"I work with the M.O.N.!" he called out as he pulled at one side of the official jacket Smith had given him to display the embroidered 'M.O.N.' patch over the left breast before shouting "Kuroko Smith sent me! SMITH SENT ME!"
The centauress paused her eyes narrowing as she asked "Hast thou proof?"
Rob slowly proffered the manilla folder to the lamia without lowering his axe or taking his eyes off the sword wielding centaur. If he made it out of this alive he was going to put his foot so far up Smith's ass...
"These are monthly review documents, Cerea" the snake girl said offering the folder to the centaur.
"The same ones that Madame Smith hath neglected to do with us?" she asked
"Yes!" Rob said hoping this would diffuse the situation as he continued "She foisted her bitch-work on me, and then drove off saying she'd be back in a couple of hours! You have to believe me!" he hated that he sounded desperate.
A communal wave of distaste seemed to pass through the group as the centaur sheathed her sword grumbling "That is Madame Smith for certain, pray come inside good sir" she said stepping back and aside to let him through.
Rob didn't move, his hand still held his tomahawk ready and he wasn't about to close the distance just yet.
"Maybe you should apologize first horse flesh, the guy seems to think you're still ready to run him through" a very sultry and almost cocky sounding voice spoke up as the Arachne stepped closer.
Once again he tried not to gawk or stare, the spider girl had a set of breasts on her ready to rival the centaurs, and a waist just as skinny.
"You'll have to forgive Little Miss Centorea, she has a tendency to lean towards the dramatic, and can get an itsy-bitsy bit carried away" she said offering a friendly smile and a small wave. He supposed with claws as wicked as hers, handshakes weren't a common thing.
"Don't worry about the sword, it's only a replica" she said before stepping back and gesturing with a free arm for him to come inside.
Slowly placing the tomahawk back in its belt sheath he slowly walked over the threshold and into the house. It sure as hell hadn't looked or sounded like a replica...
No-one said anything as Rob slowly turned and looked at each of the girls for a few moments in turn, as he said "It's a bit of a long story, but I'm sort of a temporary assistant to Smith and her work in the Cultural Exchange Program, as well as The M.O.N."
"Wouldn't that technically make you an intern?" the arachne said with a bit of smirk. Rob huffed out his nose a little at the jibe Friggin' smartass.
"Whatever you want to call it, all it really means is that I am here today in Smith's stead to do the monthly reviews for each of you and your feelings on your current conditions and treatment with your homestay host" he said finally feeling his heartbeat, and tone of voice, return to something approaching normal. All of the girls still seemed a little uncertain, but most looked as if this was pretty reasonable. He briefly wondered how concerned he should be with that. He'd dealt with some pretty lax and uncaring government agencies in his time, but this was teetering over the edge into pure lunacy.
Placing a hand on his chest he continued "My name is Robert Bjornstad, but please feel free to just call me Rob. I don't wish to interrupt any of your normal, day-to-day routine, so please go about your day as you would normally and I'll try to make these reviews go as quickly as possible and let you get back to your normal routines"
He wiped a bit of cold sweat from his forehead with the back of his right hand, and as he let it fall back to rest by his hip, he suddenly felt his whole hand become enveloped by something slick and warm. Looking down he saw that the slime looking girl had closed the distance and the main tentacle on her head had completely enclosed his right hand, and he felt an odd sucking sensation taking place.
"What the f-?" he cut himself off but more nervous sweat began to break out across his body, and he felt some sixth sense telling him he was in peril, seconds before the slime girl put forth more tentacles and began to envelop his whole body, chest, arms, legs, and all. He tripped and fell back onto the ground with a heavy thud as the assault continued, and he finally blurted out "What the fuck!? WHAT THE FUCK!?" as he began to feel the sensations of being licked, sucked, caressed, and probed all over his body, no area safe from "investigation". His voice was shrill as he screamed "Get her off me! Get her the f*ck off of me!". He shuddered as he felt several tentacles begin to probe around his groin and buttocks. And soon his most intimate areas were being...the only way he could describe it was slimily groped and fondled, warm sticky wetness enveloping his anatomy through his clothes...and not in a good way.
