(chapter originally by: worstfailure)
Stan drew a blank, he couldn't think of a way to cover up his visible lack of enthusiasm. The best he could do was force out an awkward laugh long after the other two had stopped. Carlo smiled at him thinly and resumed talking with Izzy. A few minutes later, the tiny manager arranged for Izzy's bags to be taken to her room and told her a tiny would be assigned to pamper her within the hour.
"Wait," Izzy said, confused. "I'm Stan's sponsor. Isn't he going to be assigned to me?"
"Hey may well be, Isabella," Carlo said. "He just needs to take a test to confirm he's perfect to serve you as is, or, if he needs training to be of use. It'll take the entire afternoon and we want you to be comfortable in the meantime."
"I guess that makes sense," Izzy said.
"NO IT DOESN'T!" Stan screamed internally. The entire plan was for the two of them to work together to investigate. Were they seriously gonna be split up? Was this standard procedure or did the Used suspect something?
Either way, it didn't matter. Izzy went to check out her room and Stan was escorted into Carlo's "house" which, Stan realized as he entered, was more like a shack. The only thing inside other than matching flesh-colored uniforms was a bed made out of an unwashed bra.
"Isabella is such a special girl, isn't she?" Carlo asked as he approached the row of uniforms.
"Yeah, she's the best!" Stan said. He should probably come up with more compliments to say than that but given that most of his experiences with Izzy had involved him being squashed, gassed, and humiliated, it was a struggle to maintain the act of him believing she was a goddess.
"Yes," Carlo said slowly, picking out a flesh-colored uniform in Stan's size. "Isabella is the best. She deserves the best. Her father made me promise to make sure she gets nothing but the best before he became Josefa's underwear full-time. Isabella deserves a tiny as devoted to her, as her father is to her mother." Carlo approached Stan, smiling and presented him with his uniform. "Do you wish to be of use to her Stan?"
"Of course," Stan said, feeling uncomfortable with how intense the Used manager was being.
Carlo smiled. "Good. Then orientation shouldn't be difficult at all. It may last the afternoon, but the time will just fly by."
Stan didn't have a response for that as Carlo approached a hatch hidden in the corner of the room and opened it. A ladder stretched down into darkness.
"Put on your uniform once I'm gone, climb down the ladder and take a seat in the orientation room. And welcome, Brother, to the Used."
"Thanks," Stan said. "But, don't you mean Initiate? I still need to pass the initiation."
Carlo smiled. "Don't worry. I have a feeling you're one of us already."
As Carlo closed the door and locked it behind him, Stan could only wonder, "Why does his room lock from the outside?"