Volume 10 - Extending Family, Chapter 65 - Close to the Chest

"Hey, Yuisu!" a lively voice cheered from the phone.

"Oh, hi, Agent Will. What's up?" Yuisu responded as she sat back down to her breakfast with the phone to her ear.

"Well, a couple of things, really. I guess I'll start at the top," he said, then cleared his throat before continuing, "When we got Mimi enrolled in the exchange program, we tried to contact her former guardians. It was more of a courtesy than anything, since she's eighteen and we'd already cleared things with the French government…"

"Uh, huh," Yuisu said, filling the silence while she wondered where this was going.

"Well, the school was glad to have her out of their hair, but they also sent along info about her family. I eventually got ahold of Mimi's mother, and…" Agent Will trailed off.

"And?" Yuisu prodded.

"She wanted to join the exchange program too." Then, as if sensing Yuisu's rising annoyance, he quickly added, "But she won't be living with you, don't worry about that! I'm setting her up with a different host."

"Ah, alright," Yuisu said. It's a little odd for a parent to be in the program, but I guess age isn't an issue, considering Iormu…

Agent Will resumed, "Well, since she's in the country now, she obviously wanted to see her daughter, just for a day visit." He cleared his throat again, then cautiously asked, "Think you could come pick her up in your truck? She's at my office now."

Yuisu smiled and let out a held breath. She'd been expecting something much worse from this call. "Yeah, I can do that. I'm not working today." But Haru is, so I have nothing better to do, she continued in her head.

"Perfect! Just drop her back off by 6PM, since we've got a train to catch to get to her host family." After a brief pause, he added in a hurried whisper, "She's a little, uh, old-fashioned, so just, uh, do your best." His voice returned to normal volume and he said, "Thanks, Yuisu. Seeya!" and hung up.

Yuisu wondered what that whispered warning was about, but was quickly distracted by the question of whether to surprise Mimi with the visit or not. Hmm, given Mimi's rebellious attitude, she might cause a fuss if I tell her. Surprise it is!

Yuisu's little red pickup truck pulled up outside Agent Will's office, which was just a little two-room place tucked in a business park next to real estate offices and a dentist. She went ahead and backed the truck up into the parking spot, since she assumed Mimi's mother would be riding in the back.

A bell over the door dinged and her long grey skirt swished as Yuisu stepped inside. She was also wearing a loose lilac sweater that was perfect for the chilly fall weather that had started to blow into the mountains.

The front room was empty and only amounted to a tiny desk and a couple chairs, so Yuisu called out, "Agent Will?"

"I'm back here! Come on in!"

Yuisu followed the voice through the open door to Agent Will's cozy office. Book shelves lined every inch of wall and they were filled with everything from new science journals to clearly ancient tomes. However, Yuisu got the impression they served as decorations mostly and didn't get much use. A dark wood desk occupied the center of the room and three comfortable-looking plush chairs were in front of it. A large trunk of a similar dark wood sat next to the table, closed.

Agent Will sat behind the desk, looking a bit out of place in the classy office. "Come on out, Tess. This is Yuisu, your daughter's host," Agent Will said at the trunk.

The lid cracked open and two mismatched eyes peeked out. The chest looked so at home in the room's decor that Yuisu hadn't even suspected that it was actually the mimic.

After that initial cautious look, the chest popped the rest of the way open and a woman emerged from the fleshy, tooth-rimmed inside of the chest. She had long, wavy pink hair, just like Mimi, and she had different colored eyes: red and green, rather than Mimi's red and purple. She also had very fair skin, refined, narrow features, and… insanely huge breasts.

Yuisu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the two basketball-sized boobs that were swinging to and fro as Tess rose from the treasure chest. They were barely contained by a white crop-top shirt that was stretched beyond its limits. Those aren't even trying to look real… Yuisu thought, having to stifle a laugh. At least Iormu's actually look good.

