"Not sure. Maybe a week?"

The waiting room was cold and, frankly, uncomfortable. Isaac pulled his jacket a bit tighter as he looked around. Considering the popularity of the program, it was quite empty except for one security guard, the receptionist, and one or two others who kept to themselves.

He had to admit, he was pretty nervous. A week of calm, and now he was nervous. He had no idea how his life was going to change from here… hopefully he hadn't made a mistake.

A door opened, and out peeked Tyler, his AWIO rep. Tyler looked at him and grinned. “I'm looking for one Isaac Wells?”

“Those are two of my three names, yes.” Isaac stood and followed Tyler down the halls. They were quickly seated in some kind of interview room, Tyler seated on one side of a table and Isaac on the other.

“Okay, this is the last step. There are a few candidates, some more enthusiastic than others. They're watching through a camera, for their safety and yours. This was in the paperwork, I’m sure you saw it, we just repeat it for formalities.” Tyler arranged some papers. “Gonna ask a few questions, and then there'll be one more analysis, then you'll meet your girl!”

“Let's get going,” Isaac said, trying to push down the butterflies in his stomach. Knowing they were watching was… uncomfortable, but he knew it was only reasonable.

“Let’s start with the obvious: why did you apply to be a sponsor, Isaac?”

Isaac took off his glasses to wipe the lenses with the edge of his shirt. “Partially urging from a friend, coupled with just generally being pitifully lonely.” He shrugged as he settled his glasses back on his face. “It also just feels like a good thing to do. The folks you help, they… deserve to be taken care of.”

“To be clear, you don’t have any preferences or hard limits on the monster girl that you are paired with?”

“No, sir. I’m not picky, everyone’s perfect, all that good stuff.”

“And to be sure for the umpteenth time, do you feel prepared for the commitment?”

Isaac nodded solemnly.

Tyler grinned. “Very good. Now, let’s get into some more general questions.” He flipped some papers. “What do you do for work?”

“I write and publish fiction novels for my main income, and I write… miscellaneous for clients. Usually ad copy type stuff.”

“What does your routine look like?”

“Wake up mid-morning, get something easy for breakfast, work… all day… order something for dinner, go to bed.” Isaac shrugged. Wow, that made him sound pathetic. “Every couple of days I’ll end up swimming in my pool for a while.”

“Would you say you’re particularly active?”

“...no, but I’m not opposed. Work tends to take priority over exercise, though.”

Tyler nodded. “Do you have anyone in your life that would disapprove of you having a monster girl partner?”

His dad, maybe, but… “No. The only person I really have in my life is actually the friend who pushed me to do this.”

“What was your relationship like with your past partners?”

Isaac leaned back and looked up, trying to dredge those memories to the surface. “Well… I’ve had a couple of… awkward relationships. Since then I’ve, uh, improved. Most times, my relationships didn’t last too long. Not that I’ve had a great many.”

Tyler was quiet for a few long moments, scribbling something on his papers, before he set down his pen and steepled his fingers, leaning his elbows on the desk. “Isaac, how would you describe your sex life?”

Isaac reeled for a second, then recovered. “Stagnant. For a while, actually. I'm sure you’ll be absolutely shocked to hear that work often gets in the way of my relationship search.”

“Okay. How would you describe yourself in bed?”

“Uh… durable. I usually last a while.” He blushed, then smirked. “I also make sure that my partner gets off.”

There was a faint shout that echoed through the halls and barely made it through the door.

“Great. Finally, what are you looking for in a partner or partners?”

“I… don't really know. Someone who loves me, but won't get in my way, I suppose. And I'd like to have the same relationship with my partner.”

“Won't get in your way, huh?” Tyler nodded with a small yet meaningful smile. “Got it. Wait right here. I’m gonna consult with the girls who watched your interview, and see what they all think.”

Tyler stood up and left the room. Isaac fiddled with the zipper on his jacket, and in short order Tyler was stepping back into the room. Behind him was a tall woman, a head taller than Isaac's six-foot frame, and…

Fuck, that woman was built.

