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Dealing with her parents is getting even harder than she had expected.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Things aren't all sunshine and Magic boosters for Hui back at home. Dealing with her parents is getting even harder than she had expected.", "writing": "Collared Chapter 18: Family\nBy TerraMGP\n\n\tOnly a few things gathered the Sang family together at the dinner table. Celebrations were one of the biggest. Not the big milestones, but for small things that didn’t really warrant a big meal at a semi-fancy place. Another would be visiting guests or those rare times family came to see them from China rather than the other way around. The most consistent reason, though, was the almighty gift card.\n\n\tHui’s Plans to feast on some leftover vegan-friendly ramen with a half-bag of chocolates in her bedroom were instantly pushed to another night upon her father arriving home on time for once. His arms laden with bags of Olive Garden. \n\n\tIt was never the same place twice. It wasn’t even the same parent every time. Both of Hui’s parents were in positions close to mid-upper management and said management would often pass down gift cards they didn’t want to subordinates as a show of good faith. None of the food was every very good. That was never the point. It echoed of better times. Times spent when the Sang and Flannery families would go out to the buffet in the next town over after church on Saturday. Times when their parents weren’t quite so busy. \n\n\tUnfortunately those times had passed. Rarely were Hui’s parents even home before ten. On top of that was the empty seat across the table from her. One that would have usually had its own massive heap of pasta and a complaining older brother… older sibling she had to remind herself…. Adding a bit of levity to the otherwise quiet affair.\n\n\t“I kinda miss Chen.” It slipped out of Hui’s muzzle while she swished her tail around to the Jazz her father had put on and poked at her bowl of fettuccini. The quip cut though some business-related talk her parents been droning on with for the past half hour. \n\n\t“I am sure Chen is doing well with his lessons” Ling curled her fork into the pasta and let it twirl idly while looking across the table towards Hui. A faint hint of judgment was there. Not much. Not the way it would always go in the media at any rate. Just sharp little tendrils poking at the base of Hui’s neck.\n\n\t“Has he mentioned a major yet?” Hui still felt a bit guilty using ‘he’. Chen was changing after all. How exactly she wasn’t yet sure. But her big brother, her big ‘sister’, was still finding herself. It didn’t feel right having to lie about this to their parents. Not even with the small splinters of vindictiveness that stirred in some small part of Hui when they offered up such baseless praise. Unfortunately the truth would absolutely be worse.\n\n\tFeng shook his head and smiled proudly. As was typical the man had devoured most of the breadsticks on offer. Now he was simply picking at his own pasta while looking between his wife and daughter. “He’s smart enough to become a doctor. It would only make sense for him. It’s exceptionally good money after all, and it’d be a way to help people. Who knows, he might even meet a nice girl up there. I never could find the time to take you kids off to mission trips. But I’d imagine it’d be much easier for him to justify it once he has his license”\n\n\t“Your job wouldn’t let you do that? I mean you used to take us out camping sometimes, right?” Hui’s voice cracked a bit from the question, offering a bit of a sad smile.\n\n\tHer mother put a paw on Hui’s shoulder and shook her head softly “Going up to Gun Lake for the weekend is one thing. Both your father and I have to coordinate schedules, and going down to some place like El Salvador or Honduras would be far more of a commitment. Not to mention we’re both usually on call during our vacations. The only time we could go would be the same timeframes we set aside to take you kids back to China. That’s always a fight anyways.”\n\n\t“But if Chen gets a good job then whoever he marries may not have to work. Or she might end up with a job that is more flexible.” Feng smiled proudly. It was clear he was already imagining it. Hui could too, to a point. Only in her mind it was Xiulan and Becky and their theoretical children all lined up in those shirts from mission trips standing around a well that they had probably dug up wrong. Probably surrounded by locals and other missionaries who were all shocked at whatever vaguely kinky outfit Xi had been put into by her wife and Mistress.\n\n\tThe choked-back laugh caused her to choke on some pasta, and when she took a quick sip of her sprite Hui found herself nearly filling her sinuses with the stuff while trying like hell to drown out that mental image.\n\n\t“You ok sweetie?” Her mother hammered Hui gently on the back until she and her airway was cleared. The poor girl then nodded and slumped back shamefully into her seat.\n\n\tThe family was quiet for a long while after that. Only the sounds of smooth jazz and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the next room broke it. It was an awkward quiet. It shouldn’t have been. The only real answer she could offer was a small gesture with her fork towards the empty seat. Her parents would never understand the depth of the problem. But they probably missed ‘Collin’ all the same. It was the best answer she could really give.