Part four: The Pool incident. Dinner was uninteresting; mom talking about her day at work; psychology students being fussy and needy as always. Everyone at the table shared a groan when Carol quoted a student telling her to pass her ‘or else his father would hear about this’. The groaning was followed by a laugh, everyone getting a kick out of the story. “Oh! Carol, Jaqui was thinking about heading out to the pool after dinner.” Carol looked toward the back door, mulling it over, “Yeah? It IS clean. Sun’s still up so we’ll need sunscreen. I got a fresh can at the store.” “Good good. Well I'll just need some time to clean up the kitchen, but after that we could all hop in.” “Sounds good!” Carol finished her meal as well, taking Jaqui’s dishes to collect everything together before leaving the table. “Alright, i’m gonna take a minute to relax a bit before we go out, okay?” She was still in her nice suit and pants, looking very professional, but now she just wanted to strip and lay on the bed for a bit to relax, maybe take a little something to help~. “Alright! I’ll come say hi to you after we’re done here.” Vulpes called out, plucking the empty dishes from the table and taking one stack to the sink. Jaqui stayed behind, taking the last stack of dishes and putting them in the sink for Vulpes. She didn’t do too much, a part of her was still wanting to escape and hide in her room. But something kept her close to Vulpes. She couldn’t rinse off the dishes without bumping into Vulpes, so instead she stood next to him, offering to put the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher for their final cleansing. Vulpes thanked her for her help, carefully handing dish by dish to her, “So… Can I ask what else you draw? Any fan stuff you like to draw?” She shifted a bit, not expecting more probing questions. She did feel compelled to answer though, letting him in deeper into her life. “Ah… a few… I drew a few pieces for a korean drama I like…” “Oh yeah? I never got into korean dramas, but what’s it about?” “Sort of a uh… high school romance thing…” “Yeah? Hopefully it's good?” “Yeah, an upperclassman protects a freshman from a mugger and she starts to fall in love with him.” “Aw, that sounds sweet. You’ll have to show me some time.” Jaqui smiled happily, even blushing a bit as they shared a nice little normal conversation, talking more about shows they enjoyed. Even getting passionate about shared interests. Vulpus would shout out a few catch phrases, getting a laugh from them both. Eventually the dishes would get finished, and the two departed. He told her to start getting ready, but that they would probably be a few minutes. Vulpes headed into Carol's bedroom, and Jaqui headed to hers. She would notice the other side of the bathroom that the door was closed. Usually that meant mom was having some private time to relax. She had explained it as ‘she needed to recharge her social batteries’ which Jaqui adopted and would do the same when she didn’t want to talk to people. Although she noticed how Carol DID seem to allow Vulpes to join her… the WERE lovers after all, so maybe that was okay? Either way, Jaqui rushed to her dresser, pulling out a cute two piece swimsuit. There was very little ‘chest’ to cover, but there was a lot of fabric to cover her chest and loins. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, staring at herself again. This time in a new light however. Her hands reached up and cupped her breasts, still not quite filling her hands, but maybe that wasn’t so bad. She noted how big breasts would probably make it hard to swim well, so she got a little smile out of that. Jaqui heard a giggle through the bathroom door though… ‘Stoooop~” Carol cooed, “Jaqui will hear.” “Fine fine… But later you and I could go for an ‘adult swim’, whatcha think?” “Lewd fox~” Carol giggled again, before the sound of bedspring decompressing could be heard, “Come on, We promised her pool time, we’re never going to get there if I let you hands do whatever they want.” “You know you love it~” Jaqui didn’t quite understand the context of the conversation, but she wasn’t dumb… She knew about adults having their little ‘adventures’ together, she just didn’t understand it very well. She ignored the conversation and headed out back to wait for them. The pool was a pretty nice size, showing off Carol’s expendable income. It was fresh and clean with plenty of patio furniture underneath the awning just off the side of the pool. She relaxed in her two piece bikini, closing her eyes and letting her mind wander… Apparently Carol and Vulpes were quick, coming out in their own swimwear; Vulpus wearing red trunks, sporting a modestly toned body. Even though he worked in retail for a while, moving heavy furniture and boxes of paper certainly seemed to keep him in reasonable shape. Carol was gorgeous in her own two piece, having more breast to show, and less fabric to cover them. It was still modest, but her cleavage was out for all