Cresttide city, one of the few cities in the world that has come to not only welcome monsters with open arms but also accommodates them as best as is possible. From jobs to residency and even allowing their own businesses to take root it would almost seem like they've been there all their lives and not just a few years since the inter species bill had been signed. However, even with so much progress being made there are still people who seek to not treat them as equals but instead a means for financial gain, such is the case for an unfortunate little girl.

"COME BACK HERE!" A man shouted as he ran through the city streets in the midst of the night.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!" Another man who ran beside him shouted shortly after.

In total the number of men who were running down the darkened roads were three, each of them dressed in somewhat casual attire. As for the little girl, who they were chasing after and shouting at, she was dressed in a hoodie to conceal her face as well as long pants to hide her legs. And even though when this whole chase began she had managed to gain a good deal of distance from her pursuers she was still a child, so after only a few minutes of chase they were swiftly gaining on her. Not only that, but she was also growing tired from both the running as well as what she had been put through before when she was in their company, causing her to progressively slowdown.

"AHA! GOT YOU!" One of the men cheered as he had managed to get close enough to grab onto her hood.

Feeling it's collar suddenly press against her neck as it was pulled she was then sent to the ground with far more force and power than what was needed. Wincing in pain as her head hit the pavement her mind would quickly be taken away from the intense throbbing as the sight of the one who had grabbed her came into view.

"Thought you could run from us huh?" He asked with the most smug grin he could possibly have plastered to his face "Well guess what? now you're gonna learn what happens!" He told her as he raised his free hand.

Feeling her eyes widen from fear she could do nothing but stare towards his hand as it was about to strike her. But suddenly as it began to descend towards her, a loud bang filled the air followed by his hand exploding into countless bits of blood, bone, and muscle.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed just before his head soon met the same fate causing him to fall to the ground lifeless.

"What the fu-" One of the others who she couldn't see began to say only to be silenced by two more bangs.

Hearing the thud of their bodies also hitting the pavement like the first, the girl unsure as to what was going on simply laid there looking towards the sky as she wasn't sure what she should do. But before any ideas or thoughts could enter her mind the pain that she had ignored regained her attention as it throbbed violently and horribly. Suddenly feeling weaker and more tired than she had before, just as her eyes began to close and everything faded to black she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her followed by the short sight of a new figure standing above her.

The pitch black night of both the city and sky always seemed like a distant bad memory, for the moment day's light replaced it's shadowed counterpart life returned with it. Shops began to open, people got ready for work or early morning jogs, and of course young children hurried to ready for whatever the day had in store for them. But even with night moving on to another part of the world and all that lurked within it's veil gone with it for the moment, there were still many things left over from it's time here, such as the gruesome scene that took place in the middle of a crossroads. Three dead bodies lay in a pool of blood, and even though this sight was in the middle of a domestic part of the city the police, who ensured very few of the public who had awoke so early in the morning caught even a glimpse of it, seemed not disturbed by it in the slightest.

Now one might assume it's because of their job, they're used to seeing such acts of unbridled brutality and lack of compassion, but no that is not the reason they remained as calm as they were, for if one should choose to believe it this was not the first time such an act has happened in such a seemingly normal part of the city. Many a time over the span of months have there been murders and deaths all done in a similar manor to this, and while most would argue with how grim it might be described, the truth is for each present wound on the victims there was but one bullet to match. Meaning whoever committed this act was not only precise with their shots but also efficient and left no other evidence to aid in their capture. Yet unlike all the other times in which something like this has occurred this inciddent has an extra layer to it, the likes of which were so severe that a third party had been informed and are currently on route to the location.

"Hmm..." A black haired woman six foot six in height dressed head to toe in attire one would expect from a secret agent hummed as she looked at the file in her hand "So, we're ruling this out as a deal gone bad then?" She asked as she looked to her fellow passenger who sat next to her in the driver's seat.

"Most definitely." A man similar in height and attire with short blonde hair replied "These three were amateurs at best, known mainly for harassing and causing issues with any extra species individual that should cross their path." He explained.

"Still, it's a pretty big leap from being assholes to being illegal smugglers and traders, which begs the question as to what got these guys killed." She noted as she closed the file.

