《My Roommate is a Reptile?》
A Brief Explanation
The world you are about to enter is a world like ours, yetverydifferent. Within this world, not much is different on the surface. They have the same technology as we do, the same wars, the same conflicts, and the same solutions. What stands out as different are thepeople.While most humans are still regular, hairless, irritable apes as we know them, there lives a new kind of people among their ranks: The Demi-Humans. Often referred to as "Demies", these are creatures that are half man and half animal/fish/bird/whatever-else-they-happen-to-be. You''re all familiar with mermaids I''m sure, and perhaps even a few other demi-human species such as lamias, harpies, and centaurs. Or perhaps you''re a nerd that can list off the lesser known kinds, like arachnes, slimes, and dullahans? Regardless of how much previous knowledge you have on these interesting creatures, they are what coexist in this world alongside humans. Now, a world with two dominant races is not without its fair share of problems. Humans are not always accepting of the demi-humans, often segregating them and refusing to get along simply because of the separation by race. Of course, certain places have accepted the demi-humans into their society with open arms, but the majority of the world continues to refuse peace, unfortunately. That said, certain groups fight for the rights of the demi-humans, hoping to eventually achieve a world in which everyone can live in peace. Wouldn''t it be wonderful if you could walk through the grocery store and not worry about that jerk who always yells at the lizardman who just wants a nice cold-cut? What if you could let your kids play with the centaur children who live next door without being frowned upon? Imagine being able to spar with a minotaur and not be abandoned by all your friends! Alas, this world you are about to experience has yet to reach that point.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
While I''m sure you''d love to delve deep into the inner workings of a world like this, those are stories for other times.Thisstory focuses on two people, a human and a demi-human, who never believed they would find themselves in the situation they happen to be in. "What is that situation?", you ask? Well, I suppose there''s only one way to find out, isn''t there?...
A Step in a New Direction
Okefenokee Swamp, Floridaˇ
It was a beautiful, hot summer day in the Okefenokee Swamp of northern Florida, particularly in the areas where the water cooled the air and the trees provided ample shade to the animals relaxing beneath. Exotic birds sang as they darted between branches, otters splashed in the water in a game of catch-the-fish, and alligators basked in the sunlight, occasionally eyeing one of the few black bears that passed by for a drink at the river. Everything was peaceful within the confines of the Okefenokee wildlife reserveˇ Save a group of thrill-seekers boating their way down the river in a large canoe. The group of three brothers were discussing with each other as to what they should do now that they had made it so far into the swampland.
"I can''t wait to snatch up one of them gators!" The man on the rear of the canoe said, as he steered the canoe around a fallen tree with his oar. "How ''bout you, Hank? You can get a good couple o'' bucks fer one of them hides."
"I can''t wait either." The man on the front of the canoe, ''Hank'', agreed, pushing the bow of the watercraft away from a protruding rock. "Ma said she wanted a new lawn mower. Wouldn''t hurt to indulge the ol'' bird."
"I just wanna go home, Frankˇ" The man in the middle whined to the rear-most brother, hunched over with a scowl on his face. "Mah arm still hurts where it got cut on the fence."
"Told ya to duck, Richard." Frank said, shrugging. "Them fences are sharp."
"Why''d we have to cut through it anyways?" Richard asked. "Couldn''t we have found a gator where we''re allowed to boat around?"
The other two brothers both shook their heads. "Them gators outside the fence are too tiny." Hank explained, turning around to face his younger sibling. "We gotta get one inside theˇ ''special area''."
"Hush your mouths!" Frank snapped, "There''s one now!" He pointed forward to where the water was rippling from an alligator having just dipped beneath the surface. "Richard, gimme the hook ''n'' meat."
Reluctantly, Richard reached down to the floor of the canoe and picked up a rope tied to a large hook on one end. Stabbed onto the hook was a large hunk of raw chicken, still damp with juices and smelling rather putrid in the hot sun. Richard handed the hook and meat to Frank, who rested his oar on his seat and gripped the two ends of the rope in either hand. Eyeing the spot where the potential boots and handbag had submerged, he tossed the hook forward onto the ripples and wrapped the rope around one hand.
All three bothers sat in silence as they waited for the alligator to take hold, and eventually, something did. The rope went taught, and Frank yanked hard, causing the hook to pull loose from whatever it had snagged. Dragging the rope and hook back into the canoe, the brothers eyed what was now hanging from the end of the hook: A small chunk of flesh with a sharp, curved tooth dangling by a bloody thread of skin.
"Dammit, Frank, you pulled too hard!" Hank snapped at his brother. "Richard, give ''im another piece o'' chicken. We''ll get this gator yet."
Richard reached towards a Ziploc bag containing several more chicken chunks, but something interrupted him by slamming into the bottom of the canoe. Jumping in their seats, the three siblings'' eyes darted about the surface of the water to try and spot their new attacker.
"Oh $#*&! We''ve pissed him off now!" Hank laughed, brandishing his oar like a club to whack anything that might poke its head out of the water. Unfortunately, to the trio''s utter surprise, a large, green, leathery fist punched through the floor of the canoe. Richard screamed, Frank swore, and Hank, who had perched himself on the bow of the canoe, fell backwards into the river.
"Hank!" Frank shouted, "We''ll save you!" But Frank and Richard never got the chance to rescue their brother. The canoe was rapidly filling with water, and the watercraft-vandal had now found a grip on the side of the canoe. With a mighty tug, the entire canoe flipped upside down, throwing Frank and Richard into the cool waters alongside their brother, the latter of whom was scrambling for the bank of the river. Frank tried to follow suit, but he was suddenly yanked beneath the water, causing Richard to scream once again. Finally reaching the river bank, Hank and Richard clambered ashore and ran to the nearest tree large enough to hide behind. Peeking out from their new hiding place, the two scanned the area frantically for any sign of their eldest brother.
They didn''t have long to wait. With a terrified yell, Frank was thrown from the water onto the bank, hacking and coughing as he quickly rose to his feet. "Run!" He shouted, "He don''t want us here!" Hank and Richard exchanged fearful glances as Frank charged past them, before joining their brother in his retreat.