the see, meanwhile Jaqui’s top might as well have been a crop top with short sleeves. “Alright, let’s get sunscreened up first.” Vulpus said as he pulled the can out from a bag. A memory of a beach scene from her show shot into Jaqui’s mind. She spoke before she could fully plan out her act, “Vulpes, could you get some for my back please?” she asked, quickly standing up and facing away from him. In her mind, she imagines his big strong hands massaging deep into her muscles, permeating the sunscreen through her fur and against her skin. She thought of his hands sliding around her waist before rolling up her stomach and cupping her breasts like he described before, his body moving in close to hug her from behind as he kissed her neck. She shuddered a bit at the idea, a little smile crossing her face as she awaited her dream… “Yeah, of course.” he replied casually as he walked over Imagine her disappointment when she heard the hiss of an aerosol can and felt the mist of a spray sunscreen hitting her back. It took her a moment to fully accept the disappointment, but by then Vulpus was practically done spraying the window of her back between the two pieces of the bikini, the back of her legs and her arms, “There, all sprayed down. You wanna get your front?” he asked, holding out the can for her. “Vulpes!” Carol called out, “You can’t just spray it on and expect it to do anything” she said, sounding like she was mildly scolding him. She demonstrated this by spraying herself with a second can, rubbing the spray into her fur, “You gotta massage it in or else it won’t do anything. Jaqui was taken aback by the comment. She even looked back and saw Vulpes looking to Carol, “Uhh…. are you sure you want ME to do that?” he asked, seemingly uncertain if HE should be the one to do such a thing. Carol smiled, giving him a nod. Vulpus turned to Jaqui, locking eyes with one another, “That okay with you?” Jaqui tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing, turning away again as she answered, “Uh, yeah, no, that’s… that’s cool, that’s fine. It’s just sunscreen I mean…” She remained still as Vulpus reached up, starting at her neck and massaging the sunscreen into her. The feeling of his hands gently massaging her neck made her shiver. No one had touched her with such gentle caring hands. He made sure to work in the sunscreen around her neck and over her shoulders, before skipping down to her back.Her back naturally arched at the feeling, inhaling through her teeth. Thankfully no one seemed to notice. He moved to her ankles, slowly working up her calf, approaching her thigh. As he got closer she felt her loins growing warm, and needy. She didn’t fully understand these feelings, but she tried to do everything to avoid them… however the bottoms were almost like short-shorts with a little skirt hanging over, so even reaching the edge of the bottoms he didn’t get close enough to anything important… “There… All good.” he said, stepping back, “Okay, NOOOOW you can get your front.” Once again, he handed over the can to Jaqui, whom couldn’t even look at him after feeling his hands all over her. She hastily sprayed her front, haphazardly rubbing it into her fur for a brief moment before diving straight into the shilling waters. Carol walked over and sprayed at Vulpes’ back, starting to work the mist into his fur and skin. “Can’t forget you too~” she cooed, seemingly a bit flirty at the moment. He smiled and allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Eventually the flirty adults finishing, managing not to lose any clothing in the process. They tossed some pool toys and inflatables in before getting in. Vulpes found himself idly swimming around, changing up positions to try and work different parts of his body. Meanwhile Carol seemed to be relaxing on a reclined floater, hardly wet at all yet. Jaqui was enjoying herself as well, finding a super soaker and spraying it at Vulpes, who quickly retaliated with waves of splashes. Carol enjoyed watching the two, cheering them on as she relaxed. Even when she got sprayed she laughed and cheered, enjoying the playful mentality. The pool party continued, with Vulpes taking a dive off the diving board. When he came up he laughed in a panic, “Ha! Oh wow, i need to tighten up my shorts.” “You almost lost them?” Carol asked with a laugh. “Yeah! Just about!” “I’m tellin’ ya, you’re losing weight.” “Doubt it!” Jaqui stared as they laughed it off… She imagined him actually losing his pants, and what secrets might be revealed… somehow the idea morphed into the thought of Jaqui losing her bottoms… being exposed in front of Vulpes… What would he think? She did accidentally exposed herself in her drawings and he only had nice, although awkward, comments. He said he loved all kinds of body types… so… perhaps… She plotted quietly for a time, idly swimming around a bit while she thought about it… She had to consider this very carefully... Finally, she started to head to the nearby