After AnimeCon: Kelly and Christine (Patreon)

    As Stephanie hopped on over to speak with Rebecca, Kelly took some time to look around and soak in the surroundings as she stood off to the side and brushed out her hair with the brush Emily had brought back up for them. It was warm out already but there was plenty of shade and a breeze. The woods out here felt alive when the branches and boughs rustled overhead and the green thickets of fern fronds all around the camp waved in the wind. She really was a city girl at heart, but she didn’t dislike being out here in the forest; it was a novel experience. Though she had been camping and slept in tents three or four times in the past, she would be embarrassed to admit that none of them had been out in nature or even particularly away from civilization.

    Just overnight excursions at big outdoor concerts. Music festivals. And I guess that one time at that beach, Kelly thought. This was cool, though. We should try and do this again sometime soon. Enjoy all this OUTDOORSY stuff, under less strenuous circumstances.

    It might have been a weird take away from all of this, but aside from the confrontation and big showdown with Chloe last night where emotions had been running high, Kelly thought that this trip had been fun. She was among really good company here, and she simply enjoyed spending time with all of them. Emily was a cutie and someone she could banter back and forth with, without having to fret too much about that devolving into actual mean-spirited drama or bitching and bickering. After all, they were already pretty comfortable sharing everything that was important to them, so how much did that even leave to fight over? Rebecca was… cool? That girl came from some weird dowdy bygone era Sunday School Cowgirl background that was impossibly different from Kelly’s own life experiences, but then Rebecca turned out to be kind, laid back, and down to earth rather than ever being preachy or judgemental.

    Stephanie was as always an adorable cinnamon bun. It wasn’t surprising how easy it was to keep falling in love with Stephanie all over again… but it was a little scary realizing how much sway over her the girl held. When Stephanie had started scolding her and Emily for being their typical non communicative fuckup selves who buried their problems instead of working on them, it felt like some deep part of Kelly really just sobered up and listened carefully.

    She didn’t do that, ever.

    Not with her past boyfriends or girlfriends, not with her parents, certainly not with any of her past bosses or managers. No one. That was weird. After a lifetime of immediately bucking back against any and every authority figure, or concerned party that might maybe seem like they were telling Kelly what to do or how to live her life… along comes this innocent angel of a girl. Then suddenly it’s a case of being told to jump, and Kelly eagerly asking how high. 

    Truth be told, she still harbored fears about fighting someday with Brian. All of Kelly’s past relationships had been rife with drama because she was so quick to butt heads with guys over any insignificant agreement. That hadn’t happened yet with Brian, really, but some cynical part of her still expected that to come at some point. Not because she didn’t love him—to her surprise she truly, honestly did love him. She just knew better than to trust herself from not fucking things up eventually.

    But then also, Brian was a total fucking hunk.

    Sometimes she would be looking at him again and the sheer salivating attraction there felt like it was creating weird feedback loops where she would blank out on feeling slighted or angry with him over whatever petty nonsense was at hand. Moreover, his good-natured, even wholesome attitude that had seemed off-putting back when she first met him now was honestly… comforting and reassuring. He was such stark contrast with the asshole guys just looking to score drugs or get into her pants that Kelly used to hang out with, and it was really amazing to realize how much of that stress had just… dropped out of her life, here.

    I thought I wasn’t into ‘good guys,’ Kelly wanted to laugh at her past self. But, fuck—BAD BOYS don’t measure up to him, even though he’s a so-called ‘good guy.’ He’s not even a good guy, he’s a fucking GREAT guy. Like, holy shit did I really luck out by just kind of stumbling into all of this.

    Kelly watched with interest as Emily tromped up to join Rebecca and Stephanie’s conversation over on the other side of the clearing. Emily’s arms were crossed and she looked annoyed, but then less than a minute later the expressive Latina was rolling her shoulders and wearing a devilish grin as they chatted—then the girl yelped and darted back as Rebecca swiped a playful swat in her direction. Emily was just enjoyable to look at, her own pocket-sized girlfriend to make eyes at. From her shaggy pixie-cut hair to her mischievous cheeks, the small bumps of her breasts in that shirt and her other mischievous cheeks, and that cute butt that was still waggling about just clad in panties.

    Panties and then just wearing sneakers really accentuates the whole CUTE TOMBOY thing, Kelly decided. Really want to encourage her to start wearing skimpier tops, too—Emily keeps just going with tee shirts but I want to see her shoulders and back more often. Maybe see if I can convince her to start just going around in sports bras or something, show some tummy. 

