The woman on the pole wasn't dancing very hard, but that didn't mean she didn't look good, or that she wasn't skillful. She swayed her hips, barely clothed in a g string and tiny vest that hid what everyone was paying to see. Sitting directly in front of the woman, and enjoying the performance, was, who the dancer knew to be, Elise, a regular customer. The dancer let her vest open up just enough to give her regular a good peek. Elise's face never changed, showing no signs of interest, not even an involuntary blush. Just as the dancer turned, Elise's cell rang. The cell rang and rang, but no one answered, the annoying chirps going ignored. It wasn't until the third call, and the dancer slowed to give Elise a look, that the phone was picked up.
"Yeah?" Elise answered, not taking her eyes off of the dancer. She sighed and blinked slowly.
The dancer could hear the person on the other end of the line since the phone's volume was up so high. "Elise! Where are you? You have an appointment today. Now. They're already here."
Elise ran a hand over her unruly hair and rolled her eyes, her gaze stopping on the ceiling. "Okay, okay, Jeff, calm down. I'll be there in a minute. I was on my way." She flashed her teeth at the dancer, who smirked.
"Liar."
"I'll be there in a minute." Elise hung up and leaned back in her chair, once again focusing solely on the dancer in front of her. She beckoned over the dancer with a finger and, when the dancer was close enough, handed her a fifty dollar bill. "You were good, as usual. I'd focus on your footwork, though. We don't want you falling on stage, hm? It'll give those pigs a chance to paw at you, and we definitely don't want that." She winked, stood, then practically jogged out of the establishment to make her appointment.
The dancer palmed the bill and smiled at where Elise was just sitting. She had never met a woman liked Elise, who came to watch the dancers but never did anything uncouth. She even protected the dancers when a customer was getting too violent or just plain rude. Elise always gave large tips, money wise, and tips on how the dancers could better their skills. It was no wonder that Elise was wildly popular in the club, and had more than her fair share of invitations to the bedroom, always free of charge.
-----
Hard faced Lorraine at the front desk called Elise's name as soon as the woman was near and directed Elise to room 4B just down the hall. Elise thanked Lorraine then made her way to where her appointment was being held. This was her third in a week, and the third she was late for. Apparently, people found Elise abrasive, which the tardiness didn't help one bit, and it was difficult for her to find a roommate. Exactly as she wanted. She knocked on door 4B and a male voice beckoned her inside. She entered the room and found a hip, young couple sitting in front of a desk and her representative, Jeff, was sitting behind it. Jeff waved Elise over to sit down, hiding his annoyance with her skillfully.
"Good, now we're all here." Jeff smiled politely and ruffled around a few papers on his desk. He adjusted his glasses then locked his fingers atop his desk. "Elise, meet the Johnsons, Pat and Frida. Johnsons, this is Elise Bludd."
The Johnsons each shook Elise's hand in turn and gave her bright smiles. Elise immediately noticed that Frida was ripe with pregnancy and she wondered if Frida's water would break right there in Jeff's office. When Pat and Frida resettled in their seats, Elise sniffed and crossed her right leg over her left, jiggling her foot. She had already made up her mind about the couple.
"Now," Jeff said after the introductions, focusing on the Johnsons, "You've already read through Elise's file and decided you want a meeting. Here we are. Are there any questions you have for Elise while we're here?"
Elise turned her head and waited for whatever the Johnsons could throw at her. She already knew most of their questions, the important ones, were answered- the answers were in her file. Yes, she was in good physical and mental health. No, she didn't smoke or abuse alcohol. No, she didn't have a criminal record. Yes, she was a fully qualified, licensed Pre. Yes, she worked well with children. That last one was a slight lie, but she hid it well.
Frida rubbed her swollen belly and smiled at Elise. "In your file it said you were a Were? It specified you to be a wolf shifter, correct?" Elise nodded, so Frida went on, grabbing her husbands hand and squeezing it. "This may sound ignorant, but we've never hired a Were as a Host before, of any kind, so we were just wondering about your temperament."
Elise lowered her head, her chin resting against her chest. "My temperament? You're wondering if I'm a vicious dog, is that right?"
Both Frida and Pat turned a bright shade of red. Pat sat up straighter in his seat and cleared his throat. "No, no. Don't get us wrong. It's just... your eyes."