As they ran, Richard glanced back to see if he could spot what had ruined their gator-hunting trip. And as he did so, he vowed never to return to the Okefenokee Swamp, for fear of what laid withinˇ
2 Months Later,
San Francisco Zoo,
San Francisco, Californiaˇ
Rachael Razar was just finishing her shift in the Reptile House of the San Francisco Zoo, and she was on her way to clock out before heading home. She had lived in San Francisco all her life, and was now living on her own in her parents'' house while they were on a mission trip to Uganda. Being twenty-six, Rachael had her life mostly in order, but while she enjoyed her job at the zoo and her current living conditions, she couldn''t help but want something more. Something like what her parents were doing: A brand new experience to test her dedication and resilience, and to possibly show her a new way of living. For her, anything would be better than the routine she found herself stuck in currently. Little did she know that the opportunity she was looking for was waiting just around the cornerˇ Literally.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
As Rachael stepped around the corner of the rear hallway of the reptile house, her boss''s office door flew open and a young man no older than herself came stumbling out of it, almost tripping into the tortoise exhibit. "Oh yeah?! Well the same to you, you stuck up stick-in-the-mud!" The man shouted back as the door slammed behind him. The man wore a casual outfit consisting of blue jeans, an Hawaiian polo shirt, and colorful blue-and-green running shoes. His messy brown hair seemed to match his odd appearance and his irritated attitude. Dusting himself off, the man eyed Rachael, whom had stopped to watch the scene unfold in front of her. "ˇQuite the spectacle, huh?" He deadpanned. He looked like he was about to say something more, but then he caught sight of Rachael''s employee name tag. "Oh, you''d just side with that old fart anyways. Nevermindˇ"
Racahel blinked in a mix of surprise and confusion. "Um, what? I don''t even know what''s happeningˇ May I ask what is?"
"Oh, nothing too important." The man sighed, seating himself on a viewing bench adjacent to the crocodile pen. "I''m just trying to find a place for someone to stay, and that old wackjob wouldn''t listen to my proposition. And I was going to pay for everything. What an experience it could have been tooˇ"
This caught Rachael''s attention. "Anˇ An experience?" She repeated, taking a step forward. "How so?"
Watching Rachael from the corner of his eye, the man continued. "You see, I''m trying to find a temporary home for a friend of mine. He can''t live where he came from right now, so I need to find a residence capable of housing him for a short while. Nothing too big, either. Just a place for him to stay while I sort out what needs to be sorted."
Rachael mulled this over in her mind. She had plenty of room back home. Not to mention the man''s mention of paying for everything as wellˇ But wait! This was a complete and total stranger in front of her, looking for a place to house another total stranger. "ˇWho is this person that you''re trying to help?" Rachael asked warily, unsure why she was continuing this conversation.
"This is where most people turn awayˇ" The man muttered. "He''s a demi-human." As the words left his mouth, Rachael tensed up automatically. The demi-humans were a major issue in California. Half of the population wanted to turn the state into a Safe-State for the demi-humans, while the rest of it wanted to shun the demies from society altogether. One had to be careful when bringing up demi-humans in a conversation, because it often sparked massive arguments between people who had different views of the situation. Rachael tried her best to avoid these sorts of things, but it was ultimately impossible to ignore. The zoo itself had announced that it refused to hire any and all demi-humans, so it was no wonder that the man had been kicked out of the manager''s office. Noticing the tensed expression on Rachael''s face, the man shook his head. "I knew it. You''re just like the rest. Too afraid to help someone in need just because they''re different than you. You people are all the-"
"Excuse me," Rachael said sternly, "I haven''t said anything yet. It just took me by surprise. It''s not often that you hear of someone going to any sort of length to help a demi-human. And of course, before I consider anything, I''d need some more information. For starters, I don''t even know who I''m talking to."
Hearing that Rachael might possibly cooperate, he noticeably perked up. "Well then, the name''s Lanardo." The man said as he rose to his feet and extending a hand in greeting, which Rachael shook. "Lanardo John Di''Andreas. And the demi-human in question is named Kragar, aˇ Lizardman, as it were. The conflicts between humans and demi-humans back in his homeland of Florida got a little, how to say itˇ Out of hand. That said, I was assigned to relocate him out of harm''s way temporarily, until things blow over in Florida. So far, I''ve been through four states and still can''t find him a home." Lanardo slumped down onto the bench again and massaged his temples, his sudden, peppy mood disappearing as quickly as it had come on. "I''m running out of time to get this done, and if I failˇ" He shuddered suddenly, as though he didn''t want to think about it. This raised a bit of concern with Rachael, for even though she aimed to remain neutral on the demi-human situation, she felt that no one should be mistreated for no reason other than the generic conflict.
Against her better judgement, Rachael asked the question that took the conversation in the direction most would try to avoid. "What would it take for someone to house him?"
"Nothing too grand." Lanardo answered with a slight shrug. "Just a few very minor modifications to the home in order to accommodate his demi-half. All paid for by moi, of course."
"You can do that? Just pay for everything like it''s nothing?" Rachael questioned, finding that a little bit suspicious.
Lanardo steepled his fingers and looked Rachael in the eye. "Well, you see, I run a small business that specializes in helping demi-humans in times of need. All profit is from donations, and most people want us dead for devoting our time to aiding demi-humans. But, if you were to decide to help a poor, helpless demi, it would be entirely off the public record to keep you from being a target by those bent on abolishing peace."
"So, what exactly will happen if this demi-human, - Kragar was it? ¨C doesn''t find a home?" Rachael asked.
"The death penalty." Lanardo replied bluntly.
"What?!" Rachael yelped. "Why that serious? What did he do?"
"Nothing, really. It''s simply because there are more people in Florida that would rather have demies gone than let them stay."
"But that''s insane!"
"You''re telling me, sister." Lanardo sighed once more. "So that''s my situation. Would you be willing to help?"
Rachael was torn, now. She knew that having a demi-human living with her would undoubtedly bring negative attention, but what if Lanardo couldn''t find Kragar a home at all? What if she was the decider as to whether this demi-human lived? If she said no, and then later found out that Lanardo had failed in his questˇ
"I''ll do it."
