"Ah," I felt a little less bad, but somehow not entirely. Probably because I had made a rather prejudiced assumption about my new friend, and I felt ashamed of myself for it. Funny, usually it was different acts that led me to be beside myself. Still, I was rather enjoying the night, and the conversation. "Some day, they'll return her, and when they do, my services will no longer be required. They promised to buy us a small plot of land in my homeland and leave us to grow old together. Still, after the other things they do, I find myself not reminiscent to trust them, but any chance beats no chance."

"I hope very much that they are being honest with you, and that she will be released soon. I wish for you to be happy." Mezrol felt very relaxed by this conversation. He almost felt at home. For some reason there was some sort of kinship between the two acquaintances, and he was not quite sure why.

"Thank you," I smiled and rested my hands on the fallen log on which I sat. I looked down at myself, light-blue top and a rather short skirt. I was pretty much asking for an attack the way I was dressed. But I got lucky, and found some creature more interested in my well-being than in his reserves. A creature I found a sort of kinship with.

Mezrol moved up next to Linnis as she reclined on her log. As he moved two tentacles extended from his body; one on each side. Slowly they wrapped around the girl's body and pulled her closer to his soft form. Soon she was being gently squeezed by the creature. He was giving her a much needed hug.

There was a sort of absurdity to the embrace, but I did enjoy it. I felt a sort of warmth in my soul that was rare these days and it was remarkably rewarding. I felt quite nice, and unusually safe, in this creature's embrace, which shattered several preconceptions about the local wildlife.

He could sense an amount of relief in Linnis as he embraced her, resolving to hold it until she had her fill. He stroked the back of her head and her upper back in a comforting way. She was gorgeous, and Mezrol felt drawn to her, but he still felt no urge to attack.

I was impressed with his ability to have this much contact with me and still not think of me as dinner. I knew in his position I would be hard-pressed to resist that sort of food, but maybe it was my natural sluttiness. I exhaled lightly and felt such an utter sense of contentment.

He felt relieved that his girl was finally getting some contentment in her grief-stricken life. He did his best to physically comfort Linnis as he held her soft body against his.

I gave a sigh of contentment and followed it with a small laugh, "Of all the ways I expected this venture to go, this was probably the furthest from my mind." I admitted, being comforted by one of the locals was such an odd idea, since so few of them seemed to even see us as sentient, it was rather marvelous.

"I do not blame you. So many here are so bent on lust and survival that any good in them faded long ago. Apparently I've managed to retain at least some of it."

Mezrol cared about the well being of his 'guests.' This alone was a rare trait.

"It rekindles the good in me to see the good in you," I admitted. To be honest, I was starting to feel like one of them, like one of these hunters of woman. I tossed them meals, I found 'pets' of my own, I was more alike them than different, but being here, and seeing a preserved shine of decency, it made me feel a little warmer inside, and a little happier to be able to cling to the shreds of my humanity that remained.

"And your company almost makes me forget about my curse. It is good to feel... normal."

It was a long time since Mezrol was humanoid. He had forgotten what it was like. He was no longer confined to a single shape, but he was also now a mass of green slime. He couldn't even eat food anymore. He barely knew what normal meant.

"It really does," not that I knew that well, I'd always been different, and living here was anything but normal, but there was a strange normalcy in this moment, a humanity for lack of a better word. Two creatures who normally would be in conflict actually assisting one another. It was unusual; highly unusual here. But it was something to embrace.

Mezrol was enjoying Linnis's company very much, and the embrace even more. He also couldn't help but enjoy how nice the moment was. Perhaps he should spend more time in the future just talking with these human girls. He felt... comfortable.

It was so strange, having my terrible expectations melt away like this. I felt safe with one of the creatures here, one who admitted to me that he planned to feed on me at first. But somehow, he had earned my trust. And we together had decided who the real monsters were. The Headmasters.