ladder, “I think I'm gonna try a dive.” She announced to no one in particular. Before ascending though, she tugged her bottom down a bit,hanging just a bit off her hips. She couldn’t quite tell how much butt she was revealing, if any at all, but she wanted them to be lower than they were supposed to be so they could slide off more easily later. As she ascended she could feel the weight of the bottoms sliding down her hips just a bit more. She felt her heart racing, how exposed was she? She couldn’t quite tell. If she reached down to feel, she would be visibly acknowledging that she knew her shorts were low, then she’d HAVE to raise them. She resisted the temptation and walked to the diving board. “Yeah! Finally! You can do it!” Her mothers comment reminded her that she actually was scared of jumping into the water from the board… something about the rush of water hitting her on the way into the deep end of the pool didn’t sit well with her. She looked over to the others, both watching her heading to the board. No one said anything… were the shorts not low enough? Were they being polite? She couldn’t tell. Instead of worrying, she focused on the next part of her plan; the dive. A perfect dive into the water and the shorts would slip off. She’d go up again only to ‘accidentally’ reveal herself to the Vulpes. It would be embarrassing, but she hoped he’d have something uplifting to say about her body, so she marched forward. She stood at the back of the board, staring down it’s length. She made mental checks of where she was going to dive, and how fast she would get out again. In her mind she imagined herself as an olympic diver just easily swimming over the length of the pool. She started her run, preparing to dive headfirst into the water. Only part way down did she realize that she was NOT in fact, an olympic diver, and had no knowledge of how to actually maneuver her body in a way that she could dive properly. She panicked and attempted to stop, only for her foot to slip, sending her body careening to the edge of the diving board. Her butt landed and scraped against a rough patch of the diving board meant to prevent people from slipping, before being bounced upinto the air, flailing helplessly before slamming face first into the water. Her butt hurt from the impact of the diving board, and she was dazed from the slam into the water. It took her a moment to realize she was currently underwater. She began to flail a bit, not knowing which way was up. She thought she felt air somewhere, but couldn’t quite place where she was supposed to go. Eventually, she felt two hands under her arms lift her body up enough to breathe, finally able to see Vulpes holding her, using a pool noodle to keep them both above water. “Hey! You okay? You took quite a tumble.” he said, trying to be upbeat about the accident. Now with a bit more clarity she was able to assess how she felt. Her ankle hurt a bit, wincing as she tried to tread water. ‘M-my ankle hurts.” she whined, getting a little emotional. This wasn’t what she planned at all. She knew it would be embarrassing, but at least she was prepared for that kind of embarrassment. She expected to be risque, not a fool. “Ah, fuck, okay, let’s get you on the patio.” he replied, guiding her to shallow waters. Before getting out, he slipped his hands under her knees and lifted her up, heading for the stairs up to the patio. She allowed herself to be carried, feeling herself leaning into his chest. She felt warm and comforted in his arms, feeling a bit helpless, but protected. She found herself pressing into him, rubbing her cheek against him. However as she continued to relax, she noticed something… a part of her plan DID succeed apparently; Her bottoms had slipped off in the incident. At the moment, her legs were clasped together and her knees were up, so no one would see her exposed nethers. However as they approached the patio furniture she knew she’d be exposed soon. He butt was one thing; Cute, bashful, but a little funny. He vagina though, something about that felt more… personal… she couldn’t expose that. Her hands immediately tucked into her groin, both covering herself just before he laid her down, “There, now let’s take a look at that-” Vulpes paused, seeing the lack of bottoms on his step-daughter-to-be, “OH! Oh gosh, uh…” he looked back at the pool, “Carol! I think she lost her bottoms!” Jaqui shrank a little. Why did he have to yell that for the entire neighborhood to hear? She curled up a bit more, cursing herself for such a stupid plan. Carol waded over and found the clothing, tossing it to Vulpes. Vulpes nervously held out the piece for her, looking away, “H-here…” “U-uhh….” Jaqui felt frozen… she wanted to reach out, but that would expose her more! She sat there, wet, half naked, hands covering her crotch, and various points of her body sore from the fall. She stared at Vulpes, having no idea what to do. Vulpes stared back, just as confused and unsure of