Chani stepped off the bus with Jenny and Lee in tow, a gentle breeze rippling through their clothes as the bus pulled away. They were across the street from the bookstore, and as she looked for her date, the young feline blinked. ‘Martin’s not here?’ she thought silently, ‘He’s probably just running a little late.’ Although she had no idea where he lived, the young feline had every belief that he wouldn’t just let her stay at the bookstore during a potential date.
Walking with the twin otters, the trio crossed at the light. Entering the store, they were inundated by the familiar sounds of people talking in low tones or making purchases at the coffee shop. The entire store was half filled with males and females wandering through the stacks searching for something to read. Aromas of both coffee and snacks wafted into their noses, the scents causing all of them to perk up instantly.
Those pleasant scents caused all three children’s stomachs to grumble, especially after what the trio had smelled AJ and Crystal were going to be having for dinner. Lee reached up, to hold his stomach. “Perhaps we should get some food?” he suggested, looking around.
Jenny nodded in agreement, “Okay.” she then looked at Chani, who was staring outside the glass windows. “Are you coming, sis?”
Looking back at the two otters, the teenage feline shook her head. “No. I’m going to wait for Martin here.” she answered before turning to look back at the growing shadows.
“What if he doesn’t show?” Jenny asked, voicing Chani’s already mounting concerns.
“He’ll show.” Chani remarked, not tearing her gaze from the street. “I know he will.” Even as she spoke, however, her tail twitched, going down then left and right, before curling up between her ankles. Jenny started to take a step forward, but her wrist was grabbed by Lee. Turning to look at him, he just shook his head.
Giving a small sigh, Jenny spread her lips into a semi-forced smile. “Okay, but if you want to eat with us, then we’ll be at The Skippers.”
“Okay.” was all Chani said as the pair headed for the doors on the opposite side of the store. Both otters crossed the coffee shop, and exited the store while looking back at their sister. A five minute walk later, and they could see a building with a large boat motif. Its windows were circular portholes while the walkway around the entire building was a wooden boardwalk with posts tied to rope about the same thickness as AJ’s wrists. The roof was painted a soft sea green color, with a gentle Caribbean Sea blue covering the external walls as the twin otters opened the front door.
Almost instantly their noses were assailed by the aroma of batter fried fish, shrimp, and clam strips. Both otters barely registered the serval woman dressed in a navy blue sweater and yellow waders that stopped nearly level with the top curve of her nubile breasts. Aside from the white straps that supported the waders, she wore little else, letting her red hair flow down over her shoulders to stop just about halfway down the woman’s torso. “Hello Jenny and Lee.” she looked around for AJ and Crystal, “Eating alone tonight?”
“Hi, Jasmine.” Jenny said as she hugged the teen, smiling.
Lee smiled at the teenager as well, nodding. “Mom and dad wanted to have a quiet dinner at home without the family, so we offered to come here and get something to eat.”
“Well then, welcome to The Skippers.” Jasmine remarked cordially. “Do you want your usual spot?”
“Yes, please and thank you.” Lee and Jenny said in unison, their stomachs rumbling.
“Okay. Right this way.” she said without batting an eyelash, and escorted the pair to a table close to a huge fish tank complete with about half a dozen lobsters. The twins had long ago asked why the crustaceans were in the tank with their pincers bound by twine, and been given the answer. Now whenever they went to the restaurant, they liked to sit there, watching the lobsters scuttle around, reminding them of Formosa. “Would you both like your usual? or is this a day for something special?” Jasmine asked as she handed over a pair of menus.
There were only a select few that Jenny and Lee suspected knew about their secret, and Jasmine was one of those few. It wasn’t anything official or overt that she said, only that she seemed to speak with the twins differently than most other teenagers and grown-ups. After knowing the young woman for the past year, they figured that she seemed to sense how close the twin otters were to each other, and yet seemed completely fine with her suspicions. Perhaps it was the fact that they were the adopted children of AJ, or maybe it was the fact that both of them were completely comfortable with their secret. Whatever it was, she only seemed to smile, being cordial to the twins and Chani whenever they came into The Skippers.
“I was thinking of getting something different tonight.” Lee suggested, looking through the menu.
“Me too.” Jenny added.
“Okay. How about I give you both some time, and bring your drinks to you?” she asked.
“Please and thank you. That would be wonderful.” Jenny said with a smile.
Walking away, the serval swayed her hips to the side with each step as she went back to get the twins their water. Even as they looked over the menus, both Jenny and Lee thought back to their sister. ‘I wonder if Martin ever showed up at the bookstore?’ they both thought, never once needing to ask the question. They would find out sooner or later, especially when they either went to the Movie Theater, or home.
“Perhaps… we should swing by the bookstore on our way to the movies?” Lee suggested.
