ALL NOVEL 3.9: Tiffany
“So, how do we decide who’s gonna do the nasty with Allie? Or are we just gonna line up gang-”
“Blaine, if you’d like to keep your manhood intact you will not finish that sentence.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply as we sat around a huge table back in our clan hall. Ikelos yelped in pain as Tifa gave him a slap upside the back of the head that strongly reminded me of a TV show I used to watch. After glaring at him to refrain from making any further comments, she turned and spoke in a resigned tone.
“As loath as I am to agree with our resident wiseass, Gehenna only sent you two sets of coordinates. If the spider caverns you told us about were any indication, that's only two out of the six of us… and we don’t even know the extent of what we’d have to do to even accomplish that feat. So… we do need to have this conversation sooner rather than later.”
It was Bray’s turn to speak up and we all turned towards him.
“Spence and I were talking, and we both agreed that we’ll happily help with the two other areas, but neither of us will be partaking in any bedroom activities with you.”
I laughed through my nose and nodded.
“Understandable. How ‘bout the rest of you?”
“You know where I stand, Lady Iphone charger.”
“Tifa? Jade? Ghost?”
Ghost was the first to speak up and he almost had to repeat himself, he spoke so quietly.
“I’m asexual… so I’d very much like to avoid any activities of that type if at all possible.”
“Absolutely. I won’t put you through that then.”
Tifa blushed furiously as we all looked back and forth at Jade and her. She bit her lip nervously.
“C-can you come back to me?”
“Oh sure, Tif, leave all the pressure on me.”
She blushed even harder but as we all laughed it definitely eased the tension. Jade sighed very loudly several times before shrugging and turning to me.
“I was never against sleeping with you, Allie. I did flirt with you for a reason, you know… while it may have been initially to mess with Emily, the way you responded was definitely a turn-on for me. That all comes with the caveat that I won’t do anything that would come between you and Em, though.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, Jade. Allie and I both agreed that I didn’t care who she had sex with as long as it was in-game and solely for the purpose of exactly what we’re talking about.”
Jade nodded at Emily and then winked at me before turning to Tifa.
“Alright Tifa, are you team Abstinence or team Demon Bang?”
Tifa only blushed and whispered something very very softly.
“Can I talk with you in private, Allie?”
I knew that all of the demons and Areandra had likely heard that as well, but they gave no indication of it so as to not embarrass Tifa any further.
“Everyone except Tifa out. Aeryn, Nialla, if I send you both one of the coordinates of the locations Gehenna sent me, would you guys mind scouting them out so we know what to expect?”
They both agreed and set out immediately. The others filtered out of the room and I could see an immense sense of relief on Tifa’s face. I used my demonic speed to rapidly move across the room and took a seat next to the small woman. She let out a sharp gasp as I suddenly appeared next to her. I laughed softly and gave her a warm smile.
“So, what’s up, Tifa?”
“Ithiyoulypretansuptractyoucuzgay.”
“You uh… you wanna run that by me again?”
She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath and held it. When she finally opened her eyes they were nearly brimming with tears. I knew saying anything at this point would make it next to impossible for her to open up, so instead I placed my hand on top of hers and waited for her to work through what she wanted to say to me.
“So… I’ve never had a boyfriend before. Even in high school. Every time I thought about kissing a boy it felt… forced. Like I was only imagining it because everyone expected me to. I grew up in a super conservative household. Not conservative in the traditional sense… My mom and dad are the first in their family to move from China to America. So even though they tried raising me to fit in as much as I could, they still had a lot of customs that most would find… odd. At one point my complete lack of dating led my mother to start talking with one of the other Chinese families that lived in the same building about arranging a marriage for me to the other family’s son. When I found out I sorta… freaked out. I went and stayed with one of my female friends… but that seemed to make how I felt even worse, but I couldn’t figure out why.”
She paused briefly to wipe her eyes. I had a feeling I knew what this was leading up to, and how difficult what she was telling me was, so I gently rubbed her shoulder to show her she was OK.
“Somehow I ended up at my guy friend’s house. This particular guy was… different. He never judged me for my shyness, and he never made a move on me or made me feel uncomfortable. Like… it’s not like he didn’t flirt with girls, I had seen him do it before… shamelessly. But with me… it was different. We really connected over video games, another thing my family would have never allowed in their house, but it was never a romantic connection. He felt more like family to me than my own did. He eventually got me into coding, which I took to immediately like a fish to water. I got so good that I started getting paid for small jobs setting up business websites for some of the Chinese families I was still in contact with. He eventually talked me into going into college and I paid for it with the money I had saved up and from a coding contest I won. I still talked with my parents every now and then, and they always seemed eager to remind me that I was still young enough to find a husband and have kids. I hated the way they pressured me every time we spoke. With Blaine… I never felt that way.”