\n\n\t“Oh!” Hui yelped loudly and perked up. Something finally flashing into her otherwise dour brain. “I almost forgot to tell you, Mz. Peterson said she wanted to read some of my older work. It‘s super exciting. She said I have a lot of potential with world building and character dynamics.” \n\n\tOnce again the smiles offered by her parents weren‘t quite what Hui had hoped for. They were genuine enough, though laced with far more worry than she would have expected. \n\n\tHer father pushed back his empty pasta plate and reached up to pet his youngest child gently. “It really is nice to see you enjoying your classes so much, Hui. It‘s been a while since you took so well to one of your teachers.”\n\n\t“Yes.” Her mother chimed “But your father and I have been a bit worried. We know writing is one of your many hobbies. I‘m sorry that we haven‘t been able to read much of what you write given our work schedules“\n\n\tHui blushed at the suggestion. Thankfully she didn‘t imagine her parents knew ‘why‘ she blushed. Lord only knew what her parents may say to some of the racy lil bits of fan fiction she‘d made out of the Shadowrun game from last year. Or that little story about the cruel inquisitor and the Tau girl prisoner.\n\n\t“However“ The familiar voice of the family matriarch cutting though those distracting thoughts. “I will say that your father and I worry that you are getting distracted. English is not really a lucrative major. This is the year you should have your future college path set in stone after all. There‘s no sense in taking a degree only to find you‘re unable to get work in that field.”\n\n\t“Oh, don‘t worry mama. Mz Peterson already told me English was a bad choice for a major. She was very clear about that.”\n\n\tThe comment caused Feng to perk a brow and lean in a touch. “Really now? But isn‘t she teaching you exactly that? I mean why teach the class if not to prepare people for a writing career?”\n\n\t“Yeah she teaches it, She also said that it’s the worst degree to take if you want to be a writer. She was very clear. You need something stable to do while you shop around manuscripts. Assuming you want to write at all. A degree should be something you can comfortably fall back on. Not just something you get to follow your dreams. Because a lot of the time you can follow them without the slip of paper.”\n\n\tJust like that the tension from the two older red pandas shattered. They shot each other big smiles before turning back to their daughter. “I see.” her mother’s voice held a happy lilt that Hui couldn’t remember hearing for at least the past decade “Well this must be a very wise woman then. I take it she regrets getting a degree in such things?\n\n\t“Nah. I mean kinda. Early on she told us that she actually did get a degree to follow her dreams. She didn’t major in English or Literature though. She was an archeologist. Apparently she did that for a number of years. Going out and having adventures in Ireland and Scotland. It’s why her books are based on a lot of Celtic folklore.”\n\n\t“I see.” Feng glanced to his wife and then back to Hui, nodding his approval. “I assume there’s a good reason she quit then.”\n\n\t“Family. She wasn’t able to see them much being gone all the time. From what she told us she had to leave her daughter with her mom and she’d go without seeing her wife for months on end” The last few words caught in her throat. Just like that the expression of both Sang parents turned sour. Her mother went back to her food while her father shifted awkwardly in his seat. Neither one looked particularly comfortable. Neither one spoke. Not for the longest time.\n\n\tWhen her father finally did break the silence much of his usual mirth had faded. It was subtle. There was no way in hell Hui would have picked up on it for anyone else. But with her parents, she knew. She could see the enthusiasm drain from their faces while they processed the words.\n\n\t“The takeaway was that you have to have a job you can do that leaves time open for family, I… I guess.” Hui heard the words. She knew she said them .But she also knew how stupid it was to say them. Both of her parents turned to her and offered the same placating smile. Both of them now clearly quite done with their dinner.\n\n\t“Well, I do think it’s important to spend time with family.” Feng nodded his agreement “But you have to be sure your family is cared for financially as well. I’m sure this woman means very well. I’m also glad she was clear that you cannot simply ‘follow your dreams’ without considering reality. But if she had enough time to play writer then her ‘friend’ would have likely had quite a nice job. Unfortunately the way things are going that may no longer be enough. Even if Justin can land a very well paying job in his field it will help tremendously to have two higher-end incomes.”\n\n\tLing nodded firmly. Hui was always proud of the fact that her parent’s were not quite the strict stereotypes everyone might imagine. However both she and Xiulan had been on the receiving end of this little tag-team many times. Ling Sang coming in with the emotional steel chair just at the perfect moment. “I can assume that this Mrs. Peterson has a few suggestions, though? Obviously she is aware that most people don’t end up with these large, profitable book deals as you said she has.”\n\n\t“I, uh, well.” Hui’s smile half cracked. She’d been excited to talk about this. Once she had more data. Once she was able to give her parents a decent pitch about it. But no. Without Chen, without Xiulan there as a buffer, she was now unable to avoid the scrutiny. The young woman looked between her two parents while twisting and whirling her fork idly. Only when she looked down did she realize she’d clumped up the bulk of her remaining Fettuccini on it. “She uh, she kinda said she thought I’d make a good librarian.” The massive wad of pasta went into her muzzle A nice improvised ball gag. A way to perhaps draw out some time to think while she braced for the flurry of questions her parents were sure to have.