Tess quirked her head at Yuisu's reaction. "Dost thou not favor a form such as this?" Tess asked. "When I was told of your queer love of the feminine persuasion, I expected this to be suited to your desires."

Once Yuisu had processed the strangely archaic speech, she replied, "I guess I'm just more into realistic beauty."

Tess raised a hand to her lips and let out a light, tittery laugh. "Oh, ho! I am overjoyed to hear that in this world of exaggerated marvels and artifice, there exist those yet unswayed by the march of such repugnant 'progress'." As she spoke, her breasts shrunk down to very reasonable C-cups, which her loose and stretched-thin t-shirt did nothing to hide.

She reached forward and offered a hand to Yuisu. "As William has said, I am known as Tess, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

William, huh? Yuisu thought, casting a glance at Agent Will. She'd always wondered if 'Will' was a first or last name. Yuisu turned back to Tess and bent down slightly to shake her hand. Yuisu was also pondering the strange way Tess's speech seemed to range from genuinely ancient to merely formal. "My name is Yuisu Nakahara. Pleased to meet you, Tess."

Tess glanced up at Agent Will, then back to Yuisu. "Well, shall we depart? I would prefer to spend the greatest portion of the day with my daughter as I am able."

"Of course." Agent Will jumped to his feet and stepped up next to Tess. "Yuisu, if you'll grab the opposite side…"

Yuisu grabbed a large metal handle and with only a bit of difficulty the two humans got Tess's huge wooden chest loaded into Yuisu's truck.

After she closed the tailgate, Yuisu tugged on her lip nervously, then said, "Uh, Tess? Could you stay closed for the trip? I'm worried that seeing a woman in a chest could startle the other drivers."

"Oh, ho, ho," Tess laughed. "You needn't even ask, for I am clearly not dressed for the strong winds produced by the speed that the astounding vehicles in this age can manage."

At the house, Yuisu got out of the truck and got as far as the rear tire of the truck before she realized that they had a problem. "Ah, crap. I can't get you inside on my own," Yuisu said. She turned toward the house and added, "I'll go see if one of the other girls can help."

"Halt, dear Yuisu!" Tess called. When Yuisu turned back and met her eyes, Tess said, "I have tricks in my trunk that I've been concealing from William." At that, her hefty wooden chest lifted from the bed of the truck and moved forward smoothly.

Yuisu craned her head down to see how Tess was doing it. Numerous pink fleshy tendrils had extended out of the bottom of the chest and were clambering along the metal truck bed like a centipede made of earthworms. It was strange and unnerving to watch.

Yuisu cringed back reflexively, but then she forced a smile and said, "Huh, that seems handy. Why are you keeping it secret, Tess?"

Tess's her lips curled into something between a sinister grin and a seductress's smile. "A lady must remain mysterious, particularly around men. And watching William work hard for my sake is always wonderful."

When Tess reached the edge of the truck, her tentacles stretched down to the gravel driveway and then easily lowered her to the ground.

Yuisu walked along with Tess's slow, steady pace. Yuisu's shoes crunched against the rough gravel of the driveway but Tess's tendrils were nearly silent. "Can Mimi do that? She's been using an electric dolly to get around the house, but it'd be useless on gravel like this."

Tess tittered in the haughty way she often did. "Oh, most certainly not. It takes many years to foster enough tendrils for locomotion, and I doubt my daughter has even conceived of the idea, since she's never known another mimic."

Yuisu stopped. "Wait. She's never met you?"

Tess stopped her forward crawl and pivoted to face Yuisu directly. "No, she has not. She left with her father as a baby, as is normal for mimics. I haven't seen her since, so when William called me, I was overwhelmed with happiness to hear that she had survived." She shook her head sorrowfully and said, "So few young mimics survive their transformative years…"

"Transformative years? What do you mean?" Yuisu was starting to feel awkward just standing in the driveway like they were, but she wanted to know more about her newest homestay and her mysterious race.

