"Alright, Mr. Förstner," a woman dressed in a sharp looking black suit and skirt combo announced as she pulled an assortment of papers from an envelope. She studied them individual through her small glass's that sat delicately on the bridge of her nose. The chestnut brown of her eyes fluttering over every signature before nodding her head with an accompanying smile. "Everything seems to be in order," she explained with joy as she pushed a few strands of her long black hair behind her ears. "I will contact you again very shortly when your new room mate will be arriving,"

A man sitting across from her let a small grin escape before standing to shake her hand. "I appreciate this, Mrs. Smith,"

"Think nothing of it! You are one of the few individuals in your country who will be leading the charge to embrace the Species Cultural Act!" The woman beamed proudly before standing to shake the man's hand. "Think of it as the Vanguard for others who choose to open their homes in the future!"

The man simply chuckled before leading her to the front door. His hands deftly opened the door to have the sunlight eagerly brighten the inside of the living room.

"I have a feeling she will love this property, Lukas," Mrs. Smith spoke softly before walking out the door. "Till next time!"

Lukas Förstner nodded and waved as the woman walked along the gravel lane to her rather large SUV. He didn't admit it but he could feel the sweat gather on his back and knew that the Sun had nothing to do with it. He had just signed a room away to a foreign visitor. He had the choice of who was to stay in his home out of over a hundred volunteers. He still remembered gawking at the plethora of pictures. Owls, Alligators, Bulls, Felines, Canines, and the list went on and on. Lukas' only wish now was that he didn't bite off more than he could chew.

Waving to Smith as she reversed off the property, Lukas could only let out the deep breath he was holding. "Akila Silva," he quietly spoke under his breath as he retreated back inside his home.

Akila Silva fidgeted with her tanned fingers barely remembering them being pale like her time in Japan. She stood, or what she considered was standing, with her long, thick tail coiled beneath her. Akila ignored most of the chit chat that the other assorted Exchange Species were passing the time with as she studied the clock on the wall with her dark brown eyes; even darker slit that was narrow due to the bright light. From Japan to Toronto, Canada had been several hours stuck on the same plane thinking of her new care taker and home.

Her hand dipped into her purple sweater to retrieve a few photos. The first one was of a beautiful cabin that was surrounded by trees and what seemed to be a small lake. It almost seemed to be a vacation location. Flipping the picture to the back she then witnessed a photo of the man taking her in to his home.

Lukas Förstner. Her eyes ran over every feature of his rather sturdy build. He wasn't overly attractive but he had a nice smile. Akila tilted her head slightly as she studied a mark on his left arm that was partially covered by his sleeve. She remembered Smith calling such body art as Tattoos, something that was forbidden in her village. Her thumb ran over Lukas' face, her sharp thumbnail grazing the photo, as she tried to imagine the type of man he was.

"Oh," A voice purred seductively from above the Serpent lass.

Akila rotated herself quickly to see the only Arachnid that had been on the flight. Her pale skin was wrapped in a rather revealing blouse that seemed only one button from being undone. Akila also noted that the Spider probably didn't care. "What do you want, Zizu?" Akila hissed, her fork tongue appearing from her lips for a second to gather air; a ritual she didn't really need to do but twas a habit.

"I'm just admiring the view of your lovely new play thing," Zizu cupped her cheek lazily as her smile never faded. "Now I'm excited to be neighbours!"

Akila groaned quietly as she gazed back down to her photos. It didn't take her long to hide them back into her pocket and flip her hood up to block any view from her eavesdropper. It only seemed to work for a moment before Zizu slowly descended to be mere inches away from Akila's face.

"Not a social creature are you?" the Arachnid spoke as she poked Akila on the nose gently to not pierce the serpent's skin with a sharp claw.

"Shoo, Spider," Akila muttered as she tried to wave away the annoyance. She was also thankful when a sharp whistle was blown and people were escorted to a few different buses that awaited outside of the airport. The bus was comfy enough considering there was only a few Species left aboard. Zizu was lazily napping on a makeshift hammock that garnered a much hated gaze from the driver but beside the Arachnid, the only remaining girl was a Wyvern who seemed completely out of her comfort zone. Her light green scales barely reflected any sunlight but the sheen from her wavy blonde hair soaked it all in. Her narrow eyes constantly shifted and Akila also noticed the almost vice like grip she had on her black backpack.