    The firepit itself had been doused with water and was now putting off a smoldering column of steam that was drifting off at a lazy angle through the air, and Brian was crouched down there and scrubbing his arms with soap.

    Brian had a small, contented smile on, he was listening in on whatever the girls were saying over there and kept turning his head in their direction. It didn’t escape Kelly’s notice that he’d ensured his body was facing the other way from them—the bandage was off, and while shielded from view of the girls he was very carefully massaging soap into the bite wound from last night with his fingers. She approved of his thoroughness in cleaning it out again, as well as his discretion. Calling attention to what he was doing would just have the others start to worry and fuss over it on reflex, which would then stir up more guilt from Christine.

    Their new silver-haired companion was lingering about the doorway of the ramshackle ‘cabin’ and pretending to tidy up the last of the cast off odds and ends strewn about there. Christine seemed to be in the most difficult situation this morning, tense and hesitant amid the group and not really knowing what to do with herself. Aside from a few of Rebecca’s awkward, smothering attempts to mother the girl, no one seemed to know what to do with her now. Brian and Emily had both made an effort but also had heaps of baggage there, and then Stephanie fell prey to all of the dissonant vibes in the air and was practically having mood swings today.

    “Hey, Christine!” Kelly called over. “What are you doing?”

    “I’m—” Christine paused as if to consider if she was doing anything wrong. “Nothing. Trying to help. Looking for something to do. I’d like to just. Keep busy.”

    “Then, you’re free right now?” Kelly asked, sauntering over to join the girl.

    “Of course,” Christine answered. “What do you need me to do?”

    “I’ve decided that I’m going to torment you,” Kelly teased, hooking her arm through Christine’s. “Seems like the best way to start gettin’ to know each other a little better.”

    “Okay,” Christine agreed without question, simply glancing down at their entwined arms.

    “No arguments from you there, I see?” Kelly asked in a low voice. “You’re down with a little torment?”

    “Of course not,” Christine said. “I deserve it.”

    “What if I want to torment you with affection?” Kelly arched an eyebrow, flicking her bright red bangs free from her face with her other hand. “To torment you with kindness?”

    “I certainly don’t deserve that,” Christine responded in the same monotone.

    “You really don’t think so,” Kelly said, feeling a warm smile grow across her features. “I can tell. C’mon—I think everyone’s wrapping up. Walk with me.”

    Christine was adept at hiding whatever suffering and angst she might be going through—but at such an intimate distance there were a few tells. Warning her of kindness or affection might as well have been a naked threat—menacing words that had Christine ever so slightly clenching her jaw in refusal, and the balance of her posture shifted away from Kelly as if she were to draw up her shoulders in defense. Their silver-haired princess was ready to welcome any punishment Kelly could throw at her—any punishment except that.

    “You’re very guarded,” Kelly walked Christine forward, guiding her down from the camp and away from the others. “You’re less like Emmie and Stephanie—and more like me. There’s this natural, instinctive disconnect between what’s going on inside, and what you’re able to put on your face. What you’ve ever been able to show others.”

    Christine watched Kelly carefully with those eerie crimson eyes of hers, but didn’t seem to want to volunteer any words.

    “It happens,” Kelly shrugged. “I know how it happens. That disconnect. It’s when trust is severed, when all those connections between you and the world are cut off, because of all the horrible things the world has done to you, and because of all of the things you in turn inflict upon the world. I think in both our cases, yeah it’s both. But, because of Stephanie…”

    “I know,” Christine’s answer this time seemed grudging. “I know that she can tell. I saw everything, there.”

    “Well, yeah,” Kelly let out a sigh and patted Christine’s arm. “Sorry, but that’s just how it is? Whatever bullshit masks of indifference we show to everything, they don’t mean a damn thing to her. You’re going to have to see that. Know that. I mean, really understand. Not just in your head, but to really, really know that. I’m still working on that, myself.”

    “It’s still different,” Christine said with a small shake of her head. “I really don’t deserve any… consideration. Not in that way.”

    “Unfortunately, as our prisoner that’s not up to you,” Kelly gave her another shrug. “Christine—you’ve been judged and sentenced. Sentenced to be one of us. For Chloe that would be the real cruel punishment. That you’re going to be one of us. Our friend, our ally. Let’s be honest, here… we’re going to be lovers. Aren’t we? Chloe would have hated that the most, so… it’s pretty fitting, right?”

