Mittens Has Class Ch. 18

Mittens Has Class

Chapter 18 - Most Cats Have Superpowers They Don't Tell You About

**Characters and text are protected under copyright law

"If those two stooges are there for class and look like they're going to make trouble, we'll just head out." Mittens said as she put the 'Mittens-mobile' into park and shut off the engine. "Personally, I's really hoping those idiots, gots suspendeded or somefin'. At the very least."

"Somehow, I doubt it." Krystal replied dourly. Despite how much joy she'd felt the last day and a half staying with them, Mittens could see the reality of returning back to the real world and dealing with the two assholes again was crashing back in on her like a dark wave. The closer they'd gotten to campus, the more of her smile had faded away. "Regardless though, I don't want to let them force us out of class. If they're there, they're there." She breathed out an unsteady breath, her words not sounding all that confident. "Besides, they can't do more than sling ugly words at us with the rest of the class there."

Mittens gave her a darkly amused look. "Bein' a Friday, probably not gonna be lots o' people stickin' around. Even the Professor probably will end up leavin early." She gave a roll of her eyes, half expecting them to walk into the classroom to find just the two dickheads lying in wait there.

Krystal gave a faint shrug, but her face took on a resolute expression. "Even so, I... I don't want to live in fear of these guys." She took in a deep breath, blew it out. It brought back a shadow of her smile and she peered playfully at Mittens. "Besides, I have my pooka with me." She gave a wink. "She'll scratch their eyes out."

"Or 'lectra-ma-cute 'em!" Mittens added helpfully. "I's a certi-ma-fied 'pooka-chu'!!"

Krystal laughed out loud at that, then leaned across the center console to put her head on Mittens' shoulder affectionately. "In that case, I choose you, Pooka-chu." She said with a giggle and then planted a small kiss on Mittens' cheek.

Mittens leaned her own head against hers, slipping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "No matter what's there, I'll be right beside you. If'n I has ta fights 'em off again, I will."

Krystal gave a soft laugh. "Maybe this time I can watch you 'roast his peanuts' first hand."

Mittens grinned. "Well, actually, I brought some seasonin', just in case." She produced a small can of pepper spray from her jacket pocket. "Not as fun as glitter, buts a lots more effective!"

Krystal laughed brightly, more of that happy manner she'd had back at the house returning to her features. "Armed and dangerous."

"Lockeded an' loadeded!" Mittens agreed with a toothy grin.

For a long moment, they just sat there, soaking up one another and silently delaying the inevitable. However, Mittens finally sighed and ushered them out of the car, if only to get it over with. Grabbing their backpacks, they locked up the car and set off across campus towards Callahan Hall. As they walked, Krystal took a hold of Mittens' paw, clutching it firmly as though it were a buoy in a storm. Mittens could feel a slight tremor moving through her, but she bravely kept pace, seeming determined not to let the bullies rule her life.

As it turned out, they were among the first to arrive, only two others occupying seats in the room, neither of them Alvin or Clay. There appeared to be a few other papers already in the basket for turned in essays, however. A part of Mittens hoped that the two dimwits had already dropped theirs off and left again, but doubted they would get that lucky. Dropping their own papers into the basket, they took seats together and began getting settled.

After a moment, Krystal reached over and took Mittens' paw back up in her hand, giving it a meaningful squeeze. The act of it seemed to curb her usual anxiety that always gripped her out in public. Dressed in her usual clashing color choices, pearlescent neon blue shirt, fluorescent green mini-skirt and matching broad necktie, with pink fishnets, and painted army boots, her face the usual mask of white powder and dark accents, she had already gotten plenty of looks on the way here, most of them making her shrink a little in shyness. However, if she held any reservations about someone seeing her holding the hand of another girl out in public, that didn't show at all.

It was as if the contact allowed her to syphon off a little Mittens' own self-confidence and immunity to stares. Mittens usually got just as many, if not more, stares that Krystal, but had long ago gotten used to it. In many ways, enjoyed it. If Krystal could somehow draw a little of that from her, Mittens was happy to share.

After another minute, Tweedle-dumbass, aka Clay, appeared in the doorway of the classroom. As he did, the grip on Mittens' paw tightened. Tweedle-dickhead, aka Alton, didn't follow him in. From what she could see, Clay showed no signs of having sustained any significant injury, not even a bruise on his forehead. Mittens considered that, while it should have made her feel relieved, it actually annoyed her. A part of her wanted him to have some kind of reminder that he'd been bad.