\n\n--------------------\n\n\tFire crackled and popped pleasingly. The smell of smoke twisted and mixed with that of old books and smoldering incense. The sun had set not long ago with only the crackling fire and a single shimmering lamp to throw light on the well worn pages. A young red panda woman lay reclined on a suede chair with shimmering amber eyes darting lazily along line after line of the thick, musty old tome. She wore little. A soft diaphanous gown and a set of gilded metal bracelets locked loosely around her wrists and ankles. It was comfortable thanks to the warm fire. A kind of cozy central heating and other modern amenities could never provide. A wholesome smoky warmth that traced lazily up and down her spine.\n\n\tHer free paw moved in time with that sensation. Slow, gentle caresses of her growing belly. The fur pattern had shifted in the past months. She wriggled in delight while lazily running her finger up and down where belly and side fur met.\n\n\tThe old door creaked open on aching hinges. A familiar mesh of thudding footfalls and tinkling chains drowned out the soft fireside noises. There was no need to look up. Each movement from the figure was rehearsed to the point of ritual. A lovely grey furred girl gently moving into the corner of Hui’s vision. A beautiful mole with a specially cut maid uniform. It’s hair band held back her carefully groomed frizz. Thin, gentle silvered chains hung from cuffs on her wrists and ankles. The girl gave a bow and set a silvered tray down on a stand situated by Hui’s chair. The girl was quick and deft, far more so than her simple digger claws would suggest. A single sugar cube was placed into the tray’s lone tea cup. Then came a simple wash of fragrant white tea. Twisting near-cereal notes and hints of sage and juniper from the blend.\n\n\tHui set her book aside and took the saucer once Gretchen offered it. She sipped the drink and leaned back into her seat as what little stress the pregnancy had forced though her body simply melted into a pleasant nothingness.\n\n\t“I hope it is to your liking, Mistress.” Hints of Gretchen’s eternal crushy nervousness danced around in the quiet air. It was not a simple platitude. It never was. So many years under their leash and yet still remained the dogged love and loyalty of a dutiful worshiper. The pure innocence of first love’s crush.\n\n\t“Acceptable, as it always is.” The words held a serenity near foreign to the Hui in years past. She let her eyes slip shut and gently curled her arms under her belly. A contented sigh leaving her lips. “I do believe my little prince is pleased with it as well.” She murred. She couldn’t help but bask in the warmth of new life her Master, her husband, had gifted to her.\n\n\tA paw then moved to rest on Gretchen’s belly. The rigid mole yelped and looked away while feeling Hui’s hand trace that fuzzy fur and the growing life she too carried. “And I think the little mole girl here is quite pleased as well. As is her mother. Yes?”\n\n\t“Always with you, Mistress” Gretchen whined\n\n\tThe reluctance in Hui’s movements were almost palpable. She let her paw drop from her pet’s tummy and shifted herself into a more upright position in the chair. It was already hard to move, and it would only get worse. They had such a nice big house. It would be perfect for their little family. But it was not something easy for two pregnant women to navigate in their condition.\n\n\t“I take it you’ve made Master’s dinner then? I know my dutiful little maid wouldn’t fail at such a simple task.” Hui watched her pet bite down on her lower lip bashfully. She drank the dopey, needy throat-whine of confirmation. Without a word Hui guided Gretchen’s paw, then used it to pull herself up gazing into those sharp little amethyst brown eyes. “Good girl. I think you’ll deserve a little reward tonight, then”\n\n\tHui held up a familiar tool. Something that would look to the untrained observer as nothing more than a hunk of leather. Only careful observation would show it for what it was. A hood. Carefully stitched. A cheap set of VR goggles and Bluetooth headphones sewn in to drown out any other stimuli beyond what was programmed in to the computer\n\n\tGretchen gasped and swallowed hard. She nodded. She said nothing. Her eyes darting with fearful longing between the toy and the woman she loved.\n\n\t“Master and I wish to eat undisturbed tonight” Hui cooed “Go set the table, then I think you can spend some time downstairs on the sybian. Until it’s time to clean up that is.”\n\n--------------------\n\n\t“Hard at work?”\n\n\tHui jolted from her fantasy. Her eyes shot up even as she went though the well practiced motion of closing the rightmost tab on her browser. She was fairly sure that it wasn’t porn this time around, but at this point it was best to just be safe.\n\n\t“Well, no. I mean kinda. Not on school things though. I finished up all of my homework. I even picked out the story I want to show Mz. Peterson.” Another stupid slipup. She had, in fact, picked the story out. But god help her if her dad asked to see it. Yet another thing she simply had to hide from her parents.\n\n\t“I see.” Feng made no qualms about slipping his way in beside his daughter and glancing down at her laptop screen. Even as he did this he deftly snatched up the remote for the TV and began winding his way though the reams of subscriptions towards his usual cache of low key competition shows. “Look, I wanted to tell you I am sorry if your mother and I came off as a bit harsh at dinner. I know what it’s like to have a favorite teacher. But there are some worries we have. Especially considering that this is your senior year.”