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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRalanr\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
because he and \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSettaFlamowitz\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSettaFlamowitz\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
keep helping me try to push past my months or more of block and depression.

No porn, but much drama. If you like that you'll like this.

Anyways, here's a bit of Amethyst having a crisis.", "writing": "Double Date Disaster:\n\nBy TeraMGP\n\n\tWas it still a double date with more than for people?\n\n\tThat was the question a punkish young vole found herself rolling around in her head while wavering in the booth at the upscale little pub her Mistress had found.\n\n\tIt was a nice enough location. Clean and mostly smoke free. The seats, somehow the same shade of green that her mind jumped to at the mere mention of the word `pub', were made of decently thick fake leather. Even the tables were mostly gum free.\n\n\tAnd why did she know all of this? Because she was hecking bored!\n\n\tIn the past half hour all Amethyst had done with herself was look around the room and pick at the basket of fried mushrooms someone had ordered but clearly not actually wanted. At first it was done with a bit of guilt, since she was assuming she had some idea of who ordered them. That reluctance had shattered in the first ten minutes, especially since she'd promised `no phone' while doing this.\n\n\tThe young woman's eyes flickered up and across the table. There were two furs responsible for her plight right now. The first was Tabs, her Mistress' big lumpen oaf of a best friend. The wolverine woman's straw blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a clean tee shirt that looked like she'd jut bought it for the occasion. No sign of her `colors' for once. It was odd, but in all the time Amethyst had been with her Mistress it was hard to recall a time when Tabs showed up not wearing the array of leather and patches.\n\n\tThe other figure was newer to her. Or at least, mostly new.\n\n\tMorrigan had a cute face. There were people who absolutely despised possums and felt them to be universally ugly. Most such people, Amy assumed, were the same kind who insisted video games fail because there isn't some hot blonde fox or feline in it for them to ogle. But the borderline emaciated and decidedly un-curvy girl sitting at the other end of the booth from Amethyst clearly had her charms. She had a sweet face, in that perpetually burned out from stress kind of way. Something about her with the cocktail in her hand and over-combed head of frizzy hair unlocked deep and seemingly unrelated memories for Amy. The sense of sitting in the car with her mom on the way to school with her mom's favorite ska mix CD skipping its way along in the drive.\n\n\tThat, staying home from school to watch VH1 when she was sick, and for some reason the show Portlandia. That was all she got when she looked at this girl in the black camisole currently scrunched uncomfortably between Tabs and Amy's own Mistress.\n\n\t``Can I freshen that up for yaw?''\n\n\tAmy nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked past Rebecca, her own adorable little puppy of a pet, and up to the bunny woman who'd been their server. A small nod and her now empty glass of rootbeer was swapped out. \n\n\t``You're really knocken em back, huh?'' Tabs snorted and downed a good swig of he own pint glass. \n\n\tAmethyst shrugged and took a deep sip of the fizzy concoction. ``I donno. I didn't think I was that bad.''\n\n\t``She's teasing.'' Helga snorted ``She likes to pick on designated drivers.''\n\n\t``And she owns a bar... right.'' Amy took another deep sip of her drink, hoping the rudeness she'd just displayed to her beloved Mistress would go unnoticed. Everyone else at the table laughing was a good enough sign. Then again the majority of them were at least tipsy.\n\n\t``Speaking of'' Amethyst raised a finger ``Why did we come here? I mean it's nice, don't get me wrong. But wouldn't it be overall cheaper to go to your bar since we own it?''\n\n\tThe question drew a louder snort from Tabs, who by now was grinning ear to ear. She downed the rest of her pint and half-slammed it on the table. It seemed she realized at the last moment that it was in fact not her own sad, depressing biker bar and she should respect that. ``Well for one thing, you should never do that. Never get high on your own supply. Or drunk, in this case. I'll drink at home. I'll drink when I'm out. But if I start drinking at work it's gonna end bad. Hell, it's bad enough we got that deli slicer in and now I'm eating a big ol pile of cold cuts on rye bread for lunch every night. At this rate I'm gonna get the gout.''\n\n\t``I'm not into feet.'' Morrigan was quick to chime in ``You end up with that crud and best I can do for you is buy one of those foot spa thingies. No foot rubs.'' \n\n\t``You don't really rub someone's foot for gout.'' Helga was quick to chime in.\n\n\t``Also what's with you Michigan people being too weak to handle cold cuts?'' Rebecca snorted ``This is what happens when you don't have a deli on every block. God I could go for a good reuben.''\n\n\t``Bold of you to assume we're native Michiganders.'' Tabs snapped playfully while pointing at Rebecca. A gesture that bordered a bit too close on flirtation for Amethyst's liking. \n\n\tBefore Amy knew what was happening, Rebecca's paw had taken hers and laced their fingers together. The girl leaned in and put her head on her Mistress' shoulder while rocking oddly side to side, bumping the vole more than once in the process.\n\n\t``Awww, you two are cute.'' Morrigan downed the last of her negroni and slumped back into the warm embrace of the booth. ``How come you guys don't flirt like this more at the munch?''\n\n\tRebecca scooted closer now. Close enough, in fact, that the poor vole was now squished between her and Helga. The feeling of the only `soft' girl in the relationship now basically serving as the filling in a sandwich between them was not in fact the worst thing for Amethyst. It also wasn't at all the kind of feeling she particularly wanted out in a public setting.\n\n\t``For one thing.'' Rebecca finally gigged ``She's way too embarrassed to flirt hard even in a more private setting. Or to let me flirt, for that matter. Mistress is way more reserved than she wants people to think.''\n\n\tAmethyst hushed Rebecca and sank into the seat, blushing furiously at the comment.\n\n\t``For another'' Rebecca continued ``I'm high as fuck.'' The pitty laughed off the shocked expression as Amy shifted and glared at her. The quazi-ginger pitbull wrinkled her muzzle and grinned a big doofy grin. ``Yeah, sorry. Friend offered me some gummies and I figured I should try em. He said they didn't really hit hard for him. So after a few minutes when I didn't feel anything, I kiiinda might have just eaten the bag.''\n\n\tWith that, the whole table erupted into laughter, save for Amethyst herself. Helga nearly choked on her beer and just gazed at the grinning pet for the longest moment. ``Jesus Christ, pet. Didn't you think to give it a bit more time?''\n\n\t``Oh you're going to have some fun tonight.'' Morrigan murred while gazing at Amethyst ``Your gal there's all riled up like... like... ok I don't know what the tiktok people say. But goddamn'' It was amid this laughter that Morrigan stopped and pulled up the small purse she'd brought with her. Just like that the light died from her eyes a bit. The phone going back In the bag as she glanced up at Tabs. ``Fuck. Sorry, Miss. I gotta take this.''