He began trying to kick against the growing amorphous blue mass, but it was like trying to run while waist deep in water. Panic started setting in as he pulled the large knife from its sheath on his thigh and began to stab and slash at what he could, with all the successful results of spitting into the wind. On his last thrust the knife slipped from his grip and before he could grab it again, it was sucked into the blue mass.
God, you get me out of this one, and I'll never even glance at tentacle porn ever again!
Suddenly he felt a pair of hands grab at each of his wrists and forearms and begin to pull him backwards. Looking up he saw the Centaur and Lamia girls holding onto his arms as they heaved backwards, looks of determination on their faces.
"Suu! Cease thy actions, and release thy grip! Thou art alarming the man!" the centaur shouted.
"Let go of the big guy Suu!" the harpies voice spoke up and looking down he could see her tugging on the head tentacle that was above the "eyes". The sensations and the advance of the ooze paused, and then suddenly he felt himself released from the violating embrace.
The lamia and the centaur hauled him to his feet. Rob was feeling wobbly in his legs and was panting heavily, trying his hardest to not flip out right there on the spot, although given the circumstances, he felt pretty sure it would be justified.
"Please don't be mad" the red haired lamia said with pleading gaze as she handed him a towel "Suu is still learning and sometimes doesn't restrain herself when she goes after moisture" she explained.
Rob said nothing as he quirked a brow and began toweling off what he could. I look like I got run over by the ooey gooey blue snot monster.
"It is true" the centaur added "All of us have been on the receiving end of young Suu's "investigative efforts" at least once ourselves, she means nothing ill by her actions"
As if to prove this point, Suu walked over to him, once again in human form, and proffered the knife he had lost to her in his attempts to cut his way free saying "Suu is sorry, no pro?". Amazingly, the way she said this was so sweet sounding, and her questioning look with those big limpid eyes so beguilingly innocent, that he felt his heart moved, and almost forgave her completely on the spot.
Taking the knife back he saw the coating of slime on it and sighed as he looked down at the rest of his sticky, soaked clothes and sighed. "Would any of you find it very rude of me, if I asked to be able to use a shower here and borrow a towel to dry myself?". A bit of a pause followed this request before the lamia spoke up saying "Well you COULD but unless you have a spare set of clothes to change into..." she trailed off letting the obvious fact state itself.
Walking back to the front door, Rob picked up the backpack he'd set down as he walked inside. Rummaging around inside briefly he looked up and said "I got everything I'll need, but I'll probably need a bag to take my slimed clothes back with me, and I don't know what I'm going to do about my blades, their sheaths, or my boots, I didn't bring any gear for cleaning steel or leather" he said thinking how to address the problem before the centaur stepped forward.
"I have the proper items needed for such a chore, if you would allow me, I will take care of your weapons, gear and boots, as a way of offering my apologies for alarming you earlier, good sir" she said with just the trace of a blush.
Undoing the paracord tie around his thigh and then his his belt, Rob slid the leather knife sheath off, and after replacing the knife blade in it, slid off the tomahawk, still in it's sheath, and handed them to the centaur. "I thank you for your assistance" he said with a warm smile. She nodded and accepted the things before walking up the stairs to her bedroom. As the other girls began to depart, he followed the lamia as she slithered up the stairs. Looking over her shoulder she said "I'm sorry that Suu got you like that, she hasn't done something like that in so long, I guess most of us had assumed that she didn't do it anymore"
"This has happened to some of you as well?" he asked
"Each of us, like Centorea said...at least twice" she said sounding embarrassed "You actually got off pretty lucky, with us Suu usually didn't finish until, well...we did first" her voice had dropped almost to a whisper.
Rob paused on a step and shuddered visibly "You have my sympathies" he said
"My name's Miia, by the way" she said as they reached the top of the steps and offered him a kind smile.