He glanced towards them as he set two essays into the inbox, his expression oddly furtive. She noted he took special notice of them holding hands. After a brief hesitation, as if deciding something, he slithered over to them. His face smoothed into something leaden, forcibly showing no emotion to the point of being obviously intended as a poker face, if a poor one. When he spoke, his voice was low, as devoid of emotion as his dead-pan face, but the words said enough on their own. "Alton still has that fucking glitter in his eyes and serious burns on his dick. Don't think we're going to forget this. You're gonna be lucky if all we do is sue your bitch ass."

"You're lucky we didn't have you arrested for theft, kidnapping, assault, oh, and attempted murder, you twerp." Mittens hissed back, refusing to let this idiot intimidate her. "She could have died in that refrigerator!"

Clay flinched, glancing quickly towards the other two occupants in the room, as if paranoid. When neither of them seemed to be paying attention to them, he looked back at her and rolled his eyes in irritation. "First of all, it wasn't some kind of freezer. It was, like, around fifty degrees at worse and the size of this room. She would have been fine." His voice seemed to be straining to remain neutral and failing, the expression on his face seemed to be doing better, but practically looked like plastic mask due to the attempt. "We barely even touched either of you, much less actually hurt one of you. We were just messing around. You're the one who committed assault and put Alvin in the emergency room." She noticed one of his eyes twitch a little, as if he were only barely managing to remain calm.

"Well, I'm happy to let the police watch all the video and decide for themselves, if you are." Mittens replied smoothly, leaning forward and glaring at him. "I'd gamble on them agreeing that I was perfectly justified frying his junk in self-defense."

Clay's jaw worked a second, then he looked away and sniffed. "Whatever. Just know that we're still here, freaks. And that this isn't even close to over." With that, he shouldered his book-bag, fully turned his back on them, and left.

As soon as he was gone, Mittens looked towards Krystal. "You okay?"

Krystal was still staring at the door he'd disappeared through, face uncertain and strained. However, after a moment, she looked over and smiled fragilely at her. "Yeah... I'm... I'm okay. You were awesome though. I kinda love how he seemed almost afraid to raise his voice to you."

Mittens gave her a sly grin. "Well, about that. The girl over there posted the video of me taking the two of them down a peg on the first day." She gave a bob of her head to a blonde girl completely glued to her phone at the moment texting something. "If he'd drawn too much attention with his little message, she'd just add to the mountain of video evidence against the dimwits."

Krystal looked past her to the girl for a moment, goggling at her in wonder. "Really?" She paused a moment in thought before more meaningfully fixing the girl in her gaze. "Hey, um, Miss?" She cleared her throat, voice seeming a little shaky at addressing a stranger. "Miss?" She said a little louder and more insistent after a beat passed and it was apparent the girl hadn't noticed.

The girl looking up from her phone, seeming not so much to have actually heard Krystal as possibly just sensed someone was staring at her. "Are you talking to me?" She asked a little hesitantly, glancing at the two of them with a look that suggested that she wasn't sure how she felt about these two weirdos taking any kind of interest in her.

Krystal nodded and passed her a smile very obviously meant to look non-threatening, but somehow managed to look a little too intense. "Do you really have a video of my friend making fools of those two bullies on the first day of class?"

The girl blinked confusedly a moment, seeming as though she was still trying to sort out why this strange-looking girl was talking to her. "Uh, yeah. It's on my channel." She finally replied absently. "Has a couple thousands likes on it already, actually. Kind of hoping it goes viral or something."

"If you don't mind telling me what your channel is called, I'll be happy to like and subscribe." Krystal replied with an awkward chuckle, still smiling a little too broadly. "I'd really like to see that again."

The prospect of another viewer to her channel seemed to have a very positive effect on the girl's demeanor, her expression shifting to something much more inviting and friendly. "Yeah, sure!" She stood up and came over, fiddling with her phone to bring up an app as she knelt down next to Krystal's chair so she could copy the name properly.

With Clay having left and Alton apparently home icing his manhood, there wasn't any reason not to stay for class and get a chance to discuss their papers with the teacher. When they exited the building after it was over, they found Valli waiting for them outside the building. As soon as she spotted them, she met them halfway down the stairs leading to the sidewalk.

"Hey! I wanted to see if you two were okay." She pulled Krystal into an awkward hug. "Were those assholes in class today? Did they get expelled?"

Krystal just as awkwardly returned the hug, giving a light chuckle. "We're okay, really. They didn't get expelled, but only one of them showed up today and he didn't hang around. No sure if they actually got any kind of punishment."

