I do not own Daily Life with Monster Girls

Chapter 17 Interlude 3: Connections

Jack emerged from the unclaimed room in much better shape than last time. Physically as well as emotionally. His arachne girlfriend followed in his wake. They both heard the sounds of a virtual war and squeals of excitement from two of their housemates as they approached the front living room.

"Watch out! Two more just came out of the building."

"Ugh Dammit! An invisible one got me!"

"What! Where?"

"Ah! Right behind y-"

"Oh no! He got me too."

"Damn."

Tetra scrunched her face as she entered the room. "What on earth are you playing?"

Syleris waved at her host and the arachne. "Oh, hey you two."

Dawn waved as well. "We're playing Aureole: Battle Future."

The arachne gazed at the game over screen and then back to her roommates. "You don't seem to be very good at it."

The harpy frowned. "I'd like to see you fight an army of aliens with a slow-ass human body."

Tetra leaned her head back and raised a claw. "You...actually have a point there."

Jack grunted and looked up at her. She grinned sharply and looked down at her host. "I believe I demonstrated the many inadequacies of humans in combat back at the paintball facility."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to his movie collection. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm the least physically dangerous member of this household. You girls don't have to keep rubbing it in."

The harpy giggled. "Sorry Jack. Didn't mean to offend."

He craned his head back at her and stuck his tongue out. She pulled one of her lower eyelids down and stuck her own tongue out back at him. "Nnneeegh."

He chuckled and shook his head. He faced his collection and picked out a specific case. "Alright." He turned back to the couch. "Would you two mind if we watched a movie now?"

Dawn's expression creased in. "I uh..thought we were..."

Jack blinked. "Oh right. I forgot to ask Tetra about that."

The arachne tilted her head. "Ask me about what?"

"Well, since you girls keep insisting that the interviews I've had with all of you are actually dates." Tetra and Syleris shared a look and smirked. "Dawn was wondering when I'd have one with her." He looked directly at the arachne. "And if you would be comfortable with that."

Tetra closed her eyes and made dismissive gesture. "Date away Jack." She grinned with all her fangs. "As long as you always return to me." She said those last two words with a little more volume than was strictly necessary.

Jack snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He knelt to the game console and slipped in the disc.

"Um before we start." Syleris rubbed her tummy. "I'm getting kinda hungry."

Jack stood up and turned back to her. "I'll make a grocery run after this. Just wait." The harpy's head dipped in disappointment.

Tetra raised a claw. "Actually Jack. I'm feeling peckish as well." He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at his latest guest.

Dawn shrugged. "I could eat."

"Fine, I'll order out." He retrieved his phone and selected the Grubhub app. "Dawn, since I'm going on a 'date' with you," She dipped her head and smiled nervously. "Would you like to choose the restaurant?"

"Sure." She giggled. Jack handed her his phone. "You all don't mind if I pick Thai?" The other three shook their heads. "Cool." She made her selection and passed the phone to Syleris. The harpy and arachne made their choices and Jack took back his phone.

"Alright, I'm going to see if Sula wants lunch then-" Tetra cleared her throat loudly. He blinked and gazed up at her. She walked up behind an empty chair and rolled an ottoman for herself right beside it.

Jack held his hands apart. "It'll take me five minutes."

The arachne made a 'come here' gesture with her claw.

He rolled his eyes hard. "Fine." He handed his phone to the harpy. "Syleris, can you go see if Sula wants to eat?"

She stood up and grinned widely. "Can do Jack." She took the phone and gave a mock salute. After walking over to the hallway entrance she turned back. "Oh, by the way." She announced. Jack and the other two focused on her. The harpy leaned forward and smiled mischievously. "You are totally whipped."

"Hey!" Jack yelled as she spun around and dashed out of sight. "No running in the halls!"

The sound of her laughter tapered off as she sped away. Jack folded his arms and pouted.

"You know Jack." Tetra's smooth voice intoned. "I could make a real whip if your intereste-"

"Oh, shut up." He barked.

She grinned. "All you you have to do is ask."

He turned around and glared. She kept her smug expression.

"So..." Dawn started. "Is it always like this?" She pointed at Tetra. "You girls tease him till he yells at you?"

"No." Jack answered loudly. "The irreverence for their host is a fairly new occurrence."

Tetra backed a step and put a hand over her chest. "I am not disrespecting my host." Jack narrowed his eyes. "I am offering my sub a new toy to play with him."

