The Sun had yet to rise but Lukas was already up and tying his running shoes. He may no longer be in the Military but some habits were just hard to kill. There was also the environment in which he ran in that was also pretty extravagant. Opening his door as quietly as he could he noticed that Akila's door was still shut so he tip toed past and into the kitchen to fill his water pack that he wore as a back pack. Turning the tap off he made sure the water sack was secured then turned to the fridge to see a picture which had three figures all in crayon. He kissed his finger then placed it on the smallest figure on the drawing.

He exited the cabin a minute later to see Gerald in a similar get up stretching his calf lightly against the blue truck. Lukas gave a small wave "Morning, Gerald. How was your night?"

Gerald gave out a small laugh before motioning to the drive way. The two started an easy jog, the cabin starting to disappear in the foliage. "Remember Campbell in basic? How he was always the laziest fucker? Now imagine a giant spider lady with the same attitude,"

Lukas could only laugh as the nice breeze help cool his body down.

"Don't get me wrong, man. She was a blast to hang out with but I left my living room for five minutes and she already had a hammock set up!" Gerald said in exasperation. "I couldn't believe it!"

"Sounds rough,"

"Oh no, you'd think that from what I just told you," Gerald continued as a smile started to grow. "She started to just hang from her hammock, legs just dangling there and then the sports channel came on,"

"Oh no," Lukas groaned.

"Oh yes. One of a hundred extraspecies in Canada and guess who got the one who likes the exact same football team? That's right, this guy," Gerald slapped his chest a few times. The two runners dipped around a few trees as they followed the familiar route. "What about you? How was your spaghetti noodle of a visitor?"

Lukas scrunched his face up for a moment as he tried to think of the right wording.

"Well, she was nice enough," was all that he could muster up.

"Are you sure?" Gerald asked as they jumped over a fallen tree. "Zizu said that the, and I quote, 'Buzzkill was more of a downer than a brick attached to a leg',"

Lukas laughed at his friend's attempt of impersonation. "She just needs time to get used to the new surrounding is all. Give her a few days and I bet she will be more grounded," Lukas explained before taking a sip through the straw that drew from his pack. The two of them continued to jog for a kilometre more till Gerald spoke up again.

"How are you doing, man?" Gerald asked, his voice loss of anything of his earlier joyful expression.

Lukas grimaced as he knew exactly what he meant. He was hoping that the subject would not come up but when you got a friend who is practically a brother, it was foolish to even think that Gerald would forget. "I'm fine, Gerald. It's been three years already,"

Gerald didn't need to have a masters in psychology to understand when a friend like Lukas was trying to hide pain behind a mental wall. "I understand," he simply said. "By the way, did you give Akila the cell phone we purchased for the girls?"

Lukas slowed his jog for only a moment as it hit him. A quick slap to the forehead was all that needed to be said. Their jog finished with laughter echoing through the forest.


Akila stirred in her bed with small movements. Her eyes fluttering open as the sun started to peek through the blinds that covered the windows. Birds could be heard chirping and low music came from her door. She didn't move nor attempt to pull the blanket away from her as she tried to think about how she was going to confront her new room mate.

Scenarios ranging from anger to just plain saucy ran through her mind. Her body slowly slithered as most of it didn't even fit on the bed. She just got used to trying fit as much as she could but there was never a bed big enough. Her thoughts were disturbed when a few knocks echoed in her room.

"Akila?"

She paused almost as if caught in a crime scene.

"Ready for breakfast?"

"I'll be out in a few minutes," was all she could muster. It almost sounded robotic; uncaring.

"Sure thing,"

She waited until the footsteps disappeared in with the sound of the music coming from the kitchen. Coming out of her bedroom she wore a simple t-shirt that had a Maple Leaf in a red and white background. It was a gift handed out to all the girls as a welcome to a new country for the Cultural Exchange. Akila planned on using it as hopefully a new start since yesterday was much more rocky.

With a few quick swipes of her hand Akila made sure her shirt was clean and presentable and her skirt was fitted perfectly before coming out of the hallway to a certain smell.

"Morning," a voice called out as Akila turned to see him at a small table, two plates set out.

"Morning," she spoke out but as she turned so he could see her shirt Lukas almost choked on his scrambled eggs.

