Lecorondia didn`t know if she should laugh or take offense as she walked next to Lucy towards the house.

　　It wasn`t anything different from the other dwellings she`d spotted so far. Four walls, a roof, and a door—the basics. No. What made it stand out was the sheer amount of surrounding junk. A large blow-up figure stood in the yard, green plastic with large black eyes on a strangely shaped head. In its hands, it held a sign bearing the words THEY WALK AMONG US. Other smaller metal figures were stuck on poles amidst the dying grass. She saw depictions of a circular Fuzzyions ship. Multiple versions, actually. She`d need to ask someone about that.

　　Her attention flicked toward Lucy`s embarrassed expression and the smile that Jerry wore as he nudged Julep.

　　"Any of these friends of yours?" He asked.

　　Julep grunted and shook his head. Lecorondia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Lucy opened the gate and up the gravel driveway. Even the stones had strange shapes, including one that looked suspiciously similar to the Galactic Government logo. She hesitated when she saw it, crouching down to run her hand over the shape.

　　"Problem?" Julep asked.

　　"I`m not sure." She stood and looked around. "Lucy, I have a question."

　　Lucy paused, her face flushing. "I`m sorry. We`re not all like this."

　　"Oh, don`t fret, dear; it`s not that. No. This symbol. Is this something you know anything about?"

　　To her shock, Jerry answered, stepping over and peering down. "I`ve seen it a couple of times over the years. Spray-painted places mostly. Why? Is it an alien swear?"

　　Lecorondia smiled, nodding quickly as she stepped away from the image. She didn`t need someone on the council to get wind of this. If they believed someone else had already compromised them on this planet, that wouldn`t do anything but give Senator Kulthurack more ammunition. She needed to move up her timetable.

　　That meant changing the subject, and he`d already provided her with the simplest lie. One that Jerry would appreciate if she`d listened to his stories correctly.

　　"Quite the offensive bit of graffiti, that. Do you think he knows what it means? Arnold, wasn`t it?"

　　"Yes, and doubtful." Jerry chuckled. "He`s the type who spends all his time on this, but if he was proactive, we`d have picked him up. Probably luck."

　　As they talked, she watched Lucy finish her brisk walk to the door and press the doorbell. The sound of a rocket firing and laser zapping filled the air. From the corner of her eye, she caught Julep roll his eyes, which made Jerry choke while laughing. While Julep checked on him, she moved up to stand next to Lucy. This needed to be handled delicately. If this idiot had released the information, she needed to perform damage control.

　　While her two babysitters promised he wouldn`t, she didn`t trust them fully. This guy was clearly obsessive, which made him controllable, though erratic, without direct supervision. Heavy footsteps sounded behind the door, and she hastily figured out what type of character to play. If Lucy`s barely hidden scorn was to be believed, this man would be like most of her fans: young, male, stupid.

　　She slipped into her best femme fatale impersonation. An adjustment to her top, a demure smile, and a shift of her hair to hide some of her face. Lucy squeaked when she wrapped her tail around her waist, but she didn`t get time to pull away.

　　If she was lucky, he`d have a heart attack in the doorway—nothing she could take the blame for. If not? Well, a breathy voice and a wiggle of the hips had allowed her to escape most of the trouble she`d gotten herself into. For the rest, she had Julep.

　　A quick check over her shoulder to give him the signal to stay back, and she`d readied the scene. This would be easy.

　　The door opened with a shrill creaking, and she caught her first proper look at the creature who caused all her problems. Rage boiled in her gut, even as she kept the cute smile plastered on her face. This, this filth! He was the one who`d scared her poor baby half to death. His presence ruined her trip!

　　Massive amounts of self-control were the single thing stopping her from snapping her fingers and summoning Julep. Her bodyguard could be here in seconds, sharp teeth tearing into the wobbling gut. Perhaps a single disintegrator shot that burned up his stupid bearded face? There were so many creative ways to punish this moron for his indiscretion.

