Not Unlike You

Chapter 8

When Yukino got home from work, she expected a lot of things. The one thing she didn't expect was another mouth to feed, in the form of a girl made of slime. After venting at her brother about budgets, lacking space for another body, and asking how they would explain all this to Smith, she went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of wine, and proceeded to down it after seating herself on the living room sofa.

"Y'know, after you graduated from high school, I expected a lot of stuff, but THIS was not one of those scenarios I had in mind." Adam looked on as his sister slouched further into her seat, her empty glass slipped from her grasp. As the glass started to fall, a blue hand shot out and grabbed the stem of the glass, faster than anyone could react. Surprised, Adam and the others looked toward the slime girl as she reeled her arm back in. Before anyone could question if their eyes were screwy, there came a knock at the front door.

"Hello? I forgot my spare key. Could you guys let me in?"

Unfortunately, it was Smith. While Adam began to ponder on the situation at hand, everyone else began to panic at the prospect of getting in trouble for (accidentally) harboring an illegal resident. Quick as a flash, Yukino shoved the slime girl into a bucket, handed the bucket to Adam, and shooed everyone out the back while she decided to distract Smith, hoping the others could relocate their "guest" somewhere else.

Sadly though, their escape was not without prying eyes. Smith had come with two of her team members, Tionishia and Manako, and the ever-so-friendly Tio happened to see them walk by before she stepped foot in the house. With a wave and a chipper "Hello!", this put the intrepid party in a panic, though Miia showed the most emotion as she yelled "Cheese it!" before slithering away on the heels of Cerea and Adam.

With their escape secured after several twists and turns, Adam and company had successfully managed a (not very) clean getaway. Though, to be fair, they only made a good escape due to the labyrinth that was their neighborhood. Miia huffed and puffed in exhaustion, as having to exert herself so quickly (and without warning) left her winded. Centorea, on the other hand, was standing tall and fit as a fiddle with Adam sat atop her back. After being forced into a bucket, the slime peeked out over the rim, looking at everyone in curiosity.

With air being properly filtered through her lungs again, Miia peered around a corner in paranoia. "Did we lose them?"

Hopping off the back of his mount with bucket in hand, Adam hid his concern well (if he had any). "If not memorized, this neighborhood is like a maze to the casual observer. So I'd say we're in the clear. Our only concern now is to keep Suu off of Smith's radar." The others looked at Adam in confusion as he gestured to the bucket.

Gregory grunted in frustration. Adam just rose one eyebrow in his direction. "It's short for Suzannah, and of course I named her. We can't keep calling her "slime girl", can we?"

Miia leaned towards Centorea. "He does know that dogs can't talk, right?"

Centorea just crossed her arms and sighed. "After a while, I've just come to accept that their bond is so strong, that words are but a trifle and bore between them."

While Miia began to argue the finer points of how cross species communication was an impossibility (and failing), Adam put Suu down and began searching for local places to hide on his phone. The search results were varied, and some local events were listed as places of interest. As he scrolled down, he saw a book signing by a notable author he had been a fan of for a while now. Maybe they could blend in with the fans in line for autographs, and he could pick up her latest book while they were there.

With a plan set, he called the girls over and began the trek to the bookstore where the signing was taking place. The line wasn't too far out the door when they got there, so the party was inside in no time at all. Centorea set off for the fantasy section while Miia stuck around to hold Suu's bucket, since Adam needed both hands free to pay for his book and autograph.

When they got to the front of the line, Gregory surprised everyone by jumping, placing his front paws on the table and resting his chin soon after. The author at the table, Maria Cainhurst, showed no surprise, but just chuckled and reached out to pet Gregory on the head. Adam felt slightly embarrassed, but showed nothing as he reached a hand out to shake Maria's. "Your work inspired one of the greatest games ever made, and reading your books helped me a lot back in high school. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

While not being good at showing emotions, Adam had a knack for picking things up from people similar to him, and Maria Cainhurst was radiating gratitude and something he couldn't quite put to words. Normally, when someone he didn't know personally looked him in the eye, he looked away out of fear, but not with her. In the few seconds their hands met, Adam kept his eye contact steady.

"Thank you for your kind words, young Hunter. I honestly had not expected this many people to have read my work, or acknowledge my contributions to Bloodborne."

Miia could have sworn she saw something spark in those stormy eyes of her Darling. "Contributions? They were more than mere contributions! Your books detailed the entirety of Yharnam, from the pits of Yahar'gul to Mergo's Loft at the peak of the Nightmare of Mensis! I dare say that they should have given you more than just a spot or two in the ending credits."

Plentiful amounts of fans had come in today, but something about the boy's passion for not just the game, but her books as well, had piqued her curiosity somewhat. "You honor me with such kind words, but I was only happy to bring my stories into another form for others to enjoy. No more, and no less. But I must say that I am quite astounded by your vigor. Perhaps you and your friends would care to join me for tea after I am through here? I'd love to hear a bit more about what piqued your interest in my work."

