I do not own Everyday Life With Monster Girls

Chapter 25. His inglorious past.

Tetra exited Jack's room and halted.

The rest of the household, including Sheena, was waiting mere feet away from her.

Syleris pointed at her. "I didn't know you-"

Tetra placed a finger to her lips and gave the harpy a serious look. She pointed at the door with her other hand and shook her head.

"Oh." The harpy recoiled. "He's uh...yeah."

Tetra nodded and pointed at the floor. The crowd turned around and descended the stairs. She took a few seconds to peek back into Jack's room.

He lay still on his bed and breathed slowly. She nodded approvingly and reclosed the door silently. She strutted her way downstairs and joined her roommates in the front room.

"I had no idea you played." Syleris stated.

Tetra gazed downward and smiled inwardly. "It's just an old hobby. One of the few vices mother approved of." She hefted the violin in her hands.

Isaac shook his head. "Music is never a vice. You play beautifully." Her smile brightened and she nodded at him in thanks. "What was that? Mozart, Strauss, maybe Stirling?"

The arachne shook her head. "No, that was something I came up with..." She gazed to her side. "A long time ago."

Syleris raised a wing-hand. "Do you play anything else? Something a little faster maybe?"

Tetra snorted. "Would you like a concert?"

"Yeah." The harpy answered.

Tetra shook her head. "Not now, I'm...not all that prepared." She lifted her head. "That's the first time I've played in...years." Syleris dipped her head in disappointment.

Isaac lifted a finger. "If you girls are that interested in music. I have something to show you." He picked up one of the controllers from the couch and selected the YouTube app on the Xbox.


Jack's phone started playing his ringtone. He grunted and turned over.

"Stupid robo call... should have muted..." He cracked open one eye and tried to read the caller ID. His vision was still blurry from just waking up, but he could tell that the name was shorter than 'unknown caller'

He sniffed in alarm and reached out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Jack? Did I wake you?"

He sat up. "Oh hey, Mrs. Tam" He rattled his head. "No no, just taking a nap."

"Oh." She said. "So I did wake you."

He blinked few times. "Uh right, it's fine I...what time is it?" He asked wistfully.

"It's about a quarter after five. I tried calling earlier but you didn't answer."

"Oh sorry." He placed his free hand on his face and rubbed it. "Yeah I, still need more rest but I think I can..." He pressed his eyes closed and tried to recall if he'd asked her for anything. "What um...what are you calling for?"

"Oh, I have a couple dishes ready, if you'd like me to bring them over." She answered.

Jack sucked in a breath and sat up. "Oh right. Umm.." He glanced around himself. "Yeah I, don't think I let anyone here know that you'd be coming over." He swung a leg out of his bed. "Let me talk to them and I'll call you back when we're ready, okay?"

He could hear a small smile in her voice. "Sounds good Jack. See you soon."

She ended the call and he checked the time on his phone. Five fourteen. By his math he'd slept for almost seven hours."Oh man. I didn't make lunch. The girls are gonna be hungry."

He grabbed some fresh clothes from his dresser and slipped into the second floor shower. He cleaned up, changed and dropped his dirty clothes in his basket. He descended the stairs toward the front room and heard calm voices he wasn't familiar with.

Who's here?

He stepped down the landing and took in a rather bizarre sight.

Syleris was wearing black skin tight jeans that had several perpendicular gashes and tears along its entire length. Her black shirt was sleeveless and had a giant white human skull on the front. She had steel studded leather bracelets around each wrist and above her left elbow. Her headband was black with small pink skulls. Her wild hair was now faded orange.

She waved at him from the couch and smiled. "Oh hey, Jack. Good to see you up."

He took a moment to acknowledge that this was his living room, then cautiously waved back. "Hey."

"You feeling better?" She asked.

"Yeah.. I.."

"Did you have another nightmare?"

Jack blinked a few times. He raised a finger. "No I...don't think I did." He scratched the back of his head. "Or at least I don't remember one."

She nodded positively. "That's good." She lifted a controller and pressed a button. The TV resumed a video. Jack walked around and observed the screen.

He just caught the title of the YouTube video before it faded. It said something about the history of punk rock music.

"Huh." He looked over at the harpy. "You interested in punk?"

She smirked at him. "Oh it's not just me." She inclined her head with some sort of knowing expression then turned back to the screen.

He furrowed his brow. "Not just you...?"

"Jack? Is that you?"

He heard Dawn's voice approach from the other hallway. He saw a gothic apparition float into the room accompanied by a small foggy cloud.

"What in the?" Jack raised a hand involuntarily and stepped back.

Her face was caked in bone white make-up and deep black eye-shadow. Her hair was dyed white with streaks of ice blue falling from her crown. A white mini top hat with a black flower sat precariously angled on her head. Both arms were covered in white nylon receding from light gray fingerless gloves. Her torso was clad with a white corset. Its blue-white frills reached to the base of her neck. The rest of her body was obscured by the fog bank.

She nodded at him slowly. "Glad to so see you up Jack."

He just stared frozen.

The apparition looked at him askance. "Too much?" He still didn't move. "Yeah, too much." She shut her eyes a moment and the fog bank dissipated, revealing her legs.

Her feet were clad in a pair of black high-top Chuck Taylor's with white laces that reached just below her knees. A white skirt with a light gray leather belt hugged her waist to just above the middle of her white nylon covered thighs.

Jack finally blinked. He leaned forward and squinted. "Dawn?"

The not-an-apparition smiled. "Yes Jack. It's me."

He glanced between the two girls. "What is going on?"

Syleris raised a wing-hand. "We thought we'd dress up a bit and make you feel more comfortable."

His eyes bounced between the two of them half a dozen times. He lifted a finger. "How is this-"

"Dawn! Are you doing that cold fog thing again?" Sula poked her head out from the kitchen. Only that wasn't the Sula he remembered.

Someone had dyed half her hair neon pink. The other half was dark blue. Her partially torn at the midriff dark gray t-shirt sported a huge red flaming pentagram. Her lipstick was ruby red and her golden pupils popped around her eye-shadow. She still wore a jean skirt but it had a dozen patches and button pins arrayed in a seemingly random pattern.

Dawn turned toward the lamia and partially covered her mouth with her knuckles. "I... I stopped."

Sula pointed a claw at her. "You'd better. I can feel it in front of the lit stove." She glanced into the front room and spotted her host. "Oh, hi Jack." She waved with her other hand and smiled. "Good to see you up." Then she went back to glaring at Dawn.

"I won't do it around you, Sula" The Yuki-onna promised.

The echidna kept her claw pointed as she reverse-slithered back into the kitchen. "Stupid warm-bloods and their internally regulated body heat." She turned and raised her voice in a childish mocking tone. "'Look at me, I can maintain a steady temperature without even trying, it's so easy.'"

Dawn blinked a few times and faced the other two occupants of the front room. "To be accurate, I actually don't maintain a regular body heat any more."

Jack stared ahead a few seconds. "Um...What's going on?"

"We thought we'd make you feel more comfortable Jack." Tetra's voice intoned behind him. "Appeal to one of your interests." Jack turned around and took a step back.

The arachne had dyed her hair black. It was disheveled and reminded him of Joan Jett. She wore a white t-shirt with a black anarchy symbol spray-painted on. A plaid skirt with a black leather belt covered her waist. The skin part of her arms were covered in web themed tattoos.

Standing next to her was Isaac, who had also radically changed his look. His hair was bright red with anime-esque spikes sticking out. Her wore a light black leather jacket over an ACDC t-shirt. His black jeans were mostly intact save for the frayed cuffs around his ankles. He held his arms out. "What do you think?"

Jack's sense of familiar unreality was forcing him to blink several times and look around at all his roommates again. He fully expected that he was dreaming and that something would rush at him and he'd wake up.

When that didn't happen, he scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, two things come to mind: I feel like I walked into an episode of a TV show where one of the main characters is teleported to an alternate dimension." Isaac snickered.

"Second." Jack held up two fingers. "I also feel like I'm outside a metal concert." He shrugged and dropped his arms. "Only I don't know who's playing."

Syleris grinned from the couch. "What about a punk rock concert?"

Jack turned toward her with a questioning look. "Uh sure," He partly raised a hand. "That works too."

The harpy held up her controller and smirked. "And what if it's one of your concerts?"

He narrowed his eyes and glanced down at her. "One of my...what're you..?"

A specter of a dead and buried memory crawled out of its grave and back into Jack's consciousness. His eyes widened and his sense of unreality turned to pure abject horror. His breath seized up. His arms felt like lead. "No."

He turned back to the TV. It was still playing a video about punk rock history. "No...no." He glanced up toward the ceiling. "How? How would you? I never...?" Isaac chortled.

It hit Jack like a freight train. Although it was a simple thought, its impact knocked the wind out of his lungs. He turned toward the other human in the house and shot him a look of pure betrayed astonishment.

No, he didn't. He wouldn't.

Isaac's growing sadistic smile confirmed Jack's fear. He raised an accusing finger at his 'caring' sibling. His brother, who had traveled half the continent to see him. Who had promised to never divulge his secret. "You...you didn't."