"Seriously?!" Valli gasped, pulling back and gawking at the both of them. "They didn't even get suspended or anything?!"

"Like I saids on Wednesday, security kinda sweepeded it under tha carpet." Mittens replied with a sigh. "They probably put something in their records or some other meaningless thing. It was framed as them protecting me, but I think it was the college's reputation they were more worried about protecting."

"I would have contacted the police." Valli said as she fell in with them on the way back down the stairs. "Whether security wanted me to or not."

Krystal winced as they started walking towards the student center. "Mittens wanted to but... I talked her out of it. I was worried that she might... I don't know, get in trouble. Apparently, she really hurt the one guy. Sounds like he had to go the hospital or something."

"I'd wager he didn't." Mittens reasoned. "Or that he actually has as bad of injuries as his friend made it sound. I turneded it ta 'low' befores I zapped 'em; I wager any burns he has are superficial at best."

She'd actually taken a few minutes to look it up over the last two days and while a defibrillator unit could cause second and third degree burns, that was from repeated or extended use and with the paddles touching the skin. With her having shocked him through his pants and just a quick jolt, what he would have from that was comparable to mild or moderate sunburn. However, there had been a chance, even with her placing it far below his chest, that his heart could have gotten damaged or gone into arrest. A low one, but a possibility. She didn't intend to ever point that out to Krystal though.

"Still, I just..." Krystal's face tightened a little, her gaze off somewhere else. "I've seen pulling the cops into something like that go... wrong. Sometimes... their own prejudices..." She didn't finish the thought, just gave a shrug.

Mittens had a sneaking suspicion there was a story there. She imagined a police officer taking a long look at the wild make-up and outfit she had probably been wearing and making some kind of judgement about her. Likely, she'd found herself more a target of suspicion for something than seen as a victim. If so, Mittens could see why she might feel doubt that they wouldn't just look at this weird, physically unharmed, girl dressed as a cat and believe whatever lies had come out of what appeared to be two clean-cut looking young men that were bleeding and burned.

Valli gave a sympathetic shrug. "Well, hopefully, they see you're willing to fight back and just leave you alone now." From the sound of her voice, it was obvious she didn't think that was true.

"The one guy who showed up today actually... well, kinda swore revenge." Krystal replied miserably.

"I's thinkin' me an' Krystal probably shouldn't be alone on campus fer awhile." Mittens said with a slow, thoughtful nod. "As long as we keeps in view o' witnesses, I doubts they'll try anything. We's jus' needs ta be careful."

Valli goggled at the two of them. "If you're actually worried that they're going to retaliate, you could still go to the cops."

Krystal shook her head. "I'd... rather not. Mittens has some mace now, so we'll just spray them if they try anything."

Valli stared at her for a long moment, seeming utter shocked at how nonchalant Krystal seemed to be about it all. Mittens was pretty sure it was due to a long history of being constantly bullied and never getting any help from any kind of authority figure. She'd mentioned that teachers and faculty at her high school had done nothing at best, even put the blame on her in some cases. It had left her with some very deep trust issues. Which only made it all the more amazing that she'd come to trust her, Master, and Chloe so completely.

Likely because the three of them were just as much outsiders as she was.

Breathing out a long sigh, Valli apparently decided it was time to change the subject. "So, what have the two of you been doing since you left campus Wednesday? You said Krystal had decided to stay at your place those couple days."

A big, sheepish, grin emerged on Krystal's face and she blushed. "I got flogged by Master Brooksend."

Valli's eyes went wide as saucers. "WHAT?!"

Krystal gave an embarrassed chuckle. "They had some out-of-town company through Wednesday night who are part of the lifestyle too. One thing sort of lead to another... and we wound up down in the basement below the house."

Valli blinked in shock at her. "Seriously?" She looked to Mittens, who just grinned and shrugged. "I figured you two just watched movies and ate ice cream or something."

"We had cookies." Mittens reported with a little nod. "But that were after we gots Krystal nakey an' flogged." She gave a broad toothy grin. "Honestly, I had expected her to want to just go hide upstairs most of the night, but she were all kinds o' adventurous that night."

Valli frowned a little. "I wish I could have been there." She glanced off at nothing. "I assumed, after what happened, neither of you would be in much a mood for something like that."

Krystal's features scrunched up a little. "Well, for one, I didn't want Mittens to feel like she had to miss getting to see her friends. Though, really, I think it gave me something else to focus on than dwelling on what happened."

Valli gave an absent little bob of her head. "I guess that makes some kind of sense." Mittens noticed there seemed to be a little note of hurt in her eyes.

