Rob had been escorted back to the evidence room by Doppel and couldn't fight hold back a smirk as he repacked his things, occasionally chuckling to himself.
"What's s'damn funny?" The fiery, formally gun toting redhead, asked from where she leaned against the doorway.
"You'll see" was all Rob said in response.
She huffed and stalked down the hallway with a growl.
The little, dark brown skinned one with the immense mass of flowing grayish silver hair, remained in the room and kept an eye on him from where she sat on her...hair. Dear God that weirded him out, but then again that she seemed to be completely naked and yet always covered her nipples and groin with the ever moving strands was even weirder, on top of all that he couldn't shake this deep set feeling of dread when he was near her, as if she were some completely alien entity, totally other. H.P. Lovecraft, eat your frigging heart out. However she seemed friendly enough and upon seeing her teammate leave the room said "She's really not that fond of you"
"Really? I hadn't noticed" he said sarcastically.
She smirked before adding "I wouldn't go pissing her off, buddy"
Not looking up from his packing, Rob responded almost half heartedly "I ain't your buddy, guy"
To his amazement she responded in a perfect mimicry of a SouthPark Canadian "I ain't your guy, pal"
Turning on his heel he looked over to where she wore a small mischievous smirk and quirked an eyebrow at him.
Adopting a similar tone he shot back "I ain't your pal, fwiend"
To which she immediately responded "I ain't your fwiend, buddy"
A beat passed between them before he said "And thus, we come full circle" with a bit of a laugh.
She chuckled from where she sat as well and Rob smiled warmly "I think you and I will get along just fine"
As he turned back to zip up the duffel she said "Name's Doppel"
"Rob" he said back as he began working on the next duffel bag before he asked "So if you don't mind me asking, what are you?"
"I'm tell everyone I'm a doppelganger, but I'm actually a shape shifter, I work as the teams infiltration and recon specialist" she answered with just a note of pride.
"How good are you?" he asked. He heard no initial response, instead and odd shuffling noise came from where she had been and when looked up, he suddenly found himself looking...himself, in the eye. Every detail, down to the tattoos on his arms, the length and hair type of his beard, and even the scabs on his knuckles had been matched, and he flinched a little as he heard his own voice ask him "You tell me" before the duplicate grinned evilly and let the eyes change to the black sclera and yellow irises.
"Christ Almighty, that's freaking me out. Okay, point proven, you're the best, I get it, now change back before I start losing my mind" he said shuddering a little. Doppels voice morphed with her shape from his, back to her own, as she laughed and said "It really freaks you out doesn't it?"
"Hell yes!" he said shaking his head a little "It's going to make me wonder if anyone really is who they look like from now on, and I got enough trust issues as it is at the moment" he ended with a sigh.
She merely chuckled and said "Well if it makes you feel any better, real shape shifters, like me, are pretty rare, so you're not likely to bump into another while you're here in Japan, or possibly even again in your own lifetime"
He said nothing and merely continued to finish packing up his things. A bit of an awkward silence passed between them before Doppel decided to break the ice again and asked "So why did you come to Japan in the first place?"
"I always found the history and culture of Japan fascinating and wanted to come and spend some time in a different country, plus when I found out that a lot of liminals were in Japan as part of the exchange program, I thought it might be a good chance to potentially meet some and possibly form a few new friendships, so it seemed like extra incentive" he said finishing the second duffel and finally moving onto the suitcase. He carefully counted and inspected each and every one of his blades and removed each from their sheaths to check the edges before replacing them and putting them back in the deep zippered pocket.
"How did you get so good with Japanese?" she asked curiously
"Eight years is a long time to go without internet connectivity, and I didn't feel like giving into the feds and paying for THEIR monitoring software to be installed on my devices, and to keep paying them, even if it is what I deserved, so I had a lot of free time on my hands and I decided to be productive about it and teach myself new things"
"Did you ever learn any other languages?" she asked quirking a bro
"Ich kann ziemlich gut Deutsch, mein seltsamer kleiner Freund" he said with a smile, and Doppel merely grinned and shook her head a little.
