Life and loss

The next few days fall into comfortable routine. You settle into a groove at work, and the girls help Sirona get started at the cafe. Despite her early ****, she quickly finds herself enjoying the work. Though she seems tired at first, the happiness you see is gratifying.

Dave and Lisa get ahold of you during the week as well, looking to have another get together. You agree, and set up plans for another cookout on the weekend. The girls are all excited to visit again, and though she’s nervous, Sirona agrees to come as well. The manticore is learning to be more outgoing, aided by the enthusiasm of the other girls.

As for things at home, it couldn’t be better! Each of the girls brings something a little different to the mix, and everyone gets along well. Mazzy and Ellie were long time friends already, but now they’re more than that. Everyone adores Ellie, and Mazzy is practically the head of the household now, something which earns you no end of teasing.

Dakota, meanwhile, avoids taking charge of anything at home, despite, or perhaps because of, her role in the cafe. She simply wants to have fun, and there’s plenty of that to be had. Kenna is her frequent companion, despite the dragon girl’s slightly less goofy nature. Together, the two of them make quite the pair, the petite, blue haired human with the large, muscular dragon, sporting fiery red hair.

As for Sirona, she’s most attached to you. Partially due to her shyness, the manticore girl makes a point of being nearby whenever possible. That being said, she’s still becoming closer with the other girls as well, especially Ellie. The little goblin and the big manticore share a similar temperament, and you often find them sitting quietly together on the couch, many times simply cuddling and watching television. It makes you happy to see Sirona’s smile as she holds Ellie close, and the look on Ellie’s face shows how much she’s enjoying it as well.

That’s not to say that any of them care any less for you. Quite the opposite, in fact! If anything, the growing bonds between them only draw them more strongly towards you. Despite the fact that Mazzy basically runs the house now, you’re still the focus of the group. Not a night goes by without at least one of them in your bed, and usually more. And even during the day, any chance they can, they are nearby.

Towards the end of the week, you’re wrapping up your work day. It’s been a good week, having matched up several sponsors with monster girls. It never stops being satisfying to see the excitement between a new pairing. You’re sitting at your desk, finishing up some paperwork, when Rachel calls you to come to her office. That’s unusual, especially when she asks you to close the door behind you.

Once the door is closed, Rachel sighs. “As you know, we have been keeping an eye on that ex of yours.”

You nod. “Kelly, yes. Because she was involved with that anti monster girl group.”

“Right. Well…she’s disappeared.”

You blink in surprise. “What?”

She sighs again. “She disappeared. We don’t have the resources to trail someone constantly, and at some point she evaded us and vanished.”

You shake your head. “Vanished like kidnapped, or vanished like hiding?”

“As far as we can tell, she’s hiding. Wether it’s from us or from the organization, I couldn’t tell you.”

Now it’s your turn to sigh. “I don’t suppose we can go to the police or something?”

Rachel shakes her head. “We can and will, but there’s only so much they can do. If anything, they have even less resources than we do for this sort of thing.”

You nod. “I figured as much. So, now what?”

Rachel shrugs. “For you, nothing. I just felt like I should tell you, since you have a personal connection with her. But if you come into contact with her, please let me know. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

You nod again. “I will. Thanks, Rachel.”

With that, you leave her office, and head back to your desk.