himself, “Uh… Just…” he tried holding them out for her more, but he seemed to realize her predicament, “H-here, i’ll just… help…” Vulpes moved toward her feet, carefully slipping her feets through the proper holes, quickly sliding them up her legs. Before getting them all the way up, he noticed a bit of blood dripping from her thigh, and a gash in the fabric. “Oh! Crap, you’re bleeding..” he muttered, running his fingers over the exposed cut… his fatherly instincts to help made him reach out and touch it, moving the fur away to examine it… Only for his nervous side to realize he was rubbing her upper thigh and exposed bottom, “Shit, sorry, just…” he finished putting on the bottoms over her hands before stepping away, “Let me get some medicine and bandages.” he said, quickly moving away and heading inside as he escaped the situation as quickly as possible. Jaqui finally had a moment to process all this… his gentle touch, his nervous behavior, him rescuing her… It made her heart flutter, and her loins burn. She breathed heavily, trying to calm down after all these little events stacking up to create this embarrassing yet intimate moment between them. Carol slipped out of the pool, sitting beside her and examining the cut, “Ouch… was that from the diving board?” It felt significantly less intimate with her mom examining her. It felt like a doctor visit, which was appropriate as she did have a doctorate. They’d been pretty open around one another; going around the house in their underwear, or a loose bathrobe. It wasn’t anything new. “Y-yeah…” “And your ankle’s bothering you too?” She carefully examined the ankle, trying to see how bad it was. Jaqui flinched at the movement, but it wasn’t unbearable, “looks like it just got bent a bit too far, nothing permanent though. Just stay off of it for a few hours and you’ll be fine.” Jaqui sighed, nodding, “Okay… But I don't want you two to stop just because I got hurt. You have fun and enjoy yourself.” Carol smile, leaning down and kissing her forehead, “How about i fill up your super soaker and you can shoot us from the safety of the patio?” Jaqui laughed at the idea, “Yeah… I could do that…” Carol nodded and headed to the pool, filling up the water gun. Meanwhile Vulpes returned, bandages and medicine in hand, “Hey uh… Carol, you wanna handle this? She’s got a bit of a scratch one her uh… backside…” “I’m sure you’ve got this honey.” “You’re the doctor! And… And it’s REALLY close to her…” his eyes flicked to Jaqui again, she had rolled to her side, exposing the scratch, the torn swimwear, and by extension, a good portion of her rump, “butt…” “If you’re going to be a part of this family, we’re all going to have to take care of one another. If Jaqui is okay with it, I am.” Vulpus nervously looked to Jaqui, holding the medicine tightly, “Are you… okay with that? No pressure! If you want your mom to do it, I can get her. I-i’m sure it’s more comfortable when another girl does it, y’know, being… girls… and all…” “I-i’m okay.” Jaqui said quickly, interrupting his rambling. “I trust you.” Her words warmed his heart… but he still had to overcome his own reservations… “Okay.” he replied, sitting close beside her. He began to clean the wound, wiping up the blood and pool water to prepare it before pouring a bit of hydrogen peroxide. The medicine stung, of course, but the gentle touches, the care and precision Vulpes had for her was comforting. Being tended to by someone who cared made her feel fuzzy inside. Being close to her nethers didn’t hurt either, making her tingle deep inside. She hissed as the peroxide burned, to which Vulpes apologized quickly. “Sorry, sorry…” He continued to clean up the wound, having to move some of the torn fabric back, only exposing more of her asscheek. Eventually he patched her up and draped a towel over her to cover the exposed rump. “There, just relax for a bit okay?” he said with a sigh, pulling back away from her now. Carol returned, spraying him with a bit of water before handing the water gun to Jaqui. “I told her she could still squirt us from time to time if she wanted.” Vulpes laughed, the water breaking the tension within him, “hah, alright, that sounds like fun. Just let us know when you want to head inside and we’ll join you.” Jaqui nodded, spraying him and her mother immediately, “Sounds good. You two have fun. I’ll be okay up here. Carol kissed her daughter’s head again, even Vulpes reached over to rub her shoulder, “You’ll be fine~ Just rest up for us okay?” The two slowly left her side, slipping back into the water for a relaxing swim, which would be interrupted by intermittent sprays of water. Jaqui eventually felt good enough to move closer to the pool and into the sun, casually spraying the floating toys to move them around, or Vulpes and Carol, whoever was more vulnerable~ The group enjoyed themselves for a time, before eventually getting up and getting out of the pool. They dried off quickly enough but lazed around under the patio