When Val met Jess, part 1
#7 of Stories
This is the first part in a 3-5 part long fictionalized story that will tell how I realized I had a liking for more than 1 gender. It is inspired by real life events and people, but names have been changed of course. The characters are all anthros, mostly dragons. This part is just a introduction and doesnt really contain any hot stuff. There will be more of that in part 2, I promise.
[ Part 2 coming soon... ]
Happy Pride Month! <3
WHEN VAL MET JESS
This story is dedicated to a special someone. Your life and your story was a great inspiration to me, and you helped me see so much of you, of the world; and of myself that I never would have otherwise. You changed my life in a way that no one else could, or would. I owe you my life for that one. Love, your Val.
This story is inspired by real life events. The characters and locations are fictionalized, and are presented with changed names.
So far in her life, Valcyrie had lived a fairly isolated life. She had grown up as a country girl, a simple life on her parents' farm. She had been a hand for about as long as she could walk. Of course she hated the chores, but what needed to be done, needed to be done, and someone had to do it. If that meant harvesting berries or watering the animals, so be it. Child labour was never considerd by anyone. It was just a natural part of life.
So much had changed for her when she was older and came into the big city to attend college, Bolander's. She remembered her first days so well to this day. She met so many different people. There were so many different styles, subcultures and ideas. Most of her classmates would give her peculiar looks. Here was a girl in baggy cargopants, a loose fitting t-shirt and a hoodie, surrounded by fashion lions, emos, goths and skas. There were even the classic rockers with knee-cut jeans, t-shirts with arms torn off, and leather jackets. Never before in her life had Valcyrie seen muscly guys with tatoos, long hair and beards. The rattling of their chains, the smell and creaking of their leather jackets... already from the second day, they had Val transfixed.
It was also here that she learned about subcultures and how important it was to identify with something to fit in. To be part of a group that was loyal to eachother. Due to her clothing when she first came to Bolander's she was quickly - without really being talked to or asked - pulled or placed into the group of hip-hopers, rappers and gangstas. This was however not a group of people she was particularly fond of. All of them seemed so extreme to her. Among them were everything from femen feminists who ran bare-chested through school corridors until security pulled them out, to militant leftists who dealt with drugs and carried weapons on school grounds. No matter how she tried, Valcyrie could not identify with the people she had been placed with. She needed a change and she already had her eyes set on a certain group. Her eyes had been drawn to them since day one. She loved the style, the music they played, how they were sitting outside on the lawn during breaks, drawing and writing poetry. There was a sense of free spirit around them that she really admired. That's what she wanted - to be free, do as she wanted and be artsy, everything she had been laughed at for before.
That afternoon after school, instead of heading home, Valcyrie went downtown and onto the lit shopping street. She visited the makeup store, several clothing stores and leatherworkers. That night, as she were alone at home, she went into the bathroom, opened the small box she had bought today and for the first time in her life, Valcyrie dyed her hair. After that she went to the workshop, took a piece of steel wire, bent it around the anvil and hammered it into shape. Then, with a pair of pliars, took up the tiny steel ring she had made and slid it up her nose before clamping the pliars down. It stung a bit, but as she went back inside the house and into the bathroom, she looked into the mirror and grinned. A nice steel nosering sat in place, and instead of a curly blonde angelic hair that she had had since she was a toddler, were raven black curls that framed her face neatly. She grinned.
The next day in school she came walking up the path where her usual friends sat. They looked up and didnt even recognize her until she was passing them by. Only then did one of them jump up. "Val! What the fuck have you done?!"
Valcyrie grinned back at her friend. "I changed my style." Her friend just stared at her, not being able to grasp what she saw. To them, this was a form of betrayal. All of them stared at her, no one said a word. Val made a small curtsy, lifting her long black cloak as if it had been a skirt.
"I like the change," Valcyrie said. And that would be the last words she ever said to that group of friends. She turned on the spot, her heavy leather boots clacking against the pavement as she strolled off. She went into the cafeteria, where she knew a group of them were always hanging out.
