{ "submission_id": "3156970", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "1209", "keyword_name": "bdsm", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "24036" }, { "keyword_id": "9101", "keyword_name": "d/s", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "380" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1103686" }, { "keyword_id": "7408", "keyword_name": "gecko", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2352" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1214211" }, { "keyword_id": "5717", "keyword_name": "mole", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1578" }, { "keyword_id": "473", "keyword_name": "otter", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "36567" }, { "keyword_id": "4530", "keyword_name": "slice of life", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1814" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "4", "create_datetime": "2023-10-27 02:21:24.864796+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "27 Oct 2023 04:21 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2023-10-27 02:19:28.590866+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "27 Oct 2023 04:19 CEST", "username": "TerraMGP", "user_id": "46355", "user_icon_file_name": "60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "file_name": "4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "194", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "129", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "78", "thumb_medium_y": "120", "files": [ { "file_id": "4743269", "file_name": "4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "3156970", "user_id": "46355", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "fcfe71a900a421cdcf1f4fc5ed33a264", "full_file_md5": "fcfe71a900a421cdcf1f4fc5ed33a264", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "7a68db7d89a8d81194f0499db9565115", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2023-10-27 02:19:28.590866+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "27 Oct 2023 04:19 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4743/4743269_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_26_would_you.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "194", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "129", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "78", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "82354", "name": "Collared", "description": "A young woman seeks to find her way during her first year of College.", "count": "52", "submission_left_submission_id": "3149232", "submission_left_file_name": "4730958_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_25_changes.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4730/4730958_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_25_changes.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4730/4730958_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_25_changes.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4730/4730958_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_25_changes.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "194", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "129", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "78", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120", "submission_right_submission_id": "3160637", "submission_right_file_name": "4749879_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_27_this_is_halloween.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4749/4749879_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_27_this_is_halloween.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4749/4749879_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_27_this_is_halloween.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4749/4749879_TerraMGP_collared_chapter_27_this_is_halloween.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "194", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "129", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "78", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "Gretchen tries to take a big step forwards. Too bad she has no idea what she's doing. Maybe she needs a little help?\n\nHoping that this indicates I'm able to keep pace for a bit.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Gretchen tries to take a big step forwards. Too bad she has no idea what she's doing. Maybe she needs a little help?