for a bit longer. Jaqui didn’t move, so she remained in the sun a bit longer, almost completely dry by now. Carol stretched out her arms, groaning as she started to get up once again, “Alright, I'm gonna hop in the shower and wash out the chlorine. I think I'm gonna relax a bit more, maybe watch some TV.” “Sounds good, we’ll come in behind you once you’re done.” Vulpes said as she excused herself. Jaqui watched quietly, waiting for mom to get out of earshot before speaking up, “I think my ankle still hurts… could you carry me to the bedroom?” she asked with hopeful eyes. Vulpes eagerly nodded, “Of course! How bad is it? Do we need to-” Before he could start a long winded set of questions, Jaqui interrupted, “I’m good, mom said I just bent it weird, and I should remain off of it for a time.” she said, waving away his concerns. “Ah, alright then. Ready to head in now?” “Yeah.” Vulpes walked over and tucked his arms under her knees and her back, easily lifting her up once more, and carrying her inside carefully. Once again, the sensation of being held close made her feel warm. The heat of the sun was helping, sure, but even as the chill of the air conditioned interior washed over her, a warmth permeated through her. A noticeable hot spot was her loins. He pubic area felt itchy and her insides felt like they were fighting for something. As she laid in his arms she realized she had a hand hidden under the towel he tossed over her. In her curiosity, she slid her hand between her legs, cupping her mound and rubbing in. She inhaled sharply, shivering in his arms as she felt fireworks in her crotch. “Chilly?” he asked, figuring the shiver was from the temperature difference. “Y-yeah.” she replied, freezing in place for a moment before allowing herself to indulge in more touching. She leaned into his chest, closing her eyes and imagining the hand between her legs was his. After feeling him rub in the sunscreen and caring for her injury, she was growing to like his touch. Imagining that touch between her legs made her squirm, but Vulpes was none the wiser. Eventually they’d arrive at her room upstairs, laying her on her bed, “There ya go, Jaqui.” he took a seat beside her, resting a hand on her ankle, gently massaging it. “How are you feeling?” She couldn’t tell him that she felt incredible, that her loins were making her shiver and shake, “I’m alright… although if you’re trying to rub my hurt ankle, it’s the other one.” “Ah! Right right.” he moved to the other one, being gentle with her little hoof and ankle. She let out a soft moan at the massage. She hadn’t moved her hand, so the warmth still rolled over her mound as more lovely feelings shot up her leg. “There, that sounds like I'm doing a good job.” he teased upon hearing her moans. She blushed a bit, not realizing how obvious it was.She quieted down quickly and pulled her arms up, folding them across her chest. He noticed the change in tone, and quickly tried to rescue himself, “I didn’t mean anything mean by it. I just like knowing when I'm doing a good job~ Positive reinforcement and all that.” “Mm, is that why mom gives you a kiss when you offer to do the dishes?” Vulpes got a laugh out of that, “Ha! Oh wow, observant aren’t you?” She chuckled back, getting comfortable on her bed as they waited for mom to finish her shower, “Mmm, what other positive reinforcement do you like?” The question was a bit odd, at least for a preteen to ask, “Huh.. well… Positive comments, even noises are nice… Hearing someone go ‘mmm’ when they’re eating my cooking is nice. Touches and hugs are good physical things as well.” he noted,thinking about it a bit more, “I’m sure there’s more, but that’s the majority of it. Just tell someone that you like that they’re doing something and that’ll encourage them” “Mmm, well you can keep doing that if you’d like~” she said with another soft moan, clearly enjoying the touches. “Heh… You’re just like your mother.” he teased again, rolling his hands up her calf a bit more massaging her tense muscles. Eventually he did pull away as the shower stopped in the bathroom. “Sounds like your mom is coming out, did you want to go in next? Or did you want to-” He glanced back at the bathroom door, the crack between it and the was was just wide enough to give him space to see Carol’s naked reflection in the mirror. Apparently even now, her beauty stunned him into silence. He was quiet a good second and a half before fumbling back through his words, “Ah, uh, or did you want me to go?” Jaqui wasn’t sure how to feel about that… perhaps a little jealous, but she knew they were together, so it was to be expected… Although… he DID react just as bashful and shy when he slipped on her bottoms earlier… perhaps… “Could you help me get in?” she asked, slowly pulling herself over so her legs hung off the bed. She tested her ankles, one being fine, the other still a bit tender, but usable, “Yeah, it still hurts a bit… Could you help me to the shower.” “Of course. You