"We've already gone through all local cameras both residential and traffic, so far all we've been able to confirm is that they were chasing what appears to be a child of some kind through the roads up until the intersection, where they were then killed." He went on.

"What about whoever shot them? surely we have something on them right?" She asked.

"No actually." He replied with a shake of his head "Believe it or not, right before the gunshots went off the traffic cam which was getting all of it clear as day suddenly turned off, even the audio was out." He revealed.

"How convenient." She said as she propped her arm against the door as to rest her head in her hand.

"It get's better." He assured her "Not only did the camera go completely out right when this all went down, but the police already know who's responsible." He told her causing her eyes to widen.

"Wait what?" She asked as she now focused solely on him "Then why haven't they told us?!" She added.

"Because, and I'm quoting word for word here, we have to hear this in person from the first responder who's still at the scene." He answered as he turned a corner "Speaking of which." He added as he slowly pulled to a stop.

Over the course of their conversation they had arrived to the scene itself where despite the location the murders took place, the officers on scene had done a surprisingly impeccable job of keeping the public away.

"Well let's get some answers then." She said as she undid her seat belt and left the car.

Doing as she did once both were out of the car they walked over to the officer on duty, making sure to flash their badges as they did.

"Hello, I'm agent Hughes and this is my rookie in training Agent Ashton, we're here to speak with the unit first on the scene." She greeted as they stopped in front of the other.

Taking a moment to look over their badges and ensure they were authentic the officer simply nodded his head before pointing behind him.

"She's over there." He told them earning a nod from her in response.

"Thank you." She said before she lifted the crime scene tape and proceeded to enter the scene with Ashton in tow.

Walking in the direction he gave them they soon found an officer who easily stuck out from the rest but in truth seemed to be the one in charge, or at the least was the most on top of things.

"Keep searching the area, I want to be certain there are no shell casings, no pieces of clothing, no nothing around here by the time we're done." A near eight foot tall Minotaur woman with short scruffy brown hair and dark sapphire eyes dressed in an officer's uniform directed receiving a resounding "Yes Mam!" from the others before they got to work.

"Excuse us." Agent Hughes spoke gaining her attention.

"Hm? oh, you two must be from the government right?" The other asked as she turned to face them.

"That obvious huh?" Agent Ashton asked causing her to smirk.

"I got my own coordinator I know what they look like." She answered.

"Well we're not coordinators exactly, more so proactive enforcers." Agent Hughes clarified "But that's besides the point, would you care to inform us the reason why you're keeping the identity of the one who committed this triple homicide a secret until we got here?" She asked.

Upon hearing that question her some what at ease and yet serious expression changed into one of slight anger and annoyance, which did not go unnoticed by them.

"Really? you are calling this a homicide?" She asked with a raised brow as she crossed her arms.

"What would you call it, officer Glenda?" Agent Hughes countered while looking towards her badge, her expression remaining the same all the while.

"A public service." Glenda replied as she looked to the spot where the bodies which had since been removed once laid "Those three were constantly causing issues for extra species, and even if I were to ignore that there's still the reason as to why they ended up dead to begin with." She argued.

"Which brings us back to my original question." Agent Hughes pointed out causing the other to look back at her.

Staring at one another for a few moments as Glenda thought on what the right way to go about this would be, she soon let out a sigh before continuing the conversation.

"It was almost a year ago when I first came to this city, I didn't have a host family but due to my desire to pursue a career in law enforcement they made an exception for me so long as I made sure to always report to my training officer at the time, and for a long while things were great everyone not just at the academy but also people I'd talk to on the street or in a restaurant were very friendly and accepting of me, but at the same time there was this gang that had been formed around the time of the bill's passing, a sort of anti extra species group that was nothing but some thugs against the idea of people like me coming to live here, so one night as I'm going back my dorm after having dinner at this local diner not too far away I get jumped by these guys, and before I can fight back they hit me in the head with a chain which sends me to the ground, but before they could even so much as raise a foot to start stomping me or even raise a fist to hit me I suddenly hear a series of gunshots go off followed by all of them dropping dead around me." She explained.

"So the person who saved you that night is the one responsible for this then?" Agent Hughes asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yes, but it's much more than that." She told them, before taking a moment to then sigh "...His name...is Arthur West, he's a bounty hunter who takes jobs from the precincts here in the city, not only that but he also helps out people when they need it and he never starts any kind of trouble unless someone else started it first." She explained hoping to put him in a good light.