\n\n----------\n\n\tLooking back, Amethyst wasn`t quite sure how the logistics of all this were going to have played out. Three out of five people were too drunk to drive and somehow Rebecca had gotten it into her head to get absolutely blitzed before their date.\n\n\tMorrigan`s call had been from work. An emergency, apparently. Though what kind of emergency they could have at an appliance manufacturer who the fuck knew. Any Uber would take an hour to get there based on the estimations, though. So now here Amy was driving this borderline stranger nearly a half hour down the highway only to pull up on the unnervingly familiar sight of a small town Michigan mainstreet.\n\n\tThey were all rather alike in the end. Two or three story buildings set up pre turn-of-the-century Or so she assumed based on how much the things resembled old pictures and post cards of the early 20th century. The GPS marker ended at a restaurant taking up one corner for a block of these buildings. It took several more minutes for a tipsy Morrigan to fully communicate that they needed to go around. Even more before Amethyst realized they weren`t going to the restaurant, but heading to a set of walk-up wooden stairs in the back.\n\n\tIt made sense. Up until now she`d never wondered what were in the upper floors of those various buildings. Honestly she`d just assumed more storage space or something for whatever business occupied the ground floor. She got out and made her way along behind Morrigan mostly in the hope of catching her should she fall. The other woman wasn`t fall down drunk, Amy just didn`t like the look of the rickety staircase that seemed to be rotting away in parts and absolutely needed to be changed out. Whatever Whirlpool was paying people it didn't seem like enough if someone with a degree had to live in a place like this.\n\n\tAt the top of the stairs she watched Tabs` date fumble with her key ring before finally pushing the door open. A melange of artificial scents assailed her nose. The indescribable chemical aromas of plug in air fresheners wafting along the breeze. Inside, a large single room dominated the bulk of the space. A living room with hard wood flooring and slate grey, almost black walls along with a large white area rug. Plush black leather sofas set in an L shape around a TV, assortments of standing shelves, and even one of those little vacuum robots chugging along around the floor. \n\n\tIt was hard to say why but Amy found herself in awe of this place. In awe, and at least a bit discomforted.\n\n\t``You can come in, you know.'' There was a bit of a chuckle in Morrigan's voice. She made her way through the living room and into the kitchen.\n\n\tAmethyst watched from the little square of what she was only now realizing to be tile. She shuffled her feet and looked nervously at the pristine carpet complete with fresh and precise vacuum lines. ``I uh, you sure?'' She stammered.\n\n\tMorrigan giggle-snorted from the other room. It was easy enough to hear. The only thing really distinguishing the kitchen from the living room seemed to be another set of tile floor, a different color of wall paint and a large island bar running between the rooms as some kind of divider. ``At least let me grab you a drink while you wait. Besides, it's not like I'm going to do anything. I'm a sub, like you!''\n\n\t``I'm a switch.'' Amethyst corrected. ``And I don`t drink.`` Still she collapsed against the door and began to fidget with her shoes, trying like hell to yoink the sneakers off with nothing but the opposite foot as leverage.\n\n\t``Same, I think. About the switch part I mean.'' The possum sighed. ``I donno. I think too much porn making scrambled my brain.''\n\n\tWhen Amy finally got her shoes off, she'd look up to see Morrigan standing there with a big grin, offering up a bottle of Strawberry Faygo that somehow felt out of place when contrasted with the immaculate low pile carpeting and fancy suede couch. Like any good punk she was quick to snatch the drink and give only a small nod of thanks before downing a good chunk of it. The fact that she quickly found herself choking on the fizzy syrup posing as a liquid only felt a touch like karma.\n\n\t``I promise this won't take long.'' She sighed. ``You can put on some TV if you want in the meantime.''\n\n\t``Sure your roommate won't mind?'' The green haired vole girl barely even noticed as she began to fasten the lid back on to her bottle. As was so often the case her attempts at having `edge' were quickly thwarted by the habit her mother had painstakingly drilled into her.\n\n\tMorrigan shrugged and tossed her coat over the arm of the chair. ``Don't have one. I don't really `do' people. And I don't mean just in, you know, `that' way.''\n\n\t``So this is `all' yours?'' Amy was sure the other woman could hear the... something in her voice? Resentment? Jealousy? She kept trying to figure out just what she felt and yet none of the words fit. In the end all she could do was strew on that thought and sip her pop while she watched the woman only a few years her senior carefully booting up a well loved and heavily customized PC tower from under a corner-biased computer desk full of random nerd crap.\n\n\tMemories of the surplus systems the computer lab used back in grade school flooded her mind. It was a set of harmonics distinct from but somehow comparable to Mama's bike. Powerful fans constantly huffing and fluids gurgling as they strained to shuffle around an immense amount of heat. Or so she was pretty sure it worked. The LED lights and small diorama of anime figurines which she could see behind the glass door of the case only somehow added to the extravagance of it all. \n\n\t``So you, can't like, just send them stuff from your phone?'' The question felt stupid. Amethyst felt stupid right now. She gazed on dumbly while the possum woman shifted from that fun and interesting girl she'd been at dinner into a serious-faced professional. The transformation itself was so quick that it felt jarring. A change in posture, a quick tug of her hair into a bun and suddenly fingers were flying across keys.\n\n\t``If it's stuff finished enough to be in the cloud, yes. Unfortunately the drafts they want for tomorrow are ones I didn't feel were far enough along. But it seems like the idea of going `full hidden touch screen' was about as stupid as I thought it'd be.'' \n\n\t``You mean like those hidden buttons to bring up cleaning menus and stuff on the coffee machines? At work?'' A gut punch. Amy quickly swigged down a nice big gulp of her pop and began sifting though the small collection of remotes on the coffee table in the hopes of finding one that would go to the TV.\n\n\t``Probably something like that.'' Morrigan replied, though the words were distant and cursory. She thudded her tail on the rubberized mat separating her chair from the carpet while flipping though files in a program which looked far too complicated for Amethyst to ever wrap her head around. It called to mind a guy her mom had dated for a hot minute back in the 2010s. Some nice enough but utterly forgettable dork who was eager to show her all his books with technical readouts for star trek shit. Yet another reason she probably never had a father in her life. A plus in her book.