He smiled back "Nice to meet you" he said instinctively extending a hand, before retracting it as he saw a blue goo loogey slide off and plop to the floor. "Sorry" he said sheepishly "Force of habit"
She merely giggled "It's kinda weird seeing a man other than Darling, getting slimed by Suu"
"Darling?" he asked, thinking back to how Smith had referred to the man as Darling-kun.
"That's what I call Kimihito" she said beaming happily "Because he's such a Darling!"
Rob smirked, this guy just kept becoming more interesting as time went on, not only did he have 7 very attractive and...interesting, liminal girls living under his roof, but at the very least, one of them seemed to be genuinely sweet on him, and as far as he could tell she wasn't just hot for the guy, he had heard actual affection in her tone. It made him happy, made him think that maybe things could be better, as long as their were people willing to look past all of the things that divided and instead chose to focus on the things that brought others together. "He sounds like a nice man, but, where is he?" he asked, suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen anyone other than the menagerie of babes since his arrival.
"Oh, he's out shopping for groceries, Darling always likes to keep things well stocked in the house, especially since he learned that The Exchange Program will refund all his food purchases if they're related to helping feed all of us" she said as they continued to walk down a hallway he initially felt was much wider than necessary, until he remembered the 20 plus feet of tail on the girl in front of him, as well as the large horse body of the centaur, and the equally large leg span of the Arachne, who looked as if a glint came into her eye when he had asked about a shower and seemed to disappear not soon after.
"Didn't they tell him about that sort of thing when he started accepting girls as homestays?" he asked a bit perplexed. However, just as he began to think he knew the reason, Miia said "Smith said she just forgotto tell him" with a bit of a huff.
"I'd like to say that comes as a shock" he offered sympathetically. Seriously, Smith!? What kind of half-assed show are you running here!?
Soon enough she stopped in front of a large door and asked him to wait there just a moment, before slithering down the hallway to another room, which she quickly entered, and then exited again, a large plastic bag in one hand. Proffering it to him with a smile she said "You can put your slimed clothes in there, depending on how long you're here today, Darling may even insist on washing them for you before you go"
He accepted the bag and thanked her before she opened the door and let him walk into the...opulent seemed the appropriate word, bathroom. "We'll all be downstairs, probably around the kitchen or living room when you're done" she said before closing the door. He took a moment to gaze at the large open baths, there seemed at least three, one large, and two much smaller, though both were still huge compared to what he was used to. He saw an area with freshly cleaned and white towels, and grabbed one, happy that they seemed to be the much larger "bath sheet" style he preferred. Walking back over he began to strip out of his shirt and pants before turning on one of the showers and letting the spray warm up as he stripped completely out of his sticky boxer briefs, before standing before the spray and testing it's warmth with his hand. Perfect
He stepped under the warm spray and not bothering with what kind it was, squirted glob of liquid body wash from one of the bottles into his hand and began to lather and scrub as much of himself as he could. He liked that the scent was very mild and light, and guessed that with so many liminal types being sensitive to smells, that the would rather not reek of artificial scent. He did his best to soak and wash out his beard with just his fingers, not wanting to use any products on it he wasn't certain of, he'd simply have to wait until he got back to the apartment that night. Turning off the shower, he placed the movable shower head back in its cradle, before suddenly straightening a bit and listening to his surroundings.
"You know, most people find it rude to be spied upon while in the nude, to say nothing of while bathing" he said seemingly to just the empty room. A faint clicking could be heard as he turned and saw the lavender haired Arachne descend from where she had been hanging onto the ceiling, barely making any noise as her eight legs touched the tiled floor. She wore a smug look that seemed to border on both appreciation and annoyance.
"I'm impressed, it's rare for someone to notice me as well as you just did" she said folding her slender, chitinous covered arms under the ample bust that swelled her white top.
"You're not the only hunter in the room" he said keeping his eyes fixed on hers as began to towel off.