Jenny shook her head, “I’m sure if Chani gets stood up… although I don’t think she would… she would just head home.”
“I… I don’t see Martin standing her up. He really seems to like her.” Lee nodded as Jasmine returned, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing, but does Chani have a date?” she asked.
The twins nodded. “It’s her first date, and she’s kind of worried.”
“How exciting. I hope everything goes well for her.” Jasmine purred.
“We do too.” Jenny and Lee said in unison.
Unbeknownst to them, as the twins were being seated, a bus had pulled up just outside of the coffee shop. Considering that it was on the opposite side of the bookstore from where Chani was standing, she wouldn’t see a pure white mink with black hair exiting the metro. Martin stood beside the bus stop with his tail flipping up and down nervously like a squirrel for a few seconds as he waved to the bus driver. “Have a good evening.” he called as he walked toward the double doors and into the coffee shop. It took more than a minute to traverse the sheer number of people that stood in line to get their drinks, until he was through to the open stacks.
It took him only a minute to find Chani, but when he did, the mink just smiled at the sight of her as he walked up behind the feline. Wrapping his tail around the teenager, he watched as she practically jumped with a startled “Mew!” before she turned around to look at Martin. Just the sight of her caused him to just stand there, staring at her with his mouth open. The addition of those aquamarine earrings in her ears, the gloss on her lips, and a natural blush tinting her cheeks stunned him. “Y-You’re late…” she announced shyly.
Martin managed to recover, but only barely before nodding. “I know, and I’m sorry. My mom wanted to give me this jacket for our date, meaning that I missed the bus.” he said with a bow of his head. Stepping into him, Chani wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling against his chest so that when she spoke, her words were too muffled to make out. “What?” he asked, causing her to look up, her eyes almost pleading.
Chani leaned up, purring softly, “I said… you… owe me... at least a kiss tonight.” she whispered softly.
Leaning down, he nuzzled her cheek, whispering. “Only if the kiss is between your legs.”
For several seconds, the teenage feline just stood there, shivering at the thoughts going through her head. “Really?” she asked, her purring voice so soft that it was a whisper.
“Yes,” Martin said softly, “really.”
Nodding, she smiled and snuggled into the mink, purring softly the entire time. Chani pulled back after a few minutes of being in Martin’s arms, a blush on her cheeks. “You… look really handsome tonight.”
“Thank you.” Martin said with a smile, blushing too. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
Blushing even darker, she smiled as he offered her the crook of his arm. “Thank you.”
“Shall we go to dinner?” he finally asked.
Reaching out, she took hold of his forearm, only for his hand to rest on her fingers. “I would love to.”
Without another word, the pair walked out onto the street, the waning light causing their shadows to extend until they were all the way across the street. Neither noticed the cold, brown eyes following them along the street, watching as the pair turned to the right after crossing the avenue. They just walked along in silence, until Martin smiled at Chani, his hand still resting on her fingers as he spoke. “What should we talk about during our date?” he asked as she purred beside him. “Since we already know so much about each other’s family, I’m not really sure what to have a conversation about.”
Looking down, Chani blushed, “That’s the thing, I’m… not really sure what to talk about either.” she looked down, chewing on her bottom lip, her mind going through what they already knew about each other. “How about hobbies? I mean, you said that you liked roleplaying games, so… we could talk about that.”
“Hmm…” Martin thought aloud. “That’s not really much to talk about. I mean, I’m pretty much a geek that likes to use his imagination to create characters that are either much stronger, more intelligent, or just better looking than I am.”
‘You don’t need any help in that last part.’ Chani thought silently to herself.
“Of course, the thing that really drew me to roleplay was the idea that I might be able to create my own worlds with varying species, races, and a whole ecosystem thought out from my own ideas.” he continued. “I like making a character and placing them in a world for them to interact with.”
Chani blinked, looking up at him. “That almost sounds like what I would expect a writer to say.” she commented as her lavender eyes roamed over his face.
“Possibly. The only difference is that I like leaving everything open for other people to have their characters interact the way they want within the concept of the story.” He shrugged as he continued to look forward, helping to guide their way down the street toward the restaurant. “That’s the real difference between writing and roleplaying. I might think a certain way with my characters, but that’s not necessarily the same way someone else might think.”
“Oh.” Chani said, blinking, “Okay.”
“What are some of your hobbies?” Martin asked, smiling.
Giving a shrug, she thought seriously about what she liked to do while at home. “I’m… a little introverted, so I like to read, for the most part, and do homework. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Jenny, Lee, and our friends, I doubt I would be nearly as active as I am.”
“You have a bicycle…”
“I haven’t touched that thing in months, and even when I did it was always for family outings or at the urging of friends.” Chani shrugged a little, “I’m kind of a homebody.”