Hoping that this indicates I'm able to keep pace for a bit.", "writing": "Collared Chapter 26: Would you\nBy TerraMGP\n\n\t“W-would you please by my escort?”\n\n\tJustin nearly choked on his Lucky Charms. He glanced over to Gretchen. She was bowed in a manner familiar to any anime fan. Bent to an extreme degree in the middle, head bowed, arms held out as far as they could go with a note clasped between her fingers poking out towards him.\n\n\tHe carefully snagged up the note and flipped it open. Only when it was in his paws did he realize it wasn’t a simple bit of scrap paper folded over. The card was cleanly cut and embossed, assuming he was getting his paper terms right. Flickers of gold and silver were set along the edges of the lettering and it made him wonder if actual metal flake was used. True it was more likely he was just being stupid about those old chopper shows again and making baseless assumptions. But the way the lettering shon was hard to ignore.\n\n\t“What the heck is… A Baht Mitzvah?”\n\n\tIt was an RSVP card. All official-looking wording and fancy script with oak leaves or something along the border. “Cora Ann Bergfeld.” He read the name on the card aloud.\n\n\t“My little cousin.” Gretchen nodded dumbly. It was an obvious statement. So obvious that it once again seemed to trip off some of Gretchen’s irrational embarrassment. Justin smiled and reached up to pet her cheek. As usual that was enough to calm her a bit. At least enough for him to guide her down towards the seat beside him.\n\n\t“This says it’s in a month.” Justin looked back down at the card “Isn’t that a long time to plan for a party?”\n\n\t“Well it is a big party. Big time in a girls life and all.” The matter of fact tone she managed to carry did nothing to hide how utterly terrified Gretchen clearly was. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between the card and Justin. “Honestly I got it last month and I just kinda, well, I was on the fence about asking your or not. I was kind of nervous about it. So I uh, I kinda hope you can answer sooner rather than later.”\n\n\t“I kinda wanted to say it seems sudden, except the whole thing is a month away.” Justin laughed nervously and dumped the last of his bowl into his maw without even bothering to move the spoon. His soft brown fur soon sported a rather nasty milk mustache which drew a giggle from his pet. Tension-breaking achieved, Justin pulled himself up and made his way back to the kitchen to take care of the bowl. Gretchen was quick to spring up and follow doggedly behind him.\n\n\tHe gave the bowl a quick rinse and then turned from it towards the nervous girl tagging along behind him. “You know I was gonna come back and sit down again.” He sighed.\n\n\t“O-oh.” A blush spread over Gretchen’s face. She dutifully stepped around him and turned the water back on. Without saying a word she proceeded to wipe the cheap old second hand stoneware furiously, then dump in an unnervingly precise dollop of dish soap before going back to it. “Well I wasn’t sure if you were or if you wanted me to follow you. I’m sorry, Sir. I, I mean”\n\n\t“Yeah I know this whole ‘no titles’ thing has you and Hui kind of upset. I’m sorry about that. I really am trying to get past it all .I promise. I think when she comes up next week we should all have a talk about it and a normal date. That might help us out some. That ok?”\n\n\tGretchen nodded frantically and did her best to suppress a squeal. Her best, naturally, not being very good. “As you wish, er, I mean, so long as that’s ok.” She then cast her eyes down to the floor again and shifted nervously. She was scared. It was written all over her face. Far too scared to actually voice her thoughts. Far too scared to do much of anything beyond clack her digger claws together and shift from one foot to the other.\n\n\tJustin curled a finger around the D ring in her collar and pulled Gretchen close to him. He wrapped one arm around her and tilted her face up giving her a soft peck on the forehead “I’m not going to say no. Obviously. Though you gotta admit this is all kidna sudden, right?”\n\n\t“That’s why I was afraid of asking.” She sighed “Well that and I know it’s a lot.” Gretchen pushed herself harder against Justin, hard enough that she almost knocked him into the fridge. He was forced to grasp at the corner of the Formica countertop and squeeze her tight just to keep her from rolling out of his grasp and on to the floor herself.\n\n\t“I’m guessing based on the card its’ not an intimate little gathering, then?” He finally muttered.\n\n\t“Oh it is.” Gretchen managed to stop herself from saying ‘Sir’ this time “It’s mostly family and close friends. Probably about one hundred and twenty people total?”\n\n\tThe otter’s expression went from stunned and confused to outright horrified. For a moment his grip on Gretchen became horribly, wonderfully painful. She shuddered and braced herself for something she instinctively yearned for. Instead he loosened his grip and slumped back on the counter completely with his rudder tail banging hard against the cabinet door. “Look, I know I’m probably not the one to be making comments about family size and family gathering… but that’s a lot of people. Yeah it’s not metal concert big but over one hundred people is not a small family gathering. I don’t even think most houses can fit that many people.\n\n\tGretchen stood there for a while simply processing the comments. As if some profound revelation had just been passed to her from on high. “Well ok maybe it’s not ‘super small house’ intimate. But it’s wedding size. Which makes sense for something on that same level. Look, I… If you say no that’s ok. I get it. I know this is way too much to ask this early on. But I just”\n\n\t“You want to bring a partner.” Justin sighed “Maybe show off to the family some?”\n\n\t“Something like that.” The girl muttered somberly\n\n\t“And you don’t want to bring Hui because?”\n\n\t“Because my parents are, well, Ok they’re kind of Neo-lib. Like super neo-lib. They’ll say they support gay rights and all that stuff. But the second it hits close to home” Another bitter snort and the sound of her sock driving itself into the old wood flooring. “Besides, it wouldn’t be a lie if I told them I was bringing the man I love. The man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.” The statement turned sideways into more of a question as she gave him a slightly hopeful glance. “I-it’d just be a bit of omission that the man is destined to marry the girl of his dreams, and ‘my’ dreams too. And that I’m just the lil cuck who’s gonna be stuck serving them until they don’t want me anymore.”