A Londoner's Life With Monster Girls
Chapter 1
It was an ordinary rainy Thursday, the kind of which you'd wish would hurry up and be a Friday. As Dave sat alone in the decaying London council flat that had been his home for his whole life. Dave sorted through the last of the boxes, deciding what was junk and what wasn't. The majority of it was old family photographs, diaries and journals belonging to various ancestors in his eccentric family line.
Many of them including his mad old dad, had been cryptozoologists, searching the world for the likes of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. The box was full of letters that his father had claimed were correspondences between his family and some of these monsters, with strange coded addresses and bizarre dialects. Though Dave had always thought them to be just a game played between fellow monster hunters to ease the hours camped in the wilderness or just simply scams and hoaxes on the gullible.
Dave had loved his father's stories as a child, thrilling to wild tales of mysterious beasties and strange abominations of nature. But as he'd grown up and the mockery of others grew louder, he'd started to doubt his father. Soon Dave was reduced to humouring the old fool's insane plans for bringing these monsters into modern society, if only to keep his father safe from a mercilessly logical world.
Then this world had changed, in the blink of an eye all the dreams of his forebears had come true, even if they'd had nothing to do with it. Far away in Japan, the government had not only publicly announced that these monsters existed, but had welcomed them openly. Like domino's the rest of the first world nations had bowed to international pressure and done the same, even if the public opinion hadn't always been favourable.
Back in Britain, the press had a field day with the news. The left wing press wanted to welcome them with open arms and tofu. The right wing papers had wanted to 'send them all back', even if they weren't entirely clear where this 'back' was. Finally, the tabloids decried that these 'monsters' would be taking all their readers jobs, along with their unemployment benefits and then printing pictures of topless harpy girls on page three.
The British public on the whole had been largely indifferent to it all, especially once it became clear that it wouldn't actually affect their daily lives a great deal. Of course there was the usual crowd who were enjoying being outraged at everything, but as always the majority ignored them. The 'Liminals' (as it seemed to be politically correct to call them) themselves, were used to living in the shadows and had not all enjoyed being bathed in the sudden limelight of the press. Some had lapped it up, whilst others had been quite hostile, leading to many altercations between them and nosy reporters.
All this been too much for his father though. The shock of having his dreams come true had been too much for the old man's ailing heart and Dave had found him dead on the floor, still clutching the paper that had delivered the news. Now the old man was buried and it was time for Dave to move on to the next stage in his life. He balanced the last few boxes of family mementos in his arms, took a last look around the flat that had once been his home and headed out the door.
Meanwhile a few miles away in another flat that still smelt of fresh paint, Cora thought, 'This is not how it looked in the brochure.' As she flicked through the shiny government issue booklet that welcomed her to her new home. The brochure showed smiling cartoon Liminals, arm in arm with smiling humans, outside a beautiful brand new apartment complex. This place on the grotty side of the Elephant and Castle area of South London was neither beautiful, nor brand new, so she certainly wasn't smiling.
No the hulking mass of concrete from 1960's, that comprised the Roxborough Estate had been due for demolition for at least the last two decades. But with the arrival of the people like her, it had been hurriedly pressed back into service and was undergoing major renovations to get it fit to live in. Scaffolding still covered the eastern building and huge steel beams stuck out of the concrete to reinforce the aging structure against the heavier Liminal species.
Inside was at least warm and clean, if slightly sterile. Very fresh white paint covered every wall a, with brand new fixtures finishing the bathroom and kitchen, even it was they were the cheapest the contractors could buy. Cora just hoped her new flatmate wouldn't be averse to some extra homey touches, to make the place more pleasant to live in. She was wondering where he was, what he was like beyond the basic description she'd been given, but most of all she hoped he wasn't a complete dick.
She had been excited when the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Act had been announced, the chance to come out of hiding and explore the human world had made her giddy. Her grandmother had insisted that she'd join the exchange programme, even to go so far as make arrangements for her to live with a member of some human family that she knew.
But as she'd travelled south the enormity of leaving her quiet childhood in the glens of Scotland behind and living in the huge metropolis of London had started to sink in. She hadn't had much direct contact with humans before and the stares on the train down had really unnerved her. She guessed it would take a while for humans to get used to Liminals in their midst, but it was still disheartening.
Cora had another look through the information sheet on this David, the human that was to be her flatmate and companion on her 'integration into human society.' Which was a load of bloody rubbish, it wasn't like the Kelpie clans had been living in caves banging rocks together for hundreds of years. The access to human advancements and culture, though granted some of the older Kelpies weren't so enthusiastic about modern technology. Anyway back to this 'David,' he looked alright from the passport photo, though his eyes looked a little unsettling light to them, thought that could just be the camera flash. She was glad to see he apparently had a job construction, meant she wouldn't have to deal with some lazy arse, hogging the sofa all day.
But where the hell was he?
There was a muffled thump and a jangle of keys in door. It opened slowly and a tall man backed in with a huge backpack and a stack of bulging boxes. He turned awkwardly, knocking the door shut with the bag and stopped dead as he saw her. His eyes seemed to glow as they stared at her, his mouth hanging stupidly open as stood there like a statue. Typical human thought Cora, they were all full of open armed generosity until they got close, then they either gawped or freaked out. Aww now the prat had realised he'd been staring and was embarrassed, fucking idiot.
