It was a surreal experience, pnning a cam show. Tab had started calling tonight ‘Kat’s debut performance’ but Katrina didn’t like how that sounded; it implied a chance that she would ever do this again. She kept returning to the same thought, over and over; her greatest shame, the guilt that had locked her away from humanity for the st few years, was about to be streamed and monetized.

  Now only that, but according to Tab, it was likely going to be a huge hit. With sex work now legalized, it was far more common for cam workers to embrace a wider array of performances as they attempted to draw in viewers.

  Tabitha herself was a perfect example of that. In her own words, while most of her time was spent pying with phallic toys, she routinely streamed herself showing off feats of physical prowess in gyms. In her opinion, the diversification of activities also made it easier to attract people that were still skeptical about camming being so prevalent.

  Additionally, the variety of Races that now existed made it easier to find creative niches. Gone were the times where every streamer had the same basic anatomy: logging onto streaming sites now meant browsing through Slimes, Demons, Dragons, Trolls, and hundreds of other unique Races, all with diverse Csses that gave them interesting ways of entertaining a digital audience.

  A live vampiric feeding, in Tab’s opinion, was the perfect blend of sexy and scandalous. It was risky enough that she expected to get a sp on the wrist from the cam site, but this risk would also generate heavy interest, especially for someone as popur as Tab was.

  “Okay, so, now that basic rules are out of the way, it’s time to talk about the actual performance,” Tab said. “It’ll be a shorter show, likely only about an hour, with the main event at the end.”

  “An hour?!” Kat said, her cheeks blushing for the hundredth time tonight. “That’s so long!”

  “I normally stream for three to six hours, honestly. An hour will give us just enough time to put together a decent audience, but it’s likely not enough time to go truly viral. I’m trying to spare you that torment.” Tab popped a snack into her mouth, then smirked at Kat. “Unless you want us to go viral. You’re the one getting the money, so it’s your choice.”

  Kat swallowed nervously. “N-no, the fewer people the better… What do I do the whole time? Just sit there in my underwear?” She squeezed Alicia’s hand, eager for the comfort.

  “I was thinking we start clothed, actually. It’s nice to give a sense of progression to these things. We’ll advertise it as a bite show, and the audience decides what state of undress it happens in.”

  “But not naked,” Alicia crified, holding up a finger.

  “Correct, not naked. I’ll make sure my mods know this, and they’ll keep the chat in line. Should I assume no sexual activity either?”

  “Yes please!” Kat said, sighing in relief. “But, that does beg the question of what we’ll be doing leading up to the, um… main event.”

  “We hang out! Talk with the fans! I’ve got a safe-for-work tip menu that will help us stay engaged, too.”

  “Tip menu?” Alicia asked.

  Tab ughed as she looked at Alicia. “Oh, you sweet summer child. You have no idea how this works, do you?” Alicia shook her head. “A tip menu is just a collection of activities that the streamer is willing to do on command for the right tip. Maybe we write a fan’s username on our bodies or something. Actually, Kat, if you wanted, we could add your guitar to the tip menu.”

  The suggestion caught Kat off guard, and she took a moment to think it over. “Is that really something people would want? It’s not like music is a very titilting experience.”

  “Oh yeah,” Tab said. “Remember, now that sex work is legal, there’s a huge overp between the entertainment people are looking for.”

  “Um, then sure, let’s do it. Anything’s better than exclusively focusing on my Race.” Kat leaned against Alicia, taking a deep breath as she continued thinking about the show. “Tab, you know I’m incredibly shy, right? Are they going to expect me to be all peppy and enthusiastic?”

  The Foxgirl ughed even louder this time. “Maybe if you were doing this solo, but since we’re in this together, they’re going to love it. An exuberant camgirl and her shy, awkward friend who’s got a rockin’ bod? They’re going to be begging to see more of you.”

  Elias, who was casually floating on the edge of his pond, cleared his throat spoke up next. “You all haven’t addressed the elephant in the room yet.”

  “What do you mean?” Alicia asked.

  “You’ve talked about the extremes, about what’s definitely okay and definitely off-limits, but there’s a big gray area in the middle. Are you two allowed to touch each other? Kiss? The people at home are absolutely going to want to see as much intimacy as you’re willing to give them.”

  Tab ran her hand through the water as she looked at Elias. “That’s a good point. You watch a lot of streaming stuff?”

  “There’s a Sharkgirl I really like watching, and she pretty frequently has guests on. The first thing chat does, without fail, is try to make them kiss each other. It’s a bit of a running joke, honestly.”