Elise blinked and remained silent. She knew exactly what the Johnsons were worried about. Her irises were pitch black. Some people often said that Elise's eyes seemed to absorb the light around her and completely demolish it. Elise thought those people were exaggerating, though she did know her eyes were darker than anyone elses. The lack of brightness indicated her power, and most associated that power with villainy. She could understand the Johnsons and their trepidation, though by their hesitance to ask a proper question, she assumed they learned about the link between eyes and power in Weres from the internet.
"I am not evil," Elise pointed out. "I am powerful. There's a difference. And I have a question for you. May I?" When both Pat and Frida agreed to answer, Elise leaned forward slightly in her chair. "If you've never had a Were as a Host, why are you looking for one now?"
Pat placed a protective hand over Frida's belly but his eyes remained on Elise. "We heard Weres are protective, naturally, unlike other preternaturals. We wanted someone like that to protect our baby."
Elise leaned forward a little more, resting her elbows on her knees, and gave a toothy smile. "We are very protective. But only with those that we actually like. A rugrat is definitely not anywhere on my list."
Frida made a face, absolutely offended by Elise's words. Pat lifted his chin and ground his teeth. He grabbed his wife's hand and practically jerked her out of her chair. "How dare you!" He turned to Jeff and nodded politely. "I'm sorry but we will be looking for a different Host. Good day." He stomped out of the room with his wife just behind him.
Elise blew a raspberry and relaxed in her chair, shrugging at Jeff. "Well. You can't win 'em all. Maybe next time."
Jeff sighed, irritated, and reached under his glasses to rub his eyes. "Damnit, Elise. Could you at least try to pretend you want to be a Host? Upper management is going to notice that you have yet to be hired and they are going to start asking questions. They'll strip you of your license and declare you incompetent, probably put you in a home with crazed Pre's and let you rot."
Groaning, Elise let her arms fall beside her chair. "This is stupid."
"Yes, I'm aware you think that. But this is the law and you need to learn to respect it, or at least follow it so you don't end up an outlaw."
"Maybe an outlaw is better than this. I don't want to be a Host, Jeff. I want to live my life the way I always have."
"Yeah, well, things don't work like that anymore." Jeff opened one of his desks drawers and pulled out a manila file folder. He opened it up and grabbed for one of the pens on his desk. "I'm going to schedule another appointment. There are a few other people right now looking for a Were. Oh, look. This one is even looking for a female specifically. I'll set it up for next week."
Elise scoffed. "Probably a pervert looking for wild sex."
A blush crept up Jeff's neck. "That was once, and I'm sorry. I've made sure to properly inspect clients since then."
"You're too kind."
Jeff shook his head. "Just show up, alright? And don't dodge my calls this time." He grumbled to himself, not all surprised by now that he was the only rep willing to deal with Elise's case.
Elise mimicked Jeff's words silently and stood. She gave him a half hearted salute then left his office with almost silent footsteps. She waved at Lorraine at the front desk, who only stared back, then made her way out of the building. Elise stopped just outside the buildings front doors to soak up a bit of sun. It was a bright, hot day and the warmth felt good on her skin. She walked away from the Host Inc. building (The world's leading provider of Hosts!) and walked all the way home. She preferred walking anywhere, it was a great, calm workout. It also helped clear her head. Elise hated that she had to be a Host. It was degrading.
A few years back the world was introduced to preternatural creatures of all kinds. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly thanks to modern media, most everyone was okay with the sudden influx of strange beasts and creepy crawlers of the night. It wasn't until people started realizing that most creatures needed humans for nourishment, and various other things. That was the moment the government stepped in and started regulating Pre's- as they called anything not fully human. First it started with simple things like registering yourself with a bureau, which was fair in Elise's opinion. A lot of crazed Pre's were caught thanks to the bureau and innocent lives were saved. That part she didn't mind. What she did mind was the ever passing law all over the country that Pre's had to become a Host if they needed to feed on humans in one way or another. Elise wasn't a Pre that needed a human to live, but the law stated that she had to become a Host at least once in her life, for a minimum of six months, to prove that she wasn't a danger to society.