    “I—” Christine grit her teeth. “Yes. She would have hated that. I, personally. Am struggling with… all of that. Because, I don’t deserve that. I don’t.”

    “Is that the only problem you have with it?” Kelly asked.

    “Isn’t that enough?” Christine countered.

    “I mean,” Kelly let out a wry chuckle. “Setting that aside for now. Setting aside you getting your cruel and unusual punishment—your just desserts. Are you able to accept love from Brian?”

    “Meaning…?” Christine asked with a wary look.

    “Do you have issues or trauma or something like that that will become a problem?” Kelly decided to be blunt. “Chloe was a feminazi man-hating basketcase, sure—but, what really made her that way? Were you abused? Past boyfriend inflicted lasting trauma on you? Maybe something further back—molested when you were younger, something like that? Some issue that will become an obstacle to intimacy with Brian now?”

    “I—uhh,” Christine seemed taken aback. “No, not really. Nothing serious like that.”

    “If there’s something, anything, and it made you into Chloe, then yeah it actually is serious,” Kelly said with a solemn expression. “Is it something you’re not okay with talking about?”

    “No, it’s um,” Christine paused. “It really is nothing. Chloe—when I was Chloe, I—she would tell everyone she had been a victim of sexual abuse. But, that was a lie, a uh, an exaggeration, just—her reimagining her reality, so that she was always the one suffering injustice from everything.”

    “Exaggerating… what, exactly?” Kelly pressed.

    “I guess it was…” Christine sounded sheepish now. “It’s like I said. I really looked up to my dad. I never ever wanted to believe all the awful things my mother said about him. Growing up, she was the real, uh, ‘feminazi.’ But then, one day… I accidentally caught him with his secretary. Claire. He was—he was using her. For sex. Paying her. Prostitution. She even had a fiance, so she was cheating and. They didn’t know I saw, they thought I was asleep. I think back then I had this big… childish romantic fantasy about what love was going to be like for me, and then I saw that, and it all crashed down and. And I think that’s where my personality started to, uh. Warp. Distort—I don’t know what else to call it.”

    “So, that incident is what turned your… inner looking glass into the bizarro funhouse mirror of Chloe?” Kelly summed up. “Will that still be a problem for you accepting Brian?”

    “I don’t know,” Christine shook her head. “I don’t think so? Not really. I—my problems, my issue with this isn’t that, it’s everything I’ve done. To all of you, but… especially to Brian. I’m not worthy of him, I feel like everyone already knows that fact but is pretending not to, or trying to skim over that fact, or. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I deserve whatever punishment you guys can cook up, anything. Anything except love and kindness.”

    “Yeah, this is gonna be rough for you, then,” Kelly gave Christine’s arm a squeeze. “Anyways, moving past that, for now—what about girls?”

    “Girls?” Christine echoed. “You mean—me and you all?”

    “We’ve had some theories bouncing around, about what the charm does or doesn’t do,” Kelly mused out loud. “For a while, it seemed like it was opening us up to… all sorts of sapphic desires that might not have otherwise been present? If you catch my meaning? I was already bisexual, but Stephanie was not when all of this started. Or at least, she sure didn’t think she was. Emily was straight, completely hetero back before, but she didn’t full-on catch the gay when the charm stuff affected her, either. She has a strange fascination with breasts—mine in particular—but she’s still a little leery of ladyparts, otherwise. So, half-gay? I know you already know that. You were right there watching, when we had that little forced couples therapy session.”

    “Yes,” Christine admitted.

    “So…?”

    “I—don’t know,” Christine seemed almost too embarrassed to squeeze out an answer. “Something’s definitely different. I don’t know what I think. There’s something like an attraction, maybe, that wasn’t there before? Possibly, anyway. I just. I don’t know what it all means, now, because everything was so different. Sex was, to Chloe, just a… power dynamic. Leverage, control. Back then, it didn’t have much of any real association with… um. With these things I’m feeling now.”

    “Hmm,” Kelly gave Christine a second look. “Good answer, I guess? But, again. To be blunt. If I leaned in and just started making out with you—what would your response be? Would you feel disgusted? Sexual orientationally? Is there any kind of, uh, mental deterrent you feel, when you think about that?

