A family of furry fans and their interactions with the people around them.
Dear reader:
The events of this narrative are based on a true story which has been extrapolated to a satisfying conclusion. When I heard the story of the furry whose mere presence brought a child out of his wheelchair, I felt compelled to reward him in prose. I had intended this to be a stand-alone, but it became the basis for a much longer series about the generation that comes after. TG in this is incidental but integral to everything that comes after, in which the TG becomes a central theme. The story begins somewhere in the late 2020s to early 2030s. Isn't near-present technology marvelous?
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Sal looked around, carefully taking in his surroundings to make up for his lack of periferal vision. His wide blue eyes didn't blink, but did move to always look directly at someone observing him. His white-tipped black tail swung gently as he turned, hearing a shout behind him.
It had been a relatively quiet moment up till then. The most recent knot of children had already moved on to another exhibit, running faster than Sal as he sedately paced the enclosures, pausing to watch each animal for minutes on end. He had been watching the Leopard Cats, a particular favorite when he heard the shout.
He turned to see a young boy in a wheelchair, grinning and pointing at him excitedly. As Sal began walking towards him, the boy rose, paling with the effort, but still stumbling towards Sal with the same joyous look on his face. Sal ran forward with his arms outstretched and knelt, the boy meeting him in a tight hug. Sal's black and white furred body nearly enveloping the child and even through the fur of his suit he could feel the boy shaking; whether with exertion or happiness Sal wasn't sure.
As he let the boy go, he looked up straight into the eyes of the woman who had been pushing the wheelchair, probably the boy's mother. He rose and they helped the boy back into his wheelchair. He held onto Sal's arm the entire time and never took his eyes off of Sal's. When he'd been situated, Sal stepped back to let the boy and his mother pass. She seemed about to, but stopped right next to him and said, "I ought to thank you. That's the first time he's gotten up since the accident."
Sal smiled, his expression of course blocked by the similar grin of his suit's head. "You're very welcome, madam." He replied, the jaw of his suit head moving with his words. "It's moments like these that make me do this."
The woman stuck out her hand, "Nora Brooks, you must be bloody hot in that thing."
Sal offered his own, startled by the strength of her statement and her grip, "Sa - Victor Falkner, sweating buckets and hardly minding."
The boy shifted his attention to the woman, "mom, can the kitty join us?"
Nora looked down at her son, "now, Mike, we don't want to be rude. I'm sure Mr. Falkner has plenty of other kids to hug today."
Sal said, "I think that I can walk with you for a little while if you like. It's gotten quiet around here anyway," he knelt down in front of the chair and leaned in close to the little boy, "besides, I think that Mike's the most recepetive audience I've had in a long time."
Mike cheered, "yay."
Nora smiled maternally, "thank Mr. Falkner."
Mike cried, "Thanks, kitty!"
Sal gave Mike a quick hug before straightening up, "you're welcome."
They toured the exhibits for hours, Mike talked brightly and constantly to Sal, who replied occasionally, or told him some animal lore he knew. Otherwise, Sal just walked along, enjoying the look of happiness on the boy's face and on his mother's as she listened to his happy monologue. Sometimes they'd stop so that Sal could interact with some of the other children, and when he came back, Mike would look even happier than before. He obviously considered himself quite special for having Sal as his constant companion.
They stopped at the food court around midafternoon and Nora said, "you must be extremely thirsty. I'll buy you a giant drink."
Sal replied, "You don't have to."
Nora looked down at Mike, "I think that it's the least I could do to repay you."
Sal nodded, "if you want."
They sat down, Sal sitting close to the edge of his seat to give his tail room. When Nora returned, he swept his long white hair away from the cup and worked the straw up his muzzle. Mike giggled as the 'kitty' drank. Nora watched him take a long sip before saying, "that's an interesting character. Does he come from anywhere?"
Sal replied, "Thanks, and yes he does. He's based off of the main character of one of my favorite book series, the Chronotis Cycle. Saliaven Chronotis, perhaps you've heard of him."
Nora shook her head, "I have, but I've never read any. I don't read much fantasy."
Sal said, "You ought to, it's great." He'd had to lift the straw partway up in the cup to get it into his mouth, and now he was stuck with a quarter of the liquid left and no way to get to it. "Would you mind if I took my head off for awhile? Some people mind."
Nora laughed, "of course not. I can't imagine its easy to drink in that."
Sal tugged on his neck fur and worked his head off, "no," Victor replied, "but I like to keep in character as much as possible. It makes me feel more like I am Saliaven."
He looked around for somewhere to put the fursuit head and Nora said, "you can hang that on the chair if you want. I'm sure Mike wouldn't mind sharing."
Victor said, "Actually, if Mike wouldn't mind having it in his lap, I think that would work better."
Mike said, "Cool! Can I put it on?"
Victor smiled, "well, if you clean your face off, sure." Mike began vigorously wiping his face with a napkin. "Just be careful, and don't be surprised if it's a little smelly in there. Oh, and don't let the hair trail on the ground."
Mike took the head very carefully and put it on with no difficulty as it was quite large on his ten-year-old body. "Wow!" He exclaimed. "How does the mouth move?"
Victor replied, "You have to work the strap over your jaw. It might not work, since you're so small."
While Mike took the head off and began trying to find a way to fit the jaw strap over his own smaller frame, Victor began to sip from the drink. "Well, Ms. Brooks, I'm surprised you haven't asked the standard question: why do I do it?"
Nora shrugged, "I figured you'd been asked that a lot, and besides, I can see a very excellent reason sitting right next to us."
Victor looked over at Mike, who had given up and was now just stroking the fur on his lap, "yeah, the kids make it really worthwhile. Still, that wasn't the reason I started. It began with curiosity; I was young, after all. Then it turned to true interest, and the more I got into the idea, the better it sounded. Eventually I got my first suit and the feeling of the fur all over me, of seeing that fuzzy face in the mirror, convinced me that I had made the right choice. It's expensive, but I'm well employed and no family as of now. My expenses are few otherwise, and I count saving for retirement in those expenses. Everything has gone right since I got out of college, so it was no great sacrifice to get into fursuiting seriously."
Nora nodded, "sounds like you've done well for yourself. I wish things had gone that way for me. Husband dead, and now with Mike's medical bills to pay, I'm pretty well broke half the time. I have to work nights now, but luckily I make more than I pay the sitter. If Mike weren't disabled, I wouldn't need one. He takes good care of himself." She sighed, "if he weren't disabled, I wouldn't need the extra shift at work."
Victor looked over at Mike, "tell you what, Ms. Brooks. I really like you and Mike. How about you have him come to my place afternoons, and I'll watch him for free. I could use the company."
Nora smiled, "much as I'd love to take you up on that, I wouldn't want to impose. Besides-"
Victor held up a paw, "you can hardly trust a man in a cat costume whom you met at the zoo and have known for only two hours. I can imagine that would be a problem."
Nora sighed, "It is."
Victor replied, "My offer still stands, however. If you want proof that I'm not a homicidal maniac or some kind of kook, I'm sure we can work something out."
Nora nodded, "sounds good. I'm glad you understand my need for caution. I couldn't bear having anything more happen to Mike."
Victor said, "of course. What if both of you came to see me weekends? I live in a nearby suburb; I'll give you the address. Once you're confident I'm an otherwise well balanced individual, we can make further arrangements."
Nora took his card, "you're awfully gung-ho about all this."
Victor smiled, "let's just say that I've met a lot of kids who want to pet the kitty, but very few who want to take him home." He gently took Sal's head back from Mike and put it on. "Next week?"
Nora looked down at the card, hesitant for the first time since Sal had met her, "sure." She said at last, "we'll be there at noon."
Victor made a final check to make sure his house looked properly respectable. He'd run his Roomba and vacuumed with an upright to make sure the living room was as clean as possible. He'd even dusted the bookshelves, something he'd meant to do for ages anyway. Rolan, his black tom, watched him from one of the shelves. Victor was saved from further worry about the state of his abode when the bell rang.
He'd worried that Nora would change her mind over the last week, but there she was at almost precisely noon. Mike was in front of her and when he saw Victor in a shirt and slacks he groaned, "aww. I liked it better when he was a cat."
Nora sighed and smiled, "now now. Mr. Falkner was very nice to invite us over. Don't be rude."
"Sorry, Mr. Falkner."
Victor smiled, "call be Victor, please. And if your mother decides I'm trustworthy, maybe I can come over some time as Saliaven."
"Yay!"
Nora looked around, "you certainly weren't kidding about the disposable income."
Victor looked embarrassed, "yeah. I was lucky. My family could afford to put me through college as an engineer. After I got out, I was hired and promoted immediately. I sometimes wonder what the company saw in me. I'm just happy I haven't screwed up yet. Can I get you two something to drink?"
Nora wheeled Mike over to the couch and said, "Cokes?"
"Sure."
Nora sat down as Victor got the drinks and he could hear Mike admiring his television aloud. Now that he'd gotten this far, he realized that he hadn't actually expected things to go this well and was now stumped as to what to do next. He hoped that matters would take their own course.
"Thanks," Nora said as he handed her the glass. "I'm still not sure if I fully understand why you're doing this."
Victor smiled as he sat down. He gave Mike the remote and turned to Nora, "I like you and Mike, and I feel like I can really make a difference to him. It feels like ages since I did something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return and I want that warm fuzzy feeling again. If by doing so I provide a similar warm fuzzy feeling to Mike and some happiness and relief to you, so much the better for all of us. Speaking of which," he took a box from one of the shelves and handed it to Mike, "I made this for you."
Mike opened it and immediately put on the cat ears he found inside. "Neat!"
Victor continued, "like I said, I have very little to do afternoons and evenenings. I may as well spend them doing something good for somebody. Since I need only come home as I always do and then entertain Mike for a few hours before you get off work, it seems hardly like I'm actually doing anything that I need to be payed for anyway."
Nora shook her head, "I'm going to end up accepting in the end anyway, so I may as well just give in now and save myself the time." She reached out and shook Victor's hand, "you're on. I just hope you don't spoil Mike too much."
Victor looked over at Mike, who was now splitting his attention between the television and feeling his ears every couple of seconds. "I don't think that's possible."
The next Monday, Victor spent part of the afternoon after work preparing for Mike's arrival. Nora had told him that Mike would be dropped off the schoolbus, but Victor would have to be there to meet him. Taking that into account, Victor decided that it would be less than ideal for him to spend his first evening with Mike trying to convince his busdriver that the large anthropomorphic cat was in fact Mike's designated caretaker.
Mike was mildly disappointed when he saw Victor in normal clothes again, but nodded when Victor explained it to him. "But we'll be inside until mom gets here."
Victor smiled, "that's true."
"So we can do whatever we want."
Victor shrugged, "within reason."
Mike looked up, "kitty?"
Victor looked down at him, "if you want."
"Yay!"
Victor wheeled Mike over next to the couch and sat down next to him, "so, do you want to see how I put Saliaven on?"
Mike looked at him with surprise, "sure." He said eagerly. "I hadn't thought of that."
Victor smiled at him, "you really want to see?"
Mike nodded, "I want to know everything about everything. Of course I want to see."
Victor replied, "Curiosity is good. I'll bring him in here."
Mike began to struggle out of his chair, "I want to come with."
Victor looked worried, "are you sure you're up to it?"
Mike smiled and gestured down, "If your entire home is carpeted, I don't think I have much to worry about."
As he rose, Victor said, "don't you have a cane?"
Mike looked at him, then slowly pulled at his sleeve. Underneath, bone showed very clearly through the skin. "The doctor said there's less left of my arms than of my legs. I do exercises, but they say I won't be lifting anything heavier than a jar of peanut butter for weeks. Your kitty mask was light enough that I could manage, but it was actually a challenge. I don't think a cane would help me much. If you could bring my wheelchair with and help me back in if it's too much, that'll do."
As they slowly made their way to Victor's fursuiting room, he said, "You seem a lot more mature than you did before?"
Mike looked at him and shrugged with difficulty, "mom doesn't like it when I talk that way. She wants me to stay hopeful and happy all the time. I think the accident was worse for her. I'll recover my strength in time, but I don't think she'll stop worrying even if I do. I try not to be too glum myself, but I think I ought to be at times." As they walked in, Victor helped him back into his chair, "after all, I'm stuck in this thing. Possibly for another six months, maybe even a year. It could have been a lot worse."
Victor nodded, "the way you talk, it could have been."
Mike shook his head and smiled, "I ought to be excited. I'm about to see something amazing."
Victor smiled back, "I wouldn't call it 'amazing.' "
Mike leaned back, "let me judge that. Oh." He fished in the bookbag strapped to his chair and pulled out the cat ears. Putting them on he said, "OK, now I'm ready."
Victor pulled down Saliaven's box. "Do you mind if I change into something else before I change to Saliaven? What I'm wearing isn't exactly good for this."
Mike said, "Do whatever you need to. I want to see this done properly."
Victor, somewhat embarrassed by Mike's earnest attention, stepped into his closet and disrobed quickly. He emerged wearing a skintight unitard and tights. "It works better like this," he explained.
"The first part is the bodysuit, naturally." Victor pulled the black-and-white suit out of the box. "I have the tail attached on this one, so it's pretty easy to put it on." He pulled the zipper down in back and stepped into the suit, pulling it up once both legs were in. He then put his arms in and zipped it up in back. "So that's already most of my body done. The feet come next because they're pretty easy." He pulled the feet on and pulled the legs of the suit over the overlapping sections of foot. "And then the head."
"Why not put your gloves on first?"
Victor picked up one of the handpaws, "take a feel of this paw. It simulates a feline well enough that manipulation is tricky. See how the fingers are thicker and harder to bend?"
Mike handed the glove back, "I get it."
Victor picked up Saliaven's head, "right. As you know, my suit has a moveable jaw. I also worked in some of my own electronic components so that I can talk and hear more easily. All that is pretty much invisible from the outside, but you can see it here on the inside." Victor tipped the head so that the light caught the innards and Mike could see.
Mike nodded, "did you make this?"
Victor shook his head, "no. I'm not that talented. All I could do was upgrade it with what I knew how to do, electronics and mechanical parts. I've been working on a fully cybernetic tail attachment, but that runs into real money."
Mike looked around, "you have real money."
"Not several million, I don't. Stuff like a cybernetic attachment doesn't come with a price tag less than that. I'd need a laboratory and help and custom parts. I'd have to prove that my work also benefited human prosthetics, and what practical use is a tail? I tried working in tentacle attachments for soldiers in the field, but no one is buying it. Anyway," he continued on the suit, "I just move the hair aside like this and sort of work my head in." His voice began to be muffled, "then I adjust the strap so I can move the jaw and flip this switch." His voice began to sound clearer, "and then tuck all the flaps into the neck." He did so. "That leaves the handpaws. One isn't hard to get on, but the second is annoying." He put the first paw on and pulled the bodysuit's arm over the seam. The second handpaw went on with more trouble.
Sal turned around, showing Mike the finished product, "there. Now, what do you think-” He would have been knocked over by the force of the hug had Mike not been so weak. As it was, he kept his balance and put his arms around Mike.
Mike had the side of his face up against Sal. "Yay! Kitty is back."
Sal petted Mike's head, "is this role play, or do you actually think I turn into a different person?"
Mike returned to his chair, keeping one hand in Sal's paw. "A little of both, Uncle Sal. After all, life's no fun if you don't let your imagination run away every so often." He looked up at Sal with a flash of that unnerving perception Victor had noted before, "Besides," Mike said slyly, "I think you do. Change into a different person, that is. Don't you feel different? Like an expectation of how you ought to act is not there? Like you can do anything? Isn't there a desire to act like the character you appear to be?"
Sal looked down at Mike, "I really need to get you a copy of the Chronotis Chronicle. You'd love it!"
Mike laughed, "I do enjoy fantasy more than my mom. I've actually read some of it already. After all, do you really expect a ten-year-old to just pull all that psychological stuff out of thin air?"
As Sal wheeled Mike back into the living room he said, "at this point, I think I'll believe a lot about you."
Mike laughed, "now there's a complement! Thanks!"
Sal brought Mike over to the couch and sat down next to him. Mike reached out tentatively towards Sal.
Sal turned to Mike, "go ahead, it's fine." Mike began to rub his shoulder and Sal said, "so, what do you want to do? I've got a boatload of video games we could play."
Mike grinned, "I think I can manage that. Walking around is pretty tiring."
Mike proved to be almost as enthusiastic about competitive fighting games as Sal, though not quite as skilled. Playing using paws, however, was challenge enough to Sal that the difference wasn't noticeable. They almost didn't notice the doorbell and knock when Nora arrived to pick Mike up. When she saw Sal, she gave him an odd smile, "I hope you didn't get Mike off the bus looking like that. I'd have to insist that they fire the driver."
Mike shouted from his side of the room, "he looked fine, mom! He showed me how to put the kitty suit on."
Nora's expression softened seeing Mike and she said to Sal, "I haven't seen him so happy since the accident, and it's only the first day. Thank you."
As Nora wheeled Mike out the door, he turned in his seat, "I think we should work something out for the next few times. There has to be a way to spend more time with you, Uncle Sal."
Sal smiled, "with your mind working on it, I'm sure we will."
That Friday, Nora found the door unlocked and opened it after knocking and being invited in. The reason Victor hadn't come to the door was that Sal and Mike were on the floor wrestling. "Well, Mr. Falkner," Nora said, "you are full of surprises. Am I going to find you like this often?"
As Sal helped Mike up and back to his chair, he asked, "do you mean roughhousing with Mike or being Saliaven?"
Nora smiled, "try both."
"Well," Victor replied, taking off his head and putting it on the couch, "for the first, Mike wanted to show me how much progress he'd been making in physical therapy. The carpet is soft, I'm pretty soft myself, so he figured he wouldn't come to any harm by pitting his strength against mine. As to the suit, Mike really enjoys it when I wear it, and I'm happy to find someone who likes me to wear it as much as I like wearing it."
Nora laughed as she turned Mike around. "I just hope you don't turn my son weird."
Mike snorted, "I was plenty weird already, mom. Victor just makes it so I have a place to be weird without people giving me odd looks."
Nora smiled, "if you're enjoying yourself and getting less teasing, then I'm content. Well, Mr. Falkner, you've proved yourself a good influence. I hope we can keep doing this until Mike is fully recovered."
Victor put a paw over her hand, "so do I, Ms. Brooks."
Mike added, "don't give me too much of an incentive to stop recovering."
Nora bent down and kissed him on the cheek, "if I say we can stay friends with Mr. Falkner after you're well, is that enough?"
Mike said, "I'll heal twice as fast!"
Victor laughed, "I'll hold you to that."
The next week, Victor picked Mike up from the bus and told him he had a present for him in the apartment. Mike pestered him for details, but Victor just smiled and told him to wait. Mike saw it immediately, and almost leaped out of his chair before he remembered he was disabled, instead struggling out at a more sedate pace. Victor reached out to help him, but Mike waved him away. "I can manage," he whispered.
Mike reached the gift and slowly sank into his new electric wheelchair. He looked at Victor with surprise and joy. "It's so soft!"
Victor smiled, "I furred the seat and the arms."
Mike rubbed his cheek against the head rest, "wow."
Victor said, "I'm glad you like it."
Mike looked up, "but why? I mean, thanks a lot; this is absolutely amazing, but why bother? I'll be up in a few more weeks, and there's hardly any point in getting me such a brilliantly awesome gift. Not when I'll stop needing it before the year is out."
Victor shrugged, "I didn't like that you were so dependent on others for mobility. Besides, you can always give it to someone who'll need it longer when you're recovered. I won't mind. It'd be good to see it put to permanent use."
Mike turned his chair as Victor walked by to go to the kitchen, "and why go to the expense? I know we're great friends and all, but we've only known each other a week."
Victor emerged with two glasses and handed one to Mike, "time, money and nothing to do, remember? I just want you to know how serious I am about staying friends with you. Don't worry about it. Hey! Want to see a new suit? I know you like Saliaven a lot, but I think we can have a lot of fun with this one."
"Sure," Mike said, about to get up.
Victor put a hand gently on his shoulder, "follow in the chair. Trust me, if we end up having as much fun with this as I think we will, you'll be glad to have conserved your strength."
Mike followed, getting used to the controls of his new conveyance. He looked with interest at what appeared to be a giant plush cat that Victor was lifting out of one of the boxes. A giant striped Mau, to be precise. "Wow, that looks really great."
Victor smiled as he pulled off his shirt. It had been Mike's idea that he wear his undersuit beneath his regular clothes. "That's Thrakmon from the second trilogy. I'm really glad the author let me use his characters."
"You've met him?"
"Online only," Victor replied, removing his slacks, "I always wanted to see him in person, but I've never been able to make the conventions he goes to." He began to take the Arctic Tiger suit apart and then started in on putting the main body on. "As you might have noticed," Victor said as he pulled the zipper up, "Thrakmon is built quite differently from Saliaven. Saliaven is anthro or zoomorphic while Thrakmon was made to look more like the actual Arctic Tiger, including the fact that he's quadrupedal." Victor sat on the bed and pulled the footpaws on, smoothing the fur of the legs over the top of the feet. "That means that you'll have to help me with the front paws. As you can see, they're built to allow me to run around on them, but that also means that I have no dexterity in them. I can get one on fine, but you'll have to help me with the other." He picked up the head and put that on. He then put one arm into the top of the first front paw and with his other hand pulled the sleeve of the bodysuit over it. Mike rolled up and helped him get situated in the second front paw and pulled the sleeve over that himself.
"I always meant to make it possible to manipulate in these paws," Thrak said, his voice blocked to near inaudibility from inside the head, "but I never got around to it." He settled down on all fours and said, "so. Ready for a ride?"
Mike clapped his hands, "of course!"
Thrak padded over to Mike's chair and settled his haunches on the floor, "can you climb on like this?"
Mike carefully maneuvered himself onto Thrakmon's back, wrapping his arms around Thrak's neck and his legs around the big cat's middle. He took a moment to enjoy the feel of the soft fur and padding beneath him before saying, "I'm on, but not too fast. I've been getting stronger, but my grip isn't that great yet."
Thrakmon rose carefully, "then I'll take it really smoothly this time."
Nora had to let herself in again, and though she had expected the scene to be unusual, she was not adequately prepared for the sight of her son riding what appeared to be a large predator cat. They were facing the other direction, the cat sedately pacing down the hall with Mike laughing and cheering so loudly that he hadn't heard the door open. She quickly realized what had to be happening, but still had to say, "is that you, Mr. Falkner?"
The cat turned quickly but carefully to face Nora. Mike laughed and said, "no, mom. This is Thrakmon. He's an Arctic Tiger."
The aforementioned tiger sat on his haunches and Mike slid off of him onto only slightly quivering legs. The cat then stood on his hind legs and put his front ones out angled downward. Mike sighed and fiddled with one at what looked to be a joint. It loosened and came off, revealing a hand. Thus freed, Victor got the other front leg off and then the head, shaking his own and saying, "good evening, Ms. Brooks."
Nora laughed, "good evening! I see that you haven't run out of surprises yet."
"I thought this might be a fun thing to do with Mike."
Nora watched Mike stagger back to Victor's room, "yes, I can see it was a success. I didn't know you wore multiple characters."
Victor replied, "Thrakmon is harder to do because I need another person to help me when I'm in him."
Nora said, "Can I see one of the front legs?"
Victor handed it to her and she looked it over inside and out, "this must be quite strong. Mike isn't that light."
Victor smiled, "yes, they are. It was almost as fun to carry him as it was for him to be carried, I think."
Nora nodded, but was silent for a moment. Finally she said, "I'd better go get Mike."
Victor replied, "Don’t worry about it."
"Why-"
Mike rolled out of the door, "I forgot, mom! Victor bought me this electric chair. Isn't it great?"
Nora looked from Mike to Victor, shocked, "that must have been expensive!"
Mike said, "I said so too, but Victor told me it wasn't a problem."
Victor added, "It was hardly a problem for me to do so, and I think Mike will do much better now that he doesn't have to rely so much on other people to get around."
Nora took a deep breath and let it out, "I would guess so. I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Falkner."
Victor smiled, "maybe it's about time to start calling me Victor, Ms. Brooks."
Nora smiled back, "I'll take the liberty if you do." She turned to leave.
"See you tomorrow, Nora." Victor called after her.
Victor had given Nora a key for when he and Mike were too engaged to answer the door, and she'd taken to entering with only a short knock to announce herself. That Thursday, she walked in to find Thrakmon sitting on his haunches next to Mike, both watching TV. Mike was absently stroking Thrakmon down the back, and as she neared, he scratched the big cat on the side of his face and behind his ear.
Mike turned around in his chair and saw his mother standing there. "Hi, mom."
Nora swallowed, "hi. Victor?"
Thrakmon got up and Mike helped him get out of his front paws and head. "Hello, Nora," Victor replied.
Nora said, "Could we talk a moment in the kitchen?"
Victor shrugged, "sure."
Nora led and when Victor arrived she said, "I'm uncomfortable with the idea of my son petting you like that."
Victor nodded, "ah, yes. It might look a little odd. It's totally innocent if you think about it, though. Mike is acting as if I was any other cat, and I admit that it feels good. Besides, a hug is a lot closer than being scratched on the back through several layers of fabric and fur."
Nora replied, "yes, but it's still a little unusual. I'm his mother, and I hope you understand if it makes me nervous."
Victor nodded, "of course, Nora. If it is your wish, I shall try to make sure he doesn't anymore. Still, you may want to talk to him about this. I wouldn't know what to do if he got insistent about it."
Nora nodded, "yes. Much as I hate to say it sometimes, Mike is a very responsible ten-year-old, and headstrong as well. I'll talk to him about it, and if he still wants to, then I trust both of you not to do anything worse."
Victor smiled, "of course we won't. I reaffirm to you that my intentions are honorable, and my behavior as innocent as that of the creatures I portray."
"Thanks for understanding, Victor. I'm glad we can talk like this."
Victor smiled, "I ought to be thanking you, Nora. You trusted me to take care of your only son and didn't lose your cool when you saw him physically stroking me. You came in here, allowed me to explain and even accepted that our behavior was that of a boy towards any other housecat. You're a very remarkable woman."
Nora laughed, "And you are a very strange man, Victor Falkner. I can't believe I just had a serious talk about child care with a man who is wearing most of a cat costume, and that I only really noticed now. In less than two weeks, you've managed to change my entire perspective."
"You're welcome."
Mike rolled in, "are you ready, mom? Did we do something wrong?"
Nora smiled at Mike, "I'm ready. And no, I don't think either of you did anything wrong."
Nora watched as Victor, dressed as Thrakmon, trotted around the room with Mike happily cheering him on from on top of him. Nora sat on the couch drinking a soda, and as Thrakmon passed her, she reached out and put her hand on his side, stroking him as he passed. "Mike's right," she commented, "you really are soft and pettable."
Thrakmon turned around and padded up to her. Looking up, he said, "getting in on the fun, are we?"
Nora smiled, "just trying to find out what my son sees in all this."
Thrakmon sat and Mike slid off and slowly walked back to his chair. Nora watched him, "Mike's been getting a lot stronger."
Thrakmon climbed up onto the sofa next to Nora and curled up like a cat, "yes, he has."
Nora looked at Victor, "it's still a little weird talking to you like this."
Victor sat up and adopted a more human position, "better?"
Nora reached down, "I think I'd rather talk to a human face." She helped him out of his paws and head, and his posture looked a great deal more natural without his front legs reaching almost to the floor. "Better." She laughed, "I must have been crazy to let Mike convince me to take him here on a Saturday and then stay. Still, I like how you showed me how it all put together."
"You're welcome."
Nora smiled, but stayed silent. Mike began watching TV and Nora finally said, "the old sitter has been practically begging me for another job. I broke down and told her she could watch Mike tonight. I figured it would be nice to get out for a little while. I've saved enough from not having to hire her all week to afford this much. How'd you like to join me for dinner? My treat."
Victor smiled back, "I wouldn't feel right having you pay for everything."
"You can pay half."
"You're on." Victor absently brushed the fur on his leg, "I guess this isn't the proper attire."
Nora laughed, "Not unless you know a place I don't."
"Well," Victor said speculatively, "I might. I also might have something that would fit you if you want to try it."
Nora punched him lightly on the arm, "let's try something more traditional." She put a hand on his arm, "yes, indeed, Mike's right. You are really pettable like this."
Victor's eyes shone, "I might take that the wrong way."
Nora's expression mirrored his, "I assure you, Victor, that my intentions are as innocent as the animal I portray."
Nora arrived precisely on time as usual. She greeted Victor and then paced around him, examining him from all angles. "Very good. Nice suit jacket, no visible ears or tail. The jacket's a little fuzzy, but that's all right because it's velvet." She stepped back, "Black jacket, pink shirt and black pants. Yes, quite acceptable."
Victor leaned over to the side, quickly surveying Nora's black skirt and pumps. "I suppose it's considered bad manners for a man to check for tails on the first date."
Nora laughed, "so this is a date now?"
Victor replied, "I'm dressed up, you look absolutely amazing. We're going out to dinner. Sounds like a date to me."
Nora said, "I thank you for the complement. It's interesting to hear what your concept of 'dressed up' is."
Victor offered Nora his arm, "shall we?"
Nora took his arm, smiling. "Let’s."
Dinner went well, and as they conversed, Nora realized that Victor was both more and less strange than she had thought. Sometimes they'd go for half an hour of conversation in which Nora would forget Victor was abnormal, and then he'd say something that she found absolutely weird. Oddly enough, however, Nora found herself laughing, agreeing and even sometimes replying in kind. She had been afraid he'd be awkward, but she had to admit she was enjoying herself.
For his part, Victor was ecstatic. He'd never been much for dating or romance, although he always wanted to try. The fact that he was now having dinner with a charming female, and that she had actually asked him often left him feeling like something had to be wrong. Things this good just didn't happen to him. He tried not to blow it by saying anything too odd, but even his occasional slips seemed to be taken well, and he eventually stopped worrying.
Nora had insisted on driving, so when she dropped him off, Victor felt required to offer some hospitality. "Would you care to come in for a few minutes? I know it isn't exactly a short drive back home."
Nora got out of the car, smiling, "you don't even know where I live. I never told you."
Victor shrugged, "it can't be so close that you wouldn't want to take a break before continuing."
Nora said, "Well, the sitter isn't expecting me back for another half hour, so I suppose I can join you for five minutes."
Victor smiled and offered his arm again, "shall we?"
Nora laughed and joined him, "let’s."
Five minutes turned into ten, then to fifteen. Nora was enjoying Victor's company so much that she almost didn't get up when she noticed what time it was. Her thoughts turned to Mike, however, and she decided she'd better go. Victor accompanied her to her car and before she got in, he bent and kissed her hand. "I hope we can do this again soon."
Nora kissed him on the cheek, "so do I."
Mike showed up at the front door, standing up without any sign of weakness for the first time since Victor had met him. "The doctor says I don't need a wheelchair anymore," he announced.
Victor hugged him, "that's great news!"
Mike walked slowly to the couch and sat down, "yeah. I still can't run much or anything, but it's a great improvement over being stuck going everywhere by ramp and elevator."
Victor smiled, but his voice betrayed some sadness, "does that mean you'll be taking care of yourself now?"
Mike smiled up at Victor, "not yet. Mom wants to make sure I'm completely recovered first, and I'm not going to argue. I love coming here."
Victor smiled back, "I'm glad you haven't gotten bored."
Mike shook his head, "it's been longer than I'd thought, but I can never get bored with you around. Even after a year, you still manage to surprise me. With your help, I'm done with my homework in record time and then all the things we do together never get old."
Victor shrugged, "well, then. I was going to show you something new today, in celebration of this landmark. But if that's the way you feel-"
Mike nearly jumped up, "oh no you don't! What is it?"
"Follow me," Victor replied.
As they entered Victor's room, Mike asked, "Is it a new suit?"
"Not exactly new," Victor replied, "just something that I'd like you not to tell your mother about. She might get the wrong idea."
Mike snorted, "You two have been dating for almost a year, you know. I doubt there's anything strange enough to make her change her mind now."
Victor pulled out one of the boxes, "don't be so sure." He pulled the suit parts out and laid them on the bed.
Mike looked at the bodysuit that was keeping much of its shape despite not having a wearer, "you naughty man. I didn't know you went in for crossdressing too."
Victor smiled, "see? There's plenty you don't know about. This is Jamina, book-"
"Book four," Mike said, "I know. I thought I recognized her there. Nice."
"I've also got Marlene, but I don't want to scandalize someone so young."
Mike wolf-whistled, "Marlene! You pervert."
Victor began to put on the bodysuit, "that may be the first time you've ever called me that."
Mike said, "It’s the first time you deserved it. Jamina's one thing. I can see enjoying some time as her. But Marlene's a bit on the oversexed side, isn't she?"
Victor laughed, "Only a little." He reached back and zipped up the bodysuit. "What do you think of this one so far?" He sat and began on the footpaws.
Mike replied, "You’ve certainly got a good figure now." They both laughed. "Really, though, from what I see it's a pretty close fascimile of her. I always imagined Jamina went in for a really big fluffy tail, and the bright coloration is about right." He grinned, "You’ve added some to the chest, however. As I recall, Jamina was not a very curvaceous vixen. Quite the opposite, she was always complaining about being underdeveloped."
Victor began on the head, "well, when one is doing drag, one has to make changes sometimes. My natural body needs a bit of extra help to pass properly."
As Victor put on the handpaws, Mike said, "I note that this one doesn't have a voice booster."
"Actually it does," Jamina replied, putting a claw to her neck, "I just didn't want to turn it on yet," she said, her voice now the tones of a shy teenage girl.
Mike whistled low, "that's good. I assume an addition of your own."
Jamina nodded, the features of the head and her own gestures making it seem like she was embarassed by the praise.
Mike said, "If I were a couple of years older, I'd probably be attracted to you. As it is, I'm- well hell, I'm attracted anyway."
Jamina replied, "Thanks I think."
Mike looked at the clock, "I'm not exactly sure what to do, but if you want to change back before mom gets here, we'll have to do it fast."
Jamina laughed, "It’s a good thing I'm not Marlene, or I might have taken that as a proposition."
Mike put up a finger, "you can't pull that one. Marlene herself said she doesn't rob the cradle."
Jamina said, "True. Well, I actually just wanted to show you what a pretty girl I am. If you'd rather have Saliaven or Thrakmon, I understand."
Mike replied, "And pass up the chance to hang out with an attractive female who just said she only showed up to show off? I think not. Come on, we'll go to the living room and see what we can do."
Nora walked in and didn't even slow down when she found her son sitting next to a sexy vixen playing video games. "Well, Victor," she said, "why has this never come up on a date?"
The vixen nearly leapt a foot in the air. Jamina spun around, her black hair spreading out behind her and her tail thumping her chest as she stopped, "Nora! We didn't expect you to be back so early."
Nora looked at Mike, "you didn't tell him? Shame on you, Mike."
Jamina looked at Mike, "you knew she'd be here early today? You little sneak!"
Nora held back a laugh, "and how long has this been going on?"
"Just today, mom," Mike said, "isn't she adorable?"
Nora looked into Jamina's wide green eyes, "yes, indeed she is. Victor, I can't believe after all this time you'd think I'd find this anything more than a new development. She twined her arms around Jamina, "you're a furry, Victor. Exactly how can you put 'crossdresser' as a higher offense?" She dug at Jamina's neck, raised her face slightly and kissed Victor on the mouth, "you really are adorable." She stepped back, "I think I like this one best." She pronounced, and as Victor attempted to find something to say, she took Mike and left.
Mike put his latest test down on the coffee table, "another '105'. This is really all too easy."
Victor looked up from his book, "yeah, well. I hope college challenges you."
Mike grinned, "I hope you remember our agreement, dad."
Victor replied, "You mean about the prom. Well, I suppose since you went to the halloween dance male, you can do this. I still can't believe they're making the prom fancy dress." He snorted, "Good god I envy you, young lady."
Mike laughed, "so I can go?"
Victor said, "tickets on your bed, you mom's been out shopping for a dress all morning."
Mike hugged his father tightly, "thanks! You're the best. I'm such a lucky young woman."
Victor said, "You can be the second, but try not to achieve the first. Prom night sex is overrated."