“That kind of reminds me of me. I like to stay in with a small group of friends, or get into a small party on MMO’s that I play.”
“Wait… you play MMO’s?” Chani asked.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah. I got into playing them when I moved here. Been kind of on a five year kick ever since I had to say goodbye to all my pencil and paper roleplaying friends.” Martin commented with a sigh, “To be honest, I miss creating grand storylines with thought out scenarios. MMO’s are alright, but I would rather have my characters learn new abilities without dealing with those stupid skill trees.”
“Lee says the same thing.” Chani giggled, “I’ve never really understood the need to play MMO’s. The idea of running around just to bring back items to others seems… I don’t know… boring somehow.”
Martin nodded “That’s the reason why I always choose the MMO’s with an actual story rather than just races and factions. For me, it’s all about the narrative and understanding my character’s motivations.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“Sure. The one that I’m playing right now is a bounty hunter in a Star Wars MMO.” he said with a smile, “In the beginning of the story, you’re considered a young warrior who has been called into a contest in which you hunt down the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. During this time, you meet a man who is trying to stop you, making you both go through this whole song and dance in which he sends people after you in order to stop you from competing. In fact, he even has one of his assistants kill your team…”
“That sounds horrible.” Chani mewed, aghast.
“It is.” Martin commented, “You naturally go throughout the first part of the game, trying to get all of your hunts done, either killing or avoiding attacks by people that have been sent to stop you, and in general just finish the hunts with the lone survivor of your team and one of your targets that you decide to hire rather than kill.”
“D-Does everything have a happy ending?” Chani asked.
Giving a shrug, Martin reached out and took hold of a curved, silvery door handle. “I don’t know. I still have yet to get that far.” He then gave Chani a smile as he pulled the door open, “But enough about that. Welcome to the Stardust Diner.”
Entering the restaurant, Chani blinked as she adjusted from fading light of the evening to that of overhead fluorescents that partially stung her eyes. The entire place was done up in blue and white tiles, with stainless steel everywhere. A jukebox to her left belted out a song she didn’t recognize, and yet the music was both soothing and infectious, making her tail twitch happily. Behind a Formica counter stood a waitress in some sort of white shirt and hoop skirt that flattered the lioness teen’s curvaceous body.
“Welcome to the Stardust Diner, I’m Rachel.” the lioness announced, “Is this going to be a table for two?”
“Yes.” Martin said with a smile.
“Then right this way.” Rachel commented, leading the way to a booth between pictures of a handsome fox in a leather jacket and white t-shirt, and a female mink in a white dress that was being blown upward, her hands keeping the front down so that it didn’t show off whether or not she was wearing undergarments. When both of them were settled into the booth, the waitress handed over a pair of menus. “I’ll go ahead and let you look over the menu, but before I go, what would you both like to drink?”
Chani blinked, looking at Martin who just smiled. “Get anything you want,” he said with a nod, “I have no problem splurging tonight.”
Giving a nod, she looked at the lioness, “Can I get a strawberry milkshake?”
“Of course.” Rachel said before looking at Martin. “How about you?”
“I would like a butterscotch milkshake.”
Smiling, she nodded to the pair. “One strawberry for the lovely lady, and a butterscotch for the handsome gentleman. I’ll be right back with those.” Turning around, she sauntered off to go behind the counter with Martin looking back at the menu, while Chani looked around at the décor.
For several seconds, she didn’t say anything, but when she finally brought her eyes down, she noticed the young mink looking straight at her, making the kitty blush. “What do you think?” Martin asked.
“It’s… I honestly have no idea if it’s the music coming from the jukebox, the pictures and memorabilia on the walls, or the friendly waitress, but… this place is relaxing.” Chani said with a smile, a hinting of a blush coming to her cheeks.
“This is my favorite restaurant.” Martin remarked, “Mom loves bringing us here.”
A movement out the corner of her eye made Chani look over at the lioness. She watched as the older female pulled milk, and a small container of fresh diced strawberries, from a small refrigerator under the counter. Scooping three scoops of vanilla ice cream into a tall metal cup, she poured some milk, and a handful of strawberries into the container before clicking the cup into place, and started the machine. It rotated with the sounds of thick bits being chewed up by the mechanical mixer.
Even as she heard the chunks of strawberry being mixed in with the ice cream and milk, Chani watched Rachel do the same thing for the second cup. Instead of using strawberries, however, the waitress dumped in thick globs of a honey colored, and textured, syrup. This time when she activated the shake machine, there were no grinding sounds of solid fruit being mechanically chewed up by the mixing process.
