Toe the Line (Razgriz x Unknown)

[Razgriz]

It was a story that was told for generations. And honestly, it had been so long that hardly anyone remembered a time when they were separate.

History called them the first aliens, but to the modern era they were simply known as humanoids. Strange humanoid creatures possessing great intellect, strength and for some: Incredible powers. Some could phase through solid matter, some could transfigure their bodies into any shape they chose and others still were oddly reminiscent of creatures referred to in the religious texts of the world.

Of course, the real history was far less glorious. Up until about five hundred years ago, the various subspecies were as far removed from humans as possible; early humans thought them predators, demons even...Creatures to be shunned and in many instances, destroyed. There were the few that saw past the bigotry and recognized them as friendly; however, many took any means necessary to rid the world of them.

However, once they started to show the Terran race how useful they could be - along with the general desire to form peaceful relationships - resistance to integrating them began to wane. It was a long process, much like human history in general, but now that the year 2000 AD was here and gone by fifteen years, they were a globally recognized group. One that could work and live anywhere, subject to the same boons and banes as every other human they lived with and next to.

---

*July 1, 2015. New York branch of Boen, Shoenecer, and King PLLC*

The office was aflutter with activity, lawyers and administrators of all classes typing away at emails to send to various other parties. Judges, opposing attorneys, clients, the list went on. A particularly gifted 'Gazer' perused several different case files at once, her multitude of prehensile eye-stalks capable of feeding massive amounts of information, her lithe figure dressed in a red business suit with an equally red necktie, while coworkers - a short blonde-haired female human and a stocky male in black suits similar to that of the Gazer - worked a separate pile and helped reference relevant case details. A Hakutaku was surrounded by a throng of onlookers, asking her insight into various precedents and herself firing off answers without so much as breaking a sweat, her dainty digits occasionally adjusting the square-rimmed spectacles on her heart-shaped face.

And off in another corner sat one of the rising stars of the firm, Scott Hanley. One new division that the branch took on as a means to garner business was a practice involving discrimination against humanoids in the workplace and places of public service, as well as in the homestead. Namely, it was the Humanoid Defense Branch. By and large they were more durable than their human counterparts, leading employers to be less stringent about safety requirements and in some unfortunate cases, workplace harassment. And though San Francisco had garnered a reputation as a city that was very generous to its metahuman residents, there was still plenty of work to be done in helping them in other parts of the country. And New York, the Big Apple, was no different.

And Scott had kind of led the charge here, using his previous background as a work injury attorney and further back, a civil law paralegal to help make landmark cases in granting the metahuman citizens the same rights to a safe workplace as any human. As it was, he'd served about twelve years here, still very much a junior by most law firms' standards. But he was largely responsible for drafting a case to submit to the Supreme Court, one to place forward a new set of regulations regarding the treatment of humanoid residents of this great nation. It would work on a member of a particularly resented subspecies...But he had no real idea what to expect, since he'd never seen this individual before now.

As it was, he was preparing a brief to submit to a defendant's lawyer when he was called at his desk, a secretary letting him know that their 'star witness' was here. Pressing 'Save' and closing his laptop, he got up and after fixing the jacket of his business attire, prepared to open the door and grant her entrance. Thankfully, with it being a corner office, the walls stark save for the mounting of his license to practice law and the degrees he'd earned in this field, it was plenty spacious. And against one wall, was a luxurious and comfortable brown leather sofa for the larger humanoid subspecies to rest their bodies on.

Unaware of who it was he would be meeting today.

 

[TheUnknown]

'It's for the better of the race. Just meet with the lawyer and tell him the negative things that humans put her and her specific breed through.'
Rolling her eyes Mia towered over the humans who kept a wide birth around her while she stood in the waiting room. No human there could hold eye contact with her and those who did look at her only managed to hold the eye contact for a split second. Funny how a place that was supposed to be bringing assistance to her kind, the humans here treated her no different then the ones she passed by on the street. Running her hand through stark white hair she pinched the bridge of her nose as she doubted this place would be able to help her at all. Many of her race had retreated back into the forest and lived more of a wild life then a civilized life simply to get away from the humans who treated them like monsters.

Mia made a pretty good living using her web to make clothing and furniture covers. Funny how humans flocked to buy her products that she sewed as long as they didn't have to see her. Hell some humans paid a pretty penny for some of her silk products. When she was given the permission to go into the office, Mia walked down a hall not even bothering to move for humans who happened to not be looking up as they walked, she just took to the walls or the ceiling and passed by them. When she came into another opening she was greeted with a tall male who was standing alone in the room.

Turning quite a few crimson red eyes toward him she crossed her arms under a rather gracious bust that was currently covered with a black suit coat and a white blouse under it. Her legs were covered by what looked like black dress pants. No need for shoes since her legs looked like she was resting on her knees.
"Mr. Hanley I presume?"
Was all she said in a cool tone. Monotone to be exact which was rather strange coming from a female who had what seemed to be a naturally melodic tone of voice but she had perfected the ability to hide her emotions from humans. She was also sure she wouldn't need to go into much detail as to why she was seen so negatively among humans. She was, at her full height, standing at about seven in a half feet tall and she was about as big as a pony from front to back, then there was the white skull like design on her rump.

Her hands were claws of sorts, her eyes were crimson red and held no pupil or iris, they were just a solid red. Mia walked into his office and simply lowered her body so that her underside was about a foot off of the ground, allowing her more human half to look like she was seated on a chair.