\n\n\t“Dad, I promise I’m going to pick a major soon.” The fact that she was already largely settled didn’t matter much. The reaction Hui had gotten at the dinner table told her it was an idea her parents were not at all ready to accept at this point.\n\n\tPredictably her father said nothing for a long moment. The graying red panda didn’t much care for conflict. He’d left much of the disciplinarian side of parenting to his wife. Not that he was a push-over. Both Hui and Xiulan knew that when their father got mad things were beyond serious. Unfortunately it also meant that they were left in limbo with him during those times when he wasn’t mad. Especially at times like this.\n\n\t“I’m not going to say you cannot take that path if you want.” The words were calm and measured. They also left little room in them for ambiguity as to his true feelings. “I will, however, say that you need to carefully consider your future. I did not when I was younger. Part of me regrets that. Sure, I fixed myself up and landed your mother. But if I had done better then perhaps she would not have needed to work. We can’t change our past decisions. All we can do is help advise others. We all want you to have the best life possible. You and Justin. I know John and Meredith are in the same boat even if they can’t quite offer the same amount of support.”\n\n\tHui returned the thought with a slow nod. It was really all she could do. So much was going on in her head, in her life. None of it would be acceptable to share with her parents. None of it they’d understand or approve of. Sure, she’d hidden porn and the kinky shit she got up to with Justin ever since they started dating. That part was easy. That felt normal. The kind of thing every kid did. But she wasn’t a kid anymore. It wasn’t just her age. Hui Sang knew deep down that something had changed in her. Or was changing. Maybe it was many things. But whatever had changed was something she could never share with her parents. There were parts of her that needed to remain hidden and it let her feeling adrift. For the first time in her life she was beginning to feel utterly and truly detached from the mooring of their safe and guiding hand.\n\n\tShe didn’t notice her father leaning over her shoulder. Not until his soft chuckle caught her ear. Hui blinked herself back into reality and turned her head almost slamming her muzzle into her dad as she did so.\n\n\t“So what are you looking over here?” Feng chuckled “This doesn’t look like a video game to me.”\n\n\t“It’s houses.” She muttered “Ryan and Naqi said that it’d be a good idea to keep an eye on the market.”\n\n\tFeng rolled his eyes at the comment and shifted up a bit more in his seat, looking more closely at the rooms on display. “Are they really paying you that much to babysit Tootie? Perhaps I should ask them if they need their lawn mowed.”\n\n\t“It’s nothing like that, dad.” Hui sighed “Ryan said it’s a good idea to learn what to look for and keep an eye on things. That way when we’re ready to buy I’ll already be practiced. It’s just like getting a degree. If you’re prepared early and know what you’re looking for then it’s less work when the time comes.”\n\n\t“And you are supposed to be looking for this?” The shock and mild disgust was a bit understandable. Hui’s current imaginary prospect was a painfully old farm house. Shoddy and run down with chipped paint on the walls and a sunken in front porch. Compared to the nice little suburban three bedroom the Sang family had shared for her whole life it looked like it should be ripped down.\n\n\t“Well it has a strong foundation.” The younger wah corrected “A large unfinished basement, which is a project Justin could do. Same with paint and replacing insulation. Assuming it’s not asbestos. But we’d check on that when we were serious. The floor plan is less desirable but has lots of rooms which is what we’d want. Not as ‘open’ so the price is lower. The porch isn’t load bearing so it can be put off. I’m sure I’m missing a lot of things. For now it’s just homework. We’d probably all need to have our degrees and be employed before we started to seriously look.”\n\n\t“All?” Feng’s ears perked up at that word in particular. Hui herself didn’t even process the slip for what it was. Only when she realized it did the panic start to grip her.\n\n\t“Yes. You know, Me and Justin. Er, Justin and I. Ugh my grammar keeps getting worse lately.”\n\n\t“And here you are wishing to be a writer.” Feng sighed “Well don’t worry. I’m sure once we decide on the best major for you, then you won’t have to worry about price shopping fixer-uppers in… Lowell? Why would you go out to Lowell?”\n\n\t“What’s wrong with Lowell?” The sharp squeak in her tone shocked Hui.\n\n\t“Nothing. I just figured there were plenty of nice places around here. Ah well. Don’t overwork yourself on these little side projects, dear. Take some time to rest.”\n\n\tThere was a sudden easing of pressure with her father walking away. If she were being honest with herself Hui would equate it to how Gretchen always talked about feeling when other people she didn’t like were around. It was an absurd thought. She loved her parents. They loved her. They were only seeking what was best for her. So why was it now that suddenly their attention was so different? More to the point, why was it making her feel so hostile?\n\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Collared Chapter 18: Family
By TerraMGP