Dave saw her and stared, his eyes running up and down her athletic frame, admiring the curve of her nicely rounded bosom hidden behind a tight t-shirt. He wasn't fazed by grey seal like skin or the long fluked tail that swished from a shapely denim clad bottom. His father had spent a great deal of time acclimatising Dave to the weird and the strange, through trips to the insect house at London Zoo or macabre carnival shows, so this Liminal girl's appearance was nothing. Actually as he stood there looking at her, he realised that human or not, she was absolutely stunning.
He followed the trail of her long braided dark grey hair up to her slightly regal looking face. Too late he saw her large black eyes narrow and realised too late that his mouth had been hanging open. Looking away in embarrassment Dave groaned inwardly thinking, way to go idiot. You've been here what a minute and she already thinks you're a creep.
Clearing his throat, he put the boxes on the table and walked up to her offering his hand to shake and saying formally. "Hello, you must be Cora, I'm David, your new flatmate."
Cora gingerly took his hand and replied in a Scottish brogue, "Aye pleased to meet you Dave, welcome to our humble home."
Dave was a little crestfallen, he hated being called Dave, mainly due to all the 'everyone has a mate called Dave' jokes. But it seemed that everyone called him it instantly, whether he liked it or not and he'd long gotten used to it. Also since he'd already gotten off to bad start within the first minute of meeting Cora, he decided to let her have this one.
"How are you finding the place?" Asked Dave a little nervously. "I'm part of the team working to get this place ready for everyone," he added with a touch of pride in his voice. In his opinion, they done an amazing job at getting this mockery of architecture up to modern living specifications. Especially with the time scale and budget limitations imposed upon them by the Government. According to them, this place was only a temporary measure, until permanent and specially adapted accommodation could be built. But since this place had originally been built after the Second World War as a temporary housing as well, Dave didn't hold out much hope.
"It's, very nice" said Cora politely, eyeing the uneven if freshly painted ceiling. "Though I was told there would be a swimming pool, as you can guess it's kind of important to me." Swishing her tail and wiggling her webbed fingers for emphasis, Dave nodded and looked out into the courtyard to a large trench that was slowly filling with rain water.
"I'm afraid it's not finished yet; we've been mainly focused on getting the flats into a liveable state." Dave said with a sigh, pointing at the mass of scaffolding where his comrades were trying to clean over a half a century's worth of grime from the concrete. "But I'll talk to the boss, see if I can't get it bumped up the list. In the meantime, I'm sure there's a public pool around here somewhere or if you're really desperate, the Thames. I'm afraid we don't have beautiful swathes of water like Loch Ness..."
Dave had barely said the word when a swish cut through the air, bringing Cora's tail fluke to his neck like knife. "Don't you ever lump me in with those idiots from Loch Ness!" Growled Cora angrily, "Them and their 'oh look how famous we, aren't we amazing' bull crap. They're just a load of stuck up nancies always looking down on the other clans, just because they had their picture taken a few times."
Cora breathed heavily as she looked at him with crazy eyes, causing Dave to slowly eased himself away with sweat running down his brow. "Sorry," stammered Dave, "I didn't realise there was more than one err... clan and that there was bad blood between you two." Dave could have kicked himself, he'd fucked up again and he was sure if he'd read her file or his father's notes properly he'd known this kind of stuff.
Cora shook her head, blinking away her rage. Damn it, she had lost it with this poor guy who was trying to friendly. She was just so tense with how crazy her life was now and had lashed out. "I'm the one who should be apologising, it's just that everyone assumes that if you're a Scottish lake monster, you're a 'Nessie.' " Cora said wiggling her fingers in the air to punctuate her sarcasm. "Especially when her 'Ladyship' and her brain dead slag of a daughter, have been all over the TV shaking hands with the Queen, fucking twats."
Dave couldn't help but laugh at her animosity, asking where she was actually from and she replied with a Loch Lomond, a loch further south than Loch Ness towards Glasgow. The atmosphere relaxed a little and Dave offered a cup of tea, which Cora gratefully accepted. The awkward tension of two strangers not knowing what was okay to say hung in the air. Fingers twiddled, short laughs echoed and comments about the weather went nowhere.
Dave realised there was only one way to get rid of this tension between them, something he should have thought of straight away. She startled as he took her hand in his and said with all the seriousness he could muster, "Cora, do you want to go to the pub?"
Cora blinked in surprise then let out an almost orgasmic sigh and replied, "Oh fuck yeah."
A short while later the Dave and Cora burst out of the blustery evening, towards the crowded warmth of the Pendragon Arms down the road. The hubbub quietened as the locals looked a little at Dave and a great deal at Cora. They felt awkward under the spotlight, but the denizens of the bar soon went back to their drinks. Judging from the few other Liminals in the place, everyone here at least was getting used to their presence and hopefully soon would pay them no mind. After ordering some drinks and food, Dave found a more reclusive table in a corner. Collapsing onto the worn seat and enjoying the feeling of alcohol seeping into his system.