 

[Razgriz]

Needless to say, Scott was more than a little surprised when his 'client' came through the door, having to back up a couple of steps. She was massive, more so than he could even dream about. It wasn't that she was horrendous to look at in Scott's eyes. In fact, her current attire actually made her appear quite professional. But part of the deal he was going to go over with her about was the space requirements for housing...He would need to make a re-evaluation.

"Yes, that's me...A pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" he would say, holding an arm outstretched as if to shake her hand...But when she didn't return, he just smiled and said politely, "Alright then, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Undoing his suit coat at the button, he would seat himself across the desk from her, "Now, I'm not sure how much you know about why I asked you to come in here. So I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have. Basically, I'm trying to take your case to the Supreme Court; we've had some successes in the lower courts with other humanoid species, and if we manage to win this case here, it will set the landmark for equals rights between humanoids and humans as a whole."

Clearing his throat, he then continued, "But, if they do what I've imagined they will do, then they're going to see about using you as a 'test case' to see if the effort is worth pursuing. If we want to win them over, we're going to have to discuss many of the harsh conditions you and your species have had to endure here." Opening his laptop once more, he would open a document template and prepare to take notes.

"Whenever you're ready, ma'am." he would then say to the arthropod woman.

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia just looked at his hand when he offered it and didn't move her hand, didn't even make an attempt to move her hands simply because she felt no need to, that and the last time someone tried shaking her hand, she was pulled to the ground in an attempt to stomp on her. Listening to him and what she was saying she sighed and reached behind her to the spot where her spider like body met her human half. There was a briefcase there. Opening it she pulled a file from the case before closing it. Setting the file on the table she slid it over to him and motioned to it.

"That file has over three dozen names. All members of my species varying in size and breed. All of them have left human cities due to being treated like monsters and are now living in forests or caves to get away from humans."
She then slid a single piece of paper his way and her cold demeanor stayed but got a bit colder.
"This is a list of twenty members of my race who have been murdered over the last year by humans. They get away with these crimes because the other humans around them say that they acted out of self defense when in reality they went into my kin's homes and killed them because they were different. We don't attack unless we're attacked. Our bodies aren't as strong as people think they are so we choose to run verses attack. However what we lack in strength we make up for in numbers. My kin are also in counsel right now. Deciding whether or not to go to war with you humans. You see us as monsters and kill us because of how we look. Well you look different from us and my kind are tired of burying their children when no justice is found."

Mia was all for the idea of attacking humans and showing them what real fear feels like but she just shrugged.
"I've told them to hold on and see how this goes but judging by how I was seen in your main lobby, I'm not overflowing with excitement. Every human in your main lobby...people who are supposed to be fighting for non-humans, not one of them looked at me like an equal. Fear, disgust and confusion were what I saw. It's easy for you to look at a canine or a feline and thing their nice and cute but look at an arachnid and not one of you can see the individual behind the legs. Makes me really nervous actually. As for other things humans have done. I didn't shake your hand because the last time I shook a humans hand, they yanked me to the ground and proceeded to try and squish me with their boots. Also. It's Night. Miss Night."

Mia crossed her arms again and simply watched the human. She'd read up on how African American's were treated in history and minus the slave aspect, that's about how her kind was treated. Beaten, killed and dragged through the dirt because they were different. Only this time, unlike the Black's peace march, Arachnids would be going to war, and they outnumbered the humans in most cities 3 to 1. When they were actually looking to kill, they were very dangerous and they could move a lot faster than most humans gave them credit for.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott took the papers as she handed them to him and read them over; this was quite the list of names. He knew this was a bad situation for her species...But this opened the light on a whole new level of oppression. Even more so when she handed him yet another file; he would definitely need some time to prepare his case anew with this information. She'd just helped him out more than she realized.

But...When she revealed that her kin were discussing open war, that's when he noticeably panicked, even if her reasons were perfectly justifiable. Even so, that would completely ruin everything he was trying to fight for! Granted, he understood why she felt that way, but that wasn't the answer. Still, when she revealed that it was her that told them to wait and see how this turned out, he did calm down a little.

Only when she finished would he address her again, "Miss Night, I know this might not be believable, and you might even disregard what I'm about to say because I have not lived your life, or that of your species...But you do have people on your side. And you have every right to feel as you do...But if anything above all else, I think it shows an incredible level of maturity to give this a chance despite everything your species has gone through. So, sincerely, I thank you. And I do promise, to fight with everything I have to make sure this works." He also made a mental note to talk to some of the detectives that had worked cases regarding assaults on Arachnids; maybe he could dig up something that would help win his case.

Indeed, her plight - much like that of the other humanoids - was very much similar to the history of African-Americans. Not just them either; it was a grisly tale that had persisted for as long as humanity had been alive. If one didn't look as they should, act as they should, or talk as they should, they were discriminated against and hated. But...He took this case because they were such archaic ideals. Ones that hampered progress, not hastened it.

"Next, Miss Night...I know that they'll try to play you off as a mooch. As a parasite trying to get a free ride through life, so these few questions, I'm going to say: Just keep the answers succinct and to the point. They'll ask you about your employment, about your past. What you do for a living, if you have a stable job, if you have any criminal history" he continued, adding "During the hearing, I would like you to tell them what you have told me. About everything that's happened. About how you feel there's no justice, but you still wanted to at least try. That alone, will speak volumes to the court."

He then sat up and asked her, "But...Before we continue, do you have any questions for me? Anything you might to have clarified?"