    “I know you were turned on with all of us last night, but yeah also you were sauced up on magic cum. Which, if abused, absolutely is an extremely potent aphrodisiac that can make you into a brainless starved-for-Brian’s-cock bimbo nymphomaniac, trust me. Emily and I tested that on the last day of AnimeCon. Totally won’t hold your actions last night against you, that stuff is fucking strong.”

    “Um,” Christine went a little rigid as she tensed up. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’m sorry. I can mentally uh. Walk myself through those things as if they might happen, but I have no idea how or what I feel beyond just. Just the normal me feeling worthless and undeserving and ashamed of everything I did to you as Chloe.”

    “Okay,” Kelly said. “You can fucking relax, then. Chill, chill, I’m not going to kiss you right now.”

    “Sorry?” Christine tried to roll the tension out of her shoulders.

    “Just, maybe start to mentally prepare yourself?” Kelly suggested. “Brian is gonna be kissing you again. Today. Just yesterday you were still this evil queen psychobitch, and yes we’ve ‘cured’ you of that, I think—but, you will continue to receive more doses of medicine, while we keep an eye on you.”

    “Okay,” Christine nodded in acceptance. “I expected that would be the case.”

    “Medicine doesn’t just mean guzzling cream from a jar,” Kelly said. “Or even having him blast warm, sticky loads right down your throat. S’not all gonna be just magic kisses, either.”

    “I—I understand that,” Christine fidgeted. “Whatever you guys decide is fine.”

    “The charm magic is love,” Kelly clarified, pulling Christine to a halt.

    They had reached the bottom of the path down to the road, which stretched on to either side for as far as they could see. No traffic at all had been by this way yet today, and right now some of the tent stuff to pack away yet was still piled about, just sitting in the weeds and gravel beside the asphalt between Rebecca’s hatchback and Brian’s car.

    “He’s going to love you. So, I’m not sure you do understand. I’m not sure you can understand. He’s not just going to be making love to you. You’re going to have him gazing deep into your eyes, pouring raw adoration into you through the windows of your soul. You are going to know you are loved, thoroughly. Deeply. Not just by him, either. By all of us. With that love will come affection. Trust. Infatuation. Whatever this charm bullshit does to us, it opens us up to one another in ways beyond whatever you even believe is possible.”

    “O-okay,” Christine swallowed. “I. Hah, I guess that’s what I feared.”

    “I thought I understood it, and I was wrong,” Kelly said. “Back before all of this, I might not have been as malicious as you, but I was absolutely a selfish, self-centered bitch. Narcissistic. I had trust issues, I had daddy issues. The works. I was a conceited, manipulative bitch who didn’t deserve a happy ending any more than Chloe did. Love—true love changes you. 

    “Stephane stole in and got to me first, and then my trust in her let her convince me to finally open up to Brian, really open up to him… which should have been impossible. I swore to myself a long time ago that I was never, EVER again going to catch feelings for a guy. But, I did. I love him. I love them. With all of my heart. I’m even falling for Emily, though we do still have our issues, yeah.”

    “Is this…” Christine’s brow furrowed. “Are you trying to warn me? It… it really doesn’t matter, because I’m in your hands. I submit to whatever you guys decide is right for me.”

    “I’m not trying to warn you, per se…” Kelly sighed. “I just. Yeah, I guess I was, kinda. Not to warn you away, but like—I don’t know how to describe it. You’re going to need to mentally prepare yourself, because life’s about to fuckin’ pepper you with fastballs. I wasn’t ready to be loved by people, and when all this started coming at me, I was uhh. I was fumbling a lot of shit that should have been easy catches. Making things difficult, for people who actually as it turns out mean the world to me. I really don’t know how to describe it. Just, uh. Yeah. Prepare yourself for some fastballs.”

    “Okay?” Christine said, visibly steeling herself.

    “Yeah… nevermind,” Kelly couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head in amusement. “What am I even saying? You have no fuckin’ clue.”

    “Okay,” Christine said again.

    “Stand right there, like that,” Kelly took Christine by the shoulders and positioned her. “Yeah. Now—look over that way, just turn your head. Look off towards where the others are.”

    “Okay?” Christine complied.

    “This is going be your first punishment from me,” Kelly said. “Keep looking that way.”

    When Kelly stepped close into Christine’s personal space, their breasts collided and squished up against one another—her hands sliding down Christine’s thin sides didn’t allow the other girl to step back. Examining her pretty prey at this distance revealed that they were of about the same stature, but differed a lot in their proportions. Other than Kelly being curvier and possessing rather obviously generous endowments—when pressing their tits together the difference was almost obscene—Kelly felt the rest of her body was rather average in comparison.