"Oh, you were not aware? Many urban liminals are born with human appearances, so they can be raised among humans and learn from them. Later, around the time of their first moon-cycle, they take their true forms and their liminal instincts assume charge. A mimic will only survive that trial if she can find a sturdy chest to make her home, and only then if she successfully avoids hostile humans, who are often eager to slay anything they deem inhuman."

Yuisu's jaw hung open. Her research into liminals never said anything like that at all. Which species are like that? Were any of my childhood friends actually liminals all along? And that part about being killed by humans is just awful…

Yuisu was pulled from her thoughts when Tess said, "I loathe to be a bother, Yuisu, but I really would like to meet my daughter as soon as possible."

"Oh, of course, sorry!" Yuisu ran up the deck stairs and opened the door. "Come on in."

Yuisu guided Tess to the living room, then darted off to get Mimi.

As Yuisu knocked on Mimi's bedroom door, her thoughts floundered. What do I even say? I can't even imagine what it's like to meet your mother for the first time. Finally, she just said, "Hey, Mimi? There's someone here to see you."

Through the door, Yuisu heard a voice say, "I'll have to call you back, Hajime, Yuisu's at the door… Nah, she's cool with us, don't worry about it."

A few seconds later, Mimi opened the door and looked up at Yuisu from her mobile treasure chest. "Whataya want?"

Yuisu thought, Whoa, she switches back to snark awfully quick when she's not talking to her boyfriend, doesn't she? Yuisu resisted the urge to be snarky back and instead said, "Well, there's a guest here to see you, in the living room."

Thankfully, Mimi's attitude didn't extend past that initial rudeness. She rolled along down the hall with Yuisu. Her tone of voice was mellow and a little curious as she asked, "Who is it?"

Yuisu swallowed, then said, "Uh, I'll let her explain." She stopped and waved Mimi on. "Have fun. I'll make sure the other girls give you some privacy."

Mimi stopped dead, but her thoughts were racing. No way. That can't be her. Maybe she's some other mimic in the exchange program. But she's just like Dad described her…

Subconsciously, her hand pulled back on the motorized dolly's joystick and she started rolling backwards, away from the woman in the living room. Away from the cause of eighteen years of confusion.

"Wait, Mimi!" Tess called out, her red and green eyes wide and watery and emotional. "Please…"

Mimi slowed to a stop, but she looked down at the ground. After a second of silence, she whispered, almost too low to hear, "Why should I?"

Tess concentrated, limiting herself to modern speech instead of the archaic words she often fell back to. She wanted Mimi to hear her loud and clear. "Because I'm sorry, Mimi. I'm sorry for everything. For leaving you and your father, for not finding you sooner." After a heavy pause, she added, "For everything you've been through on your own."

Mimi kept staring at the floor. "So you knew? About Dad?"

Tess spoke softly, "I only found out last month, when I woke up. I'm so sorry, Mimi. I loved him too."

Mimi's head snapped up and she glared at her mother from across the room. "Did you? Did you really? You left us!" she spat.

Tess averted her eyes, unable to meet the justified anger in Mimi's gaze. "The world was different back then. Liminals had to stay in hiding, so I couldn't live with you. Jackson had to take you, had to raise you on his own, as a human."

Mimi lowered her voice and whispered, "And he did, until he died. I was only six when he left me all alone…" Mimi went silent as tears rolled down her cheeks. Tears for her dead father, and for how hard he had worked to raise her. She had a good childhood with him, but after he died, Mimi was passed between foster homes and boarding schools, at least until she started to transform…

After a moment, Tess broke the silence. "I really loved your father. I still remember everything about the day we met…"

Mimi was listening closely, eager to hear more about her father, so Tess continued, "I was buried so deep in that storage that I had long given up hope. I resigned myself to hibernating away the years, hoping on some level to just fade away in my sleep."

Then Tess cracked a smile. "But when Jackson dug me out of that palace treasury, when he opened my chest, I fell in love. It had been ages since I'd seen anyone, so even his royal guard's outfit was a welcome sight, but that wasn't what captured my heart."