\tOnly a few things gathered the Sang family together at the dinner table. Celebrations were one of the biggest. Not the big milestones, but for small things that didn’t really warrant a big meal at a semi-fancy place. Another would be visiting guests or those rare times family came to see them from China rather than the other way around. The most consistent reason, though, was the almighty gift card.

\tHui’s Plans to feast on some leftover vegan-friendly ramen with a half-bag of chocolates in her bedroom were instantly pushed to another night upon her father arriving home on time for once. His arms laden with bags of Olive Garden.

\tIt was never the same place twice. It wasn’t even the same parent every time. Both of Hui’s parents were in positions close to mid-upper management and said management would often pass down gift cards they didn’t want to subordinates as a show of good faith. None of the food was every very good. That was never the point. It echoed of better times. Times spent when the Sang and Flannery families would go out to the buffet in the next town over after church on Saturday. Times when their parents weren’t quite so busy.

\tUnfortunately those times had passed. Rarely were Hui’s parents even home before ten. On top of that was the empty seat across the table from her. One that would have usually had its own massive heap of pasta and a complaining older brother… older sibling she had to remind herself…. Adding a bit of levity to the otherwise quiet affair.

\t“I kinda miss Chen.” It slipped out of Hui’s muzzle while she swished her tail around to the Jazz her father had put on and poked at her bowl of fettuccini. The quip cut though some business-related talk her parents been droning on with for the past half hour.

\t“I am sure Chen is doing well with his lessons” Ling curled her fork into the pasta and let it twirl idly while looking across the table towards Hui. A faint hint of judgment was there. Not much. Not the way it would always go in the media at any rate. Just sharp little tendrils poking at the base of Hui’s neck.

\t“Has he mentioned a major yet?” Hui still felt a bit guilty using ‘he’. Chen was changing after all. How exactly she wasn’t yet sure. But her big brother, her big ‘sister’, was still finding herself. It didn’t feel right having to lie about this to their parents. Not even with the small splinters of vindictiveness that stirred in some small part of Hui when they offered up such baseless praise. Unfortunately the truth would absolutely be worse.

\tFeng shook his head and smiled proudly. As was typical the man had devoured most of the breadsticks on offer. Now he was simply picking at his own pasta while looking between his wife and daughter. “He’s smart enough to become a doctor. It would only make sense for him. It’s exceptionally good money after all, and it’d be a way to help people. Who knows, he might even meet a nice girl up there. I never could find the time to take you kids off to mission trips. But I’d imagine it’d be much easier for him to justify it once he has his license”

\t“Your job wouldn’t let you do that? I mean you used to take us out camping sometimes, right?” Hui’s voice cracked a bit from the question, offering a bit of a sad smile.

\tHer mother put a paw on Hui’s shoulder and shook her head softly “Going up to Gun Lake for the weekend is one thing. Both your father and I have to coordinate schedules, and going down to some place like El Salvador or Honduras would be far more of a commitment. Not to mention we’re both usually on call during our vacations. The only time we could go would be the same timeframes we set aside to take you kids back to China. That’s always a fight anyways.”

\t“But if Chen gets a good job then whoever he marries may not have to work. Or she might end up with a job that is more flexible.” Feng smiled proudly. It was clear he was already imagining it. Hui could too, to a point. Only in her mind it was Xiulan and Becky and their theoretical children all lined up in those shirts from mission trips standing around a well that they had probably dug up wrong. Probably surrounded by locals and other missionaries who were all shocked at whatever vaguely kinky outfit Xi had been put into by her wife and Mistress.

\tThe choked-back laugh caused her to choke on some pasta, and when she took a quick sip of her sprite Hui found herself nearly filling her sinuses with the stuff while trying like hell to drown out that mental image.

\t“You ok sweetie?” Her mother hammered Hui gently on the back until she and her airway was cleared. The poor girl then nodded and slumped back shamefully into her seat.

\tThe family was quiet for a long while after that. Only the sounds of smooth jazz and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the next room broke it. It was an awkward quiet. It shouldn’t have been. The only real answer she could offer was a small gesture with her fork towards the empty seat. Her parents would never understand the depth of the problem. But they probably missed ‘Collin’ all the same. It was the best answer she could really give.