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia sighed a bit as she looked at his tie and the rest of his attire. Opening her brief case again she smirked a bit, some humor showing in her expression as she slide a title of ownership showing that she was the CEO of Fine Silks. A company that had sprung up out of thin air. It was responsible for catering to every aspect of human society when it came to fine silk clothing and merchandise.
"Lovely tie Mr. Hanley. I do believe I made that, last fall's edition if memory serves."
She said as she also just let him know that out of everyone in that court room, she was the richest one there but you'd never know.

"Who I am doesn't matter to humans as long as they don't see me. They see the items and greed, fashion and the need to impress take over. I originally made this company to cater to other humanoids who have a hard time finding clothing that fit them but humans began blowing up my site and soon I had to move it to a company just to create more space. So yes, I have a job and I have plenty of income."
It also let him know that should her people actually go to war, they'd have plenty of finances to do this. Her company also had it's hands in a LOT of revenue which offered the people of her kind plenty of ground to start that war of theirs.

Mia had completely ignored his little attempt to thank her just because he was right, he had no idea what they went through and while they were being mature, they were also being slaughtered in their own homes. Maturity only went so far.
"Of course they're going to turn things my way. I was prepared for that, but no. No criminal record. I don't even have a parking ticket."
Mostly because she didn't drive. The only vehicle big enough to transport her was a moving truck and she had her own personal one that the back cap was set up like an office.
"Oh and I did plan to tell them. I'd been asked to by the elders. A little warning you might say. Since no human is going to turn in one of their own for one of us. We're giving them an ultimatum. They either really put some effort into this hearing or a lot of problems are going to come their way."

 

[Razgriz]

Scott took the certificate; well then, this would shoot down any claims the dissenters might have about her being a pauper or a beggar. But when she complimented his tie, he looked down and held it up; she had made this? "Well...I won't lie, it is a very good tie. You should be proud of your work." he said to her, hoping to establish at least some form of repertoire with her. It wasn't good to either of them any good unless they could at least try to be a little friendlier to each other.

But...Her fatalistic attitude wasn't exactly inspiring confidence in him; he knew she went through a lot, but one thing she had to remember was that this was a court run by humans. He had done his part trying to get an audience with one of the more humanoid-friendly Justices, but even so if she couldn't dial it back just a little? They would be in a lot of trouble. "That's good to hear, on all counts. One thing about court is that you don't want to give the other side anything to use against you. And especially with what we're about to do."

Of course, she then brought up another tidbit. "We can say that...But, Miss Night, try to understand. If we don't play this smartly, it could just as easily backfire on us. So...How about we tell them that the Arachnid elders wish to see an equal amount of effort from our side and just leave it at that? Remember what I said earlier: You're stepping up and being a voice for your people, even when others would see it silenced. Use that, and we can win this."

 

[TheUnknown]

Naturally his little comment about cooling her jets and making sure that the humans see the atrocities and the fact that her kind is still willing to be nice to them made her almost hiss at him. Instead she spent a good hour in a half learning what all she'd need to focus on and what she'd need to avoid talking about. Anything involving violence towards the humans was a no no obviously. She was also supposed to show some emotion about her feelings towards how her kind was treated. Easier said than done since she'd spent so much time mastering the ability to hide her emotions. Human's were driven by reaction so when she showed nothing, it tended to make their cruel remarks stop or at least slow down.

Leaving his office that day she headed home and did as he suggested, packing her things in case they asked her to move into some random human's home and live with him or her for a little while. So the human could see how she was on a day to day basis. This was particularly annoying since she spent a lot of her time reading, listening to music, giggling about things on youtube or sewing. So she spent a good portion of that night getting her things ready as well as figuring out what she'd need to bring with her and what could be left behind. She also called the Arachnid elders and informed them of what she'd been told and what she was doing.

The following day, dressed in roughly the same attire as the day before only her blouse was a baby blue color, she stood outside the main court room as she listened to the male present the case. Listening as he shocked a few and outraged more at his bringing up the murders that happened as well as the others who fled the human cities and just gave up all together. He brought up how it was easy for a human to get along with a feline or a canine because they were usually seen as cute and cuddly while other races were seen as monsters.

When the lawyer he was arguing with asked for this witness who could attest to the horror's he was mentioning the doors opened as Mia walked in. She pegged the arguing lawyer with a glare and the woman seemed to almost fall out of her chair in an attempt to get as far away from Mia as she could. Even the judge seemed a bit put off. Walking around the stand she just stood to the side of it since she couldn't fit in the little box they had. Placing her hand on the book she swore in and stood there as she looked at the humans.

She desperately wanted to point out how everyone in the room was proving her right but she kept her mouth shut and kept her eyes down since she was supposed to be playing like their opinions and fear mattered.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott was sure she wasn't happy about being told to not cause too much of a stir; but they did need to tread cautiously. And while he may not have known what it was she had gone through seeing so many of her kind be unceremoniously extinguished, he did know that rubbing it in the humans' collective faces would be a surefire way of having their efforts wasted. Regardless, he did appreciate the fact that she seemed to actually want to try this out. Having a willing participant for this sort of thing wasn't easy to come by...And from one species that was relatively hated more than others, that made their hate of humans rather public, this would make a stand-out case.

And with that...Despite being a senior partner, he would burn the midnight oil and get as much together as he could...He had a lot of phone calls to make.

---

The next day, the media was out in force. But...Thankfully, none even tried to get to close to Mia due to her presence; if there was any blessing that could be had, it would be that she was a natural paparazzi deterrent. Scott had met with her before the hearing would begin, just to go over a few last minute pointers before reassuring her that she would do great.

