Wolf, Sheep, and Shepherd

What the hell am I doing here? Kelly thought, scowling into the restroom mirror. It had been years since she’d attended an anime convention, and too much had changed. She didn’t recognize a single costume anymore, and everywhere she turned con-goers were enjoying some kind of inside joke that was part of their geeky little culture. Pathetic.

Kelly considered herself a scene-girl goddess, her hair dyed a perfect shade of black and her artfully teased bangs cut along an angle to frame the flawless complexion of a fine-featured face. Skilled application of bold eyeliner and daring red-tinted eyeshadow complimented her brown eyes.

Her last time at an anime con was three years ago, when she’d been a senior in high school. Back then she’d been so young and naive—her dazzling, mischievous smile regularly immortalized in dozens of exuberant selfies. Kelly had worn a borrowed costume, the spunky jester assistant of an evil clown, from some barely-remembered comic book thing. The outfit had been downright slutty, and Kelly had been a hit, basking in the radiance of adoration and jealousy from those around her. It had been fun, and although most geek and nerd stuff wasn’t really her thing, she’d had a blast, and planned on attending again.

But, then she’d hooked up with Dale, and childish inclinations like anime conventions had been set aside and forgotten until now. Dale was a charming troublemaker, a bad boy with a band, The Ravaged Cassettes, that was going places. Dale you cheating asshole fucking piece of shit.

Though still gorgeous, to Kelly now the fluorescent lighting seemed to cast a sickly pallor over her skin, and getting her makeup right seemed like more work every time. Being sober always makes me look older and shabbier in the mirror. Fuck.

Scowling again, Kelly gave her boobs an experimental heft in the ladies’ room mirror. Generous C-cup breasts filled her simple black tank top, and dark skinny jeans fit snugly to the curves of her backside. She was without a bra, and it seemed like her puppies were going to slip free and give someone an eyeful if she wasn’t careful. She twisted and turned to see them from the side, pursing her lips. It would be alright... probably. Here, in the brilliant light of the ladies room, you could clearly see her areola outlined, but it wouldn’t be as noticeable out in the convention hall.

I’m not an exhibitionist, I’m just using my assets pragmatically, she told herself. She’d brought her leftover cash to the con, but it wasn’t enough for nights at one of the hotels, or even a convention badge. A little bit of guile and a whole lot of cleavage would help... stimulate the charity of these helplessly geeky convention weebs. If I happen to have a rockin’ bod and love attention, well screw it, that’s just a bonus, she decided.

“It’s... pink,” a girl in pink-and-red dress at the sink beside her abruptly said, snapping Kelly out of her reverie. A blonde, or rather mostly blonde girl was staring through glasses in disbelief at her own reflection in the ladies’ room mirror. She worked her fingertips through her tresses, as if unable to fathom how or why a vibrant streak of color now ran through her blond hair. A fluffy pair of rabbit ears wobbled from the headband she was wearing.

“Pink.”

“...Sure is,” Kelly replied snidely, a look of curious appraisal dissolving into a dismissive smirk as she returned to fixing her eyeliner.

Startled, Stephanie turned to regard Kelly, feeling more than a little intimidated. The heady current of pink desire washing through that girl collided with her bafflement, creating swirling eddies of sensual confusion. Still stupidly holding her hair in front of her, Stephanie gulped. “Um, but w-why is it pink?”

“...The hell you asking me for? It’s your hair,” Kelly sighed, shoving her eyeliner back into the depths of her purse.

“I’m sorry, I’m j-just—” Stephanie was drawing back as if she’d been struck.

“Lemme guess,” Kelly smirked, “You put some cheap shit in for highlights? The generic shit washes out and fades right away, what’d you think was gonna happen? Or... is the color supposed to match that, uh... thing? You’re wearing?”

“No, no,” a flustered Stephanie said, wetting her fingers under the faucet and dabbing at the errant pink locks. “I’ve never... put anything like that in my hair. I’ve never used dye or... anything, like that. It’s just, pink all of the sudden!”

“Shit. Well, sorry,” Kelly said, feeling a genuine pang of sympathy for the shy girl. A year or two ago a friend had gotten wasted at a party and woken up with her head shaved. A prank like that’d never happened to Kelly personally, but that fear and wariness had always lingered.

“You didn’t notice before you left for the con?” Kelly asked, arching an eyebrow as she leaned against the counter with her hip to face the other girl.

“No, it was fine then,” Stephanie said meekly, shoving paper towels into her now damp hair. They were soaking up water but not coming away with any color. “It was normal when I left, I would have noticed because I, uh, put on my... cosplay ears. No one noticed anything at all, until I...”

The slim girl she was facing had been pale as a sheet, but now she blushed and looked away, deliberately avoiding the other girl’s eyes. Okay, this has gotta be good.