"I guess not, though I hope you'll forgive me, it's not often that a male specimen like yourself comes along" she said gently cradling her cheek with one hand.
He quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly and she continued "Don't get me wrong, I still only have eyes for Honey, but a man like you seemed worth getting a better look at, and when I knew you were going to be taking a shower, well...it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up"
"I hope you weren't disappointed" he said as neutrally as he could while trying to work any snarls or tangles out of his beard with his fingers.
"Not at all" she said with a bit of a grin. "Not only are you physically fit and impressive, but your tattoos are works of art in their own right, and they seem to compliment that mesomorphic physique of yours" she said cocking her head to one side and gazing upon the broad swath of half inch lines that covered much of his right chest, back, and leg. "You seem like a very interesting individual, possibly even one with an interesting backstory as well"
"Hello Ms. Pot, I'm Mr. Kettle" he said with a bit of a smirk as he stepped into his fresh underwear, and heard her chuckle a bit at his remark. As he pulled his shirt on before slipping his jeans on, he heard her approach from behind him. He turned to see her only a pace away, her eyes still studying him with an appraising gaze. Beginning to feel a little irritated at being just looked at like he was some piece of meat, he remarked with a bit of sass "You know I'm not just some fly to be caught in your web"
He caught an almost imperceptible shift for a split second in the look on her face before she smiled, wickedly it seemed and leaned in to say "Oh no, you're FAR more interesting than that, Mr. Bjornstad". He caught a slight note of condescension and aggression in her voice and saw the look of recognition in her eyes, feeling almost certain she had seen the media coverage he was sure to have gotten from several days back.
He knew if he backed down from her in this moment, physically or mentally, he would lose any amount of respect from her, and on some primal level, he felt he couldn't let that happen. Keeping his gaze steady and on her eyes he said "That was rude of me, and I offer my sincerest apologies, please forgive me"
She went a bit wide eyed for a second before taking a step back and nodding her head appreciatively, saying "Apology accepted, Mr. Bjornstad"
"Call me Rob" he said with a soft smile
"Rachnera Arachnera" she said back
"A pleasure to meet you" he said as he wiped down the items from his slimed jeans pockets and began replacing them in the proper pockets of the pair he was now wearing, thankfully he had put his smartphone in his backpack before entering the household, so it had escaped being slimed. Soon enough he had reacquired the items from his slimed jeans and proceeded to place his soiled clothes into the large plastic bag Miia had given to him to use. Still barefoot, he walked to the door and held it open for Rachnera saying "Ladies first" and gesturing to the doorway with his free arm as he stepped out of the way. She looked a little wide eyed and surprised again, but quickly offered a happy "Thank you" as she walked past him and out into the hallway. Grabbing his backpack and the clear bag, he closed the door behind him as he walked out after her.
Even though he wasn't one for bug or spider fetishes, and he felt an Arachne was something outside of his wheelhouse, he had to admit that Rachnera was attractive and not just in the humanoid aspects of her anatomy. He admired the design of her spider like body and the proficiency she had shown as a natural predator, as well her confidence and overall attitude. She came across to him as a very intelligent woman who wasn't about to take shit from anybody. And yet there was something just underneath that he thought he had seen when her eyes had gone wide. A side of her that still held on to some sort of hope?
As they reached the stairs he spoke up "Forgive me for asking, but did I hear you refer to your host back in the bathroom as 'Honey'?"
She seemed to tense a bit but relaxed just as quickly saying "You did" with a small smile on her face.
Following a few steps behind her as she descended the stairs he asked "May I ask why?"
"You may" was all she offered in reply as she kept descending the steps, the same small, happy little smile on her face.
"Alright then" he said smiling to himself as he descended the last few steps behind her before following her into the living room. This guy had two girls who were sweet on him. Sly dog he thought to himself about the guy looking out for all these girls.
Moments later he found himself seated in a lounge chair in what appeared to be the living room. A small coffee table was in front of him and ringed by a couch and several other chairs, most of which were occupied by the girls. One of them it seemed had boiled some water for tea, and the teapot and several small cups had been set out.