Finally finished with his packing, Rob slung one duffel bag across his shoulders and grabbing the suitcase, asked Doppel to show him to the vehicle they would be taking back to the apartment the girls lived at. She maintained her seat on her hair, and glided down the hallways, the big man in tow. They both eventually ended up at a garage where she pointed him the direction of a more commercial looking 4 door SUV, and after opening the back hatch, he placed the suitcase and duffel inside, before heading back to retrieve his last duffel bag. Upon his way back to the vehicle he was stopped briefly in the halls by Smith to sign some legal documentation, which he did with a bit of grimace since he refused to use his left hand, insisting it would be completely illegible, and managed a fair signature on all of the proffered documentation.
As he got back to the vehicle, he saw that Tio was standing there with the rest of her teammates and that they were waiting on him. He sped up his pace to cover the distance as fast as he could without running, and quickly stowed his gear in the back before closing the hatch. He had known he was sitting in the back, and had decided to take the rear passenger side, leaving Doppel in the middle, the Monoeye girl behind the drivers seat, Tio riding shotgun, and the feisty red head as the driver. As they began to pull out of the garage he spoke up. "I need you guys to make a quick stop at the hotel where I was staying, I need to settle up my payments and do one other thing"
The redhead grumbled but soon enough they were parked out front of the hotel, and a few minutes later, Rob came walking out with another duffel bag slung across his back, even larger than the previous two that had been seized, and after putting it in the back with the rest, got back into the vehicle. Turning in her seat, the zombie glared at him "What the hell was that?" she said referring to the extra bag.
"The rest of my stuff" Rob said buckling himself in before looking her in the eyes.
"Our recovery team searched your entire hotel room, top-to-bottom, where were you hiding that!?" she seemed a little indignant.
"Paid the manager to hold onto it separately and not tell anyone about it, he was under directions that if I left without it, or if anything else were to happen, he'd mail it back overseas to my home with the extra money I gave him, thankfully even in Japan, cash still opens doors and closes mouths, the guy was pretty happy making an easy extra 73,000 Yen for only four days of his time, and I had the peace of mind knowing my stuff would be taken care of" he said as if this were an everyday sort of thing for him.
They all seemed silent, Doppel grinned a bit, liking the guys style, but the zombie seemed a bit peeved as she said "That's some pretty shady behavior if you ask me" she said before putting the vehicle into drive and pulling back onto the road from the curb.
"If it makes you feel any better, it's only some larger and more custom blade pieces, as well some extra cash, things I didn't want getting seized by government individuals if I found myself in any trouble, whether of my own making or not.
"Sounds like you were planning on looking for trouble" she said back, eyes on the road ahead of her.
"More like having a contingency plan, just in case, Semper Paratus" he finished before then asking "So I've already been properly introduced to Doppel and Tio, what do I call you other two?"
"Name's Zombina" the redhead grunted from where she sat. "I'm Manako" the monoeye girl replied shyly from where she sat across from him.
"Well you probably know it already, but I'm Robert Bjornstad, but I go by Rob" he said trying to sound neutral and not smug. The fact that he'd managed to sneak one past the supposed professionals had felt pretty good.
Eventually they arrived at the apartment complex and even though Tio insisted on helping Rob made the multiple trips and got everything of his inside, then after getting everything on the single elevator by himself, and then back off again, before finally getting it to his room, all with only one properly functioning arm. He had worked up a bit of a sweat by the end of it all, and Tio was a little worried, asking if he was alright, but he waved her off with a smile.
"I'll be fine after I get everything unpacked and change my shirt" he said with a smile, then a bit more bashfully asked "So, uh...what are you guys planning on for dinner?"
"Bina-chan is taking us all out to a nice bar and grill tonight!" she said happily.
"Well you guys have fun, I'm sure I can find something here or around here-" he began
"Oh nonsense, you'll come with us, it'll be fine" she said with a little wave of her hand.
"I'm not sure Zombina will like that too much" he said a bit quietly. He knew that the zombie girl wasn't harboring any kind feelings for him, and the last thing he wanted to do was intrude on a group outing that was essentially on her dime. Tio however looked a bit disappointed. "She won't get to like you if she doesn't get to know you better, Rob-kun" she said a little pouty.