"You okay?" She asked, giving her friend a look of concern.

Valli blinked and forced a smile on her face. "Yeah! Don't mind me. I'm just a little jealous. I mean, I get why you didn't jump in a car and drive an hour round trip just to include me, but I wish I could have been there too." The forced smile slipped a bit. "I just sometimes feel like I'm always on the sidelines watching everyone else be wild and fun. That probably sounds selfish even bringing it up though."

"I get it." Krystal said, reaching over and giving a squeeze to one of Valli's shoulders. "You're fine. Right after I graduated high school I was in the same place you are now. I didn't just feel like I was on the outside looking in, I actually was. I had Danielle and Sasha, sure, but they had friend groups that I wasn't welcome as part of. The two of them were kind to me, but none of their friends where. So, all the wild stuff was done without me. I think that last little adventure at the Red Lion was their way of trying to give me at least one time where I wasn't excluded from something exciting."

"I forget sometimes that you were so much of an outcast in school." Valli replied, looking sheepish. "I mean, I wasn't all that popular, not in general, but I guess I take for granted that I still had a lot of friends and my own crowd. We had our bullies, but nothing like what you've dealt with, I guess."

Krystal gave a little bob of her head. "I was labelled a freak so early in life that I think most people didn't even know why I was the pariah after a while. I guess, all this didn't help." She gave a vague wave at her made up face. "I probably could have found more friends, if I'd tried, but the idea of putting myself into the middle of a bunch of people who could turn on me wasn't very appealing."

Valli regarded her with a look of such sorrow and guilt that she seemed about to cry. Krystal shot her a smile and laughed. "My point was that, once I got out of high school, I had this sense of wanting to 'catch up' or something. Even if just to prove to myself that I could be more than the weirdo I was cast as in school."

"I'm guessing it didn't go so great?" Mittens asked, a little hesitantly. Krystal's stories often ended in cringe, one way or another.

Krystal gave a slight shrug. "I signed up for a couple of dating apps, hoping that there might be somebody in there who found me more interesting than off-putting." She gave a giggle. "Can't say I was fully prepared by just how much attention I really did get. Of course, most of it was awful attention. Messages I got were laughably explicit right off the bat, utterly horrible in general, or near impossible to understand with how bad their grammar was. Most of the time, it was bluntly obvious that the guys hadn't read a word of the profile I'd written or really looked at the pictures, beyond to confirm that I was a girl. Though I had a handful that thought I was transgender for some reason." She gave a laugh and shrugged.

"I finally found myself talking to someone who seemed to actually have some intelligence and manners." They turned onto the sidewalk that circled the large green of the quad, not really headed anywhere in particular, just walking. "The guy was a little older than Master Brooksend is now. He was respectful, articulate, and handsome in that 'older man' way. He was charming, telling me everything I wanted to hear. We talked online for a few days before he invited me to meet him for dinner somewhere."

She laughed again, a sour sound this time. "Turns out, he was married. Wove this whole story about how he was so unhappy with his wife, that they never were intimate together anymore, that they would be divorced already if they didn't have two kids. All that jazz." She gave a shrug. "I decided that I felt sympathy for him, fooled myself into believing that he was some kind of victim of life. If I'm honest though, I think it was more just that he seemed actually interested in me. I just wanted to feel desired and he was attractive, mature. He made me feel like I was acceptable."

She exhaled a long breath, her mind wrapping around that point in her past, her eyes unfixed as she recalled it. "He was so convincing that I went with him to a motel after dinner. And all that sweet charm he'd had before... kind of faded. He was still nice, don't get me wrong, but it became quickly obvious that he was just really horny and this was nothing but sex for him. He kept talking about how hot it was that I was only eighteen. Which made me realize that my being so much younger than him was what made him interested, not me, myself."

Shaking her head, she grimaced at her younger, naïve, self. "We spent maybe less than an hour there, long enough for him to get off twice, though it was so awkward with him obsessing over how 'young' I was, that I never really did. After that, he said he needed to get home, and then he just casually thanked me. The way you'd thank your server as you're paying your bill. He also made this comment about how I was welcome to use the room, if I wanted to 'hook up with anyone else'. That's when I just started to feel gross and used. That I had been nothing but a conquest or something." She heaved a breath. "When he ghosted me after that, I wasn't even surprised. Blocked me when I tried sending him a message a few days later."

Mittens frowned deeply, her heart hurting to know that this girl she cared so much for had endured such a horrible first time. She could the same pity mirrored in Valli's expression.

