The great golden doors shut softly behind a familiar, yet still peculiar, form. A giant cockroach wandered about for a moment, allowing the warmth of the building to combat the cold still lingering in him from his trip across the street.

He was late, yes, but apples tasted good with glass in them, so it was okay. He was sure his soon to be employer would forgive him; he had succeeded in his mission after all. Frankie had told him all about it; they'd gotten the plates onto her desk that very same day, after he'd had to... dispose of his prior body.

He also had a very good excuse; it took time to regrow a body, and even more to make sure it was in prime condition once more. He looked like a whole new roach. This was due in part because he was a whole new roach... This form was a little bit taller, and slightly narrower than the last, but he'd gotten used to it over time. Being able to reach the top drawer was a plus as well.

The cockroach eyed a four legged man as he walked past, and then turned to skitter off toward Lori's office. He was in an odd mood today. His mind was strangely silent; he didn't feel like- Oh! a fly! nawm nawm!- doing as many random things as usual. Maybe it was because of the cold.

As he came to a stop in front of the door to the tiny office, he looked about to see if anyone was paying attention; the coast was clear. He leaned against the wall to let Frankie and a few other roaches out. They had some more scouting to do. The little bugs disappeared into the woodwork in seconds, and he turned to knock on the door exactly 17 times.

Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.

... How many was that? Oh yes.

Knock.Knock.Knock.

17 knocks was 14 knocks more than usual and 16 knocks too many.

Lori sat up and half her desk sat up with her. She peeled a few papers off her cheek and spared a moment to look at the paper and it took her at least 4 knocks to realize it was upside down.

"Go away!"

Hmmm. Where was she in this paperwork? What day was it? Maybe coffee was in order? The Order leader pushed to her feet and opened the door to a giant roach.

A giant, unfamiliar roach.

"Can I... help you?"

A loud response was muffled by a door, and the subsequent knocking on it. Gregory didn't hear the 'go away', which was good, because he probably might have actually done it. The noise did affirm that she was actually in, which was also good, because if she wasn't in, he might have eaten the door.

The portal opened to reveal a rather sleepy looking Ms. Faust.

"Can I... help you?"

She didn't recognize him in this new body? That was oddly impressive. Most of the peoply-looking people figured that all bugs looked the same. He felt like clapping for her. He did, in his mind.

Roach decided that the best way to make her recognize him would be to use the same accent he had used before.

"I'd certainly hope so. Gregory Samson, once again at your service. I trust you got the package my little friends sent you? I apologize for taking such a long time to get back to you, but you see, I was forced to resort to drastic measures to ensure the mission's success."

The giant bug stood there for a second, clacked his mouthpiece slowly, a few times, and then tilted his head. "May I come in?"

Gregory? It trickled down through the rocky filtration system in her head and eventually sunk home. Oh. Gregory. Big Roach. Yes. How many other giant roach-men existed in the world let alone on her front door?

Lori edged her foot back so that she slid a paper trap backward under her desk. After she had received a package and a plethora of bugs, she had implemented a few safeguards in her office. "I got it. Yeah. Uh. Thanks."

Her eyebrows sunk down toward her eyes. She had asked for it a long time ago and received it late, but... "New-uh mandibles?" It was like asking if he had cut his hair... there was just something off about how he looked. She hadn't put this roachy little face with his roachy little name in her head.

"Yeah." Her coffee outlook was bleak. Her day's outlook even bleaker if she was waking up to a disease carrier. "Yeah come in." She did eventually move out of his way and sat down on the other side of her desk with her poor, sad empty cup.

What now, bug boy? She wasn't about to ask him what he wanted again. She hated repeating herself. So she resorted to staring.

She remarked on his mandibles, and he chuckled a little in response.
"Something like that; you see, I had to end the life of my former body. Through my abilities I was able to grow a new me. This is why I have been so long getting back to you; I was dead."

He nodded as she invited him in and he followed her into her office. he looked about, retaking in the surroundings. It had been a while since he'd been here last, after all. It looked as small and cluttered as usual, though.