"Are you ok?" Akila asked suddenly feeling much more self conscious as she quickly checked to see if there was something she missed. Her frantic search from clothes to hair was halted as she heard a muffled chuckle coming from the small dinner table. She witnessed the man trying to block any sound coming out from his mouth but his expression already betrayed him. "What's so funny?" Akila asked as her eyes narrowed, the killer instinct turned on once more.

"Have you seen what your wearing?" he asked while pointing to her shirt.

"I thought that this would make you happy," Akila growled her fangs showing for an instant before retreating back into her gums, her arms crossed over chest.

"Make me happy?" Lukas repeated as his chuckling started to die off.

"I, uh. . .," Akila muttered as she was caught in her own words that made a mild blush spread over her cheeks. "That's not what I meant! I'm trying to be friendly!"

Lukas laughed once more shortly before waving her over to sit down. She didn't accept immediately but every time her tongue poked out to taste the air, her stomach begged her to accept his motion. With arms crossed she slowly slithered over to the open chair across from him.

Lukas smiled at her but she returned the gaze with one she often used against prey before making her killing strike.

"Did Mrs. Smith make you wear that shirt?" Lukas asked before placing more eggs in his mouth.

Akila didn't say a thing but instead just stared at the human across from her.

"Ok, I get it. I apologize for laughing. Now eat before it gets cold," he motioned as he shifted his attention to the book by his plate.

Akila watched him for a moment before looking down to her own plate. Bacon and eggs. So far it was better than her last experience. She picked up a fork and began to eagerly eat much of the bacon. She would stop now and again to see if Lukas was watching her but he simply paid attention to his book that had a few photos in it of large metal boxes that had what she assumed were large tubes.

"It's a book about Tanks," Lukas explained without looking up from his book.

Akila blushed slightly before concentrating again on her food. The two finished their meals with deep sighs of fulfillment.

"Thanks for breakfast," Akila mentioned which got a smile in a response.

"Not a problem, Akila," The Human answered as he gathered the plates and made his way to the kitchen which was now an exercise due to him avoiding a rather lengthy section of tail. He tip toed as if in a field of land mines until finally reaching the kitchen.

Akila could only watch the spectacle in embarrassment. It wasn't such a bad thing in her home village when you were surrounded with Lamias.

"I almost forgot," Lukas' voice came from the kitchen. "On the table is your new cell phone. I already added my number and Gerald's to it, along with Zizu's and the Frye family. Use it as much as you like but finding reception around here can be a little tricky,"

Akila gazed at the device and as if on cue, the screen brightened to show Zizu's name and the message she just sent.

So how was he in bed?

Akila's face erupted in a blush as she hurled the phone across the living room and into the unlit stone fireplace.


Gerald was watching T.v. With a bottle of water on his lap, Zizu hanging above him giggling about something. His attention shifted when he felt his phone vibrating in his jean pocket. Pulling out his phone he was seeing a picture message of something that obviously had once been a cell phone. A message popped underneath the picture.

Akila is freaking out over a message from Zizu. What is going on?

Gerald peered up to see six sapphire blue eyes staring back down at him. He didn't say a thing but raised his phone so she could read.

The house echoed with laughter from the both of them.


Lukas was puzzled as he simply turned the destroyed smart phone over and over multiple times. There was absolutely no way around the issue. This phone would need a miracle to somehow be operable ever again. If the Exchange organization were not the ones who paid for it, he would have been much more upset. Standing up to look at the living igloo that was Akila however washed away any anger.

It all happened quickly. Lukas was standing over the dish sink when a shout of panic that bordered on a squeal echoed through the house. The crash in the living room was next. Coming rushing into the living room only to be meet with Akila blushing madly as she coiled her entire body into some sort of living igloo; her black hair only thing appearing from the top.

Now he had to somehow fix this. Lukas simply walked up to the mound and as gently as he could he knocked on her scales.

A small 'Eep!' escaped from within.

"Care to explain?" Lukas asked in the most neutral voice he could muster.

"Zizu,"

"Sorry, Akila, but I'm far from a mind reader. You will have to explain more than that," Lukas tried to reason as he sat down on the floor.

"No,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes,"

Lukas huffed but otherwise decided to leave it for another time. He had noticed that there was plenty of Akila's tail that wasn't really needed in her scale igloo but it otherwise clogged much of the hallway and dinning room area. Considering himself a decently clean person he walked over to part of her tail section and place his arms around to move it closer to the igloo. This move however was the wrong one.