The pub was a classic old man's boozer, with dark oak woodwork, nicotine yellow walls and faded upholstery. A knackered fruit machine flashed luridly, while an archaic jukebox played Bowie and pool balls clattered around the table as a satyr potted one in the corner. Neville the barman gave a slightly bemused look across his pub as he poured another pint for the satyr. Up until a month ago he'd been looking at closure. But with the arrival of the Liminals business was booming, they and their human companions seemed a thirsty lot, as well as the construction workers who were down here every chance they got. Not that Neville the barman was complaining, but the pub's ancient furniture clearly was, as he eyed the creaking chair beneath a huge minotaur. He'd didn't relish having talk to the brewery about upgrading for Liminal use, though the toilets in particular were in desperate need of it. With a sigh he took the huge plates of pub grub from the stressed looking chef and took them over to the customers.
Dave hadn't realised how hungry he was as he tucked into his roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, glad to see Cora devouring her cod with chips. Their bellies sated, Dave ordered another round and smiled back at Cora's content grin as she decided to strike up a conversation. "What made you sign up for this gig," She asked," seems like a strange thing for a young guy to take on?"
Dave pondered for a moment before answering," I guess I feel I owe it to my father, he and my forefathers were cryptozoologists, that spent their lives chasing mon... you guys. I never really believed in him until now, so I wanted to try and make it up to him."
Cora smiled kindly at Dave's honesty and replied, "maybe I could meet your father, he might enjoy meeting a real Scot's beastie."
Dave smiled sadly, "He'd loved that, but I'm afraid he's no longer with us."
"Oh shit, I'm sorry," apologised Cora profusely.
"It's fine, you didn't know," assured Dave and feeling the atmosphere turn awkward added quickly. "What about you, what made you leave the Highlands of bonnie Scotland, for old London town?"
"Well it was mainly because of my grandmother, she was a big supporter of this exchange thing and was insistent I take part" Sighed Cora. "Even to go so far as to talk to guys in charge and make sure I had one of the first flats with the right person, she can get really scary when she's driven."
"You don't seem as enthused?" Asked Dave with concern.
"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm all for it," replied Cora quickly. "It's just that I've spent my whole life in a small secretive community, waiting for something exciting to happen. Then suddenly it does and now I'm in London, away from everything I knew, living with a guy I've just met. It's all been a bit overwhelming to be honest."
"Well we're not in a rush, so give yourself time to adjust and if it does get too much, no one will blame you for going home." Dave said with a smile patting her surprisingly soft hand.
"Thanks," Cora said smiling back, "that means a lot to me, though my grandmother would blame me."
They chatted for a while, a few more pints lubricating their conversation, as they talked about their respective pasts. As they talked Dave started to pick out a discordant background humming coming from a man a couple of tables away, that was joined by the questionable singing of his friend. Their dubious talent made the tune difficult to follow, but Dave recognised it as the theme song to an old children's cartoon about a family of Loch Ness Monsters. Dave glanced at Cora, whose eyes had narrowed as her tail began to swish back and forth.
"Which one do think she is?" Said one of the drunken fools to the other. "Mightiness maybe, Sportiness, I don't she's quite Loveliness?"
"Uh oh, watch out," laughed the other, spilling his pint down his front as he caught Cora's glare. "I think she might be Bitchiness."
They both guffawed idiotically as Dave's knuckles tightened, with a slightly drunken turn he rounded on them and glared at the two idiots.
"Leave her alone guys," Dave said in a low growl, his eyes blazing with anger as thumped their table hard enough to splash their pints of lager.
The glare unnerved them and they stammered, "We were just having a laugh mate, didn't mean any harm."
"Well 'mates' kindly shut the fuck up or get fucking lost." Growled Dave even lower and the two drunks went white.
They nervously looked at each other unanimously agreed to leave, scuttling out of the pub as Dave smiled with satisfaction. With sigh he turned back to Cora, who looked a little unsettled by the look in his eyes.
"Sorry about that," Dave said with irritation. "There's still far too many pricks in the world."
"You didn't have to," said Cora looking a little embarrassed. "I've been called far worse."
"Still you shouldn't have to put up with it," insisted Dave with drunken bravado.
"It's fine," Cora chuckled. "They're just lucky they didn't do that to an actual member of the Ness clan, they'd be dead before they hit the floor."
Dave laughed at the image and they talked for a bit more about the various Kelpie clans, but the upbeat mood had gone and it wasn't long before Dave suggested they head home. Leaving the warmth of the pub, they headed back to the estate, pulling their coats about them against the rain.
They passed the encampment of protesters that had sprung up around the outer gate of the estate, lantern lights glowing from within the huddle of small tents. Signs running slightly in the rain decrying the government expenditure, telling the Liminals to go home and proclaiming that they were demons from the depths of Hell. One heavily clothed woman feebly waved a sign from under her sagging tarpaulin, but Dave and Cora steadfastly ignored her and entered the estate. Giving a wave to the grizzled security guard at the reception desk, they headed up to their flat at number 82.
After entering, Cora disappeared off to the bathroom, whilst Dave made some tea and plonked himself down on the sofa. He flicked through his dad's old things seeing if there was anything on the Kelpies of Scotland. In the background the TV quietly showed the US President smiling forcibly as the chief of the Bigfoot tribes almost shook his hand into pulp. Dave was only half watching as he puzzled over a Fortean Times article on Loch Ness, not noticing Cora peering over his shoulder.