Jack's expression pinched. "Yeah..you are not calling me that."

She smirked. "Very well, servant."

His eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. "Don't call me that either."

She waved a hand flippantly. "Whatever you say, Jackey."

He threw his hands up in the air and shouted at the ceiling. "FOR THE LOVE OF!"

Tetra guffawed at his reaction. Dawn covered her mouth and tried to stifle her own giggling. Jack folded his arms and shook his head.

"Oh, come here Jack." Tetra patted the chair beside her. "Relax."

He glared at her and stood his ground.

"Don't make me lasso you." She warned gleefully.

He sighed and started walking over. "I didn't think I'd be giving up my free will entirely for this." He grumbled.

It was the arachne's turn to roll her eyes. "So dramatic." As Jack turned to sit on the chair she lifted the back of it out of its slot and tossed it aside. He swiveled his head to see what she was up to but she quickly grasped his waist with her pedipalps and pressed up against him. "And so tense."

He was about to protest when her hands started massaging his upper arms. "Relax Jack. I got you."

He bristled for a moment then noticed that her hands felt different from their session. She was wearing some sort of thin silky gloves that had hard but smooth leather tips over her claws.

He blinked. "Oh, those are new."

"You like?" She asked. "Now come on Jack, relax." She stretched out the last vowel. He took a slow breath in and closed his eyes while releasing it. "There, that's better." She worked her way to his shoulders. "Isn't that better?"

Jack took another slow breath. "Yes." He leaned back to her and tried to let everything go. He stopped thinking about everything he needed to do. He stopped worrying about keeping within the Exchange laws. He let go of his burdens and let her have him.

"Uh, Jack?"

He sucked in a breath and snapped his eyes open. Sula was holding his phone out to him.

"I made my selection." She told him.

Jack nodded and took his phone. He briefly glanced at the whole order and tapped the checkout button. It went through in a few seconds and he placed it on the floor. Tetra started rubbing her thumbs in circles along his upper back.

"So..." Syleris took up a controller. "Mind if we watch with you?"

He nodded slowly. The harpy pressed a button and the flatscreen darkened as the movie started.

He didn't pay much attention to it. The first scene is kinda mellow but a necessary set up for the story book adventure to follow.

Jack perked up when Tetra placed her head on his shoulder and started whispering the lines. He smiled and quoted them right along with her.

"Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin..."

The Thai food arrived right after the scene where the man in black reveals his identity to the princess. The group agreed to pause it and eat together.

The girls who hadn't seen the film before had already taken a liking to a few of the characters and made humorous misquotes. Sula and Syleris tried to rhyme with each of their sentences and Dawn mentioned that she had a decent collection of fantasy films they could watch later.

Jack and Tetra just enjoyed the company and ate in relative silence. She hooked one of her pedipalps around his ankle under the table. Jack merely smiled lightly and continued on his meal. She snickered and took her time eating.

With the food boxes empty and discarded they retired back to the front room and resumed. Jack and Tetra took a break from their quoting during the final scene of the film.

"Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."

"Eh, I've seen better."

Jack and Tetra broke off from each other and glared daggers at Sula. She shrugged one shoulder and raised a hand. "I'm just saying. I've seen better." She slyly eyed her host.

Tetra placed her fist on her hip. "You've seen a better kiss." She waved at the screen. "Than that one?"

The lamia nodded. "Oh yes. They should have gotten Matriarch Maria and Papa Ivan to play those characters. They can do a passionate kiss like nobody's business."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you disrespecting Cary Elwes and Robin Wright?"

She shook her head and waved a hand. "Oh no, they were both great." She grinned smugly. "But if you want to film a passionate kiss, you have to get a lamia."

"Oh my goddess." Tetra rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

Jack facepalmed and stood up. He picked up his phone and shook his head. "I'm not going to get into this." He turned to his newest guest. "Dawn." She perked up. "Would you like to go on that 'date' now?"

She nodded. "I would."

"Alrighty then." He strode toward the kitchen. "I'll be making a grocery run as well." He turned back to his other guests. "Any last minute items I should get while I'm out?"

"Eggs." Sula quipped.

"On the list." He nodded. "Anything else?"

"You feeling better Jack?" Tetra asked.

He glanced down a moment. Then a small smile bloomed on his face. "Yeah...yes I am."

"Good." Tetra waved and winked. "Have fun on your date Jack."

Thanks for reading.