Lanardo looked utterly shocked. "W-What? Really?" He clasped his hands together, and a happy grin spread across his face. "That''s great! Oh my gosh, thank you!" He grabbed Rachael''s right hand and shook it, at the same time slipping her a business card. All that was on the card was Lanardo''s full name (which she already knew) and his phone number below that.
Rachael saw the number, a realized that Lanardo would need hers too. "Oh, here''s mineˇ" She said as she pulled out her phone to give Lanardo her own number. As she did so, she couldn''t help but wonder what in the world she had just gotten herself into. She didn''t nearly know enough about the situation to logically accept the proposition, but something deep down inside her told her that this could be the change she was looking for. Besides, she didn''t have to worry about the cost of having a guest, and Lanardo has said it was just a lizardman, right? She had seen plenty of those around town, and was even occasionally fascinated by their use of their tails as a third "hand". What could possibly go wrong?
Once she and Lanardo had traded information, the man suddenly turned to leave. "Wait, is that it?" Rachael called after him, to which he nodded in answer.
"Yep. I''ll contact you with details in a day or two. And again, thank you so much for saving the life of another person!" Before Rachael could say anything more, Lanardo slipped out the door of the reptile house, leaving Rachael to continue to question her recent decision. What on Earth had she just gotten herself into? What, indeedˇ
ALWAYS Smile at a Crocodile
The first thing Rachael learned about Lanardo after their initial meeting was that the man didn''t seem to have a strong sense of time. Although he had said it would be a day or two before he contacted her, Rachael found herself rolling out of bed at one in the morning to answer her phone. She had tried to ignore it the first two times it went off, but she had a feeling that the caller wasn''t going to give up. She groggily stood up and retrieved her phone, flopping back down onto her bed as she answered the call. "Who izit?" She asked sleepily, trying to rub the tired out of her eyes.
"Rachael!" Lanardo''s energetic voice sang through the phone, and Rachael held back an irritated groan. "For a moment there I thought you wouldn''t pick up. So, about your living accommodationsˇ"
"Lanardo, do you have any idea what time it is?" Rachael asked, massaging the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"The time?" Lanardo repeated, "Why of course. It''s onlyˇ" He went silent, and Rachael could hear the distinct sound of rustling window blinds, and then what could only be described as plastic being smacked against a tabletop. "ˇWell, I was going to say six-oh-five, but now that I think about it, that''s what my alarm clock has been saying for the last week." This time, Rachael didn''t hold back the groan. "Whoa, hey, if you think this is a bad time, I''ll call back later."
Rachael sighed, "No, no, I''m up. What is it you want to talk about? Something about where I live?"
"Yep. I need to make sure that your house is fit for your guest." Lanardo explained. "We probably might maybe have to change a few things in order to-"
"Wait, why wouldn''t my house be good enough?" Rachael interrupted. "This is just a Lizardman, right?"
"What? Is there a problem if he isn''t your regular run-of-the-mill stereotype?" Lanardo questioned, a hint of worry on his voice.
"Well, yes." Rachael said, beginning to realize that Lanardo wasn''t telling her something. "''Lizardman is more of a broad term, right? I want to know the specifics of what Dragur is."
"Kragar." Lanardo corrected her. "And fine, I''ll spill. Kragar is a Croctus. Half man, half crocodile." Rachael waited for Lanardo to continue, but he was apparently finished.
"ˇWait, is that it? Why would you try to keep that a secret?" She asked, now confused.
"Not everyone enjoys the thought of a crocodile man living with them." Lanardo explained. "Several people have already turned him down because of that fact alone."
"That''s stupid." Rachael said firmly. "Why would there be any problem with that at all?" In her head, Rachael was envisioning what she thought Kragar looked like.
Your typical Lizardman looked a lot like a human, with their most notable features being their tails and scaly skin, the latter of which covered their entire body save for their heads. As for their faces, a Lizardman''s eyes and ears were their defining points. The eyes of a Lizardman resembled that of an actual lizard with slits replacing rounded pupils. Their ears were also pointed and maintained the scaly texture shared with the rest of the body. The tail is the pride of the species, and they tend to flaunt it as well. Lizardmen tails are borderline prehensile, but not quite a versatile as, say, a Lamia''s tail. Still, Lizardmen have the ability to use their tails as a third hand, capable of holding even moderately heavy objects. They also have the ability to detach their tails in moments of danger or surprise, but since the tail also stores a lot of nutrients, detachment of the tail could possibly result in the death of the Lizardman. Fortunately, that does not happen often in this day and age.
Since many Lizardmen interbred with humans, there are many different variations of the Lizardman. Some have a mix of scaly and smooth skin, some have rounded pupils instead of slits, and some have lost the ability to detach their tails, among other minor changes in the DNA patterns.
Lastly, the Lizardman is indeed a broad term. There are several species variants with traits belonging to less generic lizards such as Gila monsters, basilisks, and geckos. That said, why couldn''t there be a crocodile version of this? As Rachael mulled the thought over in her head, she imagined a Lizardman with tough, almost plated skin like that of an actual crocodile, along with a thick, powerful tail and sharp teeth. Surely her house wouldn''t require more than a few simple changes to allow this crocodilian guest to live with her.
"What exactly would be necessary for him to stay here?" Rachael questioned, as she slipped on a pair of fuzzy slippers and began pacing around her room to keep herself awake. She could hear the rustling of papers as Lanardo rummaged through a box, before the sound of several obviously breakable objects crashing to the floor startled her awake.
"Eh, I needed to clear off that table anyways." Lanardo muttered. "Okay, so for Kragar to stay with you''ll, he''ll just need adequate living space and a large water source, along with a few other minor necessities."
"A large water source?" Rachael repeated. "You mean like a swimming pool?"
"Yes, exactly that!" Lanardo confirmed happily. "Do you already have one?"
"Does an inflatable pool count?"
"No, that won''t do. Lemme see hereˇ" More rustling of paper, followed by Lanardo muttering grumpily to himself about "higher-ups". "ˇHow big is your backyard?"
"My backyard? I guess it''s fairly bigˇ Why?" Rachael inquired.
