Uncompromising Celebration

By Paul Calhoun

In which our heroes find out that working for the school is more interesting than they'd expected. Introduction of yet another love interest for Susan.

Chapter 1:
Cheerleaders

Doctor Latz looked at the three teens sitting on the other side of his desk with a mixture of friendly interest and the low—level scholarly impatience that all high school teachers are legally required to have when talking to students. “You certainly took your time. I also don’t recall saying anything to Susan.”

“The situation has altered,” Susan replied.

“We weren’t too thrilled with the idea at first,” Michael Falkner elaborated. “Once Susan got her own, though, we changed our minds.”

“You mean you realized that you only have one more year before college and you need something to put on your applications.”

“A consideration for the two of us, but not him.” Jane Hayworth agreed.

Latz leaned back. “It’s a bit late in the school year to bring in a new mascot, not to mention three. We’ve got the state board exams in two weeks and summer break after that.”

“We see ourselves more as … a kind of cheerleader.” Jane said. “A mascot is someone who shows up on the merchandise. We’re more crowd oriented.”

“As for the timing, we thought that it might work better that way.” Mike continued. “After all, had we accepted your offer in October, we would have ended up going in with no plan or coordination. As it is, everyone involved can see our routine, decide what should go where and all that. I know how these things are. There’s likely something we’ll consider fine that the school won’t like. It’s the nature of the thing.”

“You have a point,” Dr. Latz said.

“Now, let’s talk remuneration,” Susan said, putting her hands on the desk. “What is our service worth to you?”

“You mean in money? Well, aren’t the college application benefits and club credits enough?”

Susan shook her head. “Sorry, no. If it were just our time, I might be willing to make a deal just on that, but there are other considerations. Wear and tear on costumes, for one thing. The mascot is owned by the school but we’re entering our own property into this. We should at least come out of this making cost for the upkeep.”

“Her lineage is showing,” Jane whispered to Mike.

“I suppose that’s reasonable. What did you have in mind?”

“Supplies are expensive and I’m sure since you’re in charge of activities you know how much your own costumes cost. As you are also well aware, ours are somewhat more advanced.” She tipped her head to the left. “I think we could manage at twenty—five per game. Each.”

“That’s a bit steep.”

“A drop in the bucket compared to what you’ll make on extra ticket sales, I’m sure. In fact, if you want to make it interesting you could instead offer us five percent each of all sales above last year’s. Adjusted for inflation, of course.”

“I think I’ll make it the flat sum.”

“Wise.” Susan reached into her bookbag. “I just happen to have some contracts written up here. You’ll excuse me if I also ask that we go across the street and have these notarized.”

“Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

“As I recall, this year’s prom release was five pages long and required notarization. At least our contract is shorter.”
***

“All I can say is ‘wow.’” Jane said, lying on her back with her tail underneath her, her paws behind her gray—eared head which hung off the bed. “I should make you a bulldog partial.”

“Don’t you dare,” Susan replied, choosing to wear only her ears to their daily gathering in Jane’s room. “I don’t think of it as being a bulldog. I think of it as being exactly what I am. A fe—lupine. Strike true and strike with precision.”

“For the Imperium and all that.” Mike said.

“I actually didn’t get that one,” Jane cut in. “Amazing. OK, references aside, you were magnificent in there. You actually got him to sign a notarized contract.”

“I got enough, right? I wasn’t actually sure how much we needed.”

“I think so.” Jane said. “As long as we’re careful we ought to be all right.”

“Good.”

Mike, who had been lying next to Jane on his front so that his tail could sway in the air behind him said, “I’m actually looking forward to our first meeting with the sports coordinator. I wonder if I can get a cheerleader uniform sized for me.”

“Oh man, I almost forgot!” Jane laughed. “We never did tell anyone who was whom. I bet Latz still thinks I’m the vixen and you’re the wolf.”

“Does that mean I get to change in the girls’ locker room?” Mike leered at Jane.

“Not on your life!” Jane rolled over and whacked his face with her tail. “We’re going to insist on some kind of separate changing area. We’ll need each others’ help anyway.”

“Since all that isn’t until next week, how about we do some more work on our routine this Saturday?” Mike asked. “It’s late enough that I haven’t got much homework. You?”

“We’re fine,” Susan said. “Sounds