Volume 18 - Ski Lodge Kobold, Chapter 142 - Incoming

"Korbin, sir?" A young human woman waved to get her boss's attention. She had smooth black hair pinned back over her ears with pink clips. Like most of the resort's employees, she was dressed in comfortable but professional attire. "There's something I think you should see."

Korbin jogged over to the woman's desk. His shorts and tank top stood out next to her blouse and skirt; he had just finished his 6am run and hadn't had a chance to change into a slightly more professional outfit. The woman had some sort of spreadsheet or database up on her monitor, but he couldn't make any sense of the wall of text. He asked, "What is it, Suzuya?"

She pointed at a specific line on the screen. "We got an international booking, a group of liminals, and I think they might be… special."

"How special?" Korbin asked, but he wasn't worried. He'd dealt with ultra-wealthy liminals, interspecies ambassadors, and even species that were dangerous to humans. He was confident that his team could handle it and everything would work out somehow.

Suzuya answered with just one word: "Royalty." Then she handed him a printout with more information on it.

Korbin read it, then folded it and put it in his pocket. "Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll take it from here."

With that, Korbin set to work and didn't stop for over sixteen hours. He had to make sure everything was perfect before the royal guests arrived, but he couldn't justify pulling more than a few employees from their own duties. The resort was already handling more business than expected and it would defeat the point if the resort just looked bad in some other way. So he shouldered most of the work himself.

He reviewed all the safety requirements for the entire resort, from the ski lifts to the swimming pool, then he visited every building on the mountain to check that the requirements were fulfilled. No nook or cranny missed his careful sweep.

He also tapped a few staff members that weren't swamped with their own work and set them to work. They helped scour the premises for anything unsightly or in need of repair, and Suzuya was tasked with gathering more information. Korbin needed to know exactly what he was preparing for.

The sun had set and all the skiers and snowboarders had turned in for the day. The main lodge room was empty and quiet, except for Korbin and the crackling fireplace. The rhythmic sound of claws tapping on laptop keys echoed from the rafters. His eyes were tired and bloodshot and the tall cup of espresso next to him wasn't doing them any favors.

The temperature in the room dipped a little bit and a voice cautiously said, "Can I join you, Korbin?"

He glanced up for just an instant, then returned to his work. "Of course, but I won't be much of a conversationalist."

Rosty sat down next to him on the couch and said, "Is all of this really necessary?" She hadn't meant it dismissively. She was simply honest about what she didn't understand.

Korbin nodded, but kept typing. "It is. Visiting royalty can make or break a business, doubly so for exotic liminal royalty. The media will almost surely follow in their wake, and Ski Lodge Kobold will be put under severe scrutiny." He thought about making a comparison to the Queen of England or the US President, but he knew Rosty wouldn't understand. Even the concept of the Emperor of Japan had changed so much since her time.

He settled for a straightforward and powerful statement: "Any work I put in right now will have more impact on the success of this resort than anything I could do later on. Now is the time to act."

Rosty leaned close, her chilly shoulder touching Korbin's. He didn't seem to notice through his thick fur. She said, "But you're exhausted. You could make a mistake, and wouldn't that be worse than inaction?"

He finally turned and met her eyes. He saw genuine concern there. He'd never seen Rosty so worried before and it caught him off guard. He moved to speak, but stopped. He couldn't find the words to go against her very real feelings.

She put a cool hand on the side of his face and said, "You still have a few days before they arrive. Get some rest and do better work tomorrow."

He nodded, but couldn't take his eyes from hers. He leaned forward slightly and she did the same, their lips drawn together as if by magnetic force. Korbin could feel Rosty's crisp and cold breath on his lip as he moved to kiss her.

"Korbin, sir!" a voice cut through the moment like a blade.

Korbin pulled back and said, "Yes, Suzuya?"

Suzuya approached, seemingly unaware of what she'd interrupted. "I got more info on the visitors. It's quite unexpected." She held out a single page to Korbin.

Korbin grabbed the printout and quickly read it, his weary eyes scanning as fast as they could. Then he grabbed a cell phone from his pocket, found a specific number in his contacts, and dialed. It was after 10pm, but some things couldn't wait.