\n\n\tAwkward silence drowned the room. Amethyst fumbled a tiny remote in her hand while looking this way and that. There was a glass case with more figurines and other curios one might see in a theoretical grandparent's hose. Coins and small cars and the like. Then in another corner was one of those robot vacuums charging itself up. She considered breaking the silence a few times by starting the TV up. Each time she'd look at the other woman and simply slump back into her seat. The focus was astounding. The concentration only broken by occasional questions muttered into a Bluetooth headset. In the few times the two had spoken while going to the munch, neither one had really spoken much about their work or home lives. \n\n\tWhen Mss Allison had suggested they try to set this girl up with Tabs, the only confusion on Amy's part had been why anyone would want to be with her Mama's dumbest and most irresponsible road sister. Now it made even less sense. Morrigan would be slumming. Whatever tricks or bullshit she'd done to get this settled, it was clear she could do better than some two bit criminal constantly dodging the consequences of her actions.\n\n\tAt least with Helga, one could claim that the one slumming it was the Dommie. Somehow that felt a bit less tragic.\n\n\tThings continued like this for a while. At some point the TV came on and Stephen Universe started to blare from it. Even on low volume it felt irreverent, especially in this nice apartment. Or condo. Or whatever it was called. Amy pushed the volume down more and more until it was near silent. Instead she was forced to put on the subtitles and try to drown out the private-feeling business conversations over the headset.\n\n\tIt was infantilizing. Even that thought felt gross, but it was also the only word for it. Morrigan wasn't blowing her off to have fun, obviously. The conversations were in a tone that mixed hushed professionalism with a dash of worry. The way she fidgeted and her mouse moved around in short bursts of activity made it clear she was working very hard. So obviously it wasn't like the poor girl could just ask to leave.\n\n\tAsk? Even that felt gross and wrong in a way. Just sitting there sipping on the syrupy strawberry fizz in her hand and watching a cartoon when her Mistress and pet were to having fun was wrong. Yet there she sat. Her attention torn between the chubby kid with the belly button gem going around having adventures that probably helped the writer work though her personal past traumas.\n\n\tThree full episodes went though before Morrigan showed any signs of breaking from her work. When she did, it was with an apologetic smile and a look of utter defeat. ``Sorry about that.'' She sighed ``And about this, but I can't really go back with you tonight.''\n\n\t``That bad?'' In spite of everything Amy found herself sinking into the couch just a little.\n\n\t``We all told em that a hidden touch screen as the only controls wouldn't be intuitive. Now it's in testing and it's just doing what we all said, so it's all hands on deck for the engineers and designers because this stupid dishwasher is way too far along. But that's the problem with working for a Fortune 500. Pay's great, but you're technically always on call. Oh, hey! Steven Universe! God I love this show.''\n\n\tJust like that the girl slumped down as a bundle of grey fur on the back of the couch and grinned a nice big smile. Amy looked up at her and shrank down a bit more. ``Y-yeah?'' The vole muttered.\n\n\t``Well'' She blushed ``I did go though a whole `phase' with all the gems. Specifically all the pearl assimilation stuff. Even did a comic with Connie coming back from college and Pearl revealing that she'd already brainwashed her and was just going to let her and Steven `play house' for a few decades before fully turning her into a pearl for her Diamond.'' The comment was followed by a soft little giggle-snort and slumped down ``Yeah I know that's probably a really weird kink. Sorry for oversharing.''\n\n\t``I-it's ok.'' It wasn't quite. For Amethyst that absolutely was oversharing. But it wasn't like she had any room to comment. ``So uh, you ready to go now? I mean it's already getting pretty late.''\n\n\t``I can't.'' Her hostess finally sighed ``Gotta stay tonight. I wanted to tell you sooner that you could go, but people wouldn't shut up. I promise if you wanna next time we can hang out some and I'll buy you lunch or something to make up for it. Honestly I'm really just feeling guilty about Tabs.''\n\n\tAmy shrugged. It'd be a lie to say she wasn't mad. She was probably showing it, too. But she did offer the best smile she could. ``Don't worry about it. And I'm sure she'll understand. She's a business owner now, right? Besides I'm sure she's nice an hammered. That means Mama will make sure she sleeps over on the couch tonight. She'd be in no condition to cuddle or anything anyways.''\n\n\t``I wanna make a comment on `drunk cuddling' being best cuddling. But I don't really have any experience with that.'' Morrigan snorted ``And I guess you're right. Just kinda sucks that I screwed everyone's night up with my work bullshit. Tell ya what, you ever want a cute pic idea of some kind done up just let me know. Think of it as my way of saying thanks for dragging your ass out here and having to wait the whole time for me to tell you it's ok to leave.''\n\n\tThe look of the woman standing there with a pair of ear phones draped around her neck, the semi-casual clothing she'd chosen for the date now loosened and disheveled. That goofy smile after an offer you do not make to casual acquaintances. All if it served to shift something about this woman in Amethyst's esteem. Some deep, dark part of her recognizing that there were emotions she felt which were probably unjustified. And yet somehow, that just made the whole situation worse.\n\n\t``Yeah, well, just don't get too mad if I ask about that when you're sober.'' Amy chuckled nervously.\n\n\t``Oh please.'' The possum woman snorted ``If I was sober and it wasn't a work emergency I'd probably be showing off my gallery by now. Just my way of saying thanks. For this and for Tabs.''\n\n\tAmethyst could feel her mouth run dry at the comment ``For tabs?''\n\n\tMorrigan shrugged and popped her neck ``Yeah, well, it's been a while since I had a date. And it's hard finding people who are freaked out the same way you are, ya know? Just nice to meet a nice dommie lady. Miss Allison said you guys had something to do with all that. So thank you.''\n\n\t``Yeah.'' The noncommittal sigh that slipped from Amy's lips felt far too heavy. She `should' correct her. She `should' do a lot of things. Instead her eyes fell on the door. ``Well, I should be heading out. I'll catch you around some time, ok?''\n\n\t``Yeah sure'' Morrigan nodded ``Don't be a stranger.''\t\n\n--------------------\n\n\tOne thing Amethyst hated about having a `night out' was how it reminded her of the other nights. It had been that way ever since she was a kid. The constant pressure around school may have sucked, but at least it let her slip into a kind of dull monotony which ended up numbing everything. Routine was easy. Which was why breaking from it always threw her off.\n\n\tSo now there she was, laying on the couch as usual. A half finished game of solitaire and a laundry list of citation her teacher wouldn't read both stared back at her. Dissociative stress made the images swirl in her vision. It was either a stress induced hallucination or a sign her retina's were about to detach, and at this point the young woman wasn't sure if either sounded like such a bad thing.\n\n\tA deadbolt turning finally shattered the silence in the house. Amy turned her head up and caught an upside down glance of her beloved owner strolling in. Heavy work boots hammering into the cheap linoleum just inside the front door. If Amy were a better pet she'd be there, kneeling and kissing those boots clean while glancing up starry-eyed at the gorgeous goddess of a woman. Honestly if she were a better submissive she'd probably be doing a lot of things. She'd also have this school shit figured out by now.