Chapter 175 – Something New

“You’re easy. Picking something to match a single color is a lot easier than trying to match orange and black stripes.” – Rindi, hiding behind a clothing rack and talking to Kristi.

When the group began making their way out of the Order and back to Earth, they split up and went to their separate homes. Penny and Anna parted ways at the portal that would take them back to The Captain while Kurt and the girls continued onward to their own portal in relative silence.

To their surprise, they were met by Jay and his admin, Kevin, who had taken up residence in Penny’s office for some reason. “Ah, good. Did everything go well with Casitor?” Jay asked while looking up from his screen.

“Umm, yeah.” Kurt answered. “We had a little incident with Val’s parents though.” He then stepped aside so Val had the center of the floor, and she did a quick recap of her unexpected meeting with her parents and the results.

Jay sat quietly for a few seconds after she was done before he nodded. “Well, at least you have closure and don’t have it hanging over you anymore. I know that was one of your concerns when you first joined my teams. Anything I can help with? Are you satisfied with the end results?”

“Satisfied isn’t happy, but yes. I made peace with it a while ago when talking with them on the phone.” Val didn’t sound terribly upset at essentially having been excommunicated from her family. “I knew it was inevitable and had been working myself up to it. The confrontation just came sooner than expected is all.”

“Good enough for me.” Jay declared before turning to address the group as a whole. “You all have the next three days off. Report back to work on Thursday for a briefing on your new long-term objectives and focus points.”

Kurt was a little confused at that. “What new focus points? I thought that’s what we were always doing. Like the rifts and cults and stuff? We can’t have gotten all the cults, we only did two raids then the attack last night.”

Nodding, Jay turned his laptop to face him. “Yes, that was part of your original tasks but with the expansion of my operations, I was able to multitask a little more. Rupert’s and Gella’s teams have been pretty good at rounding people up while I have Piper and Taylor’s teams handling a lot of rifts and monster issues.”

“Ah.” Kurt realized that their operational tempo had slowed significantly after the new teams had joined and hadn’t thought much about it until then. “Well, see you Thursday.” He waved and his team piled through the portal only to be accosted immediately on the other side.

“For fucks sake!” Alec roared as he came stomping down the breezeway. The dwarf looked like he was either going to punch Kurt or hug him with no in-between. “You go and have a fucking firefight in the middle of town like it’s a Tuesday in Kandahar and I don’t even get a god damned phone call!

“Who the fuck do you think you are, keeping me up like that. I’ve been worried sick about you after not being able to reach you all god damned day!” He finally reached the still stunned Kurt after pushing past Val and wrapped him in a very manly hug.

“Umm, sorry?” Kurt muttered as he felt his bones creak a little under the pressure.

Alec backed off only to hug the girls, minus Rindi who took a step back at his approach but settled for a nod and a smile. “Course you’re sorry, you fucking asshole.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Glad you are ok. All of ya.”

Kurt smiled a little. “If it makes you feel any better that should be the end of this particular cult problem.”

Huffing, Alec took a step back. “Not really, but I’ll take it.” he looked around at the team. “Well, seein as you’re still ok and still a jackass, I came here for another reason.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Family is havin a little get together at my grandparent’s place for the weekend. I wanted to invite y’all. Plenty of rooms so you can stay the night Friday through Sunday.” Alec declared in a tone that said the invitation wasn’t optional.

“Is that the place right on the lake?” Kurt asked while Val looked like she was about to leap out of her skin.

“What’s on the agenda?” Val blurted, having lost her ability to restrain herself further.

Alec nodded. “A-yup just north of Elk Rapids. Cook outs, Beach, pool, yard games, board games. Really, it’s just an excuse to hang out. Adults only. Not that it matters since nobody is having kids yet.”

Kristi gestured to the group, including Rindi who had dropped her glamor. “Is it hybrid friendly?”

The dwarf nodded. “Sure is. I even handed out a few of those pamphlets that ole daemon was passing around. Consider it a place to relax openly and maybe make some friends along the way.” He nodded to Kurt then. “And a bunch of them are lining up, owing you apologies after how they last treated you.”

Kurt looked to the girls, getting two smiles, a pair of wagging tails and a look of nervous apprehension before turning back to Alec. “We’ll be there. Friday after work.”

Slapping him on the arm, Alec grinned. “Great, you are bringing booze. And make sure to mix in the cheap stuff and good stuff. Theres just something about having an ice-cold Corona after sittin in the sun all day.” He laughed and waved as he made his way out the door.