Mike laughed, "Like you'd know!"
Victor closed his book, "I'll have you know that I- look, I'm not getting into that. Who's the young man?"
Mike shrugged, "Sean."
Victor nodded, "your best friend. He knows about all this, I assume."
Mike rolled his eyes, "he wouldn't be my date if he didn't, dad. I think he wants a suit of his own, actually."
Victor looked up, "hoping for a matching pair, are we?" He sighed, "he's a responsible enough young man, I suppose. He can borrow Saliaven for the night."
Mike clapped, "yes! Don't worry, either. I picked him because he's that responsible. He'll have me home by midnight and no funny stuff unless I ask for it."
Victor closed his eyes, "I'll try to ignore the qualifier there." He sat up, "want to go cheer some kids up at the zoo?"
Mike smiled, "yeah, dad. That sounds great."
Note: It is important to point out that in later stories, the final outcome shifts. Please don't ask about Sean. As far as this narrative is concerned, he never existed.
Unintended Grace
By Paul Calhoun
Dear reader:
This is where the main series really began. The TG elements get stronger as everything continues, as does the cumulative strangeness of the entire situation. Here we see Mike at age 15 and well into the 2030s going to his first con and meeting one of the main characters for the rest of the series.
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Chapter 1:
Getting Out the Door
Nora watched Victor pack, her stance showing her disapproval as much as her words. "I just don't think he's ready."
Victor continued to stuff the orange fur into its case. "He's more than twice as old as I was when I first went to a con."
Nora smiled softly. "Your parents were strange."
"Parent." Victor corrected. "Only one ever took me."
Nora continued the argument. "I didn't mean age, I meant in maturity. Mike's too innocent. You'll scandalize him."
Victor did look up at that, his expression registering his incredulosity. "Innocent? Our son? He's fifteen. At age ten, he was already giving me a run for my moral money. Accepting? Yes. Innocent? Not at all."
Nora put her hands on her hips in only partially manufactured outrage. "Mike is a sweet, darling little boy and I'll not hear you speak of him like he's some sort of-"
"Adult?" Victor asked. "He's your little boy, but he learned adult behavior earlier than most. Besides, it's not like everyone there will be as strange as me."
"As if that kind of concentration of odd is even possible." Nora muttered.
"Most of them are weirder."
"Thank you very much," Nora replied, "that really sets my mind at rest. I note that the only suit you've packed so far is Jamina."
"Oh, that's not for me." Victor smiled mischievously. "I'm taking Saliaven. No, that's for Mike."
Nora sighed. "If you get my little man knocked up-"
Victor's smile widened. "You're learning."
"Five years with you is a true education. In all seriousness, you will keep an eye on him?"
"Inasmuch as I need to. This isn't like some cons, you know, it's very quiet. Panels, the masquerade, maybe some low-key parties. He'll be fine. I wouldn't take him to a really off-the-wall con first. Haven't I always been trustworthy?"
Nora kissed him on the cheek. "Mostly." She rolled her eyes for his benefit. "I guess since I'd already told Mike he could go, I can't take it back. Even if he does decide he'd rather go as a girl than as a boy. I wonder sometimes if I should have been more involved in teaching him values. Five years with you and he's a crossdressing furry who goes to conventions and has his father," she gave Victor a dirty look, "show up at a party dressed as a teenage vixen and claim she's his date. Mostly trustworthy may be too much."
Victor grinned and shrugged modestly. "It did wonders for his social life. They never found out.”
"Yes," Nora replied flatly. "He's almost as good at acting normal when he has to as you are. If I didn't love you, I think I'd have to consider you a bad influence."
It was Victor's turn to kiss his wife on the cheek. "See you in a couple of days."
Nora put her hand on his chest. "Not before I give my son a few words of warning. Going to a con as a teenage boy with only a few females is one thing. Going as a girl in a sea of sex-starved men is another."
"You're going to give him a stern talking to?"
"At least as stern as you did when he asked for Jamina. I may not have experience as a transvestite fursuiter, but I do have experience as a teenage girl. I think some wisdom from both sides is required."
Victor replied, "You know me too well."
Nora's lips met his as she said, "I do indeed."
Victor smiled as Nora pulled back a moment. "Are you sure you don't want me to get you a suit? You could come to cons with us."
Nora embraced him again. "I think I like the feel of warm fur on my skin more than I'd like the feeling of having the fur."
"There's where we differ."
Nora whispered, "I prefer to think of it as not having to compromise."
"What about talking to Mike?"
Nora pushed Victor onto the bed. "I'd prefer to do that alone, and if I delay you packing for a few minutes, you'll be too busy catching up to try to follow me."
Mike sat quietly as his mother tried to find the right words. After a few seconds of silence as she attempted to think of a way to begin properly he said, "You're worried about me going to the con as Jamina."
Nora's smile was wry. "I thought you'd be embarrassed to talk to me about it."
Mike shrugged. "I'm trying a new tactic. I'm going to try to understand your position and be reasonable, frank and open. After all, it doesn't serve either of us for me to get indignant or you to get flustered."
Nora replied, "Sometimes I worry that you're growing up too fast."
Mike smiled, "Of course you are, mom. All parents to, and I am growing up faster. Living in such an enlightened household does that. Is it so wrong? It's only a recent historical development that kids of my age are still considered real children. In any period prior to this one, I'd already be doing something productive. Even the nobility, well, especially the nobility, tended to marry their kids off by sixteen."
Nora choked. "I'm not sure I want to think about that."
Mike said, "It's just a con. A quiet one at that. I won't be Jamina the entire time, and I have no interest in doing anything that would worry you apart from what you already know about." He colored. "I just... well... I thought a girl would be accepted more quickly."
Nora got up and hugged Mike. "I don't think you have to worry about that."
Mike smiled as Nora went back to her seat. "I know, but it'll still be fun. If it makes you feel better, I'll slip a metal plate into one knee. If any boy gets too fresh, he'll spend the rest of the con bent over."
Nora laughed. "That's all I can ask. Fine. Don't spend too much time as someone else, though. You'd do well to have people know you as well as Jamina. I'm glad I can trust you, kiddo. Your dad's responsible enough on his own, but you know he's a scatterbrain and has a short attention span. I'd rather know that you'll keep an eye on yourself. Not that he won't be doing the same."
Mike got up and kissed his mother on the head. "I'll be good and virtuous and knee in the nadgers anyone who tries to do anything you'd disapprove of."
Mike walked into his parents' room to find Victor just finishing putting Saliaven into the suitcase. "Almost finished?"
Victor snapped the case closed. "Please. I've only done the fursuits. Unless you want to be fullsuited for three days straight, I'm not done."
Mike laughed. "As tempting as the idea is, I think I'll pass. Mom was slowing you down?"
Victor smiled lazily. "Yeah."
Mike threw a pair of rolled-up socks at Victor. "Ew! I may be enlightened, but don't push it. I meant holding you up by giving you some last minute advice."
Victor's smile softened. "That too. She's very concerned about you." He changed to a mock-whisper, "Just between you and me, I don't think she entirely trusts me to keep you from going to bed with the first good looking tomcat that catches your eye."
Mike replied, "Only marginally further than she can throw you. Luckily she trusts me."
"Good. It saves me having to be the one who gets eviscerated if something goes wrong."
Mike helped him fold shirts. "Oh, I don't think you're off the hook. More likely she'd turn us both into haggis."
Victor sighed dramatically. "Minced up and stuffed into my own stomach. If only I was that kind of masochist."
"The suicidal kind?"
"I could go dirty, but since I'm your father and that would be wrong, I'll just admit defeat."
Mike tossed him some more clothes. "Here is de sock. Let it admit de feet."
Victor zipped closed a suitcase. "Ah, puns. The con will teach you much, cricket."
"What happened to grasshopper?"
"You make too much noise to be a grasshopper. Watch it or I'll call you locust. You eat enough."
Mike laughed, "I'm a teenager!"
Victor put the second suitcase next to the first. "A likely story." He looked around. "I think we've got everything. Let's get going."
Mike took the big case with the fursuits while Victor took the small one with their clothes. "Don't pretend I didn't see you slip in some clothes for Jamina. Thanks."
"Just making sure, son. Jamina was never a nudist."
Mike replied, "Thanks again for letting me borrow her."
Victor said, "It's a good thing you're a little smaller than I am. Too big and nothing can be done. Too small-"
"And I can always stick something in to fill the gap." Mike laughed. "I know, I know. Mom may not let me go out wearing Jamina, but I've borrowed some of the others, you know."
Victor smiled, nostalgia in his eyes. "Oh the Halloween parties. I wish I'd had the times you did."
Nora met them at the door. "Have a good time now, but not too good."
Victor pecked her on the cheek. "Any last words of wisdom?"
Nora's tongue probed one cheek. "Always read the fine print; and beware of cheap imitations."
"Ah, an obscure reference," Victor called. "An auspicious start to a fun weekend."
Chapter 2:
Friday Afternoon
For Victor, there was an ineffable quality to a convention that started during packing and got stronger as he got closer to the hotel. The first jolt of that feeling came as he tried to find a parking space and read the bumper stickers and custom plates. Where else would a car van with a plate reading DRGNLDY be parked next sedan with a sticker claiming that the owner's other vehicle is a TARDIS?
Victor could see that unique aura sinking into Mike as they walked into the lobby of the hotel. Victor had stayed here at times other than con weekend, but it had seemed almost like a shell or a ghost of what it was when the con happening. For one thing, the people inhabiting the lobby were either nonexistent or certainly nothing like those that were there now. The big men with bigger beards and all manner of hats. Large women in gowns and corsets, small women in even tighter corsets. Buttons everywhere and if someone wasn't wearing glasses it was ten to one they had contacts. Already there were fantasists with cloaks and staves, furries with ears and tails, steampunkers covered in brass and cyberpunkers with scouters and black tubes. There were even one or two otaku with their bright hair and almost unreally colored clothing. They were standing in groups or alone waiting for later arrivals or sitting on the chairs and couches that were spread out in the lobby and along the halls leading out towards the con rooms and guest rooms. Compared to them, Victor and Mike in their T-shirts and shorts looked positively mundane. Not for long, though.
Victor took a deep breath of fandom and took Mike to stand in line to check in. They were behind a guy in giant goggles and a red cape. "Cory Doctorow, I presume." Victor said.
"To the blogosphere!" The red-caped man called gamely.
Mike was still looking around with awe that he was attempting to disguise behind a veneer of nochalance. Victor said, "You'll be learning about true punning soon." He held up five fingers and counted down silently. When his thumb hit his palm, someone said, "I always celebrate Fox Guy day by wearing a tail. Why?"
"Every one minute, forty-seven seconds. The shortest time between puns that is safe. Otherwise a pungularity forms and we end up with pundark everywhere."
Mike looked askance at his father. "Pundark? You're making all of this up."
"Oh yeah?" Victor said. "One moment." He started counting down on his fingers again and at the end someone said, "Fear my awesome electrical power. It is useless to be a resistor."
Victor sighed, "Electrical puns. This is going to cause a chain reaction but-" he shouted back across the room, "Some people don't have the capacitor for that kind of pun!"
"Then they should be more current!"
"There's certainly the potential for difference!"
"Wire we arguing?"
"Because someone has to provide impedance of this horrible conversation!"
"Socket to me!"
As the last pun was thrown, the lights dimmed, almost going out. "Pundark!" Victor shouted.
When the lights flared back to their proper luminescence, Mike asked, "What was that?"
Victor replied, "That was a pungularity. It produced the pundark effect you just saw. You see, when too many puns are thrown all at once, they collapse the pun field into a pungularity. This produces the effect of pundark, which causes all the puns involved to cease to be funny. A lot of puns were lost to produce the minute and forty-seven second rule. Anyway, it's our turn to check in and hopefully there won't be too many more incidents like that."
After getting their key cards, picking up their badges and materials, they went up to their room to get settled. Victor sat down in the armchair in the corner and opened the program booklet. "Usually the really interesting stuff happens on Saturday, but I've rarely had an hour slot with nothing I wanted to see. Yup. Next slot has a discussion on the construction and proper use of doomsday weapons. That's my afternoon right there. You?"
Mike looked at his schedule grid. "There's a welcoming session in one of the ballrooms for new furs and a place for previous members to catch up with each other. I think I'll take Jamina down and see who's here."
"Not wasting any time, I see. It's a good thing I set things up so your badge wouldn't have your real name on it. Well, have fun. I actually think I'll skip Saliaven for the weekend. I'm feeling like this is going to be more of a fen sort of con for me." He stayed long enough to help Mike into the suit, then hurried to his panel while his son was still trying to find the right dress or skirt for the occasion.
Jamina floated down the hallway, luxuriating in the feeling of her multilayered skirts swishing about her legs as her large fluffy tail bounced. The dress she'd chosen had been intended for this use and had a hole in the rear that allowed her tail to bob freely behind her. She's brushed her black tresses and light ochre body fur until she was sure that she looked as good as possible for this first appearance. The voice modulator turned Mike's quiet chuckles into a light giggle as Jamina thought about how she'd wow everyone there. She'd thought about using the braced tail with elastic spine, but since she didn't know how much room there would be or whether she'd have to sit, she'd gone with the large one that hung all the way down. Besides, Mike didn't quite trust the padding on his butt to hide the necessary support for the tail, and he wanted Jamina to look as real as possible.
Despite knowing that she'd done everything possible to make herself presentable, Jamina still found herself checking in every mirror she passed, and the hotel had many. She never stopped, but she did slow down a couple of times when she noticed some of her raven-colored hair falling over her eyes and muzzle. She'd brush it back self-consiously and wonder if she should go back for a hairbar. Then the still-active core of Mike would smile inside the shy-eyed Jamina and keep going. His confidence wasn't entirely in character for the young vixen, but it was necessary if she was going to meet anyone.
Jamina's first reaction when she walked into the ballroom was the thought that perhaps she was overdressed. There were very few people suited and those who were weren't wearing clothes. Well, except for that dashing wolf near the snack table who was wearing a leather vest and a wide-brimmed hat. Yum!
The lustful reaction made Mike flush inside of Jamina, who felt pretty embarrassed herself. Still, the grey-furred, yellow-eyed dish seemed to be the most animate person there. Though Jamina's innocent green eyes were made to look at whoever looked back, the blue irises behind them kept glancing at the wolf even as Jamina went over to the welcome table.
The girl behind the table, wearing only a pair of ears for comfort's sake, gave Jamina a warm welcome and complimented her on her suit. "One of the best constructions I've seen at this con." She said.
Jamina inclined her head, brushing her black hair back before it could fall too far. "Thanks!" She said brightly. "I wish I could tell you who made it, but it's not mine originally and I've forgotten. My dad made some alterations, though. Victor Falkner?"
The girl smiled. "I didn't know Victor had a daughter. Tall? Tends to have odd equipment on his person at all times?"
Jamina laughed. "That's dad, alright."
The girl said, "He doesn't show up at our functions too often, but he's big on felines as I recall, and the Chronicle." She looked at Jamina's nametag. "You too? Well, it is a favorite in the fandom. I'm sure you'll be recognized by plenty of people."
Jamina turned as if to leave, but decided she had to ask. "Do you know who that wolf is?" She asked, pointing with a short black claw.
The girl leaned to the side to look. "Him? New as far as I know, or at least the fursona is. He didn't come over here, so perhaps it’s one of our regulars with a new aspect."
"Thanks." Jamina talked with a few of the other new members, and one or two regulars who were there to help welcome them, but she continued to be drawn towards the wolf, who was still talking animatedly to anyone who approached him near the food table. No one seemed to know who he was, though, and eventually Jamina decided she'd had enough. Though such presumption wasn't exactly in character, she reminded herself she was a Resonating Node, a Mage First Class in rank and no lupine with a hat was going to cow her.
She crossed the room over to where the wolf was drinking a soda through a long straw. Jamina picked one up for herself and said, "Hello."
The wolf, who was taller than she'd realized replied, "Hi." In a voice that seemed artificially deep. Like someone with a higher pitched voice who was trying to seem throaty. Considering his choice in suit, it seemed likely to Jamina that he was trying to go for the kind of voice his fursona would have.
Jamina tried to think of a way to continue when the wolf said, "I see from your badge that you're Jamina. From the crossed-staves on bronze sticker, would it be too presumptuous to guess your last name to be Karia'tur?"
Jamina leapt at the opening. "Not at all," she replied. "Your name, however, seems more of a mystery. Your badge is flipped the wrong way and so you have the advantage of me."
The wolf bowed. "If only I could keep such an advantage. But for such a lovely young lady, I could hardly be so rude as not to identify myself. I am Wortag. Big Mad Wortag."
Jamina stifled a laugh. This reference she knew. "Big...Mad...Wortag." She replied with exaggerated skepticism. "Is that what's sewn on your vest?"
"As a matter of fact," Wortag said, his voice showing the rakish grin that must lie under his suit. "It is." He pulled back one side of the vest to show 'BMW' on the side.
Jamina countered, "And how do I know you're not just a car lover?"
"Ah, a wit to match my own!" The wolf cried.
Jamina did laugh at that. "I see that we have similar tastes. Perhaps I'll be seeing more of you at the con."
The wolf bowed again, sweeping his hat off. "I can only hope so, and that I'll see more of you as well."
Jamina knew that no one else in the room was going to top that introduction, and she felt justified in leaving to let Mike see a panel or two before dinner. As for Saturday... Well, Jamina fully intended to seek Wortag out if she didn't run into him by lunch. This looked to be an interesting weekend for both her and Mike. She thought about Wortag's over-the-top behavior as she walked back to the room and giggled to herself. She didn't look once at the mirrors as she went.
Chapter 3:
Saturday
Mike had spent the early morning before programming started setting his schedule up so that Jamina could go to the morning panels and lunch, and he could join the afternoon panels. Evening and the masquerade would be whatever he felt like, though he expected Jamina to go to the parties.
Jamina had decided on a long, green, single layer skirt with a blue midriff. Something more casual and easier to get around in. She saw and greeted a couple of the people she'd met the day before, but didn't see Wortag before the first panel. She'd picked them with the hope of seeing him there, and she wasn't disappointed when she arrived to find him already seated. She slid in next to him and he looked at her. "Pretty lady." He said in greeting. "Do I have a companion for the day?"
Jamina giggled and looked down at her program book. "Look at what I have circled for the morning and you can tell me."
Wortag brought the page up close to his muzzle and said, "Well, well. I do believe we'll be spending the morning together. How convenient."
They fell silent as the panel started, a discussion on the merits and problems with popular furry fiction. A little past the halfway point, the audience started getting involved and Wortag and Jamina began to compete on who could make the best relevant point. Wortag fell silent first, though Jamina suspected that was so that he could turn slightly and watch her. Mike flushed more than usual as Jamina caught him leaning over and admiring his figure as Jamina stood up to make a point.
They talked and laughed as they went to the next panel, dealing with construction methodology. Panel's members were more loquacious and audience participation was minimal. It was still interesting, and when they left, Wortag pronounced himself hungry enough to skip the next program item and take an hour for lunch. Jamina said, "I could eat like this, but I'd rather have my mouth closer to my food, if you get my drift."
Wortag leaned on a wall nonchalantly and said, "Sure. I wouldn't mind changing into something easier to eat in as well."
Jamina replied, "My room's right on the corridor. We don't even have to take the elevator."
Wortag's tone was impressed. "Nice. That must be handy when you're suited."
"It is." Jamina said. "My dad's told me about some of his more difficult elevator rides." She sniffed. "Not something I'd want to do my first con."
Wortag laughed. "My delicate little vixen. Well, I'd need to grab some clothes from my room first. Meet you there?"
Jamina nodded. "It's 364."
"364,"Wortag confirmed. "Be right there." Before Jamina could turn to leave, Wortag walked right up to her. "One of your ears is flopping over," he said as he reached out a paw to set it upright again. Mike felt even hotter in the suit again, but didn't reply as Wortag took his leave.
Wortag was faster than Jamina had expected, and was carrying a bundle when he knocked on the door scarcely a minute after Jamina had arrived and gotten out her own change of clothes. She opened the door and Wortag came in. "I hope you don't mind that I decided to come here first."
"Not at all," Jamina said. "Actually, I think it's better this way. I know I should have told you this earlier, but-" She pulled off her fursuit head and Mike said, "I'm really sorry, but I didn't know how to tell you. It just occurred to me that I ought to have been clearer."
Wortag had taken a step back when Mike had pulled off his head and now he made a grinding sound in the back of his throat. Mike was afraid the wolf would start shouting at him, or storm out. Instead, Wortag lifted his own head off. "Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He said in a much higher tone. Brown hair cascaded down to Wortag's upper back as the girl shook her head to free it. "The nicest girl I meet in years and is she a lesbian? Of course not! Bi? I wish! Not even straight! I picked a bloody transvestite!" She laughed shortly, an ironic sound. "Well, I guess I shouldn't complain. Turnabout's a bitch, though."
Listening to her go on, Mike could see how this girl's voice had served her well in her male role. Though definitely female now, it was still deep for a girl, and a little nasal. Also, despite her anger, she seemed to have difficulty expressing emotion with her normal voice. Wortag's had carried a lot more inflection than hers did. "I guess I have less to be sorry about, huh?" He said.
The girl's head snapped up to glare at him, then dropped again. "I can hardly give you trouble considering what I'm doing, can I? Please tell me that you're at least gay."
Mike shook his head. "Nope, sorry. I just like the way it feels."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Just great. Well, I suppose I'd better be going." She started getting her hair back in and her head on.
Mike felt an odd impulse. "Why?"
The girl looked up, Wortag's muzzle now sticking out of her forehead. "Huh?"
"Why should we stop being friends now?" Mike elaborated. "I suppose if we were normal teenagers, this sort of embarrassment would be enough to stop a one-day friendship, but we're fans, dammit! This kind of weirdness is what we do. My invitation to lunch is still open." He laughed softly, "I'll even buy, since I'm the gentleman now."
The girl paused, thinking for several seconds before replying, "You're on."
Mike stuck out a delicate paw. "Mike."
The girl extended five long claws on a big hand. "Jane."
They shook hands, then Mike slipped his up to grasp Jane by the upper forearm. She did the same. "A bit of medievalry never hurt anyone."
Jane rolled her eyes again.
Mike said, "You know, you look a bit like Anne Widdecombe when you do that."
"I bet you tell all the girls that." She replied.
"Well, I guess I'd better get changed."
"I'll go back to my room," Jane replied quickly.
"You seemed fine when you were a bloke about to see a demure little vixen with her fur off."
Jane kicked him in the shin. "If you'd been what I thought you were, I wouldn't have seen anything I hadn't before."
"And if you'd been what I thought you were," Mike shot back, "neither would you."
Mike saw Jane before she saw him as he made his way to the restaurant. She'd changed into large boots and a pair of pants with a short skirt over it. A roomy top completed the outfit. Even with the tall boots, she was still a little shorter than Mike in his button-down short-sleeved shirt, shorts and sneakers.
"Still keeping the tail, I see." Jane said as Mike approached.
Mike shrugged one shoulder and grinned. "Why not? It's a nice tail."
Jane smiled back, looking him in the eye. "I'll take your word for it. I'm not going to be trapped into examining your butt." She reached up towards the top of his head, now having to stand on tiptoe to reach it. "One of your ears is flopping over again. Here I'll-” She snatched her hand back. "Sorry about that," she muttered.
Mike shook his head. "You saw a problem and you fixed it. No big deal."
Jane looked sharply at him, but only saw open friendliness and maybe a hint of playful interest. "You are unusual, even for second generation fen."
Mike laughed. "Seeing me with boobs and a figure wasn't enough? I could definitely say the same for you."
Jane smiled back. "It's an image I admit I think I'll eventually come to treasure, for all the embarrassment it brought."
Mike glanced at the restaurant entrance. "I think I'd like to continue this conversation with food."
Jane grinned, a little of the wolf showing in her expression. "Don't think just because I'm the one with boobs now that I'll eat any less than I would otherwise. You're going to regret offering to pay."
Mike gestured for her to precede him. "I never regret gallantry."
They continued to banter as they entered, ordered and waited for their food. Jane was still as good as her word, matching Mike pound for pound in meat consumption, and even beating him by finishing her dessert. "How old are you, anyway?" She said over a sundae.
"Fifteen. You?" Mike replied.
"Sixteen. Not a bad difference. Ah, if only you were female."
"We seem to be having plenty of fun." Mike said. "I mean, what's a nice girl like you doing looking for more than that?"
Jane's reticence had dissolved during their meal and she shot back, "What's a nice boy like you doing in a floofy skirt and chatting up big wolves? Admit it; you were flirting like crazy with me."
Mike winked broadly. "Care to continue? We're a hell of a match, admit it."
Jane licked her spoon thoughtfully. "You tempt me, dear boy. Still, I think since I'm still trying to keep my rep as a lesbo and since I've only known you for less than a day, and as a bloke for less than an hour that we'd better keep it platonic."
Mike feigned excitement. "Oooh! Oooh! I want to be Socrates! Then I get to ask annoying rhetorical questions."
Jane provided an over-the-top sigh. "I think in this relationship that we're both Socrates. Since you seem so interested in continuing, how about we do a masquerade entry? I'd hate to spend the rest of the weekend without seeing you in a skirt at least once more."
Mike said, "Do you think we could enter this late?"
Jane shrugged. "They won't like it, but I think we could squeeze in. I take in then that you aren't against the idea?"
"It's short notice, we haven't prepared anything and I'm going to be going onstage in front of a large audience wearing fake boobs and a dress." He paused, then grinned. "Nope. I've got nothing against it at all!"
Jane crowed, "That's the spirit! What's the point in dignity if you can't throw it away for something fun? Let's motor on up and fill out the sheet, then I guess we'll have to take some time to figure out what we're going to do." It was her turn to wink broadly. "And if you can stay a gentleman long enough, I might just feel comfortable letting you help me into my suit."
Mike got up and put his hand on the back of her chair. "I think I'll start now." He bent over and whispered into her ear, "And I hope you help me as well."
The sign-up person had given them the eye when they asked to join, but entries had been sparse that year so she let them in with a minimum of trouble. They sat in the corridor for a few minutes throwing ideas back and forth before deciding on a simple skit based on the Chronotis Chronicles. Jane had a Honeck-forged staff and told Mike he could borrow it to play Jamina. "We're going to need to record the dialogue in advance. Even if your modulator can handle the output for a ballroom, I certainly couldn't do Wortag that loud without suffering an injury."
"I don't know if I can get it out of the head. I might-"
"Don't worry about it." Jane said, in a passable imitation of Jamina. "I can both parts. I assume you have the equipment."
Mike considered. "I'm not sure..."
Jane laughed. "Come on! Old Victor isn't that much of a common face, but everyone knows that even if you stripped him bare naked and put him on a desert island, he'd somehow produce a cellular phone and a pocket computer from somewhere on his person. Check your luggage and then tell me you don't have a laptop with a CD burner, microphone and blank disc." She stood and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. "Let's go. The sooner we do this, the more panels we can make before we have to go to the set-up meeting and have a quick rehearsal. I am not letting this give Wortag a bad rep and I'd never ever let Jamina's first performance get less than a standing ovation." Her eyes sparkled as they moved swiftly down the hall and Mike thought about how this was nowhere near what he'd expected for his first con. Dad was right; conventions were awesome.
"Jamina!"
"Wortag!"
The fox and the wolf ran to each other, the first lifted off her feet by the joyful embrace of the second. The fox's tail bobbed and swayed as she ran and was picked up, seemingly as real as any other part of her. When she was put down, her skirts ruffling and her staff clicking as it hit the ground before her Jamina said, "I was so afraid you'd be lost in the war."
Wortag drew himself up. "I am a soldier of the Emerald Empire." He sagged a little. "I was a little distracted myself when that fireball hit you."
Jamina laughed melodically. "I am a Mage First Class. I was in no danger."
"Still, I worried."
"So did I."
They stood, looking at each other. Then Wortag looked back behind him. "They'll be wondering where we are in the Tower."
Jamina nodded. "We both have to report." She brushed up against him. "But I'll make sure to ask that a certain valiant wolf be assigned to guard my quarters."
Wortag saluted lazily. "I am ever at your service, my lady."
The lights dimmed and the audience applauded as Jamina and Wortag left the stage and the next entry was announced. They got to watch the rest of the masquerade before being herded out into the hallway to pose for photos. After a second or two of posing separately, Wortag pulled Jamina against him and put his arm around her hip. She reciprocated quickly and soon they were competing to see who could get the other into the most familiar position. The photographers loved it and they were at it so long that they barely managed to make it in to catch the tail-end of the entertainment while the judges deliberated.
Mike had been surprised when Jane told him Wortag already had a workmanship award. He hadn't figured she'd made him. Mike was of course barred since Jamina was bought. They managed to get a minor award, though not best in division, but Jamina still bounced up and down and embraced Wortag when they were called up. To win anything first year out and not even intending to enter was plenty for her.
They met Victor when they went back to Mike's room to rest for a few minutes. "I see you've already made a very affectionate friend." Victor observed.
Mike grinned as he pulled off his head and sat down on the bed, not caring that he hadn’t fixed his skirts first. "Dad, this is Jane."
"Go and mess up my cover, why don't you?" Jane said as she took off her own head. Despite her words, she was smiling as well.
Victor looked back and forth between the two. "Well, well. This is a surprise. Have fun, you two, but not too much, as your mother might say."
Mike snorted. "Jane's a lesbian, dad."
Victor gave them a knowing look. "Not in public, it seems."
Mike got up and punched his father in the arm. "Play nice. At least for the first few minutes."
Jane took a seat and leaned back. "I see it runs in the family."
"And we're not even blood relations," Victor quipped.
"Dad married by mom four years ago."
Jane nodded approvingly at Victor. "You made him a pretty vixen in only four years. That's fast work. I approve."
Mike pouted at Jane. "How do you know I wasn't already?"
Jane sniffed. "I can smell it on you."
Victor tried not to smile, failing completely. He was reminded far too much of his own wife. As he watched the two teenagers talking, he could tell two things. One was that they had both hooked the other. The second was that neither knew it yet. "Come on," he said, interrupting their discourse. "Let's go get an egg cream. After that, we'll have to see."
Mike managed to convince them to let him take a minute to switch to her unspined tail, which would definitely make it easier on both her and the other people at the parties. Victor was about to help Mike maneuver when Jane took over, unzipping the bodysuit and giving him a hand with the switch. It seemed so natural a thing that Victor upgraded his assessment. They were hooked completely.
Victor watched them for awhile as they went from party to party, but though the two talked and laughed together as if they'd known one another for years, they also seemed to respect a mutual boundary. After half an hour, Victor decided that it was pointless watching them and left the two to their own devices as he went to find his own crowd. Their familiarity at the photo shoot had alarmed him at first, but not anymore. Some of that had been genuine, but plenty had been for the benefit of their audience. Even now, if someone asked for a picture of them together, they gave that person an image they'd remember.
Victor had been afraid that his assessment had been wrong and that he'd find Jamina and Wortag curled up in bed together or not even there when he arrived back at the room. Instead, he found Mike already asleep, Jamina neatly put away in her case. Victor allowed himself to feel both relieved and proud that his son had behaved and that he himself had been right about everything. Nora was a kind and caring woman, but she'd have disemboweled him if he'd had to tell her that her son had been sleeping with anyone, even someone like Jane. He knew he wouldn't see the last of that girl, though. Even if he had to lead Mike to it, he'd make sure that the boy kept in touch with her.
Chapter 4:
Sunday
Mike got up and dressed in a new T-shirt but the same shorts while his dad was still asleep. It was too early for programming to begin, but Mike wanted to go down to the lobby and hang out anyway. He'd bring the newest Chronicle book with him, bought at the dealer's room on Friday and autographed despite the fact that the seller swore up and down that she'd never even seen the author go by. He had barely gotten past the first section before a familiar pair of boots appeared below the rim of the book. "I had hoped I'd see you before things got going again." He said, putting the Chronicle down.
Jane sat on the armchair next to him. "I figured I'd find you here. You're just the kind of guy who'd lie in wait trying to catch an unsuspecting girl."
It was starting early. "I believe you caught me, though." Mike replied.
Jane said, "This time."
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Mike said. "I see you decided not to wear yours either."
Jane stretched out. "Sundays are for relaxing."
"When did you build Wortag? You told me he was already awarded for workmanship."
Jane looked out the window and back at Mike. "About two years ago. He's had to have been let out once or twice. I turned out taller than I thought I'd be." She smiled. "So did he."
"You must have been going to cons for a long time." Mike said, interested.
"As long as I can remember and years before that, too. I'm a fen brat, same as you. I was born to it, though. My mom used to read me Dianna Wynne Jones when I went to bed. Your mom wasn't a fan?"
Mike shook his head. "Still isn't, really. She likes dad, and I think she likes it when he wears his fursuits, but she's not really into it."
Jane said, "Both my parents are. Neither are furries, though mom began to get interested after I did. She may yet ask me to make her one. I don't know."
They sat in silence again, and then Jane stood up. "Well, I've got panels to go to."
Mike rose as well. "I'll go with."
Jane smiled mischievously. "You don't even know what they are. Maybe I'm going to some girly nonsense."
Mike looked her in the eye. "I somehow doubt you'd ever want to do anything labeled 'girly nonsense.' And even if you did, you can count me in anyway. My dad used to follow Tammy Pierce, and I mean that in a literal sense. I've read everything she's written so far, and most of those books were autographed."
Jane rolled her eyes. "You win. Come on, I was going to see the unholy row on whether we should develop Luna or Mars first."
"How do you know it's going to be an unholy row?"
Jane gave him a superior look. "I've been going to cons for years. It's always a catfight when that subject comes up."
Mike pretended to clench his teeth. "Must...not...make...catfight...joke."
"Let's go, before we're late." Jane retorted, grabbing Mike's arm and pulling.
The con was winding down when Mike and Jane wandered back into the lobby. Victor was already down with all the luggage and was reading a book. "Ah, I figured you two would be through eventually. I want to get home before your mother starts to worry that we've been captured by Cardassians, not that she'd think of it that way."
Mike turned to Jane. "See you next year, I guess."
Jane pulled a piece of paper out of her bag. "Here's my FurAffinity page. I assume you have on as well?"
Mike hurriedly wrote down his own. "Naturally. I'm more active elsewhere, but we can start there."
Jane took the sheet and chucked Mike in the arm. "There's lookin' at ya, toots. I'd better go find my own clan. I know where to find dad, at least. He never passes up a gripe session." She left, turning to wave, walking backwards as she rounded a corner. Mike waved back.
Nora was in the living room watching television when Victor and Mike walked in. Victor dropped his bags to embrace his wife and Mike dropped his because his father had and he could always move the luggage later. Nora looked at both of them for a moment. "Well, you two don't look like anything went wrong."
Victor laughed. "Can't you just be like normal spouses and ask how the weekend went?"
"Can't you be like normal husbands and go to conventions about lawnmowers or power plants instead of dressing up as a cat the entire time?"
Victor replied haughtily, "I didn't wear Saliaven at all. I was too busy discussing business."
Nora snorted. "Business like how many Star Destroyers it would take to blow up a Borg Cube. I know how it works. And you may have not dressed up," she said, changing gears quickly and observing Mike's embarrassed grin. "But he did."
"I did indeed," Mike said, hugging his mother. "But I had a lot of fun."
Nora held him at arms' length. "Not too much fun, I hope."
"There was a rather strapping young wolf..." Mike said, teasing.
"And?" Nora replied, all motherly concern.
"He turned out to be a lesbian trying to find a nice girl. We managed not to let that cause too much friction, though."
Nora sighed. "My son's turned strange."
Mike said, "I've always been strange. If we'd been normal people, things would have gone a lot worse. As it was, I think I've made a really good friend."
Nora said, "I'll take that much as a mom ought to and be happy. I just won't think about the circumstances."
"She was quite handsome."
Nora sighed. "And I'm sure you were the prettiest thing at the con."
"I don't like to brag."
Victor added. "And he didn't get involved in any of those pundark gangs. Isn't it better to have a son who wears dresses well than one whose dresses wear well?"
"That was really bad!" Mike said.
