Volume 2 - Arachne Attack, Chapter 9 - Looks Can Be Deceiving

Shortly after Mara’s arrival, Yuisu called Agent Will to chew him out. “You forgot?! You forgot that you sent a spider to live with me? You forgot to arrange her travel from the train station? I can’t believe this.” Yuisu sighed loudly. “It was incredibly lucky that Mara found a cab driver that would take her here from the station.”

She lowered her voice to a growl. “Though he wasn’t actually considerate enough to wait around until she got inside. I don’t care how much of a bigot or arachnophobe you are, you don’t leave a little girl outside to freeze in the snow!”

Agent Will’s voice barely came through over the noise on the line. It sounded like the call was coming from somewhere very remote and like Agent Will was in a crowded room. “I’m so sorry for all of that. It won’t happen again, and I’ll make it up to Mara. I’ll make sure to pick up a cool souvenir or—”

He was cut off by another outburst from Yuisu. “Did you really just say ‘souvenir’?” She continued through clenched teeth. “Are you on fucking vacation right now?”

Agent Will could hear the grinding of teeth over the phone, and he entered damage control mode. “No, no, no. I’m on a business trip. Diplomatic stuff. It came up really suddenly, which is why I screwed up with Mara’s arrival. I’m so sorry, miss Nakahara, really.” His tone turned lighthearted and he changed the subject. “So how are things going with you and Haru? Flocking like birds of a feather? Oops, that came out weird. Ignore that.”

Yuisu swallowed hard. “Uh, yeah. Things are great.” Not touching THAT topic right now, she thought and switched the subject again. “Anyways, what is going on with that repair crew? The door is still busted. Though that actually may have saved Mara’s life, since she broke in through the plastic sheeting to get warm.”

“Ugh.” Agent Will grunted in frustration. “They said they’d have it done by now. I’ll call and give ‘em hell right after this.”

Just then a woman’s voice spoke up on Will’s end of the call. “Awww, Willy baby... You said you’d be right back. We’re getting chilly over here without you~” The voice was very sensual, and she had implied more than one woman waiting for him.

Before Yuisu’s rage could form into cohesive words, Agent Will blurted, “Sorry, gotta go. You know how lamias are. Not a drop of patience. Seeya!” Just before he hung up, Yuisu heard him say, “Now, where were we, ladies?”

While Yuisu was on the phone, Mara managed to introduce herself to Haru. In between constant compliments on Haru’s fluffiness, she even apologized for the flying tackle. Haru wasn’t as receptive of Mara, however, and she started to practically interrogate her.

“What’s your full name?”

“Maratussa, but please call me Mara.”

“Where are you from?”

“Maratus. It’s an island near Australia, populated by only ‘small breed’ arachne like me.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“How did you—” Haru stopped mid-sentence and looked Mara over from top to bottom. “Wait. Did you just say ‘twenty’?”

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. My sisters always say I look older than that.”

“You... look... older?” Haru’s jaw hung open. Having always lived with other raptor harpies, who usually grow tall and full-figured, Haru’s brain could not associate that age with the tiny girl before her. By raptor harpy or human standards, she looked fourteen at most.

“Yup. I reached full maturity a bit early, so I’ll look like this from now on.” She smiled broadly, but it looked more like a grinning schoolkid than a twenty-year-old anything.

BANG! A sound came from the other room and caused Mara and Haru to jump and turn that way. It was Yuisu slamming the phone into its cradle. She stomped down the hallway and into the living room. “I can’t believe him! That is why I don’t like men!” She looked up at two surprised faces and blushed, embarrassed.

Haru was startled by the outburst because she had never seen Yuisu angry before. Mara was surprised for a different reason.

“You too? I don’t like men either! They’re all angular and hairy and gross. Women are where it’s at. Those hourglass curves”—she lifted her hands and front legs and drew out an hourglass shape in the air—”send shivers down my exoskeleton.” She even acted it out, wiggling in a wave from her nose to the end of her abdomen.

Both Yuisu and Haru now stared at Mara with matching expressions wavering between confusion and amusement. Like the label ‘twenty-year-old’, sexual talk did not mesh with Mara’s young appearance. Haru was being forced to re-evaluate the intent behind Mara’s cuddle attack from earlier.

Mara glanced between the confused faces. “What? Can’t a woman have preferences? Anyways, that’s enough about my sex life. Can I get some help bringing in my stuff? It’s all outside the front door.”

Happy for the change of topic, Yuisu and Haru eagerly followed Mara outside.

Yuisu took in all the cardboard boxes that littered the porch. “Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. How’d you get all of that in a taxi?”

Mara smiled and lifted a large box. “It’s lighter than it looks and I just strapped it all down on the roof of the car.”

Haru tilted her head. “With your webs?”

Mara shook her head. “Nope. Bungee cords. Unlike most arachne, ‘small breed’ webs aren’t that sturdy. I hear some arachne webs can be used for rope play, or even lift a car.”

She tossed the large box at Haru, who caught it easily between her wings. The unexpected lightness of the box distracted her from the thing Mara had said about ropes. “Wow, this is light. What’s in here?”

“I’ll show you later. I’d like to show it off once it’s all set up. No peeking until then.”

Haru and Yuisu shared another look that said ‘this girl is weird’, then started to carry the boxes inside.

“Is the bedroom next to the living room available? I like the high ceilings and rafters.”

Yuisu nodded. “Sure thing. I just cleaned it out the other day, so it should be good to go. But how’d you know it had rafters?”

“I peeked in some rooms while I was waiting for you two to get out of the bath.” Haru and Yuisu flushed red in unison. “What were you two up to in there for so long?”