He felt his face blush at the sound of her using a honorific so casually, but looking up at the sweet girls face, he couldn't bring himself to deny her again. "Alright, but only if she's okay with it, and I'll cover my costs with my own money, I'm not part of the group she invited so she shouldn't have to pay for anything I eat or drink" he said
Beaming Tio bounced happily on her feet as she said "Great! I'll go ask her right now!" and like that she turned, ducked through the doorway, and headed down the hall. The blush on his face remained after she had left, this time for other reasons. When she bounced on the balls of her feet like that, her immense bust had bounced and swayed as well, and he'd felt his jeans grow almost uncomfortably snug. He took several deep breaths and reminded himself that even if he were in a place to pursue a relationship of any kind (which he certainly was not), and Tio wasn't against the idea entirely, it was illegal. The law preventing liminals and humans from pursuing relationships that went beyond anything other than platonic was almost more hotly spoken out against in his home country than here. Many LGBTQ groups had hopped on the "Liminal Love" bandwagon and more than few celebrities had spoken out against such a "backward and bigoted" law being allowed in the 21st century.
He had mostly ignored much of the arguments, preferring to focus himself on getting through his time before focusing on anything long term, but now the thought was bouncing around in the front of his mind, "Just like those epically massive breasts had bounced around"... he growled as he shook his head.
He looked around the room again, and felt that he could get used to staying here. It was spartan, with neutrally colored walls, and a hardwood floor. There was a single full sized bed with two pillows on it, and a set of folded sheets that he would have to put on later. There was a fairly large walk in closet that had plenty of space for anything he might to hang up. Along with a large flat topped dresser, there was also a fairly large desk and chair, along with a lounge chair by the window. He walked into the bathroom and turned the light on. He actually let out a low whistle in surprise, besides a large, modern looking shower in a frosted glass stall, there was a small yet spacious whirlpool looking soaking tub, maybe staying her wouldn't be so bad after all...
Turning the light to the bathroom off, he walked out and was heading back to the bed to start unpacking more, when he noticed Zombina standing in his doorway. She had changed out of her professional attire and was now wearing a black tank top (which she filled out very well), under a red bomber jacket, along with green cut off shorts and what looked like combat boots. She was still scowling and said "I'm letting you tag along tonight, because I don't want Tio to give me a hard time about it, you just remember you're under my watch, and I won't hesitate to kick your sorry ass if you get out of line, you understand?" she said pointing a finger at him.
"Yes ma'am" he said politely and gave her a nod of his head. She said nothing but let her gaze linger for a moment longer before walking out of the room and leaving him to his unpacking.
A little while later he had finished putting all his clothes and was in the midst of changing into a new shirt when a soft knock came at his door and he turned to see it opening. The sound of Manakos quiet voice drifted over to him as she opened the door wider "We just wanted to let you know we're going to be heading out in about an hour"
"Thanks for the heads up, I should be ready by then" he said before turning around to see her staring, what he guessed was a little wide eyed (no pun intended) at him. "Is everything okay?" he asked looking down at his torso.
"Oh! Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing men topless or so...big" she said bashfully before blushing a little and looking away.
"Ah! Sorry" he said trying to slip into his shirt as quickly as he could.
"It's fine, I should have asked if you were clothed before I just opened the door" she said trying force a bit of a smile without success.
"I think there's going to be a hefty bit of a learning curve on all fronts for the first few weeks" he said smiling sheepishly.
Manako stood looking at the ground and an awkward silence began to build so Rob spoke up again "So, uh...do you know this place where we're all getting taken tonight?"
"I've been with the girls once or twice, it's actually a pretty nice place, they serve a decent mix of drinks and the foods always good" she said actually managing a bit of a smile. He was starting to notice the girl was pretty shy around others, and wondered if she was possibly self conscious about her eye. He knew how bad it could be for people who didn't necessarily "fit in", he started to wonder how bad things might be for this girl.
"Before I forget, I want to say thanks for putting up with me getting dragged along with you guys tonight, I feel like I'm some sort of gate crasher, but I just couldn't say no to Tio..." he trailed off, suddenly embarrassed. Why the fuck had he said that!?
"She can be hard to turn down" Manako said smiling sweetly "Just as long as you don't mind Zombina getting a little rowdy when she drinks, I'll see you in a little while" she said turning to leave before he stopped her asking "How should I dress?"
"Just casual, Tio'll be wearing something pretty and flowy, but don't mind her, she loves lacey and frilly, so she dresses that way as much as she can, but the attires usually just casual" she said before leaving his room and closing the door behind her.