The job of a Host was simple enough. A human, or human family, signed a contract with a Pre. That contract sealed the deal that the Pre would protect the human(s) for the time signified in the contract in return for the human's complete consent for the Pre to feed on them. The Pre also had to board with the human(s) and remain at their side until the contract was up. It was a completely valid law when it came to vampires and the like, but for Elise it was a nuisance. She wasn't a danger to society and she didn't want to live with a random human to prove that. She wanted to remain in her home, with her long time roommates, until she was ready for otherwise.
Elise knew it was no use fighting the law, though. Jeff was right. She had to follow the law or risk becoming an outlaw. She didn't want to live like that. If her licence was taken from her, she would be considered a danger and would be taken somewhere akin to a prison. To keep her licence Elise had to suck it up and find a human to host for six months. After that she was free to do whatever she liked for the rest of her life. She still dreaded those six months even though she knew that in the long run it would only benefit her.
As she made it home, Elise promised herself to arrive at the next appointment with slightly more optimism than usual. She chuckled and knew that she would most likely break that promise. She was a generally nice person but was downright cruel when she hated something.
Elise waltzed into the kitchen, made herself a turkey sandwich, and spotted one of her roommates sitting under the kitchen table. She paused, her mouth open, and stared. Then she gathered her wits, continued eating, and spoke with her mouth full. "Hey, Cav, what are you doing under the table?"
Hugging her legs, Cav looked up sharply. Her pupils were so dilated they were practically non existent. "Riley's vacuuming."
"Ah." Elise scarfed down the rest of her sandwich then squatted to get a better view of Cav. "You know he vacuums every friday. Why don't you go out with your friend- what his name? The guy with the stripe down his tail."
Cav gulped and her eyes flicked upwards, towards the second floor where the vacuum was still going. "Skunk."
"How appropriate," Elise muttered under her breath. Then said louder to Cav, "Come here, kitty, kitty."
Cav whined. "That's not funny."
"Want some meow mix?"
Cav frowned but she looked more relaxed. "Elise, that's not funny."
Elise smiled, knowing her joking was calming Cav down. Even if it hadn't, she would have joked anyway. She liked treating Cav like a housecat simply for Cav's reactions. Jaguar shifters did not like being compared to tabby cats. Neither did any type of feline Were, but Elise knew better than to joke around with strangers.
The vacuum shut off and the house went completely silent. Cav perked up, listening to the sounds of Riley bringing the vacuum back downstairs to put away. Every time the vacuum thumped against a stair, Cav blinked harshly. Eventually, Riley put the vacuum away in the hall closet and waddled into the kitchen. He stared at Elise and Cav head on, his stature leaving him perfectly at eye level with them both.
"Well, damn," he muttered, throwing his arms out and letting them fall to his sides again. "I told her, Elise. I told her I was vacuuming. Did she listen? No. Did she leave the house like I asked her to? No. You can't put this one on me. I warned her just like I always do. It's not my fault she's stubborn."
Elise stood and helped Cav out from underneath the table. "Relax, Riley. I'm not blaming you."
"Good," he huffed. His face had already gone red. He was quick to anger as were most Leprechauns. He pointed to Cav. "I'm never taking the fall for that one. Dirty alley cat."
Cav saddled up to Elise's side. She purred purposely hard and wrapped her tail around Elise's thigh, the tip resting just beneath Elise's crotch. "Oh, Elise. Tell him to stop being mean to me."
Elise rolled her eyes and ignored the strong grip Cav's tail was giving her thigh. She already knew all of Cav's tricks, and knew not to fall for them. Cav was a sly cat who knew how to make people crumble, in more ways than one. Elise prided herself on the fact that she had yet to fall for anything of Cav's making.
"Hey, so, how did your appointment go?" Riley asked, changing the subject and making his way to the refrigerator.
Elise wrestled out of Cav's tail then sat down at the kitchen table. "As usual. Couple this time."
"Really?" Riley struggled to reach his pomegranate juice which was on the top shelf of the refrigerator. When Cav giggled, Elise knew that the cat had purposely moved the juice higher for a laugh at poor Riley's expense.
"Really," Elise said. "The lady was pregnant, too. I told them right out that I wasn't taking care of a runt. You should have seen their faces. They looked like I had just told them that I was the devil incarnate."
