A large man wearing a golden cloak sat on a large throne, surrounded by beautiful golden statues depicting various people from many different races. The wall behind the man was made of glass, revealing a vast star-filled background which added to the majestic look, while casting a shadow over the large man’s face, which was hidden under a hood. The man on the throne shifted, and his right hand emerged from his cloak, gripping a large, blue trident whose color seemed to ripple with each movement.

“I have a task that requires your... skills.”

The large man spoke from the darkness of his hood with a voice that was filled with authority, and seemed to control the mood of the room with a minor shift in tone. A shadow detached itself from the wall, and walked closer to the man with silent footsteps as if sneaking, but the figure itself walked with confident steps.

“You keep your room too dark, this place is an assassin’s playground.”

The figure responded in a crisp, cool voice that was undeniably female. The man chuckled in a deep voice, and his shoulders heaved back and forth, matching the sound while emitting an oppressing aura.

“They wouldn’t get very far, as long as I have my trident in hand. However, I did not call you here for idle discussion, as I said before, I have a task for you.”

The woman shifted her stance from one foot to the other, and placed her hand on her hip in a nonchalant manner.

“I accept. There has been nothing for me to do for several days now, and I am beginning to become lazy.”

The man leaned heavily on the trident in his right hand, and leaned forward in his chair, casting a long shadow across the floor.

“Galaxy 377, about 25,000 strides out, third from it’s sun. It is known as Terra, or Earth, and on this ‘Earth’ there is a boy, who has lived about nineteen of his planet’s cycles, that has found a way to combine magic an machinery. Though it may be primitive, mixing science and magic is something we have never been able to do in all our years of research.”

“So, you want me to steal the piece of technology so you can study it, right?”

The large man leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on the armrests of his throne, and relaxing his grip on the trident slightly, leaning it against his knee.

“No, it seems to have become a part of him somehow. If we were to remove it, or kill him, it would likely break, and the magic would fade. Kidnapping won’t work either, since the newly established council decided it was “unethical”, though they don’t wield much power, and I’m sure they would have an interest too, so I may be able to talk them into reversing it if it comes to that. I am planning on sending you to negotiate for information regarding it.”

The woman removed her hand from her hip, and she stood up straight, cocking her head to the side quizzically.

“Why would you send me? My specialty isn’t negotiation, in fact, it’s the opposite of negotiation.”

The man inhaled deeply, hesitant to explain his reasons, but eventually sighing, realizing this conversation was unavoidable.

“Your anatomy is very similar to the Terran’s, though there are some noticeable differences you will have to cover up, overall, you could easily be mistaken as one of them. You are also a female, one that would be considered incredibly attractive on this planet, and can defend yourself if anything were to go awry, which would help me since I wouldn’t have to send a body guard.”

The woman seemed to be catching on to the man’s intentions, and took a step forward, with the light from a star shining over part of her face, revealing deep, purple irises, surrounding a pitch-black pupil.

“What role does my level of attractiveness play?”

The large man leaned on his right elbow, looking down at the girl.

“I know sexual requests go against the contract, which is why I am asking this as a favor, and will pay ten times the normal amount.”

The woman seemed to perk up after hearing that, though doubt was still visible in her eyes. She thought about it for several seconds before responding.

“I accept.”

The man leaned back in his chair, making himself more comfortable now that he had finished talking business.

“Go to Jerle, he will debrief you, and teach you the basics of the language you will use.”

She nodded, turned, long black hair whipped around, barely visible in the dark room, and and walked out with silent footsteps, looking almost wraith-like. She would have normally turned such a request down in an instant, but the amount of money tantalized her, and she made a compromise.

‘If I have to sleep with him, and I can’t kill him, then I suppose I’ll just have to make him my husband.’

Jack awoke about five hours after falling asleep, feeling well-rested and ready to start his day. He sat up, and stretched, letting out a yawn, which was interrupted when his right hand brushed against something soft. Jack looked down to see what it was, and he saw Jenny lying directly in front of him on the couch facing away from him, sound asleep. Jack smiled, and maneuvered himself over her and tried to get off without waking her when a smile formed on her face.

Jenny stretched out her legs, and kicked his knees out from under him, while pushing his arms to the sides, causing him to fall on top of her as she wrapped her arms around him. They sat in silence for several seconds.

“Trying to sneak up on a girl in her sleep, huh? How cruel.”

“No... that’s not what happened...”

Jack tried to get up, but each time he lifted himself, Jenny was lifted too, giggling while he struggled to escape her grasp.

“I’m getting up now, whether you’re hanging on to me or not.”

Jack stated that, hoping she would submit and just let go, but his plan backfired when she wrapped her legs around him too, getting a better grip. Jack stood up with Jenny clinging to his body, and began to walk towards the bathroom, yet another plan forming in his mind.