Yuisu was cuddled up with Haru on the couch, watching a movie about liminal romance. The entertainment industry had started embracing liminal actors and issues, at least a little. The movie was called Two Tails and it focused on two loosely connected relationships.

One romance was between a cat-man and a lizard-woman, and the other was a human man and a cat-woman. The supporting cast was mostly human, likely to make the movie relatable to human viewers, but it was also fairly representative of the fact that liminals living in human society were an extreme minority.

In the third act, it was revealed that the two cat-people were actually arranged to be married, against both of their wishes. They had to decide between their homeland's culture and their own loves. All in all, the movie had been pretty predictable so far and it wasn't pushing the envelope or addressing any touchy political issues, but Haru and Yuisu were happy to see liminal representation in movies.

Then Yuisu's personal phone rang. She paused the movie, whispered a quick apology to Haru, then answered. "Hello? Yuisu here."

A familiar gruff voice said, "Hey Yuisu, it's Korbin. Sorry about the late call, but it's important. I've got some special guests visiting my resort next week, but it appears that they aren't actually staying in my hotel. Are they staying with you perhaps?"

"Maybe. I can check my bookings. Got a name?" Yuisu untangled herself from Haru, then got up and walked to the front desk. For part of the journey, she actually sock-skated on the smooth hardwood. It was an old habit that she didn't really want to break.

Korbin answered, "Our booking was called in by someone named Moira."

After a moment while Yuisu scanned the upcoming reservations, she said, "Oh yeah, I've got a booking for four women under that name. Nothing special except that they booked four separate rooms."

Korbin's voice was serious as he said, "Well, one of those women is the actual queen of a secret liminal country. I don't want to tell you how to run your business, but maybe put your best foot forward and get everything ready for when they arrive."

Yuisu looked closer at the booking. They were due to arrive in two days.

Panic was already creeping into her voice as she said, "I guess I'll start on that. Thanks for the heads up, Korbin."

"No problem. I'm still preparing for their arrival on my end, but I'll let you know if I find out anything else. Goodnight, Yuisu."

"Goodnight," she said. She hung up and shuffled back to the living room.

Haru had only heard Yuisu's half of the conversation, but she could tell something was up by the way Yuisu moved. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Yuisu stood at the edge of the carpeted living room. "I need to start preparing for some special guests that arrive in two days." Her eyes were distant, lost in thought. Then Yuisu turned and started to return to the front desk, but Haru quickly engulfed her in her wings.

Haru gently pulled Yuisu back down on the couch, saying, "No, you need to relax. You'll do a much better job of things if you relax and get a good night's sleep first. We've seen what happens when you run yourself ragged."

Yuisu let out a breath, already feeling the stress lessen a bit. "Alright, but I need to start first thing in the morning. I'm going to sleep right after this movie."

Haru snuggled up against Yuisu's side and turned to watch the TV. "You got it, babe."

The Mountain Lily Inn bustled with activity, with every employee and some residents working. One of the two cabins reserved for the royal guests was already vacant, so Rem was assigned to clean it. She rolled up her sleeves, devoured a bag of candy for energy, then set to work deep cleaning with her magic.

Sya did some repair work on the two hot springs and their changing rooms, and Hakuto helped out by cleaning up the shrine and picnic area. Hakuto already tended to those areas on a daily basis, but this was a good excuse to do a more thorough pass.

Haru did her part by flying over all the property's trails, surveying for any damage from the recent coldsnap and the resulting melt. Yuisu didn't expect the royal guests to go for a winter hike on the property when they clearly had plans to visit the far more impressive Ski Lodge Kobold resort, but she wanted to be prepared, just in case.

During all of that, Yuisu was in her little red pickup truck, driving up and down the gravel driveway. She was checking for any potholes or washboarding caused by snowmelt. If the guests were going to be driving to Ski Lodge Kobold every day, Yuisu didn't want their trip to be a literal pain in the butt.

She found some obnoxious washboarding on the public road below her driveway, so she reported it to the city. All it would take was a pass or two of a road grader to smooth out the ripples in the dirt road, but she made sure to mention the visiting royalty to get a quicker turnaround.

