It had been six years since Dorian and Junko had to take up asylum at the White House. It still wasn't clear when they would get to go back home to Paris, and they were growing tired of waiting. Despite the grandeur of their surroundings, the familiarity and comfort of their own home seemed to grow more and more like a distant memory. They were already living on borrowed time as is. How much longer would they have to wait until Lord Stingray and his cronies stopped attacking their hometown? Until they could get a definitive answer, Dorian and Junko would have to make do with their temporary home.

In the interim, they'd officially adopted the Mistress as their daughter, much to the widowed dictator's delight. At least now, she could be certain that she'd gotten closure on that part of her life. She would rather spend the remainder of her time preparing Eddie for when it was inevitably time for him to become dictator of the world. She knew full well that it was the hardest and most stressful position she and the Warden had ever taken upon, even more so than when they'd been running Superjail and Ultraprison, and she wanted to make sure that Eddie knew what he was getting into when that day came.

There was also the matter of the legacy Eddie himself was planning to leave behind, namely Keiko. He was determined to prime her to take his place as world dictator when it came time for him to die. He couldn't help but worry about her lately. As if it hadn't been hard enough trying to carry on without her beloved grandfather, she also had to deal with constant assassination attempts made against her and the rest of her family. In addition, she had also had a growth spurt, wherein she had become just as tall as her father and grandmother (if not more so). Eddie and the Mistress had been doing their best to shield Keiko and her siblings from the dangers that constantly lurked around them, but this was easier said and done (as Mistress knew firsthand). They knew that grooming her to take over as world dictator would not be an easy task, especially with the ongoing threats to their lives. However, they were determined to prepare her for the responsibilities that lay ahead.

Keiko, for her part, was showing immense resilience and determination in the face of adversity despite her young age. She also understood the gravity of her future role and was willing to learn everything necessary to succeed Eddie when the time came, especially with her 17th birthday two months away. This was on top of navigating a perpetually confusing world of emotions and relationships and everything that came with growing up... including exploring her feelings for other girls. She knew that there were others like her who felt this way as well, but she still didn't know how accepting the people in her life would be if they knew about it nor was she entirely ready to fully admit her attraction to girls. However, that was a discussion for another time.

Right now, the family was going through what could only be described as a typical day in the Warden family's collective lives. By now, they'd settled into a monotonous but steady status quo. Keiko was busy helping her father and stepmother Vicki with her siblings and half-siblings. Keiko wasn't as close with her young half-siblings as she was with Mariko and Alfie, but she made an effort to spend time with them when possible. Likewise, Shannon and Jethro adored her as much as they did their own parents. Indeed, Keiko couldn't believe how much solace she found in the moments she spent with her family. It certainly helped to momentarily take her mind off the big stressors of the world.

"Keiko!" she suddenly heard Junko call out to her.

Keiko whipped her head around to where the disembodied voice seemed to be coming from. "Yeah, Hiibaba? What is it?"

"There's someone here to see us."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Well, that's what he wants to talk about."

Keiko's curiosity was piqued upon hearing that. Who exactly was he, and what did he want to talk about? She decided to step away and find out. As Keiko made her way down the hallway and towards her destination, she couldn't help but daydream a little bit about her 17th birthday party and how much of the Halloween spirit would be intact like last year and the year before. If there was one thing she loved more than any other day of the year, it was her birthday. At the last minute, she had to restrain herself from fantasizing further and join the real world. Eventually, she made it to the living room, where Junko and Dorian were standing with a man she'd never seen before.

"Who is that, Hiibaba?" Keiko asked Junko while pointing at the unfamiliar man.

"This is Arkady," Junko replied. "He's here to take over for Jillian after she quit."

Keiko was taken aback by this. "Wait, Jillian's gone?"

Junko nodded. "She sure is. Didn't Delilah and Genie tell you that she was leaving us behind to find work at the Thousand Islands?"

"Not really."

"Hmph, that's weird. Anyway, I want you to meet Arkady. He told me how he came all this way from Las Vegas just to become a bodyguard for us, and by motorcycle no less."

Keiko couldn't help but find that last bit intriguing. That must've been a pretty long drive. It probably took him at least thirty-eight hours just to make it here, which would've undoubtedly been an impressive feat. Moreover, she'd never been to Las Vegas, having only ever heard about it from her grandparents or their associates. She was curious to know more about what Arkady had seen and what stories he might want to share. She decided that she'd ask him all about it when she got a chance. For now, introductions were in order.

As for Arkady himself, she could tell from the get-go that he was somewhere around her father's age, give or take a couple years. He was also slightly taller than her, being 5'11" to her 5'8", and he had a toned physique to him. His pale skin also stood out against his dark brown eyes and his dark hair.

"Hello," was all Arkady could muster out, albeit in what sounded like a slight Russian accent.

The greeting only intrigued Keiko more. Who exactly was this guy, and why was he like this? She waited for him to extend his hand out to her before taking it upon herself to do it.

"Well, hello, Arkady," Keiko greeted. "Welcome to the White House! I'm Keiko, and you're a new bodyguard." She left in a pause as she let him shake her hand. "That's why you're here, right?"

"Da," Arkady replied.

"Great. My family and I can't wait to show you the ropes around here."

"Oh, I bet."

Keiko scrunched up her face a little. He didn't seem like much of a talker.

"Well, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of things soon," Keiko said. "Just follow me and I'll show you where everything is."

She turned around and started to walk away, expecting him to follow closely behind. Arkady just stood there, his eyes following Keiko, but he didn't move. Keiko stopped and turned around, a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Keiko asked. "Come on!"

Arkady looked confused for a moment, still having not moved, then quickly caught up and followed Keiko. Keiko smiled to herself, relieved that Arkady was following her.

After Keiko had given Arkady the tour, she decided to take him to meet Genie and Delilah. She figured that there'd be no harm in them meeting. After all, since Jillian had just left, surely the mother-and-daughter duo wouldn't mind that someone had traveled all this way to replace her. In fact, she was confident that the three would hit it off. What was the worst that could happen?

"Genie, Delilah!" Keiko called out to him. "There's someone here I want you to meet!"

As if in the blink of an eye, Genie and Delilah swiftly rushed over to where Keiko was, achingly curious to learn the identity of the person she wished to introduce them to.

"Thank God you're here!" Keiko exclaimed as she swept her arm over in Arkady's direction. "This is Arkady. He rode his motorcycle all the way here so he could take Jillian's place as a bodyguard."

Instantly, Delilah's face went pale, and she stiffened like a board. This prompted Genie to look over to her mother with concern.

"Uh, Delilah?" Keiko asked, equally concerned. "Are you okay?"

Delilah couldn't bring herself to respond.

"Yeah, uh, Mom and I already know Arkady," Genie nervously responded on her mother's behalf. "I grew up with him, actually."

"Really?" Keiko asked with intrigue. "Interesting."

"Yeah, it sure is. Listen, maybe we should just move on to something else. I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Oh..." Keiko paused for a moment. "Okay."

Delilah's face was still pale, and she was still trembling. Keiko and Arkady exchanged glances at each other, but neither said anything. They quickly moved on someplace else. Keiko had no idea why either Delilah or Genie had acted like that around Arkady, but she hoped that this would at least give the two women the space they needed. She wanted to learn more about their history with him, but she figured it'd be better to leave well enough alone and just focus on the here and now.