Taking a few moments to think on this information Agent Hughes still not seeming to be affected by any of it soon asked one final question.

"What else do you know about him?"

Sunlight poured into the space of a bedroom as the sun rose into the sky, and as it did it brought forth a comforting warmth and serenity to usher in the new day. And with this warmth and radiance washing over every house and pouring into every window, inside one in particular there was a child soundly asleep. But beyond the difference to other children in the city who were wide awake and readying for the day ahead this child was also different for she was not human. Though the clothes she wore the night before still adorned her form her hood had been pulled back revealing a humanoid slime light blue in coloration.

Now normally slimes in lands inhabited by extra species were often just mindless blobs lacking any sentience and only sought to eat and flop about, but on rare occasions there would be species of slime which were more evolved. However, due to their rarity they were constantly sought out by traffickers and other unsavory folk, being considered not another living person but instead a perfect slave. Which is why late into the night this young child had been running from her pursuers as they had brought her here from wherever her place of "birth" might be, in hopes of making a sizable profit. But thankfully this was avoided, and within a few moments she shall awake both due to the sun's rays hitting her eyes as well as the smell of something rather enticing coming from the floor below.

"...mmm..." She hummed as she started to leave her unconscious state, stirring slightly as she did "...Huh?..." She sounded as she opened her eyes revealing that they were dark purple in color.

Having a ceiling she did not recognize be the first thing she saw she immediately did her best to get into an upright position to look around but found she was still weak from what happened last night. But to her surprise when her head began to hurt and she reached up to feel it she found it had been wrapped in gauze, though admittedly during her sleep it had become soaked due to her body as well it having somewhat sunk into her. Yet once more before she could think or do anything something kept her from doing so, but instead of the pain of her injury being the cause this time it was the sound of someone walking up a set of stairs near her room. Feeling worry and fear quickly set in she did her best to will herself out of the bed and hide, though because of her weakened state all she was able to do was finish getting herself into an upright position.

Feeling what little strength she possessed fleeing her form, all that was left for her to do was to simply sit there and wait for the door to open and reveal who was approaching. Slowly the footsteps finished climbing the stairs and once they did they took only a few more before stopping right outside the door.

"Hey." A voice deep and rough in both tone and sound whilst also carrying an accent of some kind spoke from the other side, telling her it was a man "You awake yet?" He asked.

Choosing to remain silent in hopes he would go away after nearly a minute of silence passed the doorknob slowly began to turn spiking the fear and anxiety already present in her to high levels. But once the knob had reached it's end and the door was slowly pushed open what she saw standing on the other side made every bad feeling and sickly emotion just disappear. For the man she had been picturing in her mind was nothing like the one that stood at the door, for the only other men she'd ever known were her captors, which she had based the image on. The man towered above their height and even with a long coat concealing most of his body she could tell he was also much stronger than them too, and speaking of his attire he looked far different from not just the other men but all other humans or extra species she'd ever seen as well.

From his brown boots, to his somewhat worn jeans, up to what she could make out as a button up flannel shirt, and of course his coat which matched his boots in color he was a very intriguing person to look at. But what truly set him apart from the other men the one absolute detail that made him different was his face. Starting with his eyes which were the same shade of blue as her's, they didn't look at her with a gaze of malice or intimidation but compassion and concern, which was admittedly the part of him that did away with all of her previous worries. But then there was also his expression which wasn't one of sinister intent nor of fake comfort, but instead it was a fairly straight face that did carry a sense of wisdom and authority, which oddly enough made her trust him a slight bit.

Finally there was his long brown hair which seemed to stop just a bit past the neck, unlike the other men's hair which was somewhat greasy and seemed like it hadn't been washed for some time, his was neatly combed and clean telling her he cared about his appearance and how he was seen.

"Sorry for comin' in." He apologized as he stepped inside "I didn't know if you were still sleepin' or you just can't talk." He explained.

Simply staring at him wondering what he was going to do, even as he moved closer to the bed and sat on it's end she still felt no fear or worry as she had before she saw him.

"Listen, I know this must be an awful way to wake up, don't know where you are don't know who I am and so on." He began as he pointed to the door "But I've got breakfast made and ready downstairs, so after we have some should you be in the mood to eat, if you want to leave I will take you to the police and they'll take care of you from there, sound good?" He asked.