\n\n\tJustin did his best to stifle a snort, then nodded somberly at the all too familiar song and dance. He reached out to caress her cheek with the back of his paw, tilting her gaze up to meet his. “I ‘will’ have to think about it. But for now I can give a soft yes. I don’t’ know how good I’ll be as a date and I sure as hell hope you’re not expecting to impress anyone. But it is probably the absolute least I could do to show up.”\n\n\tA sudden smooch from the mole. A very uncharacteristic display of initiative as she pushed herself up on tiptoe and smashed her lips against his. She huffed a heavy nasal whine before falling flat on her feet and leaning up against him again nodding her understanding. “I’ll RSVP then. A-and again you don’t have to actually go if it gets to be too much. I can always tell them something came up.”\n\n\tAnd with that Gretchen vanished off to fill out the card and presumably prep it to be mailed in, leaving Justin to just stand there wondering what he’d gotten himself into.\n\n--------------------\n\n\tWinter months getting colder posed a problem for many reptiles. SAD was a big problem. Not to mention just the need to wear lots of layers and often times use those stupid heating packs. All of those were issues, but for Esme October was probably one of the best months of the year.\n\n\tThere were a few reasons for that. While she was more of a spring she fancied herself able to pull off an autumn look better than she had a right to. It also meant she could stop getting indignant about people making Billie Joe Armstrong jokes. For some reason people needed to be reminded every year that shit wasn’t funny.\n\n\tThen there was the play. Every year plays were the highlight for little miss drama geek. It was especially good this year since somehow, some way, A few of the more goth members had managed to convince the teacher that a gore-less production of ‘Repo: The genetic Opera’ was both viable and a bold statement about modern society. So now here Esme sat at her computer flicking though the script. She’d hoped to land Shilo, or maybe Blind Mag even though she wasn’t nearly a good enough singer. What she got instead was the Grave Robber. It wasn’t something she’d ever imagined she could pull off. After all it seemed like such a specific role when Zdunich did it.\n\n\tBut a show was a show. Besides, it might be fun to see how they’d dress her up. Costuming had already picked out a wicked looking pleather hoodie off of the internet which was apparently going to be mixed with some corpse-like face paint. It may not have been a leading role, but the idea of how it would all look under the right stage lights gave her a little jolt.\n\n\tSo there she was, in her room. Mom was out at target probably making some poor customer service rep’s life hell. Dad had taken her brothers out to pick apples after she finally convinced him she was too old to do that kind of thing anymore. So now there she was bopping to what was to be her standout song while stretching her white and pink computer chair out to the absolute maximum recline. Right up until the familiar and very much unwelcome Discord ringtone blared over the music and nearly knocked her out of her seat.\n\n\t“H-hello?” The voice wasn’t what Esme expected. There were only two people who called her on Discord. Everyone else was text only or preferred Zoom. The voice wasn’t Hui and it certainly wasn’t Becky. In her already confused state the gecko girl glanced over at the screen.\n\n\t“Oh, uh, hi Gretchen.” Esme offered up a smile, only to realize the camera wasn’t on. Only their messenger icons were visible. The mole girl’s icon was unfamiliar enough that it took a minute to really parse out who it was. Some little super-detailed picture of a gemstone. Or maybe it was a crystal? The one time Esme tried to guess which and the resulting lecture taught her that she really did not care all that much.\n\n\t“H-hi…” That was all the mole said. Gretchen’s voice was faint, soft, trembling. Esme could easily picture the mole sitting there in a chair of her own, tucked into a room that for some reason had no windows and dozens of rock samples piled up on every surface. It was an absurd mental image and almost certainly not the reality. But it did draw a chuckle\n\n\tThe clacking continued. Clacking and background noise. Dead, eery silence that overwhelmed everything until even the mole‘s heavy nasal breathing was somehow deafening. “So.” Esme sighed “What‘s up? You needed to talk about the game? Or…”\n\n\t“Oh, right!” Gretchen yelped “N-no it’s not about that. Look, I wanna say in advance that I’m really sorry. I was just kinda nervous about something and I needed to ask someone. A-and, well, I looked though my friends list and you were the only person I thought might be able to help me.”\n\n\tFriends? It was a shocking proclamation. Was this some theater thing Gretchen was worried about? Or did she really have so few friends that a random girl she played D&D with was somehow her best hope to answer a question? The lanky gecko girl could already feel pity grasping her chest as she imagined what that would be like. To be so devoid of people one could call on. So isolated from actual, deep connections beyond some small circle that has basically become ones entire world.\n\n\tAfter all, if Esme had a problem She could always…\n\n\tThen the fear turned to panic, and Esme did her best to stamp it down deep as she always did.\n\n\t“Well I don’t know how much help I can be.” She finally sighed “But I guess I don’t have much else to do. Plus you sound pretty worried.”\n\n\t“Y-yeah. It’s kind of a big deal.” Gretchen mumbled the words, almost chewed on them. Her uncomfortable shifting and squirming was easily picked up over her mic. “The thing is that I asked Ma-, I mean, Justin, to accompany me to something. Like a family something.”\n\n\t“It’s fine.” Esme muttered “I appreciate that you realize how creepy it is to use that kink stuff around the rest of us. But Hui pretty much desensitized me to the grossout factor already.”\n\n\t“Well no, if you don’t like it I shouldn’t do it.” Gretchen’s voice seemed to get even more meek. It was a far cry from the more despondent and standoffish girl Esme remembered from the dunes. Was this more who she really was? Or was it that the four-eyed little thing was making an effort to be polite?