Then Yuisu set to work fixing a couple potholes midway up her driveway. She already had extra gravel in her shed, so it was just a matter of filling it in and packing it flat. While the task was simple, it was still time consuming and it was nearly sundown when she finished.

Yuisu switched her attention to the entrance hall and the front desk, making sure everything was clean and organized and all the printouts were up to date. And since the guests might end up walking through the main building, she asked all the girls to clean up their living areas.

Rem had enough pride in her little house in the boiler room that she was eager to clean it up and show it off, but Aluru was the opposite.

"Why should I clean up my bedroom?" Aluru asked, one hand planted on her pale green hip. "It's not like they're gonna be coming inside, well, unless they're coming to bed with me…" Behind her was a room filled with lamps, potted plants, and a queen-size bed. The bedsheets were hanging off at a haphazard angle and they were so wrinkled that it was clear that it wasn't just sleeping that had been going on there.

Yuisu tried to be patient with Aluru. "This will be a visit from actual royalty. Their impression could have a huge effect on the inn's business and on the Exchange Program's reputation. If one of them happens to see that your room's a mess and word got out, it would likely result in a special visit from a Coordinator, and not one as relaxed as Agent Will."

Then Yuisu added, "Please be careful what you say around the visiting women. I'm not sure what they might find offensive. And since you brought it up, it isn't worth the risk to attempt any, um, intimacy with them. We don't need an international political scandal."

Aluru considered that for a moment, then nodded in agreement. She had learned to pick her battles, and sleeping with royalty was a bit heavy even for her. "I suppose I can do that."

"Hey, Chione? Got a moment?" Yuisu knocked on Chione's door, regretting that she was disturbing the nocturnal gargoyle's sleep.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Chione wearing her Wild Life uniform and rubbing her eyes. "Oh, hey Yuisu. Yeah, I got a couple minutes before I need to go to work."

Yuisu blinked in confusion. It was only 4pm, far too early for Chione's nightshift at the club.

Chione noticed the reaction and said, "I'm covering Kyle's opening shift. May's got a big event at her bakery and he just had to be there."

"Oh, okay. I'm glad I didn't wake you up. I wanted to talk to you about the guests that arrive tomorrow."

Chione waved an arm, beckoning Yuisu inside her bedroom. "Come in and we can talk while I fix my hair."

That was when Yuisu noticed that Chione's blue green hair had a severe case of bedhead, including a comical cowlick behind her left horn. Yuisu sat down on the bed and said, "You've heard that a liminal Queen is visiting tomorrow. I'm sure she'll have a bodyguard of some sort, but I wanted to do something on my end to make sure the Queen is safe."

Chione nodded as she brushed her hair. "Makes sense. You want me to watch over their cabins at night?"

"Yep, assuming you aren't already busy at the Wild Life. And I'll pay you for your time."

Chione smiled, chipper despite her lack of sleep. "Yeah, I can do that. Kyle's taking my shift tomorrow night, and I already had the next two nights off. I was hoping to spend some time with Actia, but she'll understand."

Yuisu waved her hands, palms out. "Whoa, no need to cancel on her. She can hang out here with you, as long as you check on the cabins from time to time."

"Ooh, we could have a picnic on the roof under the stars. It'll be chilly, but that's just more reason to snuggle close…" Chione went stone still, daydreaming about her romantic date.

"Thanks so much, Chione. We can talk specifics tomorrow night after the guests have arrived." Yuisu stood up and started for the door. "I'll let you get to work now."

Chione's statue-like state faded and she returned to life, scrambling to finish getting ready for work. "No problem, Yuisu. I'm happy to be able to help out."

After that, Yuisu resumed her preparations for the royal guests. She still didn't know much about them, like their species or even what country they were from, but she could still make sure the Mountain Lily Inn was in the best possible shape for their arrival in the morning.

Yuisu was a little nervous, of course, but she was also excited. If the visit went well, it could be a huge boon for the Inn's business. She wasn't going to change what the Inn stood for by making it into a luxury resort, but free press was never a bad thing. Liminals all over the world might hear the news and come to visit, filling up the Inn's off season and creating financial stability.

But only if the visit went well…