And like Mia would hear, he was certainly not afraid to ruffle feathers, but he was doing so out of necessity and not malice. Her kind had been wronged, and he had the tapes and the evidence to prove it. He had shown that the officers had used force excessively, and failed to administer justice to those that had done wrong in the name of those that hadn't. He had pulled the records of the Arachnids that were so called 'violent offenders' and found that, like Mia, they had done absolutely nothing. He would even go so far as to use Mia's own words from their meeting yesterday, something that made the panel get quite miffed.

"Mr. Hanley...You may call your first witness." the judge - a stout balding man wearing circular glasses that made his eyes seem a bit too big for his head - then said. "I call Miss Mia Night to the stand." And just like that, she would appear...And thanking his lucky stars that she was playing the part. This wouldn't take too long, hopefully; all she'd have to do was answer a few questions.

"Miss Night...First, I would like to thank you for your bravery and speaking on the behalf of your people. I had just finished explaining to the panel and the Justices that in every case of violence against the Arachnids, the charges were unfounded. But it is denied that there was any wrongful action taken, that there has to be a witness to these heinous crimes. Can you please elaborate on a few instances of wrongful action against the Arachnid population?"

He decided to get the hardest question out of the way first; he knew this would be extremely sore to talk about, so in an effort - on his part at least - he would try to spare her having to potentially relive any painful moments.

 

[TheUnknown]

Listening to the question as she kept her head down, she felt the ice wall go up but she forced it down for a moment, which resulted in her eyes stinging from the burning salt of tears that were starting to well in her eyes. She lifted her head and looked into the audience of humans, the other lawyer and the jury. Resting her hands on the wooden beam in front of her she gripped it as she took a shaking breath.

"Ten years ago. I was sitting at home with my mother and my father. They were congratulating me on starting a business. It was small, nothing to be really happy about but they were happy that I was stepping out and doing something. I was making clothing for other non-humans. Many of us are too big for human clothes and no one else was trying so I started."
Stopping her story she felt tears streaming down her face as she spotted two of he police officers in the crowd who had been there that day. Gritting her teeth the sound of a thick piece of wood whining could be heard as she gripped the beam harder.

"My father was the only human I'd known to see past my mother's lower half and see the female she was. He wasn't my real father, but he was close enough. People that lived across from us, neighbors would throw eggs at my father's car, call him a traitor, a monster lover, a creep. You name it, he was called it. It never bothered him. When my mother went to help me pick a place to start my business, we came home to find my father dead. His throat had been cut open. Not thirty seconds after we got home...police showed up. We didn't even have time to call them ourselves."

Turning her eyes on the police man in the crowd her eyes burned with hatred as she pegged the man and pointed at him.
"That officer of the law...gunned my mother down saying that she'd killed her own mate! When I tried to go for her, he shot at me! I used the money from my first shipment to bury my parents because no one gave a damn about them. The murder was seen as a closed case because the 'monster' who turned on her husband had been killed."

Tears rolled down her face as it took every ounce of will power she had not to jump across the floor and slam that man's head through the wall. Instead, she looked at Hanley.
"Other incidents have occurred since then as well. Police gunning down innocent arachnids. The one that caught our elder's attention the most was two months ago. A thirteen year old arachnid female was shot dead by three human teens. She'd been in the woods working on her climbing and they told police they thought she was a bear. A bear that jumps from tree to tree? Thirteen! She was just a baby! If that had been a human child, every news station in this country would have been made aware...but did any of you bat an eyelash? No! Wanna know the best part? Those local teens were called hero's for killing the 'bear'. No one even bothered to correct the papers...the parent of that child had to find their baby thanks to arachnid elders."

Mia was livid at the moment and was currently bending the wooden beam as she had bored her claws right though it out of her anger.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott just waited in front of her, seeing her willingly tear down the ice-cold facade she had worked so hard to perfect. Good, this was what they talked about: Show the raw emotion, make them empathize with you.

And just as he expected, some of the panel was already looking guilty; though some started looking scared as she began digging her carapace-covered fingers into the wood, the enhanced strength of her kind and sharpness of the digits themselves working to make the wood groan and crack under the strain. He shot her a look as if to 'Take it easy...They believe you', motioning for her to continue after she would finish the first part of her story.

"And...Can you identify if any officers are present in the courtroom?" he then asked, something she was not hesitant to do. "Objection! Is the prosecution here to drag officers through the mud?" the defending attorney interjected, Hanley replying "Your Honors, I'm merely trying to point out the vast discrepancies that exist in the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law. I believe the people have a right to know about everything her species has suffered." And surprisingly it worked, the judges nodding for her to go on. "Please continue" the head Justice said, Hanely then asking, "Can you add anything else, Miss Night?"

And with that, she would add her other incidents that plagued her kind. He felt kind of bad that he was forcing her to tell these awful stories, for everyone to bear witness to. And he knew that some would just as quickly tell her she was over-reacting. That she was exaggerating. But...In his eyes, one wrongful death was one too many, and if he could help, he would see their protections realized. And with her latest revelation, the panel seemed even more heart-stricken; some were burying their heads in the shoulders of those closest to them. Unable to face the reality of the situation.

"And indeed...People's Exhibit C and D! A newspaper from that very day, as well as a sworn statement from the Chief of Police in New York that it was a juvenile arachnid that was shot in cold blood." he would declare. "No further questions, Your Honors." Scott then said, stepping back. "The defense may approach" one of the Justices then said, the attorney shaking her head, "The defense has no questions at this time." Honestly, what could be said? "Very well...Miss Night, you may step down."