“I need to use the restroom, do you plan to follow me in there too?”

Jenny, whose head was right next to his, turned and whispered in his ear with a playful voice.

“Don’t think I can’t tell when you’re lying, Jack.”

Plan A failed, so he went to plan B.

“Well, I have to eat, which is hard when you’re clinging to me, I might get some in your hair.”

“I don’t care, you can feed me while you’re at it.”

Plans C.

“I need to take a shower.”

“I think you smell nice.”

Plan D.

“I missed school yesterday, I need to show up today, so I need to get going.”

“I already called them, telling them we got sick, and got a friend to record the lecture.”

“Tch.”

A formidable foe. Jack sighed in submission, running out of ideas.

“Why are you so clingy all of a sudden?”

Jenny squeezed tighter, leaning her head against his.

“Catching up.”

“To what?”

“It’s a secret.”

Jack was confused as to why Jenny was acting so weird, and what she meant by “catching up”.

‘I don’t get it.’

(That’s because you’re an idiot.)

Ellis was apparently up and about, though she never really slept in the first place, and already dealing out insults.

‘Does that mean you get it?’

(Of course!)

‘Are you going to tell me?’

(No, this is the kind of thing you need to figure out yourself.)

Jack stuck his left hand out, and leaned against the wall heavily. Jack remembered his knuckles had been slightly damaged in the fight with V-2, and looked at them, checking for anything that might be wrong,but couldn’t find a single scratch.

‘Val must have fixed it up.’

“Are you thinking about another girl while I’m right here?”

It didn’t really make sense why she would be upset about something like that, but her tone scared Jack a little anyway. How did she read his mind?

“Hu hu hu. I see your confusion. You’re easier to read than you think, kind of like a child. It’s really cute.”

Jack felt a little embarrassed at being called cute, but shook it off, afraid Jenny would be able to sense his embarrassment and exploit it. He heard something shuffle behind him, and felt an impact on his back, followed by arms wrapping around him, and forcing their way between his chest and Jenny’s. Legs appeared, wrapping around his waist and resting on Jenny’s thighs.

“What-?”

“Hello Jack.”

Val’s voice sounded behind him with the usual emotionless tone which caused his back to tingle from the vibration. Jack prayed no one would enter his house with him standing in the living room while two beautiful girls were clinging to either side of him. Jack then remembered he didn’t have any friends outside of this room, and became slightly depressed.

(You are the only person who can become depressed in a situation like this.)

Ellis commented on Jack’s unique ability while Jack tried to figure out a way to get the girls off of him. Just as Jack was about to try a new method, nightmare became reality and the door to his apartment flew open, revealing an unexpected figure.

“Are you Jack?”

The entire room was frozen when a beautiful woman walked in, looking to be in her early twenties, with long black hair that almost reached her calves, and striking purple eyes that looked as if they could see right through you. She gave off an intimidating aura partially due to her stance, but also because her height almost matched that of Jack, who was six feet and two inches tall.

“Yes.”

Jack responded after an awkward silence, the girls still hanging on to his back were staring at her with a mix of shock and suspicion. The woman stepped in, closing the door behind her, and began to undress.

“I don’t get paid by the hour, so lets get this over with.”

Things went from 0 to 100 in an instant, and all Jack could do was step back and try to find words before this woman finished. Luckily, he had two girls on either side of him who weren’t as effected by her looks, and they immediately began to retaliate. Unluckily for Jack, the way she worded things made her sound like a hooker.

“What the hell, Jack!? Did you order a stripper!?”

“Jack, you must not be thinking clearly.”

Val sounded significantly calmer than Jenny, however her grip had moved up from his chest and wrapped around his neck, squeezing with a surprising amount of strength. Jack was in an even worse position now, and the woman still hadn’t stopped undressing, and was almost down to the vital parts. Jack closed his eyes, and held his hands up to block the image, and managed to get one word out.

“Wait!”

The room quieted, and the dark-haired woman paused, looking at him with purple eyes filled with impatience. Jack was surprised that was all it took to calm this situation down, however it didn’t last long.

“You can’t do that to Jack.”

Val spoke from behind Jack, and Jenny nodded in agreement. Jack was happy they were getting along so well, and had, hopefully, stopped the woman before things went too far.

“You don’t have to worry, I don’t mind if you join in.”

The woman replied with the worst response possible, and resumed undressing while Val and Jenny stared at her, with dumbstruck looks. The woman was now entering dangerous territory, and dropped the skirt she was wearing, revealing something surprising. A long, black tail flicked and waved back and forth, mesmerizing the three humans as their eyes followed it. Jack spoke, genuine interest replacing his flustered state.

“Who are you?”