Isaac's eyes narrowed. "Oh, but I did. I showed them."

Syleris piped up. "You mean this?" She navigated the YouTube recent history list and selected a file. Its title identified it as DISPOSABOTS FIRST CONCERT.

The bottom of Jack's stomach fell out. He couldn't believe it. It shouldn't exist. It couldn't exist. As the amateurishly shot footage played the girls gathered around him and watched.

On the flatscreen, two young men in punk aficionado attire stood on a wooden stage in front of microphone stands. One held an electric guitar and the other an electric bass. A third young man sat behind a drumset. Amps, distortion pads, and cords littered the platform.

A high pitched squeal of feedback tore through everyone's ears. The dark silhouettes of the crowd held their hands to their heads as an off screen technician flipped a switch and killed the loop.

"Sorry 'bout that." The guitarist said into his mike. "Everyone still hear me?" Jack recalled that his name was James. The crowd's heads bobbed as their hands returned to their sides. "Alright. Without further ado. We're the Disposabots, Thanks for coming."

He nodded at the bassist. Jack's memory bubbled up his name as well: Eric.

Both men turned back and nodded to the drummer, the familiar looking young man raised his sticks and struck them while counting out. "One. Two. Three. Four."

Jack shut his eyes and cringed.

The following cacophony could not be accurately described as music. It couldn't even be described as decent punk rock. The only terms that came close were 'tortured' and 'God-awful.'

A lyrically off-key and tonally defective version of Pennywise's "Stand Strong" blasted out of the TV's speakers and assaulted the gathering of monster-girls and humans in the front room.

Sula poked her head out from the kitchen. "Oh, we're watching it again?" She noticed her host's utterly decimated state and grinned. "Pause it please. I'll be right there." She ducked back into the kitchen as the harpy pressed a button on the controller. The image on the screen froze and the auditory violation ceased.

Jack felt like he'd been leaning into a hurricane. With the sound cut he stumbled backwards and held his arms out to reach for an armrest and then sit. He missed and his butt slid along the front cushion and planted on the carpet.

Tetra craned her head back toward him. "So Jack, when were you going to tell us you were a rock star?" The poor man stared ahead silently.

"Yeah." Dawn assented. "We had to find out from your brother."

Jack started breathing slowly and heavily to try and keep his indignation at Issac under control. He rotated his neck and shot a look of appalled horror at his sibling.

"Why?"

Isaac had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Well, the ladies thought doing a little dress up would cheer you up."

Jack's eyes intensified. "Not that. Why?"

He lifted a hand. "They really like music, so I figured I'd introduce them to your brief career."

Jack leaned forward and gritted his teeth. "Why?"

Isaac folded his arms and inclined his head. "Consider it payback for not telling us about what you did with mom and dad's house."

Jack lifted a finger and opened his mouth. But no words followed.

His sibling shrugged and glanced about casually. "I've got a lot of fond memories of the old place. Matt does too." Jack closed his mouth. His sense of being wronged was severely blunted.

"To suddenly find it gone and replaced. With no warning..." Isaac faced back to his brother. "I nearly ran over some kids in the street when I turned the corner and saw it."

Jack closed his eyes and lowered his hand. "I'm sorry."

Isaac nodded. "Apology accepted."

"I, I was going to tell you both. We're planning on going to California soon and visit but.." He dipped his head. "Some... other thing happened."

"I know." Isaac said. "Still should have told us something, man."

Jack sighed. "Yeah..I should have."

Silence persisted until the final monster-girl slithered in."We're still going to watch it right?" Sula asked and took a position on an empty couch.

"Yep." Syleris held up her controller and pressed a button.

The DISPOSABOTS inaugural performance resumed and Jack resigned himself to reliving his not-so-glorious days. The video was only footage of their opening song and within a few minutes the world was spared further suffering.

"Amana, they're terrible." The harpy commented.

"Yep." Jack agreed.

"I didn't think you did that bad Jack." Sula asserted. "You kept time and did a decent recreation of the drum-line of the original."

He craned his head up and turned to her. "You girls listened to the official one?" They each nodded. "Good." He slumped back down. "Didn't want you all thinking Pennywise was as terrible as we made 'em sound." He waved at the TV. "Ugh."

Isaac smirked. "That was the only concert right?"

Jack shook his head. "No. We had a few others but those were months after this one. We did more practice before performances. Smaller crowds, smaller venues."

His phone rang and Jack picked it up. "Oh crap." He stood up and answered it. "Hey Mrs. Tam." Each of his guests tilted their heads. "Yeah, can you give me one second. I ran into a complication." He muted the receiver.

"What's going on Jack?" Tetra asked.

He faced her. "She offered to cook a couple dishes and bring them over tonight." He glanced back at the rest. "You all okay with that?"

Sula and Tetra nodded positively. The rest just shrugged.

Jack unmuted his phone. "Yeah we're good to go here, Mrs. Tam."

"Is she bringing Chloe?" Tetra asked. Jack repeated her question into his phone.

"Oh. Mr. Tam as well?" Jack clarified. "Okay...the whole fam then. When can we expect you?" He nodded a few times. "Okay see you then." He hung up and replaced his phone to his pocket.

"Alright." He clapped his hands together. "We got guests coming." He blinked and reexamined all of them. "And you're all dressed like runaway mannequins from Hot Topic." He paused. "Monster... mannequins..."

Sula smirked. "We're not going to change. If that's what your asking."

He raised a hand. "Not asking anything. Just...concerned about what they'll think."

"Hey." Syleris pointed at him. "A true punk rocker wouldn't care about what 'the man' thinks." Jack stared at her and blinked several times. She kept a serious expression and folded her wings. The other monster girls grinned.

Finally Jack sighed and shook his head slowly. "Great. Like you needed anymore encouragement to be a rebel." The harpy produced an impish smirk.

Jack deliberately turned away and faced toward the lamia. "Sula, were you cooking something?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yep. Right over here Jack." She slid off the couch and proceeded back to the kitchen.

"Oh wait." He looked about. "Where's Sheena?"

Tetra raised a hand. "Agent Magnus recalled her for something. She didn't say what for."

"Huh." He rubbed his chin. "Are they sending a relief agent?"

Tetra shook her head. "She didn't say."

"Huh." He turned back to the kitchen and walked through.

Jack figured that the next thirty minutes he was going to be in a half-mad scramble to prepare enough food for six humans and four monster-girls. Fortunately, Sula had already started two large dishes. The first was some sort of fish stew called moqueca. The other was in a large pot that she called 'quick feijoada'. It had beef, beans, some chopped veggies and she prepped a large container of white rice in the rice cooker to accompany it.

Jack sampled both. To his surprise neither was exceptionally spicy. "Hmm..."

"Something wrong with it?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No. I was just expecting... something with more of a kick.."

She grinned. "Oh I save most of the spices for myself when cooking for humans." She folded her arms. "Normally I'd be dicing jalapenos and ghost peppers." She shrugged. "But I figured that a true homemade echidna meal would be too much for uninitiated men like you and your brother."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "How much spice do you use?"

"Whatever I can get my claws on." She asserted.

Jack snorted and shook his head. "I bet you cook like Alec. That man was a terrorist with cayenne."

She tilted her head. "Terrorist?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. One night he called us out of our rooms for pasta and I swear there was a light red mist in the kitchen." She blinked. "I'm pretty sure he poured in the whole container of cayenne into the sauce pot at once. First bite of that nearly fried my tongue."

The lamia hummed and placed a hand on her chest. "A man after my own heart." She leaned forward and smirked. "Perhaps I should have homestayed with him."

Jack gave her a mock-hurt look. "Hey." He pointed at her. "I'll have you know that I can handle your hot stuff."

She lowered her eyebrows and her lips curled up into the smirkiest of smirks. Jack closed his eyes slowly and face palmed with one hand. "Oh my gods..." He sighed.

The echidna held her expression a moment "I believe that is commonly known as a Freudian slip, Mr. Keysman." She chided.

Jack kept his eyes closed and nodded lightly. "Yep. Yep...you're probably right about that."

She tilted her head. "Probably?"

He cracked his eyes open slightly and glared through his fingers.

She giggled evilly. "Just teasing Jack." She turned toward the stove. After a few seconds she wilted slightly.

He put down his arm and blinked. "Sula...you're still homesick. Aren't you?"

She breathed out and nodded lightly. He inclined his head. "We'll do something about that. I promise."

She closed her eyes and nodded lightly again. "Thank you Jack." She eyed him. "Thank you for..." She dipped her head. "Thank you."

He kept silent a moment. "Need help with anything here?"

She shook her head. "No, I got this Jack. If you don't mind I'd... like to do this alone." He tilted his head as she faced him. "Yatsudo and I used to cook together all the time, and... well..." She gazed to the side.

Jack nodded in understanding. "I'm not Yatsudo." He turned and left the kitchen. He checked his phone messages and noted he got a reply from his earlier text.

'I can do one better.'

He furrowed his brow and tried to discern any meaning from that. But he couldn't so he pocketed his device.

The rest of his guests still milled about the front room. He took in a deep breath and addressed them. "Alright. When and where exactly did you get the new clothes and make-up?"