“Yeah, ’till you what?” Kelly urged her on.

“I, uh, kissed. Kissed a boy,” Stephanie said, eliciting a peal of laughter from the scene girl beside her.

“Oh my, dearie me, I kissed a boy. Heavens to betsy, whatever shall I do?” Kelly mocked, unable to contain herself. “Well, if he’ll rub crap in your hair while you’re makin’ out, he’s a real scumbag.”

“No, no... he didn’t touch my hair. It just... happened when we kissed?” Stephanie frowned, isolating the pink locks again.

“Just ’happened’ when you kissed, huh? Truuust me, if I lit up in technicolor every time I kissed someone, I’d look like a pride parade by now. Are you for serious? ...Just what are you supposed to be, anyways?”

“Uh,” Stephanie sputtered, flooding with embarrassment. She had never made a habit of talking to strangers in restrooms, this was turning into a particularly odd day. “Flamituff. From Monster Battlers.”

Kelly looked at her in disbelief. “Isn’t that a kiddie game?”

“Uhm, yes. It’s from a game,” Stephanie replied reluctantly, adjusting her glasses. This encounter had cooled the blaze heating her body down to smoldering pink embers.

“Well, uh, yeah... good luck with your hair then,” Kelly said, chuckling as she shouldered her purse. Almost as an afterthought, she gave Stephanie one last, assessing look. “Hey, you wouldn’t be able to spare me ten bucks, would ya? I’m like, juuust a bit short of enough for my con badge.”

Stephanie blinked at her with wide eyes for a moment. “Ah, yeah, I... guess I could?” Ten dollars isn’t a big deal after spending eight on a salad, she thought gloomily. Stephanie’s neatly folded bill was quickly crumpled into Kelly’s fist as they headed out of the restroom.

“Hey, thanks, really. You’re not such a weeb after all,” Kelly laughed as they exited together.

“...Weeb?” Stephanie asked, blanching.

“Uh, weeaboo. You know, anime geeks? Anime geek people,” Kelly said. “Weeaboo.”

There was a cosplayer waiting for them outside, and the downcast bunny-girl she’d met seemed to perk up right away at the sight of him. He was wearing a Fantasy Wars uniform jacket, not an uncommon sight in the convention lobby. But while most of the other cosplayers looked rather shapeless in them, this guy’s solid build filled out the shoulders snugly while the coat sides tapered into a tailored ‘v’ shape on his trim waist.

The foppishly oversized shoulder epaulettes and exaggerated insignias on many of the other jackets were minimalistic and well-proportioned on this one, making his uniform look rather clean-cut and smart, more like actual military attire. With his sexily tousled brown hair, he was pretty spot-on for the character Lance from the series, in fact... not that Kelly would ever admit to recognizing anyone from that nerdy old game.

“Weeaboo? Did somebody just say ‘Weeaboo?’” Brian asked them in a conspiratorial voice.

“Awww, yeah! Wee-a-boo! Wee-a-boo!” a passing pair of nerds on their way to the mens’ room called out in a frat-boy chant.

“I, uh, guess I’m a weeaboo, then...?” Stephanie said, sporting a hesitant smile.

Brian grinned, and began to explain. “‘Weeaboo’ is pretty much a derogatory term specifically for us western anime fans. Since Japanese otaku are already considered scum by their own culture, fans outside Japan are naturally regarded as even lower trash.”

“Uh, wow, just fulla facts, aren’tcha?” Kelly said, giving him a glib smile. Is this bunny-girl’s mysterious romancer? Well... he’s not too bad looking. For a weeaboo.

“Why attend the con if you’re not a ‘weeb’ yourself, though?” He asked, glancing from Stephanie to Kelly curiously.

Kelly snorted. “Long story. Lots of drama,” she answered. “Might not attend anything but the lobby anyways, I don’t have enough cash for my pass! Flammyfluff here just lent me ten bucks, maybe you could spare some too?” She surreptitiously tugged at the hem of her tank top, and the barely-clothed globes of her breasts shifting against one another enticingly. Gawd, these weebs are so fun to tease, she thought, her mood having brightened for some untraceable reason.

“Flamituff,” Stephanie corrected weakly.

“Well... why not? But, tell you what,” Brian said thoughtfully, “Give her that ten bucks back, I can just lend you my spare pass.” He flicked his wrist out to reveal his pair of convention passes and a charm dangling out from his sleeve.

“For reals?” Kelly giggled, eyes lighting up. “Sweeeet!” She eagerly passed the crumpled ten back to Stephanie and grabbed for the offered pass from Brian’s wrist. As she did so, a tiny energy current sparked against her index finger, and Kelly yanked her hand back in surprise.

