Welland Revisited - Ch.14 - Fox Fashion & Feelings (Patreon)

=::= Beth's PoV =::=

"Check it out!" Jenny grinned as the ball of light hovered above her hand. "It's almost as big as an apple!"

My girlfriend had a wide smile on her face too, and her big floofy tail was swishing back and forth as she held up her own glowing light-ball. "Same here! This is so cool!"

Mom asked, "I hope you girls didn't stay up all night working on that? When did you go to bed?"

I was reading a wiki page about foxes on my phone, but I responded without looking up. "Amanda and Sadie and the others went home around ten o'clock, and I think the three of us turned in by ten thirty."

My big sisters and their girlfriends made a show of that, they all teleported home one at a time while Tally watched. It wasn't as impressive for me and Jenny since we'd seen that kind of thing before, but my girlfriend was amazed.

The exciting part was knowing me and Tally and Jen would be learning that kind of thing someday too. Until then, we had the light spell and that was pretty neat on its own.

I was trying not to let on how excited I really was about it, but after we all went to bed last night I stayed up another hour or two casting the spell over and over under the blankets. Watching it burst into a couple little sparkles was almost as cool as conjuring it up in the first place, and I actually lost count of how many times I cast the spell only to poke it a second later just to watch it pop.

When breakfast was ready mom put a platter of pancakes and a plate of bacon on the table. Me and Jenny already had glasses of juice in front of us, and Tally had water. Mom grabbed her coffee off the counter then finally joined us at the table.

"Breakfast time girls," she stated, "So that's enough magic for now. And Bethany, no phones at the table."

I sighed and put my phone aside while Jen and Tally cancelled their spells. As we all started eating I asked, "Are you feeling better today mom?"

She nodded, "A little bit. If I can get through the day without any major new headaches I think I'll probably survive."

"Surviving is good," I smiled. "So I hope there aren't any big headaches today."

Mom smiled back, "Thanks Beth."

After breakfast we all pitched in and helped tidy up, then it was time to go. Before we headed out to the mini-van mom reminded us all in no uncertain terms that magic was absolutely prohibited outside of the house. Then we call got in the car, Jen and mom were in the front seats while me and Tally got into the back.

I had to stifle a giggle as my girlfriend had some trouble getting herself sorted out in the seat, and I finally had to help her out.

She held her tail to one side while I straightened out her skirt, then I explained "Getting into a car with a skirt on isn't quite like wearing pants Tally. For that matter, chairs and stuff are going to be a bit different too. When we get to school I'll give you some quick pointers before class ok?"

She was blushing brightly, "Thanks Beth. I had no idea..."

"It's ok," I giggled. "You look super cute, and that makes up for any fashion malfunctions."

Her cheeks stayed just as bright, but she added a happy grin in response to my compliment.

When we got to the school we had a few minutes before class, so I took Tally to the library and into a study booth for some quick private lessons.

I was wearing pants like usual, but I pretended and demonstrated how to sweep her skirt straight as she sat down. I also pointed out that she needed to keep her knees together and not let her legs spread apart while she slouched down in her seat. 

Tally got the hang of it pretty fast, but she was still blushing about the whole thing.

After she got that sorted out I explained how to get into a car with a skirt on. Except I added a disclaimer, "Obviously I don't have experience doing that with a tail, but I think it should be fine."

"Thanks Beth," she said as the two of us left the library. "I probably would have figured that stuff out eventually, but I really appreciate the tips."

Her cheeks remained red, and she had a wide smile on her face as we walked through the halls towards our first class. 

She looked great. The skirt she picked was about knee-length, in black with a splash of colour in an asymmetrical zig-zag pattern. She matched it with a cute wine-coloured blouse. The outfit would have been perfect if she had some mary-janes or even kitten heels on her feet, but her new black sneakers would do for now.

"We have to get you some make-up Tal," I commented as we reached our class. "Plum lipstick would look awesome with those clothes."

The idea made her blush get brighter while her smile got wider. Unfortunately we couldn't talk more about clothes and make-up and fashion and stuff, the bell rang as we got to our desks.

I kept an eye on her as she sat down, and I was happy to note she remembered to sweep her skirt under her as she got into her chair. She still needed to adjust things afterwards though, and I did my best not to giggle as I realized she focused on her skirt and forgot to position her tail.

Then the teacher started talking and I had to pay attention to that boring stuff instead.

Our morning classes went by slowly, but they were ok. Tally had to introduce herself to a couple more teachers but that went well. There were some whispered comments and stares from other students, but I didn't see anyone giving her a rough time or anything.

After our second class we headed to the cafeteria. They didn't have any pizza today which was tragic, so I had to make do with a sandwich. Tally got the same, except she was drinking water again while I had a soda. Then out in the lunch room I started looking around to see if my sister was waiting for us. 

"Woah Tally!" Steve said as he approached from off to the side. He was staring wide-eyed at my girlfriend, and I figured he was probably about to say something silly about the skirt.

"Hi Steve," Tally replied as she blushed. 

Her buddy was definitely checking her out, and he wasn't even smooth enough to try and hide it. He was still staring with wide eyes as he gestured "Wanna sit with me? I've got a spot over there."

My girlfriend suddenly got a look on her face like a deer in the headlights. Like she was literally just asked to choose between her best friend and her girlfriend kind of thing.

At the same time I finally spotted Jenny, so I gave Tally a smile and said "Go hang out with your friend. You and I can chill together after school, plus we'll be having dinner together."