The group sat around a small round table, chatting and drinking coffee or Jolt Cola. They looked up at the stranger suddenly standing next to them. She wore a pair of black shiny military leather boots, only tied halfway up. A pair of black tights ran up the long slender legs until they met a red skirt, which then met a black top with a celtic cross, all surrounded by a long, black coat with a waist belt. Around her neck was a black leather collar with a silver pentacle hanging from it. Silver rings covered her fingers and her claws were blood red. Long black bangs hung around her snout and in one of her nostrils gleamed a shiny metal ring. Her lips were dark red and curled into a small smile, her piercing blue eyes glowing under the bangs. Over her shoulder hung a black leather handbag with metal spikes and studs.
The fellow goths around the table all looked at her in silence for a moment. There was a tall red drake with a tasteful chinspike wearing a top hat. Two smaller dragonesses, one red and one black wearing almost identical clothing, their ears filled with piercings. There was also a white dragoness in fishnets and leather skirt, wearing a black cloak around her shoulders, her hair red on the left side and purple on the left, split in half by a red headfin. Just like Valcyrie, she had a nosering and she wore some really tasteful makeup. Valcyrie felt a small churn in her stomach at the sight of her. She was so pretty, and just last year had Valcyrie realised that she was bisexual.
The goths around the table then - almost as one - moved their chairs to give space to the newcomer. Valcyrie grabbed a chair from nearby and sat down, placing the handbag in her lap. The drake in the top hat cocked his head at her. "I do not believe we have met before...?" He raised a eyeridge. Valcyrie felt her heart skip a beat, her stomach churn from nervousness. She nodded at first before daring to look around the table, meeting the gaze of each and everyone of them. "My name is Valcyrie. I am fairly new here. Freshman." The drake nodded and reached out a paw to her. She took it, and they shook paws. "My name is Edward. It is nice to meet you, Valcyrie." "The same... my Lord." Valcyrie smiled shyly. Edward rose his eyeridges in surprise, then grinned and nearly laughed. "Oh I am not a Lord, madame. But thank you very much for such a gracious compliment." He tipped his hat at her. Valcyrie noticed that he too was wearing makeup, something she found surprising and good-looking. "We were just talking about creative writing and poetry. Would you like to take part?" Edward asked her. Val noticed a tasteful black cane with a snake head resting against the table next to him. Val shook a curl of hair off of her snout.
"Nevermore," she said and smiled. It took a moment and then they all laughed. Edward leaned back in his chair and gave the newcomer a curious, evaluating look, lifting his cane and putting it across his lap.
"You were a gangsta, weren't you?" Valcyrie shook her head, then spoke. "Well... no, I mean, not really. I just wore those clothes because they were practical... I don't live in the city, I come from the countryside. You need cargo pants on a farm."
The other goths looked at her for a moment.
"Well, tell us about who you are. What do you like to do in your spare time?" Edward asked her.
"Well... I do have a lot of chores at home... but I like building stuff. Crafting. Working with my hands. I like to draw a lot, too." "You draw?" Edward asked. "Do you have anything to share? We love art."
Valcyrie blushed but nodded. "I'm not really that good... but... I have something." She opened her new purse, which was rather big, and from it pulled a sketchbook and placed it on the table. Edward gave her a quick look as if to ask if he could open it. Valcyrie nodded. Edward opened the book in the middle of the table and started to browse through it. There were swords, suits of armour, attempts to draw dragons that were out of proportion, or looked strangely stiff.
"Look, I know it sucks..." Val looked down at the floor.
"Actually, this aint half bad," Edward said. "I cannot draw better myself." He closed the block, and the white dragoness picked it up and started to look through it while Edward changed his focus to Valcyrie.
"It looks like you fancy medieval history?" Valcyrie nodded. "My dad is an archeologist, and has shown me around a lot. I do find history incredibly fascinating, especially knights and the feudal society."