"Do you want to know, where Nessie is in that?" She said pointing at a picture of long hump like wave, "taking the fucking photo." Dave raised an eyebrow as Cora sighed "Those Ness guys played the whole monster industry like a fiddle, made an absolute fortune in, books, T-shirts and all that crap."
Dave laughed, "Must be especially weird for them now all the mystery has gone."
Cora shrugged, "They're milking the interview cow now, they must have been on half the talk shows on TV by now." Dave nodded, he watched a few of them, but they were just filled with gossip, rather than anything meaningful.
Cora flumped down next to Dave, surprising him with how close she sat leaning against his shoulder. She rummaged in the box flicked through a photo album, awing at photos of Dave as a baby and laughing at his embarrassing school boy haircuts. Dave thumbed through ancient journals, trying to make sense of the scrawled handwriting and archaic language. He looked at a grainy Victorian looking wedding photograph. Some ancestor of his stood proud with his bride, her face hidden in dark shadow of her veil, surrounded by a bunch of bridesmaids. He went to show it to Cora, but she was already fast asleep, a slight smile on her lips as her breath slowly rose and fell. Dave tried to read for a little longer, but soon tiredness caught up with him too and he dozed off next to her.
The morning light streamed in like an unwelcome supernova and roughly woke Dave as his hungover brain ground into gear. Confused by his location, it took him a minute to figure out where he was and why his arm felt weird. Following it he was surprised to see it wrapped around a sleeping grey skinned girl that dozed against him. As he remembered who she was, he panicked for a second as he wondered how far things had gone, but a quick clothes check left him confident nothing had. His only problem was his hand, which was tingling with pins and needles as it curved around her slim neck to lightly rest on the glorious curve of her left breast.
Fighting the automatic urge to squeeze, Dave slowly lifted his fingers off her with the care of a bomb disposal expert. Sweating slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly edged his arm free...
'Boom, boom, boom!' Came a loud knock from the front door. Cora shrieked into wakefulness, then shrieked again as she looked a Dave with confusion. Shoving him away, Cora leapt to her feet, looking around her with fear that faded as she started to remember. The door boomed again as a confused Cora went to answer, stumbling slightly has she tried to get her sleepy legs to move. Dave staggered over to the kitchenette to ready some rejuvenating coffee, whilst watching the door intently.
"Is everything okay in there?" enquired a soft rhythmical female voice, "I thought I heard a noise."
"Sorry you made us jump," laughed Cora nervously, blushing slightly as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Cora wasn't it, is it okay if I come in?" asked the voice cheerily, "I just wanted to check you two have settled in okay?"
"Umm yeah, sure thing, come in," welcomed Cora feeling a trifle bemused by it all.
Their guest sauntered in and looked about the flat searching for Dave who stood by the kettle. He groaned as he recognised his boss, the onsite representative of the Department for Liminal Affairs, Ms Sapna Patel.
"Ahh, there you are Dave, is that coffee I smell?" She said striding over, her voluptuous curves struggling to be contained within the sharp lines of her business suit. The striking sight was slightly spoiled by the heavy bags under her eyes and the rather warped smile as she asked. "Do me a cup please, I really need the boost this morning."
Dave grudgingly obliged and soon they were all feeling the bitter surge of instant coffee. Ms Patel moaned as she downed it all in one go and sighed, "that hit the spot." Putting her mug down with a clunk, Ms Patel remembered what she came here for and cleared her throat. "So, how are you two getting on, because I really hope everything is fine."
Her stressed grin widened as she looked from Dave to Cora expectantly and Dave glanced at Cora, worried that she'd taken this morning the wrong way. But she just said that things were great and Dave was relieved as he agreed, much to Ms Patel's delight.
"Right Dave, I need you to hurry up and get to work finishing the refurbishment on the second penthouse," Ms Patel stated with authority. "Our VIP will be arriving in a few days and we need to have it ready for her."
Dave's heart sank, the 'penthouses' if you could call them that. Were the larger apartments on the top floor of the middle section of the estate and they had been a nightmare to refurbish.
"Can't they just stay in the first one, that's finished," complained Dave.
"Sorry, that one is already occupied and it would be a total pain for the occupant to move back out now." Explained Ms Patel, looking a little awkward as a blush tinged her cheeks.
"Fine," sighed Dave, "let me just get my stuff together and I'll head up."
"Good man," smiled Ms Patel, "I know it's a pain, but I really need things to go smoothly with this one, there's higher ups watching."
Dave nodded, downed the last of coffee and went into his room to change into his work clothes. Ms Patel helped herself to another coffee and then nodded towards Dave's door with a whisper, "If you're having any problems with him, let me know straight away and we'll make sure he regrets it." Ms Patel gave Cora a sinister smile as she handed her a business card with a range of contact details.
"No, he's been fine," said Cora with a slight blush. "A few teething problems just getting used to each other, but nothing to worry about." She gave her own sinister smile and swung her tail with a dramatic swish before adding. "Don't worry, if he did try anything I didn't like, he'd be regretting way before you got here."
Ms Patel laughed, "Maybe I should be warning him. You shouldn't have to worry, he's a good bloke and his family has a history with Liminals, so he should be fine on that count."
Dave then emerged from his room in a paint splattered track suit and hi-vis vest, eyeing the two women warily. With a sigh he hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and said, "Right shall we head off then Boss?"