“Wait. Blaine Blaine?”
I gave her a stunned incredulous look and pointed towards the exit to the clan hall to indicate our fellow clan member. She grinned widely and laughed.
“Yeah, I know, you wouldn’t think he was like that from the way he acts around others. But… I definitely wouldn’t have made it this far without him, he’s like a brother to me. I helped him through several break-ups over the years, but we never once delved into my love life… and I was OK with that. I met Trevor and we talked about him being asexual and all that entailed… while it did feel that way sometimes… it still didn’t quite fit.”
She blushed again and looked down at the table to avoid eye contact. I could see tears in the corner of her eyes so I moved closer.
“Tifa, can I give you a hug?”
She nodded but didn’t look up.
I put my arm around her and pulled her, chair and all, towards me.
“No matter what you’re feeling right now, just know this is a safe, judgment-free zone. I may not know you very well, but I know you well enough to say that you are my friend and I am here for you 100%.”
She nodded and took several deep breaths.
“The reason it didn’t quite fit was ‘cause… unlike Trevor… I did think about sex. Every time I did… All I could picture was my female friend. It felt wrong… and it made me sick because I knew how she’d react if I told her. Worse… I thought about what my parents would say. They would likely never speak to me again if I told them that I… I was attracted to… “
She was having trouble finishing, and given that I had once had a very similar conversation with my parents, I finished for her.
“To other women?”
She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Her eyes flooded with tears and I could feel her pulling away from me slightly. I summoned up my demonic strength, grabbed one edge of the table and lifted it with a single hand, before tossing it across the room. Before she could react I moved down until I was sitting on my knees in front of her so that I was able to look her in the eyes. She jumped and screamed as the table landed with a tremendous crash. I heard the door open slightly as my other clan mates came to check on us, but I quickly shouted out.
“NO! WE’RE FINE! EVERYONE ELSE STAY OUT!”
I took Tifa’s hands in my own and gave her a stern look.
“Tiffany. I have been where you are before. I want you to know that I am proud of you for telling me what you just did. I know how much courage that must have taken to tell me that. I feel honored to be the one you told that to.”
She gave me a slight nod and I could see just the slightest fraction of a smile on her lips.
“I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says or suggests to you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you for being attracted to other women. You’re not a freak, you aren’t broken, and above all… you will never be judged by me. Anyone who tells you differently is in for a world of pain… anyone… OK?”
I had said the word ‘anyone’ with a growl in my throat and I could see that the effect had accomplished what I had hoped. I was actually grateful she had chosen to tell me in the game, as I was able to use my demonic body to really emphasize my point. I was able to properly convey just how protective of her I now felt. Not in any sort of romantic way, but in the same way a mama bear defends her cubs. I smiled warmly at her and waved my hand in front of me to shift my form to my much larger demonic body. I was now sitting almost eye to eye with her, and I pulled her tightly into a hug and just held her against my chest as she sobbed.
“Is it OK if I call some of the others in here? Not everyone. I want your ‘brother’ in here so he can tell you how proud of you he is and show you how much he loves you.”
She nodded against me and sniffled.
“Ikelos! Get in here, NOW!”
I waited a moment and then heard the door open.
“Jesus, Allie… what’s the de-”
He cut himself off and rushed across the room and placed his arms around Tifa. He looked at me and cocked his eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. After a few minutes of holding the small woman in our arms she finally pulled back weakly. Her eyes were red and puffy and streaks of white trailed down her face from where the tears had dried on her skin. She looked up at me and then at Blaine. She gave him a weak smile and he moved closer and pushed his forehead against hers in a soft headbutt. She laughed softly before clearing her throat.
“Blaine… I… I’m…”
“A fan of the ladies?”
She laughed through her nose and nodded.
“How long have you known?”
“Tif… I have known since you told me about having to leave your friend Helen’s place. Well… I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected. Over the years there were little things I noticed that only confirmed my suspicions.”
“Why… why didn’t you say anything?”
“It’s not my place. Just like it wasn’t your mom or dad’s place to try and convince you to marry someone. My place is being at your side as your ever supportive if not incredibly annoying slightly older brother. I knew that you’d get there on your own someday. I’m just glad you were able to find a friend who could help you figure it out.”
