How to Ride a Night Mare [Quin x heartless]

The wind rustled through her hair as she pedaled her li-ped down the road, the faded purplish locks swept over her shoulders making her feel like she was flying. And why shouldn't she? She was smitten!

Just moments before, a hot motherfucker had walked into the kippie craft store where she worked part-time and he talked to her! Old, geeky, artsy-fartsy Dorito who everyone thought was weird! Not that she cared what anyone else thought, of course, but surely this guy had heard of her and knew to stay away! But he hadn't, or he had and didn't give a fuck either. So he talked to her. Even after she casually threatened to shove him down a bunch of stairs and eat his face. A guy who stuck around and saw through that had to be special, right? Not likely, since guys were dorks. But the fact that he'd played back was what caught Dorito's eye, made her look twice. It's also what made her tepidly agree to going out with him some time.

Well, the actual words she'd used were "you're fucking weird and you smell like puke" but still, he'd gotten her meaning and told her when he'd pick her up tomorrow. At first, she had no fucking idea what the hell had happened but once he was gone and she understood, she couldn't stop smiling about it. She had a date! She had to tell Star right away!

The springtime air was cool and moist but the sun was warm enough that she wasn't too cold in her leggings while riding fast on her li-ped. Like a moped/scooter with lighted wheels, propelled by sunlight and happy thoughts, it was a kippie invention and the latest transportation for the high school crowd. Flying high as she was, the machine was filled with random bursts of speed, the wheels flashing with crisp, white light, coinciding with every time Dorito felt her heart do another air flip inside her chest. She was barely steering the damn thing, lifting her arms off the handle-bars to fling them out like wings, tipping her head back in euphoria. Just then an auto caught up behind her, the driver pressing a quick annoyed hand on their horn, forcing Dori to right herself and swerve out of the way with sputtered giggles over her foolishness.

Turning up the Riddell's driveway with a lazy curve, Dori slowed down past the mailbox and stepped off the base of her ped, the wheels growing dark without her bliss to fuel it's light. Turning her head away from the front windows of the house, Dori sucked a couple last toxic puffs from her ciggo, holding it daintily between her first two fingers, her pointer finger black with the corruption she was born with. Not wanting to discard it in the driveway, since it might get her or Star in trouble if it was found, Dorito tucked the spent ciggo into a hidden box in the yard that she and Alex made when they were little. It'd been everything from a robot companion to a treasure box and it bore signs of each of the different games and stories the girls used it for over the years. Now they used it to hide their ciggos when they were done sucking down on those poisonous fumes, to keep from getting caught since neither of their parents would approve. Especially not Mr. Riddell who had a big campaign last year trying to make ciggos illegal since kids were smoking them. He wasn't Mayor of Green River anymore, though, so, it'd merely turned into a tax to hopefully dissuade youngsters like Dori from purchasing them. Fat chance.

Folding up her li-ped as she approached the door, Dorito tucked her purplish-brown hair behind her ear and held her vehicle under her arm like a notebook before knocking on the Riddell's front door. Mr. Eric, one of Star's dads, answered and he scowled at her as he looked her up and down. "'Sup, Mr. Erk!" Dori greeted brightly, using the nickname Peaches started. The psychopomp only called him that unintentionally when he was angry but still, Dori took it up as a passive-aggressive disrespect. "Star around?"

"For fuck's sake, Dorito," Eric sneered, showing her his crooked teeth in a disapproving grimace. "What the fuck are you wearing?"




Dorito made a show of looking down at herself and the leggings she wore, her purple hair flopping in front of her face. Generally, they were skin colored, but in the upper thighs, they depicted her flesh cut open and peeling away from the muscle underneath, bloody and dribbling down the knees, looking like very realistic wounds on her legs. She had shorts on over top to show them off in all their gruesome glory.

"Uh... leggings?" she asked innocently, blinking at him like he was retarded.

"Are you shitting me?" he huffed, itching at the blonde bun at the nape of his neck. "You look like you got tore the fuck up by some psycho. It's fucking gross. Does Brownie know you're wearing that shit?"

"That's the point," Dori rolled her eyes, adjusting her nose ring nervously at mention of her mom as she stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. "I'm not a sexual object. I'm not here to pander to anybody's hormones. It's supposed to freak you out, to drive away the dirt bags gawking at my legs. Speaking of..." she turned in a sweet circle at the base of the stairs and gave him a smartass grin. "Scaring you, is it? Mission accomplished."

Eric was barely paying attention to her little spiel, and itching the side of his nose casually, he turned from her with a shake of his head. "I'm calling your ma," he grunted, leaving her to jog up the steps to Star's room.

Knocking on Star's door at the end of the hall, Dori let herself in with a word from her friend inside. In the privacy of Star's room, Dori's eyes got a manic light as she excitedly tossed her shit down and held her hands up bracingly. "You will not believe what happened to me today!" she said in a burst. "Seriously! Like, monumental!"

Star lay on her stomach writing in her journal. Her mother had given it to her when she turned 16, a leather bound hand sized book with thick creamy pages that begged to have a story unfold on them. So it was only her story and a lot of times it was boring or overly dramatic but it was hers, Charlotte reminded her and one day she will want to look back and read it, even about the most frivolous complaints and tiny victories. Each year since she was 10 she had received a journal and her filled ones were locked away in a heavy wooden trunk Daddy Eric had made her, away from the spying eyes of her younger siblings. She blew on the ink to dry it before closing it, the latest entry detailing her last encounter with her boyfriend and that was certainly something she did not want to share with those nosey kids.

Rolling over, she snuggled against the worn homemade quilt her mom and her 'Aunt' Brownie made for her when she was born. It was too small to be a proper blanket, but the blonde girl was attached to it. There was parts of dresses worn by her mother, shirts from her fathers and a scrap of mysterious black cloth that had the feel of the finest silk. Star knew where it was from, the mysterious being that had also left her with the mark of her hybrid status. While Eric gave her the power of shading, it was Isadora that left the physical manifestation of her influence in form of a cluster of black shining feathers that sprouted from her shoulder blade like an unfinished wing. It did not do anything, she could not move it or flex it on her own, it was just like a plume of decoration to make sure the world knew she wasn't normal. None of her siblings were hybrids for they had been either born to David or Eric after his corruption was cured. At least she did not have antlers from Howie, though her mother often commented on her green thumb coming from the psychopomp.

She sat up, swinging her legs over the bed, still barefoot, her toes painted bright blue courtesy of Dori. In the privacy of her home she wore tank tops, letting her feathers be exposed but even after all these years and the fact nearly everyone in Green River knew her and her story, she still felt self conscious and would generally cover them up when at school or going to town. Alex brushed her fingers over the glossy plumage so they lay straight, quirking a smile at one that fell out. It would always grow back, it was part of her and she tucked away the feather for little Sophie demanded them for her collection.

The knock caught her by surprise, but she instantly recognized Dori's special knock. "Entre vous!" she called out in bad French, bouncing up off the bed as her friend entered and tilted her head, her blonde hair tousled around her face. Dori was glowing and Star scrunched her nose and widened her eyes, "Well out with it girl! Don't keep me hanging!"

Grabbing a chair, she swung it around and settled into it, pretending to eat popcorn out of her empty hand, "This gonna be good?"

Given the green light, Dori still took a moment to prepare herself before sharing her story, taking deep breaths and wiggling her hands, shaking them to get rid of the fluttering in her belly and the nerves that still prickled her skin. Standing up straight, she adopted a grand stance and moved her arms in sweeping, flourishing gestures. She knew how Star liked a good story and how it went even better with a performance.




"It was just after 11 this morning," Dorito started, arching a dramatic eyebrow. "Mr. Cole was in back, taking a delivery of kipper clay from the vendor. I was tasked with manning the front desk and as usual, I spent my time wisely... by drawing crooked teeth, mustaches and lipstick on the faces of the people in the art mags." And of course, with her corrupted finger, she could make the markings a part of the magazine photographs. Giving the people real makeup and facial hair that looked indistinguishable from the photos, except for the fact that there was a cartoonish slant to the application. "Turns out... a lot of the human and kippie models are actually transsexual pirates who are very happy about their personalized art supply cases and professional easel sets."

Clearing her throat, Dori went on. "So, there I was, just keeping an eye on things when in walks this hot piece of ass," she said, her voice trembling and lowering over the description of the man in question. "Rugged eye candy, alternative hair style, leather coat and droopy pants, like an old school bad boy trying too hard." Dorito rolled her eyes and huffed but couldn't help biting her lip over a grin. "No big whoop, right? Just some idiot poser coming in to waste paint on a canvas and call himself Da Vinci. He goes straight for the professional shadow hair brushes that are so obviously way out of his budget and the prick probably doesn't even know how to use them properly. I of course snort quietly, because you know, I've got this idiot's number and he glances my way briefly, sees me watching as he ponders the mysteries of what brush he needs. And he acts like so casual, making pursed lip faces and taking stuff off the wrack, looking at it before hanging it back up like he's contemplating and weighing the options of freaking life or death import. And I can tell he knows I'm watching just from this ridiculous display, which solidifies it for me even more what a poser and a doofus he is."

Dori giggled and swept her arms up and back, like an interpretative dance as she progressed with her story. "After I got my fill of looking at him, noticing him noticing me noticing him, I went back to my magazine, because who gives a shit?" she shrugged and snorted condescendingly. "And I'm right in the middle of turning a young lady painting a really boring and stale Baby Flower picture on an easel into a heavy weight boxing champion right after a match, with bruises and split bloody lip and everything, when this stupid hot stud comes up to the desk and slaps some fucking 45 credit feeler brushes right in front of me. And he's got this look on his face--!"

Dorito stopped to laugh about it, still giggling as she tried to continue. "This big, smug-guy grin," she sputtered, her voice getting a nasally edge like always happened when she got over excited and tried to talk. "Like he just dumped a huge, impressive turd right in front of me and like he expects me to be fucking wowed out of my shorts. And I just sigh really big and tell him he doesn't want that. It's a freaking kippie feeler turned into a brush, very hard to control and designed to get a very specific effect with the paint you put on it. And there's no way this asshole knows that or is in any way painting something that complex!"