Victor looked around. "It really was. Wow. The lights dimmed and Cory Doctorow was nowhere near the dimmer switch."
Mike picked up one of the bags. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have clothes to put away and an FA user to look up. Maybe I'll lie down for awhile too. Cons are tiring."
Dear reader: To describe much of anything about the story's content would be removing what little suspense I can manage to create. Instead, I'll admit to being somewhat influenced by Daria in the previous story and influenced a good bit more for this one and the ones that come after. The only reason why most of my own high school experience was not drawn from is because I'm afraid you'd never believe me unless you've actually seen the inside of the school I went to.
It is a disconcerting feeling, to say the least, to look sidelong at a mirror in passing and wonder where your tail went. This thought occurred to Mike once again as passed Fredrich Von Brussels High School's trophy case and caught his reflection momentarily. He didn't have time to think too deeply, though, since he was on his way to algebra class. It was something of a comedown to return to school Monday after the con, but such was the nature of the beast. No matter how great the weekend, you always knew that there would be algebra on Monday. And lunch, gym, history, the works. It would have been a comforting constant if he were the sort of person who enjoyed boredom. Mike was turning the corner to enter the corridor of his destination when he almost ran into a pair of juniors. The crowd made such things inevitable, and he would have dismissed the incident immediately if one of the girls hadn't looked exactly like Jane! Mike shook his head, trying to clear the image of her with her head turned to talk to her dark-haired companion. Returning to school must have had more of an effect on him than he'd thought. He was starting to hallucinate.
Mike tried to put the thought out of his mind in class, but the drone of Mr. Briggs made him daydream. He thought back to his time with Jane at the con, and how great it would be to find out that she went to the same high school he did. It was possible, he guessed, but the con was big enough to draw people from miles away. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he still found himself running in the direction he'd seen her go after class ended in a vain attempt to see if she'd emerge from a room on that hall.
She didn't, and Mike headed up the stairs to the cafeteria. He sat at his usual table, where he tended to sit alone, and looked across the room. On the other side of the room, he saw her. It was Jane for sure, brown hair, big boots and all. She was sitting across from the same girl he'd seen her with in the hall, deep in conversation. Mike stood and crossed the room, unaware of the fact that he'd started swinging his hips a little and flexing his butt to sway a nonexistent tail.
Jane didn't look at Mike until he sat down next to the other girl and said, "Hi."
Jane did look then, and her eyes widened. She seemed unable to talk for a moment, and finally muttered. "God damn."
The other girl looked at Jane with a crooked smile. "Why, Jane! I don't think I've ever seen you taken so far aback. Is this little man part of a deep dark secret you've been keeping from me? If you were a normal person, I'd suggest a clandestine romance, but in your case I'd say he's your inside man on a plot to assassinate the Pope." She turned to Mike. "Am I close?"
Mike grinned back at her, noting her appearance for the first time. Black hair, black overlong t-shirt, black tights and a long black coat. The only contrast was her naturally light-colored face, green eyes and red lipstick. "I'd never try to take down the pontiff. He's got powers and nun ninjas. The Archbishop of Canterbury, maybe."
Jane, meanwhile, had turned pink. Swallowing hard, she said, "I thought- I mean, I didn't realize. How could you-"
"Go to the same high school as you?" Mike asked. "I was surprised myself when I saw you in the hall an hour ago. Imagine my shock to see you at the same lunch period as me. I guess we just never noticed each other because we didn't have a reason before."
The other girl said, "Well! Much as I find your discomfort a source of entertainment, perhaps it's time for me to insist on being told the identity of the guy who's horning in on our all-too-short lunch hour."
Jane steadied herself. "Right, yes. Susan, this is Mike. I met him over the weekend. He shares some of my unusual interests."
"How delightfully vague."
"Mike, this crow is Susan. We've been friends since elementary, when we both realized the other might be weirder."
Mike smiled. "I think I got the better end of that introduction."
Susan glared at Jane in mock indignation. "I agree. Before we let some bloke listen in on our girltalk, I want to know just how my socially inept best friend came to trust a person of the male persuasion in such a short time."
Jane smiled crookedly, loosening up. "Trust me," she said, "this boy is more likely to appreciate 'girl talk' than I am."
Mike returned the expression. "I wear a skirt once-"
"Three times in as many days by my count." Jane interrupted.
Susan looked at the clock. "Plain explanations! You've got five minutes to explain yourself while I still have soda to do a spittake with."
Jane replied, "I met him while wearing that wolf costume. He was similarly attired, including being crossdressed."
Susan calmly took a sip of her drink, swallowed, sipped again and sprayed Jane. "He's a furry?" She coughed.
Jane had known what was coming and had put a lunch tray between her and Susan as soon as her friend had taken the first sip. She lowered it and said, "I don't think they heard you in Ecuador. I know you've been trying to see if you can make a popularity meter register negative numbers, but please don't get the freshman ostracized on my account. He should become an outcast on his own merits."
Susan replied, "OK, OK. In the two minutes we have left, let me try to reconstruct this. You went cruising for chicks looking like a strapping male wolf, and he went cruising for guys looking like a - well, whatever it was, I'm betting he looked good or you wouldn't have set your sights on him."
"I wasn't looking for guys," Mike commented. "I just wanted to meet people."
"Either way," Susan continued. "You found one. Now, I know you, Jane. You two didn't realize the other wasn't quite what they seemed for at least a day."
"Approximately correct." Jane said.
"Normally, my shrinking violet here would run like her tail's on fire at the sort of embarrassment that discovery must have caused. The dear boy, here, seems to have a decently twisted sense of humor and managed to keep things from blowing up."
"I don't want to brag." Mike said smugly.
"Now, at this point, things break down. Apart from me, no one's been off-the-wall enough to keep the confused one's interest, though I think I can bet that at some point she proved to you that she could eat like a horse and not mind. One of the many guy things that she seems to have picked up."
"It was a good meal," Jane added.
The repeated tone stopped Susan from continuing. "I'm sure there was more, but you'll have to tell me about it after school. We take the west bus."
As she left, Mike looked at Jane. "Is that an invitation from both of you?"
Jane replied, "Are you going west anyway?"
"As it happens, yes."
"Then it's an invitation."
***
Jane and Susan were already at the bus stop when Mike arrived. "How'd you get here so fast?"
Susan smiled at Jane. "Isn't the freshman so cute?" Mike noticed that Susan had a squeak to the end of her sentences that would have made her sound like an airhead if her voice weren't so deep. "We've been doing this for a long time, little man. After awhile, you want to get as far away from the building as fast as possible and if you're lucky you get good at it."
"It's better than junior high," Mike replied.
Susan said, "I've heard of prisons that looked nicer than junior high. But enough chitchat. Muscles here," she poked Jane in the arm, "never gives me juicy details about being a crossdresser. Oh, and a person who finds it a source of pleasure to cover themselves in fur and pretend they're zoomorphed."
"Who says," Mike replied with a slow grin, "that we're not pretending we're someone else who's been anthromorphed? Nice vocabulary, by the way."
"Thank you. You didn't answer the question."
Mike's innocent expression mirrored Susan's. "I'm not sure what 'juicy' information you're after."
Susan replied, "Hah!" She elbowed Jane in the ribs. "You could learn something from the wee man. He's actually making a refusal to tell me interesting."
Jane finally deigned to respond. "Stop badgering him."
Susan said, "Fine. Keep your secrets, both of you. I'm sure, however, that you'd rather badger him." Susan's eyebrows worked comically.
One side of Jane's mouth quirked. "And you just love 'goating' me."
Mike piled in as they climbed onto the bus and put their transit cards into the slot. "Yeah, giraffe her back."
"Oh no," Susan said, as she sat next to Jane. "Another punster. I don't know if I'll be able to bear it."
Mike sat in front of them and turned around in his seat to continue. "I try not to be a boar."
Jane said, "It's not a good idea to provoke pundark heron the bus." As she spoke, the daylight dimmed as if a cloud had passed over the sun.
"Odd, even for today," Susan said, looking out the window. "You don't see people in hot air balloons around here much. Especially bright red ones."
Jane took the opportunity to lean forward to talk to Mike quietly. "You got lucky this time. Susan's in the know already. How would I have explained this to another friend?"
Mike replied, "As someone you met over the weekend who you didn't realize went to the same high school?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "And then they'd ask where."
"None of their business?"
Susan didn't look away from the window. "It's all academic. I'm your only friend. And one with excellent hearing, which you ought to know."
Jane spared a tongue out for Susan. "OK, fine, gang up on me."
"Don't mind if I do." Susan replied.
"Just don't tell her about the night we spent together," Jane said even more quietly.
"You what?" Suan cried, turning away from the window at last.
"Hm?" Jane grunted with an exaggerated innocence.
"You slept with her?" Susan said to Mike, not quite as loudly, but still with huge surprise.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Mike replied, copying Jane's air.
Susan sat back, shaking her head. "You're pulling my leg. Jane's body shy and you're not girly enough."
Jane said, "Ho ho. You haven't seen him in a big skirt and boobs. He cleans up nicely as a girly girl."
Mike grinned again. "It's true."
"Besides," Jane continued, "I spent a night with him. We never shared a bed, and I know Michael M. quite well."
Mike said, "That's my Wortag. Quoting Supreme Court precedent when accused by her best friend of sleeping with a near-total stranger."
Jane said, "Well, it came as a bit of a shock, dear boy. Susan's nice, but she'd be scandalized by some of the stuff that happens in our world." She looked sidelong at Susan. "Well, not scandalized. She's mightily jaded. But unhealthily intertested. She's my best friend, and I won't hear a word against her, but she's a filthy pervert and I don't want to be her next 'case study.' I don't know what I'm more afraid of. Having her study me and be interested, or study me and get bored."
"Just for that," Susan said, "I'm going to pump your wee boyfriend for everything I can. You can resist my wiles, but I bet he can't."
Jane snorted. "Threatening to tickle him into submission or spray him with a high-pressure hose doens't count as 'wiles.' And if anyone's going to pump him, I am."
"Glad to see you're no longer embarassed by me," Mike said.
"Just a little surprised, dear boy." She and Susan got up. "This is our stop. You want to hang out at my place for awhile?"
Mike smiled up at her. "Much as I'd love to see the inner sanctum of the queen bee, I must decline for today. Being my age has the unfortunate requirement of being home when expected. I'll talk to the parental units about coming home later from here on in."
Susan looked at Jane. "You're right. He is a teenage girl."
As they left, Jane said, "I authorize you to bring pictures of Jamina."
Before they were out of earshot, Mike heard Susan ask, "Who's Jamina?"
"Well well." Victor said over dinner. "This is good news. I was hoping I wouldn't have to be an annoying parent and annoy you into staying connected."
Mike smiled with convention nostalgia. "I don't think you ever had to worry about that."
Nora called from the kitchen, "So am I going to see her at all?"
Mike called back, "I don't know. She seems to want me to go to her place before she comes here."
Nora walked in with a tray of food. "You told me some about Jane yesterday, but not everything."
Mike heaved a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know that much more than I told you. The parental questions routine is not likely to get you a lot this time."
Nora sat down. "Oh? What about how she looks?"
Mike replied, "Brunette, about my height with green eyes, bulky boots and not much of a figure that I could see. Dresses like a guy, if guys could wear skirts."
"And her friend?"
"Black on black with red lipstick. I didn't look at her shoes but if she wasn't wearing heels, she's taller than any of us. Judging from what she said, I'd guess she isn't a lesbian, unlike Jane. Happy?"
"Quite." Nora replied. "That held all the charm and emotion of a police report. I'm guessing, then, that you haven't been swept off your feet?"
Victor said, "If he has been, it's in much the same way I would have been."
"Oh, and how would you have described me to a friend at first?"
Victor replied, "Do I have to answer that?"
"If you want to eat." Nora said evenly.
"Shorter than me, slightly rotund. Significantly greater than normal intelligence and signficantly lower than normal social dogma. Brown hair, blue eyes with an inner fire and a direct manner."
Nora quirked her lip. "Better than I might have given you at first. I'm taking it that my son is not commenting on intelligence because he takes it for granted anyone he associates with possesses it in quantity."
"Quite right," Mike said. "Now, let's eat before dad asks what you would have said about him."
Nora reached over and put her hand on Victor's. "Real cute for a big, fuzzy weirdo."
Victor smiled. "Aww. You're so sentimental, honey."
***
As Mike sat down next to Susan, facing Jane once again, the taller of the two said, "So did daddy let his little girl stay out late tonight?"
"Hello, mouth," Mike replied in greeting. He nodded to Jane. "Muscles."
"Mouth, aye?" Susan said, rolling the name around in the aforementioned appendage. "Well, if we're going to be referring to one another with crude anatomical names, what to call you?"
"We should call him posterior." Jane said. "You haven't seen a nice ass until you've seen his when he's in drag." She gestured with her hand and made a kissing sound. "Perfection."
"So, has our prestigious posterior personage been passed by his parental units to join us post-class?" Susan asked again.
Mike sighed. "So I'm the butt, huh? I guess I deserve that. To spare myself any more of your alliteration, yes."
"Perfect." Susan said, and Jane bounced a roll off of her forehead, catching it and taking a bite.
"These things are a lot springier since we started here. There was a time that thing would have done you an injury."
"So," Mike said, looking at Susan. "I don't really know much about you."
Susan returned his gaze haughtily. "The same goes for me. I thought we were going to stay mysterious to one another, though. I find it so much more fun making up a past I think you ought to have. Not," she added grinning, "that I'll have that pleasure much longer. We rotate whose house we go to every day, and I wouldn't mind having a new venue. You have a large TV, right?"
"I do." Mike said, at a loss for anything else to say.
"Capital. We'll go to your place on Thursday."
Jane said, "You're awfully free with my schedule."
"And your boyfriend," Susan shot back. "I'm a voyeur, Jane. You know I can't pass up a chance to see how he lives. Aren't you curious?"
Jane shrugged one shoulder. "A little. I'm just not as pushy as you are."
"I prefer 'decisive.'" Susan replied. "You don't mind, do you, wee man?" Mike shook his head. "See? The pleastantly plump posterior is willing."
"Fine," Jane said. "Have it your way. I should know better than to argue with you."
"You really ought to," Susan replied. "Because I'm always right. What are you so afraid of, anyway? He's going to see your place first. I'd think you'd be the one embarrassed."
Jane smiled back wickedly. "Ah, but I know the dear boy better than you do. He's going to love it. I, however, have certain expectations for his that might scandalize even your perverted mind." She spared a fond glance for Mike. "I'm also not so sure I want to share Jamina with anyone yet."
Susan put her hand on Jane's shoulder. "I've met your girlfriends before." She smiled ironically. "The few you've decided were good enough. How can the wee man be much different as her than as he is now?"
Jane held Susan's hand. "You'll see."
"Oh yes, I will!" Susan grinned. "And if it's all you're leading up to, this will be fun!"
***
Mike looked up at Jane's house as they turned up her front walk. Two stories, painted red and green with a large front yard and a narrow path leading around the side to what looked to be an even larger back yard. "Does your family own this whole house?"
Jane nodded. "Yep. You're from a more urban setting?"
Mike replied, "Yeah. I guess you could say that. A little more urban. High enough rent that owning a two-story house is quite extravagant. Then again, dad's place probably isn't too much smaller than your house in terms of actual floor space."
Jane opened the door. "I hope you like books and stuff. My parents are the collector type."
Susan laughed. "Your parents are compulsive. Not that I can talk."
"No you can't," Jane said as they walked in.
Mike looked around. "I see what you mean." The front door opened into a living room with the requisite TV, couch and chairs along with a computer, various hanging items, tapestries and wall-covering bookshelves. "I am reminded of my dad's room at home. That's where he keeps the bookshelves. No tapestries, though."
Susan looked at the top of one of the shelves as she took off her shoes. "A scale model of the USS Pegasus?"
"Relativity in my case. I guess this is what happens when both parents are fen." He followed the girls' example and removed his shoes and socks.
Susan said, "Just wait until you see Jane's room. It's unbelievable."
Jane had gone down a corridor on the other side of the room. "Come on. You may as well see."
They climbed a staircase off the corridor and Jane opened the first door on the left. As soon as he entered, Mike realized why the other two had taken off their footwear. Jane's room was carpeted in a fuzzy shag. In fact, fuzzy was a good description for the entire thing.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Susan said. "If it weren't for the posters, you'd think she was a normal twelve-year-old.
What Susan referred to were the posters of shapely anthropomorphic animals, mostly from the lupine, feline and vulpine families. These combined with the carpet, hairy blanket on Jane's bed and the many stuffed animals to confirm the suspicions of any person with even the vaguest understanding of furry fandom.
Susan watched Mike's slow scrutiny with amusement. "So, dear boy, how do you rate the decor?"
Mike replied, "Oh, ace. Ace. This is the densest quantity of fandom I've ever seen. Which reminds me, where are your parents? I don't believe I ever met them."
Jane joined Susan on her bed and leaned against the headboard. "Presently. Dad's out at five, mom's out at five thirty."
Mike grinned at Susan. "And hanging around this for years hasn't converted you? Good gods, I was a furry within a year of meeting dad."
Susan replied, "I'm betting you were a geek before that, though. I may be incredibly brilliant, but I'm no geek."
"You just happen to recognize the USS Pegasus."
Susan nodded quickly. "Yup, yup. Not a geek at all."
Jane lay down with her head hanging off the side of the bed. "Now what?"
Susan looked at the television that was almost buried under a mountain of stuffed creatures. "It's almost time for my show."
Jane aimed a kick and missed Susan. "No. I remember the lead-in from the last episode. Not one I'm interested in seeing."
Jane got up and walked to the closet next to the door.
"Aww. I want to watch the freaks."
"I know you're taping it." Suan said from inside the closet.
Susan sighed deeply. "Fine." She smiled at Mike cheerfully. "I'll just interview the one right here. So, do you have those pictures?"
"And ruin the surprise," Mike asked, shaking his head. "Oh, no. You're going to see Jamina for the first time in person."
Jane closed the closet, now with wolf ears and strapping on a tail. She pulled on a pair of handpaws as she sat down on the bed. "There we are."
Susan jerked a thumb at Jane. "See this? She considers that comfort wear, and she doesn't mind wearing it in front of me. I can't nail her; she's got no shame."
Jane reached around and hugged her tail. "Why should I?"
"Because it is expected from social deviance. It also makes it much easier for me to get you to say something you'd wish you hadn't if I could make you nervous."
Jane lay back again. "I've seen what you do as a hobby. You can't make me nervous anymore."
"What's that?" Mike asked.
Susan grinned. "One surprise deserves another. You'll see the day after tomorrow. After our curiosity is properly sated."
"Are we going to do something, or just argue until homework becomes inevitable?" Jane asked the ceiling.
"Arguing is doing something. Verbal fencing is an old and established sport." Susan replied.
Jane sat up. "Nevertheless, dad'll be back soon and I want to test Mike before he gets here and I have to explain why there's a young man in my room."
Susan started rummaging around in her bookbag. "The test. Well, that's me reading a book for awhile. You put me to the test once, and I found it quite enough."
"You did well enough for being bored," Jane replied, getting up and pulling a game console out from behind her television. "Now, how to start? Halo, Smash Brothers or Mario Kart?"
"Mario Kart?" Mike groaned. "That's evil. And how do you intend to play in paws? My dad can hold his own in Smash with his handpaws on, but I don't believe a mortal man can play Mario Kart with anything less than their full capacity."
Susan laughed, "But I am no mortal man, dear boy. To paraphrase Aowyn, you look upon a woman. However," she said grudginly, "I admit the Kart is pure evil, and should be approached with caution." She ran back to the closet and for a moment only her tail was visible. "Here" she said, throwing Mike a pair of fox paws. "Try not to sweat too much. And feel free to bring your own next time," her eyes shone as she grinned, "I certainly will tomorrow. Even if I have to leave some of my books behind to fit my tail in there."
Mike got the paws on with difficulty-despite her height, Jane had smaller hands than he did- and picked up the controller. "Let's warm up with Smash, then. We'll leave Mario Kart for last."
Susan looked over the top of her book. "You guys are weird. She didn't test me with those gloves on. Thank god."
Mike looked back, "Are you reading the Dungeon Master's Guide?"
Susan went back to her book. "I can never remember how to grapple properly."
"And you won't when you're done with that. It's in the Player's Handbook."
Susan flipped to the table of contents. "I think you're right." She put it in her bag and pulled the Handbook out.
***
"She made you play Mario Kart?" Victor asked over sausage.
"Yeah. Said she needed to test me. I had to play Halo and Smash Brothers as well."
Victor clicked his tongue. "Dear me. How did you do?"
"I had to wear handpaws, but so did she-"
Victor laughed. "Very nice."
"But I managed to hold my own well enough. I think she's done that more than I have. The first thing she did once she settled down was put on ears, tail and handpaws."
Nora said, "Great. First my son gets me to marry one, now he's found a prospect of the same nature."
"Like mother, like son?" Victor asked.
Mike cut his mother off. "If I may continue. I did pretty well considering, and after she'd finished with me, I met her parents and came home. Both fans, like she told me. I got along with them quite well, mainly because they reminded me rather strongly of another pair of parental adults who I've met today."
Victor said to Nora in a stage whisper. "I think he means us."
"I'm not a fan," Nora said.
"No, but you're in love with one. And no matter how much you deny it, you're a geek at heart, mom. At least you are now."
Nora sniffed. "I wish you wouldn't analyze me. It doesn't seem right for a son to do that to his mother."
"I can't help it, mom. Besides, you didn't say I'm wrong."
"Have some more sausage, Mike. You could use the meat on your bones."
Jamina
Jane looked at Mike's house as they went up the walk. "It's not so small." She commented. "Not bad for a planned community."
Mike shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of identical houses, but at least I'm sure the inside is unique."
Susan looked up and down the row. "I see your point. From here, it's like being in the Stepford Wives. I feel like someone's going to try to start brainwashing me at any moment."
Mike opened the door and put his bookbag in the corner. "Is that TV big enough for you, by the way?"
Susan surveyed the wall-dominating piece of electronics to her left. "It will serve."
Victor emerged from his and Nora's room. "Hello, Jane."
Jane waved. "Hi, Victor."
"And that means the crow is Susan."
"I see I've been talked about," Susan replied. "Under most circumstances, an animal reference would just be a cute metaphor, but in this case I'm going to have to warn you that if you produce a pair of wings or a beak for me, I'll be forced to decline. I am but a humble observer of human nature, and participation is against my code of non-interference."
Victor replied, "And talking to the natives isn't?"
"One must make an objective sacrifice in the name of completeness. There's no sense in going overboard."
Mike said, "Now that we've all met, perhaps the inevitable embarassing parental presence should be removed."
Victor replied, "In other words, 'clear off.' OK, but if you need anything, I'm here."
"Thanks, dad."
Susan's gaze was over Victor's shoulder. "Is that the Temporal Mechanics Manual?"
Victor turned around. "Yes. It is."
"Can I borrow that for the afternoon?"
Victor pulled it off the shelf. "Be my guest."
Susan opened it up and pulled a notepad out of her bag. "Temporal Warlock, here I come!" She looked at Jane and Mike as Victor closed his door. "So? Am I allowed to see this miraculous transformation, or is this private furry thing?"
Mike replied, "I don't really mind either way."
Jane said, "Let it be a complete surprise. I'll help you."
Susan went back to her notes. "More time to study this, then. Suits me fine, no pun intended."
"None taken," Jane replied.
Jane took her bag into Mike's room and opened it as he closed the door. She pulled her wolf ears, tail and handpaws out. She immediately put the ears on and belted on the tail, throwing the handpaws onto Mike's bed for later. "I would have loved to bring Wortag with, but there are limits to how much I can fit in this thing."
Mike pulled Jamina's carry box out of his closet. "It's too bad, but understandable. It's lucky that dad and I are so similarly built. I don't remember if I told you that all the suits are actually his. I just borrow them. He said I could have my own when I'm seventeen."
Jane sat on the bed, politely looking away as Mike changed to a lycra bodysuit. "I don't think you did, but it makes sense. No point in getting a custom-built suit until you're sure you aren't growing any more. Still, I'm not sure I want to think of your father as Jamina."
Mike laughed, "He introduced me to Jamina when I was eleven. He was afraid it would be the last straw for mom, but she rightly pointed out that a furry who dressed as a teenage girl was still a furry, and in terms of social acceptability, crossdressing was higher on the totem pole than fursuiting. Actually, her words were closer to, 'you're a furry. How can 'crossdresser' be worse."
Jane smiled as Mike finished getting changed. "We got good parents."
Mike pulled out the bodysuit for Jamina. "I think so."
Jane helped him get his tail situated and zipped the back of the suit up for him. "It feels like such a long time since I last helped you with your tail. It was Saturday night, for crimenys' sake! If you asked me last Friday if I could see myself helping a guy into his suit like a cheerleader helping her football player boyfriend into his uniform, I'd have laughed my head off."
Mike worked his feet into the footpaws and Jane knelt to pull the suit's legs over the paws' tops. "And I never thought that I'd meet such an awesome girl at my first con. Nor did I believe I'd fall for a girl in drag while being in drag myself. We're a mixed-up couple, alright."
As Jane pulled the suit's zipper down momentarily so that she could push the back flap of Jamina's head into the suit, she smiled softly. "Do you realize we're both referring to each other in romantic terms? That's another thing I wouldn't have believed. That I'd even consider going straight for anyone."
"But I'm not just anyone," Jamina replied, pulling on her handpaws. "I'm your girly-boyfriend."
Jane barked a laugh. "I hate to admit it, but when I hear that voice, I literally go weak kneed. I'm the most rough-and-tumble lesbian you'd ever not want to tangle with. My fursona is a colossal great wolf."
"Big Mad Wortag." Jamina observed.
"And yet I'm going weak in the knees for a boy!"
Jamina turned to meet Jane's blue eyes with her green. "The most feminine boy ever you'd ever want to drool over in a fluffy skirt. You're the one who wears the pants in this relationship."
"So you're saying you think it's consistent?"
Jamina said, "I think that my dad's become an expert in odd couples, and though he hasn't even hinted at it, I can tell he thinks we belong together. Then again, all parents want their daughters to meet a nice boy and settle down, though I'm sure they'd both want us to wait until we're older." She put her arms around Jane. "And I admit that I think we're pretty well suited as well. Pun intended."
Jane returned the embrace and pulled back. "You've given me a lot to think about. Let's go give the mouth something to stare at, dear boy."
Jamina turned back to her closet and pulled her most volumous dres out. "Ready to help your cheerleader get into her uniform?"
Jane grinned. "Now I think about it, I admit the comparison was the wrong way around."
Susan looked up as the door opened and Jane walked out. "Took you two long enough? So where's the girly man?"
Jamina emerged and said, "Here."
Susan wolf-whistled. "You definitely picked a pretty one."
As Jamina reached the end of the corridor and the greater space of the living room she twirled slowly. "Like what you see?"
Susan grinned, "I'd say we picked the right nickname for you. Yes indeed. And why our common friend took such a shine so quickly. Were I interested in females and saw you just as you are at a con, I might be tempted out of my non-interference."
Jane laughed. "Take that as the ultinmate complement on your appearance, sexy boy. This is the ice-blooded observer who once perched on a statue with her pad so she could take notes and sketch a mass pillow fight. A couple of us threw pillows at her, but she stayed there, drawing and writing for two hours."
Susan leaned over to look at Jamina's tail. "You can't sit on that, though, can you?"
Jamina shook her head. "No, I can't. I have one that doesn't stand up for when I feel like sitting."
"And when did you decide you wanted to wear that suit?"
Jamina said, "When mom and dad got married, I found myself living with it in the next room. Dad's always let me try on his suits whenever I wanted, so it was only a matter of time before I got over my gender issues and put it on."
"And the dress?"
"It went with the suit, really."
Jane flipped to a new page. "So it's part of the suit?"
Jamina shook her head again. "No. I've got a set of clothes for this suit. She likes skirts and looks good in them."
Jane yawned, "This is going to go on for awhile. I'm going to get a drink, if you don't mind. Do you have any long straws, dear? I'll bring you something."
Jamina replied. "Help yourself. The long straws are in the second drawer from the top to the right of the stove."
As Jane got drinks, Susan continued. "I note that you switch between identifying with the suit and referring to it as a separate entity. Is this a common behavior?"
Jamina replied thoughtfully. "Most suiters like to stay in character, but for the purposes of these questions, it's necessary to sometimes differentiate between the vixen outside and the boy inside. For the most part, I think you'll find that suiters will first identify with the character they're wearing, and then with the wearer when necessary."
Susan wrote while Jamina took a sip through the straw Jane gave her. Finally, she asked. "And why choose Jamina as your primary character?"
Jamina replied. "I've tried being a few people, and I find that Jamina is the most fun. I've never been the most masculine person around, and I identify a lot with Jamina. In the Chronicles she was actually a biological male for the first year of her life before being changed by a mother who wanted a daughter. I'm not saying I feel that I ought to be a girl, just that since I had a choice of alternate mes, that a female felt good and was fun. I have a lot of traits that are considered feminine, and it's nice to be able to give them free reign without having to worry."
Susan smiled. "I got an oddly similar answer from Jane when I was finally able to get her to answer some of my questions."
Jane added. "You wouldn't believe how much I want this vixen right now."
Susan looked at Jane with interest. "You're usually more circumspect."
Jane flexed her claws, "I'm usually with a lot of humans who seem to think it's unladylike to show desire like that."
Susan wrote something down. "It's interesting how closely you mirror each other. If I could get some more responses, I might get a correlation. Still, this will make a brilliant addition to my archives. Let's see, any other questions..." She flipped quickly through her pad. "Ah, here's one. Jamina's a fox, but is that your preferred species?"
Jamina said, "My dad's feline for sure, but I've never felt that kind of fierce independence. I'd definitely say I like fox better than most others. I don't have the canine friendliness or a skunk's sensuality. Yes, I think, I like fox best."
Susan asked, "Ah, those qualities are interesting. Are they the norm for furries, or just the qualities you assign to those animals?"
Jamina took a few seconds to think. "Everyone has their own qualities that they attribute to various animals and kinds of animals, usually reserving the best for their own preferences. There are so many that in the end I just have to say that fox feels right. It's a common choice, but one that fits me better than a zebra or a lemur would."
Susan closed her notebook. "Well, I think that's plenty. There are some interesting parallels in the answers I'm getting from you and Jane. I wonder if your father would be willing-"
Jane put her paw on Susan's hand and took the notebook from her. "I think that's enough for one day."
Susan sighed, "Fine, if you insist. So what now? I mean, are we going to hang out like this, or is the pretty little man going to change back?"
Jamina shifted from one foot to the other. "Actually, I think I'd like to switch tails to something I can sit on. If we're going to be hanging out, I'd like to be able to relax properly."
Jane got up. "I'll help."
As they went into Mike's room, Victor came out of his. He was about to cross the room to the kitchen when he stopped and looked at Susan. "Odd, isn't it?"
Susan looked at him. "What?"
"How things work out. You're the sort that watches this sort of thing. Isn't it interesting how there's always a compatibility no matter how strange the combination? It sort of gives a person hope. Although I'm not sure what kind of person would be compatible with the people who marry landmarks and buildings." Mike's door opened and Victor shrugged. "I'd better be on my way. Mike's far away from average, but even he gets embarrassed by parental involvement." Victor pulled a bottle out of the refridgerator and passed Jamina and Jane on his way back. "Remember that your mother will be home in about half an hour."
"I'll change back in twenty minutes." Jamina replied.
As Jamina sat on the couch, Jane taking a position right next to her with Susan on her right, Susan asked, "Your mother doesn't like to see you as Jamina?"
"Mom's had a hard time with my many quirks," Jamina replied. "And if you want my frank opinion, I think it bothers her to see her son in any kind of fursuit. That was part of what attracted her to dad and it hammers home my own sexuality. Plus seeing me as an attractive girl causes its own conflicts. She's been with dad for five years, but she still isn't quite used to this kind of thing."
"Interesting," Susan said, her hand straying to her notebook.
Jane gave her a flat look. "Susan. Enough, mouth."
Susan threw herself back in her seat. "Bah. You never let me have any fun."
"Enough interviewing. Here," she reached over to her bag and pulled out a newspaper, "have a tabloid."
Susan took the proffered document. "Ooh! Batboy's back! I wondered if they'd ever do a follow-up on the last sighting."
"I worry about her sometimes," Jane said to Jamina. "So, we haven't got long before I have to say goodbye to my sexy girl." She put a paw around Jamina's shoulder. "I wish I could think of something to do."
Mike was blushing inside of Jamina's head. "This seems pretty nice to me."
Jane put her head on Jamina's shoulder and snuggled into her. "Yeah. It does."
Jamina put her arm around Jane. "So I guess you're getting used to the idea that I'm-"
Jane put her other paw on Jamina's muzzle. "We've got fifteen minutes, and I think I'd like to spend it forgetting about that."
Jamina sat back and let herself enjoy the feeling. She kept one eye on the clock and a few minutes later, she stirred. "I'd better go change."
Jane disengaged herself and got up. "I guess so. Well, since I'm making you late, I'd better help you change back on time." She looked back at the newspaper that screened her friend from view. "And don't think I didn't see that camera. If you publish and those pictures are in it-"
Susan put the paper down. "Relax. Actually, I was filming that. I don't think I've ever seen you look so happy and I wanted to save the moment."
Jane sighed. "Every time I think you've sunken to a new depth, you do something decent."
"It's how I got my membership to the broken expectations club." She made a shooing gesture. "Go on, before mama bear gets home and mauls her little cub."
In Mike's room, Jamina quickly slipped out of the dress. Jane began to pull down the zipper to help Jamina's head off, but Jamina turned, "Jane-"
"Jamina," Jane interrupted. "Whatever you've got to say, I think you'd better wait until you're done." She had an odd look on her face and seemed to be trembling a little. "Because if I have to spend much more time alone with you, I'm going to throw you onto that bed and make out with you as well as I can given my mouth and your muzzle." Jamina turned silently and Jane continued to pull the zipper down. "It's bad enough looking at your cute little butt."
Mike laughed as the head came off. "Our relationship seems to have gone quite far in a short time."
Jane pulled the tail out and put it on the bed. "Not too far yet, but I was serious. If I'd have had to look into those foxy eyes any longer I would have gone to first base with you and to hell with my reputation."
Mike pulled off the handpaws and footpaws. "Then I'm glad I complied. I wouldn't want to be the one to do anything to hurt your reputation." He took a bottle out of the box Jamina had been in and sprayed the inside of the suit. "I'll let it air out a little." He retrieved his normal clothes from the closet and hung up the dress Jamina had been wearing.
Jane opened the door and turned to Mike. "I'll go and wait in the living room."
Mike nodded and waited for Jane to close the door before beginning to take off the bodysuit.
While Mike was changing, Nora walked in and put her briefcase on the floor by the door. "Hello. You're Mike's friends?" She asked, seeing Susan on the chair and Jane entering.
"Yes, ma'am." Susan said.
Jane looked at Susan with naked disbelief. "Ma'am?"
Susan replied, "I don't know what came over me."
"I do," Victor said, walking into the room. "Hello, honey," he said to Nora, kissing her. Turning to the two young women, he said, "My wife's a formidable matron in the old British tradition. Even if it isn't immediately obvious, she still manages to get people to stand to attention if they aren't expecting her."
Nora rolled her eyes. "I still say I don't look like Anne Widdecombe. So, I assume you're Jane?"
Jane smiled, "Yes, ma'am. Wow, it's true."
"The paws and tail gave you away. Plus, you're not the one wearing black." She looked around. "So, where's Mike? He knows better than to leave a guest alone."
Mike emerged from his room. "Here, mom." Just had to get something.
Nora picked a wisp of red fur off of him as he passed. "Hmm. Or getting rid of something. Well, since you're all here, I'd better feed you. I'm making a stir fry tonight."
Jane shook her head. "Thanks, Mrs. Falkner, but we'd better be going home. Homework and all that."
Nora nodded. "Good. Admirable." She turned to Mike. "Yes, you can say goodbye on the porch. It's tradition, after all."
It was Mike's turn to roll his eyes. "You can turn the cool down, mom. I think they're adequately cowed." He followed Jane and Susan out.