Riley practically climbed the fridge shelves, jumped, and finally managed to topple over the juice and catch it before it hit the ground. "You're not doing yourself any favors. Screw up a few more appointments and you're out for good. Take it from me, it's easier to just get it over with. Besides, it's only six months. It's not as bad as you think."
"Yeah, you say that because you got to spend six months on a beach with a nice Russian girl who had a thing for you."
Riley turned beat red, and not from anger this time. "That was... well..."
Elise scoffed. "Exactly. I'm not settling down with just any human, alright? I have to at least be able to tolerate them."
Cav stepped behind Elise's chair and hung her arms over Elise's shoulders. "I don't want you to go away."
"Not now, Cav." Elise tried to push Cav away but Cav kept by.
Riley rolled his eyes and guzzled down his pomegranate juice. Cav rubbed Elise's shoulders and neck while Elise quietly fumed about her situation. She liked her life the way it was. Six months was a long time to put it all on hold and Elise didn't want to be away from her friends. Riley and Cav were an odd pair but they were fun and loyal. Elise assumed that when she became a Host, the human who she had to live with didn't want more Pre's than they bargained for.
Grunting, Elise swatted Cav away and jogged up to her room. Her next appointment wasn't until next week, which she figured was enough time to think on whether or not she wanted to sabotage it.
-----
The next week, once again, Lorraine called Elise's name and pointed her to Jeff's office. Elise sniffed as she approached, then opened Jeff's door, smiling quickly at him in greeting. A girl was sitting in one of the free chairs in front of his desk. She had golden brown hair that flowed behind her chair in soft, loose curls, and she had a voluptuous body, at least from what Elise could tell. The girl didn't turn around or acknowledge Elise at all. It was disconcerting.
"Elise," Jeff spoke up, "This is Ivy Atkins. Ivy, this is Elise Bludd."
Elise sat beside Ivy but Ivy still didn't react. Elise frowned and wiggled her ears, surprised she could hear Ivy breathing, the woman was so still.
"Right," Jeff went on. He was uncomfortable with the silent Ivy and the suspicious looking Elise. "So, Ivy, do you have any questions for Elise?"
Ivy didn't move but her eyes shifted up to Jeff. "How soon can she move in?"
Elise held her breath. Had she heard right? Ivy wanted to sign a contract? No one wanted to sign a contract with Elise, no one. It just wasn't done. "Now hold on," Elise said before Jeff could answer Ivy. Elise knew the answer to Ivy's question was 'as soon as the contract is signed'."Who says I don't have any questions?"
Jeff nodded and gestured for Elise to ask away.
Clearing her throat, Elise stared directly at Ivy, who was still staring at Jeff. Elise grunted at being ignored. "Something wrong with you?" she asked Ivy. Ivy didn't move. "You're mentally ill? Psychotic? Just plain stupid?"
"Elise!" Jeff shouted, slapping down her file folder. "Enough!"
"What?" Elise slumped down in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like being so mean but something was clearly off about Ivy, and Elise didn't want to Host someone like that. "There's no way she's right in the head if she's willing to take me home. She knows nothing about me. For all she knows I'm a killer."
Jeff sighed and rubbed his forehead. Someone finally wanted to sign a contract, and he didn't want Elise to screw it u. As usual. "Elise."
"Jeff." Elise snapped her teeth at Jeff to make her point.
Ivy stood, surprising both Jeff and Elise, and held out her hand. "Pen? I want to sign this contract and be home before lunch, if that's okay with you."
Elise fumed in her chair. No, no, no! Why was Ivy so sure about signing that contract? Elise bit her first finger nail and watched Jeff slide over the Host contract across his desk for Ivy to sign. Elise knew she didn't have much of a say in it all. Jeff would be ecstatic to finally have someone sign a Host contract for her, and he definitely wouldn't let her put up a fight that late in the game. Besides, deep down, Elise knew Ivy was probably the only person in the world that would sign that contract, and Elise needed to Host at least once. If Ivy was the only person willing to sign, then Ivy was Elise's only hope of not being stripped of her licence and stamped an outlaw.
Who was this Ivy Atkins? Was she the killer, the dangerous one, in the situation? Elise's guard was all the way up. She gripped the arms of her chair as Ivy signed her name with a flourish. Jeff smiled triumphantly and took the contract back, placing it in a folder with other official looking documents.