Though still wary of him and how much truth there was to his words admittedly she was very much so hungry, borderline starving, so without much hesitation she slowly nodded her head causing him to smile.

"Good." He said as he got back to his feet "So, can you walk at all or do you need some help?" He asked.

Looking down at herself for a moment as if asking herself the same question, she inevitably looked back to him and responded with a shake of her head. Much to her surprise, instead of replying with words the moment he had his answer he walked over to her side and proceeded to lift her out of bed as to carry her in his arms. Taking a few seconds to make sure she was secure and wouldn't slip and fall he went on to leave the bedroom and head down the stairs with her in tow. Yet the moment he began to walk with her she immediately, almost as if it were something she was supposed to do, wrapped her arms around his neck which he seemed to have no issue with.

What was even more surprising though was as he descended down the stairs she began to rest her head against him, whether or not it was due to her still being tired or perhaps she was starting to trust him more neither he nor her were certain. However, the moment they reached the bottom of the stairs she saw that the room where the aroma had been coming from was right next to them, and upon going inside there was on a weird looking table that was in the middle of the room two plates, each having what looked like delicious food resting on top of them.

"Sorry if you don't like it." He apologized yet again as he walked over "I don't really know what slimes like, so I just made a standard breakfast." He explained as he set her down onto a stool.

Now right in front of the meal itself, she found it hard to believe that this was considered a "standard" meal as all the meals she had ever seen didn't come anywhere close to this one. In total the contents of the plate included two strips of bacon, two whole biscuits, a sizable portion of eggs which were scrambled, and some weird gray substance she didn't recognize though it did smell amazing like the rest of what was there.

"In case you're wondering." He spoke to gain her attention before he pointed towards the plate "This here is bacon which is meat, then you have the biscuits which are just bread, next is some eggs cooked in no special way, and finally that's gravy which is pretty good on it's own but it's better if you dip the other stuff into it." He explained before walking to the other side of the table and sitting down on another stool.

Looking at the food for a few seconds longer before her curiosity of everything else got the better of her, she began to look at both the strange table they sat at as well as the rest of the room, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"This is called an aisle." He told her as he pointed to the table "It's basically like those counters over there, but it's also used for preparing food and eating." He explained whilst pointing to the counters "And as for the room itself it's called a kitchen." He added as he gestured to the room around them.

Now having the answers to her unspoken questions she looked back to the food in front of her, as well as the strange metal object that rested on the plate.

"That's a fork." He told her seeing her apparent confusion "You use it to eat, like this." He instructed as he picked up his fork and used it to skewer some eggs "And like I said before, you can dip the other things into the gravy like this." He added proceeding to do just that with the eggs before going on to eat them.

Seeing her expression change to one of astonishment, which admittedly was both humorous and adorable, she went on to do exactly as he did with her own fork. What happened next in truth caught him by surprise, for due to the nature of her form he could see the gravy covered eggs go into her mouth and even down what would be considered her throat, though instead of just lingering there it actually dissipated near instantly, sort of like an aspirin tablet in a glass of water. But instead of pointing that out and potentially making her feel awkward he simply went on to eat the rest of his meal with her continuing to do everything he did as he did it. After about five or so minutes both of them were finished with their plates, with the only sign that food had once been present being the slight streaks of gravy which remained.

"So." He spoke as a sigh of content left him "I'm guessing since you kept eating that you enjoyed it right?" He asked receiving a nod in response, which in turn caused him to once again smile "That's good, now just give me a minute or so to clean this up and I'll help you down from there." He told her as he got up from his stool.

Taking both plates into his hands he then walked over to the sink nearby and after turning it on began to wash them. All the while he did this she kept her gaze fixated on him where besides the obvious curiosity she had she also possessed a new fondness for him, almost as if he were actually her parent. And staying true to his word it only took him a moment or so to clean what was left of their meal from the plates before he dried them off with a towel and walked back over to her, where he then lifted her back into his arms.

"Do you want to go back to bed now?" He asked her as she wrapped her arms around his neck "Or do you want to go watch some TV?" He asked to which she cocked her head slightly "Oh, you don't know what that is do you?" He asked causing her to shake her head this time "Well do you want to find out or go back to bed?" He asked once more.