“Shit.” Kurt said after it closed behind his friend.

“What’s wrong?” Val asked. “Don’t you want to go?”

Kurt snorted in amusement as they made their way back inside. “Well, yeah but this is going to cost a lot. I have to buy booze for like thirty people, half of whom are dwarves.”

Val skipped past him. “I think you are overlooking another issue.” She said in a sing-song tone while twirling around, her melancholy completely put aside for the time being.

“And what’s that?”

“We need swimsuits.” She said in a voice that was more than a little sultry tone as she ran her hands up and down her body.

Rindi, having been silent since the incident with Val’s family, finally spoke up. “Umm, is this…” when everyone turned to her, she took a deep breath and started again. “I mean, should I also… attend or…”

“Rindi.” Kurt began sternly. “We are not going to leave you behind or exclude you. If you want to socialize then great, if not, that’s fine too. Nobody is going to bug you if you want to take it easy and keep to yourself.”

Kristi reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “Don’t worry, we will be there too.”

“Thanks.” Rindi said through an only slightly forced smile. “Only one more thing… what is a swim-suit?”

*****

That afternoon the team was in Traverse City, rather than the quiet evening at home Kurt had been expecting after confronting Val’s family. Fortunately, they were in town rather early, it being midafternoon still. Unfortunately, He and Kristi weren’t able to wander off to go visit Alec since he didn’t work at the gun shop anymore. That left him in a rather interesting situation that he should have predicted.

“What do you think about this one?” Val asked while holding a swimsuit over herself that was still on its hanger. It was a purple-brown color with bright blue flowers over the very little surface area that could even show the pattern. The entire thing seemed to be 4 small pieces of cloth held together by string and delusions of propriety.

“Umm, the pattern is… fun.” Kurt wasn’t sure how to answer the question and wasn’t exactly comfortable at that moment. He was also playing along, knowing she was trying to distract herself from the way things ended with her parents.

They had gone to the local mall, heading straight for one of the clothing stores. Val had led them directly to the men’s swimwear section and Kurt had picked out two pairs of trunks. They were identical, a simple dark grey with a tri-color stripe running up the out-seam and rather generous pockets with a built-in bottle opener. Following that, he grabbed a pair of sandals, a wide brim hat and a couple billowy shirts from the end-cap display to round it out. His entire shopping trip took only a few minutes.

Then the fox had led the way to the much larger and brightly colored women’s swimwear section where she had taken up her favorite pastime of teasing the others. Eventually the dragoness had enough and wandered off with Rindi to look through the racks of normal clothes, leaving him alone with Val.

“I wasn’t asking about the pattern.” Val said, bouncing up and down on her toes a little. “I was thinking more about the physics of it. You know, the ‘jiggle’ physic-EEEKSsss!”

She didn’t see Kristi walking up behind her until it was too late. “And what is your plan to fit these in there?” She said while poking Val in the small of her back, where her tails would normally poke out.

Val, who had only just prevented herself from leaping straight into the rack of bathing suits, turned on Kristi with a huff. “Well, someone has to have some fun around here. Gods know it isn’t going to be you. And besides, there isn’t much in the way of my tails with this piece.” She brandished the bikini at the dragoness.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re back.” Kurt muttered as he looked around. He had been feeling himself turning a bright red for the past three examples that Val had suggested.

“Yeah, just in time it seems.” Kristi said while she grinned at the flustered kitsune. “Now, Val, how about you quit teasing and go pick the ones you actually like so we can get to our next stop.” She swatted Val on the butt and gave her a little shove toward the dressing rooms.

“I’ll show you what to pick.” Val grumbled but still walked away.

Kurt looked at the cart Kristi was pushing. “Found some winners I take it?” It was loaded with clothes as well as swimwear.

“Yeah, but it was a little strange.” She admitted.

“How’s that?”

Kristi held up a few two-piece swimsuits that were a little more conservative in their cut that what Val had been modelling, but not by much. “It’s strange to have assets now and also having to consider a fifth limb and the coloration of my scales.”

“Ah, yeah I could see that.” Kurt saw that while the suits she had picked were still bright colors, they would also go nicely with her emerald-green scales. One was a bright yellow in a traditional bikini style with a few decorative ties at the hips. The second one was a dark pink and more of a tankini style for the top with similar bottoms to the first. She also had a couple pairs of loose shorts and cover-ups in black and white.