She flopped her hand on her thigh and rubbed her black finger under her nose casually. "So, then he tries to convince me that he really does want that," she said, rolling her eyes upward and setting her chin with an edge to remember the exchange. How she'd started to tell him condescendingly what the brush was for and how he'd interrupted her, telling her what he was working on and the detailed dynamic he was going for. "And he does. He convinces me. So, I get flustered and tell him whatever and start to ring him out because fine, whatever, you're a fucking artist. And he starts to talk to me, Star. And he's rude, invasive, creepy interested in my finger and the doodles in the art mag, just all up in my shit with this friendly guy bullshit. He tells me he thinks I might need medical attention for my legs, I tell him if he doesn't leave, so will he, because in about 5 seconds I'm gonna shove him down the basement shop stairs. And..."

Dorito breathed a laugh, smiling in wonder and shrugging. "I dunno what happened?" she grimaced awkwardly yet extremely excited and happy. "I have a date? Or something? I told him he smells like puke and he says 'well, let's hope I smell less odorous when I pick you up tomorrow night'. What the fuck is that?! That's a date right?" Her story having reached it's conclusion, the brown and purple haired girl contorted on her feet like she was having some sort of seizure, her hands clasped over her face and her knees bending together. Then she was gasping, red faced and shaking her fingers again, her equilibrium returned to normal. "I mean, what the fuck??? That's crazy, right?"

Star gasped and squealed, laughing and clamping her hand over her mouth so she would not interrupt her dear friend. As she finished, the blonde girl clapped her hands wildly and drummed her heels against the floor. She squeaked and jumped up from her chair, grabbing Dori’s hands and spun her around on the round rug in the middle of her room, before hugging her.

“Wow, that’s so fucking amazing!” she bubbled, “Yes that’s what it means, you have a date! He’s totally into you. Oh my god, this is so cool! It’s crazy but so romantic!”

She looked all over the room, “What are you gonna wear? I could lend you something, come on let’s shop in my closet. Did you want me to help you color your hair? I mean it’s looking a little ashy, girl.”

She flipped through the dresses and blouses, they were mostly pastel because her mom made them and favored soft colors on her fair haired daughter. It was spring and time for pretty but among the pinks and whites were things her friend might like in black or vivid hues.

Star paused and looked at the intense blue eyes of her friend and then hugged her tightly again, “So what do you think? I mean, do you think he’s boyfriend material? We’ll be able to go on double dates! Jason and I and you and...um...what’s his name?”

The blonde girl laughed at the expression on Dori’s face. Her feathers fluttered a little on her shoulder as she shivered with shared pleasure at her best friend’s delight. She knew Dori did not get asked out much, if at all. She was an individual, outspoken and unruly which were all reasons Star loved her. She was also a hybrid, marked by her late father’s corruption on the black index finger imbued with the Nightmare power to create images on any material. It was such a cool skill. Better than a clump of stupid crow feathers that didn’t do anything.

“How old is he? I don’t remember anyone like that in school.” Star grabbed her hand and guided her to the bed, pulling her down next to her. She bit her plump lips in excitement, trying not to pepper Dori with a ton of questions.

"Oh, Crumbs!" Dori bleated, putting a hand to her forehead, overwhelmed after spinning with Star. "I don't know his name!" She paused for a moment, staring off with a frown then shook her head and flopped her arms comically, making an explosion blossom outward from her temple with her hand. "Nope. Not there. Totally missed it if he gave it to me."



Running a hand through her hair she shrugged and snorted. "Maybe I should just call him 'cocksucker' until he insists I call him something else. Or he could just respond to that. That'll be fine." Looking through Alex's clothes, there wasn't anything that really screamed cute AND murderess at the same time, so, she gave up with a sigh. "I don't know. He was persistent? That could just mean he's got a goal, maybe. But he's an artist from the sounds of things... so, I dunno. Not like there aren't a lot of those around but none that think it's kinky to spend a night in the hospital together with stair related injuries." She bit her lip and blinked at Star as she remembered. "Oh, that was another thing he said. When I threatened to shove him down the stairs, he said it'd be alright if I was cradling him at the bottom."

Reluctantly, she plopped down on the bed beside her best friend, blushing and gushing from the attention. It was big news for her! Not only the guy being interested but the interest she felt back. Dorito had fooled around plenty of times before, no blushing virgin was she, but nothing serious. The couple dates she'd been on had ended with hurt feelings and her one relationship of 2 months ended badly. She was a Taurus after all.

"Well, he's not in school, I don't think," Dori said with a shake of her head, avoiding Star's gaze until the last second, shooting her shifty glances. "He's older. Not like old older. But he's definitely been shaving for a couple of years." Shrinking her shoulders up defensively for the anticipated exclamations, Dorito blushed and said, "Don't judge me! It's not like the guy's a perv. You know if he was a dirty old man I'd have rushed over here for a very different conversation. And a shower."

Pulling her hair strands to look at them with a small frown, Dorito stuck her tongue out briefly. "I really do need to color it again, don't I?" she asked, brushing it back out of her face with a sigh. "I was thinking orange. Like neon. Make myself a big warning sign to this guy just in case he really is clueless. But no, a double date sounds good. That way you can get a feel on him for me without letting him know. You're good at that kinda thing." She really did trust her friend's judgement when it came to her intuition about people. "By the way, how are things with Jay and you going?"

Star giggled and clucked her tongue, “I can’t believe you didn’t ask his name! I guess he didn’t ask yours either? Weird. But anyway, this is really exciting! I mean, you have that art stuff in common which is great. And he’s got enough credits to buy some fancy pants paintbrush so at least he’s not a starving artist.”

With a shrug, she watched Dori unsuccessfully paw through her closet and she rubbed her finger under her nose, quirking her cupid bow lips, “And the fact he was cool with those freaky ass leggings of yours...I don’t know if it’ll be a match made in hell or not but it’s pretty cool.”

Tilting her head, she rested her chin on her hand, leaning on her knee, “This guy is down with your violent fantasies? I suppose if the stair tumble doesn’t phase him you might have a winner.”

It was nothing she had not heard her friend say before, mostly to test people and see how they reacted which was usually negatively and a quick retreat. Some found it a challenge or a kink to try and hook up with a hybrid but most people kept them at arm’s length even if they were semi celebrities. Star was the daughter of the heroes of Green River and Dori the only child of it’s great villain. How funny that they were the best of friends but it was because of their mothers who were almost like sisters that they were so closely connected. That and they were different than most of the kids in school. There was a few other hybrids and they tended to band up together against the taunts or stares. All in all, Star had it good enough. Her boyfriend was fairly popular, from a good family and he had a future in Green River.

Laughter bubbled up when she mentioned his slightly older age. Star raised her eyebrows, “Oh please, girl. Look at my parents.”


She wrinkled her nose, “Orange? Hey, I was thinking of maybe putting a little pink or blue right here.”

Star gestured to the front of her hair, where it parted in the middle, “Gonna tease Mom, she’s getting white hairs right in the front. Do mine and I’ll do yours, whatever if you want to look like a road cone. If anyone can pull it off, it’s you, Dorito.”

When the subject moved to Jason, she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, getting a dreamy look in her eyes, “Things are going really good. It’ll be great to go on a double date, I miss hanging out with you when I’m with him and I miss him when I’m with you. If this artsy guy works out, I hope they get along. It’d be great to have a group again.”

The girl blushed a little, “Also, I think I might...”

She paused, not finishing her sentence. It had been on her mind, Jason’s proposal to plan a special night and finally go all the way. But it was Dori’s moment and she would not overshadow it by announcing their plans. Though it would make her night. Dori teased her about being a prude sometimes, especially considering the house she grew up in. A set of parents involved in a polyamorous relationship that had lasted over 15 years and going strong. Her parents never made sex an issue, it was a natural thing to do once someone was old enough and felt comfortable.

She reached back and scratched at her feathers then glanced up as the door creaked open. Ethan stood there awkwardly, his gangly form all elbows and knees as he gawked at the gory leggings.

“Get out of here,” Star tossed a pillow at him, “Girl talk.”

“Mom says to come and eat, and Dad said if Dori’s gonna join us, she’s gotta take off those gross tights so no one gets sick at dinner,”

“Fine, thanks, now beat it, kid,” Star replied, sticking her tongue out her younger brother.

He jammed his hands in his jean pockets and shrugged unable to think of anything more clever than a quick, “Whatever.”

Turning back to Dori, feeling her eyes boring into her as she knew when she was holding back. "Fine," Star replied, and gave her a sly look, "I'm gonna do it. I mean, we're gonna do it."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about your parents," Dorito smirked. "Your mom was younger than you and Mr. David was already 30 when they hooked up." It was one of Dorito's favorite love stories, particularly for how natural the three adults seemed together. Dorito was nothing but a toddler at the time of David's first campaign but they still had recordings of the broadcast and newspaper clippings. The way David introduced his "beloveds" kissing first Charlotte and then Eric in front of the press, proud to have them standing by his side. And because he was so relaxed about it and refused to be shamed about his polygamous union, the media sharks couldn't touch him. There was literally nothing there to offend or insult. And after everything they'd been through to restore balance to the world, it was accepted and normalized, despite people's wariness about the multiple wives of Piper.

Dori puffed up a little internally to hear Star acknowledge missing her when they weren't hanging out. She tried to be a good friend and be supportive but after spending years being two peas in a pod, it definitely pushed Dori's jealousy button anytime Star had to decline making plans with her because of plans already made with Jason. Even if Alex was very good at spending equal time with both of them, Dorito would never openly admit that she was a greedy little bitch when it came to her best friend. So, not only was it a relief to finally have a distraction of her own but also something to bring them all together as a group.

She wasn't so completely lost in her head and her own drama however to miss the almost spoken something and her friend changing her mind last minute. She didn't get a chance to confront the girl about it when Star's little brother showed up at the door. Rolling her eyes with a huff at Mr. Eric's ultimatum for joining dinner, Dorito was once again giving Star probing and direct looks when Ethan left, trying to silently get the other girl to spit out what she'd avoided saying just a few moments before.

