Artex arrived at the only hotel in New Humansville, Courtyard Suites, and walked into the lobby. The lobby was well appointed with individual chairs set around tables with potted plants interspersed throughout the floor space. The lobby itself was not particularly spacious, at most eight Fathoms square with a reception desk opposite the door. The cream colored Unicorn mare behind the desk looked bored, but she perked up when Artex walked in. She bobbed her head in acknowledgment, her light orange mane bobbing in time with the rest of her head, "Good afternoon sir."

Artex walked up to the desk, "Good afternoon ma'am. I'm looking for Razor Wit and Oriana. They might be with Fleur-de-lis and Fancy Pants, if that helps."

The mare looked over the thick book on the desk and pressed her hoof onto the page, "Fleur-de-lis and Fancy Pants are on the third floor, room 318 and Razor Wit and Oriana are also on the third floor, in room 321. It looks like they all checked in at the same time since they are across the hall from each other." She leaned over the desk and pointed to the stairs to the right, "Take the stairs up to the third floor, turn left, and they'll be at the end of the hallway, next to last rooms on either side." Artex had to stop himself from blinking in confusion since no hotel on Earth would give out information so freely.

Artex whispered the directions silently to himself then turned and tipped a nonexistent hat to the mare. The mare's curious expression at Artex' movement in regard to said nonexistent hat was completely missed. He headed to the stairs then began climbing upward. Upon reaching the third floor he turned left and headed down the hallway. He stopped and knocked on the door of room 321 and waited.

After a full minute, he decided that Razor and Oriana were likely with Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis, so he turned around and stepped across the carpeted hallway. His three knocks were answered almost immediately by Fancy Pants, "Oh Mr. Emissary, come in come in." He held the door open while Artex entered then closed it behind him.

Looking around the room, Artex saw Fleur-de-lis lying on top of the covers of the only bed in the room while Razor Wit and Oriana were nestled comfortably on bright blue cushions on the floor at the foot of the bed. An indentation next to Fleur indicated that Fancy had been lying next to his wife until a moment before.

Artex inclined his head to the mares and sat down on the floor with his back leaning against the wall opposite the bed, "Alright everypony, are you aware of why I advised you to to hide out in here?"

"Miss Oriana and Razor Wit have told us of the problem. The medical staff have already headed over to the hospital so they can begin their studies of Human biology and medical practices." Fancy Pants explained.

Artex nodded, "Good enough for the moment. Let me sum up about what happened. Apparently because New Humansville isn't on any maps none of the fliers made it here so nobody knew about the interviews. Once it came to our attention, I had to address the people and tell them. The announcement went much better than I had feared it might. I asked for anybody who had an idea of how to solve the problem to voice their thoughts after the announcement. That part did not go as well as I hoped."

Artex sighed and shook his head slightly, "The majority consensus was that the baby should only go to a Human family but that nobody was willing to volunteer to do so." Artex bit his lip as he saw Fleur-de-lis tense up, "The decision is ours," he said indicating himself and his two mare friends, "I vote to keep our criteria and perform a second set of interviews while keeping Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis as the top runners. Basically we'll compare everybody against the couple we've already chosen. Now, to placate some of the... very vocal concerns, I also would like to advocate for a Human to live with Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis in a Nanny capacity until the Nanny feels that their job is done or until the child reaches legal adulthood."

Razor and Oriana turned to each other and engaged in a short whispered conversation before Oriana broke away and spoke up, "We agree. That is a good solution."

Artex turned to the Unicorn couple, "I'm sorry to force you into this, but it's the best solution I can think of without trying to force you to live here, which wouldn't be fair to you at all."

Fancy Pants nuzzled his wife before answering, "It's alright. We have more money than we could use in several lifetimes. Paying a Nanny won't be an issue. Would the Nanny be interviewed, as well?"

Artex crossed his arms and smiled smugly, "You bet they will. And if nobody qualifies, then I guess the issue wasn't that big a deal in the first place. Furthermore I would like to invite you both, Fancy and Fleur, to do the interviews for the Nanny with us."

The two Unicorns smiled warmly, "We would love to." Fleur-de-lis answered.

* * *

Bobby Jewel was not having a smooth day. He liked smooth days, they brought on a steady stream of ailments for him to diagnose and cure he could confer with the other doctors and work his medical magic efficiently. Smooth days were good for everybody, but today was NOT a smooth day.

As soon as he came in for his shift somebody had told him that a group of Kavim medical professionals had arrived unexpectedly and were there to learn about Humans from a medical standpoint. He had reluctantly allowed the small mob of Kavim to follow him on his rounds and checkups and various diagnoses. They asked questions all over the place and more than once had Bobby needed to remind them of the Hippocratic Oath and what it entailed, especially in regard to patient information and patient/doctor confidentiality. He kept forgetting that the Kavim medical oath did not include doctor/patient confidentiality. He had to ask every single patient for their permission to have the other medical practitioners watch and listen.

Lunch time had never been more welcomed, or so he thought. The small mob of Kavim followed him to lunch and had peppered him with queries about Human diet, especially about what an infant or young child could or could not ingest safely. Bobby valiantly bore the questions and answered them in a thorough and direct manner. Once lunch ended it was back to the rounds and even more questions about Humans.