How she started to loathe her new neighbours already.

Lukas nervously tapped his fingers on the tail of his blue pick up truck. A cigarette hanging from his lips, the tobacco burning away slowly. The tapping continued for another solid minute before a dark hand slammed down on the poor fingers. A few choice words escaped before the attacker began to laugh, then taking a seat on the tail gate next to Lukas.

"You were driving me up the wall," he muttered through a chuckle as he removed his ballcap to wipe away a couple of small beads of sweat. His dark skin was slightly rough as a beard was eagerly trying to grow in. "What you need is a beer or two. Hell, you were the one to rope me into this silly business and now your the one that can't stop fidgeting,"

"Shut it, Gerald. I just get a little nervous sometimes," Lukas admitted as he gazed over the tree tops to see the Sun starting to set.

"I've seen you jumping out of airplanes, get into firefights and bar brawls. Why did I never see you start to fidget then?" Gerald asked with a smirk as he pulled his cell out to check his facebook. "You are basically renting a room out. It's not that incredible,"

The door to the General store swung open then closed to show a man easily in his late 50s spark a match to light his cigar. His face had long since seen any youthful features but his eyes showed a sharpness that could gather anyone's gaze. He slowly walked over to the trio of pick up trucks in the gravel parking lot as he gave the two younger men a nod. "Evening, Gents," he spoke before leaning on Lukas' truck.

"How's the wife, Frye?" Gerald asks as his phone disappeared into his jean pocket.

"Old and crotchety," The older man answered with the cigar moving with his lips.

The answer got a short chuckle but otherwise the group enjoyed the peace in the air. The rare moment that the mosquitoes were apparently busy eating something else. Bird calls echoed through the air and the odd car engine could be heard from the nearby road but these three knew how to drown themselves in the sound of nature.

The moment was gone when they spotted a large white bus had pulled into the parking lot. Most of the windows were tinted so it was hard for the three men to take a glimpse inside.

Lukas started to fidget again until the older man quickly gave the boy a whack on the back of his head.

"Ain't nothing to be nervous about," Frye reasoned as he took a few steps towards the bus.

Lukas took a deep breath before getting off the tailgate and following Frye's example. He could see figures moving aboard the bus but otherwise it was hard to tell who was who. The door slowly swung open only to see a flash of green fly by with only a foot or so clearance from the top of their heads.

"The wife just had to pick one that could fly. . .," Frye began to mutter as his eyes followed the lazy circles the Wyvern was doing overhead. "'But she's youthful!' she says, bah!"

Lukas and Gerald were quickly shifting their gaze when they witnessed several dark legs come from within the bus. A pale woman with seven sapphire blue eyes emerged following with her large black abdomen. She crawled on top of the bus then she did what could only be described as stretching. Lukas could hear Gerald gulping and couldn't help but laugh a little inside.

"Good luck with that one," Lukas muttered under his breath which Gerald only nodded his head and slowly walked towards the side of the bus that the Arachnid climbed up. Lukas' green eyes shifted towards the bus door only to see a figure slowly drop down from the steps to the gravel. This continued for a long moment as the Lamia had to gather the entirety of her body in a coil beneath.

Lukas took a deep breath when he finally noticed that she was easily ten meters long, if not longer. Her serpent tail had a brown scales with a camouflage pattern akin to African Rock Pythons. He had made a mental note to re-read the book on pythons when he had time tonight. His gaze finally made it's way up to the more human portion as he noticed the black miniskirt and dark purple sweater with the hood over her head. He had a hard time trying to see her face with the Sun disappearing behind the trees.

Lukas gave a small cough to clear his throat before speaking in the most calm tone he could muster.

"Akila Silva?"

The tanned Lamia didn't move for a few moments until she brought her hands out of the sweater's pocket to pull the hood back. Her long, dark hair that wasn't in a bun at the back of her head dropped rather gracefully over her modest chest that was noticeable even with the sweater. Her skin was unmistakeably soft even in the low light. Her cheek bones and jaw line were sharp and rather attractive but Lukas was occupied staring at the dark caramel eyes that had black wide slits staring back at him.