He then looked to his prospective employer once more. Come to think of it, she seemed a bit... drained. Long day, perhaps? If he was to inquire about a job, he may want to get her into a better mood. His eyes wandered to the empty coffee cup in front of her, and his antennae twitched in satisfaction. Grand. She was a coffee drinker as well.

"I'll cut right to the chase, then. I believe I could be of much use to you. I could explain my many skills right here and now, or... we could talk over Coffee. How does that sound?"

He clicked his mandibles, pleased with himself. He had a small bit of money, so he could even cover it if they decided to go to a shop instead of staying here. He even had an excellent place in mind. Of course, it would be difficult to avoid seducing her with his dashing good looks, but he was sure he could keep himself in check, as long as she could.

She was on her feet before he'd gotten through the second syllable.

"—ffee. How does that sound?"

"Hell yes."

She grabbed her mug because most coffee shops gave discounts if you brought in your own cups. Old habits died hard and she might have money now, but she would probably never act like it.

"So. What's it like to die?" That was pleasant enough talking for walking and they were walking now. Out the office and toward that gold leaf door. She didn't not believe him about his death, but to be honest it didn't really matter. He had gotten her the piece in time. What did it matter if he died doing it? And furthermore, what did it matter if he in all actuality could not die a complete death? That was actually good news if he was to be an ally.

Roach would have smiled at Lori's enthusiasm when it came to Coffee, had he not a maw rather than a mouth. One mention of the word, and she perked up like fat kid in a cake factory. This was good; He was quite a fan of a good cup of jo any day, and it was good to have at least one common ground with a potential employer.

Before he knew what hit him they were on their way out. He took a quick mental note to get back in time for the rendezvous with Frankie; he already knew by now that the kitchen was well stocked, but there was no telling what kind of gold mine the people's rooms would be.

Lori asked him a question, he clacked his mandibles eagerly, and responded in an excited tone; clearly this was an interesting subject for him.

"To be honest, I wouldn't know. I create a new self before the old one dies, and only retain the memories up to my new form's creation. This comes in handy when I know i'm bound for a suicide mission, as I can ensure my survival, and then use the life left in my old host body to complete the task. In short, I'm the perfect multi-use martyr." When they reached the door, he opened it for her, resisting the urge to yodel with joy.

What? Yodeling was a perfectly reasonable pastime for a giant cockroach.

"I know a very charming place around here, run by two men who are very much in love. The coffee is irresistible. Shall we?" Sure, he hadn't gone to the shop since it was invaded by spiders, but people in this city tended to bounce back rather quick, right? They would be fine.

> "Shall we?"

"We shall." Lori offered the bug man her arm. It was half to prove to herself that she wasn't bugged (pun intended) by his appearance and half to show him that she wasn't afraid of him. Nay, that she might even be delighted by him. It was a possibility... if she could stand him.

And once their arms were linked she would have to try hard not to skip a la Wizard of Oz. There was just something very silly inspiring about having an overgrown cockaroach as your escort.

The idea of actually not getting dead but having a kind of scapegoat or straw dog was interesting. Veeeeeery interesting. The cogs turned loudly in her brain and the walking and brisk air was waking her up enoug that eventually those cogs pushed some of those questions out her mouth. "So when do you know to make a new self? And is your brain split when there are two or you? Do you always have two of you?" If he always had two of him, where did he keep the other?

An arm was offered, How could he refuse! In his mind, he grabbed it, nommed it off, and ate it for lunch, in reality, he looped his arm into hers, and proceeded down the hall.

Now that he thought of it, he hadn't had a large ammount of physical contact with people ever since he'd undergone his incredible metamorphosis. Many of them had opted not to touch him, most likely in awe of his beauty; he couldn't blame them for that. Part of him appreciated this woman's willingness to touch him, though he wondered what this meant in human interraction. Sure, he had been human once, and he remembered it, but he couldn't quite recall what it felt like to have emotional interractions as a human being... Was she 'into' him? Perhaps it was better to look at this with a more buglike sentimentality...

...

