Volume 13 - ComicMon, Chapter 93 - Road Tripping
True to her original plan, Saya only stayed two nights at the inn. By noon on the third day, she felt the call of the open road telling her to move on.
Her wanderlust always kept her on the move, and it wasn't often that she wanted to stay anywhere for more than a couple days. She wouldn't have minded staying at the inn longer, but her other kind of lust might cause trouble if she did.
Before leaving, she made sure to say goodbye to all the girls, ending with Yuisu. "Thanks for the wonderful stay, Yuisu. I'll definitely visit your inn again the next time I pass through the area."
Yuisu smiled. It was odd seeing Saya back in her sweater and dress, but it made sense, since she was going back out into the nudist-unfriendly world. "You're always welcome back," Yuisu said.
Then she added, "Actually, next time, would you be open to providing massage services to the inn's guests? You really helped Haru's back, and your skills would be a nice draw for the inn. I'd cover your room, and you can charge the guests by the hour."
Saya pondered it for a moment, her long tail flicking thoughtfully under her dress. Finally, she smiled wide and said, "Yeah, that sounds great. I could make it a recurring thing, if that works for you. I'd love some more consistent income."
Yuisu stuck out a hand, which Saya shook. "Then it's settled. Give me a call when you're headed this way again."
"Will do," Saya said as she started toward the door. She turned back and added, "And just so you know, my other offer still stands."
Yuisu's head tilted. "Huh?"
"The threesome," Saya explained. "Only if you both want it, of course."
Yuisu blushed. "We'll think about it." Then she waved and said, "See you around, Saya!"
"Seeya!" the mysterious salamander called back, then she disappeared into a cab headed who-knows-where.
That same day, Froze left the inn as well. She'd worked through her issues enough to be home alone again, at least for the couple weeks until Kehp returned.
As Froze said her goodbyes to all the other girls, she said, "I plan to keep in touch by phone, too. Haru really had a point when she said even expensive phone calls are much cheaper than plane tickets."
Haru nodded sagely and said, "And I'll have to visit you sometime. I'd love to hunt with you in the wilderness of Canada."
Froze pulled Haru into a surprising hug and said, "You've got a deal."
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Before Yuisu and the other girls in the house knew it, the week of ComicMon had arrived. All of the major preparations were complete, but Mara and Chione were still wrapping up the last few details.
Lethe had also been working with them from Tokyo, which had been a significant help. She handled everything from booking the venue to recruiting volunteers. Thanks to her recruiting style, her first batch of volunteers had been almost entirely male, so Chione had asked the succubus to put some flyers around bookstores and women's campuses. That helped even out the gender ratio quite well.
Lethe also organized a pre-convention meeting for local volunteers, of which there were quite a few. They were mostly human fans of liminals or pop culture, but a fair number of Exchange Program liminals and their hosts had volunteered as well.
Yuisu had been busy preparing for the trip too. She had booked their hotel rooms right before the convention's first promotional push, so she got great rates at the closest hotel. She also arranged all the travel, cleared everything with the Exchange Program, and prodded everyone to get packed.
Then, on the morning of departure, Yuisu handed off the entire inn to Sari, who had traveled back to town. Yuisu's hands were shaking as she placed the main set of keys in the kindly old woman's hands. "This is harder than I thought it would be. This inn is my dream. Please take good care of it."
Sari chuckled. "Of course, Yuisu. I've been running inns since before you were born. Don't you worry your little head about a thing. Just enjoy your trip, dearie."
Yuisu smiled nervously and said, "I'll try." She gave Sari a hug, then she stepped onto the front porch and called out, "Alright girls, roll call! We're not leaving 'til every one of us and our luggage is in that limo!"
She opened the back door of the huge black stretch Hummer and called out, "Haru!"
Haru stepped forward, awkwardly holding a suitcase with both wings. "Here."
"Climb in, Haru," Yuisu said, then called the next name, "Mara!"
Mara trudged forward with a suitcase as big as her and a huge mesh bag on her back filled with plushies.
Yuisu shook her head. "Nope, you can't bring that much stuff, Mara. Put the plushies back, and see if you can slim that suitcase."