"Welcome to Canada," Lukas managed to speak as she continued to stare at him.

Akila didn't move a muscle as her fork tongue poked out for a moment to taste the air. She noticed his face change to surprise when he watched in surprise at her tongue. Akila could taste the air and it was mixed heavily with the nearby lake, the gravel but all of it was overpowered by the cigarette and cigar. Her eyes narrowed before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you mind not smoking?"

Lukas was still in a slight stir when he witnessed a snake's tongue popping out of a human mouth so when her question hit him he fumbled for a moment to drop his cigarette then stomping on it with his boot. "Sorry about that, I'll try to be more considerate," Lukas apologized quickly before stretching his hand out.

Akila gazed at the hand for a moment. An internal struggle happened within her heart and mind. Lukas seemed approachable and friendly but her last Host family were like that to start with as well. She didn't trust him nor did she trust this unfamiliar land. She pointed to the blue pick up truck which caused Lukas to slightly spin in place. "Is that our transport?" she asked in a rigid voice; obvious distrust recognized.

"Ah, yeah," Lukas answered as he turned back to his new resident. "I know it's not exactly friendly to place you in the back but I'm not exactly sure how else to get you home without walking,"

Akila narrowed her eyes at the truck before slowly slithering to the back of the truck. It took her little effort as she easily slithered in a circle to fill as much as she could within the confines of the truck. Her eyes followed the man as he smiled at her as he attempted to put the tail gate back up into the locked position. She watched with her sharp gaze as the human very carefully tried not to damage the live cargo that was now weighing down the back of his truck.

"I'll go grab your luggage!" he explained before turning to go grab the few suitcases that the bus driver was now unloading.

Akila watched him jog off as her eyes lazily watched his features. She didn't even notice when Zizu was almost resting her head on the Serpent's shoulder.

"He's got a great butt and look at those broad shoulders," Zizu almost purred in affection.

"Shut up," Akila mumbled as she pulled her hood up over her head again.

"D'awwww," Zizu murmured in a cute voice as she rested her head on Akila. "Just think about it. Two of you in a cabin in the forest. A peaceful lake practically out your front door. Who knows what might happen between two single people. . .,"

Akila was now more then happy to have her hood up and the Sun practically gone for the day. She didn't need anyone to see her blushing after those mental images were imbedded.

"Zizu, are you ready to head out?" Gerald called out as he placed the large suitcase in the backseat of his grey pickup.

"Coming, sweetums!" Zizu called out as she gave Akila a firm squeeze on the shoulder before crawling down from the blue truck and onto the back of the grey one.

"Sweetums. . .?" Akila muttered in disbelief.

"You say something, Miss?" Lukas asked.

Akila noticeably jumped as she turned her head towards the Human that managed to sneak up on her. His light smile gazing up at her, both of her suitcases in each of his hands.

"No," she answered in an almost growl, averting her eyes.

Lukas stood their for a moment, confused that he may have done something wrong. Not wanting to probe he simply opened his truck door and placed the luggage in gently before closing the door.

"Get in the dang truck, little lady," Frye could be heard as the Wyvern seemed much more shy as she landed with her luggage in the back of the black truck. Lukas swore he heard a small whimper of an apology but it was gone soon as the old man gave the girl a gentle pat on her head. How he managed to make the girl give a shy smile back was beyond him.

"Have a good night, lads," Frye called out before starting his truck and pulling out of the parking lot slowly as to not damage the precious cargo.

Lukas and Gerald called their good byes to the old man before looking at each other. Both men gave a shrug of their shoulders before climbing in themselves.

It was less than three minutes usually to get home from the store but tonight had been exception. He had finally pulled up to his gravel drive way, a single light still on from the deck. Shutting the engine off, Lukas let himself one last deep breath. This was a new chapter. A new beginning of sorts. Opening the door he already witnessed Akila slithering off the edge of the truck but suddenly stopped to look over the lake that was now reflecting the moonlight.