\t“Oh!” Hui yelped loudly and perked up. Something finally flashing into her otherwise dour brain. “I almost forgot to tell you, Mz. Peterson said she wanted to read some of my older work. It‘s super exciting. She said I have a lot of potential with world building and character dynamics.”

\tOnce again the smiles offered by her parents weren‘t quite what Hui had hoped for. They were genuine enough, though laced with far more worry than she would have expected.

\tHer father  pushed back his empty pasta plate and reached up to pet his youngest child gently. “It really is nice to see you enjoying your classes so much, Hui. It‘s been a while since you took so well to one of your teachers.”

\t“Yes.” Her mother chimed “But your father and I have been a bit worried. We know writing is one of your many hobbies. I‘m sorry that we haven‘t been able to read much of what you write given our work schedules“

\tHui blushed at the suggestion. Thankfully she didn‘t imagine her parents knew ‘why‘ she blushed. Lord only knew what her parents may say to some of the racy lil bits of fan fiction she‘d made out of the Shadowrun game from last year. Or that little story about the cruel inquisitor and the Tau girl prisoner.

\t“However“ The familiar voice of the family matriarch cutting though those distracting thoughts. “I will say that your father and I worry that you are getting distracted. English is not really a lucrative major. This is the year you should have your future college path set in stone after all. There‘s no sense in taking a degree only to find you‘re unable to get work in that field.”

\t“Oh, don‘t worry mama. Mz Peterson already told me English was a bad choice for a major. She was very clear about that.”

\tThe comment caused Feng to perk a brow and lean in a touch. “Really now? But isn‘t she teaching you exactly that? I mean why teach the class if not to prepare people for a writing career?”

\t“Yeah she teaches it, She also said that it’s the worst degree to take if you want to be a writer. She was very clear. You need something stable to do while you shop around manuscripts. Assuming you want to write at all. A degree should be something you can comfortably fall back on. Not just something you get to follow your dreams. Because a lot of the time you can follow them without the slip of paper.”

\tJust like that the tension from the two older red pandas shattered. They shot each other big smiles before turning back to their daughter. “I see.” her mother’s voice held a happy lilt that Hui couldn’t remember hearing for at least the past decade “Well this must be a very wise woman then. I take it she regrets getting a degree in such things?

\t“Nah. I mean kinda. Early on she told us that she actually did get a degree to follow her dreams. She didn’t major in English or Literature though. She was an archeologist. Apparently she did that for a number of years. Going out and having adventures in Ireland and Scotland. It’s why her books are based on a lot of Celtic folklore.”

\t“I see.” Feng glanced to his wife and then back to Hui, nodding his approval. “I assume there’s a good reason she quit then.”

\t“Family. She wasn’t able to see them much being gone all the time. From what she told us she had to leave her daughter with her mom and she’d go without seeing her wife for months on end” The last few words caught in her throat. Just like that the expression of both Sang parents turned sour. Her mother went back to her food while her father shifted awkwardly in his seat. Neither one looked particularly comfortable. Neither one spoke. Not for the longest time.

\tWhen her father finally did break the silence much of his usual mirth had faded. It was subtle. There was no way in hell Hui would have picked up on it for anyone else. But with her parents, she knew. She could see the enthusiasm drain from their faces while they processed the words.

\t“The takeaway was that you have to have a job you can do that leaves time open for family, I… I guess.” Hui heard the words. She knew she said them .But she also knew how stupid it was to say them. Both of her parents turned to her and offered the same placating smile. Both of them now clearly quite done with their dinner.

\t“Well, I do think it’s important to spend time with family.” Feng nodded his agreement “But you have to be sure your family is cared for financially as well. I’m sure this woman means very well. I’m also glad she was clear that you cannot simply ‘follow your dreams’ without considering reality. But if she had enough time to play writer then her ‘friend’ would have likely had quite a nice job. Unfortunately the way things are going that may no longer be enough.  Even if Justin can land a very well paying job in his field it will help tremendously to have two higher-end incomes.”

\tLing nodded firmly. Hui was always proud of the fact that her parent’s were not quite the strict stereotypes everyone might imagine. However both she and Xiulan had been on the receiving end of this little tag-team many times. Ling Sang coming in with the emotional steel chair just at the perfect moment. “I can assume that this Mrs. Peterson has a few suggestions, though? Obviously she is aware that most people don’t end up with these large, profitable book deals as you said she has.”

\t“I, uh, well.” Hui’s smile half cracked. She’d been excited to talk about this. Once she had more data. Once she was able to give her parents a decent pitch about it. But no. Without Chen, without Xiulan there as a buffer, she was now unable to avoid the scrutiny. The young woman looked between her two parents while twisting and whirling her fork idly. Only when she looked down did she realize she’d clumped up the bulk of her remaining Fettuccini on it. “She uh, she kinda said she thought I’d make a good librarian.” The massive wad of pasta went into her muzzle A nice improvised ball gag. A way to perhaps draw out some time to think while she braced for the flurry of questions her parents were sure to have.

