Alicia merged with her tree, gliding higher inside the bark until she was face to face with her girlfriend. Kat was crying now, her body shaking as she gripped the branch for bance. Alicia held out her arms, inviting Kat in, and thankfully she moved closer. She spun around, her back to the trunk, and Alicia held her tight as she kept crying. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, Kat. I’m here for you. We’re gonna get through this.”

  “Of course this is what she wants! Of course it is!” Kat said between sobs. “Remember the other night, at the club? What did I say—it’s like she’s purposely trying to make us uncomfortable! She knows how sensitive I am about this, and she knows that I hate drinking in public!”

  “Shh, it’s okay, Kat.” Alicia continued petting Kat’s hair, which was still wet from earlier.

  “How do I know she’s not just doing this for the attention? She took one look at me and instantly tried to get me into camming. How is this any different?” Kat cuddled closer into Alicia, nuzzling her head into her shoulder. “We put so much trust into her, and it’s like all she sees is my Race and my Charisma score.”

  Still unsure exactly what to say, Alicia let Kat vent all her feelings about the situation. Eventually the tears dried up, and they spent another half an hour just cuddling with each other. The intense emotions gradually gave way to quiet reflection, and Alicia continued debating what to say. She would obviously side with Katrina no matter what, but having heard what happened after her Change, it was hard to deny that Tabitha had good reason to be afraid of her.

  “Kat, it’s okay to be nervous about this. For what it’s worth, I agree with you; this is a pretty uncomfortable thing to ask you to do.”

  “…But you still see her side of this, don’t you?”

  “Well, I-I…”

  “I can hear it in your voice, Alicia.” Kat looked up, cupping the side of Alicia’s face. “It’s okay. I hate to admit it, but… I agree with her too. I know she’s not trying to torture us, and I don’t bme her for wanting some security. She doesn't even know my past, she has no idea how justified she is."

  “You agree with her? How?”

  “Alicia, she’s scared of my Race, she said it herself. That’s something I know more about than anyone. I’m not mad at her, not really. I’m mad at the Change. I’m mad at this stupid body I’m trapped in. I’m mad that making me do this live in front of thousands of people is objectively the safest thing she can do for herself. I mean, how many of my victims would still be alive if they’d had an audience?”

  “I hate to ask this, Kat, but how many of your victims survived?” Alicia felt Kat tense in her arms.

  “I didn’t kill them all, if that’s what you mean. As for an exact number… I don’t know. The more I hunted, the better I got at holding myself back, but it was always difficult. There were quite a few people that appeared to be alive when I left, and I always tried to call an ambunce when I had the time, but I have no way of knowing if they survived the trip to the hospital. The rationing program has been an absolute miracle, and I want to think that it will help me hold back enough to keep Tab safe, but… I haven’t bit anyone in nearly two years, Alicia. How am I supposed to trust myself? How do I know I have the strength to hold back?”

  “Because you’re not alone anymore, Kat,” Alicia said. Kat nodded slowly. “You know I’ll be there the whole time, right? What if we brought your guitar, too? You could give her some HP regen after!”

  Kat sniffed. “That… that makes this feel better. Like, having the specifics hammered out, I mean.”

  “Well, let’s focus on that. What would you want to wear?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. Jeans and a tee shirt? I don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, I had an idea,” Alicia said nervously. She waited until Kat looked up at her to continue. “Haven’t you mentioned a few times that you prefer when people stare at your body over your fangs? That you prefer lust to fear?”

  “Alicia, what are getting at?” Kat asked, suspicion in her voice.

  “W-well I was just wondering if... you know, maybe this would be easier if you did it in lingerie? Then it becomes something more than just a blood drinking thing. It’s more like a regur show, at least for Tab, and the blood is just a little extra bonus thing. I really don’t care either way, I promise! I just know you talked about that stuff earlier, so I thought…”

  Kat went quiet, and Alicia wasn’t sure what to think about her silence.

  Why did I say that? Ugh, I’m so stupid! ‘Hey Kat, I know this thing would make you uncomfortable, but what if you doubled down to make it even more uncomfortable?’ C’mon Alicia, she’s going to think you’ve got some weird exhibitionist kink, and this moment was supposed to be about making her feel better!

  “What about you?” Kat asked. “The thought of people pleasuring themselves to me doesn’t make you jealous or anything?”

  Alicia shook her head. “It’s like back at the strip club. I get nervous when you’re giving out attention to other people and I feel like I’m not in on it. If we do this together, and I’m there with you, I think I’ll be fine.”