Isaac raised his hand. "Oh I took them out to the Randall Street strip mall."

Jack rattled his head. "How?"

His brother glanced to the side and then back to him. "Uh..I took your van."

Jack blinked a few times. "Right...I assume you paid for it all?"

Isaac nodded. "Yep."

He hummed. "Alright, thanks for-"

"I'm sending you a bill for it."

Jack's expression pinched and he narrowed his eyes. "Gee thanks, bro."

Issac waved and shrugged casually. "Ah, no problem bro." He put on his shit-eater grin again.

The homestays' host raised a finger. "Ladies, listen up. Let this be a lesson to you all." He pointed straight at his sibling. "Never have a brother." Isaac's eyes crinkled as Jack continued his speech. "They steal your van, reveal embarrassing secrets, and hide your mint condition comics." A hint of 'old grudge' leaked into his words.

"Allegedly." Isaac retorted. "Never proven. I was unfairly accused and punished."

The monster-girls giggled at the exchange. Syleris raised her hand. "Uh Jack, I don't think 'brothers' are really a 'problem' for us."

Jack shook his head and eyed her intensely. "No I'm serious. Brothers, just don't do it."

Tetra chuckled. "We will take that under advisement Jack." She dipped her head sagely. "And give your timeless wisdom due consideration."

Jack nodded at her gravely. "If only others would listen to it..."

Dawn shook her head bemusedly. "How long until this...Mrs. Tam gets here Jack?"

"Oh." He blinked and refocused. "Um..I think about twenty minutes."

"Then shouldn't we put out some plates and silverware for them?" She suggested.

"Right." He closed his eyes briefly. "Let's get to that."

Tetra raised her hand. "I'll be back down here soon." She turned toward the stairs. "I must check on something first."

Syleris blinked as the arachne left and gazed over at her host. "What's she up to?"

"Don't know." Jack shrugged. "Come on. Let's figure out where everyone's gonna sit."

Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Jack answered it and nodded to the four humans. Each of them were holding a dish or some sort of container with foodstuffs.

"Tams. Please, come in." He nodded and stepped back.

"Thank you Jack." Mrs. Tam replied and proceeded through.

"Thanks Jack." Chloe and Calvin said together.

"Mr. Keysman." The fourth Tam was a tall man in his mid to late thirties. A mixed Asian-American stock, he had a dark crew cut that was slightly graying at the sides. Dark brown eyes conveyed a sense of experience and jovial demeanor. A flat wide nose flared out above a thin mouth.

He was dressed in a light plaid button up and Khaki slacks and black tennis shoes. Clean cut and fairly muscular, Jack figured he'd had extensive exercise training in the past.

As he stepped into the house, Jack also noted a slight limp to his gait.

"Oh I thought I smelled something new." Sula emerged from the kitchen and approached the newcomers. "I can take those."

Mrs. Tam blinked a few times. "Uh, you're... Sula right?"

The lamia nodded as she took the first dish. "Yep."

Mrs. Tam gave Jack an odd look then faced back to Sula. "You uh, look different."

Sula reared her head and paused. "Oh. This is just a wig." She raised a free arm and peeled off the soft seal keeping her bi-colored fake hair on her head. She shed the piece and tossed it onto a couch. Her natural golden locks flowed down her back. She raised an arm and parted it away from her eyes. "Now, what else do we have?"

Calvin stared up at the lamia in obvious wonder.

"Here ya go." Chloe approached and handed over her dish. She stepped back and elbowed her brother.

"Oh ah." He shook his head and stacked his dish on the other one.

"Ooooh." The echidna's eyes flashed. "Are these deviled eggs?"

"Uh-huh." Calvin nodded. "Mom and I made them. They're my favorite."

Sula grinned. "I'm sure I'll like them too." She stood upright and announced. "Fair warning: There may be a few of them missing before dinner starts."

Jack darted a warning look at her. "Sula."

She shook her head innocently. "Just a few..." She turned back toward the kitchen and paused right outside it. Then she shot them all a devious smile. "A few dozen." She cackled and darted away with her prize.

Jack face palmed and sighed. "That woman and eggs...It's like breathing for her."

"Uh. Is someone going to take this?" Mr. Tam held up a crock pot full of chili. His voice was grizzled but not unpleasantly so.

"I got that." Syleris walked in from the hallway.

Each of the Tam's regarded the newcomer with various degrees of bewilderment. Calvin's was by far the most prevalent. He pointed at her and blurted. "That's a big harpy."

Mrs. Tam firmly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shush. Don't be rude."

Syleris stopped and Jack could tell she was considering her response. She held up a wing-hand to her chest. "I am a terrestrial harpy. My name is Syleris."

Calvin blinked few times. "Ter...teras..terasst."

"Terrestrial." Syleris repeated slowly.

The boy tried to pronounce the term again but didn't do any better. Syleris rolled her eyes. "A ground harpy."

"Oh." Chloe stated. "So...you don't fly?"

Syleris shook her head. "Nope." She approached Mr. Tam and took the crock pot from him. "But I do run really fast. Wanna see?" Jack's eyes widened in alarm.

"Yeah." Calvin exclaimed.

Jack held up a hand. "Not in the...house."

Syleris grinned smugly and stared at him while standing absolutely still. She lethargically turned and slow-walked toward the kitchen.

Calvin frowned. "That wasn't fast." Jack rolled his eyes and sighed.

Mr. Tam chuckled. "Like to keep you on your toes don't they?"

The host eyed him briefly. "You have no idea."

Mrs. Tam giggled. "So, anyone else we should meet?"

Jack shook his head and composed himself. "Uh yeah." He faced toward the dining room. "Dawn? Can you come out here a minute?"

"Can do Jack." She replied.

A moment later the gothic ice queen entered the living room. The Tams were bewilder to different degrees again. Though slightly less so.

"Hello Tams." She waved and a little dusting of snow fell from her gloves.

"Uh hello." Mrs. Tam waved back and glanced at Jack. "Um.. are we...interrupting something Jack?"

He sighed. "No. They saw an old video of me and figured dressing up like all that would cheer me up."

She blinked a few times. "An old video?"

Dawn smiled. "Jack used to be a rock star."

Chloe and Calvin looked up at him with something between hero-worship and awe. Mr. Tam narrowed his eyes but otherwise didn't react. Mrs. Tam blinked and glanced upward in thought.

Jack sighed again and shook his head. "I was never a...nevermind."

"You mean the DISPOSABOTS?" Mrs. Tam righted her head at him.

Jack stared dead at Calvin and Chloe's mother. "How the heck did you know!?"

She smiled warmly. "Oh Kathy was ever so proud of her little drummer boy."

Three things happened:

Jack's eyes exploded and his jaw dropped.

Dawn pressed her lips together and chortled in her throat.

And Sula and Syleris hooted hysterically from the kitchen.

For the second time today, Jack wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

Calvin and Chloe giggled at his face. Mr. Tam snickered and eyed his spouse.

Mrs. Tam covered her mouth. "Oh. Did I say that out loud?" She dipped her head and tried to suppress an embarrassed-for-him smile. "I'm sorry Jack."

The young man cheeks heated up and he worked his jaw around a few times. "I'm...going to..." He clicked his tongue. "I'm going to check on Tetra." He thumbed behind himself. "Dawn?" She glanced up at him. "Please see them to their seats." He turned toward one of the hallways. "I'll... be back soon."

Dawn just nodded and waved them forward. Jack almost reached the hallway but stopped. "Oh. Hey Tetra." The arachne clambered into the front room. She had changed into some slimmer clothes. A gray pair of workout shorts and a black tube-top. She was also holding something behind her back.

Jack gritted his teeth at her just shy of inappropriate attire. "You're here."

Mr. and Mrs. Tam's expression's stiffened. She held a hand to either of her children. He stepped forward, interposing himself.

Tetra pretended not to notice. She bowed fairly low. "Greetings again. Mrs Tam. Calvin. Chloe." She raised her head. "And Mr. Tam." She paused and regarded them. "I wish to express my regret for my actions toward your son again and I would like to present a peace offering."

Mrs. Tam blinked and Mr. Tam narrowed his eyes.

For a moment, doubt crept into Tetra's expression and she glanced slightly toward Jack. "Am I doing this right?" She whispered.

He took a breath and nodded. "What do you have Tetra?"

She glanced down toward Calvin. "I made something for you." She brought one hand from behind herself and revealed a miniaturized Jedi Master outfit.

Upon closer inspection, Jack recognized it as a scaled-down recreation of the outfit Sir Alec Guinness wore in the original trilogy.

Calvin sucked in a breath in excitement. "Th-that's for me?"

Tetra closed her eyes briefly and nodded. Before either of his parents could react, the boy darted forward and clutched the garments. He held them up like they were holy relics.

Jack smirked to himself. Something like that probably could be considered sacred in the right fandoms.

Calvin spun back toward his parents. "Mom look look. It's just like the old movies!"

Tetra stood up straight "I modeled this piece after the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I understand him to be a popular character in American culture."

"Yeah he is." Calvin exclaimed. "This is so cool." He idly started walking back toward his mother. "Hey I can keep this, right Dad?"

