shook his head in disagreement: “No. May be flexy but is not aerodajnemik.”

“What you mean?”

Ira responded by placing his open hands in front of his chest. The meaning of the gesture didn’t elude me.

Especially since Mun-Hee raised her voice at him in their tongue.

“What does ‘aerodajne … what does that word mean?” I asked.

“Air is pushing back too hard on you.”

“Huh?”

“Yes. Ira is right. Something else.”

“Joga may be?” Booker proposed.

“Can be,” Ira agreed, “Will like see she in joga dress.”

“Why you talk just of body!” Mun-Hee yelled, “Why not learning!”

“Just is ideas. Nothing serious,” Jens responded.

“She can be smart girl! Do not just see her body!”

“Jealous, huh? I had my doubts, but I didn’t expect her to be so direct about it.”

“I mean, she is feminine and cute, but she doesn’t have much of a figure. So, of course she’d feel threatened.”

“That’s good. I was getting worried I’d be disarmed in this place completely because nobody tried to make a single move on me yet. But then again, all the demons sitting at this table are supposed to be scholars. I bet they don’t have as much desire as normal people do.”

“After all, they’re talking about how functional my body is instead of what they’d do with it.”

“You’s right, Mun-Hee,” Jens said, “She need to learn first. Then we see what she’s good with.”

“Nothing is wrong with doing joga for money,” Ira grinned once again, “I’s sure many will be interested. Can learn joga whole base. All is good, so why not?”

“Jens, if you do not stop him, I do,” what Mun-Hee said sounded like a threat.

So, Jens faced Ira: “Not being dork, please. Can do later, but now we need to be … serious.”

“Nothing wrong with doing joga,” Ira backed away while shrugging.

“She will need special cloths,” Eric finally said, after being quiet for too long, “We not have clothes for tail.”

“Good point.”

“May be long cloths can help? Not close to body, enough place for tail?”

“And when tail is going up?”

“… good point.”

“We must have some timkik cloths. They not need good number.”

“Do she sleeping in that dress?” Jens asked Mun-Hee.

“Of course not! I is giveing her I’s pidzamas!”

“How she do her tail then?”

“I … I not know … “

“It’s not an issue. I just put the lower part as high as I can, until it reaches my tail. I don’t know how, but Mun-Hee’s nightgown clings very tight to me, so it’s not falling off. I don’t think wearing your dresses will be an issue.”

Jens and Eric stared each other in the eye for some time.

“We need timkik cloths.”

“Yes.”