"Company policy." Lanardo scoffed, annoyed by this for some reason. "We''ll have to have one installed. My boss will sign for it, and then I''ll need your signature on the day of installation. Is that alright with you?"
Rachael was dumbfounded by this. She was just going to receive a swimming pool at no charge? "Of course that''s alright!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, wait. What about the water bill? Won''t-"
"Don''t worry about that." Lanardo interrupted, "I know a trick that''ll be able to bypass that."
Rachael tried to think of what one could possibly do to avoid a water bill, but ultimately assumed that he meant something about efficiency. "When is that all going to happen?"
"In a day or two." Lanardo answered. "We''re kind of in a lull right now, so we''ll be able to send some people over in a couple days, and then bring Kragar over the day after that."
"Who''s ''we''?" Rachael questioned. "Your company?"
"Oh, right, I haven''t even told you that part!" Lanardo said, audibly facepalming himself. "I work for Helping Hands, an organization dedicated to providing aid to demi-humans in need. It''s the company itself that''s enabling me to move Kragar in with you and cover all of the expenses necessary for housing him."
"Wow, really? That must be a pretty profitable business to be able to help demi-humans nationwide."
"Hardly, actually. I saved the company a while back when I accidentally won the lottery." Lanardo explained. "Landed me a firm job and gives me some leeway in the decision-making. Now, I''m sure you want to get some sleep, so I''ll lay down what needs to get done: The pool, minor renovations, a quick background check because policies, and then the initial meeting of you and Kragar. I''d normally have you come to the office, but given the circumstances, I''ll just bring Kragar to you. How''s that sound?"
"It''s fine with me." Rachael said, sitting back down on her bed. She was starting to get tired again, and just wanted to end the conversation at this point. "So when will the renovators be coming to install the pool and all those other things?" She asked.
"In a day or two, once I get things straightened out on my end." Lanardo replied. "It''ll be a piece of cake once I get a couple of signatures. I''ll talk to you soon, alright?"
In her grogginess, Rachael nodded. Realizing that Lanardo couldn''t see her, she caught herself and said, "Oh, yes. Right. Just not at one in the morning."
Lanardo chuckled. "Understood. T-T-L-Y, as the cool kids say!" And with that, he hung up, leaving Rachael sitting in the dark. Ready to return to the land of dreams, Rachael tipped backwards onto the bed and rolled to wrap herself up in the sheets. Phone still in hand, she drifted back off to sleep with the thought of lounging by her to-be-installed pool ruminating in her head.
To Rachael''s surprise the next day, Lanardo apparently screwed up the timing for the renovators as well. At just past nine o''clock, a group of about twenty-five renovators arrived to begin work on the house and swimming pool. With that day and the next having been her days off, she was wildly unprepared for any sort of guest. She was still in her bathrobe when she answered the door, and was becoming peeved with Lanardo''s inability to time events properly. At least he hadn''t brought Kragar yetˇStolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Trying to ignore the noise of the renovations, Rachael retreated to the backyard with a book to keep an eye on the workers and to catch up on some reading. The men worked with a surprising amount of efficiency, having managed to dig out the space for the pool by noon. The men inside finished with whatever they had been doing and came out to join the others for a lunch break. While they ate, Rachael decided to go inside and see what had been modified in the short three hours.
When Rachael stepped through the back door into the living room, the very first thing that was apparent was that most of the doorways were larger in both height and width.
Maybe Kragar''s a little taller than normal? Rachael thought, having assumed up to this point that Kragar was the same size as most Lizardmen. As she walked through the kitchen to the front room, she made note that both of those rooms had been left mostly untouched. The only noticeable change in the front room was that there was a huge easy-chair with a large hole in the back, but too low to be for a massage system. This perplexed Rachael, mostly because the hole was just big enough for a child to squeeze through. After some thought, she realized that the hole must be for a tail. That would make sense, given that a tailed demi-human wouldn''t be able to sit on any backed furniture without their tail getting in the way.
The rest of the rooms on the first floor also remained unchanged, and these included the second guest room and bathroom, and Rachael''s "Relaxation Room", which held her small book collection and her favorite chair under the stairs. Essentially, it was the place she went when she was either done with the day, or when she just needed some alone time.
As she went upstairs, Rachael noticed that there were still tools and supplies lying about that the renovators had yet to pick up. She entered the guest bedroom first to see what had been changed. When Rachael''s parents first left, their room became her room, and her room became the upstairs guest room. Now, her old room was going to be Kragar''s room. It had been lonely for the first couple months once when she moved back in after finishing college, and only had herself and her work friends to do things with. Having a guest would probably remove the lonely feeling of beingˇ Well, alone. Like the front room, there was almost no change in the upstairs guest room aside from the bed having almost doubled in size and the addition ofˇ a heat lamp? Rachael had never paid much attention to it, but the fact that reptilian demi-humans were cold blooded now stuck out like a sore thumb. No wonder Lanardo had searched the southern states: Kragar needed someplace warm to stay.
She then left the bedroom and entered the bathroom, and marveled at the change in layout compared to any of the other rooms. The bathtub was now the size of a spa pool, and could hold a whole family at once, and the sink and toilet both had at least doubled in size. Around the sink was Rachael''s toiletries, but there was also a giant toothbrush which almost looked more like a brush for backs than one for teeth. Well, he is a crocodile. It would only be natural for him to have a lot of teethˇ She thought. However, the size of the toothbrush bugged her. Lizardmen were almost always human-size, so surely Kragar''s mouth wouldn''t be bigger than normalˇ Would it?
Having finished her self-tour of the house, Rachael returned downstairs and returned to the backyard, where the workers were starting on the pool once again. Believing they''d finish the job just as well on their own, Rachael retrieved her book from her lawn chair and went back inside to make herself lunch. She was secretly hoping that the workers would finish that day, so she could try out the pool herself. But even though the chances of that weren''t likely, she''d still have tomorrow before Kragar came. Certainly, Lanardo couldn''t possibly screw that upˇ
He did.