"I'm so sorry, Krystal." Valli gave her head a little shake, wincing at the idea of their friend huddled up in some cheap motel room, feeling like something used and discarded. "Was... was he your only experience? Did you ever have a good one?"

Krystal gave her a strange smile, sad and wistful. "A couple weeks later, actually. Different app, but getting much the same disgusting filth in my inbox. By then, I was starting to get kind of numb to it. Among the barrage was this one guy who was still pretty direct, but somehow not in an ugly way." She paused a moment, as if considering something. "Unlike the first guy, he made it plain that he was only looking to get laid, but made it feel more like he was just trying to be up front about it. There was a weirdly respectful nature to it. If I wasn't interested in a booty call, no harm or foul."

"And you... did it anyway?" Valli asked, seeming a little uncertain if she wanted the answer.

"I think the whole episode with the married guy had put me in this weird headspace." Krystal returned thoughtfully. "I figured, at least, I knew what I was signing up for this time and I actually appreciated the honesty about it."

She gave a little chuckle. "I decided, why not? I just wanted to feel...'something' at that point. Anything at all. I went to his place and spent almost the whole day there. The actual sex was all just raw, emotionless, boning." She paused, that same strange and wistful grin coming back to her face. "Still, it was a whole lot better than with the first guy. I actually came, more than once, for one thing." She blushed a little, grinning in an embarrassed kind of way.

"And I actually enjoyed the day I spent with him. Between the marathon boning, we would talk about just all this random stuff and it was... casual. He was cute and cool, but no one I felt was some kind of catch. We hugged when I left that evening, and..." She gave a miserable laugh. "I thanked him. For his 'service', I guess?"

She paused a moment, her expression a mixture of feelings about the memory. "It wasn't until afterwards, after I'd gotten back home, that I broke down crying. I'd thought, knowing that it wasn't anything more than two people getting off, it would be okay, I'd have my fun and neither of us would feel the need for anything more. However, it just made me feel... cheap and gross again.

"Neither of us contacted the other afterwards, which suited me just fine. I deleted all the accounts and apps a couple days later, realizing I wasn't going to find what I wanted on there." Her gaze became distant a moment, her thoughts floating. "The weirdest part is, I can't remember either of their names anymore. I think... Fred was name of the second guy? Anyway, that was almost my whole sexual history before the two of you met me."

Mittens raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

Krystal gave another miserable chuckle. "Well, I did let this nerdy guy...*ahem* grope me when I was a freshman in high school. I started getting chesty in, like, the fifth grade, but most of the other kids made fun of it. He was the first person who seemed to think they were something awesome and he was about as unpopular as I was... so..." She shook her head. "I mean, it was all over the clothes and less than a couple minutes, but he... got 'overexcited', let's say." She giggled in spite of herself. "His name I remember. Craig."

Valli and Mittens both shared in the giggle with her, both seeming glad for an instance where it wasn't Krystal who was the butt of the joke. "I assume nothing more ever happened there?" Valli asked, making herself giggle afresh.

However, the question seemed to drain a little of Krystal's mirth, the sparkle in her eyes disappearing. "Actually, it really humiliated him that he'd creamed himself just feeling me up and he assumed I would tell everyone about it so they would make fun of him for it. So, he decided he'd 'strike first'. Told everyone that I'd paid him twenty dollars to touch me, making me out as this desperate weirdo. Spent about a week after that with people trying to make lame jokes about it, but nothing really was good enough to stick long.

"Craig, however, actually got more popular from it." She let out a derisive snort. "Became just another one of the bullies who regularly tormented me. At least, until junior year, when he apparently had another 'early eruption', this time with someone on the cheer squad. He switched schools before senior year started."

Mittens stared at her in horror. "Have I mentioned how much I hate the kids you went to school with lately?" Valli nodded complete agreement.

Krystal gave a shrug and waved it all away. "I'm over it all, really. Well, I mean, obviously it left me kind of socially anxious, but I don't really care. I think it might have been worse if I hadn't had Danielle and Sasha being my friends, but I survived it. And now, I have you two. And Master Brooksend and Chloe." She gave a soft laugh. "Who cares about a bunch of dumb kids?"

For a moment, Mittens thought back to her own days in school, before she'd dropped out. She'd been mostly a ghost in those days, rarely talking to much of anyone. She thought she remembered a few kids that had tried to bully her, but there was nothing any child could come up with that would equal the pain of her own mother spewing hateful abuse. While she'd become labeled as a weird recluse, most everyone left her alone when they realized they couldn't get any real reaction from her.