\n\n\t``Sorry I'm late.'' Helga's words dripped with exhaustion. ``Tabs asked me to let Buddy out for a bit. She's stuck waiting on a delivery. So I took the chance to toss the ball around for him.''\n\n\t``Poor buddy.'' Amy's grumbling wasn't as flat or general as she wanted it to be. She quickly turned her eyes back to the laptop in the hopes that her Mistress hadn't noticed.\n\n\tSoon Helga had made her way to the living room and quickly plopped her heavy frame down on Amethyst's legs. She squirmed and fidgeted her ample hind quarters just enough to make sure the weight was felt without doing any actual harm. Only when she was sure she wouldn't dislocate the fragile girl's knees did the pig lean back and begin to get comfortable. ``Apparently she and Morrigan were going to go do some trail hiking with Buddy this weekend. She asked if we wanted to tag along.''\n\n\t``And did you say yes?'' Amethyst was shocked by the whimper in her own voice\n\n\t``Nope! I know you're ramping up with school stuff so I just told em the truth.''\n\n\t``The truth.'' Amy snorted ``So you told them I really don't wanna go out on another group date and hate fucking hiking?''\n\n\t``I take it you didn't exactly like Morrigan, then?'' Helga snorted and leaned back into the couch. By this point the desire for a cold beer was likely weighed against the refusal of her legs to move on their own. It was something Amethyst had grown to know well since he became the pig's woman. Even if she didn't drink, she still basically understood it.\n\n\tStill, the question bounced around in the back of her head until finally she sighed and offered a lackluster smile. ``Technically she was fine, I get. I think she was a bit showy. Especially her apartment. I just... I didn't really like the date I guess.''\n\n\t``Was it the drinking?'' Helga's voice growing concerned\n\n\tAmethyst shook her head and looked back down at her computer to avoid eye contact\n\n\t``So the venue then? Or just being out so late when you have all this school shit piling up? Because I do get it. Even if I didn't do it myself I-''\n\n\t``You know why I didn't like it.'' Amethyst huffed. Suddenly she felt like some snotty teenager again as she looked up into her Mistress' eyes\n\n\t``No, I really don't.'' Helga muttered\n\n\t``How could you not?'' the vole girl snapped back\n\n\tHelga's concern melted into a stern mask. She shifted where she sat and leaned in to ensure Amy could see her very clearly. ``Because I don't. I'm not a mind reader, and you're too old to play these kinds of games. I thought I was pretty clear up front I don't like head games. So just tell me what it is.''\n\n\t``You're gonna get mad.'' Amy muttered while shrinking back into the couch.\n\n\t``I'm already getting mad.'' Helga huffed ``I know we have an age gap but you're still an adult. I'm trying to be understanding but I'm way too tired to-''\n\n\t``It's Tabs, ok? You know I don't like her!''\n\n\tAnd there it was. Amy watched the words sink into her Mistress. All she could really do was sit there and shift uncomfortably. At least, that's all she wanted to do. The silence grew deafening. It was slowly becoming clear that this wasn't going to stop without her elaborating. Reluctant as she as, Amy slowly closed the laptop and took a deep breath.\n\n\t``I didn't actually know that.'' Helga's words were drawn and measured ``At least not like this. I figured she got on your nerves sometimes.''\n\n\t``Oh she does. So does her newest little conquest'' Part of Amethyst cringed at the unwarranted dig. Especially since she'd known Morrigan for a while now. But then she also didn't really care right now. ``Mama, look. I know you two go way back. But she's just such a bad person.'' Helga's blue eyes went icy and Amy's blood chilled with it. She shifted to try and pull her legs free. Either Helga didn't notice, or wanted to ensure she couldn't' run away without venting. Neither idea was very comforting to the young vole. She knew she should stop, and yet. ``Even putting aside the obvious. She's always putting on you. You went and let her new puppy out and played with him because she's busy with her new job. Which is a business she was handed when she didn't work for it. Now you guys are all trying to set her up with someone.''\n\n\t``Isn't that what friends do?'' Helga's tone still flat. Amethyst hoping she was only imagining the rage bubbling under it.\n\n\t``But she doesn't deserve it. Some guy she barely knew dies and leaves her his bar, and then all of you work to set her up with someone from the usual Munch. And the only reason any of it is happening is because she raped-''\n\n\t``I know what she did.'' Helga snapped\n\n\t``But then why?'' Amy whimpered\n\n\tThe brick of a porcine woman shifted herself forwards to free Amy's legs. She leaned in, looking her right in the eye. For the first time in a long time, Amethyst was sure she could see tears in her Mistress' eyes. ``We're all bad people, little one. All of us.''\n\n\t``I know you said that-'' Amy started\n\n\t``And apparently I didn't make it clear. You think she's the only one who's done bad shit? We weren't just riding around for fun. We didn't avoid drugs because we were the 'good girl' biker. We did it because tweakers can't think straight in a fucking fight. You think we were just selling illegal guns to collectors all upset about laws? We knew what the fuck we were doing. Hell, you think she's the only one with a body count?''\n\n\tTheir eyes didn't separate. Not when Amy pulled her now sore legs to her chest. Not when the laptop clattered to the floor from the shifting weight. \n\n\t``I told you, I don't like to talk about my past. It wasn't a good time. I'm not a good person. I've tried to be up front with you about it.'' Helga's voice felt like gravel on hard stone.\n\n\t``But you got better. You're trying to be better. You paid your dues.''\n\n\t``I didn't pay shit!'' Helga snapped. ``You want to know who paid for us? Who almost went away for it in the end? Tabs is the one who turned herself in after that gun fight. The only reason she didn't go away was because the DEA had bigger fish to fry. That woman sat there in an Arizona police station ready to spend the next twenty-to-life behind bars. For us.''\n\n\t``''That doesn't mean you owe her forever!'' Amy snapped ``If she's still going around hurting people. If she's not even trying to get better. Then why are you still fighting for her?''\n\n\tAmy had seen her Mistress mad before. Seen it a few times, even. But never at her. Never like this. Suddenly she wasn't looking at the cruel yet kind dominatrix she loved to serve and obey. She wasn't looking at `mama'. The woman she saw now made the fur on her neck stand on end. It made every nerve fiber of her body scream in panic. She could practically feel the cortical hammering though her bloodstream.\n\n\t``I am going to make this very clear.'' Helga's voice was calm and measured. ``This isn't about who `owes' who. This is about family. That woman is my sister. As much as any flesh and blood could be. Even if she fucks up the rest of her life I'll be there for her, and unless she becomes an actual threat to people I won't see her go to jail. Especially since she'd never last in there. I am not going to throw her out. Not for anything, or anyone. If you want to be with me, Amy, then you had better get used to that fact.''\n\n\tBefore Amethyst could say anything, Helga had pulled herself up and made her way back towards the front door.\n\n\t``Where are you going?'' Amy croaked\n\n\t``A run.'' Helga spat back. ``I need to clear my head.''\n\n\tAnd just like that she was out the door, leaving the younger woman alone with her thoughts.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Double Date Disaster:

By TeraMGP

\tWas it still a double date with more than for people?

\tThat was the question a punkish young vole found herself rolling around in her head while wavering in the booth at the upscale little pub her Mistress had found.

\tIt was a nice enough location. Clean and mostly smoke free. The seats, somehow the same shade of green that her mind jumped to at the mere mention of the word `pub', were made of decently thick fake leather. Even the tables were mostly gum free.

\tAnd why did she know all of this? Because she was hecking bored!

\tIn the past half hour all Amethyst had done with herself was look around the room and pick at the basket of fried mushrooms someone had ordered but clearly not actually wanted. At first it was done with a bit of guilt, since she was assuming she had some idea of who ordered them. That reluctance had shattered in the first ten minutes, especially since she'd promised `no phone' while doing this.

\tThe young woman's eyes flickered up and across the table. There were two furs responsible for her plight right now. The first was Tabs, her Mistress' big lumpen oaf of a best friend. The wolverine woman's straw blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a clean tee shirt that looked like she'd jut bought it for the occasion. No sign of her `colors' for once. It was odd, but in all the time Amethyst had been with her Mistress it was hard to recall a time when Tabs showed up not wearing the array of leather and patches.

\tThe other figure was newer to her. Or at least, mostly new.

\tMorrigan had a cute face. There were people who absolutely despised possums and felt them to be universally ugly. Most such people, Amy assumed, were the same kind who insisted video games fail because there isn't some hot blonde fox or feline in it for them to ogle. But the borderline emaciated and decidedly un-curvy girl sitting at the other end of the booth from Amethyst clearly had her charms. She had a sweet face, in that perpetually burned out from stress kind of way. Something about her with the cocktail in her hand and over-combed head of frizzy hair unlocked deep and seemingly unrelated memories for Amy. The sense of sitting in the car with her mom on the way to school with her mom's favorite ska mix CD skipping its way along in the drive.

\tThat, staying home from school to watch VH1 when she was sick, and for some reason the show Portlandia. That was all she got when she looked at this girl in the black camisole currently scrunched uncomfortably between Tabs and Amy's own Mistress.

\t``Can I freshen that up for yaw?''

\tAmy nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked past Rebecca, her own adorable little puppy of a pet, and up to the bunny woman who'd been their server. A small nod and her now empty glass of rootbeer was swapped out.

\t``You're really knocken em back, huh?'' Tabs snorted and downed a good swig of he own pint glass.

\tAmethyst shrugged and took a deep sip of the fizzy concoction. ``I donno. I didn't think I was that bad.''

\t``She's teasing.'' Helga snorted ``She likes to pick on designated drivers.''

\t``And she owns a bar... right.'' Amy took another deep sip of her drink, hoping the rudeness she'd just displayed to her beloved Mistress would go unnoticed. Everyone else at the table laughing was a good enough sign. Then again the majority of them were at least tipsy.

\t``Speaking of'' Amethyst raised a finger ``Why did we come here? I mean it's nice, don't get me wrong. But wouldn't it be overall cheaper to go to your bar since we own it?''

\tThe question drew a louder snort from Tabs, who by now was grinning ear to ear. She downed the rest of her pint and half-slammed it on the table. It seemed she realized at the last moment that it was in fact not her own sad, depressing biker bar and she should respect that. ``Well for one thing, you should never do that. Never get high on your own supply. Or drunk, in this case. I'll drink at home. I'll drink when I'm out. But if I start drinking at work it's gonna end bad. Hell, it's bad enough we got that deli slicer in and now I'm eating a big ol pile of cold cuts on rye bread for lunch every night. At this rate I'm gonna get the gout.''

\t``I'm not into feet.'' Morrigan was quick to chime in ``You end up with that crud and best I can do for you is buy one of those foot spa thingies. No foot rubs.''

\t``You don't really rub someone's foot for gout.'' Helga was quick to chime in.

\t``Also what's with you Michigan people being too weak to handle cold cuts?'' Rebecca snorted ``This is what happens when you don't have a deli on every block. God I could go for a good reuben.''

\t``Bold of you to assume we're native Michiganders.'' Tabs snapped playfully while pointing at Rebecca. A gesture that bordered a bit too close on flirtation for Amethyst's liking.

\tBefore Amy knew what was happening, Rebecca's paw had taken hers and laced their fingers together. The girl leaned in and put her head on her Mistress' shoulder while rocking oddly side to side, bumping the vole more than once in the process.

\t``Awww, you two are cute.'' Morrigan downed the last of her negroni and slumped back into the warm embrace of the booth. ``How come you guys don't flirt like this more at the munch?''

\tRebecca scooted closer now. Close enough, in fact, that the poor vole was now squished between her and Helga. The feeling of the only `soft' girl in the relationship now basically serving as the filling in a sandwich between them was not in fact the worst thing for Amethyst. It also wasn't at all the kind of feeling she particularly wanted out in a public setting.

\t``For one thing.'' Rebecca finally gigged ``She's way too embarrassed to flirt hard even in a more private setting. Or to let me flirt, for that matter. Mistress is way more reserved than she wants people to think.''

\tAmethyst hushed Rebecca and sank into the seat, blushing furiously at the comment.

\t``For another'' Rebecca continued ``I'm high as fuck.'' The pitty laughed off the shocked expression as Amy shifted and glared at her. The quazi-ginger pitbull wrinkled her muzzle and grinned a big doofy grin. ``Yeah, sorry. Friend offered me some gummies and I figured I should try em. He said they didn't really hit hard for him. So after a few minutes when I didn't feel anything, I kiiinda might have just eaten the bag.''

\tWith that, the whole table erupted into laughter, save for Amethyst herself. Helga nearly choked on her beer and just gazed at the grinning pet for the longest moment. ``Jesus Christ, pet. Didn't you think to give it a bit more time?''

\t``Oh you're going to have some fun tonight.'' Morrigan murred while gazing at Amethyst ``Your gal there's all riled up like... like... ok I don't know what the tiktok people say. But goddamn'' It was amid this laughter that Morrigan stopped and pulled up the small purse she'd brought with her. Just like that the light died from her eyes a bit. The phone going back In the bag as she glanced up at Tabs. ``Fuck. Sorry, Miss. I gotta take this.''