It paid off and Dorito was rewarded with the breaking news of her friend finally willing to go all the way with her steady, good-looking boyfriend. Her eyes getting as big as fists in her head, she gave the other teen a quick jabbing punch in the arm out of shock. "Oh my Crumb!" she squealed excitedly. "You're gonna finally take him on a magic carpet ride?! Who are you and what have you done with my best friend, you big floozy!" Giggling uproariously about it, and pinching Star teasingly, she finally embraced her happily. "That is wonderful news! I mean, it's pretty serious right? Do you know what he has planned for it?"

Still watching her friend attentively, Dorito got up from the bed and without any embarrassment, began to take her shorts off, peeling her gory leggings off her smooth, gazelle-long legs. At one point standing in nothing but her cute homemade boyshorts and loose hanging shirt, she took up her black shorts again and began putting them back on without the tights underneath. "Maybe we can dye our hair tonight, yeah?" she asked, buttoning her shorts below her navel and flopping her shirt out where it'd accidentally gotten tucked into the waistband. "That way I'm ready for my date tomorrow and you can look nice as well for your special night." Tossing her tights onto Star's dresser to be retrieved later, Dorito headed for the door, leading the way downstairs for dinner.

As they approached the dining room it was warm, boisterous chaos with children helping to set the table with the steaming hot food, while some children already sat and teased each other mercilessly and the men talking over them, having perfected the art of drowning out petty squabbles between their babes years ago. Brown hair, blonde hair, and variations between green and blue eyes abounded, the family a petri dish of genes and love mixed like paint to make human life.

Peaches, the fully antlered shadow psychopomp held a toddler Charlie in it's rail thin black arms as it approached the table. Eric, finishing helping a stubborn Ethan put a hot casserole dish onto the table, stood and took the young boy from the shadow. "I got him. Thanks for changing him Peach," he murmured with a nod, his eyes lighting up as he took the little boy into his hands, smiling at his brown haired son.

"He peed in the toilet earlier," Peaches said with a shrug. "We're making progress at least."

Eric made 'om nom nom nom' noises as he playfully mouthed the baby's chin and cheek, setting the boy into the high chair Eric made for Star when she was little. "That's alright, we'll get there. We'll get there," the blonde man said, half to the shadow and mostly to the little boy as he set down the fold up platter over the child's lap.

David was there standing and hovering over the table, helping Sophie, the little 4 year old, rescue a glass she was pouring into from a heavy pitcher of water flavored with berries. Tall and slender, the only real sign of his age were the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes and the graying at his temples, his features no longer smooth but hardened and chiseled with a weathered over time strength. Glancing up at Peaches return to the room, David asked, "So, you're going to ask for revisions then, on the Kippie Citizenship course?"

Ever since the new government was established, the populace in Green River agreed to mandatory schooling and testing on the current events and issues for those who sought citizenship and voting rights. No longer were citizens rewarded with participation in politics just for being alive and showing up but were actually required to know the issues and be informed about the players. It cut down on the media circus playing on people's knee-jerk emotions and turning people into clueless numbers for petty, greedy lobby groups. It was actually making sure that when people voted and made decisions about the state of their country and the future of their community, they had more power in their understanding and were more involved than they had been in the state of the country before the Rift opened. The baseline requirement was a 50% score on specific issues in order to vote on them, so, there were still people who did the bare minimum duty during elections. But the majority of voters could name the men and women in their government body and the current issues of the week being addressed on the agenda.

After he left office as Mayor, David still wished to help his community and give people voices, so, he'd taken a position as a public defender, along with Peaches. No longer were lawyers a secret cabal who handled the complexities of the law with an ignorant and over-charged populace. Most people who broke the law could defend themselves in court now, the language no longer archaic and an understanding of their rights giving them control and power over their own defense. Still, not everyone who committed crimes were citizens nor were they knowledgeable of the laws they broke in the first place. That was where David and others like him came in, educating his clients so they'd understand the options available to them. The courtroom wasn't a place to bully people into a guilty verdict or throw around accusation on the unsuspecting and unprepared. It was an open conversation and determination of the evidence available to judge the fate of individuals and their individual cases, whether they were at fault or not.

"Are they just not passing the tests?" Eric asked, licking his thumb free of butter that dribbled on him when he was making a plate of food for little Charlie.

"Generally they are," Peaches said, helping a child into their seat and pushing the chair in for them. "But the corruption versus eating thing is still an issue. The way it's worded now, a lot of kippies come into the town feeling frustrated and wary because they don't know how they're supposed to or rather, whether it is okay for them to get sustenance. It just needs to be reworked a little so they feel like they have options while still setting down firm ground rules, that's all."

Just then Dorito and Star entered the room and Eric arched an eyebrow at her and pointed at her legs with a smug nod. "Did you tattle on me, then, Mr. Erk?" Dori asked, pulling out a chair for herself next to an empty seat that was Star's.

"Yes," Eric said with a smirk. "Brownie said if Star ever gets caught wearing bloody tights, I get to complain to her and she'll punish you. So there."

Dori just rolled her eyes and looked at Star's mom. "How are you doing today, Charlotte?" she asked her eyes brightening in the presence of the mother. "Where do you stand on the whole gory tights issue?"

Star blushed brightly and put her hand over her mouth as Dori teased her about her plans with Jason. She had no idea what her boyfriend had planned, he was keeping mum other than dropping a few hints about it being romantic and secluded. Remembering the look in his eyes when he suggested it, she smiled, feeling a tingling down below that she felt when they kissed and his hands wandered under her shirt and skirt. Glancing up, she nodded, “Yeah, that’d be good. Nothing too crazy for me, Jason doesn’t really care for it but maybe a little pastel color in the front.”

She picked up one of the leggings Dori had made and shook her head at her friend’s distinctive style. “I want to wear something sexy though, some pretty panties and a nice dress. I was thinking a sundress, something light and easy to remove.”

Star bit her lip and giggled at the idea of being completely naked and open for him. A warm feeling made her heart flutter when she thought about his lean muscled body pressed against her own. “Come on, we better get down there or there won’t be anything left.”

Dressed in a blue tank top and a breezy black skirt, Alex bounced down the stairs, jumping off the second to last one as was a habit she had since she was a girl, swinging from the banister in a dramatic arc. Her younger siblings were already being seated and she reached over Billy, tousling his golden hair and dodged his swatting hand as she moved away. The food smelled great, her mom was an awesome cook, mastering both Nightmare and Waking world food items.

Star went over and smooched Charlie on his chubby cheek, blowing a raspberry there and he squealed with delight as he squirmed in his high chair, lisping a protest, “S’thar stop tickles!”

Grinning, she turned her attack on her dad, Eric, leaning over to kiss his cheek and pretend to bite him much to the delight of the youngest of the Patten-Riddell clan. The toddler shrieked and pointed, “No biting daddy!”

Charlotte emerged after Ethan helped bring out the large pan of eggplant and kipper cheese casserole. The cheese was made from Nightmare cattle and had a soft nearly ricotta consistency but a stronger more tangy flavor, more akin to goat. She held a basket of flat bread, a treat as grain was still costly as the midwest was still rather unstable and underpopulated to produce the amount that made it known as America’s breadbasket. One piece each was the rule and the younger kids shared. Charlotte set the basket next to David’s arm, brushing her hand along his shoulder as she looked on their brood.

Star took a seat, fetching the big wooden salad bowl to fill her plate with the early spring greens harvested from their garden. It was one of the most important chores, to tend the garden and one of her favorite. Something she and her mother had worked on together since she was Charlie’s age. She glanced up when Dori asked her mom's opinion about the tights.

Charlotte brushed her dark hair back, a lock of it had escaped her ponytail and there was a few white strands noticeable right in front. Though she was only 32, having such a large family and not to mention her work in the community contributed to the early grey. Catching Eric’s look, she put her hand on her hip and thought for a moment, “I’m doing well, sweety. You know I’ve always appreciated your sense of style and artistic flair, Dori. But those tights are certainly...unique. Personally, I’ve seen enough real injuries to not care for the fake ones.”

With a small smile, Charlotte raised her eyebrow, her bright sky blue eyes looking at the girl pointedly. To be honest, it made her a little queasy to look at it but that was the idea. To shock and disgust, but what really worried her was that someone might think that was a good idea, like a kink or fetish. It was a pretty wild notion but the woman had seen her fair share of strange things. Even though life was pretty peaceful and settled in their area, there were strangers always coming through Green River and the mother was protective over her children, those born from her womb or otherwise.

Once everyone was gathered, Charlotte sat down and out of habit clasped her hands, “Let’s take a moment to be thankful for our food, for each other, and our health.”

There was a moment of silence, the twins kicking each other under the table and Billy’s hand crept toward the bread basket until it retreated from a sharp glance from David. Once their mother opened her eyes and gave the word, chatter exploded and forks clattered on plates as dinner was served.

The room literally lit up a few notches more when his two favorite women came through the door. No, not the geeky artist. His wife and daughter. The children responded however subtly to the presence of their big sister, and Eric played along, his mouth gaping horrendously and making stupid worried whining noises when he was threatened by the teen's avarice. All part of the game and he chuckled in his throat at the boy's reaction, being tricked, even slightly to think he might be bitten by the young woman. Then when Charlotte entered with the bread, David glowed when she stood near him, touching him, unable to keep himself from touching her back, his dignified grin showing forth the subtlest of wrinkles as he loved her with his eyes.

"I can respect that," Dori nodded in understanding at Charlotte's comments, causing Eric to huff.

"Just like that?" the blonde man scowled, continuing to help serve himself and his children. "What? And my opinion doesn't matter?"

"Nope! Sorry! Who are you again?" Dori said sarcastically, taking a bean from Star's plate and munching on it, before accepting the salad bowl and picking out some early beans for herself. Dorito had a hearty sweet tooth but her friend had helped introduce her to the benefits of tasty vegetables. Even if the ones Dori always went for had a sugary flavor to them when they ripened.

After the small blessing on the food, the conversation picked up. Taking a sip of Kipper white wine that he always had just to accompany dinner, David brushed at his lips with a napkin and turned to the teens, pausing in his meal for a moment. "End of year is coming up," he said in his elegant British accent, still unshaken after all these years. "How is your grad essay coming along, Dorito? Any ideas of where you'd like to end up?"