Krystal had lost a loving mother early and her father had reacted to that loss by hemming her out. She'd been vulnerable and hurting, needing to feel wanted and loved. Any bully had been more than capable of producing a reaction from her, which likely fed the abuse. It made Mittens so mad at people like Alvin and Clay that she wished they were right there, so she could hit them.

Apparently, her rising anger showed on her face, because Krystal suddenly cleared her throat. "My original point was I can understand feeling left out and wanting, so badly, to feel desirable and exciting." She looked to Valli pointedly. "I used to envy every crazy misadventure Danielle or Sasha related they and their other friends had. I was so desperate for it that I allowed myself to be put in really bad positions."

Valli blew out a sigh. "Moral of the story; be patient. I get it."

Krystal stopped and turned to look at her more fully. "No, not actually. Definitely be careful how you seek it, but just because I had a bad experience with my first time, doesn't mean yours will be. I bet Mittens' first time was amazing." She looked to Mittens. "I mean, your first was Master Brooksend, right?"

Mittens blinked at her. "Yeah, it was." She'd gotten very lucky that her first time had been with Master, someone who had proven his respect and compassion a thousand times over before they'd ever so much as considered the idea of becoming lovers. Despite that, she was well aware that she was a rarity. Most people, male or female, had a less than stellar first time with sex. Some people's first times made Krystal's story sound like a romantic romp.

"Mittens will help you get connected with someone who will give you respect." Krystal continued, smiling brightly at Valli. "She's helping me come out of my shell, she'll help you too."

"I's already workin' on it." Mittens agreed. "Wednesday was kind of unexpected that it went as it did. Still, the only guy there was Master and Krystal didn't do anything more with him than just that little bit of play. When we next are making plans to go to a play party, we'll make sure to bring you with us. I promise. We'll get you some experiences." She gave Valli a wink.

They resumed walking again, Valli now seeming energized as she began asking questions about what it was like for Krystal to get flogged and probing for any other details of what may or may not have happened. Krystal laughingly answered each question, but Mittens noticed that she skirted any mention of what had happened on Thursday.

After the cookies and milk, they had opted to just go curl up together in the living room and watch something together. As she'd requested, Master and Chloe had come up to check on them after a little while, giving Marsha and Opal a little bit for some more private play together. The four of them had talked for a while about where Krystal wanted to go with things.

Krystal wanted to get more into the lifestyle and felt that having Master to push her outside her boundaries was helping her a lot. She wanted to continue to have him be a Dominant and protector in the lifestyle, further introducing her to some play. Chloe offered to become her official mentor, helping her the way a submissive named Ellie had helped Chloe when she'd first gotten into the lifestyle. It made Mittens happy to see both of her life partners actively taking on roles to engage with her friend, accepting so easily that Krystal was becoming an important person to the cat-girl.

Master had been the one to suggest that she stay with them for longer than just a few days, letting her enjoy just being a part of a full time BDSM and poly household for a bit. She'd happily agreed, glad to have an excuse to be around people, instead of at her own empty home. They'd discussed some of her limits and negotiated a few general things, but left much of it still very light.

They woke up together early the next morning and danced naked to the dawn in the backyard. Under the first rays of day, they'd shared warm naked hugs and cuddles, coming another step closer in their friendship. When they noticed the lights on in the kitchen, they had gone to help Chloe with breakfast for everyone, Krystal bravely opting to remain in nothing but the paws, tail, and ears she'd worn for the dancing. As well as a near full body blush the whole time.

At one point, while Krystal went to start setting the table in the dining room, Mittens pulled her sister submissive into a tight embrace, whispering into her ear. "I love you, Chloe. Thank you for how supportive you've been with Krystal." Chloe returned the embrace fondly, her affection as visible as a bright neon sign.

After a moment Mittens leaned back in the hug, looking her in the eyes. "I've honestly been a bit anxious that you and Master might be annoyed by how I've kind of just... inserted Krystal into our lives lately. We've already not gotten a lot of time together these last weeks, now I have this new friend..."

Chloe gave a dismissive chuckle. "We're happy for you, Mittens. I think Krystal is incredibly sweet and wonderful. I can see why you like her. There was never a doubt you were going to make new friends at college." She gave Mittens' face a caress, understanding shining from her eyes. "This is a large part of why I wanted you to have this. To meet someone like Krystal."

"So... nots jelly?" Mittens asked tentatively, a sheepish, fanged, grin on her face.