  There was another silence, but Alicia could see the gears turning in Kat’s head. “I think you’re right, Alicia. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but if I lean into the sexuality of it all, then it feels more like I’m nervous about being scantily cd on camera, rather than… you know, the obvious.”

  “Are you sure?” Alicia asked. “I promise I’m not just trying to push you into camming or whatever!”

  Kat chuckled, then leaned in for a kiss. “Alicia, I’m not worried that you’re trying to parade me around. I mean, honestly, if that’s something you’re into, all you have to do is ask. I’d be willing to talk about that with you.”

  Alicia felt her face grow hot as she blushed. This conversation had taken a weird turn, but despite it all, it seemed like she’d genuinely helped Kat out. “Do you think you’re ready to go back?”

  After a heavy sigh, Kat nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  Both girls floated back towards the ground, then started walking back towards the pond. Off in the distance, it looked like Tab was talking with Elias, and Alicia wondered what they would even be talking about.

  Oh no, Elias! He’s been here for, like, an hour and there’s already a bunch of drama! Ugh, I need to make sure I apologize to him after all this.

  Once they were close enough, Elias waved to them with a smile on his face. He then quickly looked at Tabitha, smacked the side of her leg, and she nervously waved hello as well. She took a step forward, looked at Katrina, and started talking. “Okay, look, I know I’m asking for a lot. I understand why this would be a big deal for you, but I want you to know that I’m not just trying to milk this for attention, and I’m going to prove it. I’m going to give you and Alicia all the money I make from this stream.”

  “Wait, what?” Kat asked, her eyes wide. “Are you serious?

  “Every word,” Tab said. “I wanted to give you two time, and I got to talking with Elias here. I get why you two like him so much, he really knows his stuff.”

  “Is this true? Did you talk some sense into her?” Alicia asked Elias.

  Elias ughed, pyfully scratching behind his head. “It’s not like that, we just tried to see this from both sides.”

  Kat cleared her throat, then stepped closer to meet Tabitha halfway. “Um, well, I’m honestly shocked, and I appreciate that. For the record, I was pnning on agreeing even before you offered that.”

  “Dang, really? Look, I know I can be a bit abrasive, but I really do want to help Alicia out, and I think I got caught up in my own about, well… you know.”

  “Tab,” Kat said quietly. “If there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that Vampires are terrifying. I live with it, I know what it’s capable of, and I understand what you’re feeling. I may have a whole mess of unresolved feelings about what the Change did to me, but that’s no excuse to deny you some reassurance. I’m in.”

  “Thank you, Kat.” Tab jumped forward, pulling Kat in for a hug. Alicia could see the hesitation in Kat’s eyes, but there appeared to be a sense of relief as well. It almost felt like the hug was itself a gesture of trust, as the two girls had never quite been that close before. “I realized after you left that I forgot to mention this, but I really wanted this to be something that helps you just as much as me. Yes, I want to know that I can trust you, but I also thought that giving you some extra blood might help with your hunger problems.”

  Kat hugged Tabitha back. “That’s really sweet, Tab, and I appreciate it.”

  After a moment, the girls broke off their hug. The Foxgirl wiped her eyes quickly, then spoke up. “So, if it’s okay with you, I think we should do this tonight. The Dungeon is going to be easiest at the beginning, which means I’ll have time to get back into my groove just in case I’m a little dizzy. Is that okay with you?”

  “It’s definitely a little sudden, but… yeah. Let’s do it,” Kat said, grabbing Alicia’s hand.

  “Great! So, let’s talk details!” Tab took control of the conversation, and they started pnning for the impromptu cam session.

  —

  "I can't believe she found a way to get me to cam with her..."

  Hey, it's just a bite, isn't it? It doesn't sound sexual at all.

  "Other than my lingerie, you mean?"

  They was your idea, Kat. Well, Alicia's, but you seemed to think it would help. Plus, you are getting free extra blood out of this, right? And Tab's obviously not Mutable.

  "Stop... making it so hard to be grumpy. Ugh, you're just as positive and saccharine as Alicia."

  Is that a bad thing? You seem to like her quite a bit.

  "How about we talk about the song, instead. Tonight we've got another piece by Regondi, but this one's quite different from our st song. Cards on the table, I just found his work, so we might get more of his music in the future. Tonight we're listening to Nocturne "Reverie" Op. 19 by Giulio Regondi. Overall, it's a pretty uplifting piece, but as a Nocturne, it certainly has hints of mencholy to it. I thought it was appropriately contemptive for the first chapter after Alicia and officially started... y'know, but tonight is also the first time everyone in our little group is together in the same pce."

  It's a beautiful piece, Kat. Best of luck with that cam show!

  Nyx <3