　　Lucy let out another squeak as her tail involuntarily wrapped tighter around her waist. She watched as his attention traveled across her body, then to Lucy, and then back to her. Red filled his face, and his breathing sounded wrong. Her self-control broke. While she couldn`t kill him, there was nothing in the rules about using her role to its full potential.

　　With the most breathy feminine voice she could manage, she leaned in, making sure she pulled Lucy even closer until they squished together.

　　"Oh, my brave alien Hunter. We need your help&"

　　Her words trailed off as she batted her eyes at him. He choked, gasped, and collapsed, falling backward and smacking his head against the floor.

　　"Well," she said as she released Lucy and stepped over the unmoving man. "That went well."

　　***

　　The inside held fewer of the garish decorations, which Lecorondia appreciated during her self-guided tour of the house.

　　Not that she didn`t spot any. In the living room, figurines and mugs decorated the shelves. As she examined them, she noticed something else. In the corner, a camera sat hidden, positioned to capture the front door and a majority of the living room in a perfect wide shot. Primitive compared to what she was used to, but still similar enough that she understood the basics. A red light flashed on the side of the device, and she smiled. Perfect.

　　She found two more when she searched the shelves, occasionally picking up figures as though to examine them. Not that it mattered. Arnold`s current state kept both her babysitters busy, and Julep was moving to keep her covered. Provided the fat oaf didn`t wake anytime soon, she should have time.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　A haughty smile flickered across the side of her face that remained hidden by her hair. Both the other rooms she investigated held hidden cameras, though oddly, the bedroom`s version pointed at the ceiling. She touched nothing inside, instead slowly moving down the stairs. What she saw took her breath away.

　　It was a miniature studio. Audio and camera equipment surrounded a green screen that Arnold had hastily stapled to the wall. Opposite the collection of equipment sat a collection of softly glowing monitors. When she stepped closer, the whirl of the fans made her shake her head. Such a basic cooling system.

　　It brought back memories of having to play a hacker girl and listening to a tech guy explain the system. Terrible teacher, great kisser. Though she knew enough to do the basics, a few clicks showed her the recording section, and she grinned. He`d rigged the cameras to feed into a single program. He`d even left some streaming programs open, though it was currently offline.

　　She could fix that easily, though a thought hit her: did she want to? If she turned it on, it wouldn`t be hard to discover she was the culprit. Distracted or not, Lucy or Jerry would notice she was missing. No. Better to leave that to others. Besides, a simple look around told her a lot about Arnold`s obvious ambitions.

　　He was like her, but less successful. Someone who desired an audience to hear and respect them. To be seen and remembered. However, while she was happy strutting for fame, he craved to send a message. So she`d give him one he couldn`t resist shoving out into the wider world.

　　All it required was sprinkling in the right keywords. Her being an ambassador, the Galactic Government, a lost alien pet. That would be important, yes. However, the true draw would be herself and the stunning blonde upstairs. If Arnold`s reaction represented anything, the two of them would carry this video.

　　The issue would be making sure that neither Lucy nor Jerry discovered what she was doing. If they found the cameras and stopped the recording, her plan would end before it started.

　　A loud thump as though Julep hit something drew her attention, and she hit record, though she didn`t turn on the stream. No, that bit would come later. Julep wasn`t the first thing this planet needed to witness. Lecorondia needed people to be on her side, not so terrified they wouldn`t help her find her darling boy.

　　With hurried steps, she climbed the stairs and detoured into the kitchen, where she swiped a bottle of water from the fridge. She held it out like an offering as she reentered the room. Arnold was sitting on the couch with a device in his mouth that he breathed into.

　　Lucy stood near the door, while Julep stayed behind the couch. It was Jerry who was taking care of the young man.

　　"Hey, we`ve got you. We need to ask you some questions. Take your time. Do you have any spare inhalers?"

　　"I. Yes. Bathroom." Arnold coughed. "Don`t need it. What are you doing here? Are they real? What the hell is going on? I was right!"

　　Another coughing fit accompanied his shout, and Lecorondia handed the bottle of water to Jerry. He made Arnold drink, keeping his attention focused on the boy. Lucy shot her a glare, and Lecorondia shrugged.