"I'll carry it, so it shouldn't matter to you how much I bring," Mara said defensively.
"We don't have unlimited space on the train, especially with how much space we'll be taking already." Yuisu smiled and said, "You know… if you clear some space in your bags, you'll have more room to bring back merchandise from the con and the stores in Tokyo."
That got through to her. "Fine," Mara groaned, then she scuttled back into the house.
Tsuen and Chione had both packed properly, so they got loaded into the limo uneventfully. Then came Quess, Iormu, and of course Pwess. Yuisu helped them load a couple suitcases into the back, then said, "And you're sure that you've got everything? Pwess's stuff too?"
Iormu nodded and lifted a large canvas bag. It looked like it weighed almost 50 pounds, but she could easily hold it with one strong arm. "Yep, all her toys and clothes and supplies."
Quess added, "And the little goober's right here." She was holding Pwess with both arms, since the little pink and purple slime was getting pretty big.
"I'm not a goober!" Pwess said with a giggle. She was 'wearing' a frilly purple princess-like dress, made of her own slime. Lately, she refused to wear clothes unless they were princess dresses. Then she said, "Put me down? I wanna get in the big truck."
Quess set her down on her bare slime-feet and said, "It's called a limousine, Pwess. We'll ride this down to the train station, then take a train all the way to Tokyo."
Pwess scrambled up the steps and into the open door, barely listening to her mom. She climbed around on the seats inside, but thankfully she had learned how to control her slime and didn't make a mess.
A moment later, Mara returned with a single suitcase that actually had room to spare. After one more final check that they had everything, everyone got into the limo, with Yuisu in the front passenger seat.
As the big limo rumbled down the long dirt driveway, Yuisu kept her eye on the side mirror. With a twinge of worry, she watched as the Mountain Lily Inn faded from view.
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The Okayado train station was pretty empty that morning, so switching from the limo to the train was uneventful. However, once they were settled into the train, the other passengers started to get curious. Yuisu purposely sat at the end of their group, which took up most of a train car, so that people could ask her questions, which they did.
"What're you all travelin' for?" asked an elderly man with wispy white hair and a bland brown suit. He seemed entirely unfazed by the exotic liminals, treating them like any other group of travelers.
"We're going to Tokyo for a convention," Yuisu answered.
"Oh? What kind? My grandson's into all of those, watchacallit, uh, anime conventions. I don't understand, but at least he's happy and keeping out of trouble."
"It's called ComicMon, and it's about liminals and how they've been depicted in popular culture, including anime," Yuisu answered. She gestured toward Mara and Chione and said, "Those two organized the whole convention."
The man nodded as if he understood, then said, "Not sure whatcha mean, but it's good to see the young ones working together on something." Then he put his hands in his pockets, rested his chin on his chest and said, "Enjoy your trip, miss." Within seconds, he was asleep, rocking gently with the movement of the train.
Most of the liminal girls didn't get to travel much, so they were glued to the windows, watching the tranquil countryside roll by. It was a beautiful, clear morning and the sun was shining brightly on the vivid colors of the spring trees, grass, and lakes. Even Pwess was occasionally distracted from her toys by the beautiful landscape.
As the train continued toward the next stop, a young woman inched her way closer and closer to the group of liminals. She had huge round glasses, straight black hair with bangs, and a big frumpy sweater. She switched over to the seat next to Yuisu, but didn't say anything at first.
After nearly a minute had passed, she finally worked up the courage and whispered, "Excuse me."
It was so quiet that Yuisu almost didn't hear it, even though the young woman was only a foot away. Yuisu turned and smiled and said, "What's up?"
"Uh, are you with them? The, uh, group of liminals?"
Yuisu nodded. "Yeah, I'm their Exchange Program Host."
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The girl's eyes went wide. "All of them?! Wow." After a second of awed silence, she said, "Can I meet them? I've always wanted to meet real supernatural beings. As a kid, I knew they were out there, but no one would believe me."
Yuisu raised one eyebrow. The girl was strange, but she seemed harmless. "Sure, just be polite and remember that they're people, just like you and me."