Taking a spatula, Rachel would move the ice cream and milk around in Chani’s milkshake before taking a second spatula to help mix up Martin’s. Within a few minutes, she disengaged the metal cups, and poured a liberal amount into long malt glasses with a straw apiece. Seconds later, she set all four cups on a tray and walked over to the pair. “There you go, sweeties.” The lioness said as she set the strawberry milkshake, and the metal cup in front of Chani, before doing the same with Martin’s butterscotch milkshake. “Now, do you both have an idea of what you want for dinner?”
“Oh!” Chani said, looking at the menu. She’d been so distracted by the restaurant itself and fascinated with how Rachel had made the milkshakes she had forgotten to actually look over the menu. It took only a minute for her to see something that made her stomach grumble in a content manner. “I’ll have the chicken strip platter.” she said with a smile, folding the menu closed.
“That’s a wonderful choice.” Rachel said before looking at Martin. “How about you, cutie?”
Martin blushed, blinking as he looked down. “I’ll have the blue plate special’s homemade lasagna.” he said while closing the menu to hand over to the waitress.
“Wonderful. I’ll bring those out in just a few minutes.” Rachel said as she took the menus from both Chani and Martin. Her hips swaying side-to-side as she walked away to fill their orders.
Chani sat there, sucking on her milkshake, the sweet taste of the concoction pouring onto her tongue, before a chunk of strawberry lodged itself into the end of the straw. Pulling it out, she sucked the strawberry into her mouth along with the milkshake trapped inside, before replacing her straw and trying again. Martin just sat across from her, smiling as he sucked on his own, just watching as the feline had to pull her straw out every few seconds because of all the chunks of strawberry in her milkshake. “How is it?” he asked.
“A little frustrating, but delicious.” Chani said with a sigh. “How’s yours, Martin?”
“It’s good. Do you want a taste?”
Shaking her head, Chani looked down sheepishly. “I… don’t really know.”
“You’ve never had butterscotch?” Martin asked.
“No.”
Picking up the long spoon that came with his shake, he scooped up a small bit of the mixed ice cream and syrup, and held it out across the table. “How about a little taste?” he asked with a small smile on his face. “If you don’t like it you never have to have it again.”
Giving a nod, she leaned forward and took the spoon in her mouth. For several second she just sat there before clenching her eyes shut. Picking up a napkin from the side, she spit it out with her tongue out for a brief second. “Yuck.” she grimaced, “I don’t know if it was the taste of butterscotch, or the combination with the strawberry shake, but that… that just tasted horrible.”
“I’m sorry.” Martin apologized, “You probably should’ve tasted it before ever digging into your shake.”
Chani shivered a little, her tail tip actually twitching as she sat there. “It’s alright. That was just… I don’t know if it was too sharp or what, but I just don’t think I like butterscotch.”
“That’s alright.” Martin just sat there sucking on his milkshake for a few seconds. The moment he felt Chani’s toes on his, he blinked before stammering out “Um… s-so, what are some of your favorite books to read?”
Giving him a small smile as her foot caressed over his, Chani purred softly as she spoke. “I mostly read adventure stories, specifically some of the sci-fi ones.” She blushes, looking down “One of my favorite books is actually part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Shadows of the Empire.” she watched as Martin’s jaw dropped open, his eyes blinking.
“I love that book, and how they detailed what happened between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but I wish they hadn’t introduced Dash Rendar.” Martin remarked.
She nodded, “I know what you mean.” Leaning back Chani shook her head, “They just wanted to have another Han Solo character with the group, when it would’ve been much better to just watch as the original cast worked on helping the rebel alliance, as well as save Han from Boba Fett.”
“Precisely, which is why I like another book called “Tales of the Bounty Hunters”. It actually details the lives of each Bounty Hunter you see on the Executor during “Empire Strikes Back”, and what happened to them over the course of their hunt for Han Solo.” Martin said excitedly, “But my favorite if you really want a story that’s going to make you stop and think about everything from friendship to the Force, is the one that details the life of Revan.”
“Who is Revan?” Chani asked, blinking.
“He was a Jedi that fought in the Mandalorian Wars and later became a Sith Lord…” he stopped and blinked, seeing a confused look on Chani’s face for a brief moment before continuing with, “during a game called Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.”
Chani blinked, “You know. I think Lee played that game once, and pretty much raved about the story, but I kind of tuned it all out after an hour.”
“You have got to play it, Chani. The storyline is wonderful, the interface is the same as if you were playing a d20 style roleplaying game, and the character you play can be anyone you like.” Martin smiled at her, his thick, fluffy tail tip twitching excitedly. “I have it on my computer at home.”
Giving him a smile, she blushed. “Perhaps you can show me how to play later in the week?”
“I would love that.” Martin answered, nodding.
Chani giggled, smiling at the mink, “Okay. How about we plan that out at school in the morning?” She then purred softly, “Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to convince me about how fun playing computer games can be.”