The next day, the renovators returned to finish the pool''s plumbing, which is what they failed to complete the day previous. However, who should be tagging along but Lanardo. The Helping Hands employee showed up in a U-Haul truck moments after the men went around back to complete the pool. "Rachael! Perfect timing!" Lanardo greeted enthusiastically, hopping from the cab and jogging up to his client. "Guess who''s ready to meet you?" The man''s outfit was drastically different from the one Rachael had last seen him in. Instead of a colorful Hawaiian shirt, he was wearing a more normal attire, consisting of a blue polo, jeans, and Nike sneakers.
Rachael almost couldn''t believe it. First the early-morning phone call, then the renovators, and now this? "Lanardo," She sighed, "you said you wouldn''t bring Kragar until after these workers were done, and before that you said they wouldn''t come for a day or two. And before that-"
Wincing, Lanardo held up a finger to silence Rachael. "Look, I''m sorry for rushing things a bit, but I needed to get Kragar here as soon as possible." He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled through his teeth. "Being completely honest, there are people who want Kragar either in jail or dead, but to save him from whatever awful fate the Florida police force had for him required me to move him out of state as quickly as possible. To do that, I had to pull a few strings and appeal to some emotions."
"Wait, did you trick me?" Rachael asked, suddenly feeling deceived.
"What? Trick you? No, of course not!" Lanardo quickly responded, shaking his head rapidly and holding his hands up in defense. "I have withheld no information from you, other than the fact that he might be staying here for just a little bit longer than we normally would have it."
Rubbing her temples as she realized that this whole situation might be more serious than she thought, she asked, "How long is a ''little bit''?"
Lanardo glanced skywards and counted on his fingers. "Um, anywhere from three months toˇ Uh, from now untilˇ Okay, more than three months."
Rachael stifled a sarcastic laugh. "Are you telling me that you''re working against the law to hide Kragar? Does your Helping Hands company even know?"
"Nope." Lanardo answered simply. "Yeah, I''ve, uh, really been working behind a lot of backs here." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "With all the racial issues between humans and demi-humans, I''ve really got my hands tied. It was this, or let Kragar get thrown in the slammer. Or worse."
Rachael sighed. Was this really happening? Was she actually getting roped into an illegal scheme to save the life of a demi-human that she didn''t even know? This was insane! What if the cops came knocking on her door the very next day? What if Kragar turned out to be a terrible guest? What ifˇ What if it turned out to be a growing experience?
To her own surprise, Rachael found herself pulling up positive outcomes in her mind for the situation. What if Kragar turned out of be enjoyable to live with? What if this all blew over in a month or two? What if this truly was the experience that she had been searching for? Taking a deep breath and collecting her thoughts, Rachael said, "Okay, I want to meet him. Where is he?"
Seeing Rachael''s sudden resolve, Lanardo smiled and turn towards the U-Haul truck. Walking around to the back of the truck, which just so happened to be facing away from the house, Lanardo lifted the door and exchanged words with whomever was inside. Lanardo stepped back a moment later, and the truck''s occupant, Kragar, stepped out.
He was not what Rachael was expecting.
All thoughts of Lizardmen were wiped from her mind as she gazed upon what was basically a huge, bipedalˇ
"Crocodile..." Rachael muttered, that being the only word that came to mind in this moment.
"A Croctus, actually." Lanardo corrected her. Kragar''s appearance was jaw-dropping. He stood almost seven feet tall, and wore only a pair of tan cargo shorts that were modified in the back to compensate for his large tail, and a grey zip-up hoodie. Rachael could see his murky, green skin wherever there wasn''t clothing, and he was obviously very strong, indicated simply by the way he was built: Very broad, and very muscular. Rachael found herself staring at his head, which was basically a crocodile head, all the way from the eyes to the teeth. The eyes however, looked more human then reptilian, aside from the slits instead of rounded pupils and being a brilliant blue. Kragar yawned and stretched as he exited the truck, and Rachael got a good look at all 54-four of his white, near-razor-sharp teeth, and a tingle flew down her spine at the thought of what he could do with those.
Kragar saw Rachael and approached, and it was all Rachael could do to prevent herself from taking a step backwards. Extending a leathery, clawed hand in greeting, Kragar spoke, "You must be the lady I''m staying with. I''m Kragar Krokten. Nice to meet you." Instead of sounding low and gruff, Kragar''s voice was surprisingly natural. In fact, it made Rachael feel a little better to know that Kragar didn''t sound as intimidating as he looked, nor did he act that way either.
Taking Kragar''s massive hand and shaking it, Rachael replied, "It''s nice to meet you too. When Lanardo said you were a Lizardman, I assumed something a little different."
Hearing this, Kragar raised an eye-arch (he had no hair to make it a brow) and looked back at Lanardo. "You told her I was a Lizardman?" He questioned, before bursting into laughter. Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to Rachael and grinned, thumbing at himself. "Lady, I am a Croctus! Separated from the Lizardman species, and proud to be unique." He glanced back at his escort and laughed again. "I''d also take everything this guy says with a pinch of salt. He''s the best con-artist I know."
Rachael was shocked to hear this, and looked wide-eyed at Lanardo. Of course, with the way he had handled things, she should have noticed it sooner. "A con-artist, huh?" She repeated, placing her hands on her hips and giving Lanardo a look of disappointment. "I should''ve guessed."
Lanardo gave Rachael a bashful smile as he hauled a large suitcase out of the back of the truck. "What can I say? It''s a living." He deposited the suitcase next to Kragar and stepped towards the cab of the truck. "A-a-and I''ve also got some loose ends to tie up with all of this, so if you''ll excuse meˇ" Before either Rachael or Kragar could say another word, Lanardo hopped back into the driver seat and drove off. Rachael could see now that leaving in order to end a conversation was a habit of his.
Turning back to her new guest, Rachael surveyed the scenario she was in. She was about to start living with someone that was more crocodile than human. She had no idea what Kragar had done to land himself in as much trouble as he was in, she didn''t know what else Lanardo was planning in that cleverly deceptive mind of his, and she may have just put herself on the wrong side of the law. What could possibly go wrong?
Remembering her manners, she said with a smile, "Come inside, Kragar. I''ll give you a tour of the place."