　　She understood why the woman appeared unimpressed, but it was hard to care when it was entirely his fault. Though when she noticed Arnold watching her, she shifted her face to something more sympathetic.

　　"I am sorry for the shock. Are you okay?"

　　"You`re the one from the photo," he said, sounding almost unsure.

　　Lecorondia smiled. "Yes. You scared my darling pet something awful. Tell me, where is he?"

　　"W-what?"

　　"My darling baby. My poor pet. My Erodicilee. Where is he?"

　　She let her forked tongue lap the air. Fear. Arousal. Sweat. A shudder ran through her, and she wanted to wretch. Instead, she sat on the couch and met Arnold`s gaze with her own. As she did so, she noticed his dilated pupils. His body`s way of displaying the earlier emotions.

　　With a breathy sigh, she leaned in close enough that her breath would be all he`d smell.

　　"Please," Lecorondia whispered. "My pet is precious to me. You saw him last. Where is he?"

　　Arnold swallowed, and his breath smelled of fresh mint. "I don`t know. It attacked me. I ran. Why do you think I`d know?"

　　"Because he may track you, son," Jerry said.

　　Lecorondia leaned back, and Arnold blinked, shaking his head, before turning his attention to Jerry. The old man gave him a reassuring smile.

　　"Don`t fret. Nothing is going to happen to you. If it hadn`t found you now, it probably won`t. Isn`t that right, Ambassador?"

　　"Of course," Lecorondia lied.

　　Truthfully, she did not know. It would depend on what powers her darling picked up in this place. Her eyes flicked to the shelves before she looked back at Arnold. He knew nothing that would help them. That, however, didn`t make him useless. Someone, somewhere on this planet, did. She simply needed to get them talking, and he would help.

　　Before she could, Arnold caught sight of Julep. That started another round of hyperventilating and concern. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched. Her plan needed to be enacted soon; otherwise, he was likely to work himself into a panic and die before she could.

　　"Julep, please wait in the car."

　　"Ma`am?"

　　It was a single word, but the question spoke volumes. Would she be okay? Did she want him to do something specific? Was there a plan?

　　"Please," she said.

　　Julep nodded. He knew nothing would threaten her here, and thus he left without complaint. Besides, they both understood that he could burst back inside with minimal effort.

　　A slight flick of her tail, and she had Arnold`s attention once more. "There, he`s gone. Now, I need some answers."

　　"How can I help?" he asked, eyes flicking between her and Lucy.

　　"Tell me," she gestured to herself. "Those photos. Did you send them to anyone?"

　　"No."

　　His answer was immediate, which she appreciated.

　　"Could you have reached a decent audience if you had?"

　　That question appeared to stump him, and then he shrugged. "A couple of thousand, maybe two? Locals really. But I`m trying to make my production bigger and—"

　　She cut him off with a wave of her hand. After dealing with so many fans, she`d learned to not let them ramble. Besides, she needed to make sure he got one last section of the recording before she let him distribute it.

　　"Sure. Well, as the ambassador for the Galactic Government, I`d like to thank you for your cooperation. Please, contact us if you find any information about my darling baby."

　　An idea came to her, and she turned. "Lucy, you wouldn`t have that picture of Erodicilee, would you?"

　　"I do." She sounded hesitant. "Why?"

　　"A refresher for Arnold`s memory is all. Plus, he`s so irresistibly adorable!" She let her excitement show at the last word, though it was mostly from watching Lucy walk into the frame to hand her the phone.

　　That was her entire plan completed. Now she simply needed to give him the final push. Lecorondia took the phone, shifting its position so the camera could easily capture the displayed picture. That done, she stood up.

　　"Would you mind if we searched outside to make sure he hasn`t gotten stuck somewhere?"

　　"No?" Arnold said, standing and taking a step towards the basement.

　　"Excellent."

　　They weren`t halfway around the property when Lucy`s and Jerry`s phones pinged, and from the way Jerry stormed back towards the house, she knew what it was about. It took effort not to grin.

　　She did love it when a plan came together.