"Very well...We'll reconvene after lunch to render our decision on the proposal you submitted." the head Justice said; awfully speedy, Scott said to himself. And with that, Scott would meet up with Mia outside the courtroom. "Mia...I just want to say you kicked their butts in there. Well done...I think this is going to work. And don't worry, I spoke with a potential 'host family' already before this trial got under way; they're more than welcome to have you stay with them. They have a big house; I...did some research on your species. They live in a huge estate. Plenty of high ceilings and such, and lots of property. Very serene place to be."

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia had needed some time to collect herself as she was wiping her face with tissues and as she lowered the tissue's she spotted the police officers who'd shot her mother. Glaring daggers at them she bared her fangs which made them scurry past her, giving her a wide round about. Smart humans. Coming within arms reach and she couldn't promise that she'd NOT kill them just for showing their faces.

Though she did make a mental note that if this went south and her kind did go to war, they would be the first on her list of humans to tear limb from limb.

When Hanley came up to her she slowly turned her head to look at him and glared at him as she took a deep breath, lifting that ice wall of hers again. She simply nodded to his little speech about kicking butt. Really? She felt like she'd just got the ass kicking as she was emotionally drained and beyond pissed. Human laws were so pointless and drawn out. Her kind, it was simple.

You do he crime, you pay. Period. Elder's sentenced you with the support of the clan and boom, you were imprisoned or killed for your crimes. No drawn out process. Sighing heavily she simply sat in the audience, well...more like she made everyone rather uncomfortable by sticking to the wall as she was perched in the far right corner of the court room where the wall met the ceiling. Her legs splayed out so that she could sit comfortably.

Looking over to her lawyer she noticed the other lawyer was staring at her which made her raise an eyebrow before glancing up as the judge walked in. When the officer said 'all rise' it made her internally smirk as she was about as risen as one could get.

Still, there was no seat big enough to hold her so this was the only logical place for her to be where she was out of the way and not blocking any one's movements. Crossing her arms under her breasts once again, she just watched and waited for things to progress and find out who she'd be stuck with.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott straightened himself up, and after a short lunch break, it was back in the courtroom. He could tell Mia wasn't happy with this; given her history with authority, even if she was never at fault, he couldn't blame her. He just hoped he presented a strong enough case to at least give her a chance to get some kind of comfort, to give her kind of some retribution for all the suffering they've endured. They deserved that much at least, those were his thoughts as they were forced to rise for the verdict.

"Mr. Hanley? You've presented an interesting case to the Court...And after some deliberation and consultation with the panel, we've decided to grant your request and allow for a trial stay with a host group. We will be conducting thorough checks on the arrangements according to the schedule you've outlined." The head Justice would say, Scott letting out a breath of relief, "Thank you, Your Honors. I've prepared a couple of dossiers as well, listing a few potentially suitable hosts. I've followed similar cases appearing in California, Florida and Texas and used those as my basis to formulate high-success probability households."

At this the head Justice smiled, "And your effort is appreciated, counselor...However, it is the decision of this court that none of the candidates you have provided will satisfy the benchmarks that the cases in other states have used. Instead, we propose a slight modification: YOU will host Miss Night." At this Scott froze; did he just hear that right? "Your Honor...I'm not entirely sure that's allowed. That has the potential to create a conflict of interest."

One of the other Justices then said, "Why? Do you plan to try and wed her? Use her for domestic services?" Scott seemed completely flabbergasted, "Absolutely not! That would violate not just my office's principles, but my own as well!" A third Justice then said, "Well, then there should be no problems, yes? You're knowledgeable of the laws regarding inter-species relations...And your cohabitation turns out to be successful, well I believe that legislation will be swift to follow permitting equal protections."

"Even so! My client deserves a say in this! I'm her attorney!" Scott demanded, the head Justice nodding, "You're correct, she does. Miss Night? Do you object to residing with Mr. Hanley during this trial residence program?"

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia sat in her little corner and listened to the judge as he spoke. Her shock wasn't as big or loud as Hanley's. She simply sighed and rubbed her forehead. She knew she was going to be living with someone else for a while and while she wasn't too thrilled about it being with this particular male she told the elders she'd try to get this bill passed so when the court directed their attention her way she just shrugged.
"If it gets my kind the justice that they deserve I'm up for it."
She said in a neutral tone as she didn't need to be emotional for this. She simply looked at the male and raised an eyebrow at him. Funny how he was so adamant about helping her people but when HIS home was on the line, he was totally against it.

Sliding herself off of the wall she walked down the isle till she was standing right beside her lawyer and looked down at him for a long moment. She then looked to the judge as he handed her a packet, something for her to fill out about how they got along. A journal so to speak. There was also a piece of paper that had the man's home address on it. Looking at it she was given instructions on what to do then court was dismissed till the follow up date. Six months. Six months with the court dropping by randomly per month but the six month mark would tell them if they were okay with one another.

Nodding she headed out of the court room because unlike Hanley, she actually had to move some of her things. Once she got home she sent Hanley a text message letting him know she'd be over tomorrow as she wanted to enjoy her own bed one more night. Packing all of the things she'd need for the first month or so, it wasn't much. Just some clothing and a lot of her sewing materials. She was also bringing her laptop as she'd need it for work. Loading all of this into her personal van/office she spent the rest of that night wandering around her home naked since this was the last time she'd get to do that.

The small pleasures in life really. Speaking to the Elders once more, she informed them of the change and how she had six months to try and convince them but it wasn't just up to her. Hanley also had to be behind this as well. Which meant they had six or seven months before all hell broke loose with the arachnids. When the following morning came, she was on her way to Hanley's home at around ten in the morning. It was a Friday but he'd apparently been given the day off to help her move her things inside. With her large mobile office parked at his front steps Mia sighed as she stepped out of the back of her van and looked around.