Putting on what he hoped was a genuinely warm smile, he looked at each one as he said "Alright let's try this again. My name is Robert Bjornstad, I am currently in a temporary position, or internship if you'd prefer, with both the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program, and The M.O.N.; currently I am here to conduct monthly review interviews with each of you, to make sure that you are being well seen to, and help address any concerns that you have which the program may be able to assist with"
All the girls nodded in understanding and he went on "I have already been introduced to both Miia, and Rachnera, but if the rest of you could please introduce yourselves to me, I would appreciate it very much"
"I am Centorea Shianus" the centaur introduced herself
"Papi's, Papi the Harpy!"
"My name is Meroune Lorelei"
"Suu is Suu"
"And I be known as Lala" the last girl said, a bit more dramatically, as if she seemed to expect that she was known already.
Rob smiled and nodded appreciatively, and thanked Mero as she handed him a saucer and cup of fresh tea. Looking over at Lala, he said "Please forgive my asking, but I am not familiar with every kind of liminal that is out there, and I do not seem to know which race you belong to. Would you mind telling me for clarification, if that's ok?" he asked.
The white haired, blue skinned girl suddenly stood, and adopted a dramatic pose, letting one black and gold eye peer balefully down at Rob from across the table, as her hand obscured the other and she began to speak in what sounded almost like a rehearsed and dramatic speech.
"I be a Dullahan, a Death Knight! A livin' representative o' the God o' Death, Thanatos himself, sent to this mortal plane to be a Reaper o' Souls! It is my sworn duty, to seek out those on the brink, using me all seeing Evil Eye of Balor, and ferry them to the other side! But ye need not fear me, mortal" she said standing a little taller, he presumed for a dramatic effect
"Indeed, I do not" Rob said, seeming unmoved as he fixed his gaze on the single eye of the Dullahan. "For as a proud descendent of the mighty Northmen and Raiders of old, I do not fear death, but rather welcome and seek it in battle! For only when I have been slain in combat may I have proven myself worthy in the eye of Odin, The Allfather, and as my reward he shall send one of his shield maidens, the Valkyryja, to bear my soul to the shimmering gates, of Valhöll!" as he spoke his voice changed into a deeper, more gravelly tone, and by the end of his own speech, seemed to hold an accent of Old Norse.
Silence reigned as Rob calmly took a sip of his tea, closing his eyes to enjoy the flavor of it and acting as if nothing unusual had just happened. He looked about when he opened them again. Lala seemed to quiver nervously before sitting without another word, twiddling with her fingers, and the rest seemed to stare at him a little bewildered. "What?" he asked "I thought that if she was going to be over-the-top, then I might as well play along with her" he added with a shrug. Though he claimed to have only been playing around, those among the group with knowledge of the Vikings of 10th and 11th century, as well as Norse Mythology, namely Centorea, Lala, and Mero, had for a brief moment seen the man before them transform in their minds eye, into a mighty warrior of old, a savage looking long handled axe in his his blood stained hands, it's bright crescent steel blade also stained crimson. Clad in only in simple cloth trousers, and the hide of a mighty bear that had been made into a cloak draped across his shoulders, the top of its head resting on his, like a hood. A Berserker and Chieftain.
"Zounds!" Cerea said softly as she looked from Rob, back to Lala, who still sat silently. "I think he doth be the first to outdo her at her own game!"
"Is that a bad thing?" Rob asked, now a little worried.
"No, just very interesting, and more than a little amusing" Rachnera said, seemingly fighting a snicker.
"Well all kidding aside, I will try to be as thorough, but quick with these review sheets as possible. The only thing I need to do, for whatever reason, is to make sure I go in order of who has been here longest first" he said as he looked over the notes Smith had written down on a small piece of paper just inside the manila folder on top of the first form.