Returning the smile with one of his own, Kragar nodded and lifted his heavy suitcase with one hand as if it weighed nothing. "Thanks! I''m looking forward to thisˇ Well, honestly, anything''s better than the way things were back homeˇ"
Rachael wanted to ask what exactly happened back in Florida, but decided to save that for later. After all, Kragar had only just arrived, and he probably didn''t want to talk about why he was on the run.
As the two entered the house, Rachael thought about her situation one last time. My roommate is a reptileˇ She thought to herself. This is going to be one heck of an adventure.
A Sandwich and a Story
As Rachael led Kragar inside, she didn''t even have a chance to begin a tour of her house before the Croctus began his own exploration. The first thing he noticed was the modified recliner sitting in the living room, and his murky-green face lit up upon seeing it.
"No way!" He exclaimed happily, dropping his suitcase and jogging over to the chair. "Lanardo actually got one? That''s awesome!" Rachael entered the living room just in time to see Kragar insert his tail through the hole in the back of the chair. With a satisfied sigh, he settled himself down in the recliner, and from the back it looked like the chair had a tail of its own.
"Did you ask Lanardo for this?" Rachael asked as she approached the Croctus.
Kragar nodded and said, "The entire trip over here was a pain, because no place that we stopped had things for people with tails. I mean, a lot of demi-humans can just tuck their tails around themselves, but mine''s too big for that. All I can do with it is move it back and forth." He demonstrated this by sweeping his tail from side to side a couple of times, almost knocking Rachael off her feet with the first sweep. Kragar''s tail accidentally collided with Rachael''s legs, and she could feel that it was mostly muscle. She knew that crocodiles used their tails to both propel themselves while swimming and to lunge at their prey, and this must apply to Croctus as well. Taking this in, Rachael couldn''t help but wonder just how much more crocodile Kragar was than man. In fact, at first glance the most human thing about him was only his bipedal stature. Everything else about him was crocodilian, so instead of being fifty-percent crocodile and fifty-percent man, it was more along the lines of seventy-five-percent crocodile and twenty-five-percent man, and even that was a stretch. Why, he was probably-
Rachael''s train of thought was interrupted by Kragar tossing his hoodie over the back of the recliner. Hoodie removed, Rachael could see that Kragar wasn''t wearing a shirt underneath, revealing his upper body entirely. His arms and sides were the same leathery texture as his legs and head, but his chest and backside were different. His back was covered in small ridges and bumps like that of a real crocodile, while the front of his torso was smoother than the rest of his body. His chest was also brighter, being a yellow-green color rather than the darker colors sported by the rest of his body. With the massive, muscular Croctus sitting just feet from her, Rachael felt particularly tiny and a little bit intimidated. Kragar had shown no signs of any hostility, but Rachael was still uneased by the fact that he looked like a demi-human version of Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne "The Croc" Johnson. Rachael thought to herself, holding back a laugh and momentarily forgetting how intimidating Kragar looked. She decided to break the silence before it turned awkward.
"When did you last eat?" Rachael asked, picking the question she thought would be the most hospitable. "Something tells me that taking care of his guests isn''t Lanardo''s first course of action."
Kragar chuckled, "Yeah, Lanardo can be a little "out there", but he ain''t a bad guy. He saved my hide, that''s for sure. Whatcha got?"
Rachael pictured in her mind what was currently resting in her fridge. "Well, I didn''t expect you to come so early, so I''m afraid the only things I have are leftovers and sandwich materials. Can I make you a ham and turkey sandwich?"
Kragar''s reptilian eyes lit up at the mention of ham and turkey. "Sure! Any meat works for me." He said, with no hesitation.
Rachael took note of this. He''s not the picky type. She thought. I mean, he is a crocodile. They''ll eat just about anything. Turning around, she left the front room and entered the kitchen. As she retrieved everything she needed for the sandwich, she casually glanced out the sliding-glass doors at the workers finishing up the plumbing. A couple were standing around chit-chatting, as only so many were needed to complete the plumbing job, and Rachael could see that one had a sub sandwich of his own in his hands. He had his back partially turned towards Rachael, and she watched as he took a large bite out of his sandwich, his scraggily tail swishing back and forth in delight as he chewed and swallowed theˇ Hold on.
Rachael quickly set down the bread and mayonnaise she had been holding and approached the glass doors. With her face almost pressed against the glass, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief as she got a better look at the union workers standing in her backyard. After confirming that the sandwich-bearing man did have a tail, she looked to the others standing about the yard. To her surprise, at least half of the men bore some resemblance to dogs. Not only did they have tails of varying length and furriness, but they also had paw-like hands, dog noses, and ears to match their canine appearance. Rachael was dumbfounded by all of this. Why hadn''t she noticed any of this before? It was blatantly obvious that the men standing in her backyard were Kobolds, a type of canine demi-human that was arguably the most common of all the demi-humans worldwide, and after another minute of observation, Rachael realized that the workers'' canine features were easily concealed by hats, gloves, and safety vests.
"Whatcha lookin'' at?" Asked a voice behind Rachael. With a startled squeak, Rachael whipped around to find herself face-to-face with Kragar. Noticing her surprised expression and squeak, the Croctus laughed, "Sorry, did I scare you? You seemed really interested in something out there."
Shaking her head, Rachael glanced back at the union workers. "A little bit." She admitted, "I just realized that a bunch of those men out there are Kobolds. I feel bad for not having noticed sooner. Do you think they''d like drinks? I''d hate for them-"
"Stop that." Kragar said firmly, snapping Rachael out of her thoughts. "I know where this is going. You don''t need to treat them any differently now that you know they''re demies. If there''s one thing we hate, it''s being treated differently than you ''regular'' humans, and I''m not talking about things that actually are different. They''re just here to do their job, just like the rest of the men that don''t have tails." Rachael knew Kragar was right, and this was something that she''d have to pay attention to, now that she was going to be living with a demi-human. Offering refreshments wasn''t a bad thing to do, but offering because she thought she had to be nice to the demi-humans would be impolite, even if they didn''t know the reason themselves.
"Do you have to deal with a lot of that?" Rachael asked, turning back to face Kragar.