By the end of his shift Bobby was ready to go home, get away from the incessant questions, and drink until he passed out. Considering he almost never drank, it was quite a statement. The Kavim doctors left the hospital with parting assurances that they were looking forward to doing the same thing the following day. It was all Bobby could do not to gnash his teeth and spit.

He walked toward the house he shared with Alana and two of the people from Argentina and fished the key out of his pocket. Unlocking the door, he entered then closed and locked it behind himself. He immediately trudged up the stairs, not taking any notice of the lack of the usual smells of Alana trying, and likely failing again, to make the evening meal. He was looking forward to seeing his female roommate, especially if she was wearing her Human disguise. She had a habit of wearing the most provocative clothing when just moving around the house and Bobby was definitely not complaining.

Thinking back, Bobby wasn't sure when or even how it had happened, but the simple fact was that he and Alana were quite a lot more than just friends. The two had been sleeping in the same bed, which had been and was still a mostly platonic setup, but at some point they began snuggling at night. Originally Alana snuggled up to Bobby when he had been taking care of her before the houses were constructed, but once the houses were finished both the Human and the Changeling were already in the habit so they just kept it up. The snuggling had perhaps been the door that opened to the rest of their relationship. They had recently been talking about their plans for the future and somehow they always included one another. Not a month before, Bobby had confessed to Alana that he was in love with her. It came as a small, comedic surprise when she told him that she already knew and that she loved him as well. The two had not engaged in any of the more squishy physical aspects of their attraction, but small kisses and nightly cuddling were something they both enjoyed to the fullest degree.

Bobby made it to the top of the stairs and turned right, toward the room that he and Alana shared. As his hand pressed to the door handle he heard the sounds of naked feet pacing around the floor beyond. The pacing was accompanied by what sounded like worried muttering. The combination halted him briefly and he listened, trying to listen out for specific words. To his chagrin, he could not make out anything except for vague sounds.

He pressed down on the handle and opened the door. Alana was wearing her Human disguise and pacing back and forth and muttering to herself. Bobby closed the door and Alana stopped and looked up at him sharply, "Oh Bobby, I'm... I'm glad you're home." She looked down and scuffed her bare feet on the hardwood floor, "I uh... I received a message from the others... the other Changelings." She peeked up at Bobby, "They want to... come out. They want to join us. They said they're ready."

Bobby sat down on their shared bed and began pulling off his shoes, "Isn't that a good thing? What's stopping them?"

Alana let out a pent up sigh, "Well most of them will be fine. They can take up disguises or do whatever they want... all of them except one. She... she was worried about keeping the others safe... this was before Mario found us... she... she transformed... one of the permanent transformations. She became a 'he' and he is going to... have problems fitting in here."

Bobby was bent over unlacing his soft bottomed shoes and turned his head toward Alana, "Again, what's the issue?"

Alana fiddled with her fingers, "His current... and permanent form... is made for battle. He's almost as tall as our house..."

Bobby stopped fiddling with his shoes, "Say what?" he asked quietly.

Alana sunk to her knees, "Please Bobby," she begged, "He can't change back, it's one of the few permanent changes we have and he only did it to protect us!"

Bobby sat up straight, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Figure out some way for him to be accepted. He can pull a plow, or chop down trees, he'll do whatever you want, just don't let anybody send him away." Alana pleaded.

Bobby flopped backward onto the bed, "Oh good lord!" He rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed explosively, "Why me." He laid his left arm over his eyes, "Look Alana, let me sleep on it alright? I can't deal with this right now." He felt the bed bounce, signaling that she was joining him. He felt her press up against his left side, right underneath his armpit and nuzzle against his chest.

"I just spent my entire shift leading around a bunch of dopey Pony doctors who don't know a Human's rectum from a hole in the wall. They were stuck to me like glue. They were with me for every appointment and they didn't even leave me alone for lunch." he sighed again and wrapped his arm around Alana, "And they're going to be following me around tomorrow too. What's more, I'm also trying to juggle the C.W.G. medical curriculum and finish that before the training starts next week."

Alana snuggled closer against Bobby's side, "I'm sorry you're so stressed. You've taken on a lot of responsibilities..." she trailed off.

Bobby shook his head, "It's not your fault Alana. You had no way of knowing."

Alana suddenly stiffened, "Oh no!" she whined, "I forgot to make dinner for everybody! I'm sorry, I just got so distracted when I heard about the others wanting to join us I just forgot all about it."

Bobby rolled his eyes silently, "It's not a big deal." He shifted Alana in his arms and looked down into her deep green eyes, "Tell you what, let's all go to The Melting Pot. You, me, Maria, and Juan, let's just go out to eat tonight. We haven't spent enough time with them and we need to make sure they feel welcome with us."

Alana shifted under the arm of the man, "Can we... can we spend time together, just us two, sometime soon?" Her voice was only just above a whisper.

Bobby smiled, "Yeah, I'd like that." His thoughts turned to the simple gold ring that he had Morris secretly forge. It rested in his coat, the same way it had for the past two weeks, "I'd like that a lot. I love you Alana."

The disguised Changeling smiled and snuggled against Bobby's side, "I love you too."

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