Martin nodded, “That would be wonderful.”
“Here you two go…” they suddenly heard to the side as Rachel returned with their food, “one chicken strips platter, and one blue plate special lasagna for the cute couple.”
That caused both of them to blush as they said “Thank you.” in unison
Rachel smiled, “You two enjoy, and I’ll be back to ask how the food is later.”
“Thank you again.” they said in unison before Chani giggled and Martin just smiled at his date, a small blush across both of their cheeks as they looked back at each other.
Both started to eat, with Chani purring happily and Martin giving little coos of pleasure. That single sound had the feline practically wiggling in her seat, while his tail twitching beside her. As they ate, the pair moved their feet under the table so that their toes slid over each other’s shins and back down. Thankfully, what they were doing was covered from view by that expanse of fluff the mink called a tail. Neither said a word, but the looks they gave each other spoke volumes about how much they were enjoying themselves.
When they were about halfway done with their meals, Rachel returned with a small leather folder. “How’s the food?” she asked, smiling at the duo.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.” Martin remarked while Chani chewed on another chicken strip. She left the small leather folder on the table with their bill inside. Reaching over, the mink plucked it up, reading how much they owed. Pulling out a single bill, he slid it inside, and set the leather folder beside the plate.
Rachel only returned when they were close to finishing their food, and retrieved the small leather folder. Taking it with her, she went to get change for the pair and returned shortly after she had left. “Here’s your change, and I’m glad that the food was to your liking.” the lioness remarked as they finished their milkshakes. Martin pocketed the change, save for a five, letting their server keep it as a tip.
Chani purred deeply, “It was delicious, but I swear… I couldn’t eat another bite if I wanted.”
After a few minutes, the pair managed to leave the Stardust Diner, with Chani snuggled against Martin’s arm, her tail weaving about happily on the breeze. Together, they walked the bare seventy-five feet, across the parking lot, to the movie theater. By that time, the light had waned, and the overhead lights in the parking lot switched on to illuminate the various spaces. A soft wind blew against their clothing, making it ripple. Once they were in line to purchase the tickets, the young mink looked at his date. “Now, which movie did you want to see?” he asked.
“The Lego Movie.” Chani answered.
Looking at Chani, Martin blinked. “Wasn’t that the movie your brother and sister were going to see?” he asked.
“Yes, but I figured we could sit at opposite ends of the movie theater.” Chani commented.
“Ahh. Okay.” he said with a nod. They had just gotten up to the front when Jenny and Lee arrived in the line over a dozen people behind them. Martin smiled as he said “Two for “The Lego Movie” please.” as he handed over a ten dollar bill and a five.
Handing over two tickets, the receptionist behind the glass smiled. “Enjoy the movie.”
“Thank you.” they said in unison as they headed for the front doors to the movie theater.
Walking into the theater, their noses were accosted by wafting scents of buttered popcorn being popped, steaming hot dogs, and all the other aromas from the concession stand. Handing over the tickets to an employee, they were told which theater number they needed. Martin gave one of the ticket stubs to Chani, but pocketed the other. “Go ahead and get us a couple of seats, I need to go to the bathroom.” he said with a smile.
“I kind of need to go to the bathroom too.” Chani remarked with a slight blush.
Martin nodded, “Then I’ll wait for you outside the bathrooms.”
“Okay.” Leaning up, Chani gave Martin a small kiss on the cheek before she headed into the female bathroom. Smiling, he watched her go, his tail twitching as hers swished to either side with every step. The thought of seeing what was under that outfit caused the young mink to blush profusely as he headed into the bathroom. Neither of them noticed the female Doberman entering the movie theater, stop just across the hallway from the restrooms. Her stubby tail wagged as she narrowed her eyes at the entrance of both restrooms.
Barely a few minutes later, Martin finished washing his hands, drying them with one of the hand dryers in the restroom, and had just walked around the curve to meet up with Chani when a body pressed up against him, pushing him against the wall. The young mink was about to cry out when his mouth was enveloped by another, and a pair of arms wrapped around the back of his neck. Several people stopped to gawk and a few people glared at the girl’s brazen actions, but the vast majority took pictures and video with their phones. He could hear the catcalls, the whooping by more than a few guys, but as he tried to push the young woman away, he felt something that told him this definitely wasn’t his date.
Two things really…
Feeling his hands gripping a pair of soft, fleshy orbs, he tried to push the female away so that he could get a good look at her, even as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. The thing was, each time he tried to push her away, her leg pressed up against his groin and inner thigh, threatening to knock him off his feet. He tried a second time to push her away, only to hear a very familiar voice barely five feet away to his right. “MARTIN!!” Chani screamed. Thankfully it was just enough of a distraction for him to push the female off of him to look at his date.