"That means I go first, then!" Miia said rising from where she sat. Standing with the folder in one hand Rob asked "May we use your room, since this must be done as a one-on-one interview?" She nodded and he followed her back up the steps to her quarters.
The room wasn't overly extravagant, but exuded an air of warmth and comfort, literally in the case of warmth, as Rob noticed a temperature increase of several degrees since he had crossed the threshold. He tugged a little at his collar, making a mental note to make sure he was completely sweat free before he interviewed Suu. Overall though, the room looked no different than many other girls bedrooms he'd been in before, the bed was an island of softness and comfort, and much of the room appeared neat while still reflecting a bit of the personality of the girl who resided in it. He made sure to inspect things such as overall cleanliness, the state of the furniture, and the interior of the closet, as per instructions from Smith, and noted a much more vast wardrobe than he had expected. "You certainly seem to have an outfit ready for every occasion" he said impressed.
"Darling helps me when I order clothes that may not fit me exactly as a Lamia, by making the proper adjustments so they will! So my wardrobe has actually grown quite a bit since I got here!" she said with obvious happiness.
Rob smiled and pulled up a chair as he told Miia to simply sit on her bed and make herself comfortable, before he sat down.
"Alright, this shouldn't take too terribly long, I'll just ask you some simple questions, you answer "yes" or "no", and then I jot down anything specific you choose to mention and that seems to be it" he said with a smile, before suddenly frowning a little.
"What is it?" Miia asked puzzled as she cuddled the large teddy bear which had been sitting on top of her bed comforter.
"I can't believe that with forms this simple, Smith couldn't find the time to complete them" he grumbled before saying "Anyway, let's get started shall we?"
Miia smiled and nodded as Rob did his best to rapidly translate and read the Katakana script in front of him, he planned on writing down his responses in English and then properly transcribing them later that night when he had the free time.
"Are you happy with your accommodations here at your homestay residence?"
"Yes"
"Are the needs particular to you as a representative of your race, being seen to properly here at your homestay residence, and by your host wherever necessary?"
"Yes" she said again, although with a bit of a blush.
"Do you feel that your well-being, physically, mentally and emotionally, is being properly seen to by your host? i.e. Do you feel you get enough exercise, and mental stimulation? Do you feel offered ample opportunities for socialization and interaction with other people? Do you feel like your feelings are being considered properly?"
"Yes, to all! Darling never makes me feel anything other than lucky to be here in his home!" she beamed and smiled happily.
"Glad to hear it" he said with a smile, before moving on to the last yes/no question.
"Do you feel you are getting enough to eat, and are you happy with the quality and quantity of food provided by your homestay host?"
"Absolutely! Darling's like a world class chef and always makes the best food! I always try my hardest to cook for him and make it up to him...but it always ends up going wrong somewhere" she ended with a bit of a pout.
He tried to smile reassuringly as he said "I'm sure it can't be as bad as all that. In fact, if it would make you feel better, I'll try some of your cooking if I can before I go"
"Really!?" she perked up seeming happily surprised.
"Sure!" he grinned "What's the worst that could happen?"
She seemed so happy at his offer that he felt he had made the right choice. Smiling he said "Alright that ends the yes/no portion of the questions, so now for the two in depth questions" he said looking back down at the sheet and readying his pen.
"Are there any complaints you have with either your homestay host, or the program itself?"
"My only complaints, are that I can't seem to make headway with getting Darling to choose me as his bride!" she said suddenly sounding almost anguished
"Bride?" Rob repeated a little surprised. He was a bit agog as Miia explained how Smith had, almost callously, informed the host of this girl, and the other six, that he was more or less being told to choose one of these women as a bride, and for no more apparent reason than to see how it would work out so to be used as a test case for future human and liminal interactions. He fought the urge to snap his pen between his fingers as he did his best to write down what was being relayed to him by Miia.
"I thank you for your honesty in this matter, Ms. Miia" he said, trying to control his tone.
"Thanks for listening to me vent" she said blushing a little and looking a bit sheepish.
