Volume 9 - Animate Objects, Chapter 60 - Liminal House

Ooh, he's hot, Mimi thought as she swiped her thumb to the right side of her smartphone screen. On this dating app, swiping right meant that she was interested in that guy. She'd heard of the app back at her liminal boarding school, but she'd never been allowed to have a smartphone there. Ever since Agent Will had given her a phone, she'd been using it exclusively to order junk food and to find guys to try to hook up with.

Mimi swiped right a dozen more times that night, since she wasn't very picky. She couldn't afford to be. There weren't that many guys using that app in this small town, and who knew how many of them would stick around after finding out about her liminal nature. There was also the little issue of it being technically illegal for human guys to sleep with her, thanks to the Interspecies Protection Art. But what they didn't know probably wouldn't hurt them…

Mimi slouched against the side of the chest and let out a long sigh. Even though she'd gotten out of the awful boarding school that the French government had sent her to, she still couldn't seem to get laid. Don't they understand that some liminals need to have sex? It's a friggin' part of my programming or something, right up there with 'overeat whenever I can, to last me through the slow years' and 'hoard gold to lure in prey'.

She leaned back further and stuck her slender legs into the air to stretch. Since she couldn't leave her treasure chest, her legs got so little use that she might as well not have them. Though they are kinda sexy, she thought as she wiggled her toes. She wore knee-high socks with blue and white stripes that matched her gloves and her sheer, striped t-shirt. She never bothered to cover her underwear, at least not since she escaped from her school uniform. The overall look was undeniably alluring, if a bit odd.

Mimi stared at the ceiling and thought, I only really need to land one guy. I've got enough control over my figure to hopefully become whatever he wants, so I'm sure I can keep him coming back.

To test her theory, she focused her will and shifted some of the nutrients stored stored down in her treasure chest up into her upper body. What had been a thin yet busty teen quickly took on the figure of a curvy, mature woman. "Yep, I've still got it!" she cheered.

"Got what, Mimi?" Chione popped her head into the room, peeking around the door. Ever the vigilant guardian, Chione patrolled the halls every night out of habit, and she'd heard Mimi's voice.

"Nothing." Mimi blushed and quickly pushed the extra fat back through her hair-tendrils and into the part of herself that filled the inside of her treasure chest. She scowled up at Chione and said, "What is with the people in this house and not knocking?"

Chione stepped the rest of the way in and bowed deeply, bending at a right angle with her wings out flat, parallel to the floor. "I'm sorry, Mimi! I promise I'll knock next time."

Mimi chuckled at Chione's excessive apology. "You'd better, because next time I might be in the middle of having a man in the middle of me," she said with a naughty grin.

Chione's face instantly flushed red and she stammered, "Mimi! You-you can't!" She looked away shyly and added, "Well, at least not with a human, because of the law."

After a second, Chione said, "Wait, did you meet a liminal guy already?" She sat down on the floor and held her chin on her hands, smiling at Mimi expectantly. Chione wasn't into men herself, but she knew about Mimi's 'needs' and her constant struggle to find physical intimacy. Chione was happy whenever Mimi started a new relationship, secretly hoping that she would find actual love instead of just casual sex.

Mimi frowned. "Not yet." She looked up and smiled slightly. "Thanks for sticking with me, Chione. I realize it's pretty hard for a goody-two-shoes like you to be my friend, but there are some rules I have to break…"

Chione nodded. The boarding school's strict policy against physical relationships was probably what drove Mimi to join a bad crowd in the first place, and that certainly didn't help her to trust authority. Would a fish trust someone that told them not to swim? Would I trust someone that told me I couldn't fly? Chione wondered. "Of course, Mimi. Just promise me you won't do anything that'll get you deported."

Mimi looked away, not meeting Chione's eyes. She knew that sleeping with a human could result in that, but she didn't have a choice. Still not making eye contact, Mimi nodded slowly.

Once again, Yuisu's movie night with Haru was interrupted by the doorbell. After last time when she accidentally flashed a stranger her panties, Yuisu decided to throw some pants on before going to the door.

"Hello," she said to the young man on the doorstep. Another delivery for Mimi? "How can I help you?"

The man fidgeted and squirmed, then finally said, "Uh, we're here to meet Mimi? She said she couldn't leave the house, so we, uh, brought the party to her…" He looked around 19, with short black hair, deep brown eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He was also dressed sharply, like he was going out on a date.

Yuisu quirked one eyebrow and considered him for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean, 'brought the party'? And who are you?"

"I'm Hajime. I met Mimi online, and she seemed really lonely, so I brought some friends with me to meet her too."

As he spoke, Yuisu looked past him and saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway with four people packed inside, all peering out the windows in curiosity.

Yuisu put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "I'm sorry, but as Mimi's host, and the owner of the house, I can't have a bunch of men partying here." For so many reasons, she thought. She planted her hands on her hips and said, "Please leave."

Yuisu cringed at the words that just left her mouth, but she knew it was the right call. Ugh, I sound like my mom. I'm only 21! I should be going to wild parties, not cancelling them…

The guys in the car overheard, and one of them opened the passenger door and jumped out. He stomped up toward the porch, shouting, "Whoa, Hajime, you said we'd have a party, with tons of babes. What's the deal, bro?!"

Hajime turned to his friend then back to Yuisu, then plead, "But Mimi said it was fine, that she cleared it with you and the other girls."