She was muscular, dressed in a sleeveless black crop top that showed off both her strong arms and a tight six-pack. Her thumbs were hooked into the belt loops of torn blue jeans, resting low on her broad hips and showing the straps of a black thong. A long, spade-tipped black tail extended from her tailbone just above her jeans, slowly swaying. Uneven horns rose from her head, seemingly made of a glassy, obsidian-like stone, emerging from deep red hair. She had dark, ashen brown skin, smooth and scarred in all the right places. She had deep, glowing red eyes set over a smirk, looking down on him.

And, of course, Isaac's eyes lingered on her large chest, only held by her shirt. Her bust bounced slightly as she walked, squeezed tight by her shirt and showing a delicious expanse of cleavage.

At first glance, he thought she was a minotaur, but she clearly didn't quite match that description. There was an intriguing, fractured-glass quality to her eyes, and that coupled with her obsidian horns and lashing tail threw off his estimation. Was she a demon? She didn’t really fit his picture of a demon, but he wasn’t complaining.

Isaac gulped, steeled himself, adjusted his glasses, then held out a hand. “I'm Isaac Wells.”

She took his hand in a firm, yet gentle grip, smiling warmly. “I know. I'm Ophelia.”

Tyler cleared his throat and handed Ophelia a duffel bag. “So, Isaac, should you choose to accept her, this is your new partner, Ophelia Brimcaste. She's a kind of fiend, a demonkin. Ophelia… you know who he is.”

“Gods, it's so great that you look just like your picture.” Ophelia said. The longer she talked, the more Isaac noticed the grit to her voice, a supernatural growl that rolled beneath her words. “I hope I'm everything you could've asked for.” She looked away, a bit shy, tucking a lock of hair behind her pointed ear. Her hands were shaking, just a bit.

Isaac felt warmth rush his face. “I- You- Tyler, what are the rules?” He stammered, turning to the rep halfway through his sentence. Ophelia’s brow furrowed slightly, concerned.

“Treat her right, take care of her. We'll check in once a day this week, then once every week after, to make sure you two are getting along, until we feel it's sufficient. Oh, and in case you missed it, monster girls bond quick. So if you two have a bond, it's going to be rock-solid really soon.” Tyler shrugged. “That's about it. Everything else is in that folder right there." He tapped the folder he'd left on Isaac's side of the table.

“Great, thanks Tyler.” Isaac looked back to Ophelia and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ophelia, you are… God, you're fucking beautiful.”

The demon woman beamed, a deep blush settling on her cheeks. “Aw, thanks. I really appreciate that.” She gave him a light punch on the shoulder, not enough to hurt but it still knocked him off balance slightly. “You ain't too bad yourself, love.”

“I take that to mean that you’re willing to take on Ophelia as your partner?” Tyler asked, a brow raised.

“Yes, Tyler. One hundred percent.” Isaac warily opened his arms for a hug, unsure if it was bad etiquette.

Whether it was or not, Ophelia returned it eagerly, enveloping him in a loving embrace. Her grip was strong, caring, protective, her body warm. She smelled like woodsmoke and cinnamon.

“I'll let you two get home.” Tyler grinned, patting Ophelia on the arm, then Isaac. “Settle in, enjoy yourselves. Isaac, I hope you're ready for this woman. She is insatiable.”

Ophelia shot Isaac a fanged grin, her eyes glimmering. “He's not lying. It's been some time since I’ve had a real man, and I am **** for a dicking.”

Isaac blushed. “Whoa, uh…”

Tyler laughed, finished gathering his things, and started for the door. “Godspeed, you two. See you tomorrow.”

Ophelia held out a staying hand. “Wait, doesn’t this normally go on a bit longer?”

“I really gotta run,” Tyler said with an apologetic shrug. “Besides, I can see it on your faces. We don’t need to stick around here. I can cover anything else when I meet with you tomorrow.”

With that, Tyler left, and Isaac was alone with Ophelia.