Tentacle Hunks Monthly

Cecilie sipped her iced coffee as she walked into the bookstore, glancing around cautiously. It didn't seem too creepy in here; maybe this new neighborhood was nice after all.

"Hello," she said to the man at the counter, "Where is the magazine section?" Her voice was thickly accented, but her smile was perfectly clear.

The man at the counter looked normal enough at first glance, despite his pale skin and hair. Though his eyes seemed a bit off, as if they had no pupils, a second look would confirm they did indeed.

He looked up from his book, pointing to a rather large section.

"Please don't read any unless you intend to buy them," he spoke in a very soft voice.

She nodded, and her chest bounced slightly.

"Do you have, what is the English word...in Danish, it is 'porno'. Do you have that magazine?"

Sariel couldn't contain his surprise, and he jumped slightly. Nobody just asked like that, and certainly not women. He wondered if she saw the change in his appearance. He composed himself.

"Y-yes, it should be..." he hesitated slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed still. "It should be with the other magazines."

She beamed.

"Thank you! I'm new in America, but I think I'll be coming here a lot!" Without another word, she made her way to the porn section of the magazines, perusing the plastic-wrapped volumes. A few minutes later she returned with an armful of magazines, which she then dropped onto the counter. The one at the top of the stack read "Tentacle Hunks Monthly" and featured a picture of a buff male tentacle monster, flexing his gooey appendages.

"How much for these?" she asked brightly.

Sariel felt his usually pale face turn very red. Worse, he could feel his own tentacles prickle at his back, attempting to pull through his clothes. He swallowed, attempting to calm himself.

"One...moment," he said somewhat shakily. He rang up the items and said, "33.34."

She blinked, peering close at him.

"Are you okay?" She glanced at her iced coffee, then held it out for him to take a sip. "Go on, you look hot."

"N-no, I'm not really a fan of coffee," he replied, awkwardly shying away from the drink. He just hoped she didn't look too closely at him, because he had a feeling he was sweating like crazy. He could also feel his tentacles shifting uncomfortably beneath his sweater.

"Oh. Well the Starbucks is just around the corner--I could get you something else?" She stood on her tiptoes and leaned over the counter. "I'm not used to the heat either, it's okay."

"Oh...no, no, that's...it's fine," he insisted. Why was she being so damned nice? He just wanted her to leave so he could stop worrying about his appearance. He stepped away from the counter instinctively. "I'm...fine, but...thank you."

She smiled.

"Maybe I'll see you here again soon? Once I'm done with these." She pulled some money out of her wallet, carefully checked the bills, and then handed them over.

"I'm...usually the only one working here, so...yes, probably," he replied awkwardly.

"What's your name? I am Cecilie," she said, extending her hand over the counter.

Sariel carefully took her hand, aware of his hot his skin was.

"I'm Sariel..." he said.

"Nice to meet you! Well, if you're sure you don't want that drink, I'll probably take these home, now--but I will see you again!" She beamed at him.

"Oh...alright," he smiled sheepishly. "Goodbye, then..."

-x-

Cecilie walked back to her apartment, takeout in hand. She had never had Korean before, but she looked forward to it. She was so busy trying to imagine what it would taste like, that she smacked into someone bigger than her, almost dropping her food.

"S-sorry!" she exclaimed.

Sariel immediately reached to catch her food, but so did his tentacles. He immediately composed himself, taking a frantic step back. He hoped she hadn't seen.

"...oh," he said. "It's you."

She blinked at him for a moment, confused. Then she smiled.

"Oh, it's you! I thought I saw--no, never mind. What are you doing here?"

"You didn't see anything!" he replied, flushing completely red. "A-anyway..."

He eyed the Korean food in her hands. He loved Korean food. He felt himself salivate slightly.

"Oh," she said, noticing his gaze, "Would you like some? My uncle's out tonight, so I was going to be alone, and I have enough food to share. My apartment's right there." She pointed to a door a few feet down the hall.

Sariel knew he shouldn't, but...

"...okay," he said, wringing his hands.

"Yay!" she said, dragging him to the door. "I was going to just watch a movie on Uncle's Netflix, but you can help me pick!" She pulled him through the door and unpacked the styrofoam containers of food from the plastic bag, handing him one and a fork.

He looked at the food excitedly. He loved food more than most anything. Well, except for cheesy movies and tv shows. He loved those more, but only slightly.

"How old are you?" he asked, realizing he had no idea.

"Twenty," she replied. "You? Oh, before I forget--would you like a beer?"