The girl gave a determined nod and zipped off. She went to Tsuen first, likely because she was the least intimidating of the bunch. Once she started, the young woman was suddenly vibrant and talkative. For nearly an hour, she chit-chatted with the other girls, making sure to meet and shake hands with every single one. The only thing that made her stop talking was the arrival of her stop, a small station out in the countryside.
The girl, whose name was apparently Mariko, grinned and skipped happily as she exited the train. A few people boarded and the doors closed, and she stayed on the platform and waved at the departing train.
Chione let out a loud sigh. "Wow, that was kind of exhausting." Talking to the inquisitive Mariko had worn Chione out.
Mara bounced energetically on her seat. "Just wait 'til the convention. I bet we'll meet a hundred more people just like her!"
Mara was clearly excited for the prospect, but Chione shrank back into her seat a little bit. The young gargoyle wasn't quite as social, and didn't like to be the center of attention.
Quess patted Chione on the shoulder. "If you get overwhelmed at the convention, just excuse yourself and take a break. Take care of yourself, okay?" Becoming a mother had made Quess more caring and kind than her old selfish self.
Chione turned toward Quess and nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Quess."
When she looked in that direction, down the center of the train, Chione noticed a small boy staring back at the group of liminals. More specifically, he was staring at either Iormu or at Pwess, who was sitting on Iormu's lap.
Quess followed Chione's gaze, then followed the boy's. She said, "Hey, Pwess. I think you've got a pal."
Pwess blinked in confusion until Quess pointed a tendril toward the boy, who looked about four years old. As soon as Pwess met his eyes, the boy hid behind his mother, then peeked out cautiously, still quite curious.
The boy's mother noticed the little exchange as well, and she smiled kindly at Pwess and Quess.
Quess said, "Let's go meet them, Pwess." She offered a hand toward her daughter. Quess and Iormu had decided that Pwess needed more socialization, and it seemed this trip would be filled with opportunities.
"Okay, Mommy." Pwess took the hand and hopped down from Iormu's lap. Her gelatinous feet splatted against the floor and reformed, then the pair approached the mother and son.
When they got close, Quess let go of Pwess's hand and said, "Go introduce yourself, like I taught you."
Pwess approached cautiously, then when she was about two feet away from the shy boy, she did a little curtsy and said, "Hiya, my name's Pwess! I'm a slimegirl. What's your name?"
The boy brushed his messy black hair from his forehead, then said, "I'm Ita, and I'm a human boy." He fidgeted with the hem of his mother's skirt, then said, "I've never met a slimegirl before…"
Pwess giggled and said, "And I've never met a human boy before."
The boy smiled and stepped away from his mother. Within seconds, Ita and Pwess were talking freely. Within another minute they were off on an adventure, climbing over and under the seats and running all over the train car.
Quess sat down next to the boy's mother. She smiled warmly and introduced herself, "My name's Quess. I hope it was alright that I brought Pwess over. She could use more social contact."
The woman smiled and shook her head. She had wavy black hair, deep brown eyes, and puffy cheeks that made her smile feel very cheerful. "It's not a problem at all. Ita could use it too. He's such a shy boy, and he has to grow up in an interesting world, now that liminals are part of it. Oh, I'm Nara, by the way."
Nara watched as Ita and Pwess played, then said, "My Ita is four years old. How old is your girl?"
Quess's head-tendril bobbed as she pondered how to explain Pwess's age. "Uh, slimes like us age faster, but Pwess is effectively four as well."
Just then, Ita's voice cried out from a couple seats away, "Nuh-uh! There's no way you're only six months old!"
"It's true! I was born on September thirty!"
"Well, I met my little cousin and he couldn't even talk. Six-month-old people are just babies!"
"Then I'm not a people!" Pwess retorted. She was getting flustered and upset, and so was Ita. The two children didn't know how to handle their conflicting information.
Nara darted over to Ita's side, crouched down, and said, "Ita, she just grew up faster than your cousin. Remember how you wanted to play with him, but you couldn't?"
Ita nodded.
