Volume 12 - Grand Opening, Chapter 85 - The Specialists

The Mountain Lily Inn was officially open, complete with a rustic wooden sign out front and another at the turn off from the main road, but it was still unknown to the world. Yuisu put some of Korbin's loan toward advertising in travel guides and newspapers, but it would be a while before that paid off. Even when people did see the ads and wanted to visit, they always booked their visit for a couple months off at the earliest.

In a way, Yuisu was glad for that. She still had a lot to learn about operating her little inn, and she wanted to have all the kinks worked out before the real business started pouring in. Of course, things were never that easy.

RING, RING, RING!

Yuisu jogged down the hallway and answered the shiny new phone which was hooked up to the business phone number. "Hello and welcome to the Mountain Lily Inn! This is Yuisu. How may I help you?"

"Hey, Yuisu. It's me, Korbin."

She recognized his gruff voice long before he got to his name, and she couldn't help but smile. Everything about her business partnership with Korbin had gone as smoothly as a dream. "Hiya, Korbin! How are you today?"

"I'm great. Busy, but that's how I like it." He chuckled. "Speaking of busy… how many open rooms do you have right now?"

Straight to the point, like always. A little embarrassed, she replied, "Uh, all ten rooms are open…" She half expected him to grumble about lost business opportunities, about aiming for max capacity all the time, and she started preparing an explanation.

He responded, "Perfect! In fact, if you've got a room in the main house, I could use that too."

"What?" Yuisu's mouth was agape.

After another chuckle, Korbin said, "I told you about this back when we partnered up, remember? I've got a bunch of consultants coming in to help with the resort planning and construction. They all need a place to stay during their work."

"But eleven of them? All at once? Right now?" Yuisu was panicking a little. I don't even have a real front desk, or any staff hired yet. Of course, the girls offered to help but they aren't ready for this either!

"Well, closer to twenty. We'll have to overflow to other hotels,"—suddenly his voice took on a darker tone—"except the ones that refused liminals. I won't book even my human consultants there."

Yuisu was distracted from her panic by a surge of pride. Korbin stood strong by his values, and they were good ones. With determination, she said, "Alright. I'll take as many as I can. I actually have a room available in the main house and another in the old cabin, so I guess that makes twelve." She actually had a second guest room in the main house, but it had been acting as a storage room and needed to be cleaned out. In any case, twelve guests was more than enough for the Inn's first week.

She could practically hear Korbin's toothy grin through the phone. "Great! They'll start arriving tomorrow. I'll fax over a full list of the specialists in a few minutes, along with dietary and living space restrictions, so that you can assign them to whichever cabin works best for each species."

Oh, right. I can't believe I forgot to ask about that. I should have known better after Yuki and Phoebe were just here. "Thanks so much, Korbin. You're so organized! I can see why you're so successful."

"Now Yuisu, there's no time for brown nosing. Seeya around!" He hung up, surely racing off to a meeting or something.

He's right though. There's no time! Yuisu thought, panicking again. She raced off to start on the million little things she still had to do, ranging from printing and laminating a 'Hot Spring Bathing Rules' sign to stocking all the cabins with first aid supplies.

When the first consultants arrived the next day, Yuisu had just finished planning where to assign them based on size, temperature requirements, and gender. She'd even finished most of her list of tasks, thanks to some help from the other girls. She felt bad leaning on them, particularly since they all had other jobs or projects of their own.

"Oh no!" she yelled in the face of a very confused human man, who had just stepped up onto the front porch. She bowed and apologized, "Sorry! It's nothing to do with you, sir. I just remembered something I have to do after this. Anyways, let me show you to your cabin. It has two bedrooms that share a kitchenette and bathroom, and you'll be joined by another male guest tomorrow, if that's alright."

The man was older, perhaps in his early forties, and he had big blue eyes and light brown hair that clearly marked him as a foreigner. He smiled and said in perfect Japanese, "Of course. That would be fine."

She walked him to the cabin, but her mind was already on that problem she just remembered: she still hadn't quit her part-time job at the convenience store. She fretted and fidgeted on her new apron, which had pockets for everything from room keys to a monkey wrench. I guess giving two weeks notice isn't really an option at this point. I need to be here at the inn… I hope they don't take it too hard.

Later that day, Yuisu flumped onto the couch, sprawled out and exhausted. She laid there as her mind raced over everything she still had to do. At least I got the thing with my old job all cleared up… Her boss Satoshi was understandably annoyed about her quitting without notice, but he'd known it was coming eventually. She had been far from secretive about her plans for an inn, after all. He had wished her luck with her new venture and promised to recommend it to his relatives when they next visited.