    Average as in, Kelly felt that her own figure was otherwise very normal. Christine’s was not—Christine had legs for days, she had that unique tall and slender build that gave those lovely long stalks of hers the look of a runway model. Where Kelly was more voluptuous, Christine’s was the other kind of extremely feminine—she evoked elegance, poise. Grace. Kelly was more than confident that she herself was attractive and extremely sexy, but Christine’s aesthetic skewed more sophisticated, in that hard to define delicate beauty way.

    “I…” Kelly began, mouthing the words directly against the pale skin of Christine’s slender neck. “Am very drawn to you. You’re beautiful, sure, but it’s more than even just a physical attraction. This stiff, strait-laced attitude you put up—it fills me with this desire to tease and torment you. To imagine you trying so hard to remain all sad and stoic, poignant, to keep up this calm and disaffected face while I maybe slip a finger into your butt. To see if you’ll squirm.

    “I’m the worst sort of person—I really just want to bully you,” Kelly admitted. “The calm facade makes me want to ruffle your feathers. Kissing your neck… running our fingers through your hair. Little intimate displays of affection, whenever you least expect it. Maybe we’ll—”

    “I’m not trying to be pretentious,” Christine protested in a steady voice. “If I seem like I’m being apathetic, or putting on a mask, it’s because—”

    “Oh, I know,” Kelly whispered. “I know. That’s what really makes these feelings of mine perverse. Isn’t it?”

    “I couldn’t say,” Christine refused to judge. “Whatever you guys decide is fine.”

    “Right, yeah, of course,” Kelly rolled her eyes, finally releasing Christine and stepping back to give her a once over again. You’re no fun. “My bag’s in Brian’s car. I bought a spare change of clothes—I guess we didn’t really consider that the magic wouldn’t let us start to feel grungy and gross. I want you to change into my other outfit. Look sexy. For the long ride home.”

    “Okay,” Christine agreed.

    Hugging Christine had been something of an experiment; Kelly still found herself grasping at whatever the logic behind how the charm magic worked. She’d thought that maybe surprise intimacy and the right dirty words would do… something. Make colors appear, open up that supernatural connection. This time, nothing much seemed to happen, and her attempt didn’t really go anywhere. Maybe it didn’t work because Kelly had been trying to force that kind of moment to happen, maybe there just wasn’t enough chemistry between them, specifically. She felt sure that if it had been Brian hugging Christine, Christine’s composure would have probably gone out the window and something would have gotten to her.

    Hmm. Well, we’ll play at it some more later. Could also be her magic element thing, the synesthesia there with her thing being a mirror. Not gonna just be able to rattle her, looks like. Bad matchup for me, maybe? Not exactly fired up with red right now myself, regardless. Shame. I uh, I probably should be trying to actually help her, like Steph asked.

    Kelly opened the back of Brian’s car and pulled her clothes bag to the edge of the seat so she could dig through it. Just like back at AnimeCon she had packed light, this time with only a spare change of clothes and a small fraction of things transferred over from the contents of her old purse. It was alarming how much dead weight from a purse was reduced when charm magic had you waking up looking fresh and flawless in the morning. A white halter top with fashionably faded blue trim was pulled out and passed over to Christine, followed by a pair of  blue skinny jeans with very distressed fabric.

    Standing right out here by the road with only the vehicles to block them from view, Christine removed the frumpy sweatpants and sweatshirt and changed while Kelly watched. The girl’s skin was lily-white rather than just the pale shade she recalled seeing back at AnimeCon, and the halter top looked outstanding on her. The jeans when tugged on… not so much, because while they fit perfectly to Kelly’s legs, on Christine they looked a little bit shapeless and didn’t do much to show anything off. Without a belt they would probably slip and sag down if they were walking around—the band of her underwear was already visible now—but things would be fine if they were going to spend most of today sitting in cars.

    “Hmm. Well, definitely better than the sweats,” Kelly decided, stepping forward to comb a stand of Christine’s hair free from the neck of the top. “You dress up pretty damn nice. We’ll work on it. I’m going through all of your clothes, when we get back. You do have clothes somewhere, right?”

    “I do,” Christine said. “A lot of my stuff is at my friend—Chloe’s friend—Monique’s apartment. It’s not far from where Brian lives.”