The rest of the tail quickly coiled around his midsection and down to his legs. The pressure was overwhelming. His body soon became like a wet rag being twisted to ring the water out. In all of a few seconds he was almost sure that all his ribs would crush his internal organs before the tension was released. The air rushed into his lungs as he collapsed to the floor.

"Lukas!" Akila cried out as she quickly covered the ground between them. "I'm sorry! It's a defensive instinct!"

"I''m fine," Lukas half lied. He quickly ran his hands over bones and nothing hurt more than a simple bruise. "Nothing broken, just bruised," he tried to smile as he tried to get to his feet. He staggered for a moment until he bumped into the tail that had just threatened him. He gazed at Akila who held her hands awkwardly. She seemed genuinely worried but had absolutely no idea what to do.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again as she used some of her tail as a support for him to get up.

"Don't worry about it," he tried to sooth her fear as he walked towards the recliner in the living room. Akila was at his side, hands out as if Lukas was a vase about to fall off the high table. He sat down with a very audible groan that made the Serpentess cringe. "I just need to relax for a bit. Feel free to explore the Cabin or surrounding area but don't venture where you cannot see the Cabin,"

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Akila asked as she fidgeted with her fingers, her Caramel eyes with black slits gazing from his chest to his face.

"A cold glass of water actually," Lukas smiled in thanks.

"I'll get it!" Akila quickly left for the kitchen in a worried hurry.

A blur of motion came to his side. Akila was standing over him with a glass that she held out.

"Thanks," Lukas merely smiled as he flinched when he reached for the glass. The two just waited in quiet as Lukas relaxed back in his chair. He kept his eyes closed to show he was trying to relax but it was starting to become more difficult when you had a lamia hanging over you in complete worry.

"Go explore, Akila, I'm fine,"

"No way. I did this to you so I have to see that you are ok," she responded with a growing look of stubbornness.

"While I appreciate it, I'm not sure I can nap while you're watching me sleep," He reasoned with a grin.

It took a moment for it to kick in but the miss sure let him know when she started to blush. Without saying a word she slithered off to his right then disappeared but Lukas could still hear the slithering behind him. It took Akila a minute or two but she actually managed to do a few laps around both recliners with plenty of tail to spare.

"Did you just set up a perimeter?" Lukas asked with an impressed smile starting to appear.

"Your safety is now my top concern," Akila exclaimed as she rested on the other recliner, arms crossed.

"Kinda wish it was your first concern. . .," Lukas whispered under his breath.

"What?" Akila rose an eyelid to glare at him.

"Nothing!" he laughed before trying to close his eyes for some rest.

Akila let her forked tongue out as she watched him close his eyes. Her glare had disappeared as her expression softened. Her eyes examined him and knew that she must have caused him considerable pain. She could even see the bruises on his legs where his shorts stopped. She didn't know how to feel about this. He, while probably unknowingly, touched her body without giving permission especially without her seeing it.

She huffed knowing that Lukas and her would have to have a more lengthy discussion on rules so this wouldn't happen again. With that decided, her gaze wondered around the homely living room. It held a caring vibe as if a lot of care and love were in the walls themselves. Her eyes shifted to some of the photos that were on the wall. Akila quietly pushed herself off the chair, thanks to her tail, as she moved to get a closer look.

She recognized the two immediately even in their uniform. The two wore a type of uniform that she suspected this country's military represented but the environment seemed drastically different. A desert perhaps? They each had a weapon in their hands but were otherwise smiling. Gerald, the man that took the damnable Spider home waved to the camera man but Lukas seemed to just do his usual smile. The smile that caused the corners of her own mouth to lift slightly.

Quietly she shifted to the next photos and noticed a woman with long blonde hair with a child on the beach. The two seemed to play with the small waves that were coming in from the body of water. It made Akila wonder as she shifted her gaze back to the sleeping man on the recliner. His chest rose and dip slightly with each breath. Who was the humans in the picture? The question hung on her mind as she explored the rest of the photos. It didn't take long to notice that more than a few had the same woman and child in them, even a few with Lukas.

It took almost ten or so minutes but all the photos with Lukas in them had the same thing. His genuine smile. It almost seemed like a trademark item for him. Her perceptive eyes noticed something different though. His smiles in the photo were brighter. She didn't mean his dental hygiene but the photos exuded warmth or a keen sense of friendliness. His smile that she was greeted with just yesterday still seems to do that but there was something missing that was in these photos.

She gazed back to Lukas now more curious than ever.