She'd barely caught her breath when the doorbell rang. She jumped up and sprinted to the door. Yuisu flung it open to see a familiar face.

"Lethe! It's great to see you again!"

A blonde woman with tan skin, black and pink eyes, pink horns, and bat-like wings smiled back. Despite the cold and snow, she was wearing thigh-high leggings, a blue mini-skirt, and an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt, showing off a black bra. Once again, Yuisu had a hard time believing that that ditzy succubus was actually a successful lawyer.

Lethe dropped her small suitcase and grabbed Yuisu in a tight hug. "Oh, girl, I'm totally thrilled to be here. When I heard I'd be staying at your inn, I was just, like, delighted."

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Yuisu's face was pressed into Lethe's considerable cleavage, but Yuri-su didn't mind. Neither did Lethe, since she actually fed on arousal, and she liked the flavor that Yuisu always radiated: restrained, but surprisingly potent.

Eventually the awkwardness was too much for Yuisu and she pulled herself free. She waved a beckoning hand and said, "Let's get you set up in your room in the old cabin." She'd picked that room figuring that Lethe would get along well with Quess, due to the pink slime's similar 'diet'. "Quess is at work, but Iormu and Pwess should be around to say hi."

"Pwess?" asked Lethe, twirling her long, wavy hair around a finger. "Who's that?"

Yuisu smiled wide. "Oh, that's right, she was born after your visit. You're gonna love that little slimegirl!"

Lethe nodded politely, but she didn't have particularly strong feelings about kids. She was more interested in the things that came before conception.

Yuisu led Lethe through the house and out the back door. As they stepped back out into the cold, Lethe visibly shivered.

"Did you bring any warmer clothes, Lethe? You really aren't dressed for the season," Yuisu said, eying the succubus's sinfully short skirt.

"Nah, all our meetings will be indoors, so I'm not worried."

Yuisu raised an eyebrow, then turned back towards the cabin. "If you say so."

That night, a veritable blizzard moved into Okayado and buried the town in over eight inches of snow. Yuisu was worried that it would delay the arrival of some of the consultants, but her fears proved unnecessary. The local limo company, the same one that had to be sold when the previous owner was arrested for kidnapping Misaki, had been thriving. As large liminals became more commonplace, limos like the huge stretch-hummer were in high demand, and the company had also purchased a couple large SUVs to use as taxis.

As the sun was rising, one of those SUVs came barreling up the Mountain Lily Inn driveway, climbing over snowdrifts with ease. As it rumbled to a stop, Yuisu sleepily clomped onto the front porch, wearing a fuzzy purple robe and her huge snow boots. She would have prefered a more formal outfit for first impressions, but she'd just woke up and it was better than nothing.

The passenger door of the big white truck opened up and its passenger stepped out into the falling snow. It was a woman clad in a white more pure than the truck's paint and even the fresh snow. She easily hefted a huge bag over her shoulder, waved cheerfully back at the cab driver, and approached the porch.

At first, Yuisu blinked in confusion at what she was seeing. The driveway was still covered in eight inches of fresh snow, yet the approaching woman was barely sinking in at all. Then Yuisu looked down at the woman's feet and she understood.

What Yuisu had assumed were white snow boots were actually wide, furry feet. Like snowshoes, they were perfect for staying on top of deep snow. She also got a closer look at the woman's body, and what Yuisu had assumed was a white coat was actually a little white sundress and some natural fur on her forearms.

Despite her dress being totally unsuited for the cold, she seemed perfectly comfortable. She waved to Yuisu and called out, "Hiya, darlin'! You must be Yuisu!" She had a heavy rustic accent which felt immediately endearing and welcoming.

Yuisu nodded, smiling. "That's me. Welcome to the Mountain Lily Inn!"

The woman strode effortlessly through the deep snow, her huge white paws clearly made for walking in snow. She stomped up onto the porch, grabbed Yuisu's hand, and said, "I'm Miti, and in case ya didn't know, I'm a yeti! I'll be helpin' Korbin with the winter sports side o' things. Kinda my specialty." She grinned proudly at that.

Yuisu barely noticed, since she was looking down at her hand in shock. Miti's hand was simply massive, fully engulfing Yuisu's. But it was soft and warm, like a comforting hug. Yuisu looked back up, directly at a wonderful valley nestled between two mountains: Miti's cleavage. The yeti was nearly a foot taller than Yuisu, but she carried herself in such a cutesy delicate way that Yuisu hadn't realized at first.

Damn, I need to learn keep my eyes under control, if my guests are gonna be this busty. She pried her eyes away from Miti's assets and braced herself for a scathing remark.