Yuisu stood firm. "Well, she lied. And other than me, all the girls here are liminals." She glared at the newcomer, who was wearing a baseball cap and an oversized baseball jacket, and looking generally scummy. "Not exactly the 'babes' you were promised, so go away."

The newcomer grinned unpleasantly. "Yeah, we heard they're monstergirls. I bet they're like sexy catgirls and vampires and shit." He turned and called back toward the car, "We're alright with that, aren't we, boys?"

A raucous cheer rose from the three young men in the car. One of them called back, "We won't leave 'til we get some tail!"

The man in the hat stepped closer to Yuisu and looked her up and down. He liked what he saw. "C'mon, baby. You can party with us too."

Yuisu knew she needed to de-escalate things, which sadly meant not involving Haru. The last thing she needed was some humans with broken limbs. But Yuisu did have an idea, so she raised a hand up and said, "Alright, fine. Just give me a sec to talk to the other girls about your party."

The guys broke into smiles as Yuisu stepped inside, then she closed and locked the door behind her. We'll see how 'alright' with liminals you really are… She sped through the house and out the back door, heading for the cabin.

A couple minutes later, as Hajime and his friend milled about on the porch, a scream came from the small car, joined shortly by two more incoherently screaming voices.

Hajime turned around just in time to see a massive horned shadow loom up over the car, its features indiscernible in the darkness. Suddenly, something huge and purple lashed out and wrapped around the back doors of the car, pinning them closed. Purple scales slithered past the windows as something monstrous coiled itself around the entire car, which sunk a couple inches from the weight.

The serpentine monster rose higher, dwarfing the little four-door car. Red eyes gleamed from the dark shadow and a deep, feminine voice called out, "Sorry boys, but the party's canceled."

The tip of Iormu's tail flicked around and opened the passenger side door, then she waved a beckoning, clawed hand at the two men on the porch. In a menacing tone, she added, "We're not the easy 'tail' you were hoping for."

The man in the baseball cap just stood there, his feet frozen, unwilling to go any closer to the car, but Hajime sighed and started walking. "Come on, Tanato. Let's go."

Tanato shuddered, then started walking behind Hajime, staying as close as possible to his friend.

As they approached, Iormu uncoiled from the car, much to the relief of the terrified men inside, and slithered up to Hajime and Tanato. She held herself high above the ground so she could look down at the two tall men and she crossed her arms across her chest to keep her ample bosom from distracting them too much.

Hajime shoved his friend into the passenger seat of the car, then turned to address Iormu. He bowed his head, then said, "I apologize for the trouble and for my friends' behavior. There was clearly a miscommunication on my part, and it won't happen again." He raised his head and looked up into Iormu's eyes.

Iormu stared back, reading his expression. There was no trace of fear in the man's eyes. Instead, there was remorse, determination, and maybe even hope. Iormu leaned close and put a hand on his shoulder, then whispered, "You are a good man. Come back tomorrow, alone. Mimi could use the company, and your good influence."

After the men left, Iormu met Yuisu in the kitchen where she was pacing nervously. After Iormu told her what happened, Yuisu blinked at Iormu for a few seconds, then said, "You told him he could come back?! It's illegal for Mimi to sleep with him, and you're blind if you think they won't do just that!"

Iormu leaned back against her coiled tail, wearing an incredulous grin. "Really, Yuisu? You of all people should be more open about this. You're sleeping with a liminal yourself!" While Yuisu blushed and looked down at her fidgeting hands, Iormu added, "It won't be a problem if it's mutual, especially since we know Agent Will's stance on this, thanks to you and Yamato. That party would have been too blatant, but a boyfriend should be fine."

Yuisu sighed and flopped back into a chair, admitting defeat. She looked up at Iormu and asked, "Why are you fighting for them, Iormu? What'd you see in that guy?"

Iormu twirled a lock of long purple hair around one finger. "I just got the feeling that he's a genuinely good guy." After a pause, Iormu added, "And I think Mimi really needs him, and not just as a good influence."

"What do you mean?" Yuisu asked.

"Mimics and Jormungands, we're both long-term hibernating species. We can sleep for years at a time, so our bodies have ways of maximizing the time we spend awake." Iormu leaned close to Yuisu, then whispered, "One of those is having a hyperactive sex drive. Mimi basically needs sex." Iormu pulled back, smiled, and added, "I do too, but I've got that solved, thanks to Quess."

Yuisu took a deep breath then said, "Alright, I understand now. Thanks, Iormu. I'm glad to have you around to talk to about this kind of stuff. I'm too young to play mom to a horny teenager."

Iormu wore a strangely sad smile and said, "And maybe I'm too old." Before Yuisu could respond to that, Iormu waved and started for the back door. "Goodnight, Yuisu."

Yuisu returned the gesture and shuffled off to the livingroom to resume the movie. Instead of paying attention to the film, her mind kept wandering to something else. A hyperactive sex drive, huh? I thought I had it bad, but it sounds like some liminals have it a lot harder. She snuggled closer to Haru, then slipped a hand under Haru's shirt and slid it across her belly, feeling the firm, sexy abs there.

Haru glanced at Yuisu and couldn't help but chuckle. When Yuisu was in a mood, it showed on her face, plain as day. "Can't you at least wait for the movie to end?"

Yuri-su grinned. "Nope, but you're welcome to keep watching, if you can…" She leaned down and kissed Haru's navel. Then Yuisu's hand started to crawl north as her mouth moved south.

Haru giggled at the sensation and reached feebly for the remote to pause the movie. There was no way she'd be able to pay attention to it with what Yuisu was about to do.