Susan said, "I'll go to the bus stop."
Jane watched her go. "It worries me when the mouth is discreet. It makes me think something is wrong. Sorry she grilled you like that."
Mike smiled. "I was going to apologize to you for letting her. We didn't have too much time."
Jane put a paw on Mike's shoulder. "Plenty of time next week. I intend to make this a habit. I guess I'd better take off the paws and tail or people might think I'm weird."
Mike reached up and pulled off her ears. "These might tip them off."
Jane smiled. "Ah, memories."
Mike looked down. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but..."
Jane laughed. "I love how shy you are. Is this by any chance about a cliched, terminally boring annual Halloween dance that our school holds in the misguided hope of raising spirit?"
Mike said, "Well, if you don't want to go-"
Jane put a claw on his lips. "I'd love to. We'll show those squares a real costume. I might even let you pay for my ticket and call it a date." She turned, her tail swishing in his face, and left him on the porch grinning.
By Paul Calhoun
Dear reader: Things go in the predictable manner and we have our heroes making good on their previous decision. Not much else to say except that I've recently been told I ought to use paragraphs, and I can reveal that in two more sections, I'll post the PDF, which has all these problems that my poor understanding of HTML (would you believe I moonlight as a pro web designer?) cannot fix, like indentation and the abysmal leading you get on these things.
Mundanes
Big Mad Wortag, known as Muscles to his friends and Jane Hayworth to her closest confidants, laughed as Jamina Keria'tur, known as the Posterior to Jane's friends and Mike Falkner to most everyone else, struggled to find a comfortable way to clip a safety belt across her breasts. This was the first time Jamina had ever tried, and she was having a lot of trouble. It was Jamina's turn to giggle, however, as Wortag tried to get his own belt over a pair that were almost totally hidden under the gray fur of his wolf pelt. They had both had additional trouble getting their wolf and fox tails into a decently comfortable position. Wortag was glad that he habitually wore only a short leather vest. The long gown with full fluffy skirt had given Jamina almost as much trouble as her tail when she tried to get into the car.
Victor Falkner, Mike's father, looked at the teens in his backseat. "Are we ready?"
"Ready, Victor," Jane said.
"Yes, dad." Mike added.
They'd decided to spend most of the trip from Mike's house where they'd met to the school with their suit heads off. Jane was taking the opportunity to examine the inside of Jamina's head, looking longingly at the voice changer Victor had built into the neck flap. Mike was using the time to enjoy the last couple of minutes before he put that head on and spent several hours inside of it. He loved being Jamina, just as Jane loved being Wortag and they loved each other, but it was still quite hot, and he could only hope that the mild weather they'd had this late October would convince the school not to turn on the heat that evening.
They were two blocks from Fredrich Von Brussels High School when Jane traded Jamina's head for Wortag's, which had been resting in Mike's lap. "Ready to give those normals a slice of real Halloween, dear boy?" She asked, pulling Wortag's head on and assuming his deeper voice.
"Ready!" Jamina chirped, Mike's voice becoming her soprano as the modulator kicked in.
They took a moment to check each other's neck flaps and make sure everything was tucked in, smooth and tangle free, then exited the car. Victor leaned out of the car window and waved. "Have a good time, now!"
Wortag sighed loudly. "My mother did that Freakazoid bit as well. Parents that grew up in the nineties. You can't do anything with them."
"Have a good time, now!"
"I wish I'd had more time to brush out my fur," Jamina said.
Wortag's smile could be heard in his voice. "So do I. It's always nicer to have someone else brush you out, isn't it?" Jamina grunted contentedly and Wortag continued. "But you look absolutely perfect, vixen dear. Even that mass of fluff you call a tail is free of tangles."
Jamina reached back to hug her big fox tail. "I think it's just right."
"It certainly complements your-"
"Quiet!" Jamina laughed. "We're almost there."
The dance was being held in the school cafeteria, on the opposite side from the entrance. It felt odd walking the halls with so few people in them, and even more so in their fursuits. More than one person on their own way to the dance stared as they passed, and one nearly tripped in surprise. As Wortag and Jamina were nearing the double-doors onto the makeshift dance floor, they saw a black-clad figure who stepped forward to meet them.
"Susan!" Wortag exclaimed as they neared. "I almost didn't recognize you."
"Whereas you and the dear boy are all too easy to spot." Susan replied, pushing an orange beak off of her face with a feather and lycra covered hand.
"I thought you didn't like these sorts of events," Jamina said. "And I think I recall you being against the idea of wearing something like that." She gestured with a paw at Susan's costume.
Susan replied, "I don't and I still am. But then again, the possibility of being able to observe your interaction with the other test subjects - I mean students- wasn't to be passed up. As for the threads," she brushed her black-feathered body and flicked the hard beak, "I figured I should blend in a little. This has the benefit of being difficult to see in a dark dance floor, displays my inner carrion bird and shows solidarity with you two weirdos. You can use all the support you can get."
Wortag replied, "It suits you. Pun intended." Before Susan could say anything, he put a paw around her and Jamina. "And now that I have two such lovelies on my arm, I'm willing to brave the sound and the fury."
Susan ducked out of his grasp and put her beak back on. "The sound's in there, and you'll feel the fury if you do that again. I am but a humble observer of tonight's activities."
Jamina returned Wortag's embrace. "More for me, then."
Both Wortag and Jamina were glad for once that their suit heads muffled sound. In the tradition of local DJs everywhere, the questionable talent Brussels High had hired believed that music got better as it got louder, conversation had no place on the party floor and even though most of the people were in unfamiliar and possibly restrictive clothing that having only strobe lights was a really neat idea. Luckily for the two furries in the crowd, their familiarity with their own attire was enough to mitigate both the poor lighting and the sight issues inherent in their suits. In fact, they found themselves doing quite well despite themselves, and though neither liked dancing much, they were willing to give it their best, both for each other and the reputation of the characters they were that night.
They actually got as many compliments as stares as they bounced and spun to the faster music, and were relaxing in each other's embrace as a slow section started when Wortag looked over Jamina's shoulder and whispered as best he could into her ear. "Fashion club at six o'clock. Twenty yards and closing."
Jamina giggled. "I thought those were banned by the Geneva Convention."
Wortag chuffed a laugh. "Their existence wasn't. Their recruitment drives were. Yup, they're definitely on the warpath and coming our way."
"Susan's spotted them too," Jamina observed, looking over Wortag's shoulder. "She's got her pen out and everything."
The lead girl in the pack that had been approaching reached them and said in a loud voice to another member, "Isn't it sad how some people have to overcompensate to make themselves feel better? We should really set up some counseling or something to help these unfortunate people."
"Yeah. These people need help." The other girl agreed.
"Let me handle this," Wortag said in Jamina's ear. "I've had classes with that vacuum-headed narcissist. I know her limit." He called over to the leader of the Fashion Club, "I know. I mean, look at those costumes you're wearing. Charlie's Angels? You don't look anything like them!"
The girl clenched her fists, but said calmly to one of the others, "Did you hear something?"
"Yeah, Mandy. That wolf said-"
"I know what he said!" Mandy snapped. "Though having a male overgrown pup giving us fashion advice is so absurd that I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining it."
Jamina held up a paw. "I can confirm what he said, and personally I agree. You look more like the Totally Spies, though perhaps you couldn't pull off spandex."
Mandy was unable to reply with anything more than an incoherent shout, and stalked away followed by the rest of the Fashion Club. Wortag and Jamina returned to the slow dance, both of them giggling.
"That was fun," Jamina said. "If they ever knew who they were talking to-"
Wortag replied, "They haven't got the collective intelligence. And much as I'd love to see their reactions, it'd be more trouble than it's worth. You being a freshman and me being a confirmed recluse will help that. Though Susan's presence may make them suspicious of me, they'd never believe I'd dress up in a frilly skirt and it'd never cross their minds to consider the loudmouthed lupine. And the fact I'd never get a date with someone nearly as buff as I am helps too. Nope," he said with a contented sigh, "they'll be suspecting all the big jocks, but never us."
Jamina allowed herself to be twirled before replying. "I just hope dad's having as much fun as we are. He always liked Halloween, but he has to force mom to do anything." She smiled inside the suit head, "Though I think mom may be more amenable tonight than usual."
At that moment, Victor was handing out candy to appreciative neighbor children. Ten years of consistently high-quality sweets had left the local kids anticipating the "candy cat's" handouts every Halloween. At first, plenty had been intimidated when Saliaven answered the door, but greed had overcome fear, and now the older kids were convincing the younger ones that the six-foot black and white kitty cat was good people.
Modern safety consciousness led to the flow of children slowing down by seven and completely stopping by eight. There were none on the streets when Saliaven stuck his head out for the last time to check, and the dance wasn't over until nine, so he had an hour before his son and Jane were due to return. They'd told him they'd rather walk home and enjoy the cool air, so he wouldn't even have to go pick them up.
Saliaven closed and locked the door, prompting Nora to call, "So you're done for the night?"
Victor pulled off his suit head and shouted back. "Yeah. There shouldn't be anyone else."
"Then can you come in here?" Nora replied from their room.
"Sure." Victor crossed the living room and went down the hall to his and Nora's room. As he entered, he saw a grey-furred figure on the bed with its long-thick claws on its black and white striped head, adjusting it. When the badger saw him, it got up and put its arms around him. "Happy Halloween, Victor." Nora said from inside the badger.
"Nora! I thought you didn't-"
Nora took off her badger head, putting it on the bed, and kissed him. "I definitely prefer the feel of fur on my skin from the other direction, but I think you deserve some fun yourself."
"You didn't have to." Victor replied, though he was obviously enjoying seeing his wife as a badger.
"Of course not, but I wanted to." She ran her paws over her sides. "It's not that bad, actually. I could get to like this." She picked up her badger head and looked into its big brown eyes. "I love these cute little ears."
Victor embraced her from behind. "And the cute little tail."
Nora smiled slowly and turned around. "Of course, badgers tend to play rough," she said, putting the head on.
Victor reached for his Saliaven head and did likewise. "Meow."
Jamina and Wortag spent the last half hour of the dance on the side drinking soda from a pair of long straws they'd brought with them. They were sitting backwards on the chairs they'd found and as she took another long pull from her cup, Jamina made a gesture of wiping her forehead. "This thing will need plenty of cleaning tomorrow."
"Yeah," Wortag agreed, "it's been a really sweaty experience."
Jamina put a paw on one of Wortag's. "But fun."
Wortag turned his paw over to grasp Jamina's. "Plenty."
The dance co-ordinator - also the AP of the English department - began to gently shoo the students off. As Jamina and Wortag passed him on their way out, he said, "You two really livened the place up. I don't suppose I could tempt you into doing the same for our sports games?"
Jamina put a paw behind her head and Wortag was hesitant. "We're not sure," he finally said.
Dr. Latz shrugged. "If you change your minds, come on by."
"We will," Jamina replied.
They said nothing to each other on their way out of the school, but Wortag broke his silence once they reached the sidewalk. "Can you imagine the gall? Actually thinking we'd do anything to help school spirit!" He said in mock indignation.
Jamina giggled behind a russet and white paw. "I don't know, Wortag. I bet we could extract money from them. It never hurts to augment our income."
Wortag scratched his muzzle with a claw. "Well... It is the sort of sycophantic gung-ho nonsense that colleges seem to enjoy reading on applications. And it'll give us a chance to put one over on Fashion Club. Their request to redesign the cheerleaders' uniforms was denied last semester."
"Now I really want to do it!" Jamina laughed.
Susan jogged up behind them. "Shame on you two. You almost lost me. And imagine our beloved Rear Admiral actually suggesting that my friend - an unimpeachable apath - that she should become a partisan of our reviled Brussels. This vixen hasn't been in our midst more than a week and she's already tempted us both from the true path of cynicism and nonparticipation."
Wortag put his arm around Jamina's waist. "And I've never felt so alive."
Susan smiled lopsidedly. "My notes have grown by leaps and bounds, I admit. I guess this piece of tail hasn't been totally bad for us. I shudder to think, however, of what will happen if you decide to go down the path of institutional prostitution. I might actually have to watch basketball!" She shuddered theatrically. "Shocking!"
Wortag reached over to punch Susan on the arm. "Like I'd want you to show up, anyway. If people saw you going to our sports games, my cover would be blown. After all, why else would such a renowned curmudgeon such as our dear Mouth go to a football match?"
Susan returned a quirky smile. "Why indeed?"
Jamina said, "I just thought of something. My parents may appreciate it if I come home a little later than expected."
"Oh?" Wortag asked.
Jamina bowed her head and clasped her hands in a shy gesture. "Well, it's just that I've been helping mom get a suit of her own for tonight. A Halloween gift for my dad."
Susan grinned. "And you think that you ought to give them some extra time to enjoy it."
Jamina nodded and put a paw to the side of her head. "I wish dad had built in a bluetooth earpiece."
Wortag said, "You can hang out at my place. Susan was going to stick around anyway and you can use my phone."
"Thanks," Jamina replied, embracing Wortag.
"Hey, what are boyfriends for?"
"How was the dance, Jane?"
"Really great, mom. I might have a job. I'll tell you tomorrow." Wortag replied.
Jane's mother stifled a laugh. "I'll never get used to that wolf voice of yours. And Susan. You match tonight."
"I thought I'd do as the Romans do tonight, Ms. Hayworth."
Jane's mother smiled softly as her gaze turned to Jamina. "And is that our Mike? Well, this answers a question or three of mine." She winked. "I hope things go well. Too bad your father isn't here, Jane. He'd want to see this."
"Where is dad?"
Mrs. Hayworth said, "He got a call from work. The server went down during the night shift. If it weren't payday for the monthlies, he'd have let it go over the weekend, but since a lot of them need their checks, he decided he had to go in and make sure things went smoothly."
As they went up the stairs to Jane's room, Susan said, "At least she didn't tell us to have a good time again."
As soon as they were in her room, Jane pulled her head off and lay down on the bed, resting the wolf head on her chest and looking into Wortag's eyes. Mike did the same, sitting down with Jamina's head in his lap, her black hair spilling down past his pawed feet. Susan waved her hand across her face and went to the window, opening it. "You two were right. You stink."
Jane pulled her handpaws off, kicked off her footpaws and pulled the zipper on the front of her suit down below her neck. "Thanks for the news flash, Mouth. Put the fan in the window, will you?"
Mike pulled off his own paws, but since his zipper was on the back of his suit, he left it at that. "Please do."
Susan bent down. "I'll put the fan in the window, but I reserve the right not to turn it on."
Jane grabbed her tail and used it to fan her face with Susan downwind. "You were saying?"
"Blackmail!" Susan cried, settling the small rounded fan on the windowsill and turning it on to blow in.
Jane lay back with her eyes closed. "That's better." She kicked a small table next to her bed. "Phone's in the drawer."
Mike got up, putting his head on the chair behind him and bending over to open the drawer. Jane grabbed his tail as it rose behind him. "C'mere, woman!"
Mike slapped her hand gently. "I need to call my folks first. Then we can play."
"Hello!" Susan called. "Best friend still in room."
"That too," Mike laughed. He dialed his house. "Hi, dad. It's Mike. I'm over at Jane's house and I wanted to know how much more time you want."
"So you were in on this." Victor replied on his end. "I don't know. It's a weekend tomorrow, but it's still late." Mike could hear a voice on the other end. "OK. Your mother says one more hour. And thanks from both of us."
"You're welcome!" Mike replied cheerfully. "Bye." He put the phone down and went back to his seat, provoking another snatch at his tail from Jane. "He said I can stay here for an hour."
Susan sat on the floor by the window. "So now what? I know a club nearby we could go to that you could have a ball with. That is, they'll throw a rubber ball and you can watch Jane fetch it."
Jane threw a pillow at Susan. "Shut up! Besides, I'm not getting up until I'm cooled off, and that could take awhile."
Susan threw the pillow back. "You'd be cool a lot faster if you took off all that grey fur."
"Not on your life," Jane replied. She reached under her bed and pulled out a short brush. She pulled some hair off of it and said, "I could brush you out, Mike."
Susan said, "Grooming. Sounds like a 'couples' thing to me."
Mike replied, "I could preen your feathers-"
"No," Susan said, holding up a wing-hand. "I think I'll just give you time like you gave your parents. I could always use the sleep."
Jane got up as Susan did and hugged her. "You're a good friend."
Susan smiled at her. "Too good for you, muscles. Actually, if you want to redeem yourself, you could turn on your webcam and record this grooming session that's about to begin. I'd love the material."
Jane went over to her computer and started her webcam. "Happy?"
Susan winked at the camera. "Very."
When Susan had closed the door, Jane pointed to the bed. "OK, lay down."
Mike got up and put his handpaws on. "Yes, ma'am."
He lay down on his front and Jane sat next to him. She began brushing his shoulders and he closed his eyes. She moved down his back, his tail, his legs and his arms, finally doing a few small strokes on his paws. "You've been pretty quiet," she said as she finished. "I hope you haven't fallen asleep."
Mike rolled over onto his back, sweeping his hand underneath himself to get his tail out of his way. "Nope. Just enjoying myself. I haven't had anyone to do this for me before today."
Jane started brushing his front. "Neither have I, and I'm definitely looking forward to my turn."
Mike closed his eyes again as she brushed out his front fur. "I hope I won't disappoint."
"I'm certain you won't," she replied, moving on to his legs. "OK, now put your head on."
Mike smiled demurely. "Yes, ma'am." Once he'd put his head on again, Jane did a few quick brushes of his face fur and then moved on to the long black hair down his back. When she'd finished, Jamina twisted around and took the brush. "Would you prefer I keep the head on while I brush you?"
Jane swallowed. "No, I don't think so."
Jamina giggled. "Still being tempted?" She pulled the head off. "Well, at least one of us can behave," Mike continued.
Jane lay down on her front. "Less talk, more brush. And don't be afraid to go where I did with you just because I'm a girl."
Mike smiled as he began on her broad shoulders. "I don't think that's a problem."
It was a little after ten when Mike got home. He'd left Jane after finishing brushing her, though she'd insisted on seeing him as far as the door, also putting on her footpaws and leaving her head on, saying that if he was going to go home as Jamina, she could see him off as Wortag. He arrived to find his parents on the couch watching TV with their arms around each other. Apart from the heads, they were both in their suits, and he felt the fur on his mother's for the first time as she rose to hug him after he'd taken his own head and handpaws off. "Thanks for helping me with this. And letting us have some extra time together."
Mike yawned. "You're welcome, mom."
Nora put a paw on his back and pushed him in the direction of the hall. "Get changed, take a bath and go to bed. We can catch up tomorrow."
As Mike walked down the hall, still unconsciously walking like Jamina, Nora returned to the couch and laid her head on Victor's chest. He put his arm around her and she said, "So now we both wear fursuits, and so does our son and his girlfriend."
Victor laughed softly as he kissed the top of his wife's head. "Yeah, but for totally different reasons. I find them fun, you find them sexy, and the kids use them as part of their core identity."
Nora tipped her head to kiss her husband on the mouth. "Oh, I don't find the suits sexy."
"No?"
Nora put a paw on Victor's chest and pushed him down. "Nope. They just make the people I think are sexy even sexier."
"Meow."
By Paul Calhoun
Dear reader: This is the last of these stories which I have ready to hand, and given its length and relatively recent production, no more are likely this season. Thank you for going this far with Victor, Mike, Nora, Jane, Susan and everyone else, and for your reading pleasure, here is a PDF with all the stories to date in their proper font, leading and with all the paragraph indentation intact.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/184656861/unplanned_adven...
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Mike had barely sat down and Jane was only two bites into her sandwich when Susan arrived at their table. “What kept you?” Jane asked.
Susan bent down, placed her hands on the table and looked into Jane’s eyes. “Damn you, Jane Hayworth. After all these years, you finally win.”
As Susan put her tray down and sat next to Jane, her friend asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“This,” Susan replied, placing a piece of folded white paper on the table. “Just look at it.”
Jane picked up the page, saying, “Whoa!” Almost as soon as it opened in front of her. Mike leaned forward and Jane looked at Susan who sighed and gestured to allow Mike to see it. After they had both examined it for a couple of minutes, Jane only slowly taking bites from her meal, she put it down. “Is that supposed to be a wolf or a panther or what?”
Susan took the picture and put it in her bag. “A little bit of several things. Mainly lupine and feline. I drew it last week and I haven’t been able to forget about it. I originally made it for you as a sort of joke as to what I’d look like if I joined your animal friends but I began to actually think about what that would be. There would be a lot of wolf there because of my friendship with you, but dark of course to match my color preferences and with some feline to show my curiosity and sense of style. By the time I was done, I’d made all of these.” She pulled out a sheaf of papers and threw them down on the table. “Reference sheets, background, studies.” Susan stared hard at Jane. “And since this is your fault, you’re going to make it for me.”
Jane knew where this was going, but she wanted to string this along further. “Make what, oh dearest lone one?”
“The fursuit, of course!” Susan replied, her shout only kept down because of the students surrounding them. She turned on Mike. “And you’re not blameless either. It was you showing up and flinging hormones back and forth with Muscles here that pushed me over the edge, so you’re helping her.”
“You know, I’ve been offering to do this for her for years,” Jane said to Mike. “I just never thought I’d see the day when she’d accept.”
“I know,” Mike replied, “So much for the pure observer. She’s a member of the tribe now.”
“Sure, make fun of my affliction.” Susan muttered.
“We intend to,” Jan shot back. “Especially when you refer to it as an affliction.” She stacked the pages neatly. “Everything I’ll need is here. Are you sure you want me to do it, though? I mean, now that you’re serious and all.”
“Sure I do,” Susan replied. “Because you’ll do it for below cost.”
"Did this seem a bit quick to you?" Mike asked from his position lying on his chest across Jane's bed, his head and feet hanging off the sides.
Jane was sitting next to Mike's shoulder and didn't look up from her box of swatches. "Not really. I've been actively furry for years, and once you showed up, she was exposed to a lot more than just be wearing my tail around and kidding her about taking her to conventions. I knew conversion was close when she asked to interview you, and imminent last Halloween."
"Imminent? That was three months ago." Mike turned his head to look at Jane, his gaze passing the swatches. "That one looks about right."
Jane held the fur she was holding close to her eyes. "About." She said slowly. She put it down on one of Susan's pictures. "Not quite, though. A little too much red intensity to it."
Mike rolled over and looked directly into Jane's eyes, his hand resting on hers. "Too bad these things don't come with hex codes or RGB values."
"Nor do Susan's pencils and inks," Jane replied. "One of the benefits to using Photoshop, not that it would help given the lack of values on the fur." She placed the square back into its box and pulled out another. "Besides, she uses a CRT monitor and I have an LCD. Throw in the difference caused by a printer and I may as well just use whatever color I feel like. Besides," she added, pulling out a square of bright red fabric, "what looks good on paper doesn't always look so hot when you try to use a petroleum product to create it." She tossed the swatch back and moved on to the next.
"Where is Susan anyway?"
Jane put another square on the drawing to compare. "She's running behind on her homework, so she’s skipping today and tomorrow. She insists she has to come over during the weekend, however, to ‘check my progress.’ I think she hasn’t quite gotten the time frame down yet." She held up a swatch, “What do you think of this one?”
Mike gazed at it for a few seconds. “C11A34, though it varies.”
Jane looked at the swatch, then back at Mike. “Balderdash. You can’t possibly be able to identify a color that precisely just by inspection.” She held up the reference sheet she’d been using. “And what shade of red is this, then?”
Mike replied, “CA3767, Jazzberry Jam. However,” he added, pointing to another, “In that one, she’s using Razzmatazz, E3256B.”
Jane put everything down and stared at Mike. “How the hell did you do that?”
Mike smiled lazily. “Check the back of the sheet. She wrote her color information right there.”
Jane turned the page over, and then put the swatch down next to her. “I think we can lock this one in. It’s about as close as I expect to get.” She looked at the sketches again. “At least I don’t have to worry about shades of black,” she said, pulling a square of fur decisively from the box. “The fur handles itself quite well in that regard. And last I looked Susan had a perfect white wig to add to it. That ought to handle the fur colors, though I think I’ll get some white and use this as an opportunity to work on my airbrush skills.” She looked at the red again. “Are you sure that’s C11A34? It looks more like C50045.”
Mike leapt up. “Jane! That’s programmer!” He bent down and began kissing her arm. “Speak some more! Shell! Clock speed!”
Jane pulled her arm back, laughing. “You’ve been watching too much Addams Family lately.”
“Maybe,” Mike replied, attempting to sound suave and pulling a pen out of his pocket and biting down on it. “But you have to admit that it makes me more romantic.”
“Susan now, code monkeys later.” Jane said firmly.
“Okay,” Mike replied, sitting back on the bed. “So what else do we need to do today?”
Jane looked at her progress. “Not a lot, I suppose. Most of the rest of this is stuff I’ll have to figure out on my own. I guess we’d better do our homework and then you can go home and see if you can get any parts out of Victor. I need to talk to Susan, but this critter looks mighty androgynous, and we’ll need something to cover up Susan’s squeak.”
“Dad probably has something, but wouldn’t it be more appropriate if you got the voice changer? Wortag still doesn’t have one.”
Jane shrugged. “I’m better with my voice than Susan is. I’m so used to doing Wortag’s voice that the changer might actually mess me up now. Still, if you can con two of them out of him, I wouldn’t mind.”
Mike said, “I might as well go home now, then. I don’t have any homework tonight.”
Jane cast a meaningful look at the fox paws sticking out of Mike’s bag. “Then you can stay while I do mine and give me a fuzzy backrub.”
Mike rose and bowed deeply. “Cara mia.”
A week passed, and though Mike and Jane saw Susan both at school and at Mike’s house, she seemed to be avoiding going to Jane’s. Mike commented on this to Jane, who said, “We agreed that it would be best if she didn’t see her suit until it was finished, and that meant staying away from here for the duration. It was easier than me cleaning things up every other day.” She sat at her computer ordering materials while Mike sat behind, his hands and arms up to the elbow in orange and black fur around her middle.
“How can you know what to get?” He said after awhile. “I didn’t think you had Susan’s measurements.”
“Tim.” Jane replied absently.
“Who’s Tim?”
“Not Tim the name, TIM. Technology Indistinguishable From Magic. I borrowed some stuff from Victor and know a few tricks of my own.” Jane ran one hand along the arms wrapped around her.
“That’s TIFM.” Mike replied, saying each letter in turn.
“Which makes it an intialism and not an acronym.” Jane said. “I prefer something I can pronounce.”
“What technology?”
Jane reached over, careful not to break Mike’s hold and flipped a short rod with a red half-sphere on the end. “This, among other things. Victor’s laser scanner. You know how girls always go to the bathroom in pairs? Well, me and Susan got ourselves excused from algebra a week ago and took a bit of extra time for me to scan her.” She looked back at Mike. “Naturally, I can refer to the numbers while you’re around, but not the image. Susan made sure to put that condition on, not that I’d go around showing boys a precision 3D image of my best friend. That and the use of a fur fabric that stretches but doesn’t lose its furry feel make it pretty easy to work this out.” She sighed as she moved on to another item. “I hate doing the heads, though. It’s the most artistic, but the biggest pain in the ass if you screw something up. I’m just not that good a sculptor.”
Mike rested his head on Jane’s shoulder. “Maybe you should get Susan to do it. After all, she’s not paying you nearly enough.”
“She’s paying me plenty, and I’d rather she get the entire thing all at once.” Jane replied. “Why do you think your dad let me borrow his scanner? We all want to see this.”
“Do you think we’re making too much out of this?” Mike said after a pause. “Susan tries to act tough, but it doesn’t seem to take much to drive her away.”
“Trust me,” Jane replied flatly, “once she’s decided to do something, she does it. And no, I think we’re giving her everything she deserves. After over a decade of her trying to make me her test case, it’ll be nice to have her be just as out there as me.” Jane half-smiled. “Of course, she’s more alternative than she likes to let on. You’ve never seen her house.”
“Perhaps once she’s been liberated by a happy kitty-doggy body, she’ll actually let me have a look.” Mike laughed.
“Fat chance.”
***
“So,” Susan said as she sat at the lunch table, “how far along are you?”
Jane counted on her fingers. “You actually managed to resist asking that for two whole weeks. Unfortunately, I’ve only just gotten all the materials yesterday, so not very far.”
“She has been doing a lot, though,” Mike said as he joined them.
“I’m sure,” Susan replied, “but I’d still like to be able to come over her house sometime soon. Not to mention the suspense of wondering how it will look. Your dad’s nice and all,” she said to Mike, “but it feels weird sitting around at your place while you and Jane sneak off and do heaven knows what. I’m starting to wonder if you’re using this as an excuse to make out while I’m around.”
“If only,” Jane sighed.
“And you don’t have to worry about it being weird for my dad. You may be uncomfortable, but he’s fine with it. He doesn’t have many friends outside of work and so any conversation he gets that isn’t from me or mom is a bonus. He actually told me recently that if you wanted to hang out with him while Jane and I are working at her house that he’d be fine with it.”
“Does everyone want to put me in an animal costume and see me frolic around?” Susan asked. “Only it seems like this is more of a conspiracy than I’d imagined, and I’m usually the paranoid one.”
“Susan,” Jane said, “my dearest friend. If you ever, ever feel the desire to frolic I want you to call me immediately. I’d be willing to pay top dollar to see that. We’re just trying to make you comfortable while this happens. I get the feeling that you thought this wouldn’t take long. Try to remember when I first built Wortag. The first version was pretty low end and it took me over a month. I’m on body number four and head number three, and you were there for most of the construction of all of them. Or is that why you waited until the new year?” Jane grinned. “Because you thought I might have already had something up my sleeve for you and didn’t want to have to explain that very interesting gift under the tree to your family?”
“Please,” Susan snorted. “My family would barely have noticed amongst all the other weird stuff we give each other. My mom probably would have wanted to try it on or take it ““ or even worse, me in it - to one of her naturalist meetings.” Susan shuddered. “That thought alone makes me doubt this venture.”
“I hope you aren’t going to just take the suit, put it in your closet and forget about it,” Jane replied.
“Are you crazy”½” Susan said. “I not only intend to wear it privately, but I’m going to the next con you two do. I’ll be able to blend in so well!”
“Plus,” Mike smiled, “you can make some money selling prints of some of those lovely drawings we’ve been using for referenceØŸ”
***
“So,” Jane said, standing back from the finished product, “what do you think?”
Mike looked at the black furred head on its stand. Black fur with a black nose and long black hair going down to where Susan’s mid-back would be if she were wearing it. All different shades of black, of course, but it still required the contrast of the thin red lines which crossed both cheeks in a design reminiscent of a Celtic Knot. The eyes also provided some difference, human rather than animal style and only slightly larger than they would be on a comparably sized human face. They were almond shaped, the blue irises and black pupils fixed in the center. After turning it around a couple of times, Mike said, “Brilliant. I wish I was the one getting it.”
“Good. I was hoping to get that kind of reaction. That’s how I feel about it.”
“Interesting choice in making the eyes fixed.” Mike commented.
Jane reached under the head and picked it up. “They aren’t. Watch.” She brushed her hair and that of the costume head’s aside and slipped it on. “Lucky for me that Susan has a slightly larger head than me, though a bit more angular.” The head’s mouth moved with her speech and Mike knew it would be perfectly in sync with Susan. Jane moved the mouse on her computer around to dismiss the screen saver and opened a program. The eyes on the suit began to move. “Eye tracking,” Jane said. “And once I get a sample of Susan’s voice inside the head, I can do the voice modulator as well.” She closed the program and pulled the head off, replacing it on its stand. “I bought the equipment off of Victor .”
“So now her fursuit is higher tech than either of ours,” Mike said.
“You can always ask your dad to throw it in on the next upgrade. I figured you hadn’t because Jamina’s an heirloom and you didn’t want to change it more than you had to.” She saw Mike’s expression of confusion and laughed. “You’re taller than your dad now, silly! Not by much, but enough. He’s had to alter it at least once since we met and probably will again by fall. I guess he didn’t want to bother you with it. Anyway, like I said it isn’t like any of this is something we can’t add in pretty quickly. Yours is already so stuffed with machinery that you probably just have to reconfigure something that’s already there and I’ve changed out stuff on mine enough that the current head was built with upgrade space.”
“You know,” Mike said, wrapping his arms around Jane and looking at the head. “You looked pretty hot in that.”
“Cool it, Tex.” Jane replied. “Think of the implications of you saying I look good with my best friend’s face.”
Mike’s brows drew together. “Oh yeah. That would sound a bit wrong.”
Jane turned around in Mike’s grip and kissed him. “You’re quick enough on the uptake for me, wee man.”
As Jane put the head away and started arranging things for the rest of the suit, Mike said, “You’re putting a lot of work into this. I’m actually a bit surprised.”
Jane turned, seemed about to say something and then went back to what she was doing. “I sometimes forget that you haven’t been there the whole time. You don’t know Susan like I do.” Mike didn’t reply and after a pause to gather herself, Jane continued. “Neither of us were ever big joiners. When I got into furry fandom, however, I did become part of something more and a group of people I could feel comfortable around. Susan never had that. Her family is into individuality in a big way, and though they get along, they also don’t feel as much of a compulsion as most families do to be together all the time. They gather on holidays and the like, but apart from those occasions most of them are far away doing things and those that are still home tend to spend most of their time doing their own things. Susan’s mother is a nice woman and tries to be involved with her, but also recognizes that Susan is like the rest of the family. They have some shared interests, but they all express themselves in very different ways and with different people. So I have had both a larger community and my own family to fall back on. Susan has herself and me. This art means more than just wanting to be closer to me; it’s the first step into a wider world. Notice how the reference sheets are almost quintessential. She didn’t just remember what they look like; she made sure by finding some herself. By becoming a part of the fandom, she not only gets closer to me but also opens herself to the possibility of more friends and people who might care about her for reasons other than a lingering sense of filial duty. So yes, I’m working very hard to do this right and as quickly as possible. You might not have seen it, but when she said she was going to a con with us, I almost jumped for joy. Victor saw it too. You said last month that he hasn’t got that many friends outside of work. Maybe he was an outsider too and maybe he wasn’t quite as successful as we were. Perhaps he sees the chance to help someone go to that degree that he couldn’t and that’s why he’s so supportive as well.”
Mike lay back on Jane’s bed and thought about that. He often forgot about how much his father cared about helping people and making them feel better. Of course, that’s how it all began.
“You even gift wrapped it,” Susan said, taking the huge box from Jane, “and my birthday isn’t for another two months.”
“Yeah, well don’t expect too much this year,” Jane returned, sitting down on the sofa next to Mike.
“After that fedora with the fox ears you gave me last year, I’m quite content with surprises.” Susan replied, shaking the box slightly. “It’s not half heavy, is it?”
“What do you expect?” Victor said from his spot next to the armchair. “It’s not so bad once it’s distributed across your entire body.”
Susan looked at the assembled near-crowd. “I’m starting to think that I was right. Everyone wants to see me in this.”
“Don’t feel compelled,” Nora said, shifting in the armchair. “If you want to take it home and try it on there, then come back later and show us, that’s fine. It’s not like three of us don’t live here”
“Ah,” Susan shot back, “so you do want to see me in it!”
“Susan,” Jane said, “that’s the point. Well, one point anyway. I suppose the main one is to release your inner catbeast. But there’s plenty of point left for you to be putting that on and showing us once you’re done with enjoying it alone.”
Susan put the box down and sat next to Jane on the sofa. “So I don’t have to now? I thought you were all here-”
“Two of us are here in this room because we’re interested. After all, if I don’t make it home in time to usurp the kitchen, the men of the house will make dinner. I’m not in the mood for a meal that can be measured in kiloscovilles.”
“Still,” Susan said, her hand straying to the box, “I feel weird not opening it at least.”
“Nonsense,” Nora replied, “the others are right. You should experience it alone at first. I didn’t, but then again we’re not going to get into why that was.”
“Ah, querida,” Victor murmured.
“It runs in the family, doesn’t it?” Jane said. “You’re not even blood relatives and it manages to pass to the next generation.”
“I did have excellent upbringing, didn’t I?” Mike replied. “Ah, if only we had a harpsichord.”
“It’s a good thing we don’t.” Nora replied. “You never learned how to play.”
