A/N: Greetings, ChillingComrade here. Before we start with the chapter, there is something I'd like to point out.

I am NOT a native English speaker; I'm 100%, undeniably, human-sacrifice-to-Perun-ly Russian. And while I am pretty confident in my language skills, there probably will be all sorts of mistakes, from punctuation and grammar to repetative and odd phrasing. I apologize for that and would like you, readers, to point out such mistakes. I really want to improve my English.

Of course, reviews are appreciated and I don't own any single one of the trademarks.

With that out of the way, please, enjoy my first ever work here.


~1 month ago~

"So you wish to become a host for the Interspecies Exchange Program?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I must warn you, that 'they' can be very different from us, humans, and need…"

"Don't worry, I have the housing and money required to take care of liminals," I cut in, interrupting the woman's speech. "Besides, their differences are the reason I want to apply for this program."

"Understood. Then, please, fill out this form and take it to the next window."

Nodding in response, I took the sheet and moved to the table in the middle of the room. There was quite a lot of people in the Migration Service's building today, but I was the only one interested in Cultural Exchange. Well, there also was a lizardman lady, who was just before me in line, and, as far as I could hear her, she wanted to change her host family. Bad treatment or something.

Anyhow, I could only wish her luck next time, so I focused on the application form in front of me. With my passport lying open beside me, I carefully write down the necessary information:

Full name: Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich (A/N: Alexandr Bulatovich Dobrov)

Gender: Male

Date of birth: 25.04.1993 (A/N: DD/MM/YYYY)

The reason I apply for this program, curiosity aside, is that I have inherited a house from my grandfather along with a nice sum of money. And using both of those to host a liminal or more seems like a good thing to do.

Relationship status: Single

What liminals are you willing to host: Any, except for aquatic species

How many liminals are you willing to host: 1-4

Besides, there really is nothing else for me to do beside that. I've already graduated from a university, served my year in the army and got a job which allows me to pretty much stay at home all day long. That, and a couple more reasons which I don't feel like telling about.

Having finished filling the form, I signed it, put my passport in its place in my shoulder bag and walked up to window 13. The aforementioned lizardman was already gone, so I only had to hand the application to another clerk and see what she has to say.

"Hmm, yes, everything seems okay, uhh, Alexandr Bulatovich," muttered the woman, looking through the form I just gave her. "Thank you for your willingness to participate in the cultural exchange. We will run a background check to make sure you don't have any criminal records and send you a notice via e-mail in about a week."

"Thanks," I say, before leaning a little bit closer. "Excuse me, but how long does the whole liminal arrival thing usually take?" Not that it was really important to know, but I would like to have some time to prepare myself for the extraspecies' arrival.

"Well, after you've been approved for participation and given your certification, it takes a week to assign you a liminal, and, depending on where they live, 2 days up to an another week for them to actually arrive," the woman replied in a monotonous, if a little bit annoyed, voice.

After saying a short 'Thanks' in return, I walked out of the building. I took a moment to zip up my jacket and look around to find where I parked my car. Having done so, I walked up to a black Volga GAZ-31105 and got inside, slamming the door shut.

Leaning back into the driver's seat, I take a sip from the water bottle lying on the seat next to me, sorting out the thoughts and feelings about the whole situation. Because, let's be real here, I am basically letting different creatures, who were thought to be fictional until 3 years ago, live with me, in my house. It's like adopting a child, except the child is not human and is probably capable of killing me. I don't even know if I'll be any good as a host, and yet…

Oh, well, I could indulge in self-deprecation later. I still have things to do, like buying groceries and paying bills. Fuck those, by the way. It's just grazy how much the prices have gone up in recent months. Putting the bottle back in its place, I revved up the vehicle's engine and drove off.


~Present~

I let out a heavy sigh as I put aside my shaving machine. Looking in the mirror, I combed my short brown hair so it wouldn't be a mess. "Haaa, I fucking hate my job," I complained to my tired reflection. While programming is a profitable source of income, especially in a city like Bryansk, pulling all-nighters because of it will leave anyone in a potato-like state. As a result of yesterday's one, I've woken up only at noon, with a headache to boot.

Having done with bathroom chores, I went up to my room on the second floor. There, I put on my black tracksuit trousers and a green T-shirt. After that I moved down to kitchen to make some tea. 'Hmm, delicious,' I said ten minutes later, leaning into the armchair in the guest room with a cup of steaming beverage in my hand.

'But damn this house is huge,' I thought, looking at the room's ceiling. Even though I've been living here for a month, I still felt weird about the sheer size of the building. Take the bathroom, for example: it's a 4x8m room, half of which was occupied by a… What was it, again? Sentō? …Whatever. It was a Japanese-style bathtub around 40cm deep and the size of a small pool.

What I mean is this place is a fucking mansion. Two times bigger than any of the houses around and drains just as much money. But it's much better than the cramped little excuse of an apartment I lived in before.