Around an hour later he had changed into a plain black tee and had grabbed a hoody just in case things got a little chilly. Zombina hadn't changed out of her attire from earlier, Manako wore a plain black skirt and simple jacket over her blouse. Doppel wasn't any different, though he suspected she might change that once they got to the bar and grill, at least to get in the door. Just as Manako had predicted, Tio long a very flowy looking green and yellow dress and actually wore it very well as far as he could tell, it didn't seem like it was some generic bit just labeled for bigger girls, but actually seemed to fit her well and still look graceful. He wasn't as worried about being to casual as they all got into the elevator and descended to the ground level before making their way out to the parking lot where Zombina had parked the SUV.
A short while later they were walking into the bar and grill, and Rob was a bit surprised at how western it seemed in appearance. A single, long bar ran along the entire length of one side of the place, hooking around in an L corner towards the back, and dozens of bar stools stood in front of it, many already occupied by patrons. Small square tables meant to seat around 4 to 8 people were arranged more or less in loose formation around the rest of the floor space, and at the far end, opposite the side of the bar was a raised platform that seemed to be for live performance. Band or Karaoke? he wondered.
Soon enough all were seated and had ordered a round of drinks, he and Zombina had both ordered beers, Tio had ended up ordering some strange amalgamation of cocktail and parfait that looked a little odd to him, but she claimed was sweet and tasty, and Manako and Doppel merely ordered waters. The beer was cold and crisp, and didn't taste half bad, although he wished the mugs had been a little larger. Not everyone likes to drink from 1 liter beer mugs Rob he reminded himself.
He mostly stayed out of the chat and was just happy to sit back and observe how the four friends and coworkers interacted. It became very clear that Zombina was very much the central figure when it came to both talk and decision making, though she never seemed to mind letting her other friends speak when they wanted to, she seemed to grow a bit more relaxed as the time passed and he got a feeling that while she may not have the best opinion about him, she wasn't bad at all. Tio for the most part seemed happy just to be part of the group and chatted happily where and when she could, she seemed to almost radiate a calm, warm aura, and he felt himself growing less tense the more he observed. Manako was definitely the wall flower of the group, not keen on starting any of the conversation, and not terribly keen on being too involved in it, if it could be helped. Doppel seemed to just sit back and observe things much like he did, keeping one eye to the group and another on the surroundings and crowd. He felt a bit of a kinship, she was a hunter in many ways, just like she was. A fellow predator.
He had needed some help ordering when the time had come, but had settled on a very appetizing sounding fried fish special for dinner. It had been beer battered and fried perfectly, perfectly crisp and crunchy, the flesh firm and flaky without being dry, and went perfectly with his beer. He was actually beginning to feel pretty relaxed and even happy again. The atmosphere was warm and a pleasant buzz of chatter had begun to hum around the air as more and more patrons arrived. A few others had been liminals as well, but most were human.
Eventually Tio shifted the conversation around to Rob and he suddenly found himself under the gaze of the four girls. Having decided that they should all ask him several questions each to start getting to know him better, and so Rob sat up a little straighter and began fielding the questions of his four new roommates and coworkers. At first things were fairly simple, where he was from in America, how old he was, his favorite color, favorite movie (New York, 31, Green, Predator [oh, the irony...]). Soon he began answering a bit more detailed inquiries, and they all learned he was actually the younger (and he claimed smallerof two brothers), his mother and father were still alive and happily retired back at home, and he was a machinist and machine operator by trade, having earned a degree through paid schooling at the job he was currently on leave from. After a bit of friendly coaxing from Zombina he even admitted that he had only ever had two serious girlfriends, the last of whom he had actually proposed and been engaged to, but she had called the relationship off when he had kept shooting himself in the foot and getting himself into trouble while on probation.