Mr. Tam gazed at his son's excitement and then raised his eyes toward the arachne in the room. After a few seconds of evaluating her he turned toward his wife. Her eyes were still wary but she nodded ever so slightly in approval. He opened his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. I guess you can Cal."

Calvin smiled brightly. "Cool."

"What uh..." Mrs. Tam started. "What do you say Calvin?"

The boy rattled his head as his mother looked down at him. "Oh." He spun back around. "Thanks. Thank you Miss Tetra."

The arachne bowed lightly. "You're quite welcome Calvin." She raised a claw. "I also have something for Chloe." The girl raised her head. "If you would also accept."

"Wha? What is it?" Mrs. Tam stammered.

Tetra brought her other hand out from behind her and presented a book. Jack recognized it as one of the basic sewing and fashion texts that he'd purchased from the mall. Only there were several sticky notes laced in between many of the pages.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and gazed up at her father. Again, he nodded toward his wife, who made a slight nod of approval. The girl approached and took the book.

She opened it and reviewed a few of the hand-written notes. "What is all this?"

Tetra folded her arms. "I have taken it upon myself to make a...primer of sorts." She offered a hand. "A beginner's guide on how to weave like an arachne."

It was Chloe's turn to suck in a breath. She darted her eyes up in excitement. "Really?"

Mrs. Tam narrowed her eyes, but not suspiciously. "I don't think I understand."

Tetra eyed her seriously. "Your daughter has shown great skill at weaving. Better than some arachne I've met. Certainly better than most humans at her age." She glanced over at Mr. Tam. "If you would allow, I'd like to take on Chloe as an apprentice."

Jack reared his head back. "Whoa, Tetra. That's...a bit of a ...serious commitment."

She faced him. "This is the Exchange Jack. It is well passed time I offered something back."

He lifted a hand and glanced over at Chloe's parents.

"I understand your concern." She turned back to the Tams. "But the whole point is to learn from each others strengths correct?" Jack swallowed and nodded. "Then I'd like to pass on this strength to someone capable of wielding it."

Chloe faced up to the arachne. "You mean, if I learn from you." She turned and pointed at her brother's new outfit. "I could make something like that?"

Tetra snorted and scoffed. "That? I'm confident you could already weave that on your own." Everyone in the room blinked and stared at her.

"I'm talking about creating something like this." She flicked a claw and tugged hard at a thread that had trailed behind her. In a series of colorful flashes, pieces of silk cloths of various hues flew out of the hallway and assembled themselves onto the arachne. Guided by pre-placed threads on the ceiling, whole sleeves and hems seemingly arranged themselves over her legs and pedipalps. Two halves of a body of a dress top wrapped around her torso. A wide skirt tucked in underneath and secured her waist.

In the span of a few seconds the whole outfit settled on her body. She snipped a few threads here and there, pulled a few sleeves taut and then looked up. "What do you think?"

Jack was flabbergasted.

The whole ensemble looked like an upside down rainbow colored flower. The corset part was lime green at the collar that darkened to a deep almost black seaweed at her waist. The skirt was almost black but lightened into a wood-like brown toward the hem. Her pedipalps and each pair of legs were clad in a sleeve with each color of the rainbow in series except green and violet.

Tetra paced back and forth a few steps. She looked like, well, a giant rainbow spider. Dangerous and lithe, but also flashy and bright.

"Holy..." Jack whispered. He craned his head over to the Tams. They were just as shocked as he was. No one said anything for a good ten seconds. And then...

"Show off." Sula had her arms crossed just inside the kitchen entrance.

Tetra smirked smugly at the echidna's remark. "You know you want some of this."

"Pfft." She scoffed. "As if." She waved flippantly and slithered back into the kitchen. The arachne chuckled conceitedly and looked back at the Tams.

Chloe tiptoed around and just admired the whole outfit. "Look at that. That's so beautiful. And that seam there is- is perfect."

Mr. Tam cleared his throat. "Well, I wasn't expecting dinner and a show." Tetra chuckled again. "And we will certainly consider your offer."

Mrs. Tam nodded. "Oh yes. That is beautiful. But.." She paused and Tetra tilted her head. "How much would you charge?"

"Nothing." The arachne replied. Each of the humans narrowed their eyes. Including Calvin.

Tetra chuckled lightly. "There is a catch." Mr. and Mrs Tam folded their arms. Chloe stepped back toward her parents. Tetra pointed at the book. "In my notes, there are instructions on weaving three pieces. When you are ready, you must complete each of them by yourself." Chloe blinked and tilted her head. "Materials you can get from anywhere, but the actual construction, the work, has to be your own."

Mrs. Tam blinked a few times. "Why?"

Tetra raised her head but Mr. Tam beat her to it. "To prove she can do it." He said quietly.

The arachne smiled. "Precisely." She placed her hands together. "They are not overly difficult pieces, but neither are they without their challenges." She directed that last part at Chloe. She lowered her front legs and pointed at the child. "But I think you can do it. And I think, if you want, you can do more."

She reared up to her full height and crossed her arms. "If you cheat, however, I'll see it in your efforts afterward. And I'll have to reject you as my apprentice."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't cheat Ma'am. I do all my own stitching."

"Excellent." Tetra replied. "Well, I'm hungry. So how about I put on something more dinner appropriate." She smirked and nodded her head side to side. "I am kinda showing off." She turned and skittered back down the hall.

"Jack." Mrs. Tam got his attention. "Is, is she serious about that?"

He nodded slowly. "This is the first I'm hearing about it..but," He faced them. "When I asked her about that book she picked up from the mall..." He pointed at the item in Chloe's hands. "She said that it wasn't for her." He paused. "So, yes, I do believe she wants to teach Chloe."

The girl in question turned to her mother. "Can I mom?"

Mr. and Mrs. Tam shared a look. "We'll have to discuss it sweetie."

"I'm sure Tetra doesn't expect an answer right away." Jack said and raised a hand. "Take what time you need, ask whatever you like." He waved toward the dining room. "In the meantime, I think dinner should be ready soon."

Jack lead most of the Tams in and Dawn guided each to a chair on one side of the table.

Mrs. Tam lingered and stood alone in the front room. Jack looked back ,curios expression evident. She closed her eyes as he approached. "I'm sorry Jack..." She looked down. "After what you told me about what happened with that other one...I just..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Other one?" He let out a breath. "Oh...M-Marian."

She lifted her head and nodded. "I'm...I'm not like you Jack. It's been..difficult for me to accept them."

Jack recalled back to when he first met her kids. "Chloe said that you told her monsters couldn't be friends with humans." He did his best to keep any judgment out of his voice.

She shut her eyes. "I yelled that at her in a moment of anger." A beat. "I didn't actually mean it like a rule she had to follow."

He narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

She sighed. "I had a... difficult day at work. I'm a part-timer at a grocery store." She smiled a bit. "That's where we met you know? Kathy and I."

Jack just blinked slowly.

Mrs. Tam looked back down. "An old couple came in. I'd seen them before. They were showing around their homestay." She focused, trying to remember details. "Something with hooves and horns and fur that liked to jump around. She looked like an overgrown child." Her eyes went hard with the memory. "And she behaved like one too."

Jack winced. "Let me guess, she made a mess."

She shook her head slowly. "More than a mess." She raised a hand. "She knocked over a whole shelf. Scared a bunch of customers and ruined half a ton of food."

His wince tightened.

"And the little brat didn't even slow down. Kept dancing around in jelly and leaving strawberry hoofprints everywhere she went." She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "It's just a little mom and pop place, not some big chain that can cover losses like that."

"And worst of all, it happened at the end of my shift." Her head dipped regretfully. "I couldn't stay and help clean up more because I had to pick up Chloe from school." She closed her eyes. "I felt so terrible leaving Mr. Prinkle and the others to clean up."

She sighed. "And then I picked up Chloe. Usually a highlight of my day." A wisp of a smile crossed her face. "She always tells me something funny or interesting that she learned. But that day they were being taught about liminals." Her jaw clenched a moment. "And I didn't want to hear it. So I tuned her out, just grunted and nodded along like I would with an exceptionally dull customer." She shook her head. "My own daughter..."

"Then she asked me if we could get one." Her eyebrows furrowed in. " A homestay for our family that she could be friends with and I snapped." She closed her eyes a moment in shame.

Jack nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Not your fault Jack. But I appreciate the sentiment." She sighed and lifted a hand toward him. "And here you are, kidnapped, bitten, nearly k-killed..." She pressed her lips together. "And you still stick with it."

He folded his arms. "I wouldn't say that I'm more resilient that anyone else. But I have been at this longer than you know." She tilted her head to the side. "I used to work with a werewolf at my old job."

Mrs. Tam leaned her head back. "That's right. Kathy mentioned that once."

"As incredible as it might sound, I grew accustomed to being around a guy who could gut me in the blink of an eye." Her eyes widened a tad and he sighed. "The thing you have remember is that they are people. There are bad ones and good ones. And there are those that make mistakes and can be better." He dropped an arm and placed the other over his chest. "That's my job. To point out and correct mistakes and behavior that humans can't tolerate."