Tess sighed longingly, then said, "It was his eyes, and the look in them. Deep blue, caring, curious. He wasn't afraid. Somehow, despite finding a living woman in a box full of teeth and tentacles, buried under a hundred years of clutter… he wasn't afraid."

Mimi couldn't help but smile and she quietly said, "He never was, Mom." Almost reverently, she continued, "He was too curious for his own good, and he took crazy risks, and he wasn't the brightest, but he was never afraid."

Tess smiled as she recalled, "He visited me every day, when he was on break, or even when he was supposed to be on patrol. Any excuse he could find, he'd be there, teaching me modern languages, bringing me food, loving me. I must have lain with him more times that month than the prior 200 years all together."

"Ugh, Mom! Too much information!" Mimi whined, but she was actually smiling. Tess's story had worked to get Mimi to open up, and now she was curious. "How did you get in there anyway? The Buckingham Palace treasury, right?"

"Well, that's a long story. Won't you come sit next to your mother while she reminisces?" Tess said, patting the side of her ornate wooden chest.

"I'd love to." Mimi rolled close and was immediately pulled into a tight hug, which she eagerly returned.

Mimi and her mother talked for hours, about everything from the Exchange Program to dating. After a very awkward and unnecessary lecture about protected sex, Tess finally told Mimi about her ability to move around on her legion of tendrils. She slid around the room and even crawled up and over the couch to show off the mobility.

"Holy crap, that's awesome, Mom! I want to do that. Please teach me!" Mimi shouted excitedly.

"There is little to learn, but there is much preparation to be done. One must fully meld with the bottom of the chest, then feed the tendrils there with a plenty of sustenance," Tess said. "It took me a great many years to grow enough tendrils to carry my weight, though that was during hard times with sparse food. For one living as easy as you, Mimi, it should be no problem," she said with a light laugh.

Mimi scowled and said, "Hey! Getting here wasn't easy. I only made it to Japan with the help of my best friend, Chione." Mimi lit up and cheerfully added, "You need to meet her when she wakes up in a couple hours."

Tess frowned. "I apologize, Mimi, but I have an appointment to keep at the train station and I must leave very soon." She reached down into her chest and pulled out a simple flip-phone. "I don't know exactly where I'll be living, but William tells me this device will let me talk to you from afar?"

Mimi slapped a palm to her forehead. "Really, Mom? You don't know what a cellphone is?"

Tess looked offended and responded snidely, "I've been asleep for eighteen years, daughter, and a hundred before that. I apologize for not keeping up with the technology and parlance."

"At least tell me you know about normal telephones?"

Tess nodded, her long pink hair swaying all the way down to where it connected into her trunk. "Your father spoke of them, and I even utilized one a few times in the last month. Such a marvelous invention, bordering on magic," she said with legitimate awe.

Mimi blinked at her mother and thought, Just wait until she discovers the internet… Then she stuck her hand out. "Here, hand me your phone and I'll put in my contact information." Once Tess passed it to her, Mimi's fingers were like lightning as she entered her phone number in the contacts.

She offered the phone back and said, "Call me when you get to your new house. Get help using the phone if you need to, okay, Mom?"

Tess grabbed the phone and stuck her nose in the air haughtily. "Do not treat me as a child, Mimi. I learn swiftly, and I will master the ways of this era soon enou—"

Tess was interrupted when Yuisu came around the corner and called out, "Time to go, Tess. We've gotta head out now to make your train." Yuisu glanced between Tess and Mimi and added, "It sounds like your visit went well?"

Tess responded, "It went swimmingly. Thank your for your courtesy, Yuisu. I think you'll make a fine husband someday."

Yuisu's and Mimi's mouths fell open in unison, then Mimi cried out, "Mom! You can't say things like that!"

"Why not? Would she prefer to be the lady of the relationship?"

Mimi found herself face-palming again. "Ugh, that's not how it works. Just go catch your train, Mom. I'll try to explain later…"