“They look good though. I think the colors will go nice with your scales.” Kurt said, realizing he had been staring a little.

Smirking and huffing a laugh, Kristi leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I know that but thank you for saying it.”

Kurt flushed again before looking around. “Umm, where is Rindi?”

“Over there in the fitting rooms.” Kristi pointed to where Val had wandered off to. “She was just changing back into her normal clothes. We both also had to get some more everyday wear after our recent changes.” She gestured to her nearly full shopping cart.

That made sense to Kurt as he had been wondering why they were taking so long. As he looked, he saw the tigress poke her head out of the alcove and look around until she spotted them. She quickly made her way over, looking around like she was trying to avoid something.

“Where is Val?” She whispered after she joined them.

“Just went to try on her choices. Why?” Kurt asked, seeing the shopping cart full of clothes she was pushing and noting that some were clearly Kristi’s style.

“Because last time we were here, she made me try on a bunch of stuff and I’m not sure I want to try it with…these.” Rindi gestured to the scantily dressed mannequins.

Kurt and Kristi chuckled at that. “Fair enough.” He said. “Did you at least pick out some stuff?”

Rindi bobbed her head. “Yes. I hope these are appropriate?” She held up some very typical bikini’s, one black and one white. She had also taken a page out of Kristi’s book, picking out a cover-up and a wide brimmed hat.

“Surprised you didn’t get some shorts or the style like Kristi has there.” Kurt admitted, pointing to the tankini Kristi had set in the cart.

“Wo-Would you like me to?” Rindi hesitated. “They… didn’t umm.” She trailed off as Kurt and Kristi both looked at her expectantly.

“Was there something you didn’t like?” Kurt asked in a leading tone. He was trying to get her to express her thoughts and feelings more than she had been in an effort to get her to be less… subservient.

“The fabric caught and bunched a lot on my fur.” She said, running a hand over her thigh. Her body was now covered in short, fuzz-like hair with the exception of her extremities. They couldn’t see it through the enchantment she had active but knew what she was talking about.

Kurt shrugged. “Then that’s all there is to it. If you don’t like something, then don’t do it or, in this case, wear it.”

Kristi nodded and put a reassuring hand on Rindi’s shoulder. “Yeah, don’t force yourself to meet other people’s standards like that. Kurt was just surprised since you seem rather reserved. Right?”

“Pretty much.” Kurt agreed and was happy to see the look of concern melt from her face as she smiled. “It also goes the other way. If there is something you want or want to do, just do it or ask about it at the very least.”

“Just try to be more assertive for the things you are interested in or want to do.” Kristi added before lowering her tone. “You can always ask one of us directly too if you are worried about it.” She gave her a reassuring smile.

Rindi muttered her thanks and the three of them began wandering around while they waited for Val. They hadn’t made it far before she caught up with her choices. Kurt was surprised to see that she had picked several options ranging from one piece to some of the very alluring ones she had teased him with earlier.

“Couldn’t make up my mind so I got a little of everything.” She said with a big smile.

“Uh-huh, I see that.” Kurt said as she pushed her own cart that looked like debris from when a rainbow had crashed into a yarn factory. “You know it’s only a couple days, right?”

“Well maybe you two can help me narrow down my selection?” She bopped him and Kristi on their noses then pushed her cart toward the checkouts.

“Seems like she is going to be trouble.” Rindi commented.

Kristi grunted. “You have no idea.” She then pushed her cart and followed Val, eyes firmly fixed on the kitsune’s swaying butt. “Where to after this?”

“Big liquor store in town then dinner.” Kurt answered. “Rindi, anything you wanted or needed?”

“Not that I can think of but can… can we go somewhere with good beer for dinner?” Rindi hesitated only a moment before making the suggestion.

“Sounds good.” Kristi answered as she checked out with their clothes.

*****

A short walk later found them back into the car and driving toward the main strip and dinner. Kurt knew of a brewery that had good food and drink, if rather expensive. He racked that up to the place being right on the main road with an unobstructed view of the bay.

They managed to get seats on the patio, enjoying the nice summer weather. There weren’t many people on the patio that day, likely because of the day of the week. So, they were able to enjoy a modicum of privacy.

Dinner was served and eaten in quick order followed by several rounds of drinks. None of them were particularly inclined to leave the pleasant patio and had ordered several rounds of drinks, along with after dinner snacks.

“I gotta make one of those silencing things that Jay and Penny have.” Kurt noted as his thought wandered slightly.