"That's what I'm here for" he said with a smile, before asking the final question on the sheet "Do you have any questions for me at this point?"
"Do you think I have a shot with Darling?" she asked looking genuinely curious as to his opinion.
"As much of a shot as anyone else" he said trying to sound reassuring. Her soft smile at his response made him feel he was successful.
Standing and replacing the chair from where he had gotten and turned back to Miia saying "Well that's it for the review, I thank you for being patient with me and keeping your answers honest. Now could you tell me which girl was the second to move in here?" he asked.
Miia rose from her bed and nodded before saying "That would be Papi, she's just down the hall, and you'll want to speak to Centorea after that, Papi is a bit of birdbrain at times, so it's best I tell you in case she's forgotten" she said as she moved with him to the door. He held it open for her and followed her out before checking the room she had indicated, and was happy to see that the Harpy was already in her bedroom just sitting happily on her bed.
"Ms. Papi?" he said as he opened the door wider "Would you mind if we did your review right now while you're here in your bedroom?"
She cocked her head to the side again and looked at him, seemingly confused as she asked "Who are you?"
Had she sounded, or looked, any less genuine, he'd have laughed. As it was, he felt his jaw almost hit the floor, she had pulled a violating slime girl off of him little more than an hour ago, and she already had forgotten him? Maybe Miia wasn't merely being harsh when she said Papi was birdbrain.
Taking a seat near the foot of her bed, he tried to be calm as he said "I'm Mr. Bjornstad, you saved me from Suu earlier?"
She cocked her head to the side and held her chin with the "thumb" of her bird wing.
"Smith-Lady sent me?" he offered, wondering if using a term she had used herself might help jog her latent memory. Her face brightened with what she hoped was recognition and she said "Oh yeah! You're The Big Guy! You're here to do the movie previews!" she said before beaming, seemingly happy with herself for remembering
...Roll with it
"Yeah, that's right, so would mind just answering a few questions for me?" he said getting the next sheet ready.
"Okay!" the young, messy blue haired Harpy said with a happy smile.
Rob heaved a sigh as he stepped out of Papis room. What had taken maybe 10 minutes with Miia, had taken almost three times longer with the scatterbrained Harpy girl. Even though he had simplified the questions as much as he could, he still ended up repeating each one at least 3 or 4 times before he got what he felt was passable enough for an answer. He had reminded himself to keep calm and be patient, that it wasn't the girls fault and that she couldn't help it. She was so sweet and kind though, that he couldn't find a way to be mad at her, and thanked her for helping him. She had smiled and simply said "No pro, no pro" to him as he walked out.
One thing he had made note of was the way Papi had always affectionately referred to Mr. Kurusu as "Boss" or "The Boss".
Three girls...?
Okay, two down, four to go. Next up is...Centorea, that should be fun.
Walking to yet a different door on the second level, he paused as he was about to grab the knob, before realizing there wasn't one. He looked again and realized this was a more traditional style sliding door, common to many historic houses of Japan. Knocking he waited a moment before he heard the voice of the female centaur within call out "You may enter!". As he slid the door open, he paused for a moment to take in the room before him. It was like something out of a textbook on historical Japan. The floor was entirely made up of tatami mats, and there was no visible furniture. A single tokonoma style piece consisting of a pot holding some long grass strands, and a single cherry twig with blossoms was beneath what he guessed served as closet or storage space. A sword and armor rack, completely with medieval European style armor, long swords, a dagger, a jousting lance, a bow and a quiver of arrows, seemed a bit at odds with the oriental styling of the room as a whole.
Centorea sat towards the center of the room, her large black blouse covering much of her horse body as she knelt down on all four of her equine limbs. Taking a moment to check his feet to make sure he would not track anything into the room, he then took a few steps forward, before kneeling down so that he sat with his backside resting on top of the soles of his upturned feet, in the traditional style.