"Curious!" Edward replied. "I do like history myself, but as you might guess, I favour the Victorian age."
Val smiled and nodded. "I noticed. Not just the top hat and the cane, but the shirt with the ruffle as well." Edward nodded and gave her a "not bad" facial expression. He then aimed his paw around the table, pointing at each person in turn. "You can call me Ed. The black ness here is Chip, and the red one Dale. The wh-"
"Chip and Dale?" Val snorted with laughter. Ed smiled and nodded.
"Such is the name they go by. One could think they are twins, but they are actually unrelated. Only... disturbingly good friends." Chip and Dale looked at eachother, grinned, giggled and blew kisses at eachother. Valcyrie couldnt help but smile at the scene. Seeing such openness never happened where she came from.
"And this is Jess," Ed continued, and pointed at the white ness who was still browsing through Valcyrie's drawing block. "She is absolutely badass. Be careful with her." "Why?" Valcyrie asked. Ed grinned.
"She, uh... she takes what she wants." He grinned at Valcyrie and winked. Valcyrie felt herself blush and helplessly eye the pretty dragoness that sat across the table from her. She then nodded.
"You guys can call me Val." "Welcome, Val." Edward reached out his paw to shake hers again. "You seem like a nice lady." Val blushed a bit at being called lady, when she heard a suggen gasp. Everyone looked over at Jess, who was the one to have uttered the sound. The dragoness put the block down on the table. A loose drawing that had been tucked into it laid across it. There was a drawn picture of a blue drake taking a certain black dragoness from behind. Val felt her cheeks burn red hot, the others all stared at it, then stared up at her. Edward tried to hold back a cocky smile and stifled a laugh by forcing a cough. Chip and Dale started to giggle maniacally and whisper with eachother while Jess gave Val a long and curious look, a smug grin on her face. Val felt that she wanted to just sink into the ground and disappear. A first meeting could not have been more awkward. Thankfully, Edward turned out to be quite the gentleman as he leaned in over the table, carefully put the erotic drawing into its place, closed the block and slid it over to Val who quickly stuffed it back in her purse.
"Do not worry, Val," he said and gave her a warm smile. "We all enjoy some erotica sometimes. We don't judge."
Val gave him a weak smile.
"I'm sorry I did that, that was rude of me."
Val looked up. It was Jess who had spoken. She was now looking at Val and reached out a paw to shake hers. Val took her paw in hers and shook it carefully. Jess' fingers were sleek, soft and her claws sharp and well trimmed. Even her hands were beautiful. Val realized she had been holding on for too long when Jess pulled her hand back, which made Val blush even more.
"After school we are all heading downtown for some tea and ice cream by the river," Ed broke in, saving Val one more time. "Would you like to join us, Val?" More than thankful for the opportunity and that she was still welcome after that awkward moment, Val nodded. "Yes please, I'd love to." "Excellent!" Ed smiled at her. "Why dont we meet up here when w-" Just then the bell rang. It was time for class again. Ed stood up and the others soon followed suit. He bowed to Val and took his hat off before he stood back up.
"Let us meet here at 4 o' clock, shall we? And we can stroll down to the river together." Val nodded again.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Valcyrie," Ed said and grinned.
"It was a pleasure to meet you too, my Lord," Val replied. Ed chuckled and nodded, ajusting his top hat with a nudge of his cane.
Val looked after the group of goths as they headed off to their classes. She remained seated for a while, pondering all that had just happened. Over all, despite the awkwardness, the meeting of her new group seemed to have gone fine, and she was very much looking forward to seeing them again this afternoon. Especially Jess, whom Val couldn't quite take her eyes off of. Edward was something unique too, she had never met such a classy and well-behaved boy, who at the same time was so kind and humble. They seemed like a really nice group. As Val looked after them, she saw Jess turn her head and look back at her. Val staggered and saw Jess crack up a cute, mischievous smile. And Val realized that Ed's warning about the alluring Jess may have come too late. She already had Val around her finger.
_ End of part 1. _