\n\n\tEither way, it felt best to not push the issue. Esme wanted this over quick, and she was starting to get the feeling Gretchen ‘needed’ it to be over just as quickly. Taking a deep breath to steady herself Esme did as she so often had before and let herself sink into the mindset of another. In this case, the role of a good friend and good listener. She may as well, she figured, make this as painless as possible for both of them.\n\n\t“So you asked Justin out on a date. And from what I’m guessing a date that involves meeting your parents then?” Esme’s tone now calm and clinical\n\n\t“Y-yeah.” Even though the video was off Gretchen’s fervent nodding was obvious from the sounds alone. “A baht mitzvah actually.”\n\n\t“Ohh, big deal.” That actually caused the gecko to wince. She may not be a theology scholar, but it didn’t take one to know how big of a deal that was. Especially for a relationship this new. Or this crazy. “Well if you wanted to ask me how to prep him, sorry but I can’t help. Outside of the tabletop he’s terrible at playing a role. He’s not even that good at lying. Crazy bastard used to go around in middle school insisting he had a replica of some big ass anime sword at home and was learning how to swing it, and he thought he was pulling it off. I think if you can avoid him doing something like that you’ll be lucky.”\n\n\t“What?” Gretchen yelped “W-wait, no. I mean, he wouldn’t do that, would he? I-I mean that’s not what I was calling to ask about. Though now that is kind of worrying. He does have that key blade hanging over his bed…”\n\n\t“It’s not? I mean I don’t know what else I’d be of help with. Unless you want me to help dress him up but I’d assume Hui would be just as good for that.” Even as she said it Esme reconsidered. This was a chance to meet the family, not ACEN. \n\n\tEventually, finally, the nervousness and hyperventilating died down a bit. Gretchen still sounded like a nervous wreck. But a stable nervous wreck if nothing else. “I, I want to ask if I’m moving too fast. I want to make sure I’m not messing things up by subjecting Justin to my parents.” She’d almost said ‘Master’ again. It was actually nice that Gretchen was considering Esme’s discomfort in all that. It was more than Hui usually did.\n\n\t“Ok.” Esme shifted back, curling her long lanky toes around each other in an old habitual bit of fidgeting “And why are you calling me about that?”\n\n\t“What? Well, you know.” Gretchen’s worsening a bit. Her nervous shifting bad enough to light up the ring around her discord icon with sound alerts. “Hui has only ever dated him, and Becky hasn’t dated anyone. You seem really cool. Like, you probably have dated a lot of boys. So I just figured if I was going to ask about relationship advice you’d be the best option. Please, Esme. I’m really scared about messing this up.”\n\n\tThere was a chance poor Esme had laughed out loud. She wasn’t quite sure. Gretchen was being quiet, but that didn’t tell her much of anything. Boy advice? Really? It was a damn good thing the camera wasn’t on because at this point Hui’s Hijab was the only thing keeping her jaw off the floor. She wanted to say something. She knew she should say something. That small part in the back of her head still aware of the conversation itself screamed to say something. The most she could actually manage were a few hmms and haws. A few instinctive gestures to feign thoughtfulness. Sure, she wasn’t opposed to dating. Just because she hadn’t done it yet didn’t mean she was incapable. Asking a boy out simply wasn’t what a girl did. Besides, she was always busy. Classes and helping her mother. Not to mention drama. If she wanted to get good roles in the future it meant working her ass off. Then there was the risk of ‘dad’ turning into ‘abba’ and that was a scenario best left avoided. So how could she think about dating anyone? Even if she was just as much of a nerd as all of her friends, and just as busy, and yet they’d all paired up by now. And…”\n\n\t“E-esme?” Gretchen whimpered “Are you there still? Stupid laptop. You’re not even a year old. This should work.”\n\n\t“I’m here, sorry. Just thinking. Justin isn’t your typical boy, you know. Not to mention you’re in a pretty atypical relationship on top of that. Not that they need to know that now.”\n\n\t“No, they don’t.” Gretchen’s voice hung heavy “Or ever, if I have my way.”\n\n\tThat sounded like baggage to be unpacked. Esme pondered if she should bother. She quickly thought better of it, though. “Look, I don’t know why you’re going to drag him into something like that, but I’m going to assume it’s better for you than just having your parents basically assume you’re single, right? So at the end of the day you just gotta go with it. If he can keep him and Hui fucking secret from their parents then he can keep a few secrets from yours. I know I said he was a bad liar but if you just babysit the conversation you’ll probably be fine. Besides, it’s not like you don’t ‘like’ like him. Right?”\n\n\t“I.. I think it’s getting a bit past that phase. Maybe. Kinda.” Gretchen’s blush oozed though the audio. The clasped together hands and face buried between squished forewords shoulder blades was basically text.\n\n\t“Right.” Esme sighed “So do that. Just be mostly honest. Don’t lie, just omit. That’s way easier.”\n\n\t“But is it really that simple?” The mole croaked nervously\n\n\t“Probably.” Esme shrugged “Look, This is kind of sudden and it’s not exactly the kind of thing I’m used to. If you want maybe we can talk about it again some time this week? I promise I’ll give it some thought. Ok?”\n\n\t“Ok.” Gretchen’s sigh deflated like a balloon. “And, thanks’ Esme. I’m really sorry about calling you out of the blue like this.”\n\n\tBefore she could answer Gretchen clicked off the call. It was a relief to be done. That was probably a horrible thing to think. It was also two hundred percent true. That girl was one of those people who needed to be taken in small doses. A perfect fit for Justin, if she was honest. Hui, too. Though normally Esme held Hui in much higher regards.\n\n\tShe reached to turn her music back on only to stop short. The awkwardness hadn’t gone away. She was sure it had just been Gretchen deciding to be ‘Gretchen’ all over their convo and Esme herself not being used to the poor thing yet. \n\n\tExcept she knew that wasn’t it. Deep down, in her heart of hearts. Esme knew why she’d been nervous in that whole call. She knew why she hadn’t thought about relationships much. Why she was always making excuses.\n\n\tThere was one reason. One cute, stern, overly serious red headed reason.\n\n\tA reason Esme knew she could never admit.\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Collared Chapter 26: Would you
By TerraMGP