Lukas paused as the only sound were the crickets and the gentle wind through the tree tops. He watched her gaze over the lake for a moment before reaching for her luggage to bring into the house. He paused at the small steps up the porch to look back at his new room mate. "When ever your ready, come on inside," he spoke out.

Akila was star struck. Her village had a lake but it was almost a swamp in comparison to this. Everything here seemed so natural and at peace with the world. It almost seemed to seep into her muscles, releasing the tension she had. Akila only stirred as she turned her head to see Lukas gazing down at her with his smile again. She could only refocus as her eyes narrowed on the human, her body slithering up to the house.

The Cabin seemed much larger on the inside as she gazed at the unused fireplace, then shifting to the several photos that he had framed. Some showed what she assumed were family and friends while others showed Lukas in uniform surrounded by others dressed just like him. The living room lead to a hallway which had a light switched on. She slowly motioned over to one of the doorways to see a modest kitchen which seemed reasonably cleaned. The refrigerator decorated with a few pictures that were held up by magnets. The Serpentess didn't linger long as she slowly motioned towards on of the open doors where Lukas seemed to be. She slowly peeked her head through the door to see a large bedroom with it's own closet and a closed door.

"I know it's not much but you can decorate it however you like," Lukas spoke out as he gave the room a look around just in case something was out of place. "Mrs. Smith had the King sized mattress and frames brought in a few days ago so you get to break them in. That door leads to your own private bathroom that was installed to make you more at home,"

Akila was slightly blown away as she moved into the room so her entire body could fit into the room. She wasn't so shocked about the Lamia friendly additions but it almost looks like this was the master bedroom. Surely there wasn't much room left to the Cabin? The thought made her shift her gaze to the smiling man. She didn't know how to process some of this. She didn't want to trust again only to believe in a human's fake exterior.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the living room. Feel free to grab anything you want from the fridge," Lukas offered before closing the door behind himself.

Akila was motionless as she stared at the door. This was it. Her new room and her new chapter. The room was very plain but she had little to complain about. There was even a portable heater in the corner. The guilt was starting to sink in as Akila couldn't help but notice that this human went beyond what was expected of host families. Perhaps, just perhaps, she may actually come to a decent relationship with this Lukas Förstner.

But first things first! Akila hurriedly rushed to the bathroom and prepared for a much need bath.

Lukas was trying to read his novel but every few sentences were disturbed with plenty 'What ifs' that cluttered his focus. Did I do something wrong? Is the room not that great? Looking at the time on his watch he decided to simply call it a night and placed his marker back into the book a few pages back. Flicking some lights off he simply made his way to his room. Opening his room he heard something behind him.

Akila had barely poked her head out but her suspicions were now confirmed. His room was drastically small in comparison to hers. The singles size bed almost seemed too big for the room.

"Lukas?" her voice softly called out.

"Is something wrong?" Lukas asked as he stood in the door frame to his own room.

"Did you move your possessions into that room so I could have the bigger room?" she asked, shame starting to become evident as she seemed to lose the sharpness of earlier.

"Well, I just figured you would need more room to move around," he explained with a small chuckle. He would have to be blind to not notice the guilt ridden face she now showed. "Don't worry about it, Akila. You are my extended guest in this house so I don't mind,"

The air between the two was quiet as Akila shifted her gaze to his. He had that same smile on as if nothing was wrong. She slithered more into the hall and with a deep breath extended her hand, cheeks slightly blushing. "It's nice to meet you, Lukas Förstner. My name is Akila Silva. Please take care of me during this cultural exchange!"

Lukas almost couldn't hold back the laughter. "Were you practising that line the entire bus ride here?"

"No!" Akila blushed harder but could only hope that her latest tan would hide the red in her cheeks.

Lukas only smirked as he reached out to shake her much slender hand. "It's nice to have you here, Akila Silva. I'm looking forward to spending time with you,"

Spending time with me? Akila couldn't help but have mental images now invade her mind.

Seeing the poor flustered Python, Lukas gave a curt wave before going into his room.

"Good night, Akila,"

The Serpent could only wave slowly till the Human's door was shut.

"Stupid, Zizu. . .,"