***
Susan lay on her low bed looking at the box. She’d pushed it as far into her closet as the mountain of fallen clothes had allowed, but she could still see the shiny wrapping paper gleaming in the lights from her computer and stereo. She knew that if she opened it, she’d have to put the thing on and keep it on for awhile. It was late, and she wanted to wait until there was time. Luckily it was Thursday, so she wouldn’t have too long before the weekend. If necessary, she’d spend her whole Saturday morning that way.
She looked to the side and up at where a large bare section of wall had been covered with a myriad of pages depicting her character in various places and the others she’d started adding to the situations. Though most of her wall space still held the sketches and paintings in various styles that she’d done previously, the furry section was slowly expanding. On her easel right now was a larger work in progress in oil paints of her character sitting on a hill and looking at the moon. She had to admit that she had it bad.
On the few occasions her mom had found a reason to drop by, she’d naturally approved. Most of her family was more into New Age than anything else, and so they appreciated what she was doing now more than what she’d been working on before. Her father wasn’t due back from his foreign service station in Burundi until the summer, so that was one person in the household she wouldn’t have to talk to about this until she was much more ready than she was now. She hoped. As she fell asleep, Susan wondered what it would feel like to be covered in fur. She hadn’t even asked Jane what she was supposed to wear under it. If anything.
The next day’s lunch went by without any reference to the suit as did her readmission to Jane’s room. Susan tried as hard as she could to keep her mind on talking to Jane and Mike as well as making a big show of enjoying being allowed to go to Jane’s again, but she found herself constantly thinking about the fursuit in her closet. The fur she hadn’t yet felt, how she imagined it would envelop her and the weight of the tail hanging from her back and the culminating sensation of warmth all over as she put on the head. It was becoming insufferable.
When she’d said her goodbyes to Jane ““ taking a moment to find out what she should be wearing under the suit the first time ““ she went home and did everything she could to forget. It was no use; she may as well go to bed so that the morning would come sooner along with the promise of putting the suit on as soon as she possibly could.
***
For the first time in years, Susan found herself up, awake and energized before eight in the morning. In fact, by seven thirty she had brushed her teeth, eaten a whatever-was-in-the-fridge-before-expiration breakfast and was standing in a tank top and undershorts with the still-wrapped box on her bed. The door was locked, had a chair on her side and a sign on the outside reading ‘beware of the leopard.’ She figured her family would get it one way or the other. Still, it wasn’t a leopard that would inhabit the room but a panther/wolf/hybrid thing. Susan made a mental note to think of a name, though she suspected that Jane would be able to come up with something better than her first inclination: wolfter. She also might want to come up with a name for her character. She tended to think of it as “Susan-beast,” but that was silly. Now that the moment had arrived, Susan realized, she was trying to stall herself. Well, no more of that. She tore off the paper and pulled the tape off, opening the box to get her first look at her second skin.
The first impression she got was of lustrous black hair in two colors. As she gripped whatever was on top, she realized it was the head. Pulling it out, she wondered why Jane always claimed not to have much skill. It looked great to her. With the blue eyes not too wide, the designs on the cheeks she wasn’t sure would transfer right but did and the black ears somewhere between the cat’s smaller rounded and the wolf’s larger pointed variety. All blended together to form an expression of mixed joy and disdain, which suited Susan just fine.
Susan put the head beside the box, knowing from watching Jane that it tended to come later on. The feet and hand paws were next down, which were covered in a lustrous black fur that matched the head and body beneath them. Susan took a moment to look at the hard plastic claws attached to both and the slender fingers of the front paws which she could tell already were precisely the same size as her own digits. Jane had been precise to an absolute with this thing. She pulled out the body finally and took some time to look closely at it. It looked exactly like the body of the person ““ animal, whatever ““ she’d drawn, right down to the designs which went down from the cheeks and all over the body, thick as her pinky in places, others hair thin. The tail which was underneath the body and looked like it had to go on first was braced on the back so it would stand up. It was long and sinuous like a panther’s, but also fluffy, melding lupine with feline. After staring at the whole set for awhile, Susan said, “Well, here I go. This must be some kind of insanity. I’ve never felt like this before. So drawn to something, and having made no conscious choice to do so. I’ve had by sojourns, but I’ve always planned it out. I wonder if this is how Jane felt when she first did this.”
Susan picked up the tail and wrapped the elastic belt that was already inserted in its looks around her waist, pushing the bracing so that it sat flat against her rear. Already enjoying the feel of the tail ““and wondering how much weirder it was going to get - as it bounced up and down behind her, she bent and lifted the suit body in front of her. Jane had gone with her own tastes in some places, putting the zipper on the back as she seemed to prefer. Susan wasn’t quite sure what the point of that was, but didn’t give it too much thought as she pulled it down and stepped into the left leg of the fursuit. It gave her some resistance and clung tightly to her leg once her foot was out of the bottom. As she got her right leg into it, she wondered how the fur seemed to stay as thick even when distended like that. She gave it a couple of tugs to get it up all the way and slipped her hand down the back to fix the brace into a recess made for it. The back side had been padded slightly so that the bracing wouldn’t be obvious, which went down her legs as well to make it seem balanced while also adding a slight digitigrade element to the legs. The crotch was tight and as Susan ran her hand along her leg to feel the silky smooth fur, it reminded her of a pair of furry tights rather than the bulky bottoms she saw on the internet on these suits.
Her arms were next, and the sleeves of the fursuit clung just like the legs. Once she was satisfied everything was where it ought to be, she reached back and fumbled with the zipper. She wasn’t used to such things and it took several tries just to get a grip on it. Fifteen minutes later, a rather disheveled Susan looked at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was now all over the place and her face was reddening from the effort, but she had to admit that it was worth it so far. The entire body was as elastic as the arms and legs; she’d realized that as she was pulling up the zipper. It clung to her body in a way that no other clothing she’d ever owned had. Susan had never gone in for showing off her body since she didn’t think she had much of one, but now she was starting to reconsider. Her curves seemed curvier and her flat chest wasn’t quite as flat as she remembered it being. It didn’t feel like Jane had put any padding in, and Susan still looked rather androgynous, but shading towards female rather than towards male.
Satisfied that the suit looked as good as it felt so far, and having cooled down a little, Susan sat on the edge of the bed and slipped the foot paws in, pulling the legs of the suit down over the bit of the footpaws that extended up her calf. With that done, the design that went down her legs now appeared to continue unbroken over the top of her feet. She recalled that Jane usually put the head on next, and though the gloves looked pretty dexterous, she decided to go with what Jane always did. Susan picked up the head again and turned it over, seeing something that reminded her of the facial additions on Locutus of Borg inside. There was also a small page. Susan opened it and read:
‘Susan,
I put some stuff in this thing that might surprise you.
Just situate the eyepieces over your eyes, the throat thing
as tight as you can make it and then tighten the straps.
You should be fine.
Jane’
Susan wasn’t sure what more of a surprise could be in store, but carefully inserted her head into the costume’s. Since her hair was the same color as the wig, she didn’t make any special effort to tame it until she realized it would feel weird if it just hung down and kept the head from sitting flush all the way around. She pulled it off again and tied her hair up. The eyepiece felt cold against her eyes, as did the metallic contact on her throat, but they warmed up before she’d managed to tighten the girth around her head. A glance past the mirror made her gaze snap back. Her eyes were moving! That is, the suit’s eyes were. She stared for a moment, slack-jawed and then noticed that her ca-feline jaw was hanging open as well. She closed her mouth and the suit did the same. The wolfter rolled her eyes, “Typical Jane,” she said in a pleasant alto. “Oh, and she even added something to make me sound different. That’s my Wortag.”
Her range of sight was somewhat diminished by the suit, but she found that a minor inconvenience as she pulled the front paws on. They seemed pretty nimble and she had no trouble pulling the sleeves down over them. Now the creature was complete, its red markings seeming to run from head to toe unbroken, going down its arms and legs to its hands and feet as well as across its back and even on the back of its head. The wolfter looked in the mirror and whispered, “Solvezia. That’s my name.” And raised her arms as she did a little twirl in front of the mirror. “I look awesome!” She exclaimed to the mirror. “I’m not going to pay Jane cost for this. I’m going to pay her quintuple! Oh, I feel so...” Susan faltered and stared at her reflection again. “I feel so alive. So this is what Jane’s wanted me to do all this time.” She ran to her desk, “I have to write this down. I have to capture it before it’s gone. I don’t know what kind of weirdness makes this happen, and I’m probably going to analyze it to death later, but for now, I’m going to enjoy this!” She wrote furiously and then stood up. “I think I’ll go see Jane now. I’m sure she and the others will just love a visit from the animated incarnation of all the work they’ve been doing.” She was grinning under the mask as she reached the door and stopped. “I can’t believe I’m going outside like this. I’ve become everything I’ve ever snarked at. I’m going to regret this tomorrow ““ heck, I’ll regret it by the time Jane’s finished her first sentence ““ but until then, I’m going to feel marvelous. Geeks in the streets!” She called as she ran out the door.
“Have fun, dear,” her mother said as she passed. “And try not to startle the neighbors. Oh, too late. Hello, Mrs. Klamtree.”
Susan began to wonder about her choice as she walked the five blocks to Jane’s. It was still early enough on a Saturday morning that not many people were out, but the looks she was getting were not encouraging. A middle aged woman was pushing a toddler in a stroller, who tried to get out and run up to her, but was restrained. She arrived at Jane’s door feeling very nervous but still suffused enough with her original feeling of vitality that she wasn’t about to turn around now. Jane’s mother answered the door at her fur-muffled knock. “Hello, Susan.”
“How did you know it was me?” Susan asked, the voice changer not entirely managing to handle the even higher pitched whine that entered her voice when something went wrong.
“Who else?” Mrs. Hayworth replied. “Black on black with some red. Besides, I’ve seen Janie’s room in the last month. Come on in. I’m sure Jane will be down in double time when I tell her you’re here.”
Jane did indeed appear at the top of the stairs with little delay, already talking as she got there. “Susan. What are you doing here so ear ““ whoa!” She stopped short a quarter of the way down, and then almost leapt the rest of the way and put her arms around her best friend. “That was quick!” She laughed as she took a step back and looked Susan up and down.
“What? No comments?” Susan asked, half kidding.
“Oh, I think your own inner monologue will be doing a better job of that than I can,” Jane replied. “Well, since you’re obviously feeling good about your decision, I’ll just go up and change. Mike and Victor will definitely enjoy a spontaneous visit from Wortag and...”
“Solvezia,” Susan said quietly. “I’m not sure-”
“Sounds fine to me.” Jane turned and raced up the stairs. “It won’t take me long, especially if you come and help me.”
Susan took this as a way out of having to hang around downstairs and talk to Jane’s parents while dressed up as a panther-wolf. “I’m right behind you.”
The black fe-lupine was soon back on the streets, now accompanied by a somewhat well muscled grey wolf. Susan had sometimes felt a little weird talking to Jane when she was wearing the suit. Not just because she looked odd, but because sometimes she’d shift to acting entirely like the wolf. Now that she herself had a similar appearance and the addition of a new persona, it felt more right for Solvezia to talk to Wortag. “Do you think we’ll have another companion soon?”
“Are you kidding?” Wortag laughed. “Jamina will be out within fifteen minutes.”
“You think Mike will be that enthusiastic?” Susan asked.
“Oh yeah.” Jane replied. “I was, wasn’t I? What’s going to be more problematic is what we’ll do when Jamina’s ready to go. I mean, an impromptu fur outing is fine, but we have to figure out where we’re going to go.” The wolf looked back and forth carefully before crossing the main avenue that separated her neighborhood from Mike’s as the black creature next to her flicked her eyes back and forth with less care. “Still, I think we’ll have some help on the other end.”
Jane’s ring of the doorbell was answered swiftly by Mike, who stared for about a second and a half and then turned around. “I’ll get Jamina.”
Victor looked up as they entered and said, “Jane, Susan. I didn’t expect to see either of you here so early. Still, I can guess what happened. Do you have any plans?”
Wortag shook his head. “No. We figured we’d just wander around and hope to think of something.”
Nora entered, carrying long-strawed drinks. “It looked like you left in a hurry, Jane.” She put down the glasses and reached up to smooth out Wortag’s fur and arrange it more carefully. She looked at Susan. “Quite understandable, however. It looks good on you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Falkner.” The two said in unison before laughing and sitting down.
“I’d better go help Mike,” Victor said. “After which, we’ll give it some thought and I’ll drive you where you need to go. Three fullsuits out on the town without a minder is not the wisest course. I know you and Mike tend not to bother, but we can’t have Susan having a less than stellar first outing.” He rose and departed, returning presently with Jamina. The teenage vixen was wearing her customary large skirts, though cut up to the knee since she wasn’t sure where she was going and didn’t want too much hindrance.
“Dad told me he’s going to give us a lift,” she chirped. “It’s good to have a family in the fandom.”
“Now for the big decision,” Victor added. “Who sits where? The three of you might be able to fit into the back seat, but it would work better if one sat in front.”
“I’ll do it,” Susan said. “These two ought to be together.”
“I ought to,” Jamina insisted firmly. “Since you two should have time to talk about this.”
“I’m already up to speed, so I should.” Jane replied.
“Call, will you?” Victor said, throwing a six-sided die into the air.
“Two!” Jane shouted.
“Six!” Mike responded.
The die fell on a one. “That’s Jane.” Victor said. “So the men folk will sit in front while the females get to know each other in the back seat. Come on,” he said, opening the door. “We’ll think of something on the way.”
Wortag went forward with Victor while Jamina and Solvezia hung back, waiting for him to unlock the car door before they went on. “You really do look great,” Jamina said. “The whole thing came out so silky and lithe.”
“Jane does good work,” Solvezia replied. “Though the shape is more me than her.” She stretched, showing off her red designs and black body. “It almost makes me want to go to the mall and pick out some clothes that fit me better.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jamina said. “The mall’s indoors and the people there are almost used to seeing Wortag and me. I’m sure they’ll give a newcomer a good welcome.”
Solvezia said, “I dunno. I thought maybe we could go to a field someplace and run around.” She ran her hands down her sides. “This body’s made for movement.”
“That’s not the Susan I remember,” Mike said, smiling under his muzzle as he opened the car door for her.
“No,” Susan said. “Given my current appearance, should it be?”
“Again, you did a brilliant job,” Mike said as the car started moving. “Seeing it in motion on the person it was meant for makes a big difference.”
“I’m glad everyone is enjoying it,” Jane replied.
Susan put her paw to her muzzle. “This thing’s a bit stuffy now that we’re more indoors.”
“Click your nose,” Jane replied.
“What?”
“Press the tip of your nose.”
Susan pressed a single claw to the end of her muzzle and there was a slight but audible click. Solvezia leaned back and put her paws behind her head. “That’s much better.”
“I figured you’d want to be able to turn the fan on and off.” Jane replied.
“It’s a bit of a silly place for it,” Mike said.
“Aren’t we silly people?”
“Yes, we are,” Victor interjected. “You still haven’t said where you want to go.”
“Jamina suggested the mall, but I’m more up for running around in the fresh air,” Solvezia said.
“The mall’s a bit crowded for a first go. I think the park is a good idea,” Victor said. He turned left at the corner and in five minutes he pulled up to the curb and they got out. “There won’t be too many people here this time of year, and you’ll have plenty of room to get used to the difference in your perception.”
Solvezia stepped out of the car, looking around as she did so. “I don’t notice a big change, actually. Jane does excellent work.”
“You shouldn’t keep complementing me,” Wortag said, rounding the front of the car and stepping up onto the curb. “I might try to do it professionally, and then I’d have to deal with customer service, which would eventually lead to me killing you.”
“He’s not kidding,” Jamina said, smoothing her skirts as she exited the vehicle.
“I know,” Solvezia responded.
They descended into the bowl of the field, sometimes walking and sometimes running down the gentle slope until they reached the broad flat lawn in the center of the park. Victor watched tails bob and fur flow as they ran down to and continued running around the lawn. He descended at a more sedate pace, watching the few spectators as much as the teenagers whom he'd accompanied.
He heard Jamina's musical laugh as she grabbed Wortag from behind, his rough voice momentarily rising into Jane's giggles before the wolf twisted and half-lifted the vixen off of the ground. The newcomer, meanwhile, watched them play and ran in occasionally to deliver her own attacks on them both, but just as often she would separate from them. During these solitary forays, Solvezia tended to look at herself as she ran and try to turn to watch her own tail. She stretched and batted at leaves that had clung to the trees all winter and been disturbed by their motion. No one approached the three in their merrymaking down in the shallow bowl and presently, they tracked back up the slope and joined Victor halfway. They were showing signs of being tired, but were still quite cheerful as they entered the car and didn't even argue as Jamina took the front seat.
"If your conventions are anything like this," Solvezia said. "Then I think this is going to be a lot more fun than I'd thought."
Victor offered to drop Jane and Susan at their respective houses and Mike heard Susan whisper to Jane, "How do I clean this thing?" As she was getting out and Jane said she could make her own way home after helping her friend.
Mike didn't see either Jane or Susan until lunch on Monday, at which point a familiar scene unfolded. He and Jane were sitting when Susan arrived, bent over and put her hands on the table. "I say again, damn you, Jane Hayworth."
"Enjoy the weekend?" Jane asked brightly.
"Far more than is decent." Susan replied. "I've been to concerts, festivals, seminars and a couple of my mom's New Age circles. If I put all the fun I've had making fun of these things together, I might rival what happened on Saturday. The problem I'm having is-"
"It wasn't you." Jane interrupted simply. "It was Solvezia having the fun. You were just along for the ride."
"That's a rather ... it's not how I'd say it, but the gist is about right." Susan struggled to express herself, something that hadn't happened in years.
"You felt free, like all the expectations of the world were gone. You didn't have to be anything. No one would judge you if your defenses fell and you did whatever you wanted. So you took advantage. You felt compelled by the possession of that absolute freedom to use it. You ran, you felt the air on your fur, you played with others just as free and just as fuzzy as you were and it was a feeling that both frightens you and makes you wish for more. You want to do it every day but you're scared of what that will make you. Scared that the new you, the free you, will overshadow the cynical, sarcastic girl we've all come to know and love. Is that about it?"
"Just about," Susan admitted. "So it happens to everyone?"
"Not to me," Mike said, "but I had my horizons blown open at an early age."
"It makes him paradoxically well adjusted," Jane said. "He can't be overshadowed because he never had any artificial expectations to live up to. The wee man has the advantage of not knowing anything's impossible, and so he's never affected when he does it."
Susan replied, "OK, I'll buy that. From what you've told me, he chose to be a femme just because he thought it would be fun. You, however, are quite vulnerable to social fears. So how do you reconcile this conflict?"
Jane smiled at Susan's directness. "In a way, I sort of didn't. Wortag is the free me, but also the me that I try to be in real life but fail to be because of my sex. My femininity is something that is expected of me, and though I tend towards androgyny, I also don't go nearly as far into acting and looking manly as I would if there weren't any expectations. You ought to know that quite well."
"That doesn't explain how you keep the two separate." Susan prompted.
"I don't have to worry about it as much as you think now, and neither will you. Go home, lock your door and do your own thing. You'll probably act different than when you're around people. That sort of societal adaptation isn't as easy to shake as it feels like now. You acted as you did because you were wearing the suit, yes, but also because you were around others who were wearing their own. I'm willing to bet that once the newness wears off, the you that is just alone in a room and the you that is alone in the room in a fursuit will not be all the different."
"I hope you're right," Susan sighed.
"I know I'm right," Jane replied. "I'm right, right?" She said to Mike.
"Right!" He said.
"You'll also have some time to get used to the suit before you take the next step and go to a con. There won't be one in range for another two months. In the meantime, start bringing your paws and tail when we hang out and we'll get you acclimitized. The first wearing was supposed to be a surprise, but one thing about selling out and becoming a member of the herd is that there's always someone around like you who can help out."
***
"I still feel silly," Susan said, holding her black paws pad-up. She looked at her black-clad feet and reached around to flick her long, fluffy black and red tail to swaying life.
"Of course you do," Jane replied, stepping up to her and standing on tiptoe to slide a headband with a pair of black ears onto Susan's head. "There you go. A little something extra I made for casual dress."
Susan looked in the full length mirror on the door of Jane's closet and reached up to pinch one of her new and prominent ears. "I'm not sure that's what I meant." She twisted and put a paw to her hip. "Cute, though."
Jane laughed, pulling her gray wolf-paws on as her tail swayed between her legs. "That's the spirit!"
"It's not like you have to put them all on all the time," Mike added, his own fox tail wagging behind him. "I don't wear breasts under my shirt when we hang out, after all."
Jane grabbed his chest and squeezed. "You don't need them, wee man."
Mike slapped her gray paws aside with his black and orange. Susan watched them and said, "I never quite understood that. Are you two touchy-feely because you're a couple or because you're a couple of furries."
"Check both columns for us," Jane replied, turning to face Susan as Mike sat on the bed and started batting at her tail. "Then again, I've gotten a lot more accepting of that sort of thing since I met Mike. Try imagining what I would do if it were any other male in the world."
"So I don't have to start grooming people when I meet them and scratching them behind the ears?" Susan asked.
"Not unless I missed a really important memo." Jane replied.
Susan sat on the edge of a chair, reaching behind to adjust her tail. "Thank god!"
Jane sat all the way back in her computer chair. "I do so prefer tails without spines in them," she commented. Answering Susan, "You don't have to do anything. Some people let loose by getting more physical, some people just act silly. A few like the wee man are the same person all the time. Like I said earlier, it's all a matter of how you approach it."
"It's just so strange. I wonder if this is anything like falling in love. I always said I was going to try to avoid that sort of thing."
"Susan, I know you've had boyfriends." Jane said flatly.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to have fun with them. They wanted the same. It never lasted any longer than it took us both to get bored with each other. Love is different. This is different."
Jane laughed. "It is, isn't it? You remember the story about how I met Mike. The realization that my life might change drastically was not entirely pleasant, but apart from that first instant when I realized he was male, I never wanted to back out. We all have these jarring moments. Trust me, the interesting possibilities far outweigh the likelihood of discomfort of embarrassment."
***
Susan's nervousness decreased quickly as the weeks passed, and she settled into their old routine in less time than she'd expected. Though Susan didn't always wear her own paws, ears and tail with the other two, she still found herself doing so with regularity and even enjoying how it made her look and feel. She almost forgot about the con she'd insisted on going to until the week before, by which point Jane had taken the liberty of getting her a membership and a special fursuit box. "You're not getting out of this, my black beauty," she said to Susan when her friend tried to protest. "But you are going to pay me back for it."
Her mother hadn't been any help at all. On being informed that she was going off for a weekend with her best friend, his boyfriend and his father to a hotel full of people in animal costumes, her mom had said, "That's great, dear. It'll be a nice change to spend some time with a larger social circle. I wish you'd told me about it earlier; I might have come with. It all sounds very liberating."
So Susan, knowing she was beset on all sides, resigned herself to go. Her non-fursuit luggage contained a couple of days' clothes, a large quantity of note-taking equipment and her overnight gear. She tried to think of something else she ought to bring, and finally settled on some of her art supplies. Perhaps she'd feel the urge to draw something. In fact, she thought with a sigh, she was likely to spend more time drawing the furries than taking notes about them. In retrospect, she ought to have gone to cons before she started feeling the need. Fewer distractions were involved when you weren't obliged to join in, but could just watch from the sidelines.
Susan was struck as soon as she entered the lobby with Mike, Jane and Victor. Some of the members must have arrived very early, if not the day before the official start, since the entryway was already dotted with people in themed T-shirts, accessories and suits ranging from one quarter to full. Victor picked up the keycards for the two rooms as Jane caught sight of someone she knew and went over to talk to her. "Susan, Mike, this is Keila. Keila, my best friend Susan and my new squeeze, Mike."
"Hi," the slender blonde said, her fox tail bobbing behind her as she greeted them. "I think I remember Jane mentioning you, Susan, and if I recall, you were very pretty in MOSFUR's masquerade last fall, Mike."
"Keila has a surprisingly good memory," Jane said as they sat in well-stuffed armchairs around a table, Keila bending the wire spine in her tail so she could sit back on it. "I bet you can tell me what con we first met at, what the panelists said and who the guest of honor was."
"Can, but won't." Keila replied. "People get that odd glazed look in their eye. Seems to happen a lot when I'm around. Unless I'm losing my touch, however, I believe you're a neo, Susan. No cons under your belt."
Susan shook her head, "No. I only recently became ... engaged in the fandom."
"Ah, and outsider who got pulled in." Keila nodded sagely. "Happens a lot. You're an artistic type, someone asks you to make a stuffed animal for them and before you know it, you are the stuffed animal." She rose, "Wish I could stay, but I can't. I'm one of those suckers who lets herself get programmed for Friday afternoon." She bent her tail back to its horizontal position and rummaged in a sling bag. "Here, allow me to be the first to give you a button. You get a lot of them in con life, and if you actually collect them up, you might be able to make a suit of armor in a few years." She turned and bounced away, her tail lagging behind by about a half-cycle.
Susan turned the button over. "The Furtress, an alternative publication. Am I supposed to put this on now?"
Mike said, "Only if you either like the mag - which you've never read - or Keila - who is a nice enough person. It's not like you won't be changing to something else by tomorrow."
Susan put the button in her pocket. "I think I'll pass. It's one thing to proclaim my own individuality. I'm not sure I'm ready to start accepting commercials."
Victor approached and leaned on the back of the chair Mike was sitting in. “Our rooms won’t be ready for another hour. I’ve had them put the luggage in the storeroom, so let’s go get our badges and see if there’s anything amazingly interesting in store for this year.”
“Shouldn’t you know by now?” Mike asked as they went up the ramp and towards the first ballroom. “You’re on every tech panel from now until Sunday, so you’ve seen the schedules already.”
“True, but I can’t remember them,” Victor replied. “It’s hard enough remembering where I’m programmed.”
“Your dad’s on panels?” Susan asked.
“It’s not as hard or as much of a compliment as it sounds,” Victor said dryly.
“There are only two requirements.” Mike added.
“You have to think you know what you’re talking about, or at least be crazy enough to suggest a panel you have no expertise in.” Jane said.
“And you have to be stupid enough to allow yourself to get involved.” Victor finished.
They stood on the ‘G-N’ line. “We have to get ours elsewhere,” Victor said, “since I’m a participant and he’s my guest.”
“Both of ours are under my name,” Jane said to Susan. “I know how you hate anyone ever hearing your last name.”
“You mean Che-” Victor started.
“-especially not here!” Jane said over him. More quietly she hissed, “Think about where we’re standing right now. After the Petroleum Heresy, do you think anyone wants to be associated with him?”
“Right,” Victor said. “I’d almost forgotten, even though I grew up during it. You have a different perspective when you’re inside the story.”
They were efficiently dealt with on the other end of the line, Jane supplying her last name at the volunteer’s demand and collecting her and Susan’s badges, fursuit badges, pocket program and large program full of pictures. Jane tossed Susan a lanyard and clipped her own badge to a lanyard she produced from her pocket. They exited through a rear door and climbed two broad flights of stairs before passing down an even broader hallway with doors and corridors branching out. On the other end, the hall narrowed and split, their party taking the righthand fork. “One of the benefits of being an Institutional.” Victor commented. “We may be boring, but we know where committees are likely to put things.” They passed down a wood paneled hall before taking a left into a much smaller room full of panic. Victor called out, “Falkner,” and was rewarded by a flying manila envelope which he caught. “Thank you,” he called over his shoulder as he beat a hasty retreat. “They’re always like that. Some of the guests aren’t quite as easygoing as I am.” He fished out a pair of badges and a single lanyard. “They always do that,” he commented as he also pulled one out of his pocket. He handed Mike’s badge and a set of programs to him, putting his own set along with the page telling him what he was on that weekend into his shoulder pack. “Now, let’s find a quiet spot and see where we’ll be all weekend.”
They found a spot just off the main corridor with a couch and sat down, spreading out the insert sheet inside of their main programs and looking at the schedule grid printed on it. Victor circled five slots. “Here, here, here, here and here. That’s a goodly chunk already taken care of.”
Jane leaned over and circled three, Mike copying her choices onto his own. “Those look interesting enough. I think I’ll skip the one about how to dress outside the fandom.”
“I would too if I hadn’t gotten stuck with it,” Victor admitted.
“I’m guessing I’ll be tagging along with you two?” Susan asked.
“Not if you don’t want to.” Jane replied. She put the point of her pen over a panel. “If Solvezia shows up at this one, though, we’re going to have to have you join Jamina at the front as an example of how certain upgrades work.”
“I mind, she won’t.” Susan said. “I get a feeling I’m going to get a lot of practice at doing representative poses tomorrow.”
“You’ll also get plenty of compliments,” Jane said.
“Egomaniac.”
“I like to think I deserve it,” Jane smiled.
Mike, meanwhile, had continued to study his schedule paper and had already circled everything up through Sunday. “Right, that’s me done.”
Jane looked over. “I see you’ve left room for the masquerade and green room. Another one on the fly?”
“We really need to start working these things out in advance,” Mike agreed.
Jane looked at Susan. “You know, Solvezia looks a lot like Jen Jetra from the Chronicles. I wonder if we could persuade you…” She trailed off, elongating the last vowel.
“Let me think about it,” Susan replied. “I’m not sure I want to take that kind of a leap right off the bat.”
“Plenty of time. We don’t have to sign up until tomorrow morning,” Jane said.
“Plenty of time indeed,” Susan sighed.
***
Fifteen minutes saw both parties in their rooms with the doors open and their bags unpacked. Susan watched with interest as the other three efficiently placed all their items in either drawers or the mirror-doored closets and their toiletries on the counters of their respective bathrooms. “I thought this was only your second,” she said to Mike, who was as quick as the others.
“Doesn’t mean I haven’t traveled. Dad’s a big believer in taking time off in the summer to return to the homeland.” Mike said, laying back on his bed.
“Israel?” Susan asked.
“Scotland,” Mike replied. “Though I’ve also been to Germany, Italy and Greece. Holidaying in resorts doesn’t have nearly the appeal that climbing around ruins and wandering cathedrals does.”
“Lucky,” Jane said. “We’ve only been to the United Kingdom. Mom and dad like traveling, but they can’t get vacations together every year.”
Susan snorted. “You’re both lucky. Try being dragged around forests, jungles and deserts. I’d give a lot to be able to tour civilization. Or civilizations that are surrounded by other civilizations still extant. My parents have to see the Amazon and climb bloody ziggurats.”
Jane looked at her watch. “Much as I’d like to continue, there’s a Meet & Greet in twenty minutes we should be at. You’re both new enough to have plenty of people to get acquainted with, Susan especially because she isn’t from a known family.”
“Not known in the good way,” Susan muttered.
“Come on,” Jane shooed Susan towards the door to their side. “We need to get ready.” She stuck her head around as she closed the door. “Jamina coming?”
Mike swung his leg around and caught the vixen head in midair. “Naturally.”
“Saliaven?”
Victor yawned. “You kids run along. I think I’ll go and sit with the fogies for awhile. You get to appreciate the Klatches more when you know over half of the people reading.”
***
“You’re right. This goes a lot faster when there’s more than one person to help.” Solvezia said, already twisting and admiring herself in the closet mirror.
Wortag turned around, “Is everything where it should be?”
Solvezia bent closer and then with an annoyed grunt, pushed her muzzle up to allow her human eyes to focus. “You’re fine,” Susan said, pushing her muzzle back down.
“Great,” Wortag replied, pulling his vest on and placing his had between his ears. “Let’s go see if the girly one is ready.”
They waited in the hall for almost five minutes after knocking before Jamina answered. “Can you help me?” She turned around and showed the zipper on her dress only partway up. “It always sticks on me.”
Wortag pulled it the rest of the way. “There.”
“Thanks!” Jamina fluffed out her iridescent blue and pink full skirt. “Think we’ll meet anyone?”
Wortag led the way down the hall. “Probably. I hope so since plenty of my friends will be here this time. I expect a few will make it today, and we’ll run into the rest tomorrow.”
“I feel a bit underdressed with you two,” Solvezia said. “And that’s a very strange statement since I’m covered head to foot. At least you’re wearing a vest, packboss. She caught her reflection in a hall mirror and twisted slightly to admire herself as she went by. “Then again, I can’t think of anything that would improve this.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Wortag said over his shoulder.
Despite her confidence, Solvezia felt a little nervous as she entered ballroom B. An enterprising artist was already making custom badges for new furs and Wortag showed the utility of his vest by pulling forty dollars out of his pocket to buy Solvezia a badge. “My debt to you is really piling up,” she commented.
“My birthday isn’t that far away,” Wortag said cheerfully. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” They loitered at the table for a few minutes, and in a surprisingly short amount of time, the artist handed Wortag the finished product. “Thanks, Kol.”
“Welcome, Wortag,” the young man said, turning to his next customer.
“You know him?” Solvezia asked as they walked away.
“Course I do.” Wortag replied. “Wouldn’t have bought you this if I didn’t think he did good work.” Wortag fixed the clip on Solvezia’s lanyard so the new badge hung just under her con badge.
Solvezia held it up to her eyes and looked at it as best she could. “Nice. It even has my name on it. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
They started looking for friends of Jane, but oddly enough the first person who approached them spoke to Mike. It was a short man with large glasses and thick hair parted on the left. “Hi, Victor. Still doing the Chronicles, I see.”
Jamina shook her head. “It’s Mike, Jake.”
“Oh, right.” The man said, seeming unphased, “I’d heard that you inherited the girl from your father. Works a lot better on a teenager, I can tell you.” He leered, and Wortag was about to take vocal offense when Jamina laughed. “Is that any way to talk to your godson?”
“When he looks like you do, it is.”
“Since when were you into this sort of thing, anyway? I thought you were vanilla fen.” Jamina replied.
“I got tired of Victor having to truncate his sentences when he starts in on a furry reference, so I decided to see what the hell was the difference between this kind of con and the ones I go to every goddamn week.” Jake said, warming up. “Frankly, I’m starting to wonder if I ought to come to these things more often.”
“Let me guess, the women are better looking?” Mike said, grinning underneath his vixen mask.
“Better looking and more exotic.” Jake responded. “Oh, and the best part is that no one knows who I am. It’s great.”
“Who are you?” Wortag asked.
“If he said, he’d have to leave,” Jamina said. “He has a Rumpelstiltskin complex. The moment someone says his full name, he winks out of existence.”
“It beats signing autographs.” The man said. “Well, I’d love to stay here and ogle you some more, but I see a strapping specimen right over there.” He pointed at someone dressed as Krystal. “Let’s see how she likes it when I pull out my ten and a half Hugos.”
“Don’t worry,” Jamina said as Jake walked away, “they’re not his.”
For Solvezia, there wasn't much difference between the first conversation and any of the others. Friends of Jane in a variety of different costume parts representing animals of all kinds greeted them, both Jane and Mike talking about things Susan only knew from stories and books. She barely said anything to any of them, even when they complemented her on her appearance. She just couldn't get into it anymore. In fact, for most of the time she was keenly aware of just how ridiculous she must look, a rather plain girl covered head to foot in fur. It was all so silly.
Neither of the other two said anything about it on the return trip to their rooms, but when Jamina had gone to her own to change, Jane sat on the end of her assigned bed and took her head off. "You were surprisingly quiet." She said, removing her handpaws.
Susan did likewise, also kicking her footpaws off and laying on her front on her own bed. "I was suddenly so self-conscious. Like someone was going to suddenly point out 'hey, there's Susan in a fur costume!' I couldn't get into it anymore."
"Well, obviously you pointed that out," Jane replied, laying back and pulling her tail around her. She turned on her side and looked at Susan. "In a way, that ought to make you happy. You were so worried that the pure joy of it would take you over. Told you it wasn't so easy to let go of your programming."
Susan laughed. "I guess I ought to be glad for that much. It just seemed so much more fun back in the park, or with you guys. I didn't have to work to stay in character. It just flowed."
"You didn't expect us to judge you, and you shouldn't worry here. No one is going to score you on how well you hold up. Well, except tomorrow evening."
Susan buried her face in her pillow. "I'm not looking forward to that."