Dori chewed her mouthful of food while she thought about it, slumping her shoulders since this was a bit of a taxing conversation topic for her. "It's coming," she said once she'd mostly swallowed her food. "It's not like I haven't learned a lot this year but it's hard to focus it all into something that will both get the points and look good to any colleges. My teachers are encouraging me to do something with engineering or contractor building, since I can create straight lines with my corrupted finger. I mean, it's a pretty big deal to be able to create structures and materials out of thin air just by waving my hand around. And it's really useful and everything since materials aren't industrialized like they were pre-Rift. It's basically financial and job security literally anywhere."

David nodded while taking another bite of his own food. "Damn fuckin' right," Eric commented with a slanted nod. "You know how many parts we have to wait weeks for delivery on when shit breaks down at the shop? Like, almost every day, somebody comes in with ancient pieces of garbage, expecting me to fix it within the week, when we have to literally make the parts right there, from scratch. Shit takes days to get the molds out and reform the metals. You know how much I could get away with charging if I had you there to draw what needs to fit into the auto to make it work and send them on their way that day?" He glanced up at the level look from David and shrugged while putting a forkful of food near his mouth. "Not... that... I would because community and shit."

"Yeah, I know," Dorito murmured, pushing food around with her fork. "And I've got the eyes for mathematics and perspective too, which makes it real easy to just look at measurements and make something that'll fit the space. I just don't know how I feel about the pressure and all. My art has always been for me and fun. But what happens when it becomes demanding and I have to make a living from it? I can't just say 'oh, I don't feel like doing it today, can you leave me and my scary finger alone for a while?'"

David chuckled softly and tipped his glass with an ironic lift of his eyebrow. "Such is the struggle of adulthood," he said sipping from his drink. "That balance of responsibility, hobby and having a profitable skill. I'm sure you'll get it sorted by the time you need to. It's just about 3 months left and who says you have to stay in whatever job you choose? You can walk away and try something different. What about you, love?" he asked with a nod at Star. "How's your essay coming along?"

Star stabbed a piece of the eggplant casserole as Dori spoke about her plans or rather the plans others had for her. In her heart, she knew her friend could do the job, she had a strong will when she set her mind to a task. It was the lack of confidence that she could perform on command the way a career would demand that seemed to make her hesitate. She could relate, of all the things she had interest in, two pulled her in different directions. When David asked her she nearly choked, taking a quick drink of water to keep from coughing.

“Umm,” she said, reaching up to brush her golden hair back from her face, “Well, I’ve thinking about my science project last semester, remember? About the possibilities of hybrid produce? I was thinking maybe I’d get into agriculture. Like not plowing fields but working on making more sustainable and nutritious food sources for everyone. Only...”

She sat up, away from the table, crossing her legs and she looked at David and then her mother, purposefully avoiding Eric's gaze, “I also feel like maybe I should follow you guys. Working toward integrating humans, both normal and corrupted, hybrids, and kippies. We’re doing good here in Green River but there are places outside the west that are still struggling. Like, I read about the farming situation in the midwest. Grain fields destroyed by Nightmares and kippie settlements attacked by fearful people. Hybrids and corrupted ostracized and unable to find work, that’s why they come here. I just think that you’ve done such great work here that it should be broadened. Why not have ambassadors like Peaches and other kippies and people who understand how we can live in harmony go out and try to help those places”


She took a deep breath and realized she was speaking with a passion that made Charlotte smile with pride and understanding. There was a strength in her daughter, a magnetism that could be harnessed and used to draw people in and make them listen. A passion that shone in her eyes, blue-green pools of light. Glancing at David, she felt herself deflate a little and she blinked, “I mean, it’s something that I would like to do but...”

Unconsciously she reached up and touched the cluster of feathers on her shoulder blade, smoothing them down as they had fluffed up during her speech. “I don’t know if I can. Besides, people can also use better food sources.”

Charlotte folded her napkin and gazed at her eldest daughter, recalling the moment she nearly lost her when her soul was dying with Isadora. There was no denying that the charismatic Nightmare queen influence was more than just the crow feathers. Alex had an intensity about her when she discussed subjects dear to her and one of those was the equality of all the beings that made their home in this world. But she was still young and there was a vulnerability and insecurity about her capabilities her mother recognized as the same she had when she was first tested. It had taken a trial by fire to find her feet and discover what she was capable of and she prayed that her Star would not have such a hard test.

David was quiet a moment, his face taking on a grim expression the more his passionate daughter spoke. "Star... I love that this is something that you want to do," David started, all heavy sighs and grave frowns. "But you're still very young--"

"No fucking way," Eric interrupted, frowning tightly. "Not happening."

David released a beleaguered sigh and scratched at his eyebrow with a finger. This was certainly not the dismissive tone he wanted to take in this conversation. "Eric--"

"No!" Eric said more forcefully, punctuating his objection with a fist smacking the table just hard enough to rattle plates. "I'm fucking serious, Dave." Looking at Star, he shook his head in disapproval. "You've 'read' about what's happening out east? No, you fucking didn't. You don't even have a clue what's happening over there. Old New York, Philly, Boston. It's fucking chaos, a war zone. They put humans into slavery, trust me, they know what they want from cohabitation and there is nothing, no law, no army stopping them from living that way. Is that what you want, Alexandra? You want to wander the road and have your humanity stripped away in an instant, maybe even fucking raped by a monster? I've got some slavery for you right here, if you're so eager! Fucking dishes and bathroom cleaning duty! No allowance! How's that grab ya?"

All through this, Eric's threats and accusations were accented with more fist pounding, and the tone of his voice got little Charlie sitting in the high chair next to him to start crying. "Eric, enough!" David said with a firm tone, rubbing his hand through his hair and motioning at the other children at the table.

Noticing that he was surrounding by young faces, Eric's eyes cleared a little and he turned to soothe Charlie, with soft touches. "For fuck's sake," he huffed, rubbing a hand over his face and his trimmed beard. "Yeah, I know, bad daddy, right?" He motioned at himself with his thumb and gave the teens a crooked grin, wiggling his finger in Charlie's grasping hold, the child still whimpering as he sensed the tension hadn't yet left the room. "Say 'no' to gross tights or stupid boys sniffing around my daughter's skirt. It's all fun and games and pussy bullshit compared to this. My answer is 'NO'. I don't care how old you are. No child of mine is venturing into a war zone with flowers in her hair and a hippie mindset. Like anybody gives a fuck about peace or anything other than getting what they want for themselves." He smirked with tight lips, his green eyes flashing in an unfriendly manner. "You have no fucking idea, Alexandra, what a bad situation looks like."

"You mean like you were for Charlotte, once upon a time?" David murmured with a sarcastic tilt of his head.

"Fuck you, David!" Eric spat, his hackles practically raised and his eyes blazing, forcing the Brit to hold his hands up defensively and back off. Mostly because Eric was riled up beyond consoling but also... because he kind of agreed with the other man.

Alex’s mouth dropped open at her father’s sudden vehemence, his sharp dismissal of her ideas. When he rattled off why everything was wrong, she found it exaggerated and incorrect which made her angry. Her eyebrows drew together and she clenched her jaw, her lips curling in an unconscious imitation of his annoyed expression. After David interrupted him and Charlotte reached over on the other side of Charlie to sooth his back, “Eric really, we can talk about it, no yelling.”

Standing up, her small chest rising and falling with each anger fueled breath, Star glared at her father, “Yes I have read about what is happening in the Midwest! The farming areas, I’m talking about just past the mountains not the fucking east coast, I’m not stupid, Dad! I heard what’s going on there, god you’re just...uh you put words in my mouth, you tell me ‘no’ before I even have a chance to explain myself and I don’t...I don’t even know if I want to go yet!”

Her voice rose in pitch and she ignored her mother’s sharp look, leaning forward with her hands planted on the table, “You just go and assume shit like always. Guess what, I’m not a little kid anymore and I don’t need you to make all my decisions for me.”


When David interrupted, she gave him a confused look, the comment had been muttered but it certainly caught Eric’s attention and she noticed his reaction. He looked suddenly defensive and her mother’s face went pale and David blushed slightly. Someone had slipped up and she sensed to mood shift slightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Star asked, looking at her parents. “Does that mean Daddy Eric was not always a ray of fucking sunshine?”

“That’s enough young lady,” Charlotte said, raising her voice slightly, the soft tone hardening, “Sit down and finish your dinner. We’ll discuss this later.”

"No, Mom, this is bullshit," the teen protested, waiting a few beats before plopping down into her chair. "I get yelled at for sharing my dreams, wow."

Charlotte sighed and leaned forward, "We'll talk about it after dinner, but do not let me hear another curse word pass your lips or you can cancel your plans for the rest of the night."

Tossing back his wine, David shook his head, cursing inwardly. It wasn't bad enough he had to fall in love with an asshole but they had a young woman in their house, who acted just like him when she got mad. David applauded Star's ideals, he really did, but he just couldn't get behind it to defend her. Because even as Eric expressed himself in the most offensive manner possible, the Brit knew him well enough that he understood what the other was feeling and where he was coming from. When Eric looked at his eldest daughter, he didn't see himself. He saw Charlotte. The way she was when he met her. And although there were years of struggles and working through the guilt of things that they did and what brought them together in their original journey to Utah, there was still an element of shame regarding the blonde man's past. The danger would forever and always be, what if Star encountered a man like Eric? Or even worse... Piper?

Even with Charlotte's cautioning words to end the topic until after dinner, Eric couldn't fucking drop it. He tried, going as far as returning to his meal, hunched over his plate and shoveling eggplant chunks into his mouth. But every time he glanced across the table, it brought back to mind the things Star said and he got pissed off all over again. Like he was constantly telling Charlotte whenever they had the rare blowout fight and he fucking lost it enough to verbally hurt her with something, truth or not: tigers and their stripes. Tigers and stripes.

Finishing his mouthful and swallowing it down with a drink of water, Eric sniffed and set his cup down, filling the silence just when Ethan was about to pipe up with something to get rid of the tension. "Mountains. Pretty arbitrary, right?" he said, keeping his voice deceptively neutral. "I'm wondering what the fuck you think has been protecting you from those struggles all these years. Hybrids getting attacked, being 'ostracized'. Do you forget who and what you are?"

"Please, Eric, let's just drop it," David said pleadingly. "It's just an idea. I just wanted to know what she was thinking of. It's not like she's packing and going tonight, mate."