He lifted his hand. "Like knocking over a shelf. I assume that couple apologized and scolded their homestay?"

Mrs. Tam nodded. "Yes they came back the next day with their homestay. She only said 'I'm sorry' and hid behind her hosts most of the time." A beat. "She was obviously ashamed, but I wasn't really interested in that."

"What was really surprising was that agent Smythe came with them and handed Mr. Prinkle a blank check." Jack smirked lightly. "I think he even offered a work crew to replace and repair any damage caused."

"Reggie's crew." Jack confirmed. "They're good at their jobs."

"Yes I think a name like Reggie was mentioned." She nodded. "I was just glad that we wouldn't have to lay anyone off." She shook her head. "How a government agency can just throw money around like that on top of the expense of just keeping them all fed and housed..."

Jack nodded lightly. "Yeah I'm not too sure where all that money comes from, and I'm not too keen on trying to find out." He glanced to the side. "It's like that saying about not learning how sausage is made. You probably don't want to know the answer."

"Speaking of food." He looked back at her and jerked his head toward the dining room. "Shall we?"

She nodded happily. "Yes. They're probably waiting for us."

Mrs. Tam followed him inside and she sucked in a small breath. "This is... kinda fancy." She noted and ran a finger on the wood surface. "Is this... Mahogany?"

"Ah, Red Oak I believe." Jack answered. "I'll take you guys on a tour of the place after we eat, if you'd like."

In fairly short order each of his guests, save Sula, took a position opposite a Tam. Isaac followed Tetra in from the far entrance and found an outlier seat for himself.

Mr. Tam cocked his head at Isaac's appearance. "Um, Mr. Keysman?"

Jack and Isaac both raised their heads. "Yes?"

Mr. Tam blinked and darted his gaze between them. Mrs. Tam leaned over to her husband. "I think that's his brother dear."

He opened his mouth. "Ah. I see it now." He turned back to Isaac. "I thought you lived in California."

Isaac nodded toward his brother. "The Exchange called us about a..." He briefly eyed the younger Tams. "...an 'incident' had occurred with Jack. I took some time off to see how he was doing."

Calvin sat up in his seat. "You mean when Jack got kidnapped?"

Everyone else in the room stared at the kid in disbelief. He smiled and pointed at Jack. "It was so cool."

Calvin threw up his arms. "Jack got taken." He pointed at Tetra. "Then his spider-lady friend chased the other spider-lady and beat her up." The arachne's mouth hung open.

"Then um..." Calvin glanced down a moment. Sula chose the exact wrong moment to enter the dining room with a pot.

"First course is-" She started to announce.

Calvin's eyes flew open and and he pointed at the echidna. "Oh. Then the snake lady had to take him to the ambulance cause he got bit. Right?"

Poor Sula froze in place and blinked several times. "Uh.. what, what's..."

"And then the other monster cops arrested the bad spider lady." Calvin continued. "And then-" Mrs. Tam recovered and firmly placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Ow what?" He reared his head back up at her. "What?"

"Be quiet." She hissed. He blinked in utter befuddlement. Everyone else was either staring at the boy in horror or at Jack with sympathy.

"How...how did you know all that?" Syleris squeaked.

Calvin piped up again. "Oh my friend Frankie's dad is a cop. Says he saw the whole thing."

Jack cleared his throat and stood up out of his chair. "I um...I need a...I'll be right back." He took a breath and walked out of the dining room.

"What?" Calvin asked. "What'd I say?"

Jack blocked out everything around him and stood alone in the front room. He kept his breathing steady, slow. He focused on his own heartbeat.

-The wind whipped by his head.-

He swallowed and shut his eyelids tighter.

-The air smelled dusty and empty-

He clenched his hands.

-Her teeth rent into his fle-

"Jack?"

He snapped his eyes open. "I'll be alright."

Tetra cantered around and over a couch or two. She stopped right in front of him. A simple white gown adorned her torso and fell over her pedipalps. "That's not what I asked." Her eyes gazed at him mournfully.

Jack took a breath and focused on her face. "I...what...what did you say?"

She looked at him askance. "I asked if you wanted to eat with us?"

"Um." He squinted and rattled his head. "Yeah yeah, I'll..." He glanced up at her. An unspoken question on his face

Tetra narrowed one eye. "You've been out here almost two minutes."

Jack blinked. "I have?" He stared ahead unfocused. "Oh I'm..sorry...just... damn kid."

"I'm sure he didn't mean any harm." She said.

He frowned a bit and squinted. "Strange hearing something like that from you..."

The arachne smirked. "Children are excited by tales. Especially ones of heroics."

Jack almost grimaced. "Heroics?"

She grinned. "Well my own naturally." She placed a hand lightly on her chest. "I can hardly be cross with him for recalling my daring rescue."

Jack blinked a few times. "Pfft! Haha, ha ha ha." He doubled over and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Just like Spider-man." She asserted.

He shook his head while laughing more. "Oh my gods." He giggled and looked back up at her mock-disappointingly. "You and your ego."

"Got you to laugh." She countered.

He narrowed his eyes and replaced his hand to his side. "Yeah...sneaky spider."

She grinned wider, exposing a few more fangs. "Aw, you say the sweetest things, Jack." He chortled and shook his head again. Then he sighed.

"Feeling better?" She asked quietly.

Jack closed his eyes briefly. "Yeah. Yes I am." He looked back into her eyes. "Thanks Tetra."

She nodded lightly. "You're quite welcome Jack." She skittered around to his side. "Now come on. We waited for you. Our host." She advanced toward the dining room. "So let's eat."

"Yeah." Jack plodded through and took his position at the head of the table.

"Jack I'd just like to-" Mrs. Tam started. He held up his hand and she stopped.

"If I want to talk about it, it'll be after dinner." He said quietly. Calvin just sat silently at his seat.

Jack eyed the pots and dishes on the long table. "I'd like to try that fish stew first." He glanced toward the lamia cook. "What did you call it?"

Sula picked up the serving ladle and filled a bowl. "This is moqueca." She passed it down.

Mr. Tam raised his chin. "That sounds...Brazilian?"

Sula smiled. "Correct. Have you had this before?" She filled another bowl.

"Actually been there." He answered. "Briefly. I was stationed at the support detachment for the Navy in Sao Paulo for a few months."

"Oh." The lamia exclaimed. "You probably passed right by my home."

He cocked his head. "You...live in Sao Paulo?"

She smiled. "An island off the coast. The locals call it Ilha da Queimada Grande."

He blinked a couple times. "That's...Snake Island right?"

Sula sighed and rotated a wrist a few times. "Yep."

Chloe suppressed a chortle in her throat. "You're ...hehehe, from Snake Island?"

"Yep." Sula handed over another bowl down the line.

"How is it there?" Mrs. Tam asked.

The lamia smiled and began describing her island. Jack sat back and listened. He took his time eating.

Mrs. Tam asked each of his guests what their home was like. Syleris described the wide plains of Gran Chaco. Dawn recalled the natural beauty of the province of Canada she hailed from. Tetra recounted the hidden places of Europe she was most fond of.

Mrs. Tam turned to Jack after she finished her bowl. "You mentioned another guest." Dawn and Jack shared a brief look. "Will she be joining us?"

The host shrugged and offered a hand to Dawn. "Up to you."

Mrs. Tam frowned a bit and glanced between the two. "Is there some problem?"

Dawn shook her head. "It's not a problem. It's just...hard to explain."

"How about after dinner?" Sula suggested.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, that might be best." Mrs. Tam still looked unsure.

Mr. Tam lifted his chin. "What's that other dish you made?" He directed that at Sula.

She lifted a claw and pointed at the largest pot. "This is what I'm calling 'quick feijoada.'"

He narrowed his eyes. "Okay...no. I picked up enough about Brazilian cuisine to know that there's no such thing."

Sula giggled nervously. "That's actually very true." She lowered her hand. "A really good feijoada dish takes almost a day to prepare properly. I um...may have taken a shortcut or two."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Tasted fine to me." He handed his plate over. "I'll take some."

The lamia smiled and passed his plate back with a couple ladle servings of the dish and a clump of rice on top. Jack scooped up a spoonful. "Mmm. Different but not bad. Not bad at all."

She dipped her head. "You don't have to spare my feelings if it's not good Jack. I mostly made it for nostalgia's sake."

He lifted a hand. "No I really think it's fine. Could use some more spice though."

Sula sighed and nodded her head side to side. "I'll go get them." She briefly darted into the kitchen and returned with a handful of small jars. She passed them around.

Syleris dusted her dish and tried a bite. "Mmhm...yeah better with some spices." She swallowed another mouthful and faced Mr. Tam. "So..you said you were 'stationed' at Sao Paulo? What does that mean?"

He sat up a little straighter. "I'm a marine ma'am."

She blinked a few times. Then she raised a wing-hand gingerly. "Um...I thought you were a human."

Everyone else stared at her in befuddlement. She glanced around and raised her other wing-hand. "Well I don't see any fins, so how is he a marine liminal?"

Mr. Tam blinked rapidly a few times. Then he chuckled and shook his head lightly. "I'm a soldier ma'am." He nodded his head side to side. "Former..soldier."