\t“W-would you please by my escort?”

\tJustin nearly choked on his Lucky Charms. He glanced over to Gretchen. She was bowed in a manner familiar to any anime fan. Bent to an extreme degree in the middle, head bowed, arms held out as far as they could go with a note clasped between her fingers poking out towards him.

\tHe carefully snagged up the note and flipped it open. Only when it was in his paws did he realize it wasn’t a simple bit of scrap paper folded over. The card was cleanly cut and embossed, assuming he was getting his paper terms right. Flickers of gold and silver were set along the edges of the lettering and it made him wonder if actual metal flake was used. True it was more likely he was just being stupid about those old chopper shows again and making baseless assumptions. But the way the lettering shon was hard to ignore.

\t“What the heck is… A Baht Mitzvah?”

\tIt was an RSVP card. All official-looking wording and fancy script with oak leaves or something along the border. “Cora Ann Bergfeld.” He read the name on the card aloud.

\t“My little cousin.” Gretchen nodded dumbly. It was an obvious statement. So obvious that it once again seemed to trip off some of Gretchen’s irrational embarrassment. Justin smiled and reached up to pet her cheek. As usual that was enough to calm her a bit. At least enough for him to guide her down towards the seat beside him.

\t“This says it’s in a month.” Justin looked back down at the card “Isn’t that a long time to plan for a party?”

\t“Well it is a big party. Big time in a girls life and all.” The matter of fact tone she managed to carry did nothing to hide how utterly terrified Gretchen clearly was. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between the card and Justin.  “Honestly I got it last month and I just kinda, well, I was on the fence about asking your or not. I was kind of nervous about it. So I uh, I kinda hope you can answer sooner rather than later.”

\t“I kinda wanted to say it seems sudden, except the whole thing is a month away.” Justin laughed nervously and dumped the last of his bowl into his maw without even bothering to move the spoon. His soft brown fur soon sported a rather nasty milk mustache which drew a giggle from his pet. Tension-breaking achieved, Justin pulled himself up and made his way back to the kitchen to take care of the bowl. Gretchen was quick to spring up and follow doggedly behind him.

\tHe gave the bowl a quick rinse and then turned from it towards the nervous girl tagging along behind him. “You know I was gonna come back and sit down again.” He sighed.

\t“O-oh.” A blush spread over Gretchen’s face. She dutifully stepped around him and turned the water back on. Without saying a word she proceeded to wipe the cheap old second hand stoneware furiously, then dump in an unnervingly precise dollop of dish soap before going back to it. “Well I wasn’t sure if you were or if you wanted me to follow you. I’m sorry, Sir. I, I mean”

\t“Yeah I know this whole ‘no titles’ thing has you and Hui kind of upset. I’m sorry about that. I really am trying to get past it all .I promise. I think when she comes up next week we should all have a talk about it and a normal date. That might help us out some. That ok?”

\tGretchen nodded frantically and did her best to suppress a squeal. Her best, naturally, not being very good. “As you wish, er, I mean, so long as that’s ok.” She then cast her eyes down to the floor again and shifted nervously. She was scared. It was written all over her face. Far too scared to actually voice her thoughts. Far too scared to do much of anything beyond clack her digger claws together and shift from one foot to the other.