"Join the club," Jane said wryly. "That boy's nuts. I never do masquerades without a plan, but he just slams something off in his head and runs with it. It's infuriating."
Susan looked up and Jane and grinned. "At least there's something he does that annoys you. I was beginning to wonder."
"Plenty of things do. I just don't get worked up. I ought to apologize to you, though. We didn't make it any easier by talking shop the whole time we were down there. I forget that you don't speak fluent fen."
"Yeah," Susan replied, "but that first guy was such an opportunity. He was ripe for the brazen and flirtatious routine, but when I thought about going for it with someone else, I froze. Odd. I've never had that problem with guys before. I don't do flirtatious, but brazen comes in plenty."
"Well, maybe we'd better call it a night, then. Mike and Victor will, and I'm actually tired myself." Jane lay back and looked about to fall asleep in what remained of her suit.
"You stay in." Susan said, getting up and sticking her feet into her footpaws as she picked up her head. "I think I'm going to go solo for awhile and see if I can do better when I don't have to compete with someone who knows everyone. After all," Solvezia said as she finished pulling herself together and winked at the mirror, "once they get a good look at this without Jamina's fluff blocking their view, I think they'll warm up enough to give me all the encouragement I need."
***
"You must have been out late," Jane commented as she entered the room to find Susan just finishing brushing her teeth. "We've already been to breakfast. Here," she put a paper bag down on the table-desk, "I brought you a bagel and a banana."
"Thanks," Susan said, sitting down and reaching into the bag for it. "Things did go on for awhile." She took a bite out of the bagel without spreading anything on it. "I went down to the steampunk ball. Interesting idea, but I prefer metals that keep their shine. I'm a low maintenance gal."
"I take it that you met some people." Jane said, indicating the wolfter head that now sported a strap on monogoggle. "You didn't bring any money with you."
"There was one strapping young buck. Well, dog, anyway. He bought me that after I danced with him for awhile. Nice guy. I think he said his name was Eloncus Modul?"
"Ecrosis Menu, I think." Jane said. "Shorter than you, black labrador ears, tail and handpaws? Likely to be wearing a backpack comprising of a lot of pipes and strange looking gear which reaches around to his front as a cross between a gun and a hose?"
"You know everyone, don't you?" Susan responded, opening the milk carton Jane had included.
"Reputation only, in that case. I'm not into the steampunk scene very much."
Susan repeated, "Nice guy. I hope I see him again."
Jane reached up to the closet shelf and pulled down Solvezia's head. "Wear this again and you will. Whenever I've seen Menu with a girl, she's been slender, energetic and worn black."
Susan yawned. "I think I can manage energetic in another hour."
"You'd better. We have a panel to catch and you're the main attraction." Jane replied, pointing at the program. "'How far can electronic enhancements go?' You're Victor's display piece along with Jamina."
Susan got up. "I'd better get myself together, then. I'd hate to disappoint my benefactors and creators."
***
Wortag sat in the front row while Jamina and Solvezia stood next to the panelits' table. They'd been joined by the other panelists' creations including a cat who towered over all of them on his fully digitigrade leg enhancements, a collie who demonstrated his neural link by wagging his tail and a leopard whose claws extended and retracted on command. Solvezia felt a little like a dog herself when asked to speak for the crowd in her own voice and that of Susan, and she wondered how Jamina took it so calmly. Most of the time, however, she just stood there and occasionally posed or got into some mischief with the others there who seemed about as happy as she was to be stuck in the front. About half an hour into the discussion, however, they all decided as one to pad away as quietly as they could and Wortag joined them in the back of the room since neither Jamina nor Solvezia could sit in the chairs.
"At least you're getting plenty of practice being in the spotlight," Wortag said as they left at the end.
"I'm definitely not used to that, even if I deserve it." Solvezia replied, trying to keep up the character.
"You did fine," Jamina chimed in. "Dad gets a bit didactic when he's allowed to, so don't take it too personally if he didn't ask you to do stuff."
"I guess I can overlook it this once," Solvezia sniffed, getting comfortable again.
***
The next two panels passed without much incident, and the three met Victor for lunch at the hotel's restaurant after removing their suits. "I think I'll skip suiting back up," Mike said. "I'm getting a bit hot."
"Yeah, and there aren't any panels in the afternoon that are improved by it anyway." Jane agreed.
"I don't know," Susan said, "I think I might go back. I ran into Menu while you two were off at your Furries in Mainstream Literature panel and I agreed to meet him in about half an hour. Mind if I hang out with him instead?"
"Fine by me," Jane answered. "As I recall, you weren't too keen on what any of us were interested in." She switched to a bad Yiddish accent. "Go, be with your new friends. We'll just be here waiting for you when you get back."
Susan stuck out her tongue as she rose, but waved as she turned the corner towards their wing.
"So she's made friends with the Shadebreaker's daughter." Victor said.
Jane looked up from her two foot tall sundae. "Menu's female?"
"I know her parents," Victor said. "They're very handy with hammer, tongs and a forge. Their daughter did a tour in the Marines before joining them in making brass and clockwork."
"That's - wow," Jane stammered. "I can usually read people better than that."
Victor shrugged. "She could bench press our entire con party. The girl makes Rosie the Riveter look like a faerie girl. I'm not surprised you and Susan thought she was male."
"Susan's going to lose her cool if she finds out," Mike said.
"Solvezia might be able to take it in stride. If nothing else, Menu is good for that." Jane said.
"But what if he breaks her?" Mike asked.
"Susan likes her fun, but even Solvezia won't go that far that fast. Unlike us, Menu doesn't need prosthetics to look manly. I think we'll be able to break it to her afterwards and slowly."
Jane found Susan already in their room and out of her suit when she arrived to get ready to go down to the Green Room. "You're back early."
"Indeed," Susan said. "I decided not to wear Solvezia, by the way. Ecrosis didn't mind. He said I was hot either way and would be cheering from the audience when we went on." She picked up her bodysuit. "I guess that means I'm in."
"Don't worry," Jane said as she lifted her own and stepped in. "Mike actually came up with something good."
"He does so well thinking on the fly." Susan replied. She laughed. "He wouldn't have been able to keep you if he didn't." She pulled up her bodysuit and put her arms into the sleeves. "I know I've said this about ten times already, but he really is nice. I kinda like him."
Jane coughed and almost dropped her footpaws. "Like as in like, or as in really like?"
"If you're going to go all girly on me, like as in extremely like. As in, this guy might not be a one week fling if I could see him outside of the con. As in, I'm hot under the muzzle for him." Susan picked up Solvezia's head and looked into its eyes before turning both sets to look at Jane. "I'll say this once. He. Is. Dreamy."
"Um, Susan," Jane said as she picked up her own head and loosened the straps. "We're going to have to talk about this tomorrow. Preferably after the con."
"If it's about Ecrosis being about the butchest lesbian on Earth, don't bother. I figured that out when I let him kiss me. Natural born men don't kiss like that." She saw Jane's expression and rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look, you know I've tried it with girls. I figured I ought to give it a chance before I dismissed it, and I did."
"But you're straight," Jane said. "You've always-"
"Still am," Solvezia said as she adjusted her head. "I mean, seriously. That girl probably shaves with a torpedo. She has a freaking mustache. I'd love to see the first biggot who calls her a dyke. They'd probably find pieces of him in Utah, Nebraska and Norway." Solvezia gave a broad wink to Wortag, who had decided to finish suiting up despite his surprise. "You could learn manliness from him. Why didn't you tell me, anyway?"
"I found out after you left lunch," Wortag said, tugging on his handpaws. "Victor told us. He knows Menu's parents. He's an ex-Marine and a blacksmith."
"I think our football team could learn manliness from him," Solvezia said. "I never thought I could fall for someone like that."
"Female?"
"Big and masculine. I tend towards the artistic type." Solvezia corrected.
"He is an artist. Just an artist whose medium happens to require a bellows." Wortag said as they opened the door.
"I thought you weren't going to bring that up until after the con," Jamina said, moving towards them from her position by the window.
"I brought it up myself," Solvezia said, putting her arms around both of them. "Shame on you two. You're such prudes."
"And what happened to our nervous little girl who was afraid she wouldn't fit in?" Wortag said.
"She found a hunk!" Solvezia answered. "Meeeeow, awoooo and woof-woof all at once."
"There's our hybrid." Jamina laughed. "A perfect balance between the exhibitionist animal without and the cultured pervert inside."
"It's convenient," Solvezia purred. "I can do case studies on myself."
***
The masquerade entry went quite well considering Solvezia had only had half an hour to learn her part. Everything had been pre-recorded, so she just had to do the motions, which she attempted with as much flare as she could put into it. She saw Ecrosis in the front row and even blew him a kiss when he clapped as loudly as he could for her. She wasn’t very bothered by not winning anything, since according to Wortag a lot of these entries were planned months or years in advance. After posing alone and with the other two for the photographers and hangers on, she joined Ecrosis, who was one of the people taking pictures. Jamina and Wortag made their excuses to leave the two of them to each other and Solvezia didn’t see either of them until Ecrosis was finished and they went up to the parties.
When Solvezia heard ‘party,’ she did not envision the manifold definitions this seemed to have for fen. Some rooms were full of people dancing and drinking as she’d expected, others were just a bunch of people standing around and talking. She found Victor comfortably seated in a group of fen ranging from thirties to seventies, and he greeted her without rising. Ecrosis seemed to be trying to guide her away, but she pulled him back to talk to Victor. “Hello, Susan,” he turned to Ecrosis, “Sandrilene.”
“At least you didn’t call me ‘Sandry.’” Ecrosis said. “But couldn’t you at least go as far as ‘Laine’ if you’re going to insist on calling me that?”
“Just being the embarrassing elder,” Victor replied. “Susan doesn’t seem to mind.”
“I do-” Susan began.
“Susan’s a much better name.” Ecrosis said at the same time.
“I personally like Sandrilene,” Susan said. “Though I admit you didn’t exactly grow into it.”
Ecrosis grinned. “Would you have preferred that I be a bookish brunette in big glasses and a medieval dress?”
“Oh no,” Susan replied, returning the grin even if Ecrosis couldn’t see it, “I much prefer someone whose arm I can sit on.”
They left the more staid party to find Jamina and Wortag in a somewhat younger group, though with a few people above thirty mixed in. “Anything interesting going on?” Solvezia said as they approached.
“Shh!” Wortag said. “She’s almost got it.”
Keila, now wearing handpaws and footpaws, was bent over a bowl that smoked and steamed, her blonde hair almost touching the deep green liquid. “Gatorade!” She called. Jamina passed her a bottle of green Gatorade, which she passed back. “Pale blue, silly.” When that was produced, she poured the entire bottle in and the smoke blasted out of the bowl and pooled around their feet. A liquid that shaded through every color as Solvezia’s head moved was now revealed. “Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.”
“Should it have changed color like that?” Wortag asked. “I’m pretty sure it was supposed to stay green.”
“Not the way I make it!” Keila said, dipping a metal cup into it. The metal began to tarnish even as she drank. “I’m getting the lemon,” she said, “but where’s the brick?” She took a step and fell onto the bed.
“Brick.” Wortag said helpfully. “Come on. That’s the end of the party. She always does this.” Wortag turned and then looked at Solvezia and Ecrosis. “Unless someone else would like to try it.”
Neither of them were too keen, and so they moved on to the next room and beyond. By the time Susan found herself in her room, numbly spraying cleaning mist into her suit, it was almost two in the morning. “Wow.” Was all she could say before falling onto the bed, asleep in midair.
Sunday morning passed quickly, and Susan found herself sitting next to Ecrosis saying goodbye before she realized that the con was winding down. She’d opted to spend the morning in somewhat more comfortable attire, only her ears and footpaws showing the wolfter she had been the two days before. “I suppose I’ll see you at the next con.”
“Almost certainly,” Ecrosis said. “We’re at every single one we can manage. It’s the job.”
“Yup.” Susan said, not knowing what else to add. “Well...” She trailed off.
Ecrosis leaned over and kissed her lightly. “I know. You’re giving serious thought to coming with. Don’t worry about it. First off, you have your own life to lead and besides, I’m twenty-four. The age gap’s a bit much at this stage of our lives. When you’re twenty-two and I’m pushing thirty, I think I’ll be a bit more comfortable with something less than a romantic friendship.”
“If you haven’t found something else,” Susan said.
“If neither of us have, yes. Until Fall or perhaps Summer, Querida.”
Susan was quiet on the drive back and when they stopped in front of Jane’s house, she got out as well. “I can manage to get my stuff back to my house from here,” she said. “I think I’d like to talk to Jane for awhile. This has been about the weirdest weekend I’ve ever had.” She paused and looked up at the sky. “You guys kick ass!” She shouted and, seeming to ignore the weight of her bags as she pulled them behind her, she raced Jane to the front door of her house.
By Paul Calhoun
Dear readers: I started this in February expecting to be done by Easter. These stories are just getting longer and longer than expected. I thought it'd be short. Anyway, Mike's extended family visits, teaching Jane and Susan not to call their family weird. Here is a PDF with all the stories to date in their proper font, leading and with all the paragraph indentation intact.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/184656861/unplanned_adven...
"So," Jane said as Mike sat down, "what are you doing for Spring Break?"
"Very little," Mike replied. "It's mostly relaxing the first half and then the full weight of familial duty falls. My grandparents and assorted other relations have decided to come to us this year. Grandpa Ned's place is being redone, so the next best place is here."
"I'm getting carted along to New Zealand on Friday. We're getting back on Thursday," Susan said. "Apparently there's this really important thing that someone has to do. I wasn't paying very close attention."
"I'm doing absolutely nothing," Jane finished. "We're not even visiting my grandparents this year because mom and dad both have to work through the week and it doesn't make any sense to fly out to Florida for a day and a half." She put her head in her hands and her elbows on the table. "I'm going to have a perfectly boring week. At least it's a change of pace."
"I won't." Mike replied. "And if you hang around my house when the family arrives, neither will you."
"I'm sorry you aren't looking forward to your trip," Victor said as Susan recounted her Spring Break plans, "but I can't really be all that sympathetic. When I was your age, I'd have loved to travel the world seeing every major civilization from Babylon to Machu Picchu."
"Quite right," Nora called from her bedroom. "It beats sitting around for days on end."
"Not for an American teenager," Susan replied. "I find that the most sublime experience involves a couch, my butt and unhealthy snacks."
"I'm sure your duff will be well used on the airplane," Victor said. "And on your return."
"Meanwhile," Nora said, emerging and making her way to the living room, "you're both welcome to join us on our family outings. Especially you, Jane."
"Thank you, Mrs. Falkner, but I wouldn't want to intrude."
"You won't be," Victor answered. "We tend to gather quite often now that half of our extended family is retired. We see at least a few on July Fourth and Thanksgiving, most of them on Christmas and Easter and usually all of them sometime around Labor Day for some reason. Maybe because that's when everyone else is off work."
"I'd feel like I'm intruding, anyway."
"So do I," Victor replied. "Six years and I'm still uncomfortable when Mike's blood paternals show up."
"You shouldn't," Nora said. "Jack's parents love you."
"It still makes me uncomfortable. It doesn't help that your father in law number one is Major General Remy Armstrong Grant, the hero of Hong Kong. Oh, and his wife, her honor Judge Grant of the Eighteenth Circuit. One of the only JAG officers ever to become a federal judge."
"Oh? As if I'm any better off. Between my parents always asking when I'm going back to school for my M.D. and your mother-"
"What's wrong with mom?"
"Madame Falkner, cyberneticist, moral theologian, paleoanthropologist and lord knows what else since I last saw her. A woman with more PhD.s than an entire university faculty. At least my dad only has the one."
"Oh yes, Ned Brooks who only performed the first successful in-womb splitting of conjoined twins."
"God. And I thought I had lineage," Susan broke in.
"Am I the only one feeling a bit lower class?" Jane added.
"Sorry, we always have this argument. Who is getting intimidated the most. Trust me; you don't know the half of it."
"Don't think Jack's dad would limit his scorn to you if he ever had any," Nora replied. "Imagine how much hell I'd catch for marrying you."
"True. Anyway, if you two think you can handle it, stick around to the middle of the week - that is, show up at all, Susan. Be warned, they'll all take a strong interest in you, Jane, once they find out about your interest in their collective grandson."
Susan got up, "I'd better go and pack. I guess I'll see you on Thursday, guys. As I recall, this isn't one of the 'back to nature' or New Age trips, so I guess I'll leave Solvezia."
Jane rose, "I'll go help. You never remember everything."
"God this is glorious," Jane said, laying back on her bed, her wolf ears almost touching the floor and her tail curved between her legs. "I actually have a choice when I do my homework."
"How much?" Mike asked, sitting backwards on his chair, his ochre arms terminating in white paws grasping the back as his white-tipped umber tail swayed lazily with unspent momentum.
"Boatloads. You?"
"A veritable ark. And I'm not quite as free as you are. I have to finish before the relatives arrive."
"Then we may as well do it now, and not bother talking about it for the next few days." Jane reached under her bed and pulled her bag out. "You make sure I don't screw up my calculus and I'll help you with the great American Classic I'm sure you're reading for English. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that our dear Mrs. Brinn lost her imagination years ago and has once again assigned - I shudder to even name it - The Catcher in the Rye."
"I think I'll need more help than you," Mike said, reaching into his own bag and holding the offending miniature hardback in black pads and claws.
"Don't be so sure."
"I read it last night. It took an hour and a half and I don't believe I ever grasped the plot or even point." Mike said.
"You assume it had one," Jane replied. "What's the assignment?"
"To determine whether ol' Holden is still representative of youth today."
"What do you think?" Jane asked.
"I think he's a lazy bastard, even by the standards of our generation." Mike replied.
"Funny thing, isn't it?" Jane said. "Fifty years before this was written, he'd have been dismissed as not understanding the duty of his birthright. Fifty years later and he's seen as a rich dolt who doesn't know a good thing when it hits him over the head. After nearly a century, I doubt there are many people left alive who still identify with the little weed and yet because he's an American Classic, we still read and have to pretend to appreciate about his insignificant angst. Anyone who answers that he is representative is either lying because they think that's the right answer or a throwback. However, just because we don't sympathize doesn't mean we can't understand the time period." Jane sat up and took the book in her own paws, opening it to a point near the beginning. "Let's start with the somewhat underdescribed boarding school..."
"Far be it from me to tell you two to actually do something," Victor said to the video gaming couple, "but it occurs to me that perhaps you should reconsider a certain offer made to you six months ago."
Mike turned, brushing his tail aside with his nose rather than let go of the controller. "What?"
"Since Susan is now joined up, you've lost a major reason not to pad your resume and bank accounts at the expense of your school."
"He's talking about us selling out and showing up to sports events." Jane said.
"I'd forgotten about that," Mike said.
"So had I."
"Now that I've reminded you, I'll let you two talk it over. It may be worth more than you think to accept." Victor straightened up from leaning on the sofa and left.
Jane paused the game and shifted to partially face Mike. "So?"
"What?"
"Do you want to do it?"
Mike pulled his tail around and hugged it. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like we have an image to keep up."
"And if all three of us go at the same time, we won't have to worry about abandoning each other. And we wouldn't risk much imagewise anyway. No one would know." Susan adjusted her ears. "We'd have to talk Susan into it, but what do you think?"
"Dad's right about the extra income." Mike replied.
"And I could probably use it on college applications." Jane continued.
"We're doing it, aren't we?"
"Not every day, wee man, but it would be an interesting way to pass a couple of days a week." She shrugged. "We'll set the terms and see if they accept. We still need to be able to do our homework and get in some decent downtime. Let's wait for Susan to get back and then we'll see. In the meantime," she said, turning back to the screen and digging her claws into the controller, "I think I was about to kick some ass."
"I'm still not sure why anyone would have a furmeet on a Tuesday." Mike said, pulling his rolling suitcase into Jane's room.
"I told you. It's Spring Break and we're getting a discount at the zoo."
"Did I ever tell you-"
"You, Victor and Mrs. Falkner, Mike." Jane interrupted. "Unless you're in the market for a new mate, I don't think that story is germane to what we're doing right now." She pulled her skirt down and shed her top, revealing the leotard underneath. Mike did likewise. "Why isn't Victor coming with us, anyway?" She asked, bending over to pick up her bodysuit.
"Mom can't get off until tomorrow," Mike said, opening his case. "She had trouble enough as it was, so dad figured he'd work through today as well."
"I'd hoped to spend some time with him." Jane said, turning around so that Mike could zip her up. "It's a good thing my mom is free to go with us today."
"I don't mind getting to know your parents." Mike replied, doing the same so that Jane could help him. "I think you know mine much better than I know yours."
"That's because you don't have a television in your room." Jane said, pulling on her hand and foot paws, then putting her leather vest on. She helped Mike with his newest acquisition, a dress with a split riding skirt so that Jamina would have enough mobility as they traveled the zoo. They carried their heads downstairs and settled themselves in the back seat of Jane's mother's car.
"Is everybody ready?" She asked.
"Yes, mom."
"Yes, Mrs. Hayworth."
"Then lets burn rubber!" As they pulled onto the highway, Jane's mother leaned back and depressed the accelerator, showing a momentary flash of white under her long skirt. That was when Mike noticed the truth of what he thought were long white sleeves on her blouse.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Hayworth." Mike said.
"Yes?"
"Are you joining us at the meet?"
The older Ms. Hayworth's eyes glinted merrily in the rear view mirror. "You mean in more than just my presence?" She took one hand off the wheel and passed something from the front seat back to Mike. It was a pair of bunny ears. He leaned forward to get a better look at the chair and saw the hand paws and strap on bunny tail. "I see."
"Modifying footed pajamas is a cheap way to join one's daughter and her boyfriend for a special occasion." She replied in her best Martha Stewart impression. "I thought about getting one of those really nice looking realistic bunny heads and matching paws, but this seemed a better alternative considering."
"I think I'd be embarrassed if I thought anyone would care." Jane said. "Or be able to say a word. Considering I'll be the toughest customer there with the loveliest creature on my arm," Jane put hers around Mike's middle.
"Marry that boy quick," Mrs. Hayworth replied. "I want to have a daughter to teach all my female secrets to before I go senile." She grinned at Mike. "I teach the girl sewing and she turns herself into a shaggy young man. I teach her to cook and she eats like a horse. I don't even want to know what she'd do with makeup lessons. At the very least, you'll clean up nicely."
"Mom!"
"Hey, a woman can hope, can't she?" She turned her eyes back to Mike. "You listen to me, kid, and I'll have her eating out of your hand."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Hayworth." Was all Mike could think to say.
"Pretty and polite." She sniffed. "Definitely worth teaching."
When they pulled into the parking lot, Mike and Jane worked on getting their heads on properly as Mrs. Hayworth carefully applied makeup to add whiskers to her face and highlight her eyes. She then put the white and pink bunny ears on over her long blonde hair and pulled on the handpaws. All three got out and as the two teens were checking each other over for the final time, she strapped the elastic band with the tail on it around her hips and pulled her skirt up over it.
The woman in the ticket booth didn't even bother asking, giving them the group rate for the furmeet as soon as they walked up. Those who had already arrived were gathered next to the first food court, less than a block inside the gate. Most weren't suited, but the profusion of ears, tails and proclamatory T-shirts made them easy to identify even without the handful with more than that on. Among them were a couple of canines, three felines, some bears and an otter. Even as they joined the throng, a bright green husky puppy and a raver-haired lemur followed behind.
More furs trickled in as the clock neared eleven and just as they were about to start their tour, Jamina caught sight of a familiar pair of bouncing fox ears. The ears were quickly followed by blonde hair and a slender of form with a fox tail that waved behind her, pointed straight up and almost touching her back and head. "Hi, Keila." Jamina called.
"Hi yourself!" She called back, catching up as the group moved out.
"You don't live in the area," Wortag said.
"I don't live in any major population zone," Keila countered. "It was a bit of a hike, but I felt like it." She grabbed on to the arm of a rotund man with a large mustache. "Have you ever met Cornelius?"
The span of the tour before lunch was spent with Keila running back and forth down the line of furs introducing them to one another - whether they liked it or not. For the most part by lunchtime they were far more comfortable and familiar with one another, if a little cool towards Keila. In fact, Cornelius was sitting at the table with Jamina, Wortag and Mrs. Hayworth, having struck up an acquaintance with Jane's mother, who found him one of the few people she could talk to without the conversation veering off into either the internal discussion of furry matters, having to worry that she wasn't being fully heard or hearing well through a layer of foam or being dismissed as the fur saw a particular favorite animal.
"A lot of us don't see each other very often, Mrs. Hayworth-" Cornelius said.
"Miranda, please."
"So we tend to be a bit exuberant when we do. I wondered if you were one of the brood. You didn't quite act like it, attire notwithstanding. You're with one of the younger ones, then?"
"She's my daughter," she replied, looking at Jane.
"A very lovely one she is, too," Cornelius replied, looking at Jamina.
Miranda's mouth hung open for only an instant before she recovered. "Yes," she said, still a little startled. "Yes," she repeated, her voice softening as she smiled at Jamina. "She is. Thank you."
Jamina managed to get Miranda alone momentarily outside the gibbon enclosure. "You didn't have to do that, Mrs. Hayworth. We're both used to it."
"I wanted to, dear. And call me mom. I think that even if you and Janie don't eventually work out that I wouldn't mind having you around."
"Isn't that a little quick?" Mike asked. "I mean, we've been going out for awhile, but-"
"My daughter has never been as happy or as well balanced as she is now. I think your parents would agree that you're good for each other." She put her hand on Jamina's back and pushed her towards Wortag. "Go on. I'll be along in a moment."
When they were back in Jane's room cleaning up, Mike said, "You must have had a remarkable childhood. Your mother is amazing."
"Are you referring, dear boy," Jane replied through a mouth full of handpaw, "to what happened at lunch?"
"Yes. I didn't see that coming."
"Few people see my mother coming." Jane said, kicking her feet off. "She's never where or what you expect her to be. I had no idea, for instance, that she'd made that outfit. She was very cute."
"Speaking of erratic relatives, are you going to be over tomorrow?" Mike asked, packing his tail away.
"Oh yes," Jane replied. "Your warnings will avail not. I will weather that storm with you and I will meet the ancestors of your progenitors."
"Jane!" Nora exclaimed. "How nice to see you looking so..."
"Conventional?" Jane replied.
"Yes." Nora smiled. "A knee-length skirt, nice shoes, a proper blouse and your hair brushed. No visible nonhuman parts."
"Thanks. Mom helped." Jane stepped past Nora and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch and said, "I figured I'd better look a little more presentable for Mike's grandparents."
"Granny Falkner will be disappointed. The rest will appreciate the gesture." Nora sat down next to Jane. "Victor and Mike are still getting ready. You can imagine how rarely either of them wear their fancy pants. Now, I know we've talked about them before, but I think I'd better give you some specific warnings. Let's see. My parents will probably be no trouble. Don't take anything my brother and dad say about medicine too seriously. They'll probably behave, so you'll be able to handle them pretty well.
"As for the General and Her Honor, he'll be fractious and she won't want to talk about it. Most of the war stories will be approximately true. If he starts to bore you, tell him you have to go to the bathroom. He'll get the message. The Honorable Mrs. Grant doesn't talk much. She says that she's had too many biographers bother her over her life to want to discuss any of it and she spent too much of her time in law to be able to talk about anything else. His sister and hers will likely be here. They'll probably be friendly enough but try to keep to whatever they're already talking about. I can't remember what either of them did, but they tended to live in their siblings' shadows and so they get a bit self-conscious if you ask them about their lives. Oh, I forgot. My uncle - dad's brother - might be here. Dad said he wasn't sure. Uncle Leo was a financier somewhere. He likes to talk about business, but like the General, he knows not to bore people too much.
"As for Granny Falkner-"
"I think I'd better pick up when it comes to mom." Victor said, trailing Mike into the room. "Mom makes me look normal nowadays. She used to be better with company, but she's gotten a little less flexible in old age. Don't say anything that might lead to embarrassment if through even the most convoluted reasoning such a conclusion can be reached. Mom has perfect recall and the analytical ability of Sherlock Holmes. Don't try to misdirect or use generalities to deflect a question. Answer completely, and don't be afraid to tell her that something is confidential. It won't stop the question, but she'll let you take her aside and explain why it's something you'd rather not discuss in front of everyone else." He was about to continue when the doorbell rang. "Just think fast and don't get scared."
Jane rose with the others and went to the door. "How serious are they?" She whispered to Mike.
"I wish I could say that they were exaggerating. If anything, they're playing down the dynamic." Victor turned the knob. "Here we go."
"What's everyone standing around for?" A tall man with graying hair asked, standing behind the group. "Are we expecting company?"
Nora turned quickly and enfolded the man in a hug. "David! You know how much I hate it when you do those magic tricks."
"Yeah, sis, but I couldn't help myself." He leaned forward and opened the door wider. "OK, dad, I'm done. You and mom can come up now."
"You come down and help us with the basket," Doctor Ned called back. "You know your mother and I can't carry it alone."
"They brought nosh. Here we go," Nora sighed.
"You know our folks," David said, walking by. "They never trust anyone to bring the food so they always take along far more than necessary. I'll handle it."
"It's going to be like the beginning of the Hobbit for awhile," Mike said. "Ned, Nancy and David at your service."
David returned along with a healthy looking older man and a smaller, rosy-cheeked woman. The two men had large coolers and Nancy was carrying an oversized basket full of candy. "I know, I know," she said, seeing Nora's expression. "But then again there will be quite a few of us." She surveyed their living room. "I'm not sure if we'll all fit, dear."
"Well, we can always get rid of one of the boxes," Ned said.
"Can't we get rid of one of the guests instead?" David asked. He put his cooler down in the kitchen and returned to the living room, followed by his parents. "Isn't there one person too many here?" He looked at Jane. "I thought I knew all three of our branches' relatives, but I don't remember you, I'm afraid."
"This is Jane," Nora said. "She's with Mike."
"Oh? Is it serious?"
"I should hope not!" Ned responded. "Put on your glasses, son. He's fifteen and she can't be a day under seventeen."
"All right." David said. "I just wondered. Pleased to meet you."
"I'm sure she's a very nice girl, since Mike picked her and you two accepted her." Nancy added. "How are you, dear?"
"Doing very well, thank you."
"That's nice. I think we'd better sit down." She did so and her side followed suit. Victor had barely hit the cushion when the doorbell rang again.
"Oin, sir, and Gloin, sir." Mike sighed.
"Don't bother getting up, dear." Nancy said as Jane started to rise. "You're as much a guest as we are, and we shouldn't crowd the hall." She sipped the tea she'd made while she was in the kitchen. "Especially if it's the General. You know how Remy tends to burst into a place. Well, I do anyway."
"Come on, boy!" A voice boomed from down the hall. "I said I'd be here at noon precisely and here I am!"
"Yes, sir."
"And don't call me 'sir'!" Major General Remy Armstrong Grant stormed into the living room. "What's the point in having precision timepieces connected to a central atomic clock if people don't show up at the blasted door when they're supposed to? Hey, kiddo!" He grabbed Mike and Jane could see her boyfriend's eyes pop out as Remy squeezed him. "I'd have brought you something, but those damn suits up in Washington made civilian ownership of assault rifles illegal again. I had to give it back."
"You know we don't approve," Nora said.
"Yeah I know, but I can't get him a cannon!" Remy laughed. "You'll have to join the infantry if you want artillery."
While Remy was talking, a slender woman with iron gray hair slipped past and sat down in an armchair next to Nancy. Nancy turned and said, "Hello, Tina."
"Hi," Judge Tina Grant replied. "I can see from everyone's expression that we arrived second."
"Yes. Dr. Falkner isn't here yet."
"Right." Tina leaned back and closed her eyes.
"Can I get you something?" Victor asked.
"No, thank you." Tina replied.
"Don't worry about the wife." Remy called from the kitchen. "She never could get used to long flights. I, on the other hand, could use something to eat. Thank goodness for your side of the family, aye girl? Where is that brother of yours, anyway, Ned?"
"Leo couldn't make it. Canada's been snowed in."
"Serves him right for leaving the country," Remy shouted back, rummaging through the cooler.
"When are your two siblings getting in?"
"Not until tomorrow. Sam's stuck in Wisconsin with a client and god knows what's got Bernice nailed down in Denver."
Tina yawned and opened her eyes, which focused on Jane with an intensity which transfixed the teen. "Who are you?"
"Jane Hayworth, ma'am. I'm Mike's girlfriend."
"Why did I not see you at Christmas?"
"I was away with my own family."
"They don't celebrate Easter?"
"My parents couldn't get off of work this year."
"I see." Tina closed her eyes and leaned back.
"Sorry about the wife," Remy said, standing behind the couch. "She never could grasp how to ask polite questions. Being grilled by her sometimes reminds me of the job those jaundiced - I mean, the Chinese - did during the battle of Fujian. Bad business, that one was. They'd gotten themselves dug in and -" Remy's narrative was interrupted by another ring at the door. "Finally."
Tina opened her eyes again, "She's here."
"I thought I noticed a fog rolling in," David said.
"Hush!" Nancy hissed. "Be polite. Alice isn't that bad."
"Don't worry," Victor said to a hesitant Nora. "I'll get it."
"I'll go with," Mike added, getting up from next to Jane. "I like Grandma Alice."
Jane was curious, so she got up and silently followed the other two to the door. Even at the very beginning, she wasn't disappointed. Dr. Falkner was a diminutive woman who peered up at Victor through thick lenses which had not been treated with anti-glare. Her straight white hair was cut short and held up with jeweled combs and pins. She handed a thick fuzzy jacket to Victor as she entered, revealing a large iron and jeweled medallion underneath, worn over a blouse, skirt and boots. Her unshod cane clacking on the floor with every step. Despite the walking aid, she was unbent and her first words to Victor were, "So, what's this you've been telling me about my grandson being a crossdresser?"
"Hi, mom," Victor said. "I don't recall telling you that."
"Of course you did." She said, making her way down the hall. "You told me that you finally took him to a con. Bloody about time. I had a flick through the photos and saw Jamina. The carriage was all wrong and she was in a masquerade entry that was both good and romantic. You have skill in neither."
"Oh yes. Now I remember." Victor replied.
"Anyway, I see the grandson in question in front of me." She embraced him lightly and put a minidrive into his hand. "Here. You and your dad should just have a look through this when we're all gone and it might make your act more convincing."
"I don't have the money-"
"Tosh! I designed it with off-the-shelf materials. Just you implement the design and you'll have a cheap and effective neural link to your extraneous appendages." She almost passed Jane before stopping and looking up at her. "And who is this?"
"Mom, this is Jane, she's-"
"Ah. Jane Hayworth. Alias Wortag. I didn't recognize you without the butch feminist garb and the tail. You look better with them. Then again, I suppose it's best to compromise one's lesser principles to fit in with that lot." She waved her cane towards the living room. "Of course, I'm eighty-five, so I get to be as ornery and direct as I like. You still have to worry about being accepted." She rummaged in her purse. "Now I know I had something for you, dear. Where is it? Ah!" She drew out a tiny flat band that looked like a decorative choker. "I don't know if you'll want it, but I analyzed your voice from records and your Wortag persona. This ought to come in handy sometime."
"I didn't know voice changers came that small, Dr. Falkner." Jane said, taking the item.
"They didn't, and please call me Alice."
"Mom, you shouldn't do these things." Victor said.
"What? Show up all those windbags who call themselves applied scientists these days? They ought to be ashamed, being less capable than a little old retired granny." Alice continued her progress towards the living room. "I take it that everyone else who is going to be here is?"
"You know they are."
"Good. I do so hate having to get up and greet people as they arrive. Since I'm the one with the hardest time getting up, I ought to be allowed not to have to."
"Which is exactly what's happening." Victor replied.
"As planned. Hello, all." She said as she entered. "Still caring for the infirm, Nora? Cut up any good babies lately, Ned? Same question to you, Mein Herr." This was aimed at Remy.
"Not in the mood to get along, Alice?" Nancy asked.
"That mood comes all the more seldom as the years pass." She smiled at Mike. "Then again, having a grandson has mellowed me. You didn't know me before Victor finally tied the knot. He was even considerate enough to get me one who was already half grown. I shudder to think what age I'd have been when the youngling became interesting had Victor tried things the old fashioned way."