Still staring at the ceiling, I set the cup on my lap. 'Hmm, why do I have the feeling I'm forgetting something?' I thought, grabbing my phone and looking through the e-mail. Spam, Steam notifications, more spam, VK notifications, work-related messages, Twitter… Ah, here it is. Exchange-

*RIIIIIING*

-Program…

As soon as the doorbell stopped ringing, I remembered what I have forgotten. I've forgotten something really important; something that will change my life; something of global significance…

My liminal homestay is arriving today. They are supposed to arrive today at 13:00. And now is… 12:50.

"Shiiiit," I groaned, escaping the armchair's soft embrace and shuffling tiredly towards the front door. "Coming, I'm coming! Just a second!"

Just before stepping into the vestibule, I looked at myself in the mirror in the hallway. Aside from terribly tired eyes I saw nothing in particular. Choice of clothing might not have been the best, but I do have an excuse for that. At that moment another ring echoed through the house, prompting me to finally walk up to the door and unlock it. But what – or who – I saw behind it left me speechless.

It was a girl. She was dressed in a red cardigan worn over a white blouse along with a black and white plaid skirt. Her raven hair reached down to just above her waist. A pretty face and big, blue eyes darting quickly between me and the ground. She was beautiful, but that's not what surprised me the most about the visitor.

The first unusual feature is her massive snake tail instead of legs, which was covered in shiny black scales, with the abdominal ones being grey instead. And it was so long, that it probably could go way past the front gate if straightened. Then there are her arms, covered in those same black scales, with small claws at the end of each finger. And lastly there are bird-like wings on her back which looked really big, despite being folded. Of course, they were black too.

Well, it is a liminal I was hoping for, but… I've never seen anyone like her before. Judging from her lower body, she must be related to lamias, but I don't remember them having wings. No, there are melusines, of course, but they have dragon-like wings, with no feathers. And she is not that Mexican-Indian-whatever quetzalcoatls, because they have wings instead of arms. And they are dragons, not lamias.

For a couple of seconds I just stood there, looking puzzled at the girl's appearance, until she snapped me out of it with her voice, "E-excuse me… are you, um, Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich?"

"Wha? Ah, yeah, that is me," I replied to the sudden question. Shaking my head, I regained my composure just enough to not appear flustered as I asked her in return, "How can I help you?"

"I-I'm here as part of the Culture Exchange Program, a-and I believe you are my h-host" she stuttered, clearly not used to talking with strangers. Can't blame her, really, seeing that she arrived alone to an unfamiliar house in an unfamiliar city. At least it looks like she is the liminal that was promised to come today.

With that in mind I say to her, "Well, come inside, then. Nice to meet you." At that, I step out of the snake-girl's way, as she slithered inside, muttering an embarrassed "N-nice to meet you."

"Do you need help with that?" I inquired, pointing at the case the girl carried in her arms, "It looks heavy."

"Ah, n-no, no. It's not that heavy," she refused, shaking her head.

"If you say so."

I never was a person to poke my nose in someone else's business, so I didn't insist on helping and just watched silently the girl before me make her way inside. She quickly made her way through the vestibule and into the hallway, where her upper body stood near the coat hangers and shoe boxes, while the rest of her body was still moving in from the street.

It was actually quite a mesmerizing sight to behold. While keeping the wave-like formation, her tail silently moved forward along the line, and, reaching the human upper body, coiled underneath it.

As the tip of the girl's snake part finally got inside, I closed the front door. When I turned around I found my guest staring at me as attentively as she could, but as I gazed back at her, she averted her eyes. Well, I didn't really expect her to be comfortable around me right away, but, you know, it still hurts a bit.

"Okay, follow me," I said to the lamia as I went past her into the guest room, gesturing her to follow. Once inside, I pointed at the couch near the entrance, while I walked over to the chair I was sitting in before, with the cup still standing on the armrest. As for the girl, she took her seat, placing the case on the floor nearby, and started looking around the room with eyes so wide and curious, that it made me snicker. She was rather cute, almost like a child, who got inside the car for the first time. The TV set at the opposite wall seemed to attract the most of the girl's attention. But there were things I wanted to know, so I took a sip of the still warm tea and started the conversation.

"Okay, I don't really know, what to ask, but..." I began, leaning forward a bit, "How about you tell me about yourself? Your name, where are you from, etc."

"Ah, y-yes, I'm Chernova Asya Afanasyevna, from P-Penza..." she stuttered, placing her hands on her, err... belly scales, yeah, let's go with that.

But it's strange for a lamia to have a Russian name and, what's more, be from Russia. As far as I know, their kind lives in deserts, so shouldn't she be, I don't know, African, for example? And she also speaks without a slightest accent. Maybe her parents migrated here sometime ago? Then again, she has white skin, but I digress.

Anyway, she is a native Russian... what, exactly?

"Excuse me, if it sounds rude, Asya, but... What species are you? You look lamian, but..." I asked, rubbing the back of my head.

"A-aspid..."