Today she was wearing a pair of black shorts, showing off her raven black legs from the "knee" down and a white v neck t-shirt which did plenty to show off a suitable amount of cleavage with just a hint of her white lace bra showing under the shirt.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott, meanwhile, packed up his stuff from his office and headed home. Tonight was going to be a long night, even if Mia wasn't coming over until tomorrow; which suited him fine. He could tell she wasn't happy about this arrangement...And frankly neither was he. He didn't have a problem with someone staying with him; on the contrary, because of the size of his estate, he found such a large place to be incredibly lonely. Having inherited it from a long-lost relative, he wasn't sure what to do with so much real estate.

And more often than not, it just felt...Empty. But thankfully, it did help that he was so close to work. Even so, most of his night would have to consist of moving stuff out of one of the larger rooms for her to use for herself. He would need to inform the people that stopped by to clean his house that he would have a new guest; but then again, he was sure that his 'housing a monster' or whatever ridiculous title the newspapers would have for him would more than show everyone what it was he was up to.

But...With an Arachnid moving in, at the very least she would act as a deterrent to potential home invaders. That was one upside, something that made him smile as he finished getting her room ready. Since she ran a clothing business, she would find she had plenty of space to set up her wares. There were plenty of empty rooms for her to use as an office, after all.

And the next morning, when she arrived, Scott would be outside to greet her...His face flushing a bit as he saw the generous amount of cleavage she was showing, but tried not to stare. "Well...Morning, Mia. You look good this morning." Scratching the back of his head, he then added I won't lie, this didn't quite turn out as I expected. I hope I didn't offend you yesterday; but you have to understand the situation this puts us in. They'll be watching us under a microscope, and especially with someone of my position...It's going to be a huge blow to interspecies relations as a whole if they find anything, no matter how remote or small, to use against us. So I guess what I'm saying is...Let's make this work, alright?"

It would be here that he'd take her on a short tour of the house; with wide hallways and high ceilings, himself having removed the old chandeliers in favor of wall-mounted lighting a while ago, it would be quite spacious for her to move about. "I know this will be an adjustment, Mia...So if there's anything I can do to help...Just let me know, alright?" he would then say to the Arachnid woman as they came back to the main foyer.

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia raised an eyebrow at him as his face flushed and when her eyes followed his she caught sight of her breasts and glared at him for a moment but at the same time, she was confused. It was the first time a human male his age had blushed from something on her. Sure she had some damn nice curves but not a single person could get over the fact that she had a massive spider lower half. Shrugging that off she listened to his words and smirked.

"While I would love nothing more than to visit those police officers in their homes and show them what it's like to watch their family die around them, a war will also mean that my kind will perish as well. Yes this is a shitty situation but I've had plenty of those. I'm sure this won't be too harsh."
Which was her way of saying that she'd put up with it if it meant that she'd be able to spare her own kind from a senseless war that would still claim for arachnid lives.

Following him through his little tour she looked up at the ceilings and saw how wide the halls were. That was a nice feature that she'd specified in her own home so to see that his home was like this as well was a nice feature. She'd seen the room she was staying in and as she walked through the house she was already making mental notes of where things were and how she could make the most of the room she was going to be staying in. The closet was fairly spacious so she'd have plenty of room to put her clothes in there.

There was another room right across from her that she could use as her office for her clothing and making the outfits. Mia had been admiring a specific painting on the wall when he turned and as she turned her rump rubbed against the wall which made her squeak as she shot away from the wall only to plaster his face between her breasts which made her back up again as her face was about as red as a tomato.

"No. No questions."
She said as her legs carried her up the wall and down across the ceiling as fast as they could. She made it to her room, which surprised her since her mind was way too scattered and soon she shut the door behind her. Covering her face with her hands she took a series of deep breaths and looked at the large balcony window to her room. Well that was handy. Opening the window she just crawled down the side of the house and headed back to her van to grab her things. Using her webbing to attach several boxes to her rump. If she expected it, and saw it coming, her rump wasn't sensitive. When she didn't expect it or wasn't the one doing it, her rump was a serious hot spot for her.

As she stuck the boxes to her back side she paused while in the van and ran her hand along her breasts. He'd been the first human to touch her chest. Shaking her head she huffed. Pervert! Sure it wasn't his fault but she was annoyed.

 

[Razgriz]

Scott was more than a little surprised when she charged him...Getting a face full of Arachnid chest in the process. Thankfully, she didn't bulldoze him hard enough to knock him on his ass, but she did force him to steady his footing before she pulled back. How ironic that the things he'd glimpsed earlier would be so unwillingly presented to him in such a forceful manner. But...He also knew that she had no real intention of doing that on purpose; it was all - in hindsight - comical happenstance.

Still...He just kind of stood there as she bolted off, moving surprisingly well and delicately for someone of such large stature. "Uhm...Sorry!" he called out after all, but he didn't expect her to reply. Maybe he should just leave her alone for now...Yeah, that'd probably be for the best.

But as she didn't return, he was wondering if maybe he should go and talk to her. See if he can help her get settled; but when he checked in her room, he didn't see her there. But he did notice the door to her patio was open; running out, he would catch sight of her as she left the van. "Oh...There you are. Hey, uhm...Mia, is there anything else I can do to help you? I don't quite know where to put your knitting and weaving materials...Also, if you like, we can see about trying to purchase any upgrades you might need for your equipment?" he then offered; at the very least, if she was going to be staying with him, he could try to be a good host and offer to help her get newer equipment.