When he saw the female that held him backing off, he blinked in shock to see it was that same Doberman from class. He pushed her away even more to turn toward his date, completely shocked by what happened. “Ch-Chani… I can…” he never finished the sentence as she stalked forward. Her hand flew before she could even think to stop herself. The sound of the slap reverberating through the entire area.
Over the course of several seconds they just stood there looking at each other, neither believing what had just happened, while the Doberman backed off with a smirk on her face. Chani shook her head slowly, tears falling down her cheeks as she ran for the front doors. Martin just stood there, stunned into inaction as he touched the side of his face. Nobody even noticed the female otter with a flipper tail closing distance until she shouted “YOU BITCH!!!” Everyone watched as Jenny spun in a circuit, the Doberman turning just enough to see her face before all she saw was flipper.
That slap sounded like the crack a belt makes when you impact it together, and had the canine staggering before a balled up fist impacted her square in the nose. She slammed against a garbage can with the otter following, raining blows down briefly before her arms were grabbed by her twin. Even so, she kicked out, impacting the older girl’s abdomen. “J-Jenny?” Martin stammered out before the otter turned to him.
“What are you doing you idiot?!!” she yelled. “Go after her!”
Martin just looked at the Doberman, and for the first time in his life he wanted to hurt a female so badly that she would never recover, but his mind suddenly locked on the image of Chani’s face, and all he wanted was to wrap her up in a hug again. Turning, he ran for the front doors, his arms and legs pumping as he zipped past people, shouting “MOVE!!” to a couple of security guards running toward him. His voice actually carried so much in the tight corridor, that the two German Shepherds actually gave way as he lunged past.
Initially, one started to reach out and grab him, but when they saw the two otters, with one fighting to restrain the other, they figured that the mink was the least of their problems. Emerging into the cool twilight, he watched as a bus pulled away from the nearest stop, a single glance at the crying girl halfway down the row of windows telling him that he was already too late. He stopped just outside of the entrance, watching as the bus went up the road, around the corner, and disappeared. Closing his eyes tight, Martin crumpled the ticket stub for the movie, dropping it on the ground, and walked away from the theater.
Back at the Durai home, AJ and Crystal were just finishing a rather passionate romp in bed when the phone rang. With his mate snuggling against his chest, he reached over, pulling the receiver to his ear while she made a tight little circle on one of his pectorals as he depressed the green CALL button. “Hello?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Durai, but I’m the manager of the Durai City Cineplex, and I was told to call you by a young woman who claims to be your daughter.” AJ heard a strange man’s voice say from the other end of the line.
“Feline or otter?” he asked.
“Um… well, otter, sir. But she has a strange flipper on…”
“Yes. That’s my daughter, Jenny. Is her twin brother with her?” he asked.
“Well… yes sir, but he’s not the one in trouble.”
That caused him to blink as he sat up. “What happened?”
“It seems your daughter assaulted another female, and beat her up rather badly. We had to call an ambulance and the police…”
AJ blinked, ‘That doesn’t sound like Jenny.’ he thought to himself. “I will be down very shortly, and clear it all up. Did any of your men, or any of your security recordings indicate a young feline? Pink around her eye, and on one ear? Brown hair?”
“Um… well… yes, sir. She left shortly before the altercation with a young man in pursuit. She seemed rather upset at the…”
“Yes, yes. I’ll inform my mate to prepare for her arrival, and I shall pick up my other children.” AJ announced, causing Crystal to slip out of the bed, and hop into the shower for a quick clean up.
“The other girl is calling for them to be prosecuted, Mr. Durai.”
“Of course she is.” An Jun remarked, his voice growing deep and threatening, “I will be there shortly to pick up my children. As for the young girl, is she getting the medical attention she needs?”
“Um, yes, sir. She is.”
“Good. Expect my arrival in about half an hour.” AJ hung up before the manager could say anything else, and hopped into the shower with Crystal already dressing in their bedroom.
Walking out of the bedroom fully clothed five minutes later, he saw Crystal hang up the phone. “Tai says that he’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Smiling softly, AJ leaned forward to kiss his mate. “Thank you, Crys.”
“It’s not…” she started to say just as the front door opened and their feline daughter entered the living room. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she had cried the entire way home. “Chani?” Crystal said softly as she walked over to the teen, “Are you alright, honey?”
“No, mom… I’m not…” Chani cried as Crystal wrapped her up in a hug. Walking her over to the couch, she sat down with the feline, just holding her and listening as she alternated between crying and telling her adoptive mother what happened at the theater.
AJ had just heard the part where Chani slapped Martin when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Tai standing there. “Your carriage is ready, sir.”
“Thank you, Tai.” AJ remarked before looking back at Crystal and Chani. “I’ll be back with Jenny and Lee in about half an hour.”