"...Huh? What?"

"That's my species' name... I'm an aspid."

"O-okay..."

Well that's... interesting. Aspid. It's the first time I hear about such a creature to exist in reality, but there's also the Aspid from Slavic myths I've read about. If I remember correctly, it's an enormous black serpent with wings made out of fire or gems or just black wings, a beak and two trunks, which can only be killed by burning it. It's a terrifying, dangerous creature - unstoppable and nearly unkillable, created by Chernobog, god of destruction. As for this girl, she fits the description rather loosely, to say the least, although I can't say anything about the 'burning' part.

"…Yeah, you really don't look like the mythological Aspid," I muttered to myself, but the girl, Asya, as she calls herself, seemed to notice it either way, asking, "Excuse me?"

"I said that you are not like the creature from the myth," I repeat myself, more clearly this time. "While I can't say much about the wings, I don't see you having a beak or trunks, Asya. And, of course, Aspid was not supposed to be a girl."

"I-I'm sorry… If I didn't meet your expectations…" the aspid girl said, lowering her head apologetically and twiddling her clawed thumbs. Seeing that, I let out a long, weary sigh and get up from my armchair, putting aside the cup, from which I've been drinking tea up to this moment.

"Oh, come on, no need to apologize, especially for not meeting nonexistent expectations," I walked up to Asya, trying not to stumble on her tail, which was a bit hard to pull off, because the said tail was occupying a good half of the room's area.

Nevertheless, I found myself standing in front of her, as she lifted her eyes to look at me. I lost my breath for a moment, captivated by her face. Little black scales adorned the slightly crimson cheeks; pointy black ears stick out past the hair, almost mixing with their onyx background; and her large, sapphire eyes stared at me, confused by the actions of the man before their owner. And I was not able to stop a wide grin from appearing on my face, the expression on Asya's face growing more perplexed.

"W-what? D-did I d-do something...?" she asked, her voice shaky and slightly scared as I loomed over her. Her black wings unfolded slightly, covering her arms as if she tried to shield herself with them.

"No… You didn't do anything, just…" I mumbled, scratching the back of my head, not knowing what to say. "I figured, since you just introduced yourself, we should shake hands, right? So, uhh… Nice to meet you, Asya?" I extended my right hand to the girl.

Damn, nice way to go, Sanyok. You started this conversation oh so confidently and now what? You stand here, smiling like an idiot, barely connecting two words together. Is it because you are one on one with an unknown person? Or is it because it's a girl?

A few moments passed in an awkward silence, which felt like an eternity to me. As for Asya, her gaze shifted between my face and hand. After doing so a couple of times, her wings folded back, uncovering her arms again, and the girl grabbed my palm with her scaly one. It felt a little rough, but, at the same time, really soft and gentle. Then she looked straight in my eyes and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Alexandr Bulatovich," she said, previous nervousness and fear gone from her beautiful voice, as she shook my hand. Well, looks like I managed to not fuck our first meeting up, somehow. Maybe being not really used to talking with people outside work helped a bit. But damn her grip is strong. Where is she hiding all those muscles? Because I don't see any underneath her cardigan.

"Okay, now that we are officially acquainted, how about I show you the house and then get us something to eat?" I asked Asya, pointing at the door, as soon as she let go of me. 'I hope my hand's alright' I then thought, looking at the nodding girl.

"Sure, that sounds nice, Alexandr Bulatovich," she replied, standing up, if such terminology is applicable to someone with a snake tail.

Hmm, I don't really like how she's calling me so officially, but I don't want to force a friendly relationship on her, just in case she doesn't like it. So, swallowing my annoyance, I smile and spread my arms in an overly-dramatic manner.

"So, this is my guest room…"


YOU WERE EXPECTING A CHAPTER'S END, BUT IT WAS US, AUTHOR'S NOTES!

But seriously, I have more things to say about the fic.

What I want to discuss is, of course, location choice and it's implications. It must be clear from the title that the events of this fic will take place in Russia. It's called "Russian life" for a reason. What's important is that the story will be set in Bryansk, not Moscow or St. Petersburg. If you're not Russian, you've probably never heard of Bryansk, which just so happens to be my hometown. Because of that, I'll do my best describing it and, hopefully, I will succeed.

I will also change the Cultural Exchange Program's structure to make it more realistic. From russian's perspective, that is. Some laws will be altered, some won't even exist, you get the idea. I think I have an explanation for why things are this way - we'll see if it works when we get to it. But let me know if I should rather stick to the canon structure of the C.E.P. (Yeah, I'll be using this acronym, too).

And, of course, the good part - the reason we're all here - the monster girls/boys. Again, "Slavic" is there for a reason. I'll be basing my characters on various slavic creatures, trying to make something sensible out of the mess that is Russian folklore.

Well, thanks for reading. Please, leave reviews, so I can see if you are interested in the idea of this fanfic and if I should continue working on it. This was ChillingComrade. До встречи!