----------

\tLooking back, Amethyst wasn`t quite sure how the logistics of all this were going to have played out. Three out of five people were too drunk to drive and somehow Rebecca had gotten it into her head to get absolutely blitzed before their date.

\tMorrigan`s call had been from work. An emergency, apparently. Though what kind of emergency they could have at an appliance manufacturer who the fuck knew. Any Uber would take an hour to get there based on the estimations, though. So now here Amy was driving this borderline stranger nearly a half hour down the highway only to pull up on the unnervingly familiar sight of a small town Michigan mainstreet.

\tThey were all rather alike in the end. Two or three story buildings set up pre turn-of-the-century Or so she assumed based on how much the things resembled old pictures and post cards of the early 20th century. The GPS marker ended at a restaurant taking up one corner for a block of these buildings. It took several more minutes for a tipsy Morrigan to fully communicate that they needed to go around. Even more before Amethyst realized they weren`t going to the restaurant, but heading to a set of walk-up wooden stairs in the back.

\tIt made sense. Up until now she`d never wondered what were in the upper floors of those various buildings. Honestly she`d just assumed more storage space or something for whatever business occupied the ground floor. She got out and made her way along behind Morrigan mostly in the hope of catching her should she fall. The other woman wasn`t fall down drunk, Amy just didn`t like the look of the rickety staircase that seemed to be rotting away in parts and absolutely needed to be changed out. Whatever Whirlpool was paying people it didn't seem like enough if someone with a degree had to live in a place like this.

\tAt the top of the stairs she watched Tabs` date fumble with her key ring before finally pushing the door open. A melange of artificial scents assailed her nose. The indescribable chemical aromas of  plug in air fresheners wafting along the breeze. Inside, a large single room dominated the bulk of the space. A living room with hard wood flooring and slate grey, almost black walls along with a large white area rug. Plush black leather sofas set in an L shape around a TV, assortments of standing shelves, and even one of those little vacuum robots chugging along around the floor.

\tIt was hard to say why but Amy found herself in awe of this place. In awe, and at least a bit discomforted.

\t``You can come in, you know.'' There was a bit of a chuckle in Morrigan's voice. She made her way through the living room and into the kitchen.

\tAmethyst watched from the little square of what she was only now realizing to be tile. She shuffled her feet and looked nervously at the pristine carpet complete with fresh and precise vacuum lines. ``I uh, you sure?'' She stammered.

\tMorrigan giggle-snorted from the other room. It was easy enough to hear. The only thing really distinguishing the kitchen from the living room seemed to be another set of tile floor, a different color of wall paint and a large island bar running between the rooms as some kind of divider. ``At least let me grab you a drink while you wait. Besides, it's not like I'm going to do anything. I'm a sub, like you!''

\t``I'm a switch.'' Amethyst corrected. ``And I don`t drink.`` Still she collapsed against the door and began to fidget with her shoes, trying like hell to yoink the sneakers off with nothing but the opposite foot as leverage.

\t``Same, I think. About the switch part I mean.'' The possum sighed. ``I donno. I think too much porn making scrambled my brain.''

\tWhen Amy finally got her shoes off, she'd look up to see Morrigan standing there with a big grin, offering up a bottle of Strawberry Faygo that somehow felt out of place when contrasted with the immaculate low pile carpeting and fancy suede couch. Like any good punk she was quick to snatch the drink and give only a small nod of thanks before downing a good chunk of it. The fact that she quickly found herself choking on the fizzy syrup posing as a liquid only felt a touch like karma.

\t``I promise this won't take long.'' She sighed. ``You can put on some TV if you want in the meantime.''

\t``Sure your roommate won't mind?'' The green haired vole girl barely even noticed as she began to fasten the lid back on to her bottle. As was so often the case her attempts at having `edge' were quickly thwarted by the habit her mother had painstakingly drilled into her.

\tMorrigan shrugged and tossed her coat over the arm of the chair. ``Don't have one. I don't really `do' people. And I don't mean just in, you know, `that' way.''

\t``So this is `all' yours?'' Amy was sure the other woman could hear the... something in her voice? Resentment? Jealousy? She kept trying to figure out just what she felt and yet none of the words fit. In the end all she could do was strew on that thought and sip her pop while she watched the woman only a few years her senior carefully booting up a well loved and heavily customized PC tower from under a corner-biased computer desk full of random nerd crap.

\tMemories of the surplus systems the computer lab used back in grade school flooded her mind. It was a set of harmonics distinct from but somehow comparable to Mama's bike. Powerful fans constantly huffing and fluids gurgling as they strained to shuffle around an immense amount of heat. Or so she was pretty sure it worked. The LED lights and small diorama of anime figurines which she could see behind the glass door of the case only somehow added to the extravagance of it all.

\t``So you, can't like, just send them stuff from your phone?'' The question felt stupid. Amethyst felt stupid right now. She gazed on dumbly while the possum woman shifted from that fun and interesting girl she'd been at dinner into a serious-faced professional. The transformation itself was so quick that it felt jarring. A change in posture, a quick tug of her hair into a bun and suddenly fingers were flying across keys.

\t``If it's stuff finished enough to be in the cloud, yes. Unfortunately the drafts they want for tomorrow are ones I didn't feel were far enough along. But it seems like the idea of going `full hidden touch screen' was about as stupid as I thought it'd be.''

\t``You mean like those hidden buttons to bring up cleaning menus and stuff on the coffee machines? At work?'' A gut punch. Amy quickly swigged down a nice big gulp of her pop and began sifting though the small collection of remotes on the coffee table in the hopes of finding one that would go to the TV.

\t``Probably something like that.'' Morrigan replied, though the words were distant and cursory. She thudded her tail on the rubberized mat separating her chair from the carpet while flipping though files in a program which looked far too complicated for Amethyst to ever wrap her head around. It called to mind a guy her mom had dated for a hot minute back in the 2010s. Some nice enough but utterly forgettable dork who was eager to show her all his books with technical readouts for star trek shit. Yet another reason she probably never had a father in her life. A plus in her book.

\tAwkward silence drowned the room. Amethyst fumbled a tiny remote in her hand while looking this way and that. There was a glass case with more figurines and other curios one might see in a theoretical grandparent's hose. Coins and small cars and the like. Then in another corner was one of those robot vacuums charging itself up. She considered breaking the silence a few times by starting the TV up. Each time she'd look at the other woman and simply slump back into her seat. The focus was astounding. The concentration only broken by occasional questions muttered into a Bluetooth headset. In the few times the two had spoken while going to the munch, neither one had really spoken much about their work or home lives.