"Well Pwess is able to play already. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah!" Ita cheered. Then he put out his hand toward Pwess. "I'm sorry. Can we still play?"
"Of course!" Pwess grabbed his hand and tugged him back toward an empty seat, resuming their imaginary adventure.
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After a few more stops and twice as many conversations with curious passengers, the group crossed into the Tokyo city limits. They switched trains once, then rode that one straight to the Tokyo Big Sight station. Their hotel was practically next door to it, which was quite convenient.
Yuisu stepped off the train first and found an open area to regroup in the bustling station. "Over here, girls! Everyone gather by me," she called out.
A harpy, a gargoyle, a centaur, and an arachne filed out after, drawing a lot of looks from the people waiting for other trains. Then a translucent pink slime-woman stepped out, holding a sleeping slimegirl in her arms. Finally, a massive serpentine jormungand exited the train, with yard after yard of tail following behind her.
Iormu's appearance overshadowed the other girls entirely and within seconds, all the other travelers were staring at the massive monster in their midst. Thankfully the Exchange Program was well known, so they knew she was just a liminal. There wasn't any terror or panic, just a lot of nervous whispers and excited gossip.
Iormu smiled and waved. No matter her age, she could never get used to the spotlight that came with her size, but she tried to appear friendly.
Once everyone had gathered with their luggage in hand, Yuisu said, "I'm going to go check in at the hotel. Chione and Mara, did you want to visit the venue now?"
Mara looked at her phone's clock then shook her head. "Nah, the staff meeting isn't for a couple hours. We can get checked in with you now."
Yuisu nodded. "Alright. Make sure you have your Exchange Program Independent Activity Passes with you when you go to the meeting." She looked around at the other girls. "And the rest of you, don't go exploring without me. The Exchange Program rules still apply here, so you need to be with a guardian if you're outside the convention center or hotel."
Tsuen raised her hand. "Um, I'll be volunteering a little, so I'll be at the meeting too."
Yuisu winced. "Oh, right. I tried to get an Independent Activity Pass for you too, Tsuen, but apparently just volunteering wasn't enough to meet the criteria. The Program is really stingy with those passes." When Yuisu saw Tsuen frown, she added, "But you can travel with Mara, on her Pass."
Chione nodded and said, "Yeah, I read that a liminal with a Pass can act as guardian for one additional liminal."
Tsuen bent down and scooped Mara up into a hug. "That's great! Now we can go on a nice date in Tokyo!"
Mara smiled back, but there was a bit of reservation in it. "Yeah, if I have time between all the convention stuff." As one of the lead organizers, her weekend was so packed with responsibilities that Mara didn't think she'd get much time to herself.
The group started walking toward the hotel, so Tsuen set Mara on Tsuen's back and followed. "How about tonight, then? There should be time after the staff meeting."
Mara snuggled up against Tsuen's firm back. She really liked riding up there, even if she was sharing the space with a couple saddlebags full of clothes. "Alright. It's a date!"
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The girls got checked into their rooms and then had time for a light meal before the staff meeting. Mara, Chione, and Tsuen walked back past the train station to the convention center. They headed straight for the obvious Tokyo Big Sight conference tower, then followed the signs toward the staff meeting location.
"Wow, this place is huge," Mara said, marveling at the wide expanse of the convention center. There were three main convention spaces, each several stories tall and very wide, and the hallways that connected them looked wide enough to hold conventions of their own.
ComicMon only used the central convention space, the Conference Tower, but that was still more than enough room for the brand-new con. The tower had an interesting floor plan with one story at ground level, then one outdoor plaza, then three stories of open air before the distinctive tower resumed. The inverted pyramid shape held three more floors of meeting rooms, and that was where most of the convention would take place.
The upper tower could be accessed by a huge escalator, or via either of two hefty elevators. However, the staff meeting was in the first floor reception hall, so the three girls didn't need to worry about the elevator just yet.
As soon as they got close to the reception hall, they could tell they were in the right place. Dozens of humans and liminals were trickling in toward the room. At a table by the entrance, a recognizable blonde succubus was checking off names on a clipboard. To her right, two young men were handing out badges and bright green ComicMon-branded volunteer t-shirts.