"Oh, okay." Syleris shook her head again. "I still don't get it."

Jack cleared his throat. "A United States Marine is a service career, Syleris. He enlisted and trained for a certain branch of the military."

She reared her head back. "Oooooh," She pointed a wing-hand at him. "Like you said you thought about doing." Jack tilted his head sideways a bit. "You said you and a friend talked about it while drinking one night."

Her host blinked a few times. "Oh...Mac." He placed a couple fingers on his forehead. "Right, I forgot I told you about Mac."

Isaac stuck his chin out. "Do I know Mac?"

Jack shook his head. "Probably not. College friend."

Mrs. Tam cleared her throat. "Kathy never told me you were interested in the military, Jack."

He raised a hand. "It was never a really serious consideration for me. A fallback in case I couldn't get something out of college." He shrugged. "Plus I had a bit of a rebellious streak coming out of high school."

Tetra grinned. "'Cause you were a rock star, drummer boy." The rest of the table chuckled. Jack rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Where did you get that name?" Mr. Tam asked. "Disposa-whatsit?"

Jack shook his head. "Disposabots...umm...it's from a movie."

Chloe tilted her head. "Which one?"

He raised a hand. "It's not a term from the movie but it's something...oh, I, Robot. The Isaac Asimov adaptation with Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan."

The Tam elders looked at each other. "I think we've seen that."

Isaac smirked and nodded. "I remember. You guys watched that a dozen times after your practices."

Jack dipped his head and snorted. "Yeah, Eric loved that film." He lifted his spoon. "But James is the one that came up with the term."

"How did he?" Mrs. Tam asked.

Jack placed a finger on the table and slid it. "When the corporation in the movie started handing out the upgraded robots they also took the older models away and well...disposed of them." His finger ran off the table and dipped below it.

Mr. Tam leaned his head back. "Ah I get it. Disposable robots."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "They were perfectly functional pieces of hardware. There wasn't anything wrong with them. They could still be useful but the corporation just stored them in crates outside the city and left them there. Eric noted later that if they had achieved consciousness like Alan Tudyk's robot character...well..."

"They would have been the ultimate victim." Isaac finished. "They were disposed of just cause people thought they were disposable."

"Yep." Jack nodded. "Little bit of obscure social commentary for a band name." He shook his head slowly. "We thought we were SO clever."

"I liked your explanation Jack." Tetra noted. "I didn't understand all the terms or know the actors, but I think I understand the meaning."

"Thanks Tetra." He smiled and scooped up another mouthful of stew.

"So..." Isaac got Mr. Tam's attention. "What do you do now?"

"I manage cyber security for a law firm in the city." He said. "Commute is a pain but pays well enough to allow me to live outside of it." He shook his head. "I'm not big on crowds." He craned his head around and noted the sheer size of the dining room. "Although, from the look of it, I went into the wrong profession."

Jack chuckled lightly. "This is a special circumstance, I assure you." He held up a fork with a chunk of beef stuck in its tines. "Agent Smythe, my coordinator, admitted that this is kind of an ongoing experiment in home design. Accommodating liminal needs within human built architecture." He took a bite and placed his utensil down. "The 'home of the future' he called it."

Mr. Tam raised an eyebrow. "Making the rooms and doors bigger is the future?"

Jack chuckled again. "It's a little more than that. I'll take you on a tour and show you around if you'd like."

Mrs. Tam smiled. "We would love that Jack."

The ten of them ate silently for a few moments. Then Syleris piped up at Mr. Tam.

"So...why'd you stop being a soldier?" She asked. "Did you not like it?"

Mrs. Tam gave her husband a nervous glance. Mr. Tam paused a moment. "Medical discharge."

The harpy sucked in a short breath. "Oh, you got hurt?"

"Daddy was wounded fighting the bad guys." Chloe stated. Her tone was a mix of pride and melancholy. "But daddy's friends got them back." A small spark flared behind her eyes.

The room fell silent again. Isaac cleared his throat. "Thank you for your service sir." Jack nodded and repeated his brother's statement.

Mr. Tam lifted his cup. "Appreciated."

The rest of the dinner passed by fairly briskly if uneventfully. It was mutually decided that they would retire to the front room before Jack showed them around.

"Jack if you wouldn't mind..." Dawn stood in front of the TV and faced the rest of them. "She's ready."

Her host nodded. "Go ahead." He glanced over at the Tams. "Might want to sit back. First time seeing it is...odd."

Dawn leaned her head back like usual when she falls into the Melding. However, all the make-up and hair dye obscured the immediate physical changes. Only when Kuro faced forward and opened her glowing blue eyes did anything become visually apparent.

The Tams each seemed apprehensive. Until Kuro spoke.

"Greetings Tam family." She waved casually. More than a bit of snow fell from her sleeve. "My name is Kuro."

Each of them blinked and looked at each other. Then they looked back at the Yuki-onna in skeptical disbelief. Chloe lifted a finger. "How... are you making your eyes glow?"

Kuro smirked lightly. "Magic."

Calvin's eyes flew up and he jumped out of his seat. "Really?"

Kuro nodded at him lightly. He turned back to his parents. "Can I learn to make my eyes glow from her?"

Mrs. Tam's reaction was flustered. She was still trying to comprehend what she was seeing and her son's question threw her mindset into another direction. "Uh...wha...what?" She swallowed and shook her head.

Mr. Tam squinted and vaguely gestured to the Yuki-onna. "What, exactly, just happened?"

Kuro swallowed. "I am a Yuki-onna. But not a whole one." She held a hand to her chest. "Dawn is my physical host. Our spirits or souls are merged and held in this body." She lifted a finger. "However, only one of us can command this body at a time. We call that one the 'active spirit'."

Calvin whipped his head back at her. "Whoa really?"

She nodded. "I understand if this knowledge upsets any of you. My circumstances are not exactly...natural."

"H-how did you get like that?" Mrs. Tam stammered.

Kuro smiled sadly. "It's a long story." She held out a hand. "If I may, I'd like to show you something."

Mrs. Tam blinked a few times. "Show us what?"

Jack stepped forward. "Kuro has a gift. But she can only share it with one person at a time. She needs physical contact."

Kuro smirked. "That's not exactly true." Jack tilted his head. "But for simplicity's sake I'll do this one at a time."

"Do what exactly?" Mr. Tam asked.

Jack held up a hand. "You'll see. This is completely safe. She's shared it with all of us before."

Mr. Tam gave Jack an almost skeptical look then faced back to the Yuki-onna. "Alright. What do I do?"

"Just sit there." She instructed and approached. "And try not to react too much at first." She lightly laid a hand on his. His face went slightly slack.

The other Tams gave their patriarch a concerned look. Jack held up his hand. "It's alright. This should only take a minute."

Sula came around the couch toward him. "If you got this Jack, I'm going to start cleaning up."

Syleris nodded. "I'll help."

Isaac stood up as well. "Me too."

Jack thanked them as they left the room.

Dawn retracted her hand and Mr. Tam blinked several times. "Whoa."

"What...what happened daddy?" Chloe asked. Mrs. Tam took his hand.

"I.." He started and then faced his wife. "I saw William."

Her eyes widened. "But he..."

Mr. Tam nodded. "I know but...I saw him, talked to him."

Kuro smiled. "It's a very good memory."

Mrs. Tam faced her. "You...saw his memory?"

Jack waved his hand. "You ever heard of telepathy?"

She blinked a couple times. "Um...yes. Talking inside another person's head right? Only they can hear it?"

Jack shrugged. "Kinda. Hers is a bit more elaborate."

"That's cool." Calvin stated exuberantly.

Kuro hovered a hand over Mrs Tam's arm. "When you're ready." She hesitated a second then nodded lightly. Kuro made contact and Mrs Tam's face went slack.

Mr. Tam lowered his eyes. "That's what I looked like?"

Chloe giggled. "Yeah daddy. Kinda funny."

After a minute Mrs. Tam came back to reality. "Oh...Kathy." She craned her head toward Jack and sniffed. "She was so wonderful. You must miss her so much."

Jack closed his eyes and held them. "I do."

"Me next." Calvin announced and stood right in front of Kuro. She lightly laid a hand on his head.

She didn't bother with memories for the Tam children. Instead she presented a fantasy of Calvin as a Jedi master in a Star Wars battle. Chloe's fantasy was soaring through a rainbow sky and exploring a floating castle on clouds.

Kuro stepped back from the Tam children when she was finished.

"That was awesome." Calvin exclaimed. He waved his arms around like he was wielding a lightsaber. "Vee. Veeum. Voom, voom." Chloe just kept her eyes closed and stuck her arms out like wings.

Mr. and Mrs. Tam chuckled. "Yes. Thank you Dawn and...Kuro."

Kuro nodded and smiled. "Your welcome."

"Would you like that tour now?" Jack asked.

Mr. Tam nodded "Yes Jack." They all stood up and followed him.

The host showed them around the first floor and the gym. Syleris went a few laps around her track to show off her speed and agility. Just like the first time, she astounded the humans that hadn't seen her exceptional athleticism before.