\tJustin curled a finger around the D ring in her collar and pulled Gretchen close to him. He wrapped one arm around her and tilted her face up giving her a soft peck on the forehead “I’m not going to say no. Obviously. Though you gotta admit this is all kidna sudden, right?”

\t“That’s why I was afraid of asking.” She sighed “Well that and I know it’s a lot.” Gretchen pushed herself harder against Justin, hard enough that she almost knocked him into the fridge. He was forced to grasp at the corner of the Formica countertop and squeeze her tight just to keep her from rolling out of his grasp and on to the floor herself.

\t“I’m guessing based on the card its’ not an intimate little gathering, then?” He finally muttered.

\t“Oh it is.” Gretchen managed to stop herself from saying ‘Sir’ this time “It’s mostly family and close friends. Probably about one hundred and twenty people total?”

\tThe otter’s expression went from stunned and confused to outright horrified. For a moment his grip on Gretchen became horribly, wonderfully painful. She shuddered and braced herself for something she instinctively yearned for. Instead he loosened his grip and slumped back on the counter completely with his rudder tail banging hard against the cabinet door. “Look, I know I’m probably not the one to be making comments about family size and family gathering… but that’s a lot of people. Yeah it’s not metal concert big but over one hundred people is not a small family gathering. I don’t even think most houses can fit that many people.

\tGretchen stood there for a while simply processing the comments. As if some profound revelation had just been passed to her from on high. “Well ok maybe it’s not ‘super small house’ intimate. But it’s wedding size. Which makes sense for something on that same level. Look, I… If you say no that’s ok. I get it. I know this is way too much to ask this early on. But I just”

\t“You want to bring a partner.” Justin sighed “Maybe show off to the family some?”

\t“Something like that.” The girl muttered somberly

\t“And you don’t want to bring Hui because?”

\t“Because my parents are, well, Ok they’re kind of Neo-lib. Like super neo-lib. They’ll say they support gay rights and all that stuff. But the second it hits close to home” Another bitter snort and the sound of her sock driving itself into the old wood flooring. “Besides, it wouldn’t be a lie if I told them I was bringing the man I love. The man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.” The statement turned sideways into more of a question as she gave him a slightly hopeful glance. “I-it’d just be a bit of omission that the man is destined to marry the girl of his dreams, and ‘my’ dreams too. And that I’m just the lil cuck who’s gonna be stuck serving them until they don’t want me anymore.”

\tJustin did his best to stifle a snort, then nodded somberly at the all too familiar song and dance. He reached out to caress her cheek with the back of his paw, tilting her gaze up to meet his. “I ‘will’ have to think about it. But for now I can give a soft yes. I don’t’ know how good I’ll be as a date and I sure as hell hope you’re not expecting to impress anyone. But it is probably the absolute least I could do to show up.”

\tA sudden smooch from the mole. A very uncharacteristic display of initiative as she pushed herself up on tiptoe and smashed her lips against his. She huffed a heavy nasal whine before falling flat on her feet and leaning up against him again nodding her understanding. “I’ll RSVP then. A-and again you don’t have to actually go if it gets to be too much. I can always tell them something came up.”

\tAnd with that Gretchen vanished off to fill out the card and presumably prep it to be mailed in, leaving Justin to just stand there wondering what he’d gotten himself into.

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

\tWinter months getting colder posed a problem for many reptiles. SAD was a big problem. Not to mention just the need to wear lots of layers and often times use those stupid heating packs. All of those were issues, but for Esme October was probably one of the best months of the year.

\tThere were a few reasons for that. While she was more of a spring she fancied herself able to pull off an autumn look better than she had a right to. It also meant she could stop getting indignant about people making Billie Joe Armstrong jokes. For some reason people needed to be reminded every year that shit wasn’t funny.

\tThen there was the play. Every year plays were the highlight for little miss drama geek. It was especially good this year since somehow, some way, A few of the more goth members had managed to convince the teacher that a gore-less production of ‘Repo: The genetic Opera’ was both viable and a bold statement about modern society. So now here Esme sat at her computer flicking though the script. She’d hoped to land Shilo, or maybe Blind Mag even though she wasn’t nearly a good enough singer. What she got instead was the Grave Robber. It wasn’t something she’d ever imagined she could pull off. After all it seemed like such a specific role when Zdunich did it.

\tBut a show was a show. Besides, it might be fun to see how they’d dress her up. Costuming had already picked out a wicked looking pleather hoodie off of the internet which was apparently going to be mixed with some corpse-like face paint. It may not have been a leading role, but the idea of how it would all look under the right stage lights gave her a little jolt.