"No, of course not. Not tonight," Eric agreed, huffing as if it were ridiculous to state something so obvious. "But the fact that the thought is even in her head, that it's even a possibility. I mean, fuck! Charlotte, is this okay with you? Really? The world is changed but it's not any safer than it ever was." Turning to Star, he motioned at her gruffly. "Why can't you just stick around, work in the communities here? Work on a problem that you can actually solve without all the fucking risk? If you really need to get out of Green River, go to Clawson, or somewhere out in Cali if you really gotta stretch your legs. Settle down, find a nice lady or guy to marry and start a family, for fuck's sake. But why? Why you gotta set your sights on a place where not only will the reputation we've worked so hard to build up to protect you no longer exists but you're not even close enough to protect physically either. By law or anyone else."

Eric shrugged, giving her a somber look, even as his chin jutted out stubbornly. "I'm not trying to control you, Alex, I'm trying to protect my little girl," he said, rubbing at his light blonde facial hair. "I've almost fucking lost you enough for a lifetime, so, forgive me if I get a bit irate when you bring up walking into a lion's den as if it were a career option."

Star pushed around her food, not looking at her parents or Dori, staring at the smears of cheese stringing from the tines of her fork. She was grinding her teeth, embarrassed at her outburst but also still stinging from Eric’s diatribe. When he brought it back she smacked her fork down, it was not even like she thought about traveling off to some damn Nightmare warzone. But the more he ranted, the more she felt her jaw stubbornly set.

“Do you think I can forget this, Dad?” Star said, reaching back and giving the cluster of shining black feathers a tug, “It’s one hell of a birthmark. I know I’ve been safe here, because of what you and Mom and David did, that’s why I want to do the same thing.”

She went quiet, glancing guiltily away from her mother’s gaze, then looked at Eric. “Dad, look...I know you’re worried and like David said it’s not like I’m packing up to leave today. I’m just saying, what we have here is great and of course it can be improved but what my idea was to see it for myself. Not into the warzone but maybe eastern Colorado and Nebraska, where there are mixed communities. I haven’t even planned anything, it was just an idea... I know you are but I want to do something big, something important.”

Charlotte knew how much they were alike, she had known of their bond since she was pregnant when Star was nothing more than a tiny spark that would flutter with joy when her Daddy was close. “Darling, you don’t need to endanger yourself to do something important.”

Star rolled her eyes, looking over to Dori for help before sighing, “Fine, just forget it.”

She bit her lip before she could continue on with some rather choice insults but the expression on her Dad’s face took some of the right out of her. He was really worried about her, there was real monsters out there, both Nightmare and human. Eric could be overprotective, he put any boy that asked her out through the ringer and it said something about Jason’s character that he had not been driven off so far.

Once dinner was finished, Charlotte asked her to help clear the table and do dishes. Star rushed to do it, eager to get back upstairs and vent to Dori but her Mom was not going to let her off that easy.

Charlotte brushed her hand over the soft golden tresses and then the feathers, “You know your Dad is just worried about you.”

“Yeah, I know but why does he have to be such a jerk about it?” Star asked, sloshing water around as she scrubbed rapidly, feeling her anger start to dissipate with the physical labor.

“And why do you react the same way?” her mother asked, putting her hand on her hip, “It was a shock to us all, I knew you were interested in social work here, with your volunteering but you’ve never mentioned going outside the area. You’ve lived in relative safety all your life. All the hybrids here know nothing about what happened before they were born, to the corrupted men. Imprisoned, tortured by some mad scientist or forced to work as slaves in a brothel. Dehumanized and your father was one of them.”

“I know...” Alex muttered, feeling a pang of regret for losing her temper.

“Star, you are so precious to us...” Charlotte felt herself choke up, remembering when she found out she was pregnant. She had been so young and frightened but she had grown up fast, out of necessity and it made her sad to think her children having to do the same. She wanted them to be strong and independent but also to have the magic of a childhood. “We love you and we don’t want to see you hurt or...”

“Mom, come on,” Star sighed as she watched the loving blue eyes fill with tears. “Please don’t cry, I’m really sorry.”

With soapy hands she hugged her mother and buried her head against her shoulder, inhaling the light strawberry scent she always seemed to have. Charlotte rubbed her back, gently stroking the feathers of her shoulder. The mark of her corruption, her difference, and of Isadora. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, she looked at her daughter, “I think once you’re done, you should go upstairs. Don’t antagonize Eric.”

“I’ll try,” she said, her lips quirking in a wry smile.

Once she was done, she made her way toward the stair case, glancing at the living room where her parents were at. The thing David said still stuck with her, not so much his words but Eric's face when he snapped, snarling like a wolf but there had been a glint of something there. Fear? Guilt? She had a sense of there being an unspoken message between the three of them but tonight was not the night to pry. She had hair to dye.

Upstairs, waiting in Star's room were Peaches and Dorito. The psychopomp sat on the teen's bed, fingering the girl's blanket absent-mindedly as it watched Dori mix the dyes. The room smelled overwhelmingly of bleach, even with the window open a little. "So, you do like him... but you're making your hair orange... hoping that he'll leave?" Peaches asked, it's shadow brow contorted with confusion over it's yellow glowing eyes.

"No. Not hoping," Dori said, rifling through her little packets of powders and colors with her gloved fingers. "But dying my hair is a way that I express myself and if he's really gonna be scared off over a color, then fuck 'im. He can go. Best we figure that out right off the bat."

Testing a person's love like that with extreme behaviors and acting out wasn't necessarily something Peaches agreed with but it knew Dori ever since she was little and used to play with it and Star. She wasn't the type of young woman to be told what to do and listen. So, the psychopomp merely said, "Well, hopefully adaptable ends up being what you're looking for."

Before Dori could ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, they both looked up to Star entering the room. "Hey, you okay?" her friend asked, giving her a sympathetic look and tucking her as of yet untouched hair behind her ear. "Sorry I didn't stick up for you at dinner. I kinda felt like if I said anything, I'd just be told to shut up." Pressing her lips together, Dori asked, "Do you wanna talk about it or do you just wanna jump right into a distraction?" At the last, she smiled a little and held up a tiny plastic baggie with light blue- almost white dye powder in it.

Star entered her room, glancing at Peaches who said nothing about the row downstairs but she could feel his concern through those glowing yellow eyes. The psychopomp had been her literal shadow since she was born and much could be communicated between the two without words. Maybe it was part of her hybrid senses or just being attuned to her old friend, she did not know but most of the time it was a comfort. She wrinkled her nose at the chemical smell of the hair dye, closing the door and she leaned up against it.

“Don’t worry about it, it would have just made things worse,” Star assured Dori, and slumped off to the bed, “Eric can be such a jerk but I know he’s just worried. Still...he didn’t even listen, you know? Just jumped to the worst case scenario and assumes I have no fucking clue what’s going on outside Green River.”

Star hung over her bed, reaching down under the bed for a box and pulled it out, fishing around in it and took out a ciggo. Glancing at Peaches she raised her finger to her lips before going over to the window and shoving it open, lighting up. After inhaling a few puffs to calm her nerves, she gently snuffed it out. “I just wish he would listen to me for once. At least Mom and David do that. They listen even if they don’t agree, but no Daddy Eric just slams his fist down and thems the rules!”

Huffing out a last bit of the smoke in a warped ring, she waved her hand to get the smell out. “Okay, so enough bitching. Let’s get to painting.”

Checking out the soft pastel blue and pink she raised her eyebrows, “Don’t bleach me, my hair is light enough to take some color and Jason’s kind of picky about that shit. He worries I’ll start dressing like you.”

She snickered, and plopped down on the chair in front of Dori, leaning back to look up at her friend, “Fat chance of that.”

Star sat still as Dori put a bit of the easter egg colors in the front strands of her hair, just enough to tint the golden strands. When she was done, they switched and Star went to work rebleaching Dori’s hair before coloring it. It was a long smelly process but it gave them time to chit chat.

“So mystery guy, what’s he look like?” Star asked as she wrapped up the bleached strands in plastic, “Other than he’s a hot piece of ass. Think you’ll bang him?”

Quirking her lips, she stripped off the gloves, Dori would have to wait a while before rinsing the caustic chemical from her hair. "Hey...how much does it change things? The having sex part, like all the way. I mean, do you feel different?"

If there was one thing Peaches didn't approve of, it was Star's ciggo use. The revamped cigarettes, made mainly with tobacco but mixed with Tepo, a kippie grown herb that relaxed humans when used in the right ways. Most of the time, the leaves were dried and went into tea bags but someone had the grand idea to stick them into cigarette papers to juice up a market that was only recently starting to get farmed again. The tobacco was bad enough but the burned Tepo had similar toxic effects on the lungs, which was pretty typical when sucking smoke into the body. But it wasn't something the kippie was going to push with her, even though it was surprised to see her still sneaking them when it had told her how it felt about it before.

"Well, it's like Peaches says," Dori commented with an ironic frown and nodding. "He's a wanker."

While her soaking in dye hair was wrapped in plastic, Dorito contemplated Star's question while inspecting her nails briefly. "I dunno. Maybe," she shrugged, looking up at her friend with a blase arch of her eyebrow. "It'd be nice to do somebody who wasn't gonna be an immature fag about it by dumping me the next day and telling everybody that my vagina has fangs. I mean, he is a bit older, so, maybe a bit more mature? Depends on how he responds to my hair and everything. Even still, if it turns out he's alright about the neon-do but we've got nothing else really in common, I might just take him for a ride as a farewell. You know, for me." Dorito had to admit, with how much she aggressively pushed guys away, it felt nice to be wanted despite that. Almost like she was worth the abuse.

Smirking, Dori got a dreamy look in her eyes trying to recall what he looked like. "Well, he's got longish hair, sort of greasy but not dirty. Like wet and plush, big lips, smoldering gaze and a really thin, chiseled face. I don't know, might be worth the ride. If he can find my parts." She burst into a small giggle fit over that.

While they waited, Dori got a softer look in her eyes. She was just a month younger than Star but in some ways she felt a bit older, with all the risks and acting out she'd done. Being the daughter of the infamous Piper had it's less than glamorous parts and she found herself constantly trying to be someone else and seen as someone else. No matter what, it was always 'of course she did blank. She's Christopher Piper's daughter.'