    “Okay,” Kelly nodded, taking the clothing Christine had changed out of, folding them, and jamming them in the back of Rebecca’s hatchback. “Whenever you’re around Brian, I want you to dress to impress. Dress like you’re dolling yourself up for a date, going out somewhere nice. Even if you’re just going to be at the apartment doing everyday normal things. I want you to dress sexy.”

    “Slutty?” Christine asked without emotion.

    “Hmm, we’ll see,” Kelly found herself thoughtful. “Don’t even feel too singled-out by this; Stephanie dresses like she’s a freshman in high school still, and that’s gonna change. Emily puts zero thought into what she’s wearing, and I’m working on that, too. I know they wanted you wearing fetish-wear maid outfits or whatever, but I’m not sure I’m sold on that, yet. What we’re going to do is have you dress up nice, and then you’re going to tell me what outfits, what looks you notice drawing Brian’s eyes, which ones drive him crazy. And we’ll pursue how we want your wardrobe to go from there.”

    “Okay,” Christine shrugged. “...Chloe would have definitely hated that.”

    “Maybe,” Kelly grinned. “But, I don’t think that you will.”

    “Maybe,” Christine shot back. 

    “Because…” Kelly allowed her hands to creep up Christine’s sides again. “Your pretty little positions of power have flipped. The roles have reversed, and this time you’re going to be submissive and reserved and obedient. Right?”

    “I am,” Christine promised.

    “You don’t sound very enthusiastic about that,” Kelly observed. “Don’t think you’ll like it?”

    “I deserve it, no matter what,” Christine shrugged again. “Whether I like it or not.”

    “You really don’t have a clue,” Kelly chuckled. “Maybe you were Chloe for too long. Imagined that letting him take control meant you were just obviously going to be taken advantage of. Used, or abused. Because, surely that would be the case! Because surely, that’s what Chloe would have done. No, actually, that’s what she was doing.”

    “I was,” Christine admitted.

    “Can you imagine what things will be like if you yield authority to him and he doesn’t abuse his position over you?” Kelly asked. “Imagine it for me. Please.”

    “I’m trying to,” Christine said. “I don’t think he will. Just. I really don’t know what to expect. It’s all… hard for me to really even picture. Things won’t be like they were for us back then—but, I don’t know what they will be like.”

    “You’re clearly bracing yourself for abuse,” Kelly teased. “Abuse and mistreatment. You’re not really capable of understanding positions of power in any other way, just yet. So—what’s going to happen when instead you start tasting his praise and approval? How are you going to stop all of the raw loving Brian, all of his genuine, earnest appreciation from slipping past all these carefully constructed defenses you’re placing up against all of the wrong things, the wrong directions? Are you going to start craving his attention? Yearning for it? Will you grow desperate for it, addicted to it?”

    “I don’t know what things will be like,” Christine said, unable to stop herself from turning to face Kelly. “And, even if you’re right and I do end up… desiring him, like that—I don’t deserve that, either.”

    “Sadly, you’re our feral feminist we’re domesticating, and who deserves what isn’t up to you,” Kelly laughed, staring deep into Christine’s eyes. “My sister Sarah and I, we had a cat once. For almost two years. Max. When we were way younger, barely into our teens.”

    “Okay?” Christine blinked.

    “Well, Max was a stray, like this mean fucker,” Kelly continued. “Feral tomcat. Ugly, had a big head. We didn’t care—we fucking wanted to catch him and make him our cat. I haven’t even told Stephanie this story yet. Well, it was like, months of trying to coax him with food. Okay, not months. Weeks? He’d grab it and bolt. Was not about letting humans near him. Little bits of hot dog, or ripping up tiny pieces of sandwich meat and tossing them over towards him. Took us forever trying to bait him closer, and then trying to get him to stay and eat close enough for us to nab him. It eventually did get to where we could touch him and pet him while he was eating. And when we did—guess what happened?”

    “Scratched you?” Christine hazarded a guess.

    “Well, yeah, some at first,” Kelly admitted. “But, there was some certain breaking point I guess, where he really realized we weren’t out to hurt him, and—he immediately was wanting to rub on us, he wanted scritches, he wanted to claw his way into our fucking laps and get petted. The poor mean fucker had never ever gotten any affection before, from anyone or anything, and once he got it—once he let himself get it, he needed it. From that day onward, it wasn’t even about the food anymore, when he’d come running. He was just thrilled to see us, he was just ecstatic that someone in the world gave a fuck about him. Big ugly cat, Max. He’d start drooling once you were really petting him. Didn’t want to leave your lap.”