"You've told us this before," Ned reminded her. "Finally running out of things to say?"
"You wish. Just for the benefit of the newest member of our menagerie. I like her, by the way."
"Oh dear god." Remy said. "That can only mean one thing."
"She's as strange as the boy?" Tina murmured.
"We'll take that as a compliment," Alice responded.
"I'm just glad we've never had to see your son in that cat costume of his," Remy said. "I'm all for freedom, but there are some things that are best kept in the home."
"You didn't escape for lack of my trying, General." Alice said. "If my son's going to be an exhibitionist furry, he shouldn't be ashamed to exhibit in front of family. It's good to have these things out in the open."
"I didn't have as much luck," Ned said to Remy, ignoring Alice. "You weren't here Christmas of thirty-two, were you?"
"You bet your ass I wasn't. The missus and I were skiing up north. Nice place. A lot of those girls about in the skimpy coats. I never know how they keep warm."
"Just don't call them by name," Tina sighed.
"You mean snow bunnies?" Victor said in a tone like his mother's. "Sorry," he continued, grinning at the expressions of those assembled, "but if you're going to refer to being unfortunate enough to see my cat costume, I get to have my own back."
"Go further," Alice said, having eased herself down in a chair and put her feet up on the table. "Put it on and make everyone equal. Remy shouldn't get away with not seeing it."
"Let's not go overboard." Nora replied, handing her a strong smelling drink. "You know that not everyone is comfortable with it."
"Of course I know," Alice said. As Nora passed her going back to her own chair, Alice said almost inaudibly, "You're getting more comfortable with it, as I recall. Badger, was it?"
Nora stiffened, then bent down as if to check Alice's drink. "How?"
"My son always buys from the same group of builders. I saw the one they were making for you in their gallery and it wasn't very hard to corroborate using tidbits from comments made on social media by my son, my grandson and his lady friend."
"You could be on posters for improved internet privacy standards."
"It wouldn't help." Alice said calmly. "Everything I see, I find in public places. Most of the time."
Nora sighed, but didn't pursue the matter further. She was going to be busy enough keeping everyone else in line. On her way to check in on Ned and Nancy, she stopped for a word with Victor and Mike. As long as one of them was with Alice at all times, their influence might keep things from blowing up too far. Just as long as Alice didn't do something with them.
Jane kicked off her shoes and flopped onto her sofa almost immediately after getting back to her own house. "I have another four days of that. No wonder they're all a little warped."
"Hard day at the Falkners'?" Miranda asked.
"Mom, you don't know the half of it." Jane said tiredly. "Between General Grant being hale and military, his wife nailing people with unexpected questions, Dr. Brooks asking his daughter when she's getting her masters and Dr. Falkner invading everyone's privacy with deduction alone, I'm totally beat. Nora - I mean Mrs. Falkner - spent all her time keeping her parents and Mike's paternals from getting carried away and it took both Mike and his father to keep Dr. Falkner from making trouble. I thought our family squabbles were bad."
"Be fair, hon.” Miranda said. "There are fifty percent more of them because of Mike's situation. Were they at least nice to you?"
"Very much so, and very interested as well." Jane said. She undid the choker she'd wrapped around her wrist. "Dr. Falkner even gave me this. A miniature voice changer. This was after she'd told me I looked better with a wolf tail and dressed like a butch feminist and asked Victor how Mike liked crossdressing. Apparently nothing escapes her. It doesn't matter how little you tell her, she learns everything."
"She sounds uncomfortable to be around."
"At least she's fair. She does that to everyone." Jane yawned. "I hope they've calmed down a little by tomorrow."
"Why don't you bring Wortag along?" Miranda asked. "At least that will keep them occupied for awhile."
"Nora's side didn't act like they'd be keen on that. Remy - General Grant - said that he was lucky to have never seen Saliaven."
"Ah, but there's a difference between a son-in-law or a stepson-in-law and a grandchild along with his girlfriend."
"OK, but I doubt they'll be interested. I don't even know how I'll introduce the idea. I can't get a word in with them."
"Hello, Jane. What are you hiding?" Alice asked, answering the door to Jane's ring.
"Hi, Dr. Falkner. Nothing of any importance to you." Jane looked inside. "Am I the second to arrive?"
"You are." Alice replied. "And in answer to your next question, I'm an early riser and a late traveler. Since I'm already in the vicinity, I got here first today."
Mike joined them, helping Jane with the box she'd brought with. "Are we causing trouble today?" He asked.
"No more than usual," Alice replied.
"I was talking to Jane. I'm not sure the others will appreciate this. Or even let you get past the first sentence with it."
"Oho, leave that one to me." Alice said.
"Please don't feel yourself compelled on our account or even for your own amusement," Mike replied.
"Are you trying to take away an old woman's last pleasure?"
"When it involves inflicting something on others, yes." Mike replied.
"I ought to disown you," Alice muttered.
"I have four others living and one dead, grandma Alice. All of whom are less trouble if less interesting." Mike replied, following Jane and the box into his room.
"Actually, mom thought that if it came from you, the elders might be more interested. Indulgence, interest and all that. After all, you're related to them. Victor isn't." Jane said.
"I doubt it," Mike said.
"I hope not!" Alice added.
"If you don't stop pestering the kids," Victor called from the kitchen, "I'm going to put you to work with me and Nora making breakfast for everyone!"
"Blackmail!" Alice hissed. She winked at the teenagers. "Don't worry, kiddo. Kiddoes. Is that a plurable term? Is 'plural' an adverbable word? Damn grammar. Anyway, I'm not totally without tact, no matter what your mother, father, congressman or that damned neurologist may say. I'll set it up so that not only will they agree to see you all prettied up, but ask for it." She left in a clatter of cane and long necklaces.
"I think she'd do well with an ominous cloak." Mike said.
"I used to have one, but it's hell when you can't get up enough speed to blow it out right! Blasted cane!" Alice called up the hall.
"Are there any normal people related to you?" Jane asked.
"Yeah, but they don't get much of a chance to say anything. Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Ned are actually quite nice, as are Leo and Fred - Remy and Tina's brothers. Unfortunately, between Remy, Tina and Alice, we don't really get much out of them. I think Alice grates on the other two the more because she reminds them of their respective superiors in the Feds. I mean, talking to her is like talking to the President. You never know what she knows or is going to say, but you're absolutely sure it's more than you want and nothing welcome. Add in the tendency to plot to make them do something they don't want to and it's exactly like a military or judicial person talking to a political type."
"At the rate you're analyzing your relatives; you'll make a good replacement." Jane laughed.
"I've had a lot of time to think. They've been like this since about ten minutes after Remy was introduced to Alice. Oh, and thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I have the intellect or bloody-mindedness." Mike had his hand on the doorknob when he closed it quietly. "If you want sheer speculation, I think the folks on dad's side knew the folks on dad's side, if you take my meaning. I've never been sure what Grandpa Martin did, but I think he was involved with some of the things that the military used during the wars thirty years ago. The grunts and the scientists never get along.”
“At least Susan will be able to join us this evening.”
“Oh great, ever more people to argue around the dinner table.” Mike said.
“I think she might get along with Alice.”
“If she does, she’ll be in a serious minority.” Mike sat on his bed. “It’s too bad we have to go back to that now.”
“It’s not that bad,” Jane replied.
“It’s tiring. For both of us.” Mike got up and clasped Jane’s hand. “Thanks for toughing it out with me.”
Jane seemed about to say something, but only smiled instead. “Don’t worry about it.”
By the time everyone had arrived and gotten settled, it was close to ten and several of the guests were complaining about the lateness but refusing to eat. This did not include Alice, who had already had a muffin and a bagel by the time everyone else started. When they were all seated, Alice said, “I hear that our youngest are going to get jobs at the school.”
“Oh, doing what?” Leo asked, seeming relieved at the conversation turning away from policy and issues of national importance.
“We haven’t decided to take it and we’d rather not say until the third person in our group is here.” Jane replied. “She’ll be joining us at the restaurant for dinner.”
“Deft,” Mike whispered to Jane.
“Thank you.” She replied.
Lunch was less structured and involved the family members getting up and finding what they could in the kitchen. Mike had cheese slices on crackers while Jane was building a large submarine sandwich. Alice was drinking something clear and strong smelling and chewing on nothing. “You’re going to spoil my fun yet, kiddoes.”
“That’s the idea, Mrs. Falkner,” Jane replied.
“I can spring it on them at dinner but not strongarm them into seeing everything because we’ll be out at a meal shack. Well done.”
“I’ll leave Wortag here overnight and if after a good night’s sleep, they’re still interested, I’m sure Susan can bring Solvezia.” Jane said.
“Bah. It’s a lot more fun my way. I get to see them uncomfortable, not braced by a rest and a think on the subject.”
“You could always buy your own and insist on wearing it through these events.” Jane replied. “I’m sure that would go over just fine from your perspective.”
Alice grumbled to herself but didn’t reply coherently.
Interesting Tines
Susan was waiting outside when the caravan arrived. “I thought we were meeting at seven.” She said as Mike and Jane escaped their car.
“We were, but things got further out of hand than expected,” Mike replied. “Grandma Alice decided to ask Grandma Tina why if we insisted on keeping capital punishment, it had to be ‘boring.’ It’s the first time in ages I remember her saying more than two sentences at a time.
“Ouch. So she’s actually that bad. I thought it was an exagg-“
“Holy mackerel! Susan Lynne Ch-arrgh.” Alice had gotten out of the car and was staring at Susan, who moved with a fluidity and speed Mike had never seen outside of Solvezia to grab his grandmother.
“Sorry, ma’am, but I was surprised. Your grandson speaks so highly of your intellect, I didn’t think you’d say that name loudly and on a crowded street.” Susan said, stepping back.
“More like you didn’t expect to be recognized.” Alice replied, brushing herself off. “If you’re going to get familiar, help me on to this curb. You kids can take this damp; I prefer to be under something.” She took Susan’s arm and leaned on her as they got under the awning. “I was surprised as well, to be honest, and that isn’t something that happens often these days.” She looked at Mike. “Your Susan is that Susan.”
“I thought you knew everything,” Mike said, grinning.
“When the youngest scion of that House vanished, I assumed they’d left the country, not settled down in the ‘burbs.” She turned back to Susan. “Your mother must have the most elaborate privacy service-. I mean, I figured I couldn’t follow them out of the country, but to double back-.” She took a deep breath. “Well done! How is the old man, anyway?”
“Still dead. We got lucky fifteen years ago and his cybernetics didn’t resurrect him in time, or so mom tells me. I was too young to go to his last funeral.”
“Yes, that was a bit of my and George’s early work. Not to upset you, dear, but I wasn’t putting my full effort into it anyway. I mean-“
“You don’t have to apologize, Mrs. Falkner. We were happy to finally be rid of him.”
“I thought that was a myth,” Mike said. “You mean he actually umm?”
“Yes,” Alice said. “Orders, you see. Don’t tell Remy, but there were one or two I and your grandfather had to take and that job was one of them. Nasty business. He was already a large part machine, so it wasn’t as radical as it sounds. Still, I resigned that day and went freelance. George stayed, but made it very clear to the Department that he wasn’t going to do that again. In a way it was a relief to both of us to build war machines after that. Killing seemed clean.” She looked over Jane’s shoulder. “And here’s everyone else. I think we’d better change the subject. As a matter of fact, it occurs to me that if I want to salvage any of my fun on this trip, I’d better leave you three to talk things over. I’ll just go and have a word with the sawbones.”
“Wow.” Susan said as Alice clattered over to Ned. “No wonder your father never shades the truth. That woman must have known everything he did before he even knew he was going to do it.” She shook her head and took a breath. “So, what does she think we need to talk about?”
“Well…” Jane started.
“It’s a bit…” Mike added.
Susan laughed. “Something that can embarrass you two. Let’s see. He can’t have knocked you up.”
“Susan!” Jane said.
“What? It’s the only thing I can think of that would make you act normal. Come on, before everyone sorts out their umbrellas.”
“Do you remember last Halloween?” Mike said.
“Do I ever! That was there the slippery slope started. I dressed as a bird there and here I am now, a panthrolf.”
“We got a job offer from the sports department,” Jane continued.
“Oh yes. Dancing like idiots to amuse the beer-swilling, pork engorged masses. I remember that quite distinctly. It was hilarious.” Susan said.
“We’re sort of thinking of doing it, actually. If they’re still interested.” Mike said.
“And we want you to join us. That was the big reason we didn’t before. Now that you’re involved, we can all do it and no one will know about it.” Jane finished.
Susan’s expression froze. She stood silent for almost a minute. “I see.” She said. “Yes, that could definitely be the sort of proposition one would be very sideways about and hesitant to make. I mean, the sort of person who would do this would have to have no pride. No commitment to the sort of aloof dignity we’ve scraped together over the years.”
“Susan, we’re geeks.” Jane said.
“Yes, but we’re damn proud geeks. We like having the lunch table to ourselves.” Susan took a very deep breath. “I mean, if word ever got out about this, there’s a serious risk of us becoming popular.”
“The mascot is never popular.” Mike said. “I don’t recall a single instance in current teen media of the mascot being afforded any more consideration than we get now. In fact, they’re often held in disdain. You’re thinking of cheerleaders.”
“Bucko, I try never to think of cheerleaders.” Susan replied. “Fine, so we probably won’t be popular. But we’ll be noticed.”
“Jamina, Wortag and Solvezia will be noticed.” Jane said. “Not us.”
They followed the elders into the restaurant, still talking quietly. “And what’s in it for me?” Susan asked. “I mean, I don’t have a huge amount of pocket money, but the embarrassment to money ratio can’t be that high.”
“The resume filler?” Jane asked.
“Hm.” Susan thought. “It’s true that the family name doesn’t open as many doors as it used to.”
“Imagine how bored you’ll be without us around.” Mike said. “We’ll be off on our job and you’ll be stuck at home.”
“You’d do it without me?”
“Well, we might, now that you have the option of joining us and refuse.” Jane said. “If you want further incentive, you might think about how we’re always complaining that sports budgets are too big and only benefit jocks. Now they’ll benefit us. We’ll also be doing such a brilliant job that we’ll steal the show from the cheerleaders. I’m sure that there are a million and one possibilities to this in terms of embarrassing people we don’t like. We’ll be inside people, too. Able to go places and know people we otherwise wouldn’t and possibly get an in so that we don’t do quite as badly on tests.”
“Prank possibilities, huh?” Susan replied. “I’m thinking about that. I can see a few good ones that we might be able to pull off with this. Like getting people all hot and bothered over the attractive mascots so that their friends will think they’re weird.”
“I’m not sure if I’d have gone with something that exploitive, but yes.” Mike said.
“I’m in.” Susan sat with the other two near the end of the table. Alice settled across from them.
“Excellent,” Alice said. “I’ll work it into conversation.”
“What’s going on?” Susan asked.
“Grandma’s been trying to work out a way to get them to accidentally agree to see us in our suits since they were so uncomfortable about dad.” Mike said. “She has a similar sense of humor to you.”
“That doesn’t make me feel very gung-ho when I’m part of such machinations.” Susan said. “Still, I suppose I’ll be more amused than they will be, so do whatever you want.”
Alice was already whispering to Victor, who rolled his eyes. It wasn’t until the first course was served, however, that Alice acted. “We have more to celebrate than our coming together this evening.”
“You mean the sacrifice of our lord on the cross?” Fred asked.
“Stuff him.” Alice replied. “I mean our youngest getting his first job.”
“Congratulations,” Nancy said. “Doing what?”
“The three of us are going to work for our high school.” Mike said.
“Getting a job at the school with your high school sweetheart and her friend.” Remy said. “How wholesome. Perhaps there’s something to be said for genes triumphing against upbringing after all.”
Alice smiled and opened her mouth but Susan got there first. “We’ll be using our own personal suits to act as mascots at events and sports.”
Ned looked at Alice. “I don’t know how you did it, but I know you did it.”
Tina, who had placidly been working her way through a beef carpaccio, said, “It sounds sensible enough to me. After all, it’s a constructive way of using what the rest of us may consider a strange quirk of personality. With careful wording, it could be an invaluable asset on what has become an extraordinarily competitive college stage, make money and improve the school’s image. I mean, Ned, that enjoying rummaging around inside of people isn’t a very good thing unless you’re a surgeon. Or an undertaker. And killing them en masse isn’t a particularly fun hobby unless you’re a career soldier. Compared to that, owning and enjoying the use of an animal costume is hardly something to chastise our young for, especially if they work out a way to turn it to their advantage.” She went back to her meal.
“Well, if you put it that way-“
“Now that I come to think of it-“
“You know, I wouldn’t mind seeing your routine if you have one planned.”
“It might be fun and we don’t have much planned for tomorrow.”
When the main course was set in front of Tina, she lifted a large amount of spaghetti, hiding her face from everyone except Alice. She winked and whispered,”You’re welcome.”
Alice fumed. “So much for me being clever. Outwitted by someone who rarely says more than six words.”
“Ah,” Jane said, grinning. “But it’s all about being the right six words.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on Wortag for me,” Jane said, sitting on the end of Mike’s bed. “I hate leaving him anywhere, but carting him back and forth seemed pointless.”
“That’s OK.” Mike replied from his chair in the corner.
“You have no idea what we’re going to do either, do you?” Susan asked.
“None whatsoever,” Mike said. He smiled at Jane. “Remind you of something?”
“Yes, except there aren’t enough people who’d get the references if we try now what we tried then.”
“We could do a soft paw,” Mike said.
“No! I’ve agreed to too much already,” Susan said. “I will not degrade myself to the level of the backup dancers for a third rate variety show.”
“Gymnastics?” Jane asked.
“I may look like I can, but you’re the only one who actually has any skill in that.” Susan said. “Perhaps we should think about what mascots usually do.”
“Jump up and down and act like idiots?” Mike asked.
“That’s not very fair,” Jane said.
“But accurate.” Susan countered. “It’s mostly just exuberance and crowd interaction, right?”
“Then we may as well do what we always do.” Jane said.
“Exactly my point.”
“Most mascots are silent.” Mike said.
“Good,” Jane replied. “That’ll be our special thing. It’s worth a try.”
“You know, I haven’t been this nervous getting suited up since I first met you,” Mike said. “It’s one thing to go out in public and another to do this in front of family.”
“Lucky thing it’s not my extended family.” Susan said. “One of them might take a potshot at you.” She got up and took the box she’d brought with. “I think I’ll change now. I have a feeling I’ll need the time.” She looked down the hall, “Or at least want it.”
Jane held up Jamina’s bodysuit. “We’d better get going ourselves or they’ll come in and bother us while we’re in the middle.” She put her arms around Mike and her face in his shoulder as he pulled the arms up. “You’re so soft, you almost make me want to be fluffy myself.”
Mike pushed the box with Wortag in it out from under his bed. “You’re fuzzy enough for me. I think our relationship can only handle so much fluff.” He bent over so his tail swung up and swept Jane’s jaw. “I definitely like being the bouncy one.”
Jane swatted Mike’s tail as it came up. “Enough!” She laughed. “Or Susan will finish first and walk in on us.”
Mike spun around and kissed Jane’s arm. “I don’t mind, querida! Let her come in. I don’t care who sees us.”
“Even Alice?”
Mike put his hands to his chest. “Low blow, carra mia.”
Jane pulled her bodysuit up and checked to make sure her tail was properly attached. “Mascot now, low blow later.”
Mike put his footpaws on. “I love it when you use double entendres. Say some more! Spotted dick! Extra-!”
Jane put a finger to his lips. “Really, I think we do have to hurry.”
“All right.” The rest of their preparation continued in silence. “Do you think they’ll care that we’re not of the same gender as we are?” Jamina asked, adjusting her muzzle and paws.
“Two girls and a guy walk in,” Wortag replied, “two girls and a guy walk out.” He checked himself in the mirror. “I hadn’t actually thought of that before. A bit late now. I think you can answer that better than me.”
“Grandma Alice knows,” Jamina said.
“Then they all will.”
“Dad can deal with her on the short term. As for the others…” Jamina trailed off. “I don’t think they’ll care if they figure it out. Honestly, I think as long as grandma Tina’s on our side through all of this, we’ll be OK.”
“She is quite persuasive when she feels like talking.” Wortag agreed.
There was a soft, muffled knock at the door. “Are you two decent?” Came Solvezia’s deep purr.
“Never,” Wortag replied. “Come on in.”
Solvezia entered, still tugging at her handpaws. “They don’t feel quite right today.”
Wortag looked at Solvezia’s wrists, having to take some time at it with his vision impaired. “The lines are contiguous, so you should be fine.” He said at last. He reached behind her and gave her zipper a quick pull. “That ought to help, though.”
“Thanks.” Solvezia took a deep breath. “Ready, then?”
“As ready as we can be.” Wortag replied.
“I’m actually starting to feel a bit better about it.” Jamina said.
“Then let’s go.” Solvezia said.
“Wait.” Wortag took his head off and gently removed Jamina’s. Jane put her grey-furred arms around Mike and kissed him, soft but deep. “I think we both needed that.”
“Spare a bit of encouragement for me?” Susan asked, Solvezia’s head under her arm.
“If you insist,” Jane said, grinning as she grabbed Susan and kissed her hard.
“Fwah, yuck!” Susan gasped when Jane pulled back.
“You know you love it rough,” Jane replied, still grinning.
“Maybe you didn’t mean her,” Mike said. “I don’t have much experience, but-“
“No, no!” Susan said, fumbling her head back on. “I think Jane made the point. Loose lips et cetera.”
“They didn’t seem that loose to me-“
“Shut up.”
The three filed in to the living room, where Mike’s family was sitting according to seniority, meaning that four of them were standing. They watched politely as Wortag, Jamina and Solvezia entered and stood in a row. “We don’t have anything planned,” Wortag said. “We only decided for sure yesterday.”
“That’s all right,” Nancy said. “You’ll probably be a big hit even as you are.”
“Do you think so?” Jamina asked.
“Sure, son.” Remy said. “When I went to school, all we had was a cheap looking lion who would have done better to keep his trap shut.”
“Ummm.” Solvezia said. “Did he just…?”
“It’s rather obvious,” Tina yawned. “All in the behavior. I could have almost predicted it.”
Remy tapped the side of his head. “Nobody asks whether generals have had their implants removed at retirement. Your infra-red profile and voice pattern are transparent to this thing.”
“As if I wouldn’t recognize my own grandson,” Nancy added.
“And I’m a bloody doctor. I know the difference between flesh and prosthetic.” Ned continued.
“Didn’t you once say you liked foxes?” Leo asked.
Wortag put his paws up. “OK, OK, I get it. Nothing can be hidden from any of you. I’m really glad I’m not related to you.”
“I admit I wouldn’t have predicted you, Susan.” Tina said. “But then again, don’t we all have a sexy beast trying to get out?”
Remy looked at her in silent astonishment.
“So you like it?” Jamina asked.
“Yes, yes!” Alice said. “They aren’t running, so they must enjoy it.”
“Why is Mike the only one with clothes on?” Ned asked.
“Jane’s wearing a vest.” Remy said. “A very serviceable one by the look of it.”
“I just like what it adds,” Jamina said. “I think it fleshes out the character.”
“And don’t we all like wearing fluffy gowns that make us feel pretty?” Tina added.
“Are you sure you’re my wife?” Remy asked.
“I’m no one’s wife.” Tina said.
“That’s better.”
Wortag put his muzzle to Jamina’s ear. “Score one for my mom.”
“Score several,” Jamina replied.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a mixture of good and bad natured argument, much like any other day. About an hour in, the youngest changed back into non-furry clothes and by the time they were out at dinner again, Leo and Fred were actually helping them with their routine. “We may not have won a war or unhooked Siamese twins,” Leo said, “but we were both in sports and we know what the crowd likes.” He winked at Mike. “They might like you a bit too much.”
“Last to arrive, last to leave.” Alice said Saturday afternoon. “I’m sure you’ll all welcome the day off.”
“Mom-“
“Don’t try that pleasantry. I might just stay on to teach you not to do that.” Alice looked at Mike, Jane and Susan. “It’s good to know that I’m leaving behind more than one person who can keep up with making the world a more meaningful place. After all, an unexpected event is one with more information, and so all of you are definitely making things interesting. Who knows, Jane? You may end up doing my good work when I’m gone.” With a clatter and a set of clunks, Alice was gone.
“You know, I never saw her car.” Jane said.
“It’s best not to ask how my mother gets places.” Victor said. “When it comes to mom, I don’t even rule out teleportation.”
“Did you ever have a chance?” Susan asked Mike.
“Not once mom fell in love, I didn’t.” Mike said.
“Even before that, you weren’t exactly mundane.” Nora said.
“True. Still, I’ve had more than dad ever did.”
“Yes.” Nora replied, putting her arm around Victor. “After spending a few minutes with your mother, I appreciated how well adjusted you are. Your father must have had a great deal of patience.”
“I don’t think it was patience.” Victor said. “He and mom were very well matched.”
Jane looked up at the sky. “Victor?”
“Yes.”
“Does Alice’s cane have an umbrella in it?”
“I think so. She likes to make things efficient. Why?”
Jane shook her head and closed the door. “I will never call my family weird ever again in my entire life.”
Uncompromising Celebration
By Paul Calhoun
In which our heroes find out that working for the school is more interesting than they'd expected. Introduction of yet another love interest for Susan.
Chapter 1:
Cheerleaders
Doctor Latz looked at the three teens sitting on the other side of his desk with a mixture of friendly interest and the low—level scholarly impatience that all high school teachers are legally required to have when talking to students. “You certainly took your time. I also don’t recall saying anything to Susan.”
“The situation has altered,” Susan replied.
“We weren’t too thrilled with the idea at first,” Michael Falkner elaborated. “Once Susan got her own, though, we changed our minds.”
“You mean you realized that you only have one more year before college and you need something to put on your applications.”
“A consideration for the two of us, but not him.” Jane Hayworth agreed.
Latz leaned back. “It’s a bit late in the school year to bring in a new mascot, not to mention three. We’ve got the state board exams in two weeks and summer break after that.”
“We see ourselves more as … a kind of cheerleader.” Jane said. “A mascot is someone who shows up on the merchandise. We’re more crowd oriented.”
“As for the timing, we thought that it might work better that way.” Mike continued. “After all, had we accepted your offer in October, we would have ended up going in with no plan or coordination. As it is, everyone involved can see our routine, decide what should go where and all that. I know how these things are. There’s likely something we’ll consider fine that the school won’t like. It’s the nature of the thing.”
“You have a point,” Dr. Latz said.
“Now, let’s talk remuneration,” Susan said, putting her hands on the desk. “What is our service worth to you?”
“You mean in money? Well, aren’t the college application benefits and club credits enough?”
Susan shook her head. “Sorry, no. If it were just our time, I might be willing to make a deal just on that, but there are other considerations. Wear and tear on costumes, for one thing. The mascot is owned by the school but we’re entering our own property into this. We should at least come out of this making cost for the upkeep.”
“Her lineage is showing,” Jane whispered to Mike.
“I suppose that’s reasonable. What did you have in mind?”
“Supplies are expensive and I’m sure since you’re in charge of activities you know how much your own costumes cost. As you are also well aware, ours are somewhat more advanced.” She tipped her head to the left. “I think we could manage at twenty—five per game. Each.”
“That’s a bit steep.”
“A drop in the bucket compared to what you’ll make on extra ticket sales, I’m sure. In fact, if you want to make it interesting you could instead offer us five percent each of all sales above last year’s. Adjusted for inflation, of course.”
“I think I’ll make it the flat sum.”
“Wise.” Susan reached into her bookbag. “I just happen to have some contracts written up here. You’ll excuse me if I also ask that we go across the street and have these notarized.”
“Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
“As I recall, this year’s prom release was five pages long and required notarization. At least our contract is shorter.”
***
“All I can say is ‘wow.’” Jane said, lying on her back with her tail underneath her, her paws behind her gray—eared head which hung off the bed. “I should make you a bulldog partial.”
“Don’t you dare,” Susan replied, choosing to wear only her ears to their daily gathering in Jane’s room. “I don’t think of it as being a bulldog. I think of it as being exactly what I am. A fe—lupine. Strike true and strike with precision.”
“For the Imperium and all that.” Mike said.
“I actually didn’t get that one,” Jane cut in. “Amazing. OK, references aside, you were magnificent in there. You actually got him to sign a notarized contract.”
“I got enough, right? I wasn’t actually sure how much we needed.”
“I think so.” Jane said. “As long as we’re careful we ought to be all right.”
“Good.”
Mike, who had been lying next to Jane on his front so that his tail could sway in the air behind him said, “I’m actually looking forward to our first meeting with the sports coordinator. I wonder if I can get a cheerleader uniform sized for me.”
“Oh man, I almost forgot!” Jane laughed. “We never did tell anyone who was whom. I bet Latz still thinks I’m the vixen and you’re the wolf.”
“Does that mean I get to change in the girls’ locker room?” Mike leered at Jane.
“Not on your life!” Jane rolled over and whacked his face with her tail. “We’re going to insist on some kind of separate changing area. We’ll need each others’ help anyway.”
“Since all that isn’t until next week, how about we do some more work on our routine this Saturday?” Mike asked. “It’s late enough that I haven’t got much homework. You?”
“We’re fine,” Susan said. “Sounds good to me.”
“In that case, I think there’s something long overdue.” Jane said.
“What?”
Jane pulled a pair of controllers out from under her bed. “Put your paws on. We’re playing furry Mario Kart.”
***
Solvezia, her muzzle between forefinger and thumb, surveyed her two co—performers. “You know what would look amazing? If Wortag cupped his hands and lifted Jamina into the air.”
“Not bloody likely,” Wortag said, shaking his head. “I’m not that strong and these paws aren’t that tough.”
“I’d be afraid of falling anyway.” Jamina agreed.
“Interaction is a good thing to base our performance on, but it would still be nice to have a routine,” Susan said, pulling her head partway off so she could drink straight from her water bottle.
Mike and Jane both sat backwards on chairs, pushing their own muzzles up to their foreheads. “You two could do cheerleader things while I did sports dude stuff.” Jane said.
“I suppose.” Susan replied.
“I understand,” Mike said. “You want something more creative. I think we’re just going to have to go out there and do what comes to us. Maybe the coordinator will have some ideas.”
“I hope so.” Susan replied. “I really want to do this right. Who is it that we’re seeing on Thursday, anyway?”
***
"Good afternoon, Mr. Toplofty." Jane said, shaking the sports coordinator's hand.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Hayworth." Galliant Toplofty responded. "And to all of you." He sat back down behind his desk and looked at each in turn. "Dr. Latz was very insistent that you three would be an asset to us. I'm not sure why we need three more mascots."
"With respect, sir, we're more than that." Susan said. "Our school mascot is a very good performer, but the school can only afford so much. Our methods and equipment allow us to do more. Besides," she said, trying not to smile, "our school is represented by a — forgive me — crude cartoon hawk. We can provide a more elegant product."
"And of course there's the obvious," Mike added. "Sometimes there's more than one game. We make it so that there's crowd interaction at more than one event."
"True," Toplofty replied. "And since Dr. Latz has already signed you, I have no reason not to work with you. I've heard of your appearance at our Halloween event, Mr. Falkner and Ms. Hayworth. I have not heard anything about you, Susan."
"We brought this along for just that reason," Mike said, placing his palm on the integrated video control. "May I?"
"Go ahead."
"Entry number twelve in the novice division." Mike said. On one wall, their masquerade entry with Susan played.
Toplofty nodded to himself as the video ended. "Interesting. I can see what you mean. There are some possibilities to it. How about this, then? We've got some informal meets going on through the summer. I'll start you out on the indoor sports and then we'll see how things go from there. Of course, we'll have to handle a few logistical difficulties."
"We understand," Mike said. "We had some suggestions about changing rooms."
"I would think you could use the locker rooms with the teams and cheerleaders."
"Not necessarily a good idea," Jane said. "We prefer to dress together since we're most familiar with our own costumes."
"That might pose a problem."
"Oh?" Susan said. "We have four locker rooms in this school. Three are ceded to female use. I'm sure the lingering spirits of the yoga and lacrosse gym will pardon our use of the small room on the south side of the gym."
"I suppose we can allow that as long as there's a sign. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of something else. For safety reasons our mascot is assigned an assistant. I think our insurance will insist that you have at least one."
"That might be a problem, sir." Mike said. "Our preparation —“
"I'm afraid this part is non—negotiable. We can't afford the problems if there's an incident."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Jane said.
"As a matter of fact, yes. One of our more ... enthusiastic extra—credit helpers. She's expressed some dissatisfaction with being one of the staff for the cheerleaders and I think she might enjoy your company more. Phoebe Grundle."
"Brown hair, big glasses, kind of on the small side?" Susan asked.
"That's her."
"If it's necessary, we won't argue. At least you won't have to worry about the coed factor, if that's a concern. We always wear plenty underneath."
"It had crossed my mind. I'll tell Phoebe. How about you meet with her over the weekend and come back to talk with me on Tuesday?"
"Sounds good to us. Thank you for your time." Susan said.
"So, what's this Phoebe like?" Jane asked on their way to the bus.
"At a guess, I'd say a submissive personality and genius intellect. I haven't actually met her. It's just that Phoebe is one of those names you grow into."
"You guessed what she looked like?" Mike said.
"Well, yeah."
"That's not very nice."
"I've already been accurate this far. Care to bet on it?"
"Enough, Susan." Jane said. "We'll see on Saturday. Her dissatisfaction with the cheerleaders is already a good sign. Let's hope she's also difficult to shock."
"Worried that we'll bruise her sensibilities, muscles?" Susan asked.
"We don't need someone going off half cocked." Jane replied. "Remember that no one in authority knows which one of us is which. If she is too surprised, she might say something she shouldn't to someone she oughtn't."
"As strange as it may seem, that's a valid concern." Mike said, putting his card through the bus reader. "We're a pretty progressive neighborhood but there are right—wingers everywhere. There's bound to be a parent who will react before they think and make a big deal out of it. Maybe we ought to tell Dr. Latz now."
"No," Jane said. "It's none of his business. Two girls and a guy go into the room, two girls and a guy walk out. It's none of his business if they aren't the same people."
"Mike has a point," Susan said. "You're right in as much as we have a right to privacy, but he has a right to know if trouble might come of this. I'm not too thrilled with a lie of omission that might cause that kind of harm."
Jane sighed. "I know, but if we tell him, he'll tell others and I don't trust the admins' discretion. We'll see Phoebe on Saturday and find out what kind of metal she's made from. If it looks like she's likely to shoot her mouth off, we'll head things off. If not, we sit on it for as long as we can. Or have you forgotten Halloween?" She said to Mike, eyes glittering.
"Oh, yes. The entertainment factor."
It was Susan's turn to sigh. "Fine. First sign that there's going to be a leak and I talk, though."
"We'll all go if it comes to that." Mike said.
"Agreed." Jane replied.
Mike laughed. "It is kind of funny to think of how the cheerleaders and Fashion Club will react. If we do a good job, we'll be popular and yet anonymous." He paused. "They're our biggest threat, then." He began to laugh even louder. "I can't believe I'm talking about threats to my secret identity. I've got a secret identity!"
"Not for long if you keep shouting like that." Susan observed drily. "I still can't believe I'm volunteering for something, though. Even if I am getting paid."
"None of us can," Jane said.
***
They had agreed to meet at Mike's house since it had the most space and fewest obviously strange decorations in the living room. Nora's influence had kept most of Victor's models in other parts of the house.
The doorbell rang at 11 AM almost precisely. "Score one for me." Susan said as Mike went to answer. "Compulsively conscientious."
"That's not a bad thing," Nora said.
Mike had to admit that at least in appearance, Susan was right. Phoebe had definitely grown into her name. Dark brown hair held back with a hairband fell straight down the pale blue blouse she had perfectly tucked into the darker blue skirt which itself fell to just below her knee. Just when Mike was expecting Mary Janes, he was surprised by the heeled sandals she wore. Bright green eyes made contact with his briefly before looking away. "Mike Falkner?" She asked.
"Oh, sorry. Come in." Mike said. "I'm Mike. There's Susan and Jane."