Then they visited the 'ice cave' as Dawn and Kuro's room had been nicknamed. After that Jack took them up to the 'lair' of the arachne on the top floor.

"This place is amazing Jack." Mrs. Tam commented as they gathered around the front door. "I'll miss the old house, but I can't argue against the new amenities."

Jack nodded. "Yeah I was upset the first time I saw it." He glanced around. "But it grows on ya, after a bit."

"We'll have to do this again some time." Mr. Tam noted and eyed Tetra and Dawn. "You've certainly given us a lot to think about."

Sula brought Mrs. Tam her freshly cleaned dishes and joined them outside. "Sorry I couldn't make a proper feijoada. I promise you it's better when you put the time into it."

"It's quite alright Sula." Mrs. Tam smiled. "I'll have to sneak more deviled eggs in next time."

"Yeah." Jack folded his arms. "Enough so that there's more than just two left for each of us."

Sula blushed and grinned. "I couldn't help it. They were sooo good."

Mr. Tam chuckled and held his hand out. Jack took it and they shook. "Good to finally meet you Jack."

"Likewise sir."

Chloe and Calvin waved. "Thanks Jack." Both turned to Tetra by his side.

"Thank you for the book." Chloe smiled.

"Thanks for the Jedi outfit." Calvin said.

The arachne nodded. "You're both quite welcome."

Mrs. Tam and her children turned and started walking toward their light blue mini-van. They discussed their gifts on the way. Most of Jack's house guests went back inside.

"Ah, Jack?" Mr. Tam asked. "If you've got a minute." He tilted his head and followed him over to a patch of grass on the lawn.

"Evelyn told me about your...encounter, the other night."

Jack froze a moment and then nodded lightly. The elder Tam placed a hand on his shoulder. "You ever need to talk, I've been there." Jack just blinked.

He older man knelt down and lifted up a pant leg. The toned calf underneath was gnarled and pocked. A curving scar with small branches ran down from the top of the shin to just above the ankle. Jack sucked in a small breath.

"I won't go into the gory details." He recovered his pant leg and stood back up. "But sometimes." His eyes unfocused and some bitterness glinted in his pupils. "I still feel the shrapnel tearing through."

Jack paused a moment, then he pulled part of his shirt collar out. He lifted one of the patches of gauze for a second and then replaced the tape to his collar bone. "Her teeth, fangs."

Mr. Tam pressed his lips and nodded. "Your arachne friend took a hit that night as well?" He tapped a finger on his cheek.

"Yep." Jack affirmed quietly.

Mr. Tam lifted a hand. "I don't know the first thing about liminal psychology, but if they are anything like us..."

Jack closed his eyes briefly. "Yeah. We're probably all going to see a counselor in the very near future."

Mr. Tam smirked lightly. "You're a good man Jack. I was prepared to hate everyone in this gaudy house after what your Tetra did to my boy." Jack lifted his face up. "But now...I think I'll reserve judgment." He waved. "Have a good night."

Jack waved and watched the last one get into the van and motor away. He turned around and noticed Syleris standing by herself on the porch. He strode toward her and got her attention.

"I'll find a way." She stated.

Jack tilted his head curiously. "Find what?"

She stared dead into his eyes. "I saw it Jack. His wound." A beat. "And yours, and Tetra's." She gazed back out to the road. "I'll find a way to restore your bodies. I promise I will."

He smiled lightly and leaned in to hug her. "I'm sure you will, Syleris." She returned the hug. "You really sure about that though?"

She stepped back and gave him a very quizzical look. He shrugged one shoulder and smirked a little. "Don't chicks dig scars?"

She stared at him blankly a moment. Then she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "Did you just call me a chick?"

Jack blinked a couple times. Then he breathed in sharply. "Oh."

She gazed at him intently. "I'm a Terrestrial. Harpy. Jack. " A beat. "Not a ...poultry harpy." She spat out the last term with a sneer.

He lifted his hand weakly. "Uh..right."

She glared while stepping away from him. "It's bad enough when that brat can't even pronounce it." She turned around and started to march back inside with wing-hand raised.. "Now my own host mistakes me for something else entirely."

Jack's cheeks reddened up. He advanced a step to try to get her attention back, but she went on a rant and trod through the front room and down the hall towards her bedroom. "...absolutely no respect..."

Jack stopped and let her go. "Ah...I'll apologize later." He said to himself.


Dawn descended the stairs and strode toward her bedroom's large metal door. She reached out for the handle and then stopped herself. She turned around and didn't exactly frown. "You know Kuro can sense you when you're sneaking that close."

Tetra tucked her chin in while hanging upside down from the basement ceiling. "Apologies. I didn't quite mean to sneak." Dawn raised an eyebrow.

The arachne extended an arm. "I wasn't sure how to start this conversation so I was trying to...hide, until I thought up a clever opener." She sighed and pivoted her whole body. The legs on one side all 'stepped off' the ceiling and set on the floor. A thread from her abdomen kept her steady while her other legs let go and did the same. "But I suppose there's no witty way of saying 'I don't blame you for almost killing me' as a way of initiating a discussion."

Dawn grimaced and averted her eyes.

Tetra approached slowly. "I take full responsibility for my actions that night, Dawn. No one else in this house need blame themselves." The blonde woman glanced back up. "I asked you to freeze Marian. I attacked and prevented her from trying to escape. I put myself-" Tetra blinked and gazed at the girl in front of her. Dawn hugged herself and started trembling. Her jaw clenched.

"Dawn?" Tetra lifted a hand. "Are you...?"

The girls' eyes blazed. "How dare you!" The arachne backed a step. "Did you think you were the only one that wanted to hurt Marian for what she did to Jack? Did you think you were the only one who wanted her dead?"

Tetra blinked a couple times.

Dawn pointed right at her. "What is this? The big bad arachne gets all the blame and the sweet innocent dead girl with ice powers just walks? Did you think that I didn't want to be held responsible for what I did?" She held a hand to her chest. "Like I wasn't at least a little giddy at watching her suffer."

Tetra stared ahead a few seconds. "What..what are you saying?"

Dawn swallowed and let out a heavy breath. "I'm saying..I'm trying to say...that I want you to be angry at me for almost killing you."

Tetra narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I asked you to assist me. I knew the risks. I'd felt Kuro's cold aura earlier that day." She inclined her head. "I knew precisely what I was getting myself into."

Dawn gritted her teeth a moment. "But I didn't have to do that."

The arachne paused a few moments in contemplation. "Alright. I think I see your dilemma." She stepped up and laid a hand gently on Dawn's shoulder and leaned down. "You could have chosen to not let Kuro out." Dawn nodded curtly.

"But if you hadn't..." Tetra bent her legs in and lowered her head to be even with the yuki-onna's. "That fight would have gone very differently." She raised a claw and stroked the scarred side of her face. "And these would be in a lot more places and a lot more severe. At best, if the fight went my way." Dawn's intense expression mollified a hair.

"Yes, you almost killed me." The arachne acknowledged. "But you also stopped Marian." A beat. "She had to be stopped. If she got away she might have tried to take away Jack again."

Dawn sucked in a breath. "But MON..."

Tetra closed her eyes briefly. "Yes, MON and Sula would have protected him." She waved a claw between them. "But WE didn't know that. We only knew that she had to be stopped before she hurt Jack again or anyone else." Dawn lowered her chin and stared at the ground.

Tetra stood back up and crossed her arms. "A monster on the loose in a human settlement on a full moon night..." She shook her head gravely. "Unacceptable."

Dawn sighed heavily.

See child? There is no need for this much distress.

She pressed her eyes closed for a spell. Then she faced up to the arachne and gazed at her earnestly. "I still...I want to do something...for you. I..don't think I will feel better otherwise. "

Tetra cocked her head appreciably. "An exchange?" Dawn nodded firmly.

The arachne couldn't help but smirk. Most non-arachne got annoyed with her people's insistence on trading favors and services. It certainly got under the lamias' scales that she used to live with. This may be the first time someone actually offered her a favor before she insisted on getting one.

Her smirk slipped away however, as she thought about the brief history she had with the blonde woman and her companion.

"Dawn, Kuro." She eyed them with gratefulness. "You already gave me a great gift." The girl blinked confusedly.

"You showed me a life with my father." The arachne extended an arm and tapped a claw on Dawn's forehead. "I got so lost in that fantasy, that I forgot to offer something back for it."

Tetra let her arm drop and lifted the other one. She motioned it like she was sweeping something off a table. "So how about we call it even." A twist of logic inspired her lips to tic upward. "An almost death for an unreal life."

Dawn's shoulders wilted. Her eyes unfocused and her body seemed unnaturally still. For a moment Tetra thought she was observing a standing corpse. She frowned and sighed. "Did you have something in mind?"

Dawn's eyes perked up. "Yeah, yeah. I did." A tiny barely observable mote of blue flared in her pupils.

She lifted a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "What was it...Oh." She looked up into the arachne's eyes. "I overheard Jack say that he didn't have a nightmare today."

Tetra smiled warmly. "That's good to hear."

Dawn nodded positively. "Yeah. Kuro thought that your playing had something to do with it."

Tetra placed a clawed hand on her cheek and leaned her head on it. "Quite possibly."