For some reason this translated into a very frightful question ringing through his head. "Did Lori want to eat his cranium?" He focussed her in his vision for a moment, and then looked away. Greg thus surmized that he just wanted to be friends.

"Actually, there can really only be one me at any given time, technically. My living self injects a cockroach, and dies within two hours afterwards. That little Roach then grows into a new me after a couple months. It's brilliant, really." Roach gave a nod as came to the door, and opted to open it for her.

"Did you have a place in mind, or may I recommend one?"

So that explained why he was so late in returning to claim victory over his successful delivery of the item she had asked him to pinch for her. That particular item was being used as they spoke to press powder into pills. It left its mark on every one, a delightfully ornate M. M for mutation. Because that's what they were doing now. Selling a little temporary slice of mutanthood.

> "Did you have a place in mind, or may I recommend one?"

"There's no shortage of caffeine in this town. Why don't you try to take me some place I've never been before." Having grown up and gone all around that would be hard to do. But the gauntlet was down. It was now a challenge.

A woman gasped and put her hand over her young son's eyes as they walked by and that only made Lori grin all the more. Having a roach for a companion was never dull.

Oh dear. A challenge! Well, now. That little happy coffee shop he'd had in mind before simply wouldn't do, now. The little lady insisted upon him finding a place she had never before visited!

Had he a brow, it would furrow in thought, but he was lacking so his antennae furrowed instead. They popped up straight, though, when the perfect place came to mind. He gently steered her in the right direction, and watched with some interest as they passed a woman and her child. The woman did the typical gasp/eyecover that he had come to expect, and he simply gave them what they wanted in return. He clicked his mandibles at them a few times, turning to follow them with his netlike eyes as the passed. The woman's pace quickened, and she and her child disappeared around the corner.

It was then that he realized Lori might need an explanation for his actions. "Funny, isn't it, how one little gene can make others look at you in such a less appealing light. Still, they look at me and expect a show. Who am I to deprive them of that?" He omitted the fact that when people looked at him like that, it made him actually want to eat them; he also left out that fact that on a few occasions he might have tried to follow through with those wishes.

He was content with small chat while they made their way to their destination, it was a few blocks away, after all. Silent, it would seem like much longer.

She pat the roach man's arm with some measure of comfort. "You put on a very nice show. Why, the hat alone is worth a look or two." She was grinning. Yeah, the hat was cool but the antennae were cooler. Grosser, but still cooler. And her hand had patted some rather hard feeling skin.

"How much tactile feeling do you have with your... chitinous—?" She looked at him to see if she was using the right word or even saying it right. Chitinous was one of those words she'd only ever seen in books. "—chitinous skin?" She finished her sentence once she had enough confirmation that was in fact the word she wanted. It was kind of hard to read a roach face too, now that she thought about it. It didn't have all the muscles and skin she had grown accustomed to.

"How do you get around if you're always putting on a show? At some point, surely, it gets in the way of your day to day business." Polite conversation with a cockroach was not on her morning schedule, but she might just have to pencil it in more often.

Lori suspected every coffee selling spot they approached. So far, they were passing them all. That was a good sign for Roach-boy. He could possibly succeed in her challenge.

Gregory's antennae twitched in satisfaction at her compliment; he was the type to enjoy a positive remark. Lori seemed more than willing to compliment, and to question as well. He didn't mind. He even gave her a little nod when she seemed to inquire if she was saying chitinous right.

"I don't feel as much as I once did... It's more of a pressure, than anything else. There are, of course, some areas that are still sensitive, but for the most part... I am numbed" He didn't say it in a way that seemed upset; if anything he was stating it as a somewhat positive fact. Gregory had long since come to terms with his mutation. Ever since the first time he looked into the mirror and decided he was one sexy cockroach, he had felt right at home beneath his... Chitinous skin.

As she asked her final question, he steered them gently into an alley way, responding in a thoughtful tone. "I suppose we all must run our own respective shows; without the difficulties they present our lives would be devoid on interest. Besides, while my own act, and fate given costume, makes life difficult, I am not alone in my peril. There are many like me, and that makes the day to day much more manageable." He came to stop mid alley, and reached over to the wall next to them, which had a metal door with a slider on it.