\tWhen Mss Allison had suggested they try to set this girl up with Tabs, the only confusion on Amy's part had been why anyone would want to be with her Mama's dumbest and most irresponsible road sister. Now it made even less sense. Morrigan would be slumming. Whatever tricks or bullshit she'd done to get this settled, it was clear she could do better than some two bit criminal constantly dodging the consequences of her actions.

\tAt least with Helga, one could claim that the one slumming it was the Dommie. Somehow that felt a bit less tragic.

\tThings continued like this for a while. At some point the TV came on and Stephen Universe started to blare from it. Even on low volume it felt irreverent, especially in this nice apartment. Or condo. Or whatever it was called. Amy pushed the volume down more and more until it was near silent. Instead she was forced to put on the subtitles and try to drown out the private-feeling business conversations over the headset.

\tIt was infantilizing. Even that thought felt gross, but it was also the only word for it. Morrigan wasn't blowing her off to have fun, obviously. The conversations were in a tone that mixed hushed professionalism with a dash of worry. The way she fidgeted and her mouse moved around in short bursts of activity made it clear she was working very hard. So obviously it wasn't like the poor girl could just ask to leave.

\tAsk? Even that felt gross and wrong in a way. Just sitting there sipping on the syrupy strawberry fizz in her hand and watching a cartoon when her Mistress and pet were to having fun was wrong. Yet there she sat. Her attention torn between the chubby kid with the belly button gem going around having adventures that probably helped the writer work though her personal past traumas.

\tThree full episodes went though before Morrigan showed any signs of breaking from her work. When she did, it was with an apologetic smile and a look of utter defeat. ``Sorry about that.'' She sighed ``And about this, but I can't really go back with you tonight.''

\t``That bad?'' In spite of everything Amy found herself sinking into the couch just a little.

\t``We all told em that a hidden touch screen as the only controls wouldn't be intuitive. Now it's in testing and it's just doing what we all said, so it's all hands on deck for the engineers and designers because this stupid dishwasher is way too far along. But that's the problem with working for a Fortune 500. Pay's great, but you're technically always on call. Oh, hey! Steven Universe! God I love this show.''

\tJust like that the girl slumped down as a bundle of grey fur on the back of the couch and grinned a nice big smile. Amy looked up at her and shrank down a bit more. ``Y-yeah?'' The vole muttered.

\t``Well'' She blushed ``I did go though a whole `phase' with all the gems. Specifically all the pearl assimilation stuff. Even did a comic with Connie coming back from college and Pearl revealing that she'd already brainwashed her and was just going to let her and Steven `play house' for a few decades before fully turning her into a pearl for her Diamond.'' The comment was followed by a soft little giggle-snort and slumped down ``Yeah I know that's probably a really weird kink. Sorry for oversharing.''

\t``I-it's ok.'' It wasn't quite. For Amethyst that absolutely was oversharing. But it wasn't like she had any room to comment. ``So uh, you ready to go now? I mean it's already getting pretty late.''

\t``I can't.'' Her hostess finally sighed ``Gotta stay tonight. I wanted to tell you sooner that you could go, but people wouldn't shut up. I promise if you wanna next time we can hang out some and I'll buy you lunch or something to make up for it. Honestly I'm really just feeling guilty about Tabs.''

\tAmy shrugged. It'd be a lie to say she wasn't mad. She was probably showing it, too. But she did offer the best smile she could. ``Don't worry about it. And I'm sure she'll understand. She's a business owner now, right? Besides I'm sure she's nice an hammered. That means Mama will make sure she sleeps over on the couch tonight. She'd be in no condition to cuddle or anything anyways.''

\t``I wanna make a comment on `drunk cuddling' being best cuddling. But I don't really have any experience with that.'' Morrigan snorted ``And I guess you're right. Just kinda sucks that I screwed everyone's night up with my work bullshit. Tell ya what, you ever want a cute pic idea of some kind done up just let me know. Think of it as my way of saying thanks for dragging your ass out here and having to wait the whole time for me to tell you it's ok to leave.''

\tThe look of the woman standing there with a pair of ear phones draped around her neck, the semi-casual clothing she'd chosen for the date now loosened and disheveled. That goofy smile after an offer you do not make to casual acquaintances. All if it served to shift something about this woman in Amethyst's esteem. Some deep, dark part of her recognizing that there were emotions she felt which were probably unjustified. And yet somehow, that just made the whole situation worse.

\t``Yeah, well, just don't get too mad if I ask about that when you're sober.'' Amy chuckled nervously.

\t``Oh please.'' The possum woman snorted ``If I was sober and it wasn't a work emergency I'd probably be showing off my gallery by now. Just my way of saying thanks. For this and for Tabs.''

\tAmethyst could feel her mouth run dry at the comment ``For tabs?''

\tMorrigan shrugged and popped her neck ``Yeah, well, it's been a while since I had a date. And it's hard finding people who are freaked out the same way you are, ya know? Just nice to meet a nice dommie lady. Miss Allison said you guys had something to do with all that. So thank you.''

\t``Yeah.'' The noncommittal sigh that slipped from Amy's lips felt far too heavy. She `should' correct her. She `should' do a lot of things. Instead her eyes fell on the door. ``Well, I should be heading out. I'll catch you around some time, ok?''

\t``Yeah sure'' Morrigan nodded ``Don't be a stranger.''\t

--------------------

\tOne thing Amethyst hated about having a `night out' was how it reminded her of the other nights. It had been that way ever since she was a kid. The constant pressure around school may have sucked, but at least it let her slip into a kind of dull monotony which ended up numbing everything. Routine was easy. Which was why breaking from it always threw her off.

\tSo now there she was, laying on the couch as usual. A half finished game of solitaire and a laundry list of citation her teacher wouldn't read both stared back at her. Dissociative stress made the images swirl  in her vision. It was either a stress induced hallucination or a sign her retina's were about to detach, and at this point the young woman wasn't sure if either sounded like such a bad thing.

\tA deadbolt turning finally shattered the silence in the house. Amy turned her head up and caught an upside down glance of her beloved owner strolling in. Heavy work boots hammering into the cheap linoleum just inside the front door. If Amy were a better pet she'd be there, kneeling and kissing those boots clean while glancing up starry-eyed at the gorgeous goddess of a woman. Honestly if she were a better submissive she'd probably be doing a lot of things. She'd also have this school shit figured out by now.

\t``Sorry I'm late.'' Helga's words dripped with exhaustion. ``Tabs asked me to let Buddy out for a bit. She's stuck waiting on a delivery. So I took the chance to toss the ball around for him.''