"I know them." Phoebe said. "They're in my math and history classes."
Jane looked briefly at Susan, who hid her surprise at having had classes with Phoebe by standing up and shaking her warmly by the hand. "Hi. Well, since you know us and have met Mike, how about we get to business?"
Phoebe nodded once. "Right."
"Can I get you a drink before you start?" Nora asked.
"No thanks, Mrs. Falkner," Phoebe replied. "I'd prefer to start now."
"You sound a little stiff," Mike said. "Is there something wrong?"
Phoebe shook her head. "Sorry. I'm so used to the cheerleaders."
"Let's hope we're easier to work with than them." Susan said.
"Most of them aren't so bad." Phoebe replied. "But there are a few..."
"Who are in it for the popularity." Jane finished. "I've met them."
They rolled their fursuit boxes into the living room. "I'm not sure what you'll be doing," Jane said. "We can pretty much handle everything ourselves."
"Before we start," Mike said, "there is one thing we'll definitely need. Your discretion."
"You mean that I won't tell people who you are?" Phoebe laughed. "Of course I won't! Nobody I like would care and no one who'd care is worth my time."
"You may feel differently soon." Susan said.
"Quit stalling," Phoebe replied, seeming to gain some confidence from their nervous behavior.
"Fine, fine." Jane said. "She's right; let's go." They removed the clothing covering their lycra undersuits and pulled out their respective bodysuits. The moment she saw Jane with gray fur and Mike with orange and black Phoebe's expression changed to understanding. "I see what you meant. Do Mr. Toplofty and Dr. Latz know?"
"No," Jane said, one leg clad in gray fur and the other still outside. "We felt that it wasn't ... Well, we know it's important and that he has a right to know, but we also have a right not to tell him. Does that make sense?"
"Not really, but I understand what you mean." Phoebe sat on the one unoccupied chair. "You know I have to tell Mr. Toplofty at least."
"He'll tell Dr. Latz, who'll tell Principal Harriman and so on and on until everyone and their sister know." Jane replied.
"Then once it's obvious the secret's out, we'll get canned as an image risk." Susan added. "If it makes you feel better, we've already agreed to tell all if it looks like things are leaking anyway."
"But it won't as long as I keep quiet, is that it?" Phoebe replied. "You might be right." She giggled. "I owe Mr. Toplofty for assigning me the cheerleaders anyway. Plus if it's an open secret that I'm assisting you, and then everyone who wants to know will focus on me rather than investigating independently. I know which airheads will be seething with jealousy and I know they're too small minded to try more than one approach at a time. As long as I resist, they won't think to look elsewhere. AP Psych." She said, looking at the amazed faces. "What? Did you think I was completely in the administrations' pocket? Maybe I was at first, but this teacher's pet is growing up. I'll probably still be the first to tell Mr. Toplofty if it looks like things are going south, but for the time being you can count on me. Satisfied?"
"Quite," Susan said. She stood, the bottom half of her bodysuit already on. She turned her back to Phoebe. "I note three performers and four sets of hands. Would you mind?"
Phoebe tugged on the suit as Susan got her arms into the suit's and pulled the zipper up for her as Mike and Jane helped each other. The zipper stuck slightly as it reached the top and Phoebe braced one hand on Susan's hip to keep the suit steady as she finished. Susan felt Phoebe's hand tighten and her other hand fall down to her other hip. "This fur really feels good." She said, her hand lingering. As Susan turned her head, Phoebe seemed to start and fall backward. "I'm sorry!" She said.
"No, I understand,” Susan replied. "It is really soft," she continued, putting her own still human hand on her sides. She forebore from saying that Phoebe's touch had been pretty pleasant as well. She saw that Mike and Jane had already put on their hand and foot paws and were staring at her. She cleared her throat. "Yes. Let's continue." She put her own paws on, checking to make sure that the twisting pattern of the suit was unbroken. Phoebe, meanwhile, was standing slightly apart trying not to look at Susan.
The three put their heads on and by the time they had all made the final adjustments Phoebe seemed to have recovered. Jamina bent down to rummage in her fursuit case. "I wish I'd remembered to ask for a cheerleader uniform." She said, pulling a sleeveless top and a short skirt out. "A bit full," she said, looking at the skirt. "But it'll do for now." She pulled the top on and stepped into the skirt, looking appraisingly at Solvezia. "I think you'd do better in shorts rather than a skirt."
"You think?" Solvezia asked, twisting around and running her hands along her sides. "Hmm. I believe you're right. What do you think, Phebes?" She asked, turning to Phoebe.
Phoebe gulped. "I think you'd look good in anything, your voices —”
"We forgot!" Jamina said. "Yes, it's better for our characters if we sound right. Me and Solvezia use machines."
"I'm just good at sounding tough." Wortag finished. "Thanks, by the way, for the compliment. I helped build Solvezia."
"You all look amazing," Phoebe said, gratefully taking the out Jane was offering. "Her eyes are the same?"
"Some of my dad's doing," Mike said. "Meanwhile," Jamina added, "I think you would look good in a football or baseball uniform. Not so sure about soccer or basketball." She said to Wortag.
Wortag sniffed. "Is that supposed to be a comment on my size?"
Jamina put her arms around Wortag. "You're my big wolfy hunk!"
Phoebe, meanwhile, had been circling the three of them. "Sizing will be a problem. Do you have a tape measure?"
"I'll get it," Nora said and returned momentarily with the item.
"Let's see." Phoebe took the tape and wrapped it around Wortag's waist, moving on to his legs, arms, back and covering every possible line and angle. She went surprisingly swiftly and rather than protest or question, Wortag merely stood still. When Phoebe finished, she pulled a notebook out of her bag and wrote the figures down. She opened what looked like a magazine and compared the numbers. "Yes. We'll definitely need something custom made if only to account for your tail. Ladies?"
Jamina stretched her arms out and stood with her legs apart. "Go for it." She giggled slightly as Phoebe criss—crossed her body with the tape and looked with interest over her shoulder as Phoebe put the figures in next to Wortag's. Phoebe paged through the booklet again, finally nodding to herself as she closed it. "You're on the tall side, but I think we can do something for you. It helps that you're slender for a — pardon me — male. If the top turns out a little short, that's fine because it makes room for the tail and I think you'd agree that the audience won't mind seeing your midriff."
"Not at all." Jamina said, a little taken aback by Phoebe's brisk and businesslike air.
Phoebe cleared her throat and seemed to be struggling with something. Finally she said, "I hope you don't mind the question. What are your breasts made of?"
"Umm." Jamina was as embarrassed to be asked as Phoebe had been asking. "I'm not sure. You'll have to ask dad..."
"Polyfill core with a ball bearing layer for weight and an outer layer of thick rubber for texture and movement." Victor called from the kitchen. "I know I could have done better over the years but at the time it was the best there was and it's done the job so I never bothered to change."
"So she doesn't need support?" Phoebe called back.
"No, you're fine without." Victor replied. "I never wore one and neither has Mike. It holds up pretty well on its own."
"Right, good." Phoebe circled several items and looked up.
Solvezia was already standing with her arms out and did not comment when Phoebe took a little longer on her. "Before you ask, yes, there is some extra and they're standard silicone. Support is built in." She jumped up and down to prove her point.
Phoebe looked at her book. "You said you'd prefer shorts?"
"Jamina did, but I agree."
"Hmmm..." Phoebe circled one thing and then looked Solvezia up and down again. "I think we'll go with an intentional halter top on you. It fits your image." She smiled wryly. "Experience with the cheerleaders pays off after all." She closed her book and rolled up the tape measure, putting it on the coffee table. "I'll let Dr. Latz know. He does all the expenditures for the department."
"Do you think we'll need to wear our suits when we meet with Mr. Toplofty?" Jane asked, pushing her muzzle up.
"Only if you want to," Phoebe replied, shaking her head. "I'll also see about some other gear when I'm talking to him. If that drink is still on, I wouldn't mind one."
"I'll go," Jamina said. She filled the cups and got out the straws. "Who's going to stay in?"
"Might as well," Solvezia said. "While we're all tarted up, we ought to go out."
Wortag grunted his assent, pulling his muzzle back down.
Jamina took out three straws and rejoined the group. Phoebe nodded to herself. "I thought so. I'll add that to the list. Water bottles, straws and that," she said, seeing Solvezia's curious glance. When she'd finished her drink, she got up. "I should go."
"Wait," Solvezia said. "Do you mind a word privately?" Phoebe looked apprehensive but nodded. Solvezia looked at Jamina. "Mind if I use your room?"
"Go ahead."
When they'd entered and Solvezia closed the door, Susan took her head off and sat on the end of Mike's bed. "Please," she said, motioning to a space next to her. When Phoebe had settled herself, Susan said, "I prefer to be direct and get to these things as soon as possible. I take it that you're ... attracted to me?"
"Umm," Phoebe looked down. "Not quite. Your suit. It's beautiful."
Susan was taken aback. Not sure what to say, she let the silence grow. Finally she said, "So..."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Phoebe said, putting her hand on Susan's knee. "I'm sure you're a great person, but I'm not a lesbian." Susan looked meaningfully at the hand that was still resting on her knee. Phoebe snatched it back. "It's complicated," she said. "I've never felt exactly like this before. I've had crushes on guys, I mean who hasn't? I've never really thought about liking a girl that way. I still don't. I — I don't know what it is."
Susan rose. "Stand up for a moment." Phoebe looked confused but complied. "You're a little smaller than I am. Let's see." She pulled her handpaws off and turned her back to Phoebe. "Unzip, please?"
Phoebe pulled the zipper down and Susan wriggled out of the suit. "Here." She held it out to Phoebe. "I'll help you in."
"But I'm not dressed for it."
"That's OK for now. I note that you don't object to putting it on." Susan grinned as Phoebe sighed and allowed herself to be helped into the bodysuit. She shuddered as Susan pulled the zipper up and put the handpaws and head on. "Everything feel all right in there?" Susan asked.
"It's a little hot," Solvezia's voice replied in Phoebe's tone. She sighed when Susan clicked the nose and turned on the hidden fan.
Susan grasped Phoebe by the shoulders and turned her towards the mirror. "How do you feel now?"
The slightly rumpled Solvezia stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before going into a series of poses. "I want to leap at the mirror," she said. "I know what you were thinking and thank you for the experience. I feel marvelous. I also, however, feel an enormous attraction to myself right now. I think I'm attracted to the suit, not the feeling of being in it." She took the head off and carefully gave it back to Susan. "Thanks again. I don't know how to thank you. You barely know me."
Susan shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You've already done plenty for us. I also felt obliged to find out. As I said, I like to deal with things as soon as I can." She spun the head around and looked into its now motionless eyes. "So, you have an admirer."
"If it makes you feel better, I was a lot more affected by you in it than me."
Susan laughed. "I think it does. Thank you. I'd better get you out of that before someone comes in and gets the wrong idea." She put the head on and winked at Phoebe.
Chapter 2:
Celebrities
"Thanks for the lift." Mike said, getting out of the car and going to the trunk for his fursuit.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you," Victor said.
"Me too." Nora agreed. "Though these tickets are a bit expensive. You don't think you could get us a discount, could you?"
"I'm not even sure I want you here at all!" Mike laughed. "I'm nervous as it is."
"Well, now you can feel nervous with us around. Did you think we were going to miss this?"
"No, mom. I take it the Hayworth's will be there too?"
"You bet your fluffy tail they are." Victor replied. "We even got Susan's mother to show up. She was a little put off by the fact it's an indoor lacrosse game, but we convinced her that if she just watched you three that it would be a valuable cultural experience."
"There they are now," Mike said. "I'll see you afterwards."
"Have a good time now!"
Susan had shared the back seat of Jane's car with her mother and it took a moment for them to haul their boxes out of the overflowing trunk. The thunder of wheels on asphalt had been what clued Mike to their approach.
"So, our big debut," Mike said lamely.
Jane smiled. "I'm not sure whether to feel elated, exhilarated or terrified either."
"I'm putting on a fursuit and dancing for strangers in the service of school spirit," Susan said. "I think astonishment is appropriate."
"Let's get inside before our parents start to push us." Jane replied.
They found Phoebe already inside the small locker room they'd been given. She'd set up drinks, three tall fans and had laid out the cheerleader uniforms for Mike and Susan next to the lacrosse jersey and shorts for Jane. "I haven't had much trouble with the cheerleader outfit for Mike and you're just getting standard gear Susan. Jane, I'm still waiting on a reply on the football stuff but basketball, lacrosse and soccer came in already. I'll give you the other two when you're done tonight." While they were unpacking and arranging their suits, Phoebe continued her briefing. "There's no hurry to get ready tonight. Dr. Latz and Mr. Toplofty decided that since you were a new thing that we'd wait until halftime or whatever it's called before introducing you. I know you were talking about crowd interaction but Mr. Toplofty says to be careful it doesn't go too far. Apparently there are still people who remember an incident over twenty years ago when a halftime got too racy. Somehow I doubt you were going to do anything like that."
"We'll keep it in mind," Jane said drily.
"There's nothing planned for after that, but we want to know how long you can manage indoors, so stay out for however long you feel comfortable. Since you're going on late and probably leaving early we won't have a problem with getting in and out but it may become an issue later. This locker room doesn't have a direct path to the arena so we have to go by way of the cheerleaders' space."
"If I'd known we were going to have to wait, I'd have brought cards." Susan said.
"I can go and find some if you want," Phoebe replied. "I was thinking of going to get a brush anyway. There's no point in wasting the time."
"That's OK, Phoebe. I'm sure we can entertain ourselves."
"Before you go," Jane said, "don't go too far afield for the brush. I know we have the time but I'd feel bad about you going all over the place. That said, it would have to be a very gentle brush. Our fur doesn't grow back."
"Thanks for the concern. I won't go too far and if I don't find something in the school to use, I'll see if I can get it as equipment. Be right back."
"I could get used to having an assistant." Jane said.
"I'm still not too comfortable with the idea." Susan said.
"It didn't exactly float my boat at first, but she's really good!" Mike said.
"Yeah. I think there's something more complicated than discomfort with being assigned a gopher, though." Jane said, looking sidelong at Susan. "So? What's the deal?"
"Well..." Susan looked at the door as if expecting Phoebe to come back in at any moment. "I'm not sure I should be the one telling you about this. Then again, you saw plenty and probably came to the wrong conclusion."
"When it comes to the three of us, I try not to come to conclusions." Jane said. "I did once with Mike. Imagine how much greater the embarrassment would have been when it turned out we went to the same school."
Susan took a deep breath. "It's like this. Phoebe is... She's sort of... She's in love with Solvezia. Or at least strongly attracted. She says she's never been interested in girls before."
"Not an uncommon phenomenon. At least loving the character but not the player," Mike said, getting a surprised look from Jane. "What? I've been in the fandom for almost six years even if mom wasn't comfortable with me going to cons until a year ago. I know the score pretty well."
"He's right," Jane said. "Solvezia is a very compelling personality. In addition to being close to the cutting edge of performance technology, she was also created by a mind already trained in eliciting intended reactions and constructed by someone with experience in maintaining an illusion. I'm less worried for you than for her. You've got some experience in the field and us to help. She's probably never had to forcibly separate her fantasies from her reality. It doesn't help that your performance blurs that distinction."
"Isn't this like when I got Solvezia, then? Won't she get used to it?"
"Not necessarily," Jane said. "You own Solvezia. You could wear the suit when you wanted and define the character as you needed. She'll be working with you, but she'll see you on your own terms. There won't be the doubts or the feeling ridiculous of someone getting into character. She'll be on the outside looking in.
"I don't want to go overboard, but that's how I see it. She's got a strong mind and probably can work her way through on her own, but I think we owe her friendship, empathy and emotional assistance. She's already gone beyond what she needed to do for the sports department and did a personal favor by not bringing our gender issue to admin. Plus we put her in this position even if we didn't know we would."
"OK, OK. I know I'm the one who'll have to bring it up." Susan said. "When you say 'we' you mean I start the ball rolling and you give me support. Excuse me if I wait until after we've finished for the day."
"I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait. I mean, should we be getting ready?"
"Let's wait for Phoebe," Jane replied.
Phoebe returned fifteen minutes later with a very bristly brush and a portable hotspot. "At least I can get you a connection in here," she said.
"You're doing so much tonight that I wonder what you'll be doing in our next appearance." Jane said.
"It's always good to be prepared. Is this a good brush?"
Jane ran it through her own hair several times and looked at it. "It's not picking anything up and mine is in worse shape than Wortag's. Seems fine to me."
"You'll be on in about forty—five minutes."
"That gives us about fifteen before we have to get ready." Mike said. "Stratagema?"
"Ugh. I never know how you can like that thing." Jane replied.
"I think I'd better check on my mom," Susan said. "I've heard Lacrosse is a pretty vicious game. I need to make sure she knows we'll be in soon and she can uncover her eyes."
When Phoebe let them know it was time, they began getting into their bodysuits. Before they put on their hand or foot paws, the three tried on their uniforms for the first time. Mike found that the top of his cheerleader uniform reached to just above where his navel was under the orange belly fur of his suit. This meant that once he'd tucked the short skirt just under his tail, the tail moved as freely as it did when he wore his specially tailored dresses or nothing at all.
Susan's own outfit clung to her chest, leaving everything just below her fur covered breasts down to her tail unclad. The shorts were as tight as the top and would have left little to the imagination if not for the fact that her suit was padded down there almost as much as Mike's, so in fact the shorts added to the impression of curves.
Jane had been given a jersey and shorts sized to her larger frame. They hung as loosely on her as they would on one of the players outside. As she pulled the jersey over her head, Mike laughed. "What?"
"Your player number is forty—two." Mike replied.
Jane looked quizzically at Phoebe. "I'm surprised you knew that."
"It's my job."
"You're going to make one fearsome executive one day."
"I actually want to be a teacher." Phoebe replied, looking down.
"You'll have the best behaved class in the county." Susan said.
They put on their paws and heads and looked at the clock. Still fifteen minutes to go. Jamina jumped up and down experimentally and did a few twirls and kicks. "I feel so perky!"
Wortag doubled over with laughter as Jamina continued to try to make letters with her body. "It's too bad you don't have pom—poms."
"I've got my tail!" Jamina replied, pulling it around and gesturing with the end. "On the other hand, it might not be such a bad idea."
"If you want, I'll see if I can procure some for next time." Phoebe said.
"It can't hurt." Solvezia said. "We could both practice and see if they would help. Although perhaps my proper accessory would be a boa or feather fans."
"Down girl!" Wortag laughed. "Remember we aren't supposed to be too suggestive."
"If they leap at me, it's hardly my problem now is it?" Solvezia sniffed.
"Time to go," Phoebe interjected. "We need to get you to the door with at least five minutes to spare."
They padded through a door in the back of the locker room and through a narrow hall. On the other end was another door leading into a larger locker room. Clothes and bags littered the floor, being watched by a bored looking platinum blonde in shorts and a cast. "Make way for the furball brigade." She said. "Oh, and one ingrate traitor."
"Darci." Phoebe said, not stopping.
"Jealous?" Solvezia asked, putting her hand on her hip.
"Of a costumed weirdo?" The injured cheerleader glared at Solvezia. "You're probably one of those unfortunate ugly girls who sit in the corner of the lunchroom. Why else would you have to hide your face?"
"I might be," Solvezia said. "But think about it this way, what if I'm not? Why are we making our first appearance at a lacrosse game? Maybe I'm a member of the Fashion Club and he's a football player." She pointed to Wortag.
"Please. Football players only date cheerleaders and I'd know."
Jamina put her arm around Wortag. "I'm dating him. Do you know where all the cheerleaders were last Halloween? I remember seeing you at the party, but did you see everyone else? Fashion Club members would never come to a lacrosse game and neither would football players. We could be anyone." She twitched her skirt with one paw. "Funny, I could be you. Imagine if a rumor went around that you didn't break your leg at practice last month but pretended to so you could slip into a vixen suit and join your boyfriend in entertaining the crowd." With a last swish of her skirt, Jamina followed the others out of the room.
"Nice one," Wortag said. "The logic of what you two said is just poisonous enough to be believable but not so convoluted that no one would believe a Fashion Club member would come up with it. I'm not sure I like spreading rumors though."
"I'm not going to say a word," Jamina said. "She'll do the work for us. That poor girl will ask her friends in a nervous way whether they heard the rumor or try to violently deny it. Either way, they'll hear it from her first and spread it themselves. It's close to summer vacation, so the rumor will not have been proved either way before we go on break. By the time break is over, people will come back to school with the idea as fact. It's not fair to her and I'm sure what she said will be echoed by others. Then again, she said it to our faces — figuratively speaking — and that kind of poisonous attitude is hardly deserved by us."
"If the self—congratulations and moral debate are over, you're almost on," Phoebe said. They were in a wider hallway now with double doors right in front of them. They could see bright lights leaking from between the doors. "The cheerleaders will do a routine first and then you'll be introduced. When it's time, I'll give you the signal and open the doors. Do your thing for maybe five minutes and then the game will start again. I'll open the door and give you a sign when that's supposed to happen. You can go on for as long as you like on the sidelines and I'll be waiting here when you start to feel your limit."
A moment later there was a loud buzzer and an announcer calling half time and introducing the cheer squad. All the four in the hallway could hear of that was an unfocused soprano beat. When this ended, Phoebe opened the doors. "You'll be announced in a moment so get ready."
"That was Fredrich Von Brussels High School's own cheerleader squad. Now a special event. For the first time ever we are excited to introduce a trio of students who we think will really liven things up. Give a big welcome to Jamina, Solvezia and Wortag!"
It was more than the normal performance in suit. The moment they stepped onto the polished court, every trace of Mike was gone. Only Jamina remained and even she was caught up in the rush she felt when she looked out at the crowd cheering and clapping at the sight of the three costumed teens. Jamina bounced up and down, skipping to the center of the court. She saw their parents in the crowd and waved for a moment before Wortag picked her up and twirled her. "Steady, Mike," she heard Jane whsiper. "Remember our secret identities."
Jamina nodded and then giggled. "Is everyone here having a good time?" She called into the audience and received a roar in return. She put her arm around Wortag and watched as Solvezia did the light gymnastic routine she'd been practicing. When Solvezia had finished, she danced with Wortag. Solvezia leaned over and said, "Phoebe says one more minute."
Jamina spied a cheerleader who had put her pom—poms down and left to get a drink. Scooping them up, she threw one to Solvezia and held her hand, the other holding the pom—pom as Solvezia did the same. They waved them and threw them back. Wortag, meanwhile, had leaned over the railing and was having a conversation with a girl Mike recognized from one of his classes. Not to be outdone, but she and Solvezia sat on either side of a pair of the lacrosse players and said a few things Jamina couldn't remember later on. They contrived to look disappointed when their 'boyfriends' had to get up to go back to the game, but cheered from near the doors as the game started again. When their team scored a point, Jamina jumped up and down and hugged Wortag as Solvezia struck a pose. They hung on for another ten minutes, reacting to scores on both sides with the appropriate movements and cheers before ducking back through the doors. Before they could go a step, Phoebe had stuck straws through all three of their muzzles and pressed the cups into their hands. "Can't have anyone passing out on their first show, can we?" She asked as she guided them back. The injured cheerleader threw them a look but Wortag just made a rude gesture for the three of them and kept walking.
By the time they'd shed and cleaned their suits and recovered by draining their cups several times the game had ended. They met their parents outside and took their praise with tired but dignified acceptance. Susan's mother said it was worth sitting through that violence to see her. On their way back, Mike leaned into the front seat and asked, "Why didn't you wear Saliaven or Thrakmon, by the way?"
"Upstaging is for when you're established." Victor said. "Maybe this fall."
The next day conversation in the hallways was about their appearance and little else. Most of the male students were arguing over which of the two females was better looking and who the wolf might have been. The females were mainly trying to ferret out the identities of all three and strenuously denying any hint that it might have been them or their boyfriends there. This continued into an argument between many of the couples when the females found out that the males were attracted to 'those hairy things.'
Naturally Mike, Jane and Susan were left out of these conversations as they were never invited to chat gossip and never wanted to. The looked on with some amusement as a remarkably loud fight ensued when one of the Fashion Club noted that the cheerleader with the broken foot had not been seen at all during the game and that her cast would have easily fit into an oversized paw. This was met by the cheerleaders defending their injured member and asking how many members of the Fashion Club had been seen and where the day before. By the end of that, both sides were suspicious of the other and half of their own, and had stalked off with a gleam in their eye to interrogate their respective boyfriends. Just in case. All of them had descended on Phoebe at one time or another, but all she would say was, "Of course I know who they are. Anyone with half a brain could figure it out without my help. It's just so obvious."
Since she was ex—cheerleader staff, that only made the Fashion Club more suspicious. Given the circumstances of her resignation, the cheerleaders were all the more sure it wasn't any of them. The injured cheerleader and the one who had been gone and had her pom—poms borrowed were interrogated mercilessly by their friends but then defended if asked anything by anyone else.
"We've really got the hornets angry now," Susan observed at lunch.
"Good." Jane said. "The longer they stay that way the better off we are. It's too bad we can't eat with Phoebe, though."
"I don't like hanging out with the honor society anyway." Susan said.
"And we can't be seen with her too much or people would guess." Mike added. "None of us quite fit the profiles, but the witch—hunt won't be too discriminatory if it can find a scapegoat."
"The witches hunting the witches," Jane said under her breath.
"I could limp a little at the next game if you want," Mike said.
"No," Jane grinned. "I think this summer will be fun enough without intentionally causing trouble."
Epilogue:
Indecision
"Hello, Susan," Phoebe said. "Where's everyone else?"
"I thought it would be good if we talked alone," Susan said. "Please come in."
Phoebe looked around as they ascended the stairs towards Susan's room. "This place is —"
"A moldering old ruin?" Susan asked. "Mom's taste."
"It's romantic!" Phoebe said. "It's like being in a history book."
Susan opened the door to her room. "I hope you like this as much."
Phoebe stood silent, her eyes running over the wall opposite Susan's bed. Susan quietly closed the door and stood behind her. "So this affects you as well?"
Phoebe's eyes were locked on the array of paintings, drawings and other assorted images of Solvezia. "She's so beautiful."
"You can see why I like to become her." Susan said. "Though I'm sure you understood that already. I'm glad you appreciate my inner beauty." That was enough to make Phoebe turn towards her. "I couldn't make myself over into anything that isn't a part of me. Not for the first and maybe only suit. I've spent my life climbing around old temples and traveling through every kind of nature. I've often wished I could feel more comfortable padding through forests or up ziggurats that may as well be rocky hills. Solvezia is at home in those places as much as she is with her demonstrative emotion. She's attractive, knows it and lets everyone else know it."
"But you're—" Phoebe began.
"I know I'm not too hard to look at. I've had a relationship or two even this early. Like Mike and Jane's, my other side is really just a larger than life version of me. Me with the traits I like best in myself magnified." She shook her head. "This isn't about me. It's you. Maybe this has helped but the question remains. What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Phoebe shrugged. "Maybe just ignore it."
"When you work with her, help her dress, see her out there every game we do? You may be that strong, but it is not fair to make you do that."
"It seems we're at an impasse then." Phoebe said. "I am not going to stop being your handler just because I'm attracted to Solvezia." Her tone was ironic. "Trust me; I can handle myself too."
"It would look weird if we went on a date like that."
Phoebe tilted her head. "Maybe in most places, but we both know there are some we could go."
"Now listen here! I'm not going to go out with you if I have to wear a fursuit to every single one!"
Phoebe laughed, "Think of it as being properly dressed for the occasion."
"There's a difference! You wouldn't be dating me in a fancy skirt. You'd be dating a character I portray with me just along for the ride."
"Be consistent, Susan. You said yourself that Solvezia is the idealized you. Don't you want to put your best face on for a date?"
"Not when that face has whiskers!" Susan was laughing by this point herself.
"Fine. I'm straight anyway."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
"You three weirdoes don't have a monopoly on being unique." Phoebe said.
"That's for sure." Susan agreed.
"This doesn't really fix our problem."
"I know."
"I guess I could be bi."
"And maybe I could go as far as joining you at a certain club I know that I can wear Solvezia to. As long as the second date is gloves and a tail at most."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt."
"Saturday night?"
"Love to."
"I'll see you there." Susan reached up and pulled down a printout of Solvezia sitting on a hilltop and looking at the moon. "Here. Maybe she’ll have a companion soon."
By Paul Calhoun
Dear reader: The events of the next story will show that this short (which was de-canoned even as I thought of it) could not occur before at least two years from the one previous to it. Much like Unexpected Good's epilogue, this is more of a vague possibility than anything else. For reference, the two following images which don't belong to me were the catalyst if not inspiration for this story:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/Chiscringle/marisama_ja...
by Marisama
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/Chiscringle/Cerberus.jp...
From Sticky-Site, and I don't know who actually drew it.
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Jane put her arms around the colossal mass of creamy yellow fur. "This thing is huge," she said unnecessarily. "More like a plush than a suit."
Mike rubbed the suit's padded flank. "It sure is."
Jane's eyes sparkled as she looked at Mike. "I love it."
Mike laughed. "I thought you might."
Jane put her arm around Mike. "Especially considering how it wears." She patted the flank. "Who's first in back?"
Mike returned the embrace. "I thought we'd roll for it."
"Sounds fair," Jane replied. "I can't believe your mom went for it, though."
Mike shrugged. "I think she liked the concept for some of the same reasons you did. Plus it gives her some quality close time with the girlfriend of her son."
Jane sat on the bed and picked up one of the narrow canine heads that rested next to the suit. "My folks weren't quite so keen on having me in there with you. When they found out your parents were joining us, they cooled off, though. Are you sure having one person in back is enough? It takes three in front."
Mike unzipped the front of the suit and opened it up to show her the inside. "It narrows subtly, and the person in the middle in front takes up less space than the right and left ones since they aren't taking a leg. Two could squeeze in back, but it takes one comfortably."
Jane wriggled in and tried to move the back legs. "I guess I could do it."
"Are you volunteering for the first shift?"
"Let's see how the die falls."
Victor, Nora, Mike and Jane stood in their undersuits and Susan in the blue-furred body of the anthropomorphic wolf she was going to the party as that night. "I can't believe I let you con me into this," she said to Jane as she put her toony, happy faced wolf head on the couch of Victor's house. "No one had better recognize me."
"Don't worry," Jane said. "No one will. Now help us with this."
They'd already thrown the four-sided die and Victor had lost. He was going to be in back and so Nora had taken middle. "I think we'd all prefer to have him see my butt rather than either of your two."
Victor lay on his back and wiggled into the suit's back legs, his body bending so that his front would be in the main body of the costume. Mike took the left side with his left leg in that of the costume's and his right leg bent up and onto a pad in the suit's body. He pushed his head out of the leftmost hole in the front of the suit's. Jane followed on the right and finally Nora lay back and stuck her head through the front, the rest of her body laid out through the suit's body, her legs on either side of Victor's head. Victor shifted his body and put his hands on his wife's rear. "Much better."
Nora squirmed and looked back at the expansive flank of the suit. "Get off."
Susan grasped the zipper on the belly of the upside-down canine and pulled it up before Victor could answer. She helped the giant dog right itself and then carefully placed the identical lupine heads on the three front occupants. She put identical red collars around the seam between the costume's heads and body and then clipped a three-ended lead to the loops on the collars. She gave them a lopsided smile as she pulled the blue wolf head onto her own face. "Heel."
The giant dog on the end of the leash lurched forward and fell over with the muffled swears of its four occupants, the helpless Nora not the least. Susan's laughter was quite audible from the inside of her own suit and the dog's right head lifted and Jane's glare was evident even through her canine visage. "Help us up, you idiot." Susan didn't stop laughing as she once again righted the giant dog.
"All right," Victor said, his voice coming from somewhere near the dog's middle. "A dog walks with both front and back moving on either side simultaneously. So me and Jane first, then me and Mike and so on from there. Nora," the middle head squeaked as Victor did something invisibly from inside the suit. "Stay frosty."
The middle head craned around and Nora tried to give a sharp glance to the dog's flank. "Hit him with a newspaper for me, will you?"
Mike said, "Walk first, then revenge."
The dog's next attempt at locomotion was more successful, and the giant plush Cerberus managed to get almost to the door before the left front leg got tangled in the lead and the entire animal almost fell over again.
"Sorry!" Susan said as she rushed in front of the dog. "I forgot. Is everyone all right? Are we ready?"
"Ready," four voices said from various locations.
Jane gathered up the lead in her paws. "Let's go walkies, then."
***
There was no way that Cerberus was going to fit in a car, so Susan led her new colossal pet to the party hall on the sidewalk. It wasn't very far, but they encountered a great many people on their way, with varying results. The littler kids usually crossed to the other side of the street well before Cerberus passed, and plenty of adults just walked by. Still, quite a few pedestrians stopped Cerberus and its wolf keeper to compliment them on their costumes. Cerberus was pet and patted and stroked by several, and as another admirer continued on his way, the middle head said quietly, "This is a little embarrassing. When they pet the costume's back, they touch a rather embarrassing part of my body."
Susan laughed. "All four of you are going to be in the middle by the end. So everyone's going to have their butt touched by strangers."
The giant dog and its keeper was a big hit at the party, mostly friends or friends of friends of Victor and Nora. Susan found herself asked to dance by several people, and Cerberus got a big laugh from the crowd when the giant canine tried to sit on his haunches like a normal dog would and ended up flailing and shouting in four voices. They even applauded when the beast lay down on his belly and the three heads all drank from straws given to them by their lupine keeper. After half an hour, Jane took Cerberus to a small room off the main hall with a lock, where she helped the various occupants of the dog to get out, massage their sore parts and then climb back into the costume, this time with Nora in back, Victor resting his legs in the middle and the two teens still on either side. She also took the opportunity to cool herself off briefly.
Nora had a better gait than Victor, and the dog managed to join a dance or two for another half hour, when Mike was shuffled into the back, Jane into the center and the two adults into either side. They were tired by then, and spent the next half hour before another shuffle socializing. The other attendees loved talking to the wolf keeper and the dog with three indpendent heads.
When it was finally Jane's turn to go in back, with Mike taking the center from her, all five decided it was about time to go. The streets were less crowded than earlier, and only a handful of late trick-or-treaters stopped to hug the wolf or pet the dog.
On arrival at Mike's house, Susan sank into a chair, taking her head and handpaws off, and fanning her face. "That was tiring," she said, pulling her curly tail out from underneath her.
The dog had collapsed with its heads on the floor. The middle one raised itself and said, "You said it. Come on, get these heads off us."
Susan grinned and got up. Patting the middle head, she walked by and filled a glass of water. "I don't know," she said, walking back to the dog. "I could certainly use a guard dog with the brains of four people."
The left head - Nora - said, "Susan..."
Susan sighed. "You always were a commanding presence, Ms. Falkner." She undid the collar and pulled her head off. "Fine."
The other occupants of Cerberus were freed in turn and five people sat in various places in the living room, one still wearing most of her costume, the others looking at the empty hulk of theirs. Mike said, "That was fun."
Jane said, "Yeah, but not easily repeatable. It's not simple to find four people willing to all get into that thing." She leaned over and put her arm around Mike. "Much as I loved being in there with you."
Nora said, "I think I'll stick to individuals." She took her turn to embrace her partner. "Or at least in twos."
Susan stood and put her head under her arm. "This looks like it's going to turn into a family moment. I think I'll hightail it out of here." She grinned, turned and bent over, her tail sticking up behind her. "Get it? High tail?"
Jane threw a pillow at her friend's behind, almost knocking her over. "Get out of here!" After Susan had left, Jane said, "You know, in the sitcom of our lives, she's turning out to be the quirky uncle with a heart of gold."
Victor said, "I don't think I want to think about that too hard. I might start hearing schmultzy music playing whenever I learn a bittersweet lesson."
"Does that happen often?" Jane asked.
"Not really, but it might start happening to you two. High school sweethearts and all that."
"I really don't want to think about that," Mike replied.
"Enough," Nora said. "Let's enjoy the rest of the evening. The fire's burning, we have each other. Enough meta-reality philosophy for one night." They relaxed in the warm glow, enjoying each other's company.
"Since when did we have a fireplace?" Victor asked at last.