"The first time, ya," Dori said with a shrug. "But only in that you feel like you've got a secret that everybody almost knows and you're just waiting for them to ask. Unless you go around telling people you did it, which... with your dad..." Peaches was shaking it's head and frowning levelly where it sat on the bed and Dorito snorted. "Right? Exactly. So, I guess you kind of do but it wears off quick, especially the more you do it. You feel like you just return to normal, not like you're different or changed. At least I did. Then again, Ashley and I fooled around twice before he broke up with me and I had a big fight with my mom about it, so, it felt like it just became something else that happened but I was, am, still me. Just really horny for cock now."

Peaches guffawed about that and Dorito giggled too. "I want to hear all about it, by the way," Dori said, adjusting her plastic and checking the clock. "When you and Jason do it. All the juicy details belong to me. I wanna know what he says, what he does that's stupid, what he does that you really like, how big he is. All of it, okay? We'll have a night with smores and talking about dicks. I'll even draw pictures."

Star rinsed her hair while Dori’s dye set, examining the faint color left after. It was not as vivid since she did not bleach it out but it was enough. As Dori described the young man, Star twisted her locks of hair into two braids that hung down, framing her face. The stupid rumors about Dori spread by that douche Ashley had been persistent and nasty. It was obviously untrue but since she was a hybrid and Piper’s only offspring, people liked to believe the most outrageous things. Being children of corrupted men, the imaginations of their peers ran wild and nothing got tongue waggings like sexual indecencies.
“Smoldering and chiseled, you have my attention,” Star quipped, tying off the second braid. “So he’s like one of those tall, dark and mysterious men. Riding into town with a black hat?”

She giggled with her and settled down on the rug with her back against the bed, eagerly listening to Dori’s description of how it felt after losing her cherry. She was smiling a little, imagining having that sort of secret and wondering if it would show on her face when her dad was mentioned. She rolled her eyes slightly, then smirked, “Oh, please. He’s the last person I’d tell. Imagine his reaction? Jason would have an ass full of buckshot.”


She leaned back, imagining what it might be like with Jason. It’s not like she was so innocent, she had his dick in her mouth before and let him stick his finger in one time but it had felt uncomfortable. Maybe she hadn’t been ready or it was just weird, but Star was willing to try again. She really liked Jason, maybe even loved him though she was not sure. Her mother called it puppy love but whatever it was, she felt butterflies when he was near and his kisses made her knees buckle.

“So like, once you pop you just want more?” the blonde girl asked, laughing with Peaches and Dori at her comment. “Couldn’t you just like draw yourself a cock?”

Star turned red and hiccuped with giggles as she pictured Dori using her corrupted finger to make a pseudo penis. “Of course! It’s not like I could keep it away from you. If anyone could take one look at me and know I wasn’t a virgin anymore it’s you. I’m excited and sort of scared...nervous. I mean, we’ve fooled around and stuff, I just don’t want to do something dumb or ruin the mood somehow.”

Twisting her lips in a thoughtful expression and shrugged, “I’m pretty sure he’s done it before, I hope I’m not lame.”

After a moment, she popped up, announcing it was time to rinse and reveal the final product of the bright orange mop of hair.

"Everybody's sort of lame their first time," Dorito shrugged. "The point is being with somebody who can appreciate that it's your first and you're not automatically a natural sex goddess. If that's what Jason seriously expects, then fuck him. ...not literally, I mean, don't fuck him again if he's a douche."

Having fun over that, they rinsed the dye from Dorito's hair and revealed her locks to be a bright, almost blinding shade of orange. Her blue eyes large and laughing openly, Dorito inspected herself in Star's mirror. "Oh my gosh! Hah! Great job, Star!" she laughed breathlessly. "If this isn't dynamic enough to get his full attention, then I don't know what else to do. Let's hope I don't actually have to push him down some stairs."



After that, the girls chatted some more, about end of the year projects they were excited about, kippie products that were being brought from the Midwest that they both wanted to try, and Dori's step dad, Gerry's, awkward attempts to bond with her that just ended up sort of weird and boring. Even if she did admit that she liked that he tried at all, hoping that he'd come up with something genuine they could connect over, and no, she wasn't going to help him figure it out. Getting to sleep past 11 p.m., entangled in the sheets together on Alex's bed, the way they always did ever since they were little, the girls wandered through their dreams with the guiding pushes and gentle prods of Peaches. Nothing they'd immediately realize or understand but the shadow pomp was patient and content with it's efforts.

The next day was a short day of classes for them both, Dorito finding something interesting to think about in her Extended Mathematics class. Another piece of the puzzle that had her leaning towards the architectural potential with her gifts, then again it could have just been that Mrs. Tanner's enthusiasm for shapes and dimensions was contagious. After that, she had work from 10:30 until 2 p.m. while Star went to meet her bae for lunch at Ray Ray's Diner and Music Bar. It was a slow day at the craft shop and Mr. Cole had Dorito stacking tiny jars of paint on the worn, wooden shelves. It was boring not only because of the mundane nature of the task, taking the right color coded jars out of the backstock boxes and making sure they were in the exact correct spot but also because she was waiting.

After noon, even though she wasn't off yet, Dorito started to get worried that mystery dude wouldn't show up. After all, she hadn't told him her schedule but he came in around 11:30 the day before. She started to pout and scowl at the paints, almost misshelving some of them, when she considered the possibility that he'd already been in the shop in the split seconds of one of the times she'd had her back to the door. Maybe he'd seen her hair and felt like throwing up or pissed his pants he was so scared and he'd rushed out of the store quicker than the Flash, so she'd completely missed the mental breakdown he had at the sight of her. She tried to feel pleasure at the thought of scarring him emotionally but after sort of falling for the hope herself it was hard not to let the melancholy get to her.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you," a voice said to her right, forcing her to look up into smoldering brown eyes giving her an intrigued look. "But I'm looking for this really edgy chick who was in here yesterday." Dorito tried to mask the flip-flop of her heart by rolling her eyes and he broke character just the tiniest bit with a smirk. "She's kind of morbid, real pretty and she's got a funny finger. Have you seen her?"




Dorito finally smiled when he did a little finger dance with his pointer finger. "Never heard of such a person in my life," she said coolly, continuing to put blush pink jars onto the shelf, filling the spot until it was level. "Sounds like somebody you definitely should be wary of, though."

"Really?" he chuckled, putting his hands into his baggy jean pockets, continuing to play their little stranger game. "Is that because she's a vulnerable person or are you trying to make me think she's dangerous?"

"She'll eat you alive."

"Oh, jeez. Now I really have to find her," he sniffed, glancing over his shoulder briefly. "Vore is one of those hot button kinks I have. Really hard to find somebody to accommodate. I think we might be soul mates."

Dorito covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a stupid giggle at his joke. With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled wide at her and leaned his elbow up on the shelves, hovering close to her. "Why orange?"

"Does it scare you?"

"Is it supposed to scare me?" he asked, his eyes boring into her and making it hard for her to return his gaze. "I'm shocked and enthralled here. I really can't wait to see what Ms. Little Finger's gonna do next."




Finally, she broke and looked down, smiling and biting her lip shyly. "It's Dorito."

"No shit?" he laughed in astonishment.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said with a breezy grin. "Just thinking you must be nacho flavored." Introducing himself as Steve Simmons, he waited while she convinced Mr. Cole to let her go early. No dummy, the middle-aged man gave her a soft, fatherly grin and told her she could have a couple extra hours on Thorsday if she didn't want to lost her time today. Thanking him graciously, Dori left with her mysterious artist named Steve and after chatting and walking for a while, they ended up at his apartment. There was a slight hesitation in Dorito because although really enjoying her time, she wasn't sure yet how far she really wanted to go Not wanting to be a downer, however, she agreed to go up with him.

A one room studio with ivy green sheets on a twin mattress basically sitting on the floor, the room was dedicated to art and the creative process and very little else. Paints and brushes littered the space around an easel and there wasn't a canvas that didn't have something on it, even the one's lined up in a stack against the wall. Sketch pads, abused and scribbled in, gutted and rutted with his imagination and midnight inspirations, sat despondently on the floor beside the bed, showing forth their charcoal messes and ideas and his smeared finger prints. The kitchen was little more than a fridge and a sink and there were more papers and drawings discarded on the counter tops, like he'd contemplated his in the middle of the night pictorial messages to himself and tried to decipher the mind or train of thought that'd created it over breakfast sausage and oatmeal. There was something very electric and comfortable that hit Dori about the space, attractive and aesthetic even at it's less than savory, with his oily laundry cluttering the space, blending together the parts of himself that he had to present to the world and the parts that he didn't show anybody else. She fucking loved it.

"You want something to drink?" Steve offered as he tossed his keys onto the counter and went over to the fridge, opening it to reveal the typical bachelor's inattentiveness of a pickle jar, jug of milk and beer.

Dorito didn't answer him, distracted by the lone easel in the room with a sheet covering the painting upon it. Not bothering to ask him about it, the teen went over and disrobed the piece, even as he noticed her direction and stumbled forward to try to stop her. "No! It's not... finished..." he said lamely as she stood before the painting, taking it in.




It was the one he told her about. The one he got the feeler brush for. As per the effects that could be achieved by the dream utensil, the painting moved before her eyes. Depicting a person facing the viewer with blank features, the figure swept it's arms up as it turned rapidly, rushing towards the audience as it revealed a beak-masked face on the back of it's head, the perspective distorting as it got close, swallowing the entire canvas in the black of it's menacing eye. Then it would return to it's starting point and turn again, each time consuming the viewer within it's gaze.

Seeing the long snout of the painting's surprise figure sent a chill up Dorito's spine, her body attuned to recognize the imagery as soon as her eyes could make it out. "Piper," she murmured softly. Turning to look at Steve who stood beside her, she gave him a wary and penetrating look. "Why would you paint this?"

"What?" he asked, glancing from her to the painting like he was surprised by that reaction.

"This is my father," she said, emotion starting the slightest tremble in her voice. "Why are you painting Christopher Piper? Is that why you wanted to go on a date with me?" A sheen of disgust rippled through her features as she got firmer and more confident. "Is that all I am to you? The famous corrupted daughter of the villain that tormented this town?"