Even though she was still somewhat weak even after the meal, her curiosity was too great which led to her doing something that caught him completely off guard.

"T-TV." She answered vocally this time, her voice light in pitch which was of course fitting for a young girl like her.

"Alright then." He replied even though he was still a bit surprised to hear her speak.

Walking out of the kitchen and into the room across from it she saw a space with a good deal of furniture which consisted of a couch, a few chairs, and a small table in the midst of it all. But the strangest detail about the room was across from the couch this odd black rectangle sat on top of what looked like another table, though it was probably something else.

"That's the TV." He told her as he walked over to the couch "As for what it does, well you'll find out soon enough." He told her as he set her down.

Proceeding to sit beside her he reached over to the table in front of them and picked up some kind of object that had a lot of different buttons on it, before going on to press one of them which caused the TV's once black appearance to change. Feeling her eyes widen from surprise and intrigue, all she could do was stare as the sight of a human woman came into view.

"How?" She asked as she pointed to it which caused him to chuckle.

"That's kinda hard to explain in a short and simple fashion." He told her as he leaned back into the couch "But the best way I can describe it is that television or TV allows people to talk and appear to nearly everyone in the world at the same time, it also let's us show things like cartoons, movies, TV shows, and so on." He explained.

"Cartoons?" She asked now looking to him.

Deciding to not respond with words, this time he pressed another button on the device a few times, which in turn caused what was on the TV to change rapidly before he stopped on something that was colorful and different.

"Ooo" She sounded as she now refocused on the TV her overall cuteness being too much for him.

"Do you try to be this adorable or is it just like a gift?" He asked her even though he knew more than likely his words fell upon deaf ears given how focused she was on the TV.

Seeing that she was clearly enthralled by what was she was seeing he put the remote down on his other side before putting an arm around her. This though was enough to get her attention but instead of freaking out or being scared like she was when one of the other men from before did it instead she felt safe and even happy, which caused her to rest against his side laying her head on his chest as she did. For the next hour or so this is how they stayed with the only change being what cartoon was playing, and while most people might get tired of watching shows meant for little kids he didn't, for he knew that she was enjoying it and to him that was all he needed to enjoy it as well. Unfortunately this peaceful and serene experience would come to an end, as after the fourth cartoon ended a knock came from the front door gaining both of their attentions.

"Who could that be?" He asked for the both of them as he got up from his seat, causing her to sit upright in hers as he did.

Walking out of the living room and to the door which was but a foot or so away he proceeded to open it, to which he found a sight that actually didn't surprise him.

"Hello, Arthur West." A female woman dressed in a suit greeted as she held up a badge "My name is Agent Hughes and I've come to talk to you about the events of last night." She explained.

"Hmph, figured someone would show." He admitted as he put his hands into his coat's pockets "Tell me somethin, why did it take you so long to get here?" He asked.

"Were you expecting someone to show up sooner?" She asked as she put her badge away.

"Well I figured once the police found out they were traffickers someone from the government would arrive." He answered as he looked behind her "Why's your partner waiting in the car?" He asked.

"He's not my partner, he's my rookie in training." She answered "And as for your previous question, the reason why it took us so long is because we had to come here personally to not only find you but to also learn from the responding officer who you were." She explained.

"Ah, you mean Glenda?" He asked.

"You know her?" She asked in return.

"No offense to you miss, but given that your are standing here in front of me right now, do you honestly expect me to believe you don't know everything about me such as how I would know her name?" He asked causing her to smirk.

"Fair enough, though that does bring up an interesting point mister West, after we learned of who you were we asked her what else she knew about you and told us to go to her superiors, from then on it was like a game of hot potato as we were passed further and further up the chain of command until we ended up at the commissioner's office, where the file they gave us on you had near to nothing in it." She explained.

"So are you here to learn more about me then?" He asked seeming to enjoy this conversation.

"No I'm not, though it is strange how one man who seems to have endless respect and loyalty from the police of this city, my main concern is the child you saved from those men." She answered.

Upon hearing that response his somewhat laid back attitude and apparent amusement of this exchange quickly shifted to a far more serious tone, which actually caught her off guard.

