"You met Tiffany?" Eric asked.
The giant gained a furry softness and shrunk. Kate couldn't even react.
"She say she met Jackie and Em, but definitely not friends with Jackie." Sakura said, just having a blast.
"The Exi, Tiffany." Richard grunted.
"But you literallay got to tha cit'ay today!" Eric complained.
He was a grizzly doing the impression of a puppy.
That improved things.
"Kate," Richard began, "d'you.. before d'you…. decide. D'you…"
Richard pulled Kate's hand, holding it as if she was on her death bed.
"Give other ways a chance?" He begged.
Mother's image formed in Kate's mind, her words filling her head. Her mother would have done better. But that was because she wasn't the chubby new girl. It would have been her home turf. And Kate knew what happened to the new girl.
It was embarrassing to have so many eyes on her, but never blush worthy. No. Because she'd seen the game and would try play it, like her super model Mother would.
Kate smirked then pulled a pouty face bearing the subtlety of a bullet to the brain.
"Soweee, but I've had Tiffany mark her territory all over my face, and Emi… and Sakura…"
Before Kate's bluff could refuel go even further a hand pulled on her jaw and she was turned.
Riley slipped onto her lips. Kate's whole chest rose. Now Riley was human! Traces of mint and 'human' as Riley held the back of her neck and pulled their foreheads together, noses a mesh. She pulled away only for Richard to grab hold and just… well… take a turn! That had been… unexpected, the cool mint replaced by fire and a warm raw mint, unrefined like Riley was the flavourful juices, chopped and strained into a bottle and Richard was the leaf, still attached to the stem. A rough dragon scale that swam over Kate's tongue. There was a pull, she was his Sakura. There was a smacking of lips and taste as he, rather reluctantly, parted. And holy shit she was a terrible person as she was just as reluctant.
There was a pause as she went from stare to stare. Her breath light in wonder before eyeing Eric, she tilted her head and smiled.
Eric pushed Kate's jaw up and cupped her cheeks only for him to block her with both thumbs and kiss her forehead. The poke a prickle of heat, his little moustache was electrifying. Then he pushed her away, as if she'd been the interloper.
At that moment, her head buzzed with a notification.
-Ping Tiffany
"Ye foun' et? It looked like ye foun' eit! And without me."
That was most definitely Tiffany.
Despite herself, Kate angled away to respond.
"What are you talking about? Where are you? And what did I find?"
"Ye gat a screen or terminal? I assume ye don't have an eye mod. Wood'n work if ya did."
"Sakura." Kate called.
"Yes?" Sakura answered as if called up for another turn.
It was both amazing and unnerving to have Sakura be so excited that Kate could see her invisible tail waggling. That meant she did good right? She had to beat down the inner voice questioning herself to death. And burn the body.
People didn't well… Get so amped up about her! Not outside of her dreams! Not to her! The sensation wasn't allowed to end! A voice in her demanded another kiss and nothing else. Kate's soul could pack up and leave the earth having completed its mission.
A kiss wouldn't require her to come back to reality. There was a yelling match in her. And man was that voice insistent! It didn't even make sense!
"Sakura, your screen. Please."
"D'You talking to Tiffany?" Riley asked.
Riley's voice had joined in the fray and once again proved impossible to decipher and that would be trouble.
"Yeah, I was told to see something." Kate said.
They eyed each other and Sakura opened her screen.
"What the hell, how many branches are you sitting on?" Tiffany asked.
"Did someone message you?" Kate asked.
"Many messaged. Where are you?"
"The base of the crack in the building, the waterfall?"
Kate blinked, Riley was boring eyes into her.
"D'you tell her, vhere ve are?" Riley asked.
Kate smirked. Riley wasn't… that girl but she really needed to figure Riley out.
The world caught up to Kate's panic, she'd fake it until she could believe it. A 'cool headed' Kate shrugged and leaned back… and found herself laying into Sakura who'd somehow gotten behind her. Was she teleporting?
"You called that bitch? You gonna regret." Sakura hummed.
"Why?" Kate asked.
Sakura wrapped her legs around Kate and hugged downwards to massage her love handles and belly which she pinched together like she was needling dough Kate's girl dough! It triggered Kate's fight or flight, she was not fat! But that stopped when Sakura's teeth pulled and chewed upon her neck, doing an wonderful impression of a vampire with dentures, all teeth and gums.
Kate wouldn't react because that would give Sakura too many points. And her core screamed at her brain, pumping so much energy into her she wanted to jump.