"Whoa, Dorito, time out here," he said, really coolly unsettled by her reaction, even as he casually made a cancelling gesture with his hands. "First of all, I didn't even know who you were until you told me your name. Second of all, it's not all about you. Sorry to burst your bubble there, little finger." He smirked and cocked his head wonderingly, like he was trying to figure something out about her. "Hate to tell you this but your dad didn't invent the plague doctor mask and imagery. He just used it. It's history doesn't suddenly go away just because of what he did and that was the imagery I was trying to tap into." Dorito's anger deflated with his explanation, especially feeling foolish because of how reasonable he was being about it.

Touching the edge of the canvas where the folded and stretched fabric was a little long in the corner and frayed, he sighed and made a pouty face. "Not only that but you've hurt my feelings now... calling it a guy," he said, giving her a mock hurt look. "It's supposed to be Isadora vom Spiegel and the legend of her transformation." Laughing a little, Dorito looked again and noted the femininity of the first face and the almost imperceptible bumps of breasts on it's chest before it turned away. The beaked figure didn't have any gender, she realized as she watched it go through it's movements to envelop the viewers again. "Told you it's not finished," he said with a crooked grimace, tossing the sheet back over the painting.

After that, Steve got her a drink and they sat on his bed and talked for a little bit. Asking her about her finger, he wanted to touch it and she let him, letting him realize that whatever abilities it had, it was just a finger colored black when not in use. Then he did something odd, holding her hand in his fingers and putting the corrupted appendage into his mouth, sucking on it. Jerking her hand out of his hold, Dorito bristled and said, "Don't."

"Why not?" Steve asked, half-leaning on his side on the bed and quirking an eyebrow at her in interest.

"Because it's not a sex organ," she snapped in annoyance, rubbing her finger on her jeans to dry it. "I'm not a fetish."

"Bullshit," he coolly said, amused by her. "It's just your finger, Dorito and that's all I was doing. You're so used to everyone drawing attention to it that now you're defensive, expecting it to be different. It's not. I'm just sucking your finger, Dorito."

"Why, though?" she frowned at him.

He shrugged like it was obvious. "Because it's yours," he said, giving her a look with those brown eyes that had her thighs trembling together.


NSFW:


Swept up in him and his refreshing outlook about her, about her history and her corruption itself, Dorito found herself pantsless, with Steve similarly undressed and humping her into his mattress. Bed springs squeaking, punctuated by her soft, breathless cries of delight, he fucked her hard, her fingers like claws clinging to him just to hang onto something. Delighted by the full feeling his cock gave her, and loving the way he looked, so determined and lost in pleasure above her, his bangs falling over his eyes and dangling in his face as he moaned blissfully, Dorito didn't let herself think of the consequences, just enjoying the moment for what it was. Even as she started to feel a tingling pressure inside, her hips starting to thrust up to meet his pounding strokes, he grunted harshly and pushed in deep, his body trembling in the throes of orgasm. Shoving away her disappointment, replacing it with a feeling of satisfaction that she'd brought him to orgasm with her body, she accepted his kisses when he was coming back down from his high.

Pulling out of her, his dick looked alien with it's dark purple sheath, the Kipped™ condom he was wearing. Made out of a revolutionary kippie plastic that replicated skin, it was the ultimate next step in contraception, forming an impenetrable barrier but form-fitting to any sized cock and allowing sensation to go through it as if the guy wasn't wearing anything at all. Taking it off of himself and keeping his spunk trapped inside with a quick tie, Steve turned back to Dorito to kiss her again. "You didn't come," he stated as she sighed and hummed on the bed beside him, her hair and shirt disheveled.

"That's okay," she was quick to assure him, willing to make his pleasure and desire for her a priority. "It was good."

He cocked his head and frowned a little, playfully. "Could be better," he said, stroking her thighs with his hands and moving down low to position himself between her legs once more, lifting her legs to rest on his shoulders.

Disbelieving that he could continue to surprise her with how perfect he was, Dorito laughed in surprise, her giggles cut off as his tongue found her. Contorting on the bed beneath him, she gasped and whimpered as he made out with her lower lips, tantalizing and teasing her and then rubbing his lightly stubbled face flush against her for a pounding pleasure that threatened to overtake her. She begged him wordlessly, trying to hump up against the feel-good pressure and movements of his lips, but he held her firmly and sweetly in place. Unhinged, Dorito moaned breathlessly, her corrupted finger drawing wildly in the air, wire spirals and coils that sped away from her to fall over his bedside in a cascade of cymbal-metal noise and tangled loops. Gripping his hair with her other hand, she shrieked in ecstasy, her body arching towards him, and her neon hair plastered against her face with sweat.

Whatever test her hair had been, he fucking passed.

+++++++++++++++

Jason was already at Ray Ray's when Star showed up, greeting her with a smooch on the lips before leading her inside. Blue eyes twinkling, he smiled at her with his smooth, aristocratic good-looks and asked her, "How was your day?" The stood waiting for a few moments to be seated and he gave her a tight smile as he motioned at her hair, his finger whipping out to gently touch the discolored strands. "Did you do something different? Dori splash some of her dye on you? I saw her this morning on the way to class. Really, like people didn't notice her enough before." He let out a breath and shook his head, his eyebrows bouncing in wordless commentary.

It wasn't mean and he wasn't trying to be, but there was still a level of smug expectation and standard in the world. Dorito was well-known for her experimentation with clothing and hairstyles and the majority of her level-headed peers felt it was too much and a bit intimidating. Still, Jason was quick to let Star know, with a kiss brushed against her hand, "I like it. But not too much, though, okay?" Not that he'd leave her if she dyed her hair like Dori's but it would be really uncomfortable to be seen in public with a girl with purple or green hair, let alone a hybrid.

Going to their table, Jason sat across from Star in a small booth by the windows, accepting the menus from their server. Music was being played on a stage in the corner, family friendly and basically storytelling set to guitar music. This song was called 'I Got What You Need' about a kippie peddler who professed to always have what the customers wanted but every time they made exchanges, it was something wholly inappropriate to the dreamers' requests, in a silly, usually pun-induced manner.

Jason smiled at his girlfriend, his eyes adoring yet just the right amount of cocky set to his shoulders being seen with her. He was a lucky guy and he knew it. "My step mom is driving me crazy about this essay thing," he sighed, once they had their drinks. "It's 3 months yet and I already basically know what I wanna do. They seriously need to freaking chill." Having grown up under the influence of how important school was and loving some of his own great instructors over the years, Jason was looking to become a teacher himself. The only problem was focusing on a subject and age-group but he'd already done some assistant teacher work with 8 to 10 year olds and he loved inspiring the kids and getting them excited about learning.

Star spotted Jason outside the diner and she waved her hand at him, happy to see him. He always made her heart skip, he was so handsome and the way he smiled at her made her feel special. At his reaction to her hair, she tossed her hair dismissively, shrugging, “It’ll wash out soon, I just felt like it. I thought Dori looked pretty cute.”

She raised her eyebrows, as if daring him to say anything else about her best friend but he dropped it. She gave him a pleased smile, tucking a blue stained golden strand behind her ear and slipped into the booth. Star wore a pastel blouse, a little loose to cover her feathers and not press them down so the outline might be seen through the fabric. Her jeans were snug, showing off her teenage body to its best effect.

“Oh you have it easy,” Star said, widening her eyes, “You should have seen my Dad go off on me last night. I just mentioned my ideas and he acted like I was about to wage a one woman campaign against the wars on the east coast. Jeez, he just exploded.”

Sipping her tea, she shook her head, “I swear he acts like I’m still 10.”

Pausing to listen to the song she laughed at it a little, it was one of her favorites and then met her boyfriend’s gaze, “You’ll make a good teacher, Jay, I know it. I’m glad you’re gonna go with younger kids though because if you were my teacher I’d have a total maddening crush on you and get you into so much trouble.”

She sighed and gave him a dreamy look, fluttering her dark blonde eyelashes, cooing, “Oh Mr. Goines you’re soooo cute. Please help me with my homework! I didn’t turn in my assignment, I think I need a spanking. Oops did I forget my panties?!”



Laughing at his expression, she glanced up as the server approached and covered her mouth to smother another giggle. Star ordered french fries and a bean burger with extra kipper cheese and she looked at Jason, “What? Lay off, I’m starving. I had track practice.”

After their food came, she munched a fry and looked at him for a long moment, “Let’s forget about the essays for now. So...are we gonna do anything tonight?”

She wanted to ask when he was going to do what he said he would. Make a special night and they would finally do it. It was not something Star wanted to ask straight out, especially in a public place but it weighed on her mind she could not help but nudge the subject. Gazing at her boyfriend, she felt the warm flutter in her belly as he smiled down at his plate, that dimple appearing on his cheek. The blonde girl kicked out her foot, touching his leg and continued up his calf. Their eyes met and she felt herself blush as he licked a bit of sauce off his thumb before wiping his hand on the napkin.

You could almost forget that she was a hybrid with the way Star teased and joked and it was part of what Jason found so attractive about her. It helped that she was fun to be around and really pretty, with a hot little bod. And her dad was somebody important too. But it was just as important to him that her corruption wasn't immediately noticeable. Some corrupted people and hybrids had odd limbs or gross deformities and it was hard to be around them, let alone think of them as people.

Star wasn't one of them though. There was the slight bulge to her shirt where he knew something was there but the girl knew what was and wasn't acceptable and she did a really good job of presenting as normal. Rolling his eyes at her scenario and huffing a laugh he shook his head. "You'd lose me a job, you mean," he said in response to it. "But that's okay, I know you wouldn't be able to help it."

A look did cross his face when he saw what she ordered as it was laid in front of her but it wasn't what she thought he meant by it. Jason could appreciate a girl with a healthy appetite, and Star definitely had a nice shapely look to her while still being slender and healthy. No, what he was really worried about were his plans for later. There was a fire pit cooked quail hen planned and he'd been practicing cooking outdoors for a while to get the hang of it. It was stupid, since it was only just after noon but still for a split second when that big meal was set down, he was nervous that Star wouldn't be hungry enough to eat what he planned to cook for her later.