"Thanks Beth," Tally seemed relieved that I made the decision for her and let her off the hook. "I'll catch up with you later."

I watched as she followed Steve over to his table and sat down with him, before I made my way to where my sister was sitting. As I took my seat across from Jen my eyes drifted back over to Tally and Steve, and I found myself staring.

"Jealous much?" Jenny teased. "I can almost guarantee he's not going to steal her away from you."

My cheeks were burning as I finally turned to face my sister. I scoffed, "I know that. Tally's not into guys. And even if she was, Steve's not exactly much of a looker."

Jen laughed, "Hate to break it to you sis but neither was Tally. Not till she turned herself into a cute little foxgirl."

I glared at her as I struggled to regain my composure, then tried to ignore both my sister and my girlfriend. I pulled out my phone and started reading instead, while I munched on my sandwich.

The two of us ate quietly for a while, till Jenny asked "Whatcha reading about sis?"

"Foxes," I replied without thinking. "Says here they're omnivores, but with a strong preference to a more carnivorous diet if they can get it."

"Huh," she responded. "What's it say about keeping them as pets? Can foxes be tamed, or trained?"

I scrolled a bit more then replied, "There's a bit on domestication but not much. I've seen some other websites that talked about keeping pet foxes though. Why?"

She shrugged, "I just figured if you were worried about Tally wandering off, maybe you could put a collar on her? Maybe get her trained?"

I looked up from my phone as my cheeks went bright red once more, and Jenny almost collapsed in a fit of giggling.

"Seriously though sis," she said once she stopped laughing, "Why are you reading up on foxes? Wanna learn proper care and feeding techniques for your girlfriend?"

My cheeks were still burning as I put my phone away. I glared at Jen and replied, "I'm just sharing Tally's interest. She likes foxes enough to turn herself into a foxgirl, so I want to learn about them as well."

She rolled her eyes, "If you say so."

I finished the last of my lunch then glanced over towards Tally and Steve again. My girlfriend was still sitting across from her friend, but now there was a third person with them. Sienna was standing next to their table, they were talking with Tally while Steve looked kind of awkward and uncomfortable.

That almost made me smile. He was a bit of an awkward loner like Tally used to be, and he obviously didn't know how to react to having a pair of attractive fox-kin hanging around him.

I continued watching, and after a minute or so Sienna continued on their way. They probably just stopped for a quick chat, to see how Tally was doing.

Eventually our lunch period ended, and while I tried not to stare too much I did end up watching my girlfriend more than I wanted to admit.

And when she and her buddy got up from the table, I saw her gesture towards her skirt right before she did a little twirl. She had a cute goofy embarrassed grin on her face, while Steve looked equal parts awkward and interested. And he couldn't resist checking her out again.

"Skirt goes spinny," Jenny commented as she got to her feet as well.

I turned towards her, "Huh?"

My sister shrugged, "It's a meme, a trans girl thing. First time out in a skirt, you have to do a twirl. You have to make the skirt go spinny."

"Oh," I frowned slightly. 

Considering I'd never heard of that before and had no idea what it was, I definitely wasn't sad or jealous that Tally had her 'skirt goes spinny' moment with someone else instead of with me.

By that point it was time to get moving, so I pushed all that stuff out of my mind as we headed to our next classes.

At the end of the day I met up with Jenny again at our lockers, then the two of us went and found Tally as she finished up at her own locker. Finally the three of us headed out the front doors, where mom was waiting with the mini-van as usual.

Jen climbed in the front while me and Tally got into the middle row. And I couldn't resist playing with my girlfriend's tail during the short drive home. She bit her lower lip as she relaxed while I grinned and stroked her floof.

When we got home the four of us went into the house, me and Tally and Jen all headed up to our rooms to dump our backpacks. Then as we headed back downstairs, mom asked my girlfriend "Tally can I speak with you a moment please?"

I followed her into the kitchen to see what mom wanted, while Jenny went into the living-room and turned on the TV.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table and she gave me a brief look. Like she wanted to speak with Tally, not Tally and Beth. But she didn't actually tell me to leave so I sat down next to my girlfriend.

"Your father called me at work today," mom told my girlfriend.

Tally tensed up immediately. She asked nervously, "What did he want?"

Mom replied, "He wanted to know how you were doing, if you were ok with us. And he wanted to know if he and your mom could come and see you."

"Did he say why they wanted to see me?" my girlfriend asked warily.

Mom had a sort of patient sympathetic smile as she responded, "They're your parents hon. They're worried about you."

I could tell my girlfriend was uptight and anxious. She asked, "Are they going to come here? Or...do we have to go there?"

"Neither," mom said as she shook her head. "It's best if we do that at a safe neutral location, so we'll meet with them at QSAW. Not tonight though, we'll see them on Saturday afternoon."

I took Tally's hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze as I told her, "It'll be ok Tal. Mom's good at this stuff, she knows what she's doing."

My girlfriend nodded slowly, "Ok... I guess I don't have a choice."

"Of course you do Tally," mom said. "If you really don't want to see them, nobody will force you."

Tally looked a little surprised, but grateful for that. She grimaced, then finally sighed "I should still see them though, right?"

Mom nodded, "I think it's best if you meet with them. I'll be there with you, you won't have to speak with them alone."

After a minute or so to think it over she finally agreed, "Ok Ms. Watson. I'll see them."

*** This chapter comes courtesy of Jess who commissioned it! ***