"Listen." He began as he looked at her with a gaze one would expect from a predator sizing up it's prey "I know you mean no harm to her, but I need to hear from you personally that she's not gonna end up in some system nor will she be put back in a spot where this can all happen again, you give me that and I'll tell you what you want to know." He told her.

Feeling herself be at a loss for words, which never happened, she was surprised at how quickly he changed from a man who seemed to not care for what was happening to what someone would expect from a protective parent.

"I can assure you mister West that none of that will happen." She replied as she regained her composure "Once she is in our care we will do our best to ensure she is returned to her parents." She explained.

"And what if she doesn't have any?" He asked.

"Then she will remain in our care until suitable parents, whether they be human or extra species are found." She answered.

Taking a moment to look her over as to see if there was any sort of tell she was lying, even a small bit, upon finding none he let out a sigh before saying.

"Alright, she's in the living room, just be gentle with her since she's still pretty shaken-"

"NO!" A voice from inside shouted out before the sound of hasted footsteps were heard.

Before either of them could react or look to who the voice belonged to the girl had bolted from the couch and over to them despite her weakened state, where she immediately wrapped her arms around his leg.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I WON'T LEAVE DADDY!" She cried as she tightened her grip on his leg.

Completely stunned and silent for what was transpiring, while Agent Hughes simply stood there with a shocked expression on her face, Arthur on the other hand felt possibly the biggest smile he'd ever had make it's way onto his face.

"Hey." He said causing her to look up at him "It's gonna be okay, I promise." He told her as he patted her head.

However as he looked back to Agent Hughes to say something else he found that she too also had a smile on her face.

"Huh." She sounded as she took off her sunglasses revealing her eyes were dark purple in color "Well I guess that settles that then." She said causing his eyes to widen.

"Wait what?" He asked unsure as to what she meant by that.

"The law prohibits any human from causing harm to an extra species individual, regardless of sex, age, or race, and seeing as how she doesn't look like she wants to leave I suppose she's just going to have to stay with you." She explained.

Feeling as though this whole thing might be some sort of ploy or ruse Arthur first took the girl into his arms to further calm her down before responding.

"You're serious? this isn't some kind of trick to get me to hand her over right?" He asked causing her to shake her head.

"No I'm being completely serious." She assured him "Though since we've moved onto this topic of discussion, could we maybe carry it on without her present?" She asked.

Looking to the girl and seeing she was still upset he turned around and put her back on her feet.

"Go back inside and watch TV, I'll be there in a minute." He told her as he stood back up.

But before he could turn around and head out the door she grabbed onto his hand causing him to look back at her.

"Promise?" She asked her expression filled with doubt and worry.

Upon seeing her face he felt the same smile as before appear once again which seemed to comfort her a slight bit.

"I promise." He replied as he took his hand back.

Looking up at him for a few more seconds as he had done with Agent Hughes, once she was certain he was telling the truth she did as she was told and went back to the living room. With that taken care of he turned back to face Agent Hughes before stepping outside to continue their conversation, closing the door behind him as he did.

"So what is it you needed to talk to me about without her?" He asked getting right to the point.

"As I said before, the file we were given about you had little to nothing, all that was even there was what they had written themselves, no copies of official documents, no social security number, no anything." She explained "And yet even with you seeming to have appeared out of nowhere no one that we spoke to today seemed to show any real interest in helping us learn more about you, and so I'm left to believe that even though there should be countless people and organizations looking into you, it seems like anyone who's aware of your existence has been sworn to a sort of secrecy." She went on "So all that remains is, who are you Arthur West?" She asked.

However, instead of taking a few moments to think of a proper response he seemed to be at the ready with one for no doubt this was something he had been asked before.

"I'm a simple man Agent Hughes." He began as he looked her straight in the eyes "My everyday routine is wake up, have breakfast, then go about my day the best I can before I go to bed and start it all over the next day." He explained "And while yes I am as you know a bounty hunter which alone would make you and any other person think my life is actually exciting and intense like some sort of action movie, to me it's all just part of the routine." He went on "I get a bounty, hunt them down, and with no hesitation or second thoughts point one of my guns at them and put a bullet through their head." He continued before leaning in closer to her "And the whole time I do it, I don't smile nor laugh not even enjoy it in the slightest, but instead I have as plain a look on my face as one would find on a statue, so you tell me Agent Hughes, what kind of person do you think I am to be able to take a life, regardless of how worthless it is and still have such a lack of emotion and life on my face as theirs soon will?" He asked near whispering the last part into her ear.

