Chapter 2: An Invitation
#2 of House of Bunnies
It's only been a day since Takumi had stepped out of the shower and played around with two of the workers here
at the House Bunnies' Spa, and he was desperate for a new bed. The one in his room was fine, except for the fact that
is was brand-new and still a bit stiff. Cramps and bed sores were not taken too kindly.
Deciding to go out and try to do something about it, he donned one of the spa's bathrobes and a pair of fuzzy
slippers before stepping out of his room and into the hall. Walking down to the front desk, he could hear quiet moans
and squeaking beds coming from the rooms to the left and right. Smirking, he continued his journey all the way up to Lexi
who was busy trying to untangle a massive confusion of wires and cables.
"Goddamn you Maxi! When I get my hands on you and Montblanc, you just watch!" she grumbled loudly as if she wanted
the two of them to hear her threats. Sharply picking at the wires, she tugged and pulled at the knots angrily, still
cursing her two brothers.
Laughing quietly at the sight, the large pandragon tapped the small silver push-bell on the desk. "Excuse me, I'll
be right with you. My brothers thought it'd be funny to disconnect and tangle up all the wires and cables. The entire
computer network, PA system and Cable TV services are no longer working at this time. I apologize for any inconvenience
this may cause," was his reply.
"Well...I just wanted to change rooms. The bed in my room is a bit...hard."
"Well, I'd love to help you with that, but I can't even turn on the computer to view the guest and room lists. The
power line for the computer is somewhere in all this mess. And I just happened to book the last room to some otter on the
phone two days ago."
"Oh, alright," sighed Takumi. "I'll just-"
"Ah wait a moment. I think that's him now," the bunny interrupted. Quickly clearing up her throat, she changed her
tone of voice from disgust and anger to a more professional and charming one. She was smiling serenely, though inside, she
was nervous as there was no time to hide the mess of wires and cables and littered the floor around her.
Stepping through the revolving door of the lobby, a slim, blue-furred otter looked around nervously, tugging a small
blue and black suitcase behind him. Shuffling ahead slowly, he looked around and at the fancy carpets, tables, chairs and
wall-hangings. It was a decent spa decor, but he had originally planned to come with a friend. Now that he was alone, the
entire place just made him sick.
Realizing he had been rooted in the same spot for a bit too long, he snapped out of his daze and awkwardly rushed
over to the desk, where Lexi was quietly and slowly trying to shove some of the wires under the desk with her long legs.
"Welcome to the House Bunnies' Spa," she greeted when he finally arrived in front of her. "You must be Arc Nanako.
Please excuse the mess. We're having some technical difficulties, but I'll have your roomkey right away. You'll be staying
in Room 17, the Luxury Suite, is that correct?" Turning slightly, she stumbled through the wires before reaching and
grabbing a key from the shelf behind her.
"Yes," muttered the otter in an almost inaudible squeak. "But umm...The...My friend couldn't make it. She had some
last minute plans, so...the second bed in the room will be ah...unused. Will I still be charged for it?" he asked, thumping
his tail on the hardwood floor. Shyly looking away, he averted his gaze from Lexi to a few pots of flowers that circled the
desk.
"Oh, no. Don't worry about it," she answered quickly. Returning and handing him his roomkey, she smiled at him.
"Since it's just nearing lunchtime, we'll have your meal sent to your room while you settle in. And if your room service
personnel happens to be named 'Maxi' or 'Montblanc', don't tip them. If it's 'Dietrich' or 'Alphonse',please tell them
to drag Maxi and Montblanc to me by their ears using whatever means necessary."
"Ah...o-okay?"
"Good. Thank-you." Turning back to the pandragon, she gave him an apologetic look. "I'm really very sorry about
your bed, but we just have no other available rooms for you. If you'd like, we can-"
"Excuse me," interjected Arc. "You're looking for a new room? Err...If you want to, you can use the other bed in my
room. I don't like to be alone, so the company would be...nice..." he muttered with a noticeable dimuendo in his voice.
Staring at the ground, he gripped the handle of his suitcase tightly.
"I...um...that'd be...Thanks. I mean, are you sure?" the pandragon asked, his hopes lifting up a bit.
"I-yes...it's okay-"
"Okay then! That settles it," burst in the pink bunny. Grabbing another key identical to the one she gave Arc from
the same shelf, she stumbled over and handed it to Takumi. "Here you go. And don't worry about any extra charges to either
of you," she winked. "Just be sure to have all your belongings moved out of your old room before moving in. We can't be
held responsible for any lost or misplaced items. Now if you'll excuse me...I need to finish up clearing this mess." she
sighed before sitting down on the floor, tugging at the wires again.
"Err, yes. Thank-you." Grinning at the new key in his hand, he turned to thank Arc but the otter was already gone,
walking down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. Quickly walking back to his room, he tossed whatever clothing
he owned into his own suitcase. Grabbing his toothbrush and a few other personal items, he looked around the room for the
last time and glared angrily at the bed before exiting the room and climbing the flight of stairs to the Luxury Suite.
*
Takumi was just finishing up in the bathroom when Arc walked through the door with his hair wet and wearing only a
small towel around his waist. "Err...Hot tub?"
"Y-yeah...I like the warm water..." he smiled weakly. Walking over to his suitcase, he pulled out a pair of black
jeans and a sweatshirt. Letting the towel fall, he quickly tugged on his pants and pulled his sweatshirt over his head.
Slipping into the tight piece of clothing and picked up the towel and started to dry his shoulder-length hair.
"You like wearing tight clothing, don't you?" the pandragon chuckled. Secretly, he found the otter's slim, feminine
body attractive. Trying not to let his thoughts stray too far, he sat down on his new bed, admiring the soft plushie
feeling it had.
"Mmm...it's okay..." the otter answered back. Pulling out a small Chupa lollipop from his suitcase, he flopped onto
his own bed, sucking on the sweet candy. "I do wear some baggy clothes, but it's just that a few of my stuff shrunk in the
wash," he laughed. "Well, good night."
"You're going to go to sleep with that...In your mouth? Is that safe?" Takumi asked looking a bit concerned.
"Mmm, it's okay. I always sleep like this. Either that or with music on."
"Well...okay then. Good night."
"Good night."
With a quick flick of his paw, the pandragon shut off the light radiating from the lamp on the bedside table.
Snuggling into his bed, he let his mind wander off, thinking about the softness of the bed and the cute awkwardness of the
otter sleeping next to him.