Mara, Tsuen, and Chione lined up with the other volunteers and waited their turn to get their badge and shirt. However, as soon as Lethe saw them, she set her clipboard down and darted over to meet them. One of the volunteers grabbed it and picked up where she left off.
"Girls! It's so good to see you!" she called just before she pulled them all into a group hug, or attempted to. The wildly different heights made it difficult.
"Hi, Lethe!" Mara replied. "You really kicked ass at organizing all this. Thanks so much!"
Lethe waved a hand and said, "Pshaw, it wasn't that big a deal." She looked at Mara and Chione and added, "You two did all the hard stuff."
Suddenly Lethe's eyes went wide. "Oh! What am I doing? You two need to get in there and meet the area heads!" With that, she grabbed Mara and Chione's hands and tugged them out of line and toward the registration table.
Tsuen stayed in the line and called out, "I'll see you in there!"
At the table, Lethe dug into a box of t-shirts and pulled out two blue shirts with 'Director' written on the back. "Try these on now. They've fit well for the most part, but with a custom order of this size there's bound to be a few issues."
Mara pulled her new shirt on over her dress and found that it fit quite well. Then she turned and helped Chione put hers on. It already had slits cut in it and the cloth hung nicely once she got her wings through.
"Perfect," Lethe said, then she stuffed a badge on a lanyard into each girl's hands. "Alright, let's go meet the rest of the staff!" she cheered.
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The staff meeting ran for about two hours, covering introductions, safety policies, how to engage with the public, and more. Mara and Chione also personally met with the volunteers that were the heads of various departments. The area heads had been given their positions due to their prior experience as convention staff and they really knew their stuff. From video programming to line management, there was an area head for everything. Lethe was actually the volunteering area head, managing all 65 volunteers.
Chione was happy when the meeting ended at 7PM, since she was dead tired. She hadn't been able to sleep on the train ride and she was really looking forward to her comfy hotel bed. She waved to Mara and Tsuen and said, "I'm heading to bed. Have a nice date!" Then she beelined back to the hotel alone.
Mara sat on a park bench and pulled out her phone. Then she asked, "What kind of restaurant do you want tonight, Tsuen?"
Tsuen kneeled next to her and put her hands on Mara's shoulders. She started to massage and Mara practically melted. "Wow, you're pretty tense, Mara." Tsuen had a decent understanding of muscles from her work, and she'd learned some massage tricks from Mara. She was happy to be able to help Mara in this way for once.
Mara took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then said, "Yeah, this whole thing is stressful, ya know? Mmmm, that feels good."
She was silent for a moment, enjoying the massage, then she said, "So? Whatcha wanna eat?"
Tsuen had pondered it while she worked, and thought of something that should work for both of their vegetarian and carnivore diets. "Let's try Italian."
Mara found a well-reviewed Italian restaurant just a fifteen minute train ride away. The two many-legged ladies turned some heads, but they weren't as exotic in Tokyo as they were back home. In fact, on their trip they encountered a couple other liminals: a cyclops and an ogre.
Back at the hotel, Pwess was bouncing around, eager to see the sights of Tokyo, so Iormu knocked on Yuisu's hotel room door.
When Yuisu opened it, Iormu asked, "Are you available tonight?"
Yuisu hesitated for a moment. She was a little stressed out about the inn, and about making sure everyone stayed safe and had a good trip.
Haru stepped up behind Yuisu and answered for her. "Uh-huh, we're available. You guys want to go be tourists or something?"
"Yeah, Pwess really wants to see the pretty lights of the city, so we were thinking of heading to Tokyo tower. It's only a fifteen minute cab ride across the Rainbow Bridge."
Haru gently patted Yuisu on the back with a fluffy wing. "That sounds like a nice distraction, huh, Yuisu?"
Yuisu smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'd like to visit some shrines while we're out too," she said with a bit of childlike glee.
Once everyone was ready, Yuisu called up a cab company and asked for the largest they had. Then the four women and one slimegirl left their rooms for a night on the town.