    “Okay,” Christine said. “I understand what you’re trying to say.”

    “Yeah, you think you understand,” Kelly smirked. “But you don’t, you won’t until you experience it. You’ll see.”

    “I’m just—I’m not a cat,” Christine gave her a helpless shrug. “People and relationships are a lot more complicated than that, I think.”

    “Or, they like to think that’s the case,” Kelly shook her head. “It doesn’t ever really make sense, not ‘til you’re the stray. Steph looked after a whole bunch of strays, too. Had this whole the sea of cats story, from when she was little. I think she’s still looking after a whole bunch of strays, to be honest. Trying to herd us cats.”

    “What happened to Max?” Christine asked. “The stray cat.”

    “Maximus Killy Machine? Died young,” Kelly admitted. “Like, a couple years after we found him. Not really anyone’s fault, but yeah for my sis and me at that age, it was the end of the fucking world. Inbred stray cat from who knows where, all sorts of medical problems, and I don’t think that vet we went to even knew what the fuck he was doing. Us, though? No way. We have magic powers, and legit love for each other, and—yeah, you’ll see. You’ll see.”

    “So then, I’m just the stray you’re rescuing?” Christine tried to quirk her lip into a bitter smile. “Instead of a flea infestation, it’s… radical feminism? Being an actual vampire? Whatever psychosis or misandry I had were the… intestinal worms and parasites?”

    “Sure, yeah,” Kelly nodded. “What we gave you last night, in the jar? Just like getting your rabies shot. Your medicine.”

    “We had a dog,” Christine said. “My mom hated cats.”

    “What was his name?”

    “...Also Bryan,” Christine admitted, making a face. “He passed away after I moved out on my own. My mom named him after my dad. Because they were already divorced then, and my mom loved to yell at Bryan—Bryan the dog. He was kind of an asshole dog, though. Terrier of some kind, and he loved to piss my mom off, so. It just kind of fit.”

    “Kind of funny, kind of fucked up,” Kelly remarked. “Maybe don’t uh, don’t relate that one to Brian. I don’t think he’s super thrilled as it is that he and your dad have the same first name. That’s kind of… yeah.”

    “I know,” Christine said. “It was fucked up. I fucked up everything from the very beginning. I… very honestly can’t even picture ever salvaging things with Brian. I know that’s a shitty thing to say, after you all went out of your way to rescue me. Just. You honestly shouldn’t have. I’m not worth it. You’d have been fine just braining me with the shovel and then burying me.”

    “So, do something about it,” Kelly challenged. “Do something for him. Give a damn. Care about him. Chloe didn’t. You’re not Chloe, so prove you’re not Chloe. Be thoughtful when you can, try and think of ways to just like, make his day better. Improve his mood. Make him know that he always has you looking out for him, he needs that. We don’t need a maid, or a servant, or a personal assistant. There’s five of us, chores and money and bullshit like that are total non-issues. We need you, you, specifically, to work at undoing some of what Chloe did to him. Stephanie’s helped him a lot, but for some of this? It needs to be you. Has to be you. Building back some of the trust and faith and everything that all that time with Chloe… ripped out of him.”

    “Okay. Okay,” Christine repeated, furrowing her brow. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

    For the first time this morning, a spark or red flashed out within Kelly’s psyche here, and although it wasn’t as vivid—off in the fog of the distance that same spark appeared in the reflection of something.

( Previous, Show on the Road pt 2 | After Animecon | Next, The Argyria Treatment Plan )

/// This was an interesting chapter to write. I wanted to display parallels to way back on Saturday of AnimeCon, where Kelly and Stephanie were really starting to get to know each other--but then also show all of the contrasts here.

Kelly is poking and prodding and sometimes she's treating Christine here with sincerity, and sometimes she's just trying to get a reaction—she wants it to be ambiguous for now as to which is which. In some ways you can tell that Kelly has really grown, and in other ways... yeah she's still Kelly.

Christine here is disassociating and closed off and magic for the most part is not happening, very unlike how open and receptive and interested Stephanie was for Kelly. Christine IS able to connect with Kelly a little bit, but in a very different way, from a very different angle. I didn't want it to feel like magic was immediately fixing everything in the story and have colors and allegory and lust ramping up right here, because I don't think it would feel earned yet.