The Croctus nodded. "I didn''t think it was that big of an issue until I left the swamp," He answered. "but anyone who doesn''t try to see it from our view does it. It''s annoying as all hell, lemme tell you."
It was beginning to dawn on Rachael the seriousness of the situation she currently found herself in. With Kragar living under the same roof as her, most, if not all, of the issues demi-humans faced on a day-to-day basis would be brought to the forefront of her own daily life. She would no longer be able to remain neutral on the subject of the demi-humans and all the points that said subject covered. Granted, she wouldn''t have to make her decisions immediately, but she certainly wouldn''t be able to avoid them. "I suppose it would beˇ" Rachael said in vague agreement as she tried to arrange her thoughts.
In silence, she left the back doors and returned to the sandwich materials resting on the kitchen counter, and Kragar took a seat at the kitchen table centered in the middle of the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachael watched as Kragar turn the wooden chair sideways so that he could sit on it without his tail getting in the way. Stools. Rachael thought, making a mental note. Stools would be perfect for a tailed demi-human like Kragar to sit on. What about beanbags for lounging? He had said that his tail couldn''t bend like other demi-humans'' could, but would a soft seat like a beanbag have enough cushion to be comfortable?
As she thought on these things, Rachael finished the ham and turkey sandwich, and she was just about to turn around and present it to Kragar when another thought crossed her mind: How much did large demi-humans like Croctus eat? Placing the "unfinished" sandwich back on the counter, Rachael quickly added another layer to turn the sandwich into a double-decker. Pleased with her changes, she pivoted on her heels with sandwich in hand and approached her crocodilian houseguest, who was currently picking a chunk ofˇ Something out of the gum line of one of his dagger-esque teeth.
"Oh-ho! Not bad for a first try!" Kragar exclaimed happily when he caught sight of the sandwich. "I was afraid you''d be like the other people and made something that looked like a piece of paper." Rachael entirely sure if the Croctus was joking, but given their last conversation, she could safely assume he wasn''t. That thought, however, was wiped from her mind when she saw how Kragar ate his food. The crocodile man naturally picked up the sandwich and placed it in his extended jawline, closed his mouth, and swallowed. She realized that she hadn''t even begun to find out how much a Croctus could eat when Kragar, with complete seriousness, asked, "Can you make another, please?"
The demi-human gave Rachael a look of concern when she remained still and silent, stunned by the sudden disappearance of such a large amount of food. "ˇYou alright?" He asked hesitantly, tilting his head slightly as Rachael continued to stare.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Realizing that she was being rather rude, she cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, noˇ I mean yes! I was just caught off guard by yourˇ Eating habits." She didn''t know any other way to put it. The sight of Kragar swallowing the sandwich whole had surprised her.
To her relief, Kragar seemed amused by this, rather offended or irritated. "Yeah, you and everyone else." He said with a smirk. "Even Lanardo was surprised. He dared me to fit the biggest thing I could eat in my mouth, so I folded up the pizza we were going to split and swallowed it in one go!" The Croctus was now visibly holding back a laugh. "You humans are funny. Always shocked by what us demi-humans can do." He had a point. With their tails, claws, wings, super-human abilities, unique cultures, and more, demi-human species constantly one-upped humans in almost all categories. In fact, the only thing keeping demi-humans from becoming the superior race on Earth was the fact that they were significantly outnumbered by the comparatively bland humans that covered the face of the planet. Unfortunately, that fact was one of the main reasons people felt resentment towards the demi-humans. "Now," Kragar continued, "About that second sandwichˇ"
Hearing the crocodile''s eagerness to receive another sandwich, Rachael couldn''t help but smile and feel at ease. True, Kragar was large and could very easily be terrifying if he wanted to be, but his immediate nature appeared to be a kind, caring, thoughtful one. Never judge a book by its cover. Rachael thought as she turned back to the bread and meat to whip up another double-decker ham-n-turkey sandwich.
Upon Rachael''s completion of the second sandwich, Kragar readily reached out for the borderline-meal of a snack. But to the Croctus'' dismay, Rachael held it out of his reach. "Hold on," She said playfully, using his want of the sandwich to her advantage, "if you want this one, you''ll have to answer a question first."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Kragar questioned, resting a leathery elbow on the table and leaning forward curiously.
"What happened to bring you all the way over here?" Rachael asked, rather bluntly, with a completely serious expression. "If you''re going to stay here, I want to know whether I''ll be living with a hardened criminal or a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kragar knew she was going to ask this fairly quickly. Lanardo had informed him of what Rachael did and did not know, and told him to be prepared to answer questions honestly. What a hypocrite.
Sitting up straight in the sideways chair, Kragar folded his clawed hands and rested them on the table. "I''ll be honest with you, I''m not a killer or a thief. You could say I''m innocent, but my intentions at the time weren''t. It happened back in my swamp in Florida, the Okefenokee Swamp. Great place to live. Lots of wildlife, good food, very moist. The only real problems are the people that visit it. See, the Croctus that live there, which included my family, have their own section of the swamp since humans aren''t too fond of our species. We keep it fenced off, but that didn''t stop several jackasses from coming in anyways. These guys came in to do something, but I never found out what. I saw them boating down the river and I wanted to have a little fun with them. I approached their boat like a crocodile would, and dove underwater when they saw me, but then they dropped meat into the water. I thought they were being friendly and knew what I was, but when I bit down on the blasted trap, they snagged me with a hook. Ripped off a chunk of skin too." Kragar turned his head to the left and parted his jaws slightly, allowing Rachael to see where a portion of his gums had a jagged scar surrounding a sharp, white tooth. The sight of the scar sent a shiver down Rachael''s spine when she imagined the tooth and gum painfully ripping out of Kragar''s jaw. The tooth was also brighter than the others, indicating that it must have grown in recently.
"After that," The Croctus continued, turning his head back to face Rachael, "I don''t remember much other than trying to sink them and rip their teeth out. The one that I grabbed wouldn''t stop flailing, so I threw him out of the river and tried to give chase. Tripped on a log, though, and they got away. I figured that they''d just leave and never come back, but then we heard on the radio that the fools were telling everybody that I threatened to kill all of them and their families and some other dumb stuff." Rachael assumed that by "we" Kragar must have meant his family. Did they have houses in the swamp? She decided to save that question for later, as Kragar was still talking.