\t``Poor buddy.'' Amy's grumbling wasn't as flat or general as she wanted it to be. She quickly turned her eyes back to the laptop in the hopes that her Mistress hadn't noticed.

\tSoon Helga had made her way to the living room and quickly plopped her heavy frame down on Amethyst's legs. She squirmed and fidgeted her ample hind quarters just enough to make sure the weight was felt without doing any actual harm. Only when she was sure she wouldn't dislocate the fragile girl's knees did the pig lean back and begin to get comfortable. ``Apparently she and Morrigan were going to go do some trail hiking with Buddy this weekend. She asked if we wanted to tag along.''

\t``And did you say yes?'' Amethyst was shocked by the whimper in her own voice

\t``Nope! I know you're ramping up with school stuff so I just told em the truth.''

\t``The truth.'' Amy snorted ``So you told them I really don't wanna go out on another group date and hate fucking hiking?''

\t``I take it you didn't exactly like Morrigan, then?'' Helga snorted and leaned back into the couch. By this point the desire for a cold beer was likely weighed against the refusal of her legs to move on their own. It was something Amethyst had grown to know well since he became the pig's woman. Even if she didn't drink, she still basically understood it.

\tStill, the question bounced around in the back of her head until finally she sighed and offered a lackluster smile. ``Technically she was fine, I get. I think she was a bit showy. Especially her apartment. I just... I didn't really like the date I guess.''

\t``Was it the drinking?'' Helga's voice growing concerned

\tAmethyst shook her head and looked back down at her computer to avoid eye contact

\t``So the venue then? Or just being out so late when you have all this school shit piling up? Because I do get it. Even if I didn't do it myself I-''

\t``You know why I didn't like it.'' Amethyst huffed. Suddenly she felt like some snotty teenager again as she looked up into her Mistress' eyes

\t``No, I really don't.'' Helga muttered

\t``How could you not?'' the vole girl snapped back

\tHelga's concern melted into a stern mask. She shifted where she sat and leaned in to ensure Amy could see her very clearly. ``Because I don't. I'm not a mind reader, and you're too old to play these kinds of games. I thought I was pretty clear up front I don't like head games. So just tell me what it is.''

\t``You're gonna get mad.'' Amy muttered while shrinking back into the couch.

\t``I'm already getting mad.'' Helga huffed ``I know we have an age gap but you're still an adult. I'm trying to be understanding but I'm way too tired to-''

\t``It's Tabs, ok? You know I don't like her!''

\tAnd there it was. Amy watched the words sink into her Mistress. All she could really do was sit there and shift uncomfortably. At least, that's all she wanted to do. The silence grew deafening. It was slowly becoming clear that this wasn't going to stop without her elaborating. Reluctant as she as, Amy slowly closed the laptop and took a deep breath.

\t``I didn't actually know that.'' Helga's words were drawn and measured ``At least not like this. I figured she got on your nerves sometimes.''

\t``Oh she does. So does her newest little conquest'' Part of Amethyst cringed at the unwarranted dig. Especially since she'd known Morrigan for a while now. But then she also didn't really care right now. ``Mama, look. I know you two go way back. But she's just such a bad person.'' Helga's blue eyes went icy and Amy's blood chilled with it. She shifted to try and pull her legs free. Either Helga didn't notice, or wanted to ensure she couldn't' run away without venting. Neither idea was very comforting to the young vole.  She knew she should stop, and yet. ``Even putting aside the obvious. She's always putting on you. You went and let her new puppy out and played with him because she's busy with her new job. Which is a business she was handed when she didn't work for it. Now you guys are all trying to set her up with someone.''

\t``Isn't that what friends do?'' Helga's tone still flat. Amethyst hoping she was only imagining the rage bubbling under it.

\t``But she doesn't deserve it. Some guy she barely knew dies and leaves her his bar, and then all of you work to set her up with someone from the usual Munch. And the only reason any of it is happening is because she raped-''

\t``I know what she did.'' Helga snapped

\t``But then why?'' Amy whimpered

\tThe brick of a porcine woman shifted herself forwards to free Amy's legs. She leaned in, looking her right in the eye. For the first time in a long time, Amethyst was sure she could see tears in her Mistress' eyes. ``We're all bad people, little one. All of us.''

\t``I know you said that-'' Amy started

\t``And apparently I didn't make it clear. You think she's the only one who's done bad shit? We weren't just riding around for fun. We didn't avoid drugs because we were the 'good girl' biker. We did it because tweakers can't think straight in a fucking fight. You think we were just selling illegal guns to collectors all upset about laws? We knew what the fuck we were doing. Hell, you think she's the only one with a body count?''

\tTheir eyes didn't separate. Not when Amy pulled her now sore legs to her chest. Not when the laptop clattered to the floor from the shifting weight.

\t``I told you, I don't like to talk about my past. It wasn't a good time. I'm not a good person. I've tried to be up front with you about it.'' Helga's voice felt like gravel on hard stone.

\t``But you got better. You're trying to be better. You paid your dues.''

\t``I didn't pay shit!'' Helga snapped. ``You want to know who paid for us? Who almost went away for it in the end? Tabs is the one who turned herself in after that gun fight. The only reason she didn't go away was because the DEA had bigger fish to fry.  That woman sat there in an Arizona police station ready to spend the next twenty-to-life behind bars. For us.''

\t``''That doesn't mean you owe her forever!'' Amy snapped ``If she's still going around hurting people. If she's not even trying to get better. Then why are you still fighting for her?''

\tAmy had seen her Mistress mad before. Seen it a few times, even. But never at her. Never like this. Suddenly she wasn't looking at the cruel yet kind dominatrix she loved to serve and obey. She wasn't looking at `mama'. The woman she saw now made the fur on her neck stand on end. It made every nerve fiber of her body scream in panic. She could practically feel the cortical hammering though her bloodstream.

\t``I am going to make this very clear.'' Helga's voice was calm and measured. ``This isn't about who `owes' who. This is about family. That woman is my sister. As much as any flesh and blood could be. Even if she fucks up the rest of her life I'll be there for her, and unless she becomes an actual threat to people I won't see her go to jail. Especially since she'd never last in there. I am not going to throw her out. Not for anything, or anyone. If you want to be with me, Amy, then you had better get used to that fact.''

\tBefore Amethyst could say anything, Helga had pulled herself up and made her way back towards the front door.

\t``Where are you going?'' Amy croaked

\t``A run.'' Helga spat back. ``I need to clear my head.''

\tAnd just like that she was out the door, leaving the younger woman alone with her thoughts.

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