\tSo there she was, in her room. Mom was out at target probably making some poor customer service rep’s life hell. Dad had taken her brothers out to pick apples after she finally convinced him she was too old to do that kind of thing anymore. So now there she was bopping to what was to be her standout song while stretching her white and pink computer chair out to the absolute maximum recline. Right up until the familiar and very much unwelcome Discord ringtone blared over the music and nearly knocked her out of her seat.

\t“H-hello?” The voice wasn’t what Esme expected. There were only two people who called her on Discord. Everyone else was text only or preferred Zoom. The voice wasn’t Hui and it certainly wasn’t Becky. In her already confused state the gecko girl glanced over at the screen.

\t“Oh, uh, hi Gretchen.” Esme offered up a smile, only to realize the camera wasn’t on. Only their messenger icons were visible. The mole girl’s icon was unfamiliar enough that it took a minute to really parse out who it was. Some little super-detailed picture of a gemstone. Or maybe it was a crystal? The one time Esme tried to guess which and the resulting lecture taught her that she really did not care all that much.

\t“H-hi…” That was all the mole said. Gretchen’s voice was faint, soft, trembling. Esme could easily picture the mole sitting there in a chair of her own, tucked into a room that for some reason had no windows and dozens of rock samples piled up on every surface. It was an absurd mental image and almost certainly not the reality. But it did draw a chuckle

\tThe clacking continued. Clacking and background noise. Dead, eery silence that overwhelmed everything until even the mole‘s heavy nasal breathing was somehow deafening. “So.” Esme sighed “What‘s up? You needed to talk about the game? Or…”

\t“Oh, right!” Gretchen yelped “N-no it’s not about that. Look, I wanna say in advance that I’m really sorry. I was just kinda nervous about something and I needed to ask someone. A-and, well, I looked though my friends list and you were the only person I thought might be able to help me.”

\tFriends? It was a shocking proclamation. Was this some theater thing Gretchen was worried about? Or did she really have so few friends that a random girl she played D&D with was somehow her best hope to answer a question? The lanky gecko girl could already feel pity grasping her chest as she imagined what that would be like. To be so devoid of people one could call on. So isolated from actual, deep connections beyond some small circle that has basically become ones entire world.

\tAfter all, if Esme had a problem She could always…

\tThen the fear turned to panic, and Esme did her best to stamp it down deep as she always did.

\t“Well I don’t know how much help I can be.” She finally sighed “But I guess I don’t have much else to do. Plus you sound pretty worried.”

\t“Y-yeah. It’s kind of a big deal.” Gretchen mumbled the words, almost chewed on them. Her uncomfortable shifting and squirming was easily picked up over her mic. “The thing is that I asked Ma-, I mean, Justin, to accompany me to something. Like a family something.”

\t“It’s fine.” Esme muttered “I appreciate that you realize how creepy it is to use that kink stuff around the rest of us. But Hui pretty much desensitized me to the grossout factor already.”

\t“Well no, if you don’t like it I shouldn’t do it.” Gretchen’s voice seemed to get even more meek. It was a far cry from the more despondent and standoffish girl Esme remembered from the dunes. Was this more who she really was? Or was it that the four-eyed little thing was making an effort to be polite?

\tEither way, it felt best to not push the issue. Esme wanted this over quick, and she was starting to get the feeling Gretchen ‘needed’ it to be over just as quickly. Taking a deep breath to steady herself Esme did as she so often had before and let herself sink into the mindset of another. In this case, the role of a good friend and good listener. She may as well, she figured, make this as painless as possible for both of them.

\t“So you asked Justin out on a date. And from what I’m guessing a date that involves meeting your parents then?” Esme’s tone now calm and clinical

\t“Y-yeah.” Even though the video was off Gretchen’s fervent nodding was obvious from the sounds alone. “A baht mitzvah actually.”

\t“Ohh, big deal.” That actually caused the gecko to wince. She may not be a theology scholar, but it didn’t take one to know how big of a deal that was. Especially for a relationship this new. Or this crazy. “Well if you wanted to ask me how to prep him, sorry but I can’t help. Outside of the tabletop he’s terrible at playing a role. He’s not even that good at lying. Crazy bastard used to go around in middle school insisting he had a replica of some big ass anime sword at home and was learning how to swing it, and he thought he was pulling it off. I think if you can avoid him doing something like that you’ll be lucky.”

\t“What?” Gretchen yelped “W-wait, no. I mean, he wouldn’t do that, would he? I-I mean that’s not what I was calling to ask about. Though now that is kind of worrying. He does have that key blade hanging over his bed…”

\t“It’s not? I mean I don’t know what else I’d be of help with. Unless you want me to help dress him up but I’d assume Hui would be just as good for that.” Even as she said it Esme reconsidered. This was a chance to meet the family, not ACEN.

