A visit with happiness

You head back to the AWIO offices the next day with a bit of a spring in your step. You heard Mazzy on the phone with the contractors before you left, and she gave you a big grin and a thumbs up. If she’s happy, then you’re happy, and you can get the details later. When you walk in, you’re greeted once again by Edward, who is carrying several folders full of paperwork.

“Good morning, Brian! You ready to go do some home visits?”

You chuckle. “I am. It’ll be interesting to see how other sponsors are doing.”

Edward nods. “Agreed. Most of our advisors aren’t sponsoring, for a variety of reasons.”

You look at him curiously. “That seems strange, I’d expect that some of the girls would grow attached to you, just through working so closely with them.”

He laughs. “Like you and Sirona?”

You blush, and he chuckles. “I’m just teasing. Yes, it does happen, but the girls mostly see us as friends. In my case, they’re not really my type. I’m gay.”

You nod. “That makes sense then.”

Edward smiles. “Exactly. And the rare monster boys that show up are generally hoping to find women to sponsor them. So, I just stay friends. Besides, I have a wonderful boyfriend at home, and he doesn’t want to share!”

You both laugh, as he leads you out to the parking lot. “We’ll take my car, if you don’t mind.”

You smile. “Of course. You know where we’re going, after all!”

The two of you get in, and he hands you the stack of files. On top is one you’re familiar with, containing the information about the man you helped yesterday, Ryan. Added in are the notes from the interview, and information on Lily, the elven woman he is now sponsoring.

As Edward drives, he talks about the plan. “Today should be pretty easy. None of the people were visiting have shown any red flags, but it’s best to be sure. The main thing is to watch how the monster girls are acting. Generally you’ll see a lot of affection and cuddles, even on the first visit.”

You chuckle. “I’m very familiar with that.”

He laughs. “I suppose so! But keep an eye out for signs that it’s ****. It’s rare, but some sponsors are not what they seem to be. Watch for the girls to be subdued or very quiet. That’s usually a warning sign that something is wrong.”

You nod. “Usually. Unless they’re just shy. Ellie is still like that a lot of the time.”

Edward smiles. “Yes, Ellie is a sweetheart. I’m glad she’s doing so well. But things like that will be noted in the file. You have to use your best judgment.”

You flip through the file again. “And if I think something is wrong?”

Edward shakes his head. “Immediately come back to the AWIO office and report it. We have a team that will investigate and handle it.”

You nod, sensing that he doesn’t want to elaborate on that topic any further. Just as well, since he’s pulling into a driveway now. It’s a nice house, two stories, with a three car garage and a beautiful lawn. The two of you get out and walk to the door. Edward knocks, and after a minute, the door opens, an obviously teenaged girl standing there.

“Whatever you’re selling, we don’t need it…”

Edward laughs. “No, you’ve got it wrong. I’m Edward, and this is Brian, we’re here from the AWIO. Is Ryan around?”

The girl giggles and smiles. “Oh! Yeah, I think dad’s still in bed with Lily. Come in, I’ll go get him!”

She leads you into the living room before running up some nearby stairs. “Dad! The AWIO is here!”

Muffled, you hear footsteps upstairs, and you both chuckle as the girl comes back down. “He’ll be here in a minute. Lily is awesome, by the way. I haven’t seen dad so happy in a long time!”

With that, she heads off into another room. You can hear the sound of a television in that direction. After another minute or so, Ryan comes down the stairs, wearing a robe that he clearly threw on in a hurry.

“Sorry, sorry! Didn’t realize what time it was!”

Edward laughs. “No problem. We know how it is the first day as a sponsor. Brian here had a similar experience.”

You chuckle and nod. “I got woken up the same way.”

As you speak, Lily seems to practically float down the stairs. She’s wearing a robe as well, but she acts as if it’s a fine dress. Immediately, she walks over to Ryan, slipping an arm around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder. Edward glances at you with a smile, then turns back to the obviously happy pair.

“I won’t take up much time. It’s pretty obvious that the bonding is going well.”

Ryan glances at the elven woman happily leaning against him and smiles. “I’d say. I think we made my son jealous. He’s already talking about becoming a sponsor when he moves out.”

Lily giggles. “And your daughter Annie wants to go shopping with me today.”

Edward nods. “That’s good. We encourage you to get out and about, but be aware that there’s a good amount of prejudice against monster girls out there.”

They both nod. Ryan shrugs. “I’ll be there. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You chuckle. “I’ve found it’s best to just walk away. Not worth debating with the bigotry, it doesn’t really work.”

Ryan nods. “Good advice. Thanks.”

Edward smiles. “Well, I think we’ve seen enough. You two have fun and stay safe. Someone will come again next week to check in. Feel free to call if there’s an issue.”

The two of you say goodbye, and leave the happy couple to their day. As you get back in the car, Edward laughs.