An awkward silence had followed and Rob continued on offering some other facts about himself. He had gotten into knitting and crochet as another way of keeping himself busy and productive while on probation, and had found that he actually enjoyed it for the way it would help him relax during downtime, he even showed off some pictures of various large afghans and intricate lace doilies he'd crocheted, and Tio in particular was very taken with the doilies, studying the pictures for several minutes each, her eyes wide and excited. He also explained how he had a broad taste in music, enjoying classical, Blues, Classical and more contemporary country, instrumental and choral pieces; but mostly preferred Rock with a heavy leaning towards metal, even explaining that tattoo of the hooded, red eyed, grinning figure on his right shoulder was 'The Guy', the de facto mascot of the Nu Metal band, Disturbed. He went on to add that he also enjoyed singing occasionally, and had been part of his church choir for many years. He turned down Tio's insistence that he give them a demonstration, claiming his throat was still a little rough from all the shouting and crying earlier in the day, but that if they ever got him in a karaoke bar, he'd probably sing a song or two... if he could find one he knew. Time passed as he also relayed his almost obsessive knowledge of guns and weaponry, earning a mild bit of respect from Zombina, but eventually he ended up offering to tell a couple jokes, and even managed to get most of them to laugh once or twice with some of his cleaner choices.
The mood at the table was very relaxed now, Zombina seemed to be less grouchy and distrusting of him, Manako was actually smiling a little, and Tio was beaming with the happiness that Rob seemed to be making good headway at becoming friends with them all. He was happily finishing off the last of second beer, when he heard Doppel groan "Oh no, not them..." under her breath. Rob looked over his shoulder in the direction she was gazing, and saw she had spotted a couple, a man with spikey blonde hair, and a darker skinned woman also with blonde hair clearly dyed. They were both dressed in what he guessed could be considered some kind of fashionable, but to him they just looked like trash. They seemed to sneer more than smile, and he felt an immediate dislike of them. The feeling was only enhanced when they both seemed to spot the table the girls and Rob were sitting at. Both began to laugh and point out the five. The sound was obnoxious and Rob found himself clenching his jaw.
"Hyuk! Hyuk! Look at that, four freaks and one guy! Maybe they kidnapped him!? Hyuk-yuk-yuk!" their voices were affected and abrasive in his ears, and he closed his eyes, forcibly reminded himself he couldn't afford to get himself into anymore trouble.
"At least most of 'em look pretty normal, but what's with the purple haired one!? Has she only only got one eye!? That's NAAASSSSS-TAAAYYY!"
At the whimper from Manako, Rob's eyes snapped open and glancing over he could see that tears were starting to stream from her eye, and she was fighting hard to break down. Tio was doing her best to comfort Manako, and both Zombina and Doppel looked ready for blood, but he saw the frustration in their eyes, they knew they couldn't do anything, both because of their jobs, and their positions on the M.O.N. Squad, their hands were tied.
"You motherfuckers!" Rob growled under his breath, balling his left fist tightly.
"Maybe they're the only way the guy can get lucky!? Probably the only way any of them will get lucky, too! Hyuk! Hyuk!"
At this Rob stood suddenly, and much of the conversation in the bar, which had already grown hushed at the racists obnoxious jibes, grew almost entirely silent. Turning, Rob glared balefully over at the couple for a moment, and saw the alarm in their eyes, that was all he needed. Striding over he stopped just short of the man, glaring into his face, fury doing it's best to take over Robs.
His voice was low and dangerous sounding, barely on the edge of control as he said "Listen buddy, I've had a hell of day already, and I really don't need to add anymore to my plate, so I'm giving you one chance to do the right thing, and apologize"
The guy seemed to think this over, before a shit eating grin broke out on his face, as he realized Rob's right arm was in a sling.
"Or what?" he asked, a stupidly gleeful expression on his face.
"Or I am going to make you apologize" Rob growled, widening his stance just slightly.
"Oh yeah? FUCK YOU! What're you gonna do with just one arm-" Rob's jab was lightning fast and the punk square on the nose. He looked stunned and Rob delivered two quick follow up jabs, the last one breaking the assholes nose with audible crunch, and causing blood to spurt out and down his face. To his credit, the guy tried to land a wild haymaker, but Rob merely pivoted on his right foot, counterclockwise out of the line of fire. Pivoting back, he used the momentum to assist as he delivered an uppercut to the solar plexus. Blood sprayed in a mist as the guys breath was driven from his lungs with an almost explosive sound. Rob stepped back as the jerk immediately sank to all fours and summarily puked onto the floor, drawing a communal groan of disgust from the crowd. Stepping around to the side, Rob stomped on the guys back, sending him sprawling face first into the pile of his own vomit.