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\tFire crackled and popped pleasingly. The smell of smoke twisted and mixed with that of old books and smoldering incense. The sun had set not long ago with only the crackling fire and a single shimmering lamp to throw light on the well worn pages. A young red panda woman lay reclined on a suede chair with shimmering amber eyes darting lazily along line after line of the thick, musty old tome. She wore little. A soft diaphanous gown and a set of gilded metal bracelets locked loosely around her wrists and ankles. It was comfortable thanks to the warm fire. A kind of cozy central heating and other modern amenities could never provide. A wholesome smoky warmth that traced lazily up and down her spine.

\tHer free paw moved in time with that sensation. Slow, gentle caresses of her growing belly. The fur pattern had shifted in the past months. She wriggled in delight while lazily running her finger up and down where belly and side fur met.

\tThe old door creaked open on aching hinges. A familiar mesh of thudding footfalls and tinkling chains drowned out the soft fireside noises. There was no need to look up. Each movement from the figure was rehearsed to the point of ritual. A lovely grey furred girl gently moving into the corner of Hui’s vision. A beautiful mole with a specially cut maid uniform. It’s hair band held back her carefully groomed frizz. Thin, gentle silvered chains hung from cuffs on her wrists and ankles. The girl gave a bow and set a silvered tray down on a stand situated by Hui’s chair. The girl was quick and deft, far more so than her simple digger claws would suggest. A single sugar cube was placed into the tray’s lone tea cup. Then came a simple wash of fragrant white tea. Twisting near-cereal notes and hints of sage and juniper from the blend.

\tHui set her book aside and took the saucer once Gretchen offered it. She sipped the drink and leaned back into her seat as what little stress the pregnancy had forced though her body simply melted into a pleasant nothingness.

\t“I hope it is to your liking, Mistress.” Hints of Gretchen’s eternal crushy nervousness danced around in the quiet air. It was not a simple platitude. It never was. So many years under their leash and yet still remained the dogged love and loyalty of a dutiful worshiper. The pure innocence of first love’s crush.

\t“Acceptable, as it always is.” The words held a serenity near foreign to the Hui in years past. She let her eyes slip shut and gently curled her arms under her belly. A contented sigh leaving her lips. “I do believe my little prince is pleased with it as well.” She murred. She couldn’t help but bask in the warmth of new life her Master, her husband, had gifted to her.

\tA paw then moved to rest on Gretchen’s belly. The rigid mole yelped and looked away while feeling Hui’s hand trace that fuzzy fur and the growing life she too carried. “And I think the little mole girl here is quite pleased as well. As is her mother. Yes?”

\t“Always with you, Mistress” Gretchen whined

\tThe reluctance in Hui’s movements were almost palpable. She let her paw drop from her pet’s tummy and shifted herself into a more upright position in the chair. It was already hard to move, and it would only get worse. They had such a nice big house. It would be perfect for their little family. But it was not something easy for two pregnant women to navigate in their condition.

\t“I take it you’ve made Master’s dinner then? I know my dutiful little maid wouldn’t fail at such a simple task.” Hui watched her pet bite down on her lower lip bashfully. She drank the dopey, needy throat-whine of confirmation. Without a word Hui guided Gretchen’s paw, then used it to pull herself up gazing into those sharp little amethyst brown eyes. “Good girl. I think you’ll deserve a little reward tonight, then”

\tHui held up a familiar tool. Something that would look to the untrained observer as nothing more than a hunk of leather. Only careful observation would show it for what it was. A hood. Carefully stitched. A cheap set of VR goggles and Bluetooth headphones sewn in to drown out any other stimuli beyond what was programmed in to the computer

\tGretchen gasped and swallowed hard. She nodded. She said nothing. Her eyes darting with fearful longing between the toy and the woman she loved.

\t“Master and I wish to eat undisturbed tonight” Hui cooed “Go set the table, then I think you can spend some time downstairs on the sybian. Until it’s time to clean up that is.”

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\t“Hard at work?”

\tHui jolted from her fantasy. Her eyes shot up even as she went though the well practiced motion of closing the rightmost tab on her browser. She was fairly sure that it wasn’t porn this time around, but at this point it was best to just be safe.

\t“Well, no. I mean kinda. Not on school things though. I finished up all of my homework. I even picked out the story I want to show Mz. Peterson.” Another stupid slipup. She had, in fact, picked the story out. But god help her if her dad asked to see it. Yet another thing she simply had to hide from her parents.