want me to carry you again?” She felt it was best not to push her luck. She’d already gotten two happy little cuddles against his chest, best not risk a third go, “No, just maybe… hold my hand.” “Of course.” He approached her side,holding out his arm for her to take. She put her hand on his forearm, to which Vulpes put his hand on hers, easing her up to the feet. Even standing the discomfort wasn’t bad, hardly noticeable anymore. But this wasn’t about her foot, she was using it as a means to stay close to Vulpes. They waited for Carol to finish, hearing her call out, “I’m not nakeeeed!” she said before opening the door to reveal an oversized terry cloth bathrobe covering her. Even for a robe, it seemed to drape over her, practically hanging down her knees. “Hey! That’s my robe!” Vulpes called out. “Mm~ It was the only one in here~ Well, aside from mine~ you can wear that one.” Jaqui imagined the silky purple flower bathrobe on her mother; showing a lot of thigh and a lot of cleavage… maybe that was just how mom wore it though… then she imagined it on Vulpes… she swallowed hard at the imagery, both being cute, but also hilarious. “Really?” deadpan, Vulpes was not playing along with this little scenario, at least not in front of Jaqui Carol just giggled, “Your other one’s in the dryer. I’ll bring it to you before your bath.” she left them both with a smile, heading to the other bedroom, closing the door fully behind her. “Alright… well, we’re here… you think you got it from here?” he asked, figuring she’d say yes so he would be excused to leave. Jaqui shifted a bit, her grip on his arm getting tighter, “Actually… could you… I-I just need a hand to hold onto, but… could you join me?” she looked up with hopeful eyes, holding onto him so he couldn’t escape. She didn’t fully understand her feelings… just something felt intimate about being close to him now. Something drew her closer to the idea of being naked against him, she just couldn’t put into words why. “O-oh, uh… hm…” Vulpes was clearly flustered by the answer, not being what he expected. He didn’t want to outright say ‘no’, so he tried to find a common ground, “I mean, if we’re both still in our swimsuits we could i guess… Jaqui squirmed a little, this wasn’t exactly what she wanted, “Well if I’m actually BATHIN i think it would be better if i didn’t have my swimsuit on… That’s how showers work right? Besides, i use to shower with mom before…” Again, his flustered look grew, his cheeks burning bright red, “A-ah, n-no no, i don’t think that’s a good idea. I-it’s different when it’s boys and girls.” “I know you and mom have showered together before.” She sounded almost accusatory, getting desperate, trying to find some way to get him to say yes. “Ah! How did you- nevermind, point is… I-it’s different, Jaqui!” he turned to the bathroom door, leading her along as she held him for support for a few steps, “Uh… Carol?!?” He called out to his girlfriend, opening the door to the bedroom. Carol was still in the robe, popping what seemed to be a gummy of some sort. Jaqui knew it was part of ‘moms candy’. She had explained at one point that it had medicine in it for adults who are stressed out. She also made a point to tell her it was bad for kids, but for adults it seemed to make them relaxed and cheerful. Carol was happily nibbling on one of these gummies when she was interrupted, “Hm? What’s up you two?” “Jaqui needs some support in the shower, and i can’t do that.” he sounded panicked, desperate and uncomfortable. “N-no mom! It’s fine! I can probably do it myself!” she insisted, now a bit panicky that her mom was involved. She even went as far as to let got of Vulpes, standing on both feet with apparently no problem. Vulpes was worried she was trying to act tough, because she didn’t want ‘mommy’s’ help. “She asked for a hand to help hold her up, but… You know I can't do that.” He seemed to be dancing around the subject, as if there was a ‘reason’ he was trying to express without saying it outright. “I don’t want her to feel bad for telling her that i can’t, but… you know i can’t…” Carol had always been very open and free. She didn’t hide her drugs from her daughter, nor did she hide her sexy bathrobes. She tried her hardest to make sure her daughter understood the context behind ‘adult’ things so that she was informed enough to act, but not to know too much. However in this moment, Carol felt like perhaps she HAD missed some context somewhere, and that it was her fault for the misunderstanding. She hopped to her feet, tightening the robe around her waist, “Okay, i’m on it!” she replied, heading into the bathroom, shooing Vulpes out before immediately heading to the shower, turning on the water to create a lot of white noise. “So… What’s up?” Jaqui felt like she was in a corner. Even with her mom always being open minded and free, something about Vulpes’ reaction made her feel that she should be freaking out a bit, “I-i just… I just wanted Vulpes to join