“Ah, shit, your little pin jabbed me,” she laughed, easily brushing aside the dangling harem charm to see the convention badge more clearly. For a moment the scene girl swayed unsteadily on her feet, a whirling sense of vertigo gripping her. The tilting, off-balance sensation subsided, but burning red stardust blew on an unseen wind through her thoughts, and she felt warm... breathless.

Holy eff, this is a three-day pass! She realized giddily. Am I lucky, or is this guy just...?

Pin? Stephanie wondered as she watched Kelly remove the spare pass. Had that charm been on a pin? She stared at her palm. She’d also felt... something, upon first touching the omamori, and for a pervasive moment it felt like she was overlooking an important clue. The thought passed, her suspicion swallowed up in a pink froth of flame and momentarily forgotten.

“Hey, really, thanks,” Kelly chimed, untangling the badge’s lanyard and slinging it around her smooth neck so that the laminated badge slapped across the bare expanse of her exposed cleavage. “But, what’d ya have a spare for?”

When she finally looked up from the convention pass to Brian, something in her chest tightened. A closer look at her new benefactor revealed the mesmerizing sharp green of his eyes, that seemed both playful and a little cold. Kelly blinked, a little startled. Yeah, uh-oh. This guy looks like trouble. He looks like my kinda trouble, in fact. She felt herself wanting to put her hands on him.

“Pre-ordered passes for me and my girlfriend,” he admitted, “But, she dumped me right before the con.”

“So, you’re single now, huh?” Kelly blurted, looking from him to Stephanie. The blond bunny-girl blushed and looked down, but no one offered Kelly a contradiction. So, this girl’s trying to grab him while he’s on the rebound? ...Interesting. The dark clouds of accumulated frustration that had been gathering over the months seemed to roll away for a moment, revealing the open expanses of a night sky, glittering with red starlight.

“Well that’s... really her loss, then. I’m Kelly, also single!” she introduced herself, letting her hand slide up his arm.

“Brian,” he offered, not seeming as fazed as she’d like. He casually slipped his arm around her. “And you’ve already met my Flamituff, Stephanie.”

“Uh... I have!” Kelly admitted, disarmed—but not displeased by his proximity. The presumption that ‘all geeks are desperate virgins’ collided with the notion of ‘a cute guy with his arm around her’ in a jarring flash of red sparks. Huh. She was oblivious to those red pinpricks of light as they began to descend through her mind like burning fallout.

“So, is this the guy who, you know...?” Kelly asked, flashing a predatory grin at Stephanie and laying a hand on Brian’s chest possessively. Hey, not scrawny at all, either, she discovered.

“What’d I do?” Brian asked.

“Ah! Uhm, yeah, he and... uh,” Stephanie glanced between them, as if looking for permission.

“Oh, it’s nothin’, we were just having a bit of girl talk earlier,” Kelly said soothingly, looking the girl up and down. Reevaluating her.

Cute face, slim figure, she thought. Enough self-confidence to fill a matchbox... without taking out the matches first. Probably some shy, bookwormy-type who’ll have cobwebs forming in her cleavage before she ever actually learns to show it off. What a waste. But, wait, that big ol’ butt of hers... A mischievous spark of red color traced through her mind, as if someone had flicked a lit cigarette into the darkness. Well, let’s get a better look.

“I just love your... Flamituff, was it? Love your Flamituff outfit, do you mind...?” Kelly motioned with her finger for the shy girl to spin so that she could get a better look at her ensemble.

“Ah, yeah, sure,” Stephanie said meekly, eyes flitting to Brian again. Slowly, the shy girl began to pirouette.

The gijinka cosplay she’d sewn was impressively well-tailored to her body. Her narrow waist widened out into broad hips, and as she presented her side profile the small of her back flared out provocatively into the curve of her bottom. The plump swell of her butt caused the hem of her pink and red sundress to rise up in a tantalizing fashion.

Damn, the cutie has some booty, Kelly realized enthusiastically.

“Now, stop there a sec,” Kelly asked, flicking her bangs out of her eyes and leaning towards Brian. “What do you think? Is her ass amazing, or what?”

“Hey!” Stephanie yelped, covering her rear with her hands. “That’s not funny!”

“C’mon, I’m just playin’,” Kelly said calmly. “Your costume actually looks good on you. Really emphasizes your... charm.”

“I wasn’t trying to emph—I wasn’t trying to do that,” Stephanie said defensively, tugging the hem of her dress down again. The bottom edge shot right back to where it had been, her bottom jiggling entrancingly for a second.

Yeah, not bad at all, Kelly thought, feeling warm. Usually, it took some drinking before she would check out another chick, but something about the plush derriere on this sweet little thing in front of her was making her want to just grab it. The urge to squeeze that ample flesh in her fingertips as she pleased, make this bunny-girl squirm. Before she could get a handful, Stephanie spun back around and covered her butt protectively.

“Geez, sensitive much?” Kelly said delightedly. “C’mon, Brian... what do you think about it?”