He stood looking down at the gasping, whining, asshole, desperately trying to catch his breath, and plead for mercy all at the same time. He felt a strong urge to skull stomp this fucker and call it a day, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the face of Tio, wide eyed in alarm, and he hesitated. Looking down again he saw the guy still desperately trying to get his diaphragm to respond and draw breath into his lungs.
Reaching down he growled "Come here" and hooked the fingers of his left hand under the back corner of the guys jaw, and hooked his thumb into the ear hole, and proceeded to drag him over to the table. His fingers pressed down on a sensitive pressure point of the face, and though the skin was never broken, the idiot felt like a knife was being driven up under his jaw and into his skull, the pain was so intense that it momentarily blinded him in his right eye, and his screams of agony were chilling. Rob threw him down in front of the table, and the guy simply curled up, crying in pain and fear.
"Pathetic" Rob snarled, before reaching down and grabbing a handful of the jackasses hair, wrenching him up into a kneeling position.
"Now, APOLOGIZE!" Rob demanded.
After a few agonized gasps the man blurted out "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, man!"
He cried out as Rob shook him savagely by his hair "NOT TO ME, IDIOT!" he snapped "Apologize to the girls!"
The guy didn't look any of them in the eyes as he mumbled a halfhearted "Sorry". Growling and exerting his strength, Rob dragged the man practically to his feet by the hair and snarled "So they can HEAR you! And so they BELIEVE you!"
A moment passed before the guy stutteringly said "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, ladies"
Satisfied Rob turned the idiot to face him. He was a sight, blood running from his nose, tears from his eyes, puke staining his chin and shirt, eyes wide with terror as Rob leaned in almost nose to nose and whispered menacingly "Now get the fuck out of here, before I break the rest of your face" and shoved the guy back towards his woman. An nervous silence hung in the bar, and Rob looked at the girls before huffing and making his way over to the register. Digging out his wallet, he pulled two American $50 bills, and placed them on the bar, saying "Apologies for the scene and the mess". The old man behind the bar said nothing, but offered a warm smile and a nod of respect, and Rob felt that at the very least, this guy approved.
Not looking back, he walked out to the parking area and sat on the back bumper of the SUV that Zombina had driven them there in. He was shaking with anger, and was taking long, deep breaths through his nose and forcing himself to stay calm. He had fought hard to not go farther than he had with that idiot, and was certain that now the girls just saw him as a violent freak with a short fuse. He looked up to see the group heading over to the vehicle, and he began to walk towards them. "Look, I'm sorry I went overboard in there, I just-uh!" he grunted as Manako suddenly hugged him tightly about his chest and whimpered "Thank you" over and over into his chest, clearly crying. He paused a moment, before gently patting her back with his left arm, trying to his best to both figure out what was going on, and comfort Manako. She stepped back and wiped her eye, smiling up at him through her tears.
"We all wanted to say thank you" Zombina said from where she stood with the rest of the group, one hand on her hip. "Wha-huh?" Rob felt confused, he had thought for sure Zombina was going to chew him out once she had come out.
"Not a lot of people stand up for us liminal girls like that" Doppel said nodding in his direction.
"So...you're not mad?" he asked still a little bewildered.
"Nah!" Zombina said with a mad grin "That asshole has it coming every time he opens his stupid mouth, and it ain't the first time he's gotten decked for it either, though you certainly gave it to him good!" she gave him a thumbs up, and he smirked fighting the urge to chuckle.
"Mana-chan was so happy that you stood up for her and us" Tio said smiling happily as she walked over and placed a comforting hand on Manakos shoulder "But you left before we could call over to you"
"I thought you were all going to be pissed, or horrified with me" he said sheepishly
"What for? With an attitude like yours, and those epic stone hands, yer gonna be a great addition to the team, newbie!" Zombina grinned as she came over and patted him on the back, before unlocking the SUV and heading for the drivers seat saying "Come on, we've had enough excitement for one night, let's get back home and get some shut eye"
Manako gave Rob one last hug before heading over to get into the vehicle, and he caught Tio smiling warmly down at him. Was that affection in her eyes?