Finally, Ivy faced Elise, and Elise got a better look at Ivy's person. Her body was indeed voluptuous. Ivy's eyes were of amber and her stare was hard. Her eyeliner was dark and thick, surrounding the whole of her eyes. The woman looked like a movie star gone bad, or a sexy bikers wife. Ivy licked her lips, revealing a silver barbell in her tongue, and bent down to be at Elise's eye level. She slipped a piece of paper into Elise's palm. "Be there in an hour. Don't be late."
Elise glared into Ivy's amber eyes, trying to pretend that the whole situation wasn't the oddest thing she'd ever experienced. Ivy left the room, the clack of her heels resounding in Elise's ears, and left both Elise and Jeff dumbfounded.
Jeff tidied the papers on his desk and cleared his throat. "That was weird. I would have given you her address. That was entirely unnecessary on her part."
Fingering the slip of paper Ivy gave her, Elise puckered her lips. There was something... off about Ivy. The woman was clearly desperate for a Host. But why Elise? What made her so special? Elise stood and took the small booklet Jeff handed her. The booklet held the rules and regulations regarding the relationship between Host and human. Elise folded the booklet and stuffed it in her back pocket. She already knew the rules but knew that Jeff was just being thorough. After handing over the booklet, Jeff pulled out a stainless steel necklace with dog tags hanging from it.
"I had these made so long ago," Jeff said. "I, uh, thought I'd be giving them to you way before now." One tag stated Elise's Pre status, species name, and that she was a Host while the second tag was blank. Jeff smiled and had Elise follow him out of his office and to a different room. He stepped up to an intricate machine and placed the blank dog tag into it. He began tapping at a screen. "I just need to engrave one so that it tells who you're a Host to and all that."
"Great," Elise muttered. Now I've got a collar. Yippe.
Jeff finished his work then handed the completed product to Elise. She adorned the dog tags but didn't like it. She didn't want to wear something that would label her so easily. Yes, she had to admit, it did have its advantages, but she found it mostly degrading. If she were a more human creature she could wear a bracelet or even have simple papers, but since she was a Were and transformed into a creature that could not wear a bracelet or hold papers, she had to wear dog tags.
Jeff bid Elise a good luck, gave her a friendly pat on the back, then sent her on her way to get packing for her new life with Ivy Atkins.
-----
Cav pounced on Elise as soon as she came home. Elise threw Cav off, who landed on her feet and wasn't perturbed in the slightest by the brush off.
"You didn't find someone to Host, then?" Cav asked, practically purring the words. "Is that why you're so grumpy?"
Elise stomped up to her room, Cav following close behind. "I'm a Host now, Cav. It's official." She took the necklace out from underneath her shirt and showed the dog tags to Cav.
Cav fingered the dog tags, studying them. "Who's Ivy Atkins?"
"The person I'm a Host to. Duh." Elise grabbed an overnight bag and started to stuff it with clothes and essentials.
Sitting primly on Elise's bed, Cav let her tail come out and swished it in Elise's direction. "Is she prettier than me?"
Elise rolled her eyes. Cav had always been one track minded. "There's more chance of me having sex with her than there is with you."
Cav pouted. "That's mean."
"Whatever. You know you're my sister, even if you are a cat. You can come visit me at my new house. You and Riley." Elise finished packing the last of her things, glad she didn't need much. Six months was a long time but Elise really only needed one or two weeks worth of clothes. She'd wash every week. She didn't care if she wore the same outfits again and again. Truth be told, she'd most likely be in wolf form most of the time so that she wouldn't have the need for clothes. Besides, she could come back to her true home to pick up more clothes or anything else she needed whenever it was necessary.
Cav followed Elise to the bathroom and watched Elise gather her toiletries. "Promise we can come visit? Seriously. I'm going to miss you."
Elise placed her toiletries in her bag. "I'm going to miss you, too. I'll invite you over soon. I promise." She winked and kissed Cav on the cheek, making the cat purr. "Ivy won't be able to stop you guys from coming over."
Cav blushed. She was truly going to miss Elise. Aside from the sexual innuendos and groping, which she knew would never go anywhere, Cav had a love for Elise. She considered Elise a part of her family. They'd been together for many, many years. Riley had been in the picture for a long time, too, but Cav and Elise were something more. Cav returned Elise's cheek kiss and added a hug for good measure.