She nodded in understanding before taking us both by surprise by grabbing Blaine and kissing him on the lips deeply. She held it in place for a second before pulling away leaving Blaine spluttering in confusion.
“What the fu- Why? Wha- I don’t-”
She laughed and looked at me.
“Yep. I’m definitely gay.”
I laughed loudly as Blaine’s brain still tried to comprehend what just happened. I heard the door open again as several people moved into the room.
“Welcome to the alphabet club, Tifa. We’re happy to have you.”
Bray put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. Emily did the same with her other shoulder and the small woman turned towards her.
“I know how hard it is to do what you just did. We’re all super proud of you. And we’re all here for you.”
Tifa’s eyes misted up a little before she blinked it away and nodded her head. Jade moved close to Tifa and placed her hand on the smaller woman’s arm.
“Tifa… I need to apologize. If I had known you were struggling with this, I wouldn’t have teased you about it. I’m truly sorry for not considering how you might feel about it.”
Tifa shook her head and looked up at Jade.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. If anything… you made it easier for me to sort out my feelings and work up the courage to tell someone.”
The look of guilt on Jade’s face melted into one of immense relief. She beamed at Tifa and laughed softly.
“Well, I’m glad I was good for something then.”
Tifa again stunned everyone in the room by pushing up out of her seat and pushing her lips against Jade’s. The taller woman looked taken aback at first, but quickly leaned into it and closed her eyes. The kiss soon became anything but chaste and as they broke apart I could see the look of hunger on both their faces.
“I have wanted to do that since I met you, Jade.”
Jade, the one who always seemed to have a quip or sharp reply ready, was stunned into silence for a few seconds before blinking several times and giving Tifa an incredibly surprised look.
“I uh… Thanks. I definitely did not see that coming.”
“That’s what-”
SMACK!
Tifa didn’t even have to look at her brother in order to interrupt him with another well-placed head smack.
“Sorry… habit.”
The rest of the room seemed to be holding their breath as this drama unfolded in front of us until Areandra spoke up from the back.
“Allie… why is the table smashed against the wall?”
That seemed to break the tension and we all laughed as I explained what happened. Jade and Tifa excused themselves from the room and as much as we wanted to hear what was going on, we gave them their privacy as we discussed what the remaining members of the clan would do if they didn’t become demons. While I offered my input from a tactical standpoint, I let the others figure it out as I wanted them to choose what to do. They all agreed that the thing that made the most logical sense was to work alongside Raize and his clan to defend the Realmstones. I messed around with the clan system before I was able to send a message that was hopefully directed at Raize. His reply was almost instantaneous and he happily agreed to work with them, but in his words 'I make no promises against trying to poach them from you if the opportunity arises.' I went to message Jade and Tifa but saw that they were both offline, so I opted to leave them be. After Aeryn and Nialla returned, we discussed what they had learned. Aeryn volunteered to go first, as his seemed to be the most inconclusive as to what we would face.
“So, the first couple hundred feet just seemed to be an endless dark void. I had trouble finding the entrance again, so I didn’t push in any further. The whole time I was in there though… It felt like the hairs on the back of my neck were constantly standing up and my demonic reflexes were going into overdrive constantly looking for a threat.”
“Huh. That’s somewhat disconcerting. I’m not sure what to make of that yet… Nialla, how ‘bout you?”
“I only went in far enough to get a feel for what it was all about… but I couldn’t really see much beyond what looked like a flag planted in the raised portion of a giant field. There was this weird language written on the flag that definitely wasn’t something I recognized from a distance. The oddest part about it though was that there were various weapons surrounding the hill like a giant battle had taken place. They all looked to be in relatively good condition, so something recently went down there.”
I tapped my nose a few times as I considered our two options.
“So, we have a cave full of creepy darkness and a massive battlefield surrounding a hilltop and a flag. What do you guys think?”
Ikelos raised his hand and I rolled my eyes before motioning for him to continue.
“I have had my fill of huge protracted battles for a while after that fight in the factories. I vote on creepy darkness.”
Scythe, Bray, and Areandra nodded in agreement, while the others still looked unsure. Emelia gave me a sly grin and raised her hand like Ikelos had done. I cocked my eyebrow at her before motioning at her to tell us what she was thinking.
“The huge battlefield makes me think of a capture-the-flag type thing, only we’re the ones preventing the capture. Having to grind through so many enemies could likely equal tons of XP. Just a thought. But if you all want to go play in the dark I’m more than happy to do that instead.”
“It seems we have a majority… and given everyone’s reasoning I’m inclined to agree anyways. Onwards to the creepy dark cave!”