  Tab recognized the streamer Elias was talking about, and they ended up on a small tangent that Kat didn’t care to listen to. She instead turned to Alicia, kissed her cheek, and started a quick private conversation. “What do you think? I’m cool with whatever limits you want in pce.”

  “Hm.” Alicia nuzzled up against Kat’s hand as she thought. “I think… I think I’m okay with kissing. But only on camera!”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want things to be uncomfortable for you.”

  “I’m sure, Kat. Promise. Honestly, the more stuff we have that’s exclusively ours, the more it feels okay to think about you and Tab doing stuff on camera. Like, we’re sleeping together, and we’re not sharing that with anyone, so what does it matter if you get paid to kiss a cute Foxgirl a few times?”

  “I don’t think I would have thought about it that way, but I see where you’re coming from. Honestly, I’m gd you think so, I think a little bit of casual intimacy will make this feel less predatory. Hopefully it will make it harder to… y’know. Lose control.”

  The girls hugged each other tight, then Alicia interrupted Tab and Elias’ conversation. “Hey, you two will have plenty of time to talk about camming ter.”

  “Right, sorry,” Elias said, sheepishly sinking a few inches lower in the water. “Tab just said she might be able to introduce me to—never mind, it doesn’t matter. You’re right, let’s focus on tonight.”

  Before Kat continued the boundaries conversation, she looked back at Elias. “Are you sure you’re okay with us doing this? We’re going to be at Tab’s for a while, and I hate to leave you alone out here.”

  “Well, for one thing, I’ll have my phone so I can watch the stream. But I also need time to settle in, to make this pce a little more comfy. A little time on my own will be good, I can check out the river, sculpt the floor to my liking, find comfortable pces to sleep, I’ll be okay.”

  Kat leaned forward and ruffled Elias’ hair. “Sometimes I swear you’re too nice for your own good.

  “Alright, so, boundaries,” Tab said, turning her mind back to business.

  The group spent the rest of the conversation navigating exactly what was and wasn’t comfortable, and before long, it was time to head out.

  The walk to Tabitha’s pce was tense, but Kat felt better about the event now that they’d combed through so many specific details. A rge part of the conversation had also been establishing safety measures for the bite. Kat had expined how long she normally fed for, and Alicia would be watching Kat’s behavior closely.

  It had also been decided that tonight’s show would be the official reveal that Tabitha was joining them as a delver. She’d actually spent most of their conversation, and the entire walk home, posting on social media about tonight’s show. She was promising everyone a grand announcement and a once-in-a-lifetime stream, and Kat found it impossible to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as they drew closer to Tab’s house.

  Without Alicia, she never would have agreed to something like this. She was happy to have so many distractions, but at the end of the day, the main event was still completely focused on her drinking blood in front of a live audience.

  After arriving, Tab gave them a quick tour of her pce. It was surprisingly quaint compared to her personality, which made Kat even more suspicious that Tab’s entire persona was a carefully crafted act. The decorations were restrained, the furniture was simple, there were retively few personal touches on dispy. When they saw her streaming room, it was obvious where all the time and attention had gone.

  Multiple top-tier cameras were attached to high-end rigging devices, capable of switching angles at a moment’s notice. An impressively rge desktop computer sat on an elegant desk, wires carefully arranged to stay out of sight. The back half of the room had a massive assortment of colorful decorations; curtains, lights, pillows, and dozens of other pieces that could be used to craft a stage for her cam work. Kat was in awe at how well organized everything was, and it became painfully obvious how much Tab enjoyed her job.

  Just out of sight of the camera, a pile of decorations sat at the ready to help Tab create any visual theme she wanted. Currently, everything on the stage was hot pink, but Tab reassured them she would be putting together something more elegant for tonight.

  In preparation for the show, Tab had offered to share her shower, and Kat was eager to try it out; Alicia’s shower was functional, but it had obviously not been used in years. They left the room, leaving Tabitha to the decorating, as they looked for the master bathroom.

  As they walked, hand in hand as always, Kat looked back at Alicia. “Hey, we’re pretty far from your Heart Tree, are you holding up okay?”

  Alicia nodded. “I’m good! Remember, it only got really bad on the train and in the city, and we were much further away then. Plus, the show’s only an hour, right? I think I’ll be alright. Plus, if I need to go stretch my legs and touch grass, her yard is only a few seconds away.”

  Another smile, and both girls returned to their search. They rounded a few corners, following Tab’s instructions, and finally found the bathroom in question.