The next two days passed by uneventfully with Rob merely getting used to the apartment as a whole, but he was happy to see that his arm hadn't been really broken, just severely sprained, and he had been able to take the sling off, and as long as he didn't put any unnecessary strain on it, he was able to use his right arm and hand with no problems. Being right hand dominant, he was greatly relieved. However, Smith had taken this as a sign that it was time to put him to work, and he now found himself dressed in what he would consider police gear. A soft level III kevlar vest was worn under his main T-shirt and he had one of his large knives on his belt, and a tomahawk tucked into the back of his belt.
"So what exactly am I doing again?" he asked Smith as he looked through the thick manila folder she had given him, full of forms.
"You're going to be doing monthly reviews for the homestays at this particular house, I never have enough time to do them regularly, so you'll be doing them, it's just routine and it'll get you some good interaction with different kinds of girls" she said as she drove.
"How many are at this one house?" he asked counting the set of forms
"Seven in total" she said simply
"SEVEN!?" he said astounded, this had to be a joke.
"Darling-kun can never say no to a girl in need!" she beamed
"Or do you just keep foisting them on him and letting him take the flak for it? Also, 'Darling-kun'?" he asked feeling a little dubious
"Just a nickname I have for him" she said before pulling over to the curb saying "Here we are!"
Rob got out of the passenger seat, and looked up at the large, handsome two story dwelling. He turned however as he heard Smith put the vehicle back in drive and rolled down the passenger window "I'll come get you in a couple hours after your finished!" she said smiling like nothing was amiss.
"Wait a minute! You can't just leave me here on my own, I never met these people before, I don't even have your number!" he said walking back towards the vehicle.
"Have fun!" Smith said as she sped off, leaving him standing there staring at the receding vehicle in disbelief. "SMITH, YOU ASSHOLE!" he called after the vehicle before sighing and walking towards the large double doors at the one side of the house. Knocking firmly on the wood three times, he took a step back as he heard a bright, almost lilting voice inside say "I'll get it, Darling! It's probably Smith-san!"
Prepare to be surprised and...would he be a disappointment or an improvement over Smith? he found himself wondering.
Suddenly the door opened inwards and he stepped forward ready to introduce himself when he stopped short at the sight of the girl who had opened the door. She had long, red hair, amber eyes with slitted pupils like a snake, pointy scaly red ears, and most notably (other than her rather impressive bust which seemed to strain her shirt) an immense, red snake tail that extended down from where her hips were, it had to be something like 22 feet long. She seemed surprised and a little alarmed at the sight of the large man in the door, and slithered back a little, eyeing him warily.
"Miia! Is it Smith!?" an authoritative voice came from inside, before he heard the sound of hooves, and a female centaur with long flowing blonde hair, rich blue eyes, and...dear god, her breasts were nearly as big as his head, and he winced upon seeing how slender her waist was, her back must give her hell.
"Who is it!? Who is it!?" an animated and youthful sounding voice asked before yet another monster girl stepped into view, this one with wings, taloned bird feet and legs, and messy blue hair. A Harpy?
"What's going on at the front door, Dame Centorea, he heard a soft, cultured sounding voice ask, and suddenly, of all things, what appeared to be a mermaid in a high end electric wheel chair rolled into view. Because "why not!?"
"I...I uh, that is, I'm..." he tried to begin when suddenly three more girls appeared and he felt his eyes nearly bug out of his skull.
He stood agog in the doorway. A lamia, a harpy, a centaur, what must be some sort of slime in a yellow raincoat and boots, what appeared to be a mermaid in a wheelchair, an Arachne, and some blue skinned girl holding a huge scythe in one hand, and her frigging head in the other! 7 different monster girls, all under one roof? With only one man in the house?
"Gott un Himmel..." he said softly lapsing into German.
"Hey! You're not Smith!" the harpy proclaimed in surprise.
Never one to miss a chance at a joke, Rob smiled and said "Thank God for that"
Suddenly the centaur strode forth, a serious look in her cornflower blue eyes as she said "Then who art thou? What be thy business? Know that if thou hast come seeking trouble, I will not let thee proceed further!"
Rob blinked before looking back at the lamia asking "Is this a joke?"
Fire flashed in the blonde centaurs eyes and the ring of steel could be heard as she drew a longsword from a scabard on her hip and began to advance "Thou thinkest me not serious, eh!?"
"Jesus Christ!" Rob said alarmed as he took a step back and drew the tomahawk from where he had concealed it under his jacket, mind racing as he suddenly tried to figure out the best way to handle this.