“I’m... bad with words, so I’ll just have to show her what I think of it later,” Brian remarked playfully.

Not a bad answer, Kelly thought. She’d been hoping to bait him into a comical display of geeky stuttering and stumbling over his words, and he’d disappointed her soundly.

“You’ll, uh, what?!” Stephanie stammered.

“Awesome, be sure to show her good and hard, then.” Kelly said, punching his shoulder lightly. Damn, he probably will, too. She’s totally into him.

“I wouldn’t be a good Monster Battlers trainer if I didn’t,” he agreed, nodding his head with sagely wisdom.

“Wait, you’re going to do what?” Stephanie asked again.

He’s gonna fuck you silly, Kelly thought to herself in amusement. You’re gonna get bent over, and spanked right across that fat little ass. Then, when you can’t take anymore, and you’re blushing and panting for it like a dog in heat... he’s gonna give it to you. You’re the shy little cutesy weeb right now, but I can tell you’re getting yourself all soaked ‘cause of this guy... Kelly stifled a silly grin and felt the blood rush to her face. Or, maybe I’m the one getting soaked...?

“Well, yeah, thanks again for the pass, Brian, seriously,” Kelly said as she broke away from the pair, feeling... heated and antsy. “Now that I have one, I’m gonna check out the vendor’s room. Flammyfluff,” she waved towards Stephanie. “Smell ya later!”

“D-did she just...?” Stephanie looked at him quizzically.

“Quote the rival character from Monster Battler? I dunno... probably a coincidence?” He said, as they watched her recede into the stream of convention-goers entering the vendor’s room.

Kelly prowled into the bustling aisles of the vendor’s room with a sexy sway to her hips, grapefruit-sized breasts bobbing gently with her every stride. She felt good. More than good, she was practically lit. Her dark tank top was already tight and low-cut enough to be risque, and without a bra she should be turning heads with the entrancingly pendulous motion of her bust alone. She’d initially thought it would take hours for her to scrape up enough cash for a badge, but here she was with all access and the convention was only halfway through the first day.

I want to flirt now, she thought to herself, pouting. Where did all the good-looking geeks run off to?

The brightly-colored merchandise heaped on the vendor’s booths and hung from their racks were easy enough to ignore for now, at least. The table fronts were crowded with shoppers and squeezing in to see the wares would necessitate sweaty body-contact with the overweight neckbearded collector-types. An excited, frenetic energy was rippling through her, and in her mind red-hot meteors were screaming down through the night. Parts of her already quavered in anticipation of some good, hard impacts.

Oh, yeah, Kelly thought, biting her lip and scanning the vendor’s room with a heated gaze. I’m gettin’ laid this weekend. No harm in scoping out a lucky romeo now.

After a full circuit around the spacious room and its dozen rows of vendors tables however, she was getting anxious and annoyed. No one was biting. She was even high-beaming, her nipples tenting the thin fabric of her top in eye-catching beads that preceded her wherever she sauntered, and still, not a single dweeb had risen to take the bait.

Kelly huffed, searching through the crowd of convention-goers in vexation. She’d never had trouble luring in guys at bars or concerts. She was getting plenty of attention, guys checking her out—or even staring, but when she made eye-contact they looked away, studiously avoiding her gaze. Whatever, she thought dismissively, small fry aren’t worth my time, anyways. In the end, only a single one of them approached her. A greasy creep.

“Hey babe, can I get a picture?” the chubby older guy in a white navy admiral costume uniform asked, unabashed. His long dark locks were tied back in a ponytail, but his receding hairline simply gave the impression that his hair was abandoning ship. His lecherous half-grin was framed by an unkempt goatee of what could have possibly been pubic hair.

Seriously, I’m not even in a costume? She gave the creep an uncertain smile and flashed two fingers in an awkward victory sign for the shot. That used to be a trendy thing in anime, hope it still passes...? He seemed satisfied with just a photo, thankfully, and left, disappearing back into the swarm of anime fans. The gaggle of short girls in cat-eared hats walking behind her giggled, and she shot them a dirty look.

“Okay, that was gross,” she said aloud, hunching into a more reclusive posture and crossing her arms over her breasts. No need to really fish for guys, I can just scope them out for now. There were geeky guys wandering around aplenty, and so, she began mentally tagging and discarding them by their individual deficiencies.

Wash your face, ugh. She shouldered past a nerd sporting a leather trenchcoat and a bowler hat. And, why are so many guys wearing those stupid ‘Caring is Magic,’ My Friendly Pony shirts?! Her cursory search revealed that there weren’t many guys here who would satisfy her tastes, at least in the vendor’s room. Ugh, wispy mustache, either shave it all or grow in real facial hair.

“Che,” Kelly spat in aggravation. Aren’t there more guys like Brian around here?