Chloe laughed. "Not 'jelly'. Not in any unhealthy way, at least. We know you're still our kitty. Even if you have led a stray back home with you." She gave Mittens a wink. "I remember how self-conscious I was with August, my... connection with her forming when I was still pretty new to your lives already. However, you both were never anything but supportive. You've never so much as batted an eye at the relationship I've formed with Mistress."

"Yeah, well, with me and Krystal it's--"

"No different in any way, Mittens." Chloe said firmly, pulling Mittens back to her comfortingly. "Given how ugly things got with August, I'd say you're definitely in a better position to feel okay with developing anything with Krystal than might form. I like her."

"Thank you, Chloe." Mittens said softly, so grateful to have people in her life that were so understanding. "I kinda needed to hear this."

"I know." Chloe replied sagely. "I've been here myself, so I know how your head can start to overthink things."

Krystal suddenly reappeared back in the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the two of them holding one another. She grimaced and started to back out of the room, to give them to some privacy. However, Chloe stopped her, waving her over. When Krystal came over, she pulled her into the embrace with them. "We were just talking about how welcome you are here." Chloe told her.

Krystal smiled, snuggling into the two of them. "I definitely like it here."

The three of them spent only a few more moments holding one another, before returning to finishing up breakfast and getting it set out for everyone. After that, they went to the job of getting everyone up. Chloe took Krystal to go wake Master, while Mittens took on the job of rousing their two guests.

She snuck stealthily into the guest room and tip-toed up to the bed to see if either of them was already awake. Finding them both asleep, she took a couple steps back, then, with a running start, leap on top of both of them with a great big 'MEOW!'

The resulting chaos was hilarious, Marsha and Opal floundering in surprise for a moment, then laughing loudly. Marsha snatched Mittens up, threw her over her lap, and gave her a few swift smacks to the butt. "Bad kitty!" She laughed.

Mittens paused, considering. "I cans be worse if'n it gets me more spankin's." She suggested, wiggling her paws and rear.

Marsha sighed. "Slut, grab my paddle from the bag, please?"

"Sí, mi señora." Opal responded obediently, jumping up with a giggle and going to their luggage.

Shortly after, they all sat down to breakfast, Mittens' rear pleasantly toasty from Marsha's paddle. They all ate in good company with one another, Master inviting the two women to stop on their way back from Canada when the convention was over. After that, they helped them load up their car to head on their way.

Once the two of them were away, Mittens and Krystal, now more dressed, got comfortable in the solarium with cups of herb tea to talk. They'd spent the better part of an hour discussing the idea of Krystal exploring her sexuality with another woman. Krystal's resolve teetered back and forth several times, in conflict with herself. She seemed to genuinely want to open herself up to the experience, but obviously had something holding her back from just letting go. That she couldn't quite explain what it was getting in her way frustrated her the most.

Finally, Mittens had simply suggested that they wait a bit. Whatever the reason, if something was making her hesitate, then she needed to work through it first. However, as they'd risen to go wash their cups and decide what to do next, Krystal had grabbed Mittens up and kissed her, long and deeply. For several minutes, they stood there, passionately embraced, eventually drifting back to the sofa to snuggle together and make out.

When the moment finally broke, almost a full fifteen minutes later, Krystal had begun crying. They had not been tears of turmoil or conflict, but tears of relief and joy. It was as though she'd conquered something elemental and discovered something beautiful for it. Taking that first real step into exploring had collapsed one of the walls holding her back.

Though they had still not progressed things much further, they'd spent the rest of the day enthusiastically planning things out with her exploration. They would take it a new step at a time, slowly moving at Krystal's pace. That night, they'd made out again as they'd curled up together in bed, Krystal's hands cautiously exploring parts of Mittens' body, though nowhere especially intimate.

This morning, they had woken early and danced naked together again, this time sharing a few deep kisses to cap the ritual off. There was an openness of affection between them now, a new bond of connection that was both obvious and not. Where she'd had uncertainty before, Krystal was now eager to see where the adventure would lead.

"This is my stop up ahead." Mittens said suddenly, as she realized they were approaching the building where her botany class was. "I needs ta check in wif tha lab and... I has ta pee first." She gave a toothy grin.

"Squirt gun." Krystal chuckled, making Mittens laugh and bringing a very confused to Valli's face. "I'll explain on the way to my own class, if you don't mind walking me." She added, giving her a reassuring look. Without seeming to think about it, she stepped up to Mittens and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "I'll meet you back out here after class."

"Remember to stay near witnesses." Mittens reminded her unnecessarily.

As Krystal and Valli started away, she noticed Valli looking between them, a very curious look on her face. She could just make out her asking Krystal. "So... when did you two start kissing each other like that?"

