Spoonful by spoonful, I scooped up some beans in tomato sauce and tossed the clumsy mixture straight into my mouth. I've eaten worse things in my life, but I still cringed inwardly at such a dinner. I don't like beans, or anything related to them. But I didn't have a choice; the Morlocks' food variety was limited, mostly consisting of canned goods.
Ah, I wish I'd ended up in modern-day Japan instead. At least there, you could buy a can of borscht from a vending machine. Can you imagine? An aluminum can like the ones for cola, but filled with thin soup! Beautiful!
Along with me, all the other Morlocks were eating beans straight from the cans. The guys had politely invited me to stay with them, and I agreed. It would have been rude to ask Caliban to send me back to the civilized world right then and there.
The Morlocks seemed like strange people. I've been watching them for half a day and can tell that the atmosphere in their little society is far from cheerful. The most positivity comes from the little Merrow. From what I gathered from her confused ramblings, she could grow extra bones in her body, even detach them if needed.
For instance, the bread we were eating with the beans was cut using a bone knife that the girl had made. It sounds a bit creepy, but it's their personal business. If everyone's fine with it, then why not?
Merrow seemed too upbeat for the oppressive atmosphere around her to affect her. Though, the pink-haired girl clearly sensed that something was wrong with her friends, so she tried as much as possible to cheer everyone up. She often joked and dragged whoever she could into her games. Today, her new toy was yours truly. Merrow couldn't let a new person into their tightly-knit, small community go unnoticed.
The others… well, they were obviously weighed down by something. Everyone except Masquerade. The only man in the society of girls felt just fine. The girls catered to his every whim. Calisto, for example, was feeding him with her own hands.
A mask of bliss and true enjoyment froze on his ugly face. Now I fully understood why he called himself "the most important" here, practically the ruler of the harem. Although, I had a feeling that things weren't as simple and straightforward with this repulsive guy.
Sure, he didn't paint his nails, didn't curl his hair, or powder his crooked nose, but that didn't make him any less repulsive. The girls around him, though they did whatever he asked, sometimes looked at him with a kind of internal sadness.
"Did you eat, Rascal?"
Someone's shadow loomed over me. I looked up and saw the light-haired Skydes. She preferred wearing tight light-yellow leggings that highlighted her perky bottom. She was also wearing a yellow T-shirt and a short denim jacket that ended just above her waist.
"Did you want something?" I asked, relieved to put aside the half-empty can. It was better to chat with someone than keep pretending I enjoyed beans.
"Come on, I'll show you where you'll sleep."
Wow, they had already picked a place for me to sleep? But I wondered, does Skydes think I'll share a bed with her? Who knows how these savages think. Maybe it's their rule? Honestly, if the situation were different, I wouldn't have refused. The blonde was definitely my type; her cute butt, as I'd already noticed, and her decent face. She was the only one among the Morlocks who looked like a normal person, without ugly scars on her body.
"Why the hell, Skydes!" Masquerade was so outraged by the girl's words that he jumped from his seat. "By what right are you now deciding where the newcomers will sleep?!"
"You forgot to ask, freak!" the girl retorted.
"You're crossing the line! I warn you, I won't tolerate your insolence anymore!"
The atmosphere in the metro station suddenly grew a few hundred kilograms heavier. Apparently, the tension between the blonde and the freak in the robe had been building for a while, and now was the moment when the first lightning was about to strike through the gloomy clouds. The last thing I wanted was to become the tiny spark that could set off a full-blown storm.
So, I had to choose which side of the conflict to support, so that I didn't make an enemy of the other. As much as I wanted to side with Skydes, I had to take Masquerade's opinion into account. Why? Because, as much as I disliked him, the man was actually the leader of this community.
And the blonde was acting against him, probably intending to use me as a tool for her sexual whims. For obvious reasons, I couldn't allow that.
"Enough with the fighting!" I hurried to ease the tension. "I have no problem sleeping wherever the esteemed Masquerade says. I see no issue with that!"
"Excellent!" the mutant grinned, but it didn't make his scarred face look any better. Quite the opposite. "Excellent! Calisto, prepare the best bed available for our guest!"
"As you command," the one-eyed brunette bowed.
Skydes frowned and left, not forgetting to bump my shoulder on the way out.
"Idiot," she whispered so no one else could hear. "I recommend you don't fall asleep tonight if you don't want trouble."
A strange warning. Was she threatening me, or trying to warn me about danger? But it didn't come across well.
As it turned out, most of the Morlocks slept in abandoned subway cars on the tracks. Samson and Sander shared one car. Calisto, Skydes, and Merrow had settled in the next one. Masquerade lived in a separate, more luxurious one. No one knew exactly where Caliban slept. I seemed to be the one they were indulging, as they had placed me in a separate car as well.
The setting there was quite Spartan; the sleeping arrangement consisted of one mattress, and there wasn't even a hint of a proper bed. But it was clean enough. As Calisto had said, they'd cleaned the place a while ago and kept it for possible newcomers.
Just like when I stayed with Jubile, I put on almost completely opaque nightwear, as I had certain safety concerns. I also decided to take the blonde's advice seriously. What surprised me the most in this whole situation was that a person who was clearly keen on commissar-type bodies didn't even wait for some symbolic hour. Maybe I'd simulated snoring too well, and he was provoked?
Yes, exactly that. Though I was less surprised when Masquerade showed up at the door of my car. He had instantly rubbed me the wrong way, looking at me with such a greedy gaze that it sometimes gave me chills. Ugh. Damn sodomites!
I never noticed such preferences in myself, and I wasn't about to let Masquerade get handsy. Sure, he helped me, gave me food and shelter, but… screw him! The bastard! What was he thinking?! I was about to unleash a beating on him if he came closer. Quietly slipping off my gloves, I prepared to use my strength. But suddenly, the situation took a very unexpected turn. A third person appeared at the door.