\tEventually, finally, the nervousness and hyperventilating died down a bit. Gretchen still sounded like a nervous wreck. But a stable nervous wreck if nothing else. “I, I want to ask if I’m moving too fast. I want to make sure I’m not messing things up by subjecting Justin to my parents.” She’d almost said ‘Master’ again. It was actually nice that Gretchen was considering Esme’s discomfort in all that. It was more than Hui usually did.

\t“Ok.” Esme shifted back, curling her long lanky toes around each other in an old habitual bit of fidgeting “And why are you calling me about that?”

\t“What? Well, you know.” Gretchen’s worsening a bit. Her nervous shifting bad enough to light up the ring around her discord icon with sound alerts. “Hui has only ever dated him, and Becky hasn’t dated anyone. You seem really cool. Like, you probably have dated a lot of boys. So I just figured if I was going to ask about relationship advice you’d be the best option. Please, Esme. I’m really scared about messing this up.”

\tThere was a chance poor Esme had laughed out loud. She wasn’t quite sure. Gretchen was being quiet, but that didn’t tell her much of anything. Boy advice? Really? It was a damn good thing the camera wasn’t on because at this point Hui’s Hijab was the only thing keeping her jaw off the floor. She wanted to say something. She knew she should say something. That small part in the back of her head still aware of the conversation itself screamed to say something. The most she could actually manage were a few hmms and haws. A few instinctive gestures to feign thoughtfulness. Sure, she wasn’t opposed to dating. Just because she hadn’t done it yet didn’t mean she was incapable. Asking a boy out simply wasn’t what a girl did. Besides, she was always busy. Classes and helping her mother. Not to mention drama. If she wanted to get good roles in the future it meant working her ass off. Then there was the risk of ‘dad’ turning into ‘abba’ and that was a scenario best left avoided. So how could she think about dating anyone? Even if she was just as much of a nerd as all of her friends, and just as busy, and yet they’d all paired up by now. And…”

\t“E-esme?” Gretchen whimpered “Are you there still? Stupid laptop. You’re not even a year old. This should work.”

\t“I’m here, sorry. Just thinking. Justin isn’t your typical boy, you know. Not to mention you’re in a pretty atypical relationship on top of that. Not that they need to know that now.”

\t“No, they don’t.” Gretchen’s voice hung heavy “Or ever, if I have my way.”

\tThat sounded like baggage to be unpacked. Esme pondered if she should bother. She quickly thought better of it, though. “Look, I don’t know why you’re going to drag him into something like that, but I’m going to assume it’s better for you than just having your parents basically assume you’re single, right? So at the end of the day you just gotta go with it. If he can keep him and Hui fucking secret from their parents then he can keep a few secrets from yours. I know I said he was a bad liar but if you just babysit the conversation you’ll probably be fine. Besides, it’s not like you don’t ‘like’ like him. Right?”

\t“I.. I think it’s getting a bit past that phase. Maybe. Kinda.” Gretchen’s blush oozed though the audio. The clasped together hands and face buried between squished forewords shoulder blades was basically text.

\t“Right.” Esme sighed “So do that. Just be mostly honest. Don’t lie, just omit. That’s way easier.”

\t“But is it really that simple?” The mole croaked nervously

\t“Probably.” Esme shrugged “Look, This is kind of sudden and it’s not exactly the kind of thing I’m used to. If you want maybe we can talk about it again some time this week? I promise I’ll give it some thought. Ok?”

\t“Ok.” Gretchen’s sigh deflated like a balloon. “And, thanks’ Esme. I’m really sorry about calling you out of the blue like this.”

\tBefore she could answer Gretchen clicked off the call. It was a relief to be done. That was probably a horrible thing to think. It was also two hundred percent true. That girl was one of those people who needed to be taken in small doses. A perfect fit for Justin, if she was honest. Hui, too. Though normally Esme held Hui in much higher regards.

\tShe reached to turn her music back on only to stop short. The awkwardness hadn’t gone away. She was sure it had just been Gretchen deciding to be ‘Gretchen’ all over their convo and Esme herself not being used to the poor thing yet.

\tExcept she knew that wasn’t it. Deep down, in her heart of hearts. Esme knew why she’d been nervous in that whole call. She knew why she hadn’t thought about relationships much. Why she was always making excuses.

\tThere was one reason. One cute, stern, overly serious red headed reason.

\tA reason Esme knew she could never admit.
", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Collared Chapter 26: Would you", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "3", "views": "106" }