Stealing a fry from her plate and eating it, while addressing his own modest Jessica sandwich, Jason shrugged, playing his ambivalence straight-faced. "I dunno. Maybe," he let out a heavy sigh and glanced around the room, being real inattentive to her on purpose, trying to mislead her a little bit with his intentions. "I mean, if you think your dad might be alright with you getting home a little late. I mighta had something in mind." He shrugged, like it was a chore to mention, like she was dragging it out of him, all the while holding back his reveal as he took a sip of his berry-infused iced tea.

"Just a little something tossed together over a fire pit. Maybe laying out a couple of old blankets and telescoping at the constellations. Pfft. I guess," he frowned, mockingly irritated and making himself break down, holding back a laugh in his throat. Composing himself, he blushed a little, smirking as he put a dried carrot chip into his mouth from his own plate and glanced at her with a teasing glint in his blue eyes. "Think you might be interested in something super special and private like that? I mean, I could do it by myself but... I kinda wanted you there." Then the full light of expectation went on in his eyes as his grin blossomed, feeling proud of himself for planning something like this. A night with Star, looking at stars. It was perfect for their first time.

Star plucked one of the thick home fries from the little bucket they were served in and watched Jason act oh so nonchalant. He was holding back, she could sense it but there was a playfulness in the set of his shoulders. She snorted a little, munching the piece of potato, playing along with his game. “My dad care about what time I’m home? Oh yeah, you know Eric and David, they’re super cool about rule breaking. Of course, David likes you so he would probably let it slide...Eric on the other hand, he’d probably only string you up by your heels.”

A little smirk appeared on her lips as before she bit into the burger, “But if you’re willing to chance it, so am I.”

As he described his plan, the warm smile on her face grew and she dropped the teasing. Cupping her hands under her jaw, she felt a wave of excitement wash through her. This would be the night! And under the stars, alone with nature all around them with the soft sounds of the spring night providing the soundtrack her entrance into womanhood.

“Aww, that sounds really romantic!” Star tilted her head dramatically and squealed a little, biting her lip. .


Star looked at the big meal set before her and the fact he was cooking something special made her not want to ruin her appetite. After a few bites of the burger and a handful of fries, she called for a to-go box. The list of things she would need to do ran through her mind. Go home, take a good shower, shave parts of her body. She might have to fetch Dori, they had a lot to talk about if she had met up with her broody hot guy. She would have to pick a dress, something sexy and feminine and the biggest thing. Not letting on what might happen tonight anywhere around Daddy Eric.

“I’d love to go,” Star said, straightening up and reaching out to touch his fingers, grasping them for a moment as she looked into his eyes. “I’d better get home so I can knock out this homework and get excused from dinner. Pick me up at 7?”

After a lingering kiss goodbye, she practically skipped down the street, pretending to a hopscotch and dodging cracks. Star was flying high, her smile beaming from her round face as she thought about the night to come. She dashed across the street and decided to cut across the park, hoping to find Dori at their spot. It was a picnic bench where they had carved their initials into the worn wooden table, it was set apart from the other benches that were close to the basketball court so not many people sat there. Her eyes scanned over the few folks enjoying their lunches in the spring weather and spotted the neon orange head.

Star ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, “Boo!”

She plopped down onto the bench and straddled it to face her, “So...! News! Read all about it. ~Tonight’s the night~the mood will be right...~”

Star sang dramatically as she gushed and then paused, cocking her head as she looked closer at Dori. Her smile froze and her eyebrows rose, “Oh my god, you saw your hot piece of ass? What happened!?”

Bouncing in place, she grabbed her friend’s hands, biting her plump lip in excitement.

Dori sat at the bench, humming lightly to herself and letting her finger draw flowers in the air and waving them away to fall to the ground where they would wither and die for real. When Star showed up, reality came filtering back for her and she smiled in excitement sharing in her friend's good news. "Get out! Tonight?! Lucky you!" she said, giving her friend a sporty smack on the arm with her hand. "That means... we'll share this day as firsts then..."

Biting her lip, guiltily, Dorito remembered how sweet and absolutely intoxicating Steve had been while she'd mellowed out from her orgasm, lying curled up with him on his bed. "I don't know what happened," she said, sighing at herself and flopping her hand uselessly. "I really tried. I went in with guards up, looking for reasons he could let me down. Even making myself trip and fall, he wouldn't let go, wouldn't let me hit the ground. And he was gewd," she said the word funny, her eyelid twitching drunkenly and her lips pursing smugly to articulate just what level of 'good' she was talking about. "Just everything, so fucking good. He wanted to paint a picture of me but I wanted to meet you here, so, I left. He really wanted me to stay longer but I made sure to promise to see him tomorrow as a compromise. And..."

Dorito twitched on the bench, her thighs squeezing together in her black pants as she looked warily around and bit her top lip, giving Star a blushy, secret smile. "He took my panties," she whispered, suddenly shy recounting this bizarre kinky display of dominance. "He's 'holding them hostage' because I told him they were my sexiest pair. I can have them back tomorrow when I see him again. Is it gross or creepy when a guy smells them? I'm not sure but it really made it hard to leave him when he did it. I thought I was gonna be late meeting you!"

Laughing happily, Dorito clapped her hands and then waved them, giddy and excited. "Okay, okay! Enough about me!" she said, leaning on the bench and looking deeply at her friend. "What's Jay got planned? Did he tell you anything? Do you need an alibi for tonight or something? Do you need help with outfits? I can draw you something?"

Star’s eyes flew wide as Dori described her encounter with this Steve. Other than the douchebag sounding name, he seemed to really have lit a fire with her friend. She could see the sparkle in her blue eyes, the blush on her pale cheeks when she admitted the man had kept her panties. Her pert nose wrinkled up slightly at the idea of someone taking her underwear and sniffing them. She snickered, “That is kinda weird but...I don’t know. I could never see Jason doing that! So I guess you’re gonna see him again then? At least to get your panties back.”

She stuck her tongue out between her teeth in a teasing grin. happy for Dori and happy for herself. Taking a deep breath, she wiggled in place, “He’s making me dinner, cooking outside in a firepit and then we’re gonna look at the stars...”

Star twisted her lips in a naughty smile letting her fill in the blanks. glancing from under her eyelashes. “I don’t know what to wear, I kinda wanted some sexy little sundress but...my feathers you know. Jason’s never really seen them...I probably don’t want to shock him on our first night naked together.”

With a shrug she reached back and rubbed at them through the blouse, “Maybe something with flowy sleeves and just a little bit see through, enough to tease but not enough to get me in trouble with my parents. Something special.”

After a short talk about dresses, she gave Dori a hug and peck on the cheek, “Wish me luck! I hope I’m glowing like you are after this.”

With a giggle, she departed, unfolding her li ped and making her way home. Spinning up the lane, she spotted her father under the hood of their car. His wiry forearms dirty with grease and the red rag hung from his back pocket. She came to a stop and folded up her li ped, the gravel crunching under her sneakers. as she made her way toward the house. Their argument from the night before was still fresh in her mind and the last thing she wanted was Eric to read her happiness on her face. He would know something was up.

“Hey Dad,” she called out as she tried to slip past him, making a beeline toward the door.

"Good luck, gal!" Dorito said, hugging her friend tight before drawing back and shaking her black finger at the other teen. "And remind him to wear a Kipped or a condom. You can get preggers even from your first time." It was stuff she knew Star knew but she was kind of on Cloud 9 already and might not be thinking all too clearly when it came time for Jay to perform. They both knew Mrs. Charlotte had gotten pregnant with Alex when she was younger than they were but it was definitely not the ideal situation.

Enjoying the fresh air and late afternoon sunlight, Eric hunched over the family vehicle with the hood propped up. Charlotte went grocery shopping the day before and told him it was making odd noises, so, he was determined to check it out for her and make sure it was working properly. It was his day job after all. Under the hood, the auto's innards were a collection of commandeered parts, some kippie made and some newly manufactured car parts. The engine worked with the dream technology to heat up rain water and turn it into steam to make it move. Literally propelled by clouds and dreams, the particular make of the vehicle used to be a combination of a couple of different brands, now a unique little Frankenstein's monster.

Even while he worked, letting his mind tinker at the problems and his hands move to perform the necessary actions, Eric's thoughts drifted. Hearing Star's greeting, the blonde man lifted his head and called out to her. "Hey, wait a second," he said with a small nod, tossing his long, single braid over his shoulder as he stood up straight. "C'mere, I wanna talk to you."

Sniffing casually, he wiped his hands off on his rag and gave her a squinted frown, waiting for her to approach him before he continued. "I wanted to talk to you about last night. Now wait a second," he said, holding up his hand in a calming motion at her, his facial expression showing that he anticipated her resistance to this topic being brought up again. "Listen, I feel bad and I shouldna yelled." That wasn't a 'sorry'. "I don't want you to feel like I'm attacking you or that I don't support you. Because I do. You're smarter than I ever was at your age and you're very strong. I admire you a lot, Star."

Eric gave her a somber look, his hands on his hips and biting the inside of his cheek as he literally chewed over his words, figuring out what to say next. "I'm not good at this whole feeling thing or letting things go. You can ask your ma and daddy David. It's been about me the whole time I've known her and it always will be, even as I try not to take shit personally. That whole, 'letting you grow up' thing is still kickin' my ass because I just can't... you're still my little buddy, watching The Kippie Wanderer stories on tv or playing pirates in the bathtub."

Looking away from her, he rubbed a hand over his trimmed facial hair and cleared his throat with a soft grunt. "I just see things sometimes and it makes me scared for you. Bullet holes and corruption stains in some of the autos that come to my shop and these people and kippies were out... there. And David sometimes dealing with bullshit Western people who just get up and walk out of the office when they hear how hybrids have equal status here. I've done a lot, we all have, to make sure you never had to feel scared or ashamed for the mark you bear. I get it, you want other people to have that too and that's great, I love you to death for thinking and feeling that way. But... I know what we had to go through just to get that here and I don't want you to see it, to have to deal with that ugliness."

Scratching his head, he sighed and said, "I dunno. I'm rambling. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and I love you." Enveloping her in his arms, Eric hugged Star, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I hate fighting with you. I feel like such a fucking monster."