Miti just smiled down at Yuisu. She was either used to people staring at her chest, since it was at eye level, or she simply didn't care. "Oh, I was wonderin'…" She shuffled her fur-covered feet shyly. "Can I get a room near the hot spring? Hot springs're the best for when my back gets sore. Great for the skin too, did ya know that?"

Yuisu nodded and forced a smile, thinking, Oh, I definitely know. I spent days researching all the benefits of hot springs so I could answer any possible question a guest could ask. Kind of sick of 'em now. But anyways… She scratched her chin in thought, then said, "Hmm, the cabins closest to the hot spring are full, but I do have a room in the main building if you don't mind a more communal atmosphere."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. But is it close to the hot spring?"

Yuisu suppressed a giggle. Miti's eagerness was adorable, despite her slightly intimidating size. "Yes, it's quite close. Come on in and I'll show you your room."

They hadn't made it ten feet into the house when they were ambushed by a bright pink spider. "Hey hey, Yuisu! Who's the new girl? She gonna live here?" Mara shouted as she bounced around them in a circle.

Yuisu planted a hand on top of Mara's head and held her at arm's length. "This is Miti, and she's just visiting as a guest of the—"

"Oh my, aren't you jus' the cutest thing!" Miti cried out suddenly. She crouched down as low as she could but she still had to look down a bit to address Mara. "Like she said, I'm Miti. Who're you, darlin'?"

Mara's cheeks turned almost the same pink as her hair. "Uh, I'm Mara. Nice to meet you." She seemed flustered, with her six eyes flicking side to side. For a second she looked down, but then she turned an even brighter pink when she realized where she was looking. Thanks to Miti's short skirt and her crouching position, she'd inadvertently flashed Mara an eyeful of dark blue cotton panties.

"Nice to meet you, Miti," Mara said, repeating herself. Then she pivoted on the spot, like a tank executing an about-face, and zipped off. As she disappeared around the corner, she called back, "Uh, seeya around!"

Yuisu tilted her head in confusion. I've never seen Mara get so flustered like that. Maybe she isn't used to being called cute by strangers?

Miti was unphased. She stood up, daintily smoothed her skirt and smiled at Yuisu. "She's a cutie. Is she staying here with her family, or…?"

Yuisu cleared her throat, then carefully said, "Uh, actually, Mara lives here. And despite her appearance, she's twenty."

Miti blushed adorably and said, "Oh, I'm jus' awful for treatin' Mara like a kid like that. I'll be sure to apologize later."

As they continued toward the guest room at the south-east corner of the house, Yuisu added, "She's one of seven liminals that live here through the Exchange Program. Since you'll be staying here in the house, I'm sure you'll meet them all. Though three of 'em actually live in a side cabin."

Yuisu led Miti into the kitchen, where Tsuen was eating a breakfast of oatmeal and berries. Ah, that explains why Mara was awake so early in the morning, Yuisu thought, then she said, "Good morning, Tsuen. I'd like you to meet Miti. She'll be staying in our guest room for a week."

Tsuen looked up from her bowl and brushed short magenta hair from her eyes. She was sweaty from a morning workout in the house's little exercise room, since it was far too snowy for her normal run. "Morning, Yuisu. And hello, Miti," she said flatly, "I overheard you meeting my girlfriend, Mara."

Yuisu tensed up. Was that jealousy in Tsuen's voice?

Miti didn't seem to notice. She smiled and curtseyed and said, "It's nice to meet ya, Tsuen. Korbin's already told me a bit about you. He's real impressed with your work."

Tsuen's entire demeanor changed in an instant. She was beaming ear to ear as she said, "Oh, really? I mean, it isn't that special… Though, if you have any questions about personal fitness, just let me know. I'd love to help!"

DING-DONG!

The doorbell rang out, startling Yuisu, since she was already on edge. She excused herself from Miti and Tsuen, but they barely noticed, since they were already deep in a conversation about muscle tone.

Yuisu jogged to the door, opened it in a hurry, and immediately regretted it. She still hadn't gotten dressed for real, and while her fuzzy robe was great for lounging around the house in the winter, it looked absurd next to the formal outfit the newest arrival was wearing.

On the porch, looking calm, collected, and in control, was a tall woman with long black hair, wearing an official-looking black jacket, tie, and skirt. She was also wearing dark sunglasses that fully hid her eyes.

"Uh, welcome to the Mountain Lily Inn!" Yuisu cheered, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I'm Yuisu, the proprietress. May I ask your name, miss?"

The woman smiled a wily smile. "Smith. Miss Smith is fine."