Watching him resume an upright position, Agent Hughes for the first time during this whole encounter with him felt something that was rare for her to feel given her profession. Instead of seeing a man as she did when she first arrived, after hearing such a description of himself be given she felt fear grip her soul yet at the same time a feeling of respect. For also due to her line of work, she had grown accustomed to seeing the worst of people, from those who were like the men he killed that trafficked extra species like property, to ones that would even go so far as to force them to do god awful things, there seemed to be no limit to their cruelty. Yet here right in front of her was a man who up until this point she believed was some sort of off the grid recluse who managed to somehow evade all means of detection from any agency or person.

But now as she looked at him she saw a man where despite what ever has happened to him to make him as he is now he was not like those vile people she deals with, but was instead at best a seemingly normal person.

"I...don't know mister West." She admitted as she looked down at her glasses which remained in her hand "I honestly have no idea what to call a person like that." She added.

"Exactly." He replied as he looked to the sky "I have a story Agent Hughes, just as every person in this world does, but unlike most people I do not let my story dictate what becomes of me, so I do my best to just make it through each day and keep that story to myself." He explained.

"I see..." She said as a small smile came to her face "Well...as far as you being a suitable guardian for the girl goes, I can honestly say there isn't a safer person for her to be with than you." She complimented causing him to chuckle.

"Thank you." He replied as he looked back to her "So what happens now?" He asked as she put her glasses back on.

"I am going to get back in my car, go back to work, and see that you are recognized by official channels as her guardian." She answered as she turned around "And don't worry about any paperwork, I'll take care of that personally." She assured as she walked away.

Watching her walk down the pathway leading from his home to the road, just as she went around the car to the passenger side door she stopped and looked at him.

"Oh but one thing that I will need from you for the paperwork is a name for her." She said as she opened the door "Don't worry about reaching me, I'll stop by later to finish it up." She added before getting in.

"Oh right, she needs a name." Arthur thought to himself as the car started up and drove away.

"You sure that was the right move? I thought we were supposed to get the child back no matter what?" Agent Ashton asked as he looked to his superior.

"Believe me Ashton, if we had tried to take that girl by force we would have had to deal with him, and if you heard what I did from him you would've come to the same decision." She replied.

Watching them drive away until they were out of sight Arthur went back inside where to no surprise he found the girl waiting for him just a foot or so from the door.

"Thought I said to watch TV?" He asked with a raised brow.

But instead of replying with words she threw her arms around his legs seeming to be on the verge of crying.

"Hey now." He said as he knelt down to be face to face with her "I didn't mean to come off like I was scolding you, I was joking." He explained.

"N-No not that." She said with a sniffle "Y-You didn't get rid of me." She clarified.

"Of course I wouldn't, if you didn't want to go with them then you weren't, simple as that." He told her.

In response to hearing that she once more threw arms around him, though this time around his chest as to hug him.

"Th-Thank you!" She managed to choke out before breaking down into a sob out of sheer joy.

Unable to keep himself from smiling at such a reaction he returned the embrace with his own hug, gently petting the back of her head in hopes it would calm her down. For the next few minutes that's where they stayed which he of course didn't mind, until finally she had gotten through all the tears she had to shed leaving her to simply sniffle.

"Better now?" He asked as he ended their embrace looking to her as well.

"Mhm..." She sounded as she rubbed her eyes.

"Good, now before we go back into the living room there's still one thing that we need to do." He said.

"What?" She asked.

"We need to give you a proper name, so I'll have something to call you." He answered.

Taking a moment to think as to what she might want to be called, she thought about any names she had heard that stuck out to her, and much to her surprise one did, it having come from one of the cartoons they had watched earlier.

"S-Sophia." She replied.

"You sure?" He asked her just to be certain it's what she wanted.

"Mhm! Sophia!" She said once more though with more enthusiasm.

"Then it's settled, you're now Sophia West, my daughter." He told her before pulling her into another hug.

And so with a bright new future on the horizon Sophia and Arthur headed back into the living room to watch some more TV, both happy and excited for whatever was to come.