Mittens half-danced up the steps to enter the building and went directly to the nearest washroom, taking care of toilet business. Afterwards, she padded off to the lab, finding it empty when she arrived. Going to her plant on the rack, she took it up and over to a table and began recording her measurements and other data. There wasn't really that much to record, but she detailed enough to make a start. As she was writing a particularly 'Mittens-y' summary, someone set their pot down next to her at the table.

Looking over, she saw Tiffany Bergan smiling at her brightly. "Hiya puddy-tat!"

"Good meow-rning!" Mittens replied, flashing an equally bright grin. "I was just finishing up, but I cans waits fer ya, if ya wants." She offered.

"Okay! I'd appreciate that!" Tiffany gushed, actually sounding relieved. "You can help me figure out what I'm supposed to be recording on this thing. I'm still kind of confused by it all."

Mittens peered at her. It wasn't exactly all that hard to understand, just recording how much it had grown. However, her eyes floated to the dark smudge beneath Tiffany's name on the pot a moment before smiling at the girl. "Sure! I's happy ta help."

"Your girlfriend is really cute, by the way." Tiffany said off-handedly as she dug out a notebook. "Saw the two of you together on the quad. You make a neat couple."

Mittens chuckled. "We's actually jus' friends. But we's workin' on makin' it 'friends with benefits'."

"Oh, I LOVE benefits." Tiffany giggled. "I'm pretty much just a full-on 'ho. I assume it's a lot easier than dealing with actual relationships anyhow. In the end, I'm dumb as a post and have these great party-balloons." She thrust her rather impressive cleavage out proudly. "I can't imagine anyone really wanting me for anything more than a play-toy anyway."

She said it all in such a chipper, aloof way, despite how self-deprecating the words were, that it made Mittens pause in surprise. "You make it sound like that's the only thing anyone does with you. Surely you have friends you do other stuff with, right?"

"You mean like anal?" Tiffany asked, looking sincerely confused, but still oddly positive.

"Umm... I meant doing... more typical friend stuff." Mittens said hesitantly.

Tiffany seemed to consider that a moment, seeming as though it was a somewhat alien concept. "I mean, I have a couple friends that has me follow them around sometimes. I was sort of in the popular crowd during high school. I was always super pretty, if really dumb, so it was kind of the only crowd I fit into. Still, they usually wanted me to just keep my mouth shut, unless someone was sticking something in it." She said it all as casually and upbeat that she might have been discussing how pretty the flowers outside were.

Mittens peered at her, feeling a bit of concern. She knew people in the lifestyle whose fetish it was to be used as a toy, but this didn't sound like the same situation. With such fetishes, there was also supposed to be meaningful efforts made to help 're-humanize' the person afterwards. Without that to balance things, a person could begin to devolve emotionally.

"I did always get invited to all the parties and stuff though." Tiffany continued, carefully looking her plant over, seeming uncertain what it was she was looking for. "I was always the favorite party game, if you get my drift." She gave a cheerful giggle.

Mittens searched her face for some sign of distress or pain from these rather frank admissions. However, she couldn't see any sign that Tiffany really seemed bothered by these things, despite how terribly negative they sounded. By all evidence, she looked completely untroubled by the facets of her life, but Mittens couldn't help by feel like something was deeply wrong. That she might be hiding something that she'd become very good at letting no one see.

"Well, I think you seem kind of fun." Mittens said without thinking. "If you ever wants ta jus' go grab coffee, hang out, an' jus' talk about whatever, lets me know. No strings, no expectations. Just an offer of regular ol' friendship."

Tiffany looked over, seeming genuinely surprised by the offer. After a moment, something passed so briefly through her expression than Mittens nearly missed it. Tiffany turned her attention back to the pot, but smiled deeply. "I'd... I'd like that." She said softly, seeming genuinely touched by the offer. "You seem really nice and hella interesting, so let me know when you want to meet up." Mittens noticed that her expression suddenly seemed very different, no less bright, but far less superficial.

Suddenly, Mittens was certain that this girl had been quietly calling for help, possibly for a long time. She couldn't explain what made her so sure, but she felt it strongly enough to resolve herself to helping this girl. While Tiffany may have been part of the 'popular crowd', it was obvious that she'd endured a kind of bullying in her own way. Like Krystal, she'd learned to hide herself behind a mask, just one much less obvious.

As she began helping Tiffany work out what she needed to record into her plant journal, Mittens thought about Vall and Krystal. She seemed to be picking up people who she felt the need to help. She just really hoped she was properly equipped to actually be helping them.