me, er, help me in the shower?” she said innocently, hoping she could pull off the innocent tone. “Uh huh… I’ve talked to you about predators right? Bad guys wanting to kidnap you and hurt you? Rape you?” This was certainly a turn she wasn’t expecting… Of course she was warned about all this, but she didn’t quite make the connection. “Y-yeah?” she got more nervous now, wondering how this terrifying topic could even relate. “Well, because of those people, other people don’t EVER want to be seen as a bad person like that, so they avoid situations that might make someone else THINK they’re trying to hurt a child like that.” Jaqui took a seat on the edge of the tub, while Carol sat on the toilet across from her. “So like Vulpes trying to help with that cut on your butt. If someone saw him not knowing you were hurt, they would think he was doing something inappropriate. It’s like… Walking around the mall holding a large knife. People don’t think ‘Oh he must be a cook in the food court’, no, they think they’re coming to stab someone.” Jaqui nodded a bit, slowly understanding, “I get it… So he just doesn’t want anyone thinking he’s a bad guy, but you’re dating him, and invited him to our house, so you know he’s not a bad guy right?” “It’s not me who needs convincing, he needs to convince himself. Basically a person is so obsessive about NOT seeming like they’re a pedophile, because they’re worried they might be one. They can’t touch a child without the fear that they might get an erection or hurt them in some manner. they don’t want to hurt kids in any way shape or form, even if it’s an accident. It sucks for Vulpes because loves kids, he loves taking care of them, seeing them smile. He wants to be the ‘cool dad’ who lets his kids get away with little things, but also being a part of their lives and sharing their interests. But then he get worried, so he didn’t want to date someone with kids for the longest time.” “So… Why did he get with you? Knowing you had adopted me and all.” “Well, you know I'm nosy and good at chatting people up… We got onto the topic and because I encouraged him to be honest about himself, he spilled the beans about his fears. I basically told him that I trust him to be a good dad and love you and not hurt you. Even knowing his fears I still believe he’s a good guy who would never harm anyone.” Jaqui felt touched by this. Her mother was a smart woman, a great psychology teacher at a university, she knew how to analyze and judge people properly. So if she judged him to be nice, there was no way Jaqui could fear him. “Now, what I DON'T know is why a twelve year old girl is asking a grown man to shower with her.” Carol said, staring down her own daughter. Jaqui tenses up at the accusatory tone. “U-uh…” “I know i’ve told you ‘your privates are private’ and ‘no looking at other people’s privates’... So where did that go?” She shrank a bit, nervously kicking her legs, unable to answer. Carol examined her carefully, “Was it because your ankle is hurting?” “.. no…” “Was it because you felt unsteady and needed support?” “...no…” “Was it because… you wanted someone there to keep you company?” “...sort of…” “Ah, we’re getting somewhere.” She loved this train of questioning, and trained Jaqui to respond to it. Simple answers, no need to explain your feelings, just yes or no… sometimes ‘sort of’. “Was it because you specifically wanted Vulpes to keep you company?” Her head slowly nodded, still looking away nervously. “Yes…” “Do you like Vulpes?” “Yes…” “I like Vulpes too~ So we have a lot in common.” she said, trying to brighten the tone. “Did you… Want to see him in the shower?” She didn’t answer this one, looking away nervously. “Did you want HIM to see YOU in the shower?” Jaqui made a little noise of discomfort, but it WAS a sign that perhaps Carol had hit the nail on the head. “Mmmkay, I think we’re getting somewhere… You remember taking baths with me when you were younger right?” Jaqui nodded, “Yeah, I do… I really like them, and… I wanted to have one with Vulpes…” “Well, Just remember, he’s got certain feelings on the subject, and forcing him into anything would be rude, and hurtful. So don’t push him if he doesn’t want it… But I think with him living here he’ll open up more to both of us… I’ll talk with him tonight so you can relax.” Jaqui’s eyes went wide “Y-you’re not gonna tell him anything are you?” Carol shook her head, taking a stand, “nothing personal, just let him know things are okay~ You get washed up so i can get Vulpes’ stinky butt in here okay?” she smiled cheerfully before opening the door and heading to the bedroom. With Jaqui alone now, she had a moment of quiet contemplation. This was a lot to absorb, but the idea that Vulpes was afraid to be affectionate and caring did make her feel bad for him. She just wanted to bond more with him, feel his warmth against her some more…. For now, she slipped out of her swimsuit and into the cool refreshing shower, cleaning herself up quickly.