\t“I see.” Feng made no qualms about slipping his way in beside his daughter and glancing down at her laptop screen. Even as he did this he deftly snatched up the remote for the TV and began winding his way though the reams of subscriptions towards his usual cache of low key competition shows. “Look, I wanted to tell you I am sorry if your mother and I came off as a bit harsh at dinner. I know what it’s like to have a favorite teacher. But there are some worries we have. Especially considering that this is your senior year.”

\t“Dad, I promise I’m going to pick a major soon.” The fact that she was already largely settled didn’t matter much. The reaction Hui had gotten at the dinner table told her it was an idea her parents were not at all ready to accept at this point.

\tPredictably her father said nothing for a long moment. The graying red panda didn’t much care for conflict. He’d left much of the disciplinarian side of parenting to his wife. Not that he was a push-over. Both Hui and Xiulan knew that when their father got mad things were beyond serious. Unfortunately it also meant that they were left in limbo with him during those times when he wasn’t mad. Especially at times like this.

\t“I’m not going to say you cannot take that path if you want.” The words were calm and measured. They also left little room in them for ambiguity as to his true feelings. “I will, however, say that you need to carefully consider your future. I did not when I was younger. Part of me regrets that. Sure, I fixed myself up and landed your mother. But if I had done better then perhaps she would not have needed to work. We can’t change our past decisions. All we can do is help advise others. We all want you to have the best life possible. You and Justin. I know John and Meredith are in the same boat even if they can’t quite offer the same amount of support.”

\tHui returned the thought with a slow nod. It was really all she could do. So much was going on in her head, in her life. None of it would be acceptable to share with her parents. None of it they’d understand or approve of. Sure, she’d hidden porn and the kinky shit she got up to with Justin ever since they started dating. That part was easy. That felt normal. The kind of thing every kid did. But she wasn’t a kid anymore. It wasn’t just her age. Hui Sang knew deep down that something had changed in her. Or was changing. Maybe it was many things. But whatever had changed was something she could never share with her parents. There were parts of her that needed to remain hidden and it let her feeling adrift. For the first time in her life she was beginning to feel utterly and truly detached from the mooring of their safe and guiding hand.

\tShe didn’t notice her father leaning over her shoulder. Not until his soft chuckle caught her ear. Hui blinked herself back into reality and turned her head almost slamming her muzzle into her dad as she did so.

\t“So what are you looking over here?” Feng chuckled “This doesn’t look like a video game to me.”

\t“It’s houses.” She muttered “Ryan and Naqi said that it’d be a good idea to keep an eye on the market.”

\tFeng rolled his eyes at the comment and shifted up a bit more in his seat, looking more closely at the rooms on display. “Are they really paying you that much to babysit Tootie? Perhaps I should ask them if they need their lawn mowed.”

\t“It’s nothing like that, dad.” Hui sighed “Ryan said it’s a good idea to learn what to look for and keep an eye on things. That way when we’re ready to buy I’ll already be practiced. It’s just like getting a degree. If you’re prepared early and know what you’re looking for then it’s less work when the time comes.”

\t“And you are supposed to be looking for this?” The shock and mild disgust was a bit understandable. Hui’s current imaginary prospect was a painfully old farm house. Shoddy and run down with chipped paint on the walls and a sunken in front porch. Compared to the nice little suburban three bedroom the Sang family had shared for her whole life it looked like it should be ripped down.

\t“Well it has a strong foundation.” The younger wah corrected “A large unfinished basement, which is a project Justin could do. Same with paint and replacing insulation. Assuming it’s not asbestos. But we’d check on that when we were serious. The floor plan is less desirable but has lots of rooms which is what we’d want. Not as ‘open’ so the price is lower. The porch isn’t load bearing so it can be put off. I’m sure I’m missing a lot of things. For now it’s just homework. We’d probably all need to have our degrees and be employed before we started to seriously look.”

\t“All?” Feng’s ears perked up at that word in particular. Hui herself didn’t even process the slip for what it was. Only when she realized it did the panic start to grip her.

\t“Yes. You know, Me and Justin. Er, Justin and I. Ugh my grammar keeps getting worse lately.”

\t“And here you are wishing to be a writer.” Feng sighed “Well don’t worry. I’m sure once we decide on the best major for you, then you won’t have to worry about price shopping fixer-uppers in… Lowell? Why would you go out to Lowell?”

\t“What’s wrong with Lowell?” The sharp squeak in her tone shocked Hui.

\t“Nothing. I just figured there were plenty of nice places around here. Ah well. Don’t overwork yourself on these little side projects, dear. Take some time to rest.”

\tThere was a sudden easing of pressure with her father walking away. If she were being honest with herself Hui would equate it to how Gretchen always talked about feeling when other people she didn’t like were around. It was an absurd thought. She loved her parents. They loved her. They were only seeking what was best for her. So why was it now that suddenly their attention was so different? More to the point, why was it making her feel so hostile?


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