“While you’re gone, I’ll make us all some tea.”
He nodded his thanks to his mate, a smile on his lips as he turned to get their children and deal with the manager at the movie theater. ‘What the hell went on tonight?’ he thought silently as he climbed into the carriage.
Meanwhile, back at the Thomas household, Martin walked up to the door with his head bowed. There was no memory of how he even arrived at home, but he was sure he’d caught a bus. Opening the door, he walked inside to see the living room vacant. Closing the door, he locked it behind him, and headed upstairs, not even hearing his mother calling for him.
Andais came out in her robe, looking up at him through the bannister, but even when she was sure Martin saw her, there was no response. He just turned the corner at the top of the stairs, entered his room, and closed the door behind him. Of all the potential endings to his date with Chani, this was definitely not one of them. Walking upstairs, she knocked on his door, but there was no response. Turning the knob, she opened the door to see him already in bed, his body curling up tightly so that even his tail helped make an oval shape.
Stepping into the room, all she heard was “Go away…” and sniffling.
Looking at him, she blinked, ‘What the hell went on tonight?’ Andais thought silently, “Honey. Wouldn’t you rather talk…”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Martin said as he pushed his head into his pillow harder. He lay there, unmoving as she stood in the doorway, watching him until he passed out barely ten minutes later.
Exiting the room, Andais closed the door behind her, and yet one thought raced through her mind. ‘I have got to talk to AJ to find out what happened.’
Barely twenty-five minutes after he had left the house, AJ found himself walking through the double doors of the Durai City Cineplex. When a security guard attempted to challenge him, he glared at the German Shepherd, “I am An Jun Durai, and I am expected by the manager.” he announced.
“Oh. Please, Mr. Durai, right this way. We have your son and daughter in our security office.” he heard an alto voice call out from his right. Turning, he saw a male squirrel in a crisp blue suit with creases in all the right places, a red tie tied around his white shirt collar, and a simple smile plastered on his face. ‘Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’ he thought silently.
Walking up to the manager, the male turned and led the way into the security room where Jenny and Lee sat. The young girl that had been assaulted apparently wasn’t there, but the twins were practically surrounded by a collection of police officers, including one that he recognized. “Hello, Officer Morgan.” AJ said as he extended a hand.
Jacob turned at the mention of his name to see a familiar face. Extending a hand, the two men clasped and shook. “Hello, Mr. Durai. As much as it’s a pleasure to see you again, I really wish we weren’t meeting when your daughters are either in trouble or in need of help.”
“That makes two of us.” AJ said softly before he motioned to Jenny. “Is it possible for me to talk with her?”
“Yes. Of course.” Jacob said with a nod, “She’s not charged with anything yet, but the girl in question was complaining of intense stomach pains after your daughter kicked her.”
“I’ll bet she was complaining.” AJ commented dryly as he passed the officer and stepped into the ring of police.
Jenny and Lee leapt from the chair in unison crying out, “Dad!” as they ran, and sprang into his arms. Holding them close, he pressed both otters against his chest as they hugged him tightly. At first all he could do was hold his children, the memory of when he first held them like this back on Formosa coming to mind. It was nearly a minute before he realized that they were talking… and he hadn’t heard a word they said.
“Wait. Slow down and start at the beginning.” AJ said softly while staying on one knee in front of the pair, “Tell me everything that happened tonight.”
Looking at her father, Jenny started explaining almost instantly. “Lee and I were on our way into the theater’s hallway when we saw a small crowd in front of the bathrooms. At first, we couldn’t see anything, but after little more than a few seconds we were able to squeeze through.” she said as she looked him in the eyes.
“At first I didn’t know who it was, but thought that it looked a lot like Martin.” Lee added, causing his father to look at the young otter, “But by the time I was able to say something, Chani came out of the girl’s restroom…”
“She screamed his name, and stalked over, slapping him,” Jenny announced, “but it I know that it wasn’t his fault. I saw how the girl was holding him. If he tried to push her away, her knee would have impacted him in between his legs… and he looked like he was trying to push her away.”
“Okay. Okay, wait. Who?” AJ asked, “Who did this?”
The change in his daughter was obvious, and almost terrifying, “It was the Doberman, dad.” Jenny glowered, “That arrogant bitch that’s been bullying Chani for the past year and a half, she was the one that assaulted Martin.”
None of the officers behind him saw the change come over An-Jun, but the twins saw his eyes sharpen, felt the tensing of his muscles as he held them, and for a moment the otters took a step back from their father. Chani had talked about this particular canine in less than glowing fashion in the past, but her teasing and tormenting of the newest addition to their family had been a little more than a minor annoyance ever since becoming friends with Andrea.