"When do you have to leave?"
"I had an hour when I left Jeff's office. Took me a bit to get here and pack, and I still have to say goodbye to Riley. Plus the time to actually get to Ivy's place. Suffice it to say that I should leave as soon as possible. I don't know what kind of human Ivy is. If I'm late, she might report me."
Cav's eyes widened. "You think she's that much of a dictator?"
Elise slung her bag over her shoulder. "Don't want to risk it." She made her way downstairs to find Riley, skipping his room since she didn't hear him in there. She found Riley coming out of the downstairs bathroom.
"Hey," he said in greeting, wiping his wet hands on his vest. "Back already? Don't tell me. You screwed it up. On purpose. Again."
Elise smirked and waggled her dog tags. Riley's eyes widened and he stood up on his tiptoes to try and reach the tags. He couldn't get them so Elise leaned down to give him a look. He studied the tags, still on his tiptoes, and whistled.
"Wow. I never thought this day would come. Ivy Atkins?" He let Elise stand up straight. "Sounds refined."
"Don't know about that," Elise commented, hiking her bag further up her shoulder. "But I've got to be there soon so are you going to kiss me goodbye or what?"
Riley grinned and flung his arms out, waiting for Elise to squat down to accept the hug. Elise did what Riley wanted and embraced the Leprechaun, allowing him to kiss her cheek as well.
"Boy, I'm going to miss you," he said, patting her back lovingly.
"Likewise." Elise lifted Riley up into the air and growled playfully. Riley swore and his face was a deep red when Elise put him back down. He straightened out his vest and puffed out his cheeks angrily. He didn't like when Elise treated him like a toy like that. Elise smiled and pat Riley on the head. Riley swatted her hand away.
"I'm going to miss you less now," he grumbled.
Both Elise and Cav laughed in amusement. Elise sighed and looked around her home one last time. "Well," she said. "I guess I should be on my way. Ivy's expecting me."
"Said like a true Host," Riley said.
Elise gave both Cav and Riley one last hug before leaving. She stood outside for a moment and looked around her neighborhood, knowing she was going to miss it. She knew she could come back essentially anytime she wanted but it was still distressing for her knowing that she wouldn't be able to see it every day. Sighing, Elise took a last look at the slip of paper Ivy handed her, then went on her way to the address.
-----
"This is it?" Elise squinted up at the slovenly building in front of her. The grass was overgrown, the bordering fence was rusty, and the house looked generally unkempt. Elise double checked the slip of paper Ivy had given her but, sadly, she was at the correct address. Shrugging her bag further up her shoulder, Elise made her way to the front door and rang the doorbell. Ivy immediately opened the door and ushered Elise inside, practically pulling Elise in forcefully. Elise growled to herself but didn't comment on Ivy's behavior. Instead, Elise took a good look around her new home for the next six months. Surprisingly, Ivy's home was spotless. Elise expected a pigsty based on what she had seen outside but she was absolutely wrong. The carpets looked freshly vacuumed, the furniture was well kept, and the air smelled febreezed. Elise didn't spot a speck of dirt anywhere, not even old stains.
"There's an extra room over here," Ivy was saying, walking further into the house. "My room's near the back of the house but you don't need to see it." She led Elise to the extra room at the front of the house, next to the garage and laundry room. "This is where you'll be staying."
Elise dropped her bag by the rooms closet and studied her new space. The walls were blinding white and the only things in the room, a twin sized bed and a dresser with connecting mirror, looked just purchased.
"What was in this room before?" Elise asked curiously, still able to smell the fresh paint.
Ivy leaned on the doorway. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Elise unzipped her bag and poured everything out onto the floor, throwing the bag underneath the bed.