She gazed across at him confidently, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. They stared each other down for a moment, two alpha individuals gauging one another, and while Rob was willing to defer out of respect for Centorea being in her personal quarters, and therefore her home territory, he was not about to be browbeaten into complete submission, and did not turn away from her gaze. She smiled and said "Thou art a strong and sure man, I can see the resolve and confidence in your eyes" she said giving a nod of respect towards him.
"High praise, especially coming from the daughter of "The Goddess of Jousting"" ([or the "Lance Goddess" if you prefer Seven Seas English translation]) he answered back, giving a nod to a small heraldic shield in the corner before saying "I recognized the symbol"
She had seemed a bit surprised by this, and he explained that even before coming to Japan, when he had first learned of the existence of liminals, he had come to find the centaurs skill and prowess in the types of combat similar to HEMA, regardless of sex, fascinating AND admirable. He also found that they both had common ground as fans of the Heavyweight Centaur Champion, Cheron du Pell, and her record as an undefeated combatant, with over 800 wins in her career as a knight.
She proffered his sheathed knife, and tomahawk, before sliding his boots back towards him, with a bit more of a friendly and open smile now. He accepted the blades and inspected them. He was impressed, you would have never known they had been covered in slime. "Your efforts are truly noteworthy, and I thank you for caring after my blades this way, you have my sincerest thanks, and I am in your debt" he said putting the sheathed blades aside.
He pulled out the paper form, and managed to get through the questions fairly smoothly with Centorea. He was stunned once again when they reached the portion of the paperwork where he asked her to list any complaints with either her homestay or the program. He almost couldn't believe how close his earlier jab at Smith had been to reality. It seemed she actually DID foist girls on this Kurusu with somewhat alarming regularity, sometimes without even letting him know ahead of time, and even after making alterations to his house before hand in at least one case. He began wondering if he would have to fight the urge to punch Smith in the mouth when she came to pick him up.
If she even came to pick him up AT ALL.
"Do you have any questions for me?" he asked
Centorea seemed to pause before saying "Off thy record, art thou former military?"
"No I never served, though I have family history in the US Army and US Navy" he said a little worried. He hadn't wanted to speak of his families military history, knowing how even to this day things like WWII still brought up old wounds, especially in Japan.
"Why do you carry gear for war then?" she asked gesturing one hand towards his blades.
He gave her a long and searching look before finally answering "I was never able to serve in the military, for various reasons, but I still felt the call to help and assist where and when I could. Eventually I came to learn that my role, as I see it and describe it, is as A Guardian" he said
"How do you mean, "A Guardian"?" she asked
"An individual who looks out for the welfare and good of those around them" he explained, "Unlike a knight, who pledges themselves to a master, or a samurai who serves a shogun or daimyo, I swear an oath to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and to stand against those who would harm them, in any way" as he said this he ran his left hand over the still healing knuckles of his right saying "It was such an act that ultimately got me into this position working for Smith and The M.O.N."
"You make it sound very noble" she said
"It's actually a very ugly, and often thankless role, most these days seem to relegate warriors and guardians as violent and backwards individuals who should be kept at arms length from the rest of society until needed, "Break Glass in case of Trouble"" he said with a smirk.
He looked up to see a kind but approving smile on the pretty centaurs face as she gazed across at him "You do not varnish your opinion or how you see the truth, but nonetheless, I see your choice as a noble one, and I feel honored to be in the presence of one who would willing take on a foe that might very well kill them, in the defense of those who couldn't fight back as well as yourself"
"You saw that, did you?" he asked trying to keep his face even.
She nodded "While I may feel that you went a bit far in your assault, your intentions were of the most noble sort, and I salute your bravery" she said before placing a hand over her heart and bowing her head slightly towards him. He bowed his head back in return and felt odd at being saluted by a girl who he had learned viewed herself as a noble knight in the service of her homestay host who she viewed and even referred to as her "Master".
Four for four. It would appear you're a regular "Thief of Hearts", along with being a man of many names, Mr. Kurusu...
"Well if that's all I should be moving onto the next girl" he said as he began to stand.
((to be continued in part 2!))