"It was just a couple days until the cops started asking questions around the swamp, and apparently they were out to have me arrested. Some of my friends tried to talk them out of it, but it only made them angrier, and then they said the Croctus were harboring a wanted criminal. That''s when Lanardo heard about the whole mess, and decided to get me out of there, pronto."
"And he just immediately began looking for a new place for you to stay?" Rachael asked, confused as to why anyone would take such a drastic action so quickly.
To this, Kragar shook his head. Crossing his arms and leaning onto the table again, he continued, "No, at first we just stayed in a hotel outside of the swamp, waiting for this to blow over when the cops couldn''t pin the right Croctus. But those idiots started rallying other idiots together, and started making a big riot about how the police were ''giving up too quickly'', and that ''they couldn''t let me get away with assault just because I''m a demi''. Then someone at the hotel ratted on me, and it was then that Lanardo decided to get me out of state. Looking back, it probably would''ve been smarter to just deal with the cops, but it''s too late for that nowˇ" Kragar sighed, and glanced out the window. "I miss home already, and I hate this whole thing."
Rachael honestly couldn''t help but feel a mix of emotions after hearing Kragar''s story. She felt sorry for Kragar and the fact that he was removed from his home, but it was to avoid the law. Regardless of the unfairness of the situation, it was still illegal, and Rachael knew that was wrong. But the act of baiting a hookˇ "Kragar," She began slowly, organizing her thoughts, "you said they had the meat on a hook?"
The crocodile nodded glumly as he stared at the tabletop. "It was a stupid trick to fall for. I should have guessed they would pull something like that."
"But if they knew you were a Croctus, would they really have tried to injure you like that?" Rachael pointed out. "Baiting a hook is something people do sometimes when hunting for crocodiles."
Kragar looked up at Rachael in interest, and raised an eye-arch. "So, you''re saying thatˇ They were poachers?" He asked, and Rachael nodded in response. As the truth slowly dawned on Kragar, the Croctus slowly sat upright once again. Rachael jumped in her seat when he pounded a fist on the table and growled, "Those bastards! They were the ones bein'' illegal!"
"Well, yes, but-" Rachael was interrupted by Kragar laughing victoriously, jumping up from his seat and pumping a fist in the air.
"I''ve got ''em now!" He cheered, pounding his right fist into his left palm. "Once the fuzz hears that they were croc hunting on Croctus territory, they''ll bag those jackasses for sure! I can''t wait to see the looks on their faces when-"
"Kragar." Rachael said firmly, putting a stop to Kragar''s celebration. "As great as it is to know that they were the ones breaking the law, they aren''t the only ones doing it now."
"Well, I guess there are others breaking the law too, but aren''t focusing on the poachers right now?" Kragar asked, missing the point of Rachael''s statement.
Shaking her head with a sigh, Rachael reminded him, "You are breaking the law, Kragar. You''re on the run from the police." Upon hearing this, the joy from learning that the men had been poaching washed off of Kragar''s reptilian face. He knew there was no denying that he had backed himself into a corner, and was now stuck until they could find a way out of this. Sure, Lanardo could probably get the assault charges dropped, but the act of running from the law was another issue entirely. Slumping back into the chair, Kragar ran a hand over his bald, green head, muttering something profane under his breath. He now looked more irritated than disappointed, and the scowl that was forming on his face made his appearance slightly more menacing on its own. Not wishing to see Kragar angry this early into his stay, Rachael stepped around the table and placed the sandwich in front of the Croctus. Then, placing a hand on his shoulder, she said, "Hey, it''s going to be alright. I''m sure Lanardo will find a way around this. A legal way, hopefully." She was amazed how coarse and rugged his skin felt underneath her hand. It felt exactly like the skin of the crocodiles in the reptile house at the zoo, but that was to be expected. He was more crocodile than man, after all.
When Rachael placed her hand on his shoulder, Kragar turned his head to look at her. It was the first time a non-demi other than Lanardo had willingly touched him without any real hesitation. Was she not terribly intimidated by his appearance and simply hiding it to be polite? "Yeah, hopefullyˇ" He agreed, picking up the sandwich in one hand and staring at it for a moment. Rachael''s act of having taken Kragar''s demi-human attributes into account and feeding him a meal almost suiting his size had amazed him. Maybe Lanardo actually pulled through this time and found a quality human beingˇ
Mulling this over in his head, Kragar opened his gaping maw and dropped the sandwich into the veritable black hole that was his stomach. To his surprise, Rachael gave him a light laugh this time. "It''s going to take me a while to get used to that." She said with a smile, at the same time earning one in return from Kragar.
"Yeah, it''s not something you see every day." He chuckled. "The last time I saw someone do this who wasn''t a Croctus was a hippo-guy at a truck-stop on the way over here. We got in a chugging contest, and he actually beat me!" Kragar sighed happily at the thought, and was about to ask Rachael if she knew any other demi-humans when one of the Kobolds knocked on the sliding doors. The Kobold was of the beagle variety with droopy ears, a long thin tail, and short, brown fur with white patches around his eyes and paws.
"Excuse me ma''am," He said to Rachael, "but can I get you to come outside and take a look at the pool, just to make sure everything''s satisfactory?"
"Oh, sure. Let me grab my shoes and I''ll be out in a sec." Rachael responded, quickly turning and exiting to the front room to retrieve her footwear. As she did so, she decided that she would try to make some small talk with the Kobolds to learn a little more about the demi-human situation in San Francisco. She had always avoided the topic before, but now that Kragar would be living with her, it would be best to hear from a truthful source. And goodness, no one could trust the news networks to be unbiased.
As Rachael followed the Kobold outside, Kragar got up from the table and moved to retrieve his suitcase. He figured that he could unpack what little he had while Rachael talked with the Kobolds, and couldn''t help but hope that she would turn out to be the kind, respectable host that Lanardo had promised he would find. Only time would tell, and given the situation Kragar found himself in, he had plenty.