Not that what she had was bad, and he would understand if she declined his offer. But he still felt like he should at least make an attempt, if only to make these next six months more tolerable for the both of them.

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia's back stiffened as the blush she'd just managed to get off of her face came right back with a burning vengeance. With her back to him she kept moving her hands to get things that she'd need before backing out of the van. Using her pixie style haircut to block the blush on her face she turned just enough that he'd be able to hear him.

"My things are fine, I don't need upgrades...and no I don't need help!"
She didn't mean for it to come out rude and if it did oh well. She was flustered and he wasn't helping. Walking back towards the wall of his home she scaled the outside wall and after he was out of the way, she made her way to the balcony.

Climbing over it she carefully removed the boxes from her rump and moved them where she wanted them. Looking over at him once the blush had died down a bit she motioned to the door.
"There's a room across the hall that I saw is also empty. Can I use that room for my sewing room? I don't need a lot of space, just enough to work on new designs to send off to the factory, and set up my laptop."


Mia made a quick check to make sure she was far enough away from the wall before making sure that there was a good two feet between her and Scott. She really didn't need him touching her again and the fact that she was still wrapped up on him being the first human male to touch her wasn't helping in the slightest.

 

[Razgriz]

Sam balked a bit as she snapped at him; well, shit...He was just trying to be helpful. Were her experiences so bad with humans that she felt a need to lash out at him like this? Did she think he was going to molest her or something? She should know better; doing so would immediately invalidate this arrangement, and would be disastrous for humanoid integration efforts as a whole.

Regardless, he made sure to give her plenty of space as she walked back up the side of his house and onto the patio. "I won't lie...That's a pretty handy trait you have there. Kind of jealous; would have made moving in here myself a lot easier." he tried to joke to hopefully lighten the tension a little. But deep down, he had a feeling this was going to be a rough ride.

And this was just day one.

When she asked about the adjacent empty room, Scott would just nod and reply, "Whatever you need, Mia...I was being serious though. If you need me to help move anything, just let me know, alright?" He didn't approach her, but he wanted to clear something up.

"I know...This is not an ideal living situation for either of us. But I do want to make this work, Mia. Really I do. Not just for my own pride...But I want this senseless discrimination to stop. Humans have been going about this same cycle ever since we came into being, be it from a god or from fish in the ocean. Isn't it time to say enough is enough and come together as one for a better future?"

 

[TheUnknown]

There was no way in hell Mia was going to inform him that she got flustered by bumping her rump against the wall and because he was the first and only male of any species to touch her breasts so instead she went with a more believable excuse for her rude behavior.

"While I will agree that this is not something either of us seem to have wanted, you need to remember something too. You deal with people on a daily basis and interact with people regularly. I do not. The last time I had a lengthy conversation with someone other than you or the people in that court room was well over five years ago. No one wants to just chat with a seven foot tall spider."

Moving around him she started to put her things away and sighed.
"So while I'll attempt to be more polite with you, excuse me if I'm a bit short, talking and just chatting it up isn't something I have a lot of practice in. I'm used to being alone a lot."
She said as she looked at the large bed in the room and raised an eyebrow. That wasn't needed.
"Can that be broken down? I have no use for it."
She said as she pointed to her body. She then pointed her rump to the corner of the wall on the opposite side of the room and shot a hammock like webbing against the wall, stretching from one wall to the other. She slept above ground and on her webs.

"Feel free to carry on with your life as if I'm not here. I doubt I'll be coming out of the room very often."
She said as she really had no reason to other than to eat and she'd brought a few of her own meals. Mia wasn't a picky eater nor was she a fancy eater. Beef stew on rice was actually one of her favorite simple meals as it was filling and it tasted amazing, to her anyway. Once her bed was set up, she went to the closet and started to put her other boxes down. She didn't bother unpacking any of them since some of them had her panties in them and he did NOT need to see them.

Sure no male had ever seen them but she did have a few risque panties mainly because they made her feel sexy while wearing them and that was what was important.

 

[Razgriz]

Well...He couldn't argue with that logic, he supposed. He had guessed she was a fairly solitary individual, especially with how her demeanor was towards him. Even so, he appreciated she was at least blunt about it. "That's fine, Mia; as long as you try, that's points we can use to help prove that even in New York, humanoids and humans can live in the same residence. In the same city, even. Peacefully. That's really all I'm trying to do: Help these people understand you're not here to wipe us out or anything."

Of course, that was ironic given what was told to him during their first meeting. But...Best not to dwell on that now.

When she pointed out the bed, he too raised a brow; how did she sleep then? But that answer came when she formed a bed of her own, her giant second thorax/abdomen resting comfortable on the webbing that suspended her along the wall. "Well...I see what I can do, for sure." he would say; he probably couldn't get it all out tonight, certainly not the frame. But at the very least, he could move the mattress further down the hall to another empty room; truthfully, it was one he had yet to do anything with. .

And after some struggling, he managed to toss all the sheets and plush comforter off, taking the downy mattress and moving it through the door. The sounds of huffing and light scraping would be heard as he moved and struggled with it. A few minutes later, he would come back and grab the sheets and comforter; he'd bother with putting it back together once he got the frame out. Well, it was early enough; he could try to move it out of the room. Even so, it was a baroque style frame of solid oak...Which meant it was going to be a bitch to move by himself.

"Hey, uh Mia...Sorry, but I could get some help with this frame? It's pretty...nrgh...heavy." he then asked, adding "If not, I can call someone to help me move it to the other room."