“Yeah. Where did they get those anyway?” Kristi asked. “You didn’t make them, right?”

“They are being made by one of the enchanters we rescued.” Val answered. “Penny told me after I was done with my part of the debrief.”

“Speaking of debriefing…” Kurt said and looked pointedly at Val.

Sighing and taking a sip of her cocktail, Val looked from the view of the water to the three faces staring directly at her. “So, I should probably explain what all that was about with my family.”

“Only if you want to.” Kurt quickly said while Kristi nodded.

“I want to.” Val confirmed. “It’s just… I have been ready for it for months, committed to my decision for a long time but it’s still strange to have finally done it.”

Kristi reached over and took her hand. “But why? What was going on?”

“Remember how I told you guys about my family seeing its members as political pawns?” Val asked, getting nods from her mates while Rindi listened intently. “Well, that’s usually how it goes. If you aren’t valuable, you are ignored for the most part. Once you have some sort of political value, you become a game piece on their board.”

“Sounds… awful.” Rindi commented from over her very large beer glass. “To have family but be unloved.”

Val shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. My parents loved me. My mom still does! Not sure about my dad though… Anyway, it’s just that everything is about the house or the clan. There isn’t any divergence from it, and you are either in or out.”

“And you chose out.” Kurt surmised.

“Yes.” Val smiled sadly. “I had known for a while now that they would try to leverage my power. I didn’t want that. I wanted to be with you. I wanted to pursue my own destiny and divinity and build our family…

“To build our family, and Kurts pack and Kristi’s hoard.” Val seemed to have a realization and turned her suddenly watery eyes to Kurt then Kristi. “I have known for a long time that I was going to break from them. I just… didn’t want to be alone after I did it.”

Kurt swallowed past the lump in his throat. “We will always be here for you.”

Val returned the smile and looked around the table. “Yeah, I think this will work out well. I would rather have the three of you than all of them, no matter what.”

“Oh. But I’m…” Rindi began.

“Shhh. Just… be cool, OK?” Val shushed the taller woman. “We can figure out the details later. Right now, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

“Will there be any fallout from this?” Kristi asked after a few moments had passed in silence. “How does this whole house and clan thing work?”

Tipping back the rest of her drink, Val shrugged. “If there is fallout, I don’t expect much other than a strongly worded letter insinuating we owe them something. I wasn’t considered ‘valuable’ to them so it’s not like they could ask for much.”

“And the structure?” Kristi reminded her.

“Ah, right.” Val frowned. “It’s like a business. Or maybe a corporation is a better comparison. Pretty much the main branch of the house, House Krakno, has subsidiary houses that they govern along with allied clans and allied houses. The main branch only has control over the direct subsidiary houses while the more distant branches and external allies are only there as ‘business’ partners.

“Those allied clans or houses can even leave the group but there are sometimes penalties unless there is significant reason to do so.” Val was chewing on the little plastic sword from her cocktail as she thought. “Much of the actual power of the house is how many supporting factions they have. It’s also a little bit of a safety net for smaller groups and the house acts as a sort of safeguard for them. If a larger or ‘peer’ clan attacks one of the smaller ones, the main branch will act to intervene but if they are attacked then the smaller clans have to help them.”

Kurt snorted. “Yeah, seen this before. Same sort of interlocking alliances and defense agreements started a world war and millions died because of it while allowing worse powers to rise up and kill millions more a couple decades later.”

“Yeah, then the US dropped the sun on Japan… twice.” Val rolled her eyes. “We know the story.”

“I was telling them.” Kurt pointed to Rindi and Kristi.

Val winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Kurt brushed it away. He knew Val was not in her normal state of mind and wouldn’t hold it against her. “So, nothing to really worry about then?”

Once again shrugging, Val slouched. “Hard to say. I never got into clan politics since I was an ‘undesirable’. I don’t know all their holdings or even how they will actually react. For all I know, my parents won’t say a damn thing, and this just blows over. Hell, the Order might just stomp them for messing with us if they try.” She flicked the plastic sword, launching it into the empty basket which once held jalapeno poppers and let out a sigh.

Reading the room, Kurt pushed his chair back and dropped a few extra bills on the table to make up for the extra time they stayed. “Let’s get going. We are all worn out and sitting here won’t make anything better.”

They left then, taking the long way back to the car then the scenic route back to the house for the night. Everyone was looking forward to a nice quiet night and to put all that day’s events behind them.