Ivy narrowed her eyes at the mess, then at the woman who made it. "Yes, nothing." She studied the mess maker intently, watching Elise poke around through her clothes, doing something. Ivy didn't know what. She knew the Pre in front of her was powerful, but the girl didn't look it aside from her eyes. Elise had the body of a twelve year old- barely there breasts, tiny ass, and the face of an innocent- but she was tall enough to tell the world that she was, in fact, not twelve. Elise looked even younger since she didn't wear makeup besides what looked like chapstick, from what Ivy could tell. Elise's fashion sense, though, was that of a punk teenager that didn't know of any color besides black and liked to wear the same ripped jeans two weeks in a row. It wasn't a surprise that Elise had tattoos, too. The girl even had an overly long mohawk, but it wasn't gelled so, to Ivy, it looked like Elise had a tail flowing out of the middle of her head that was placed in a ponytail. The funny thing was, Elise was actually really cute and could pull the look off, and Ivy could imagine that Elise got her fair share of romantic interests, from both men and women. Ivy pursed her lips at the distasteful ragamuffin in front of her. Elise was still rummaging through her belongings.
"Hey, so," Elise muttered, throwing a shirt with the arms cut off onto the closet floor. "You've been standing there staring at me for a long time and I don't think I can pretend I'm doing something for that much longer."
Ivy smirked. "I figured whatever you were doing was useless."
"Well? Is there something you wanted to talk about or...?"
"No, no, not really. I'm assuming you understand the contract and are well acquainted with the rules."
Elise sat back on her heels and slapped her thighs. "Yup." She didn't understand the exact ins and outs of a Host contract but she understood the gist and she figured that was enough.
"Good." Ivy sniffed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "What about you? Have anything you want to say? You didn't seem very keen on being my Host."
"Yeah, actually." Elise stood and looked out of the window just above her bed, opening the curtains wide enough to see a good portion of the front yard, though most of it was obscured by a large tree that was just beyond the window. "What's up with the yard? Everything in the house is pristine but outside it's a jungle. From outside, this house does not look structurally sound."
Ivy eyeballed the overgrown weeds and single tree. "I don't live outside, do I? And the house is just fine. The outside just needs a fresh coat of paint, and the porch steps need to be fixed, and the outer light bulb needs to be replaced, and the gutters need to be cleaned." Ivy ticked off more chores on her fingers, not noticing that Elise had stopped listening.
Elise was beginning to get the impression that Ivy only wanted a Host to fix up the house and be a general maid. Elise was not up for that. She kicked her clothes into the closet then grabbed her toiletries. "Bathroom?" she asked, interrupting Ivy's chore list.
Ivy nodded and led Elise to the bathroom. Elise placed all of her belongings on the sink, noticing that the bathroom was as spotless as, well, as the rest of the house, and it looked unused. There were no shampoos in the tub or soaps or anything else. There wasn't even a toothbrush on the sink, or even in the medicine cabinet. That made Elise's suspicions rise.
"How long have you been living here?" Elise asked.
Ivy shrugged. "Few years."
"And you've never used this bathroom? Or my room? Everything is new, I can smell it."
Ivy shrugged again. "I don't use this bathroom or that room. I'm mostly limited to the back of the house. You can relax. This isn't some scam."
Elise wasn't so sure about that. Everything was too odd. Grunting, Elise made her way back to her new room, a little irked that Ivy followed. Elise slapped her arm on the doorframe to stop Ivy from going any further. "All right. What's your deal? You signed the contract without a peep and now you're following me around. Your house is weird, you're weird, all of this is weird."
Ivy raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms underneath her breasts. Elise snuck a look, and Ivy noticed but didn't comment. "I desired a Host and got one. Are you offended because I wanted you?"
"Well, no..." Elise had to admit that it was sort of a compliment. "But it's suspicious."
"I wanted someone to protect me and I wanted that someone to be you."
"Why?"
Ivy leaned close to Elise, having to lower her face thanks to her heels, though she would have had to look down a little even if she weren't wearing heels. "I see your power. You always want number one on your team, get it?"
Elise blinked, somewhat upset that she had to raise her eyes to stare at Ivy. If only the damn woman weren't wearing heels. "But why? What is it that you need protection from?"
Ivy straightened her back and didn't respond. She turned on her heel and sashayed away, assumedly going to her own room. Elise glared at the spot that Ivy left. What was Ivy's deal? Elise hadn't a clue but the whole situation didn't sit well with her. Ivy needed a powerful being, that much was clear, but for what reason? Elise didn't want to get into something dangerous, or maybe even illegal, just to prove to the world that she wasn't a threat to society. She shut her door and told herself that, if she could help it, she wasn't going to be dragged into whatever thing Ivy had in mind.