 

[TheUnknown]

Mia had just finished putting some of her clothes and all of her panties away while Scott was moving the bed and the mattress. When he came back and asked for help with the frame she looked at it and moved over. Reaching her hand under the solid frame she simply lifted it right off of the ground like it was nothing. Like most humanoids, they were much stronger than humans and while they didn't consider themselves strong, to a human they were too strong. Turning the frame on its side so that it could fit through the door she looked at him in a puzzled manner.

"This isn't heavy. Why did you make it seem as it was?"
She asked as she truly had no idea that what she'd just done would have taken two if not three grown human males. Walking through the door first she pulled the frame through the doorway then lifted it and carried it effortlessly down the hall. The only real trouble she had was carrying the frame while managing her massive body. When she got it into the room where the mattress and sheets were she took a few moments to put the mattress on the frame and dress the bed before walking out and going back to her room.

"You've been sitting behind your desk too long Hanley. Pencil's are light."
She said as she poked fun at his lack of strength but not in a joking manner. Most times, when someone was being a wise ass, the tone was joking. Mia was neutral as always and while she wasn't calling him weak to be mean, it would be very hard to tell when she was joking and when she was serious. Though in her mind, if she wanted to poke fun at him seriously, she just would have called him weak out right and handed him the pillows so that he didn't strain himself.

 

[Razgriz]

Needless to say, Scott was more than a little taken aback when Mia actually did help him...But more so when she lifted the entire frame by herself, and carried it as if it were a feather no less! He followed after her, watching as she fairly effortlessly moved through the hallways, her extra limbs seeming to grant her quite the boon to stability as she would maneuver it into the next room. And then she went one step further and actually made his bed for him. "Oh, Mia...You don't have to..." he started to say, but barely got even that out before it was redressed and ready for use.

And with the other furniture moved out of her new room, this would be the new guest bedroom. And when she made her comment about how he was sitting at his desk for too long, he did admittedly get a bit peeved. Evidenced as his mouth tightened into a small but noticeable (even more so to an Arachne due to their multiple eyes) line. But, the male just took a deep breath and replied, "Well...Thank you, Mia, for your help. Now, how about lunch? I can either order in or I can try to make something, if you like."

Even if this was getting off to a rocky start, he was determined to make this work...However, if she was going to be this difficult the entire six months, then it would likely prove very hard to keep himself restrained. He didn't expect her to be his house-servant...Or god forbid like the Justice suggested, his wife! He just wanted to show that humanoids and humans could live together peacefully, even if they got on each other's nerves.

 

[TheUnknown]

Even having such little time around humans she could tell by the way his attitude changed and the tension coming off of him that she'd made him annoyed. So she just sighed and looked at him for a moment.
"I'll cook."
Was all she said as she slipped around him and followed her memory as she went down to the kitchen. With Scott's help she found out that she did in fact have all of the ingredients she'd need and got to work. Soon Scott's kitchen began filling with a mixture of aroma's. Bacon frying in a pan, another pan had extra virgin olive oil with cubed onions, garlic and some dried basil.

Then there was a pot with boiling water for spaghetti. The whole time she was cooking there was a small smile on her face as she actually loved to cook. She'd done a lot of reading while in her solitude and cook books was one of those things. Then it was trial and error for her. A lot of errors but the ending success was worth the errors. When the bacon was done she put two paper towels between the two rows of bacon and began crushing the dried bacon till they were bacon bits. After that was done she pulled the onions and garlic mixture off of the other stove. Setting those two aside she let the spaghetti finish cooking before draining it and then pouring it from the drainer back into the pot. Following it was the oil, onions, garlic and basil.

She then grated quite a bit of Parmesan cheese into the spaghetti so that it would clump up and melt, making it a very thick meal. Next was the bacon and finally a small plate of cubed tomatoes. Stirring all of this together she added a pinch of garlic salt then lifted the bowl with cooking mitts on. Her chest had a bit of sweat on it and her cheeks a little flushed but she was done. Setting a cooling stand on his table she put the pot on it. Grabbing a glass of water as she grabbed her own bowl, she downed a good half of the cup before motioning to the pot.
"Try."

 

[Razgriz]

Scott had gone grocery shopping the day before, having stocked up on a lot of ingredients for basic meals. He always kept it simple though; he could certainly afford to eat a little healthier but his diet wasn't the worst in the world. Not like Kenny in accounting; the poor guy was nice as can be, but his constant dining out would be the death of him. Even so...When she started frying up bacon, along with onions and garlic...Scott would admit it smelled good. Fantastic, even, but he had no idea what she was making.

Even more so when she started crushing the crisped bacon, sprinkling it; he tried at several time to help...But given the size of her lower body along with the fact that she generally seemed to ignore his offers he decided to let her do her thing. It didn't take long for it to finish, soon a large pot of some kind of pasta dish was ready. At her offer to try, he grabbed a bowl and used a fork to scoop some out. It didn't look half bad, and when he took a bite, he had an explosion of flavors in his mouth. She used a lot of garlic, which he liked; though he wondered how she wouldn't react. Weren't spiders supposed to hate the stuff?

"Not a spider, Scott...She's an Arachnid, different species altogether." he said to himself mentally, accidentally staring at her a bit before he slurped his noodles. "Wow...Mia, this is fantastic! You didn't have to do this...But thanks. Where'd you learn to make this anyway?" he then asked her, genuinely curious as to how she cooked like that. Even if she was a woman...Well, Scott didn't picture her the type to be so handy in the kitchen.