He knocked exactly seventeen times.

The slide opened and knock number seven, and a set of six eyes waited patiently, and then spoke when he finished knocking. "Gregory... Long time." One of the eyes popped from it's socket, and guided itself out of the slot, aiming itself toward Lori. "Who's the pinky? A human? You know we don't let them in here."
The eye turned back to Roach, interested in his response.
"No, my friend. She is a mutant like us. She runs the sanctuary."

"Really? Come on in, then!" The slide shut, the sound of many locks sliding out of place was heard, and the door opened quickly, revealing a man who seemed to be covered in eyes. He bowed a little bit to her, and invited them into a humble room with many small round tables in it, as well as a small counter where a man that seemed to have the face of a rhinoceros. In fact, nearly every single person seated, enjoying their caffeinated beverages, was a very visible mutant.

Roach wandered on in, and was greeted by many of the denizens, all of which paused when they saw Lori. Roach leaned in, and whispered to her. "I apologize if they are distrustful; you look like a human."

They turned into an alleyway together and Lori tried not to be tense. She often ran off alone without guard or company. So much more could be accomplished when she was on her own, but it did leave her somewhat vulnerable. Here she had run off without a thought that this bug could very well be meaning to squash her.

Lori cleared her throat when she lost count of the quick succession of knocks. Was it code? How thick was this skin of Roach's? She didn't want to have to waste extra power just to down one mutant. An eye hole opened and the bugman kept right on knocking. Like the eyeball popping out of the slot wasn't looking right at them. Lori gave a small ingratiating shrug to the wandering eye. Wasn't her fault she ran with a rather neurotic crowd.

And... pinky? She wasn't walking into a trap. She was walking into a whole heap of kindred spirits... kindred spirits who hopefully knew how to brew a mean cup of coffee.

Her station at the Sanctuary was probably the only reason the door was opened to her, Lori realized when she looked around at the motley assortment of non-pinkies.

Well, she did look rather human.

Lori rubbed her hands together and slowly pulled them apart. Tiny little blue arcs of lightning bounced between her inch apart hands. She knew the display made her look weak, but externally that was the best she could do. At least they sizzled and popped. Most of the onlookers shrugged and wen back to their own cups.

"You would think I would have heard about a place like this with all the gifted people we house at the Sanctuary." But there were some places closed even to her... this one was no longer thanks to Roachy-poo. Lori grinned wide enough to flash teeth. Mutants with tails were her favorite and she counted at least three from the door.

"Shall we?" Roach was her escort and despite the slightly disgusted looks she was getting, Lori bore them well. Here, she was the ugly one, but she had a rather dapper escort did she not?

Lori's light display got a few chuckles and a sarcastic clap from the few that didn't just turn around and mind their own business. Roach watched the woman curiously as she spoke. To be honest, he wasn't supposed to have shown her this place, but he figured the fact that he'd done a lot for the mutant community meant that this might be okay. He could be wrong. He was gambling never being able to come here again on it. Gregory hoped he would win that gamble.

"There is a kind of... Secret kinship between those that might not so easily be considered human at first glance. Yes, you provide a home and food, here I find no prying eyes. No one tends to, say... Glance at the rear ends of others for some... strange reason I will not judge you for... It's not something people are often willing to share with others." Roach clacked his mandibles softly three times, a show of emotion that was nearly undecipherable. "We shall." He then headed up to the front, waving at a few people as he passed.

He stopped at a counter with a little man-thing who had a bulbous, enlarged cranium, a big mouth, little tiny eyes, and a nose that was long and floppy. He spoke in a voice that resembled a small hand saw engine, or one of those little people from the lolipop guild. "Ahh, Gregory... Long time no see! Get your head blown off or something?" They both laughed at the little jab, as they both knew it was true, and then the roach did something odd. He snatched a cup from the counter, and spit in it, placing it back again. He grabbed another and handed it to Lori, motioning for her to do the same.