"You told us to tell everything like it is," Thin Man said in support. "And this is the result, Most Lucent Gesar!"

I took a look at Gesar's visitors through the Twilight. Well, well! More human beings! And yet they knew the boss's name and title! And they even pronounced them with candid sarcasm! Of course, there are always special circumstances, but for Gesar to reveal himself to ordinary people…

"All right," Gesar said with a nod. "I'll let you have one more try. This time work separately."

Thin Man and Fat Man exchanged glances.

"We'll do our best," Fat Man said with a good-natured smile. "You understand, though-we've already had a certain degree of success…"

Gesar snorted. As if they'd been given some invisible signal that the conversation was over, the visitors stood up, shook the boss's hand in farewell and walked out. In the reception area Thin Man made some amusing and flirtatious remark to Larissa, and she laughed.

"Ordinary people?" I asked cautiously.

Gesar nodded, gazing at the door with a hostile expression. He sighed.

"People, people… All right, Gorodetsky. Sit down."

I sat down, but Gesar still didn't start the conversation. He fiddled with his papers, fingered some bright-colored, smoothly polished glass beads heaped up in a coarse earthenware bowl. I felt like looking to see if they were amulets or really just glass beads, but I didn't want to risk taking any liberties in front of Gesar.

"How was your vacation?" Gesar asked, as if he'd exhausted all his excuses for delaying the conversation.

"Good," I answered. "I missed Sveta, of course. But I couldn't drag little Nadya out into that scorching Spanish sun. That's no good…"

"No," Gesar agreed, "it isn't." I didn't know if the Great Magician had any children-even close associates weren't trusted with information like that. He probably did. He was almost certainly capable of experiencing something like paternal feelings. "Anton, did you phone Svetlana?"