"Right." Dawn nodded. "So I was thinking...you could teach me that song you played."

One of her upper eyes twitched. "This sounds like I'm doing you the favor."

The blonde girl held up a hand. "Hear me out. I don't want to play it for Jack." She grinned wryly. "I figure that's your job." The arachne didn't react. "But what about any human guests that sleep here? What if they have nightmares?"

Tetra raised an eyebrow quizzically. Then she remembered. "Isaac. His brother." She put her arm down to her side and threaded her fingers. "He said he had a nightmare about you didn't he?"

Dawn nodded seriously. "I'd never heard of this nightmare thing happening to hosts before today. I asked Sheena about it before she left and she confirmed it." She shook her head. "They don't really know what causes it other than staying in a house with an extra-species." She lowered an eyebrow. "The more dangerous the guest more likely it will occur." She lifted a hand. "But then there are reports of hosts living with large breed arachne, devils, raptor harpies, shark mermaids, wyverns and such that don't experience them at all."

She shrugged "But if live music worked for Jack maybe it can work for Isaac and maybe others." Dawn posited while lifting a finger. "It's just a theory but..."

"But," Tetra continued off her trail. "Isaac has been picking up a lot of the chores and duties around here in Jack's place." She nodded. "It's the least we can do to try and ease his stay here."

"Good." Dawn smiled. "I'm glad you agree." She looked to the side. "I... was afraid you'd refuse, cause it didn't benefit you directly."

Tetra smirked knowingly. "A few years ago that would have been true. Maybe even a few days." She closed her eyes. "But now...I've received crucial medical care as a result of the exchange of knowledge between species." She opened her eyes. "I doubt many arachne would have the medical expertise to treat my hypothermia let alone a heavily envenomed human."

Dawn nodded and pumped a fist. "Yeah, we should do something for that professor Holden, next chance we get." She held up a finger. "And if this music thing works, I'm sure he'd document it and credit you as a pioneer on the subject."

Tetra narrowed her eyes but kept her smirk. "Appeal to my ego too much, little girl, and I might get suspicious."

Dawn hunched her shoulders and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Kuro suggested I do that."

All the arachne's eyes squinted down to crimson slits. "Uh-huh."

Dawn held up a hand. "I swear. Girl guide's honor."

Tetra blinked a couple times. "I don't know what that is." She shook her head. "Whatever. I suppose I'll take your word on it." She leaned back and folded her arms. "So what do you play?"

"Oh right." She nodded. "I'll go get it." Dawn returned to her door, opened it and slipped in. A moment later she pushed it all the way open and kicked a rubber stopper beneath the lip to keep it ajar. She turned and pulled a black stand with wheels out. A large black rectangular board was resting on top.

Tetra's height allowed her to note that one side on the board had piano keys in a typical arrangement. The other half had an electronic display and several buttons.

She pointed a claw at the device. "That's a ...oh I know this is the wrong term but...an electric piano?"

"Electronic keyboard." Dawn corrected. "But one needs to know how to play piano to use it properly." She nodded.

Tetra closed her eyes and shook her head. "No piano strings." She mused. "These clever humans."

Dawn smirked and flipped the power switch. "Some say that a keyboard can't reproduce the right sound as a real piano." She accessed the menu and selected the default setting. Her fingers danced briefly over the keys and both heard a soft measure play out of the board's speakers. "But I'll take this over trying to lug around a concert grand."

Tetra chuckled. "I suppose I should get my instrument then?"

Dawn smiled sheepishly. "If you could please?"

The arachne nodded and cantered up the stairs.


Jack heard something familiar emanating from somewhere below him. He squinted and stopped.

The sound seemed to cut out as soon as he set his feet. He blinked a couple times and cocked his head, trying to determine what he heard. Or if he actually heard anything at all.

When the sound didn't return he shrugged and started down the hall again. Something hummed in his head and he realized it was him. He was humming some tune he'd heard sometime. He stopped and tried to remember where he might have listened to it.

Then the tune started up again, but from somewhere behind him.

Jack blinked and turned around. The hall was empty.

What in the...? I'm not hallucinating am I?

He scratched the back of his head.

I hope that's not some other side-effect of living with liminals. He grimaced and gazed downward. Like those damn nightmares.

He placed a finger on his chin.

Actually I didn't have a nightmare this last time did I? Tetra did something-There it is again!

He definitely heard that tune this time and it had to be coming from below...the basement. He fast-walked to the dining room's back door. There was a slight opening that the music was escaping from.

Is Dawn playing music in her room? It's kinda loud if it-

Jack distinctly heard a piano join the violin's melody. And it wasn't a recording.

He froze and held his breath.

"Good." Tetra praised. "But you're rushing the third or fourth measure a tad."

"Right." Dawn acknowledged. "Slow pieces always took longer for me to learn...that wasn't meant to be a pun."

The arachne chuckled.

Ah good. Sounds like they're getting along now. He smiled and sighed.

"Is someone there?" The arachne asked.

Jack started and held his breath again. Wait why am I trying to hide?

"If anyone's there, can you not be a creeper?" Dawn whined.

Jack pushed the door the rest of the way open and took a few steps down. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to creep." His head cleared the ceiling and he waved at them. "Was just wondering where the music was coming from."

Tetra tilted her head. "Jack, it's getting kinda late. Shouldn't you be resting?"

He shook his head. "Can't rest. I took a seven hour nap in the middle of the day." He sat on the stairs and shrugged. "Mind if I sit in for a bit?"

The arachne frowned but didn't object. Dawn shrugged. "I think there's a stool over in the rec room."

Jack smiled and descended the rest of the stairs. "Perfect, thanks."

He slid the stool a respectful distance away and sat and leaned forward.

Tetra twitched an eye at him. "This is going to be pretty boring for you, I think."

Jack chuckled lightly. "No actually, this feels familiar." Both monster-girls tilted their heads. "James and Eric, my band-mates, would work out chords while I sat behind the drumset and twiddled my thumbs." He shrugged. "Or read a book." He blinked. "But I don't have a book. That does sound boring."

He looked down at the floor a moment. "But I'd still like to stay, if that is alright?"

Dawn shrugged. "I have no objections."

Tetra gazed at him a few moments. "I have one condition." Jack lifted his head. "I need you to promise you won't leave the house without informing any of us ever again."

Their host dipped his head sullenly. "I...I promise."

Tetra exaggerated cocking her head to the side. "What's that Jack? What are you promising?"

He sighed and looked back at her directly. "I promise I won't ever leave without informing any of you."

The arachne smiled satisfactorily. "Good." She turned back to Dawn and placed her bow on the strings of her instrument. "Then you may stay." She cleared her throat. "Let's start at the eighth measure." Dawn nodded and placed her fingers back on the keyboard.


Twenty minutes later...

Dawn gazed back over toward her host. "Seriously!?"

Both monstergirls observed the young man who had managed to fall asleep vertically on a stool. He was quietly snoring in place.

Tetra chuckled lightly. "It is supposed to be a lullaby."

"That's it." Dawn exclaimed. Jack stirred a bit but didn't open his eyes.

"What's 'it'?" The arachne asked.

"The name of this song." She picked up the pencil she'd been scratching notes on and scribbled a title at the top of it. "It's a lullaby, and it's yours. Ergo...this is 'Tetra's Lullaby'."

The spider-woman smirked. "Appealing to my ego again I see?"

Dawn giggled. "Yeah, guess I am."

Tetra shook her head. "I'll let it go, this time." She mock-warned and flashed her eyes.

Dawn snorted. "Gee, how generous of you."

Tetra faced back to her host and slung her instrument over her back. "We should probably call it a night as well. Pick this back up in the morning." She cantered over and scooped up Jack. She turned and headed for the stairs.

Dawn lifted a hand. "Ah, before you go, I have another request."

The arachne paused as her first leg ascended the lowest step. "I'm listening."

The yuki-onna dipped her head. "I was hoping I could learn it well enough to do it tonight but..."

Tetra closed her eyes briefly. "I understand. Assuming he's still available I will play." She hefted the load she was already carrying. "Good night."

"Good night."

The arachne deposited her host on his bed and covered him with the sheets. "So much trouble..." She mused with a smirk. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the forehead. He barely even moaned in response.

"But a caretaker's work is never done I suppose." She closed his door as she exited and went back downstairs.

She rapped her knuckles on a temporarily claimed room. The door opened a few moments later and Isaac stood there in long gray pajamas and a solid black t-shirt. "Oh. Tetra right? I was just about to go down for the night. Did you need something?"

"Actually." She countered. "I believe it's what you need." She retrieved her violin and bow. "May I come in?"

He blinked a few times, obviously trying to figure her intent but then retreated a few steps. "Uh sure."

She trotted in and stood off from the simple cot and sleeping bag in the center of the room. "Go ahead and get back to bed." She instructed. "This shouldn't take long."

He narrowed his eyes but didn't object. He lay down on the cot and slipped into the bag. "What're doing?"

Tetra placed her bow on the strings and set her chin. "Testing a theory." She answered.

Then she began to play.

A/N:

Thanks for reading.

Comment and review please.