"Yeah I suppose we should," said Ms Patel reluctantly as she finished her coffee. "See you later Cora, as I said don't hesitate to contact me if you have any problems."
Dave quickly scribbled a number on a bit of paper and gave it to her in what he hoped was a casual way. "Here's my number in case you need to get a hold of me, want to chat or anything like that."
Cora thanked them and watched them leave, feeling a little lonely as silence settled over the flat. She looked out the window at the rest of the estate, a fine drizzle dampened the view of the dreary buildings as the wind rattled the scaffolding. The bright hi-vis vests glowed in the murk as scurrying workers put the struts up for a large greenhouse on the end of one block, arguing over the correct layout.
She looked sadly at the hole that might one day be a swimming pool and longed for the lochs of her old home. With a sigh Cora headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping it might stem her melancholy. She closed her eyes as the water ran between her breasts, across her smooth stomach and between her thighs. Losing herself in the warm caress of the falling water and the light touch of her fingers as she rubbed soap over her toned body.
Feeling invigorated, Cora dried herself and began the long task of drying and braiding her hair back under control. She fell back on her bed, feeling much more upbeat and carried on sorting her room out. She was rooting through her huge suitcase when a loud shout broke the silence. "Fucking die you, stupid arsehole!"
Cora stood with alarm as the same voice screamed, "Raaagh, get off me you cheating fuck." Cora finished getting dressed in a hurry as a loud thump punctuated the laugh of, "got you, you fucking twat."
Cora raced out of the front door, stumbling in her untied trainers as she ran up to next door along the corridor. There was a long wait after she hammered on the door and she was tempted to kick it open. Then there was click as the door slowly opened and a bearded human face peered through the crack nervously.
"Is err, everything okay in there?" Said Cora uncertainly, not wanting to seem too aggressive. "I heard shouting."
The man blinked with surprise as his eyes looked Cora up and down. "Oh that was just Melania, she gets awfully excited playing her computer games." He said in a surprisingly posh voice for a hippy as a bead of sweat ran down his brow.
"Do you mind if I ask her?" Said Cora forcibly pushing the door open, causing the tie dyed guy to stumble back.
With the curtains drawn this flat was much darker than hers and the faint smell of incense hung in the still air. Cora looked about for the other occupant as the man called out, "Melania, we have a guest."
"I told you to stop calling me that!" A thick Newcastle accent shouted and Cora located the source as multiple pairs of red eyes glimmered in the dark. "It sounds so lame, call me Mel for God's sake."
There was a scuffling sound as 'Mel' emerged into the light from the door and Cora fought to control her fright. Due to her low height, at first glance from the front Mel looked like a chubby child with short black hair and wearing very furry black trousers. Cora quickly realised how wrong this was, firstly because Mel's substantial bosom proved she was most definitely not a child and secondly the hairy pair of legs were joined by six more attached to a large black body behind her.
Cora was determined to accept anyone here, human or Liminal, but even so she had grit her teeth a little as Mel rose up on her legs to a more adult high and extended a tattooed hand. "Pleased to meet you Mel, I'm Cora from next door," Cora said politely. "How are you finding it here?"
Mel grinned at the correct name and straightened out her taut Iron Maiden t-shirt. "Yeah it's been great to be finally in my own place, sorry about the shouting, this prick was really pissing me off in my game."
Cora laughed uneasily, "It's fine, I thought you two were fighting or something so a dashed over."
Mel laughed, "Nah we're fine, aren't we Colin?"
"Yeah we fine," laughed Colin unsteadily as he pushed his untidy dreadlocks off his pale face.
Cora felt sorry for him, he had clearly signed up hoping to look after some cute and timid fawn or nymph. But no, he'd got a coarse Geordie spider girl with not a hint of cuteness or sophistication in even a hair on her eight legs. Hopefully Colin would relax a bit once things settled down and they got used to each other, the same for her and Dave, Cora supposed. But then her train of thought broke as she felt someone heading down the corridor towards her.
"Getting to know the neighbours are we, darlin'?" said a thick East London accent and Cora turned to see a short broad man with slicked back thinning hair, sporting a salesman's smile. Alongside him was an impossibly beautiful woman with smooth glowing skin and a pair of butterfly like wings on her back.
"The name's Sid" said the man taking Cora's hand in a bone crushing grip and shaking it. "This stunner 'ere is Lady Cottingley."
Lady Cottingley said, "pleased to meet you" in soft musical voice that spoke of spring rain.
"I'm Cora" Cora smiled, flexing fingers that she suddenly felt the urge to wash, "I live with Dave at number 82. This is Colin and Mel" she added, pointing to the other two with her thumb.
Sid looked down at Mel and chuckled, "Wow there's nothing itsy or bitsy about you is there love."
Mel smiled with forced politeness, whilst some of her eyes twitched and joined Colin in greeting the new couple.
Sid slapped Colin on the back almost knocking the man to the floor and grinned, "This is a great gig Isn't it mate. New place to live, benefit pay, tons of hot chicks. Living the fucking dream aren't we and all the governments expense."
Colin agreed out of politeness, though his eyes darkened at Sid's tone, before returning to being transfixed by Lady Cottingley. Which didn't surprise Cora, because despite the inclement weather, the fairy was wearing a slip of silk that barely covered her impossibly slim figure.