He had hoped that she just moved on to another target. Apparently, her target shifted to Martin… and yet she found that it was still a way to hurt Chani. “We’re going home.” he said softly. “Thank you for telling me about this, Jenny and Lee.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t…” the manager started to say, but Officer Morgan just opened the door for the trio.
“Thank you for coming down to pick up your children, sir.” Jacob said as he and the rest of the police stepped out of the way.
Nodding, he looked at Jacob, “I will be down at the station to file all the paperwork in the morning, but know that whatever happened between them and this Doberman isn’t over.” An Jun announced, “Please don’t inform anyone about what happened here today. I want her to believe that my two little ones are still in trouble come tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.” Jacob said with a nod.
“Wait… is that it?” the manager asked, “Your children disrupted my movie theater, and all they get is a minor conversation?”
Shaking his head, AJ spoke softly. “No. They will also be getting ice cream, hugs, and a big thank you from their older sister later tonight, because what Jenny did wasn’t a bad thing. She was protecting her family.”
Glaring at the dragon’s back, the squirrel placed his hands on his hips, “What about that poor girl who had to go to the hospital?” he asked, incensed, “How does that set an appropriate standard for…”
He never finished his sentence as AJ spun to glare at him. “First off, if that girl were my daughter I would have her worthless little ass beaten for the problem she created here!” he snarled in the man’s face, with all the police officers standing back. They could see flame licking from between his jaws as he spoke, thin trails of smoke roiling out of his nostrils. “If you want to accuse someone of disrupting your movie theater, then by all means, accuse the one that actually did something to deserve that accusation!”
The squirrel backed up, glancing to all of the police as the dragon glared at him. “A-Aren’t you going to do something?” he asked, trembling.
None of the officers did so much as twitch an eyebrow. “The moment he touches you, then yes, but until then he has every right to speak.” Jacob announced as he watched everything that happened.
“I am now going to take my children back home, and will be in the police station tomorrow to fill out the appropriate paperwork,” AJ announced, “but nothing more. As of right now, there was an incident at your theater, but it has been dealt with. Understood?”
“U-Understood.” the manager stuttered.
“Good.” Less than a minute later, AJ and the twins were sitting in the carriage as it trundled through the city streets. His arms were around Jenny and Lee’s shoulders, and yet his mind was miles away, thinking about his daughter, crying her eyes out. It took the trio nearly half an hour to arrive home, where Crystal was still sitting on the couch snuggling with Chani, the young girl just curled up in her arms. At first, the two otters stepped forward in order to say something, but AJ placed his hand on their shoulders. Looking up, they saw him shaking his head solemnly, as if knowing that anything they had to say wouldn’t be accepted by her older sister.
Instead, the twins walked forward and sat on the couch with their sibling to wrap her up in their arms. Crystal motioned for AJ to follow her into the kitchen, where she started to talk. “I’ve never seen her like this before, but considering what she told me, I can understand her being upset.”
AJ nodded slowly, just watching the otters hold their sister on the couch. “What did she say?”
“Chani said that when she exited the bathroom, she saw Martin embracing and kissing another girl, with his hands on her breasts.” Crystal commented, “What upset her the most was the fact that he was kissing the Doberman that was teasing her for over a year.”
Nodding, he sighed. “Jenny barely managed to glance at what was going on before Chani discovered it all.” Looking over at Crystal, he shook his head, “Martin’s part in that was forced, and when she realized who the girl was, it was already too late.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Crystal asked.
“The best we can hope for is that Chani realizes what happened, and she listens to what Jenny says about what happened. My hope is that they can salvage their friendship at the very least.” AJ commented with a sigh.
“That makes two of us.” Crystal commented. “What about the girl? If she forced herself onto Martin, won’t she be brought up on charges?”
“Right now, she’s playing the victim, and it would only be seen as retaliation.” AJ said softly. “The only way any charges will be levied against her is if Martin makes them, and I don’t even know his state right now.”
Over the course of the next hour, everyone sat around with Lee trying to make Chani laugh, and Jenny just holding her. The subdued atmosphere seemed to permeate the entire room like a pall until the family finally separated to get ready for bed. Even so, it felt like poison had pierced them, infecting their happy family with the unnecessary drama of teenage life.
After everyone had gone to bed, Jenny snuck out of her bedroom and slipped into the bed of her older sister. Chani had resumed crying, only to feel the otter slip under the covers with her. Those arms wrapped around her body, holding her close from behind as she attempted to curl up into a ball. Less than ten minutes later, Lee slipped into the covers with the feline, sandwiching her with their combined affection and love.
The only hope that they had done the right thing came when, about twenty minutes later, a small purr started to emanate from the teenager between them. For the rest of the night, they slept together. Both otters held each other tight with a softly purring kitty in the center.