Before Adam could say anything, Miia spoke for him, while Gregory's tail went wild. "That sounds awesome! You could come back to our place, if you want. We'll have plenty of snacks, and there's a whole cabinet of different teas to choose from."

Surprisingly enough, she nodded with smile on her face. "That sounds lovely. I'll only be here for a few more minutes. Would you mind waiting by the entrance for me?"

Adam was a little shocked. Not only did Miia invite someone to HIS home, but Maria agreed. He didn't know whether to reprimand the sly serpent or kiss her full on the mouth. They were about to play host to one of his favorite authors, and he was showing excitement more than ever before, if the big smile on his face was anything to go by.

Since Adam's mind drifted off while he waited, Centorea returned and gave Miia a right frustrated reprimanding. "How could you do this?! Master's home is his own, and we are just his guests! While he is happy about the circumstances, what YOU failed to remember is that we are trying to hide Suu from Agent Smith, who might still be at the house!"

Miia had the decency to look ashamed, and Suu just watched all this from her bucket, trying to understand what the heck was going on. Just as Centorea finished her lecture, she noticed a familiar figure approaching, though she had only seen him once on TV. It was the well dressed and mustachioed Orc from before. He pulled a timepiece from his left breast jacket pocket and chuckled to himself.

"Never too early, but never too late. Just as always." This random comment caused Adam to look over and reply, "A wizard arrives exactly when he is meant to." The Orc met Adam's gaze, and a smile overtook him. "A fellow Tolkien enthusiast? Not as many around these parts as one might assume." With a tip of his bowler, he introduced himself. "A pleasure young man. My name is Edward, though several who work under me tend to call me Uncle Eddy. A silly moniker, but one I take great pride in, none the less."

Adam introduced himself promptly, along with Miia, Suu, and Centorea, just as Maria was exiting the bookstore. As soon as she saw Edward, her smile rose a tad more. "Sir Edward, I didn't know they would send you as my bodyguard. This is quite the pleasant surprise, I must say."

A surprise indeed. The others were flabbergasted at this sudden happening. "Well Ms. Smith didn't need me for the normal goings-on in the office, so she thought it'd be nice for this geezer to have an assignment that aligned with some old friends. How is your sister, by the by?"

As the two chatted, Adam felt a headache coming on, and it was huge. It felt as if something was pushing its way through his skull, causing him to fall to his knees, clutching his head in pain. The next thing he knew, he felt himself falling onto his side, and the voices of everyone around him sounded distant and echoing.

When he woke, Adam saw that he was home again, and the light from the nearby windows told him that it was almost past twilight. Footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen, soon revealing the source to be Maria, who smiled seeing Adam had awoken. "Welcome home, good hunter. You gave us all quite a scare." After saying that, Gregory ran in and tackled Adam onto the couch before being followed in by Miia, Centorea, and Suu. Yukino stood back and watched everyone else fawn over and worry about her brother, smiling at the slight grin she saw forming on his face. Smith, Tio, and Manako, meanwhile, were on their way back to headquarters.

Manako couldn't help but fidget in a show of slight anxiety at her superior's decision regarding the illegality of Suu shacking it up with the young Belmont. "Are you sure about this ma'am? Suu is an illegal entity from a species that didn't participate in the signing of the Exchange Act. What if the higher-ups decide to-" She was cut off as Smith took off her shades and chuckled. "Manako, let it be. One little Slime isn't going to cause a panic, and the big wigs only care about stuff like this if said person is a danger to the public, and as far as I can tell, she's pretty damn docile if you ask me. Besides, can you imagine the amount of paperwork we'd be stuck with in any other circumstance?"

With that done, the three members of MON continued on their merry way, Tio humming a tune as they went.

Once everyone calmed down and stopped mobbing him for attention, Adam made everyone get comfy so he could go make some tea. After all, it wasn't every day that your favorite author (plus one companion) was in your house, and was willing to talk to you about their work.

Discussions were aplenty for quite some time, and Adam was quite content. Maria and Edward were a delight, and shared many an anecdote about their work, how they met when she was younger, and what it was like to play a part in the video game industry, among many other tales. Time passed far too quickly for Adam's liking, and Edward had to finish his job by escorting Maria home for the evening before returning to the office.

After a fond farewell, the two departed to where they last left Maria's limousine. A sigh escaped Edward, causing Maria to look his way in concern. "What is the matter? Surely, you will see them again in your line of work."

That wasn't it though. Edward smiled. "Of course. I just didn't think I would see the boy again after being gone for so long. Last he saw me, he was but a toddler, and I wore a mask to keep my appearance hidden, at least until the Exchange Act was signed. I was hoping to see even a little sign of recognition, but I guess sentimentality was all that I had. Never the less, I'm here now, and I'm going to continue where I left off, whether I'm remembered or not."

Maria just smiled and pat her friend on the back as they walked the dark neighborhood streets.

(Authors Note)
I have no excuses for leaving you all in the dark for so long, only truths. I'll be honest and short. Walmart got a new store manager, and in our one interaction, he broke me down more than I've been in a long time. So I gave my two week notice, and am now a free man for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter out within a months time if I'm not busy around the house.