"Right, I'm off to take milady here for a night on the town," announced Sid, "See you guys later."
Lady Cottingley gave a wave and they strode off down the corridor, to the relief of Cora and Mel. While Colin followed the fairy's pert bottom with envious eyes, making Cora feel strangely glad that Dave wasn't here to witness the exhibition.
Cora said goodbye to Mel as the arachnid dragged Colin back inside and their faint conversation faded as Cora went back into her flat. She felt a little envious of Lady Cottingley and wondered if Dave would take her out into the centre of London, to see a show up the West End or look in the shops on Oxford Street. It was a bit embarrassing that the Liminals had to be accompanied by their hosts off the estate, but in all honesty Cora was a little scared of venturing into the chaos of central London on her own.
Powering up her laptop she started looking at various things to see and do in London, making notes on what sounded interesting. Then idly potted about the flat, trying to make it look nicer and finally tried to get rid of pent up energy by doing some exercises. Without being able to swim, Cora was missing the rush of good workout. So she shook herself loose, stretching her long limbs and arching her back in a variety of different positions, until she felt better. Feeling a bit tired and sore, she lazed on the sofa reading a romance novel, before dozing off for a quick nap.
It had been a long day on site, but the penthouse was finally done. The special modifications had been baffling, but according to Ms Patel they were vital. An advisor from some museum had been driving them mad with trivial details that seemed to change every minute. Hopefully this 'VIP' liked it, because otherwise tough they'd just have to deal with it themselves.
With a sigh Dave entered the flat and plonked his bag down, smiling at the sight of Cora asleep on the sofa. A slight smile on her lips as a book rose and fell on her stomach, her tail gently patting a cushion. Dave couldn't resist taking a guilty glance over Cora's figure, admiring the way her braid ran over her shoulder and between her sports bra clad breasts. Her black yoga shorts were tight around leg muscles and Dave had to shake his mind free as his eyes traced the gap between her thighs.
He forced himself to the bathroom, he needed to stop thinking of her like this before he got into trouble. Running the shower cold, Dave washed the sweat, grime and paint of a hard day's work off him. He was just towelling off when he heard the bathroom door click, spinning around he saw Cora enter, yawning as she went. Dave froze in the small steamy room as Cora suddenly sensed his presence.
With an apprehensive slowness she turned to face him, her eyes going wide as she gazed upon his naked form and both their cheeks went red as her eyes slowly travelled down the muscles on his stomach. Cora eyes went further south at became even wider, as she made a little squeak and her faced turned crimson. The she shot out the door like lightning with a panicked, "Sorry!"
Dave hurriedly dressed and went out after her, but she had disappeared into her room, he thought about following her in, but that would probably make things worse. So he yelled through the door, "Sorry about that I should have locked the door, I thought you were fast asleep."
A slightly nervous voice stammered, "No, I should have knocked, when I saw the door was closed. I hadn't realised you were home and didn't think."
Dave knocked asking, "can I come in, its awkward speaking through the door?"
Cora quickly said, "one second," the after some rustling, "okay you can come in."
Dave pushed open the door and Cora was standing there looking awkward, not meeting his eyes, while still blushing brightly. He tried to keep his mind off the pair of lacy panties sticking out of a drawer and said lightly, "I think now is probably the time to set some ground rules. Always keeping the bathroom locked while using it, is a given after that and shall we also say that bedrooms are out of bounds unless invited."
Cora nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's probably for the best, I'm so sorry."
Dave waved a dismissive hand, "I guess I'm lucky it wasn't the other way around. If I'd walked in on you, you'd probably have smashed my face in."
Cora laughed and waved her tail menacingly, "true, so don't you be getting any ideas."
Dave struggled to purge thoughts of Cora in the shower from his mind, resorting to the British standard in mental distraction and casually asked, "would you like a cup of tea?"
Some tea and biscuits later things had relaxed a bit, with Cora was telling Dave about their neighbours. "They sound like quite a crowd," laughed Dave. "I'll have to meet them myself. How have you been feeling?"
Cora sighed and looked at her twitching tail, "a bit at a loss really. I don't know what to do with myself, usually when I feel like this I go for a swim, but I can't. Heck I'm missing just the smell and sound of the lochs, it's embarrassing getting homesick at my age."
Dave smiled forlornly, "we'll get on to that pool as soon as we can, but we're waiting on the materials." He sighed looking at the cheap linoleum floor, "If it's the sound of open water you're looking for, we could have a walk down to the Thames. Maybe have a drink at a riverside pub and watch the boats go past, it'll be better than nothing?"
Cora pondered and then agreed with a grin. "Yeah, actually that would be really nice, let me just go get ready."
She disappeared into her room and Dave went into his own, trying to decide how smart casual to dress for just a walk along the river. Feeling a little smarter he leant on the sofa waiting for Cora to emerge and eventually she did, looking fantastic in way that spoke of how much effort she'd put into making it look like she'd made no effort. They smiled at each other and headed out the front door.
Down in lobby a few Liminals and their hosts were sorting out the paperwork to enter their new homes. Ms Patel looked exhausted as she sorted out the details of an excited office girl and a handsome fox like man, who was casually leaning on the reception desk.
"Right Myranda, Reynard," sighed Ms Patel. "Here are your keys, you're in flat 38 and I hope you enjoy your time here."
"Thank you," grinned Myranda as she skipped off.
"Many thanks to you good lady" purred Reynard with a bow to Ms Patel, causing her to blush like a school girl. Cora raised an eyebrow at him as the white tip of his red brush tail disappeared around the corner.
"Right, next," groaned Ms Patel, "you'd better be the last."
With a nervous laugh a rugged man in cycling lycra, accompanied by a lady centaur with olive skin, dark hair and black fur approached the desk. Dave and Cora gave them a smile and waved to Ms Patel, as they gingerly stepped around the centaur's rump, heading for the door. As they came outside they jumped back as clatter of hooves and whir of tires rushed past.
Blinking they watched a centaur boy keeping pace with a human girl of about eleven on a BMX bike, as they dodged in and out of line of bollards, laughing as they went. Dave glanced back at who he presumed were their respective parents puzzling over ID at the desk. He gave the two kids a smile, as Cora gave them a friendly wave and then headed out into the city.
Heading north towards London Bridge, it was about a twenty-five minute walk to the Thames, though Cora was setting a fast pace so it was probably more like fifteen. Dave lead Cora past Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral until they came to the Thames. For what seemed like eternity, Cora just stood their transfixed by the river as the lights of north bank danced on the river's surface. The wind whistled through the rigging of the old sailing ship alongside as Cora closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the waves as a tourist boat's wake crashed ashore.
Dave just stood and watched her serene smile as Cora lost herself in the moment, smiling himself to see her at peace. Her eyes slowly opened and he saw the lights of the city reflected in her dark eyes. She saw him watching and blushed, "Sorry I kind of zoned out just then."
"It's fine, it was nice to see you so happy," said Dave cheerfully. "Let's walk along a bit, there's a good pub this way."
Cora liked the sound of that and they made their way upstream towards a pub called The Anchor, picking a table outside, right on the water's edge. It was a little cold in the wind, but Cora didn't seem to mind as she went back to staring at the river, watching the boats go up and down. Dave brought some drinks and food, letting Cora just enjoy the moment as she absentmindedly ate some chips.
"Part of me wants to just jump straight in," said Cora without taking her eyes off the rippling dark surface.
"I wouldn't," laughed Dave, "you don't want to know what kind of things are floating in there."
Cora laughed and nodded, "Even in Loch Lomond there are areas around the villages and camp sites you wanted to avoid swimming in, so don't worry I won't be going for a dip any time soon."
They chatted about her home and her childhood teasing tourists as the sailed aboard the old steamship that cruised the loch waters.
Soon it was time to move on as the carried on walking west, past the Globe theatre where the current production of A Midsummer Night's Dream now starred real fairies. Tourists milled about outside the Tate Modern art gallery and crossed back and forth across the Millennium Bridge, as Cora became lost again in the sight of the river. Dave leant on the railings as he looked up at the Tate's huge tower, admiring the strange mix of modern glass and old brick work. When suddenly there was rush of wind and something shot by overhead, climbing steeply to spiral around the tower, before unleashing a jet of flame at the top.
A humanoid figure stood at the top of the tower spreading a huge pair of bat like wings. There was a gasp from the crowd as it suddenly dived and Dave glimpsed a sliver of scarlet scales as the creature shot over his head ruffling his hair. Then to the delight of the tourists, the creature began to do loops around the bridge, filling the lenses of many phones that were held aloft. Dave was in awe as his eyes followed the aerial acrobat, Cora looked at his gawping face with an unimpressed frown and muttered, "Fucking dragons."
The dragon was also lost in the thrill of its flight as it shot under the bridge at such a speed, it had no chance of dodging the incoming boat. It tried to pull up and the crowd held its breath, but the dragon clipped the seating on the open upper deck sending tourists diving for cover. Crashing end over end with a sickening scream, the dragon finally flew out over the stern and hung in the air for a split hopeful second. Before smashing into the water with a great splash and a hiss of steam.
Before he had time to think things through, Dave already had his jacket and shoes off and dove straight into the river. The shock of the cold water was nothing to the taste, which was worse than he could have ever imagined. He spluttered through a wake and strove forth aiming for the fading column of steam. Diving down he floundered in the murk, before finding a struggling wing and followed it to a scaly body. Wrapping his arms around the body he hauled upwards with all his might and broke the surface. He struggled as the dragon's wings dragged through the water, Dave's arms and legs ached as they began to sink again.
Then a strong arm grabbed him around the armpit and lifted him to the surface, the weight of the dragon was taken from him as he was pulled towards the shore. Eventually Dave felt slick wet stone steps under him and he dragged himself up them, until multiple hands grabbed him, before he blacked out.
Dave's world came back into focus as blue lights flashed on a waiting ambulance, the dragon was being lifted on board on a stretcher. It was only now he could see that the dragon wasn't the traditional fantasy lizard. But a girl with bright red scales along her back, arms and wings. Then pale scales down her neck and presumably her torso, which was hidden by a soaked rugby shirt along with a ripped pair of jeans.
Cora watched the paramedics take the dragon girl aboard, her faced etched with concern. She waved them off as they slammed the doors and drove slowly through the crowd with sirens blaring. With a sigh, she strode over to Dave, who sat propped against a wall in a puddle of river water. She hauled him to his feet and looked him straight in the eyes, as he blearily looked back, swaying slightly on tired calves.
The slap snapped Dave awake and he blinked as Cora came into focus, surprisingly holding her hand out ready for a second strike. "What were you thinking?" Cora screamed at him, her face inches away. She pointed at her tail which she brandished threateningly, "see this, I'm a lake monster. I've spent most of my life in water, I could have rescued that idiotic lizard with no problems, without any need for you to risk your fucking neck."
Cora breathed heavily as Dave's cheek blushed bright enough to match the slapped one. "I'm sorry," he said to the floor. "I guess I wasn't thinking, I just saw someone in trouble and dived in."
Cora shook her head, her wet braid sending droplets everywhere. "You could have died Dave," she pleaded. "Not only from drowning, but there's boat propellers, diseases, all kinds of things that can kill you. I'll be keeping a close eye on you over next few days, might even take you to the doctors to be on the safe side."
"Okay," Dave sighed vaguely, he felt too tired for this right now and was becoming aware of the stares of the phone wielding crowd. "Let's go home." He staggered away and Cora quickly put an arm around him and they walked towards the road to find a taxi.
As they approached the road a small car screeched to a halt in front of them and the door popped open to reveal Ms Patel, looking at them with dangerously manic eyes.
"Are you guys okay? "she said in a rush. "I was told there had been an accident involving a liminal."
"They've already taken her to the hospital," Cora explained. "We just got a bit wet, thanks to mister wannabe hero here."
Dave smiled weakly and Ms Patel looked at him with concern. "Get in, I'll drive you home, then head to the hospital. Fuck sake as if I hadn't had enough to deal with today."
Cora and Dave, pushed aside old coffee cups and fast food wrappers as the squeezed into the back seats, apologising for their wetness. Ms Patel didn't seem to care as she drove with terrifying recklessness through the London traffic, as Cora explained what had happened. Even after just a few minutes Dave and Cora were glad to be free of the car, waving Ms Patel off as she hurtled in direction of St Thomas' Hospital.
Taking the lift up to their flat, Dave immediately headed for the shower and peeled off his damp clothes. Enjoying the warmth, driving out the chill from the river, he was already starting to feel sleepy. After a while he heard a knock and Cora called out apprehensively, "Sorry, but can you hurry up in there, I need to wash the stink of that river off too."
"One sec!" Dave yelled back and dried himself, before realising he'd forgotten to bring a dry change of clothes. Wrapping the towel around his waist he opened the door slowly to find Cora waiting. "You'll have to pardon the towel" Dave smiled as Cora blushed slightly at the sight of his naked chest. Dave slipped past, trying not to notice how her nipples pointed through the cold fabric of her top and dove for his room. He had intended to stay up for a bit, but his bed looked too tempting and he slid under the covers, instantly falling asleep.
The following morning Cora woke late and was puzzled by the lack of any sign of Dave. Presuming he had already left for work, she ate some breakfast and looked at her laptop. Then a noise caught her attention as a faint groan came from Dave's room, concerned she knocked and called his name. But there was no answer, even after a few more tries the only thing she heard was another groan. Apologising she entered and to her horror found Dave curled up in sweat drenched sheets shuddering. Cora gently stroked his feverish brow and he murmured something, squinting at her in the darkness.
Then suddenly his eyes went wide and he shot past her towards the bathroom. He was in there for quite some time and Cora began to worry as unpleasant noises issued from within. She phoned Ms Patel who arranged for a doctor to check on him and a few hours later he arrived. The doctor prescribed a pharmacy load of medication, with explicit instructions to call an ambulance if his condition worsened.
The next few days were hell for Dave, struggling between the torture of fever, sickness and daytime TV. The only highlight was Cora caring for him, especially when her cool hands caressed his brow. Dave felt bad for her, she had left all she knew for a new life of excitement and adventure. But was instead she was looking after an idiot, who couldn't be rescue someone without nearly getting killed himself. She smiled at him as she offered another bowl of her grandmother's foul smelling broth, that the old dear had insisted Cora make him, claiming it would cure him faster than any pills. But Dave still felt like crap for being such a bad host to such an amazing girl, he'd find a way to make it up to her somehow.
It was almost a week later when Dave started to feel back to normal and he was doing his utmost to pay Cora back, by doing as many chores as he could manage. He was pondering whether to pretend he was still ill so that he could enjoy some healthy days off, when there was a knock at the door. Cora opened the door and staggered back as Ms Patel barged in saying, "glad to see you're feeling better Dave, I really need you back at work."
Dave groaned inwardly as he gave her a weak smile and Cora said protectively, "I'm not sure he's at a hundred percent yet."
"Well I hope you're up for having guests," said Ms Patel with too much cheer in her voice. "I need someone to look after this girl until I can sort out her paperwork and since you'd already met..." Ms Patel smiled hopefully as Dave and Cora reluctantly gave consent.
"Excellent," clapped Ms Patel, "come in Tanwen, this is Cora and Dave."
The dragon girl was trying to hide behind her huge and rather torn red wings. Peering out shyly said, "Hi" in a soft Welsh accent and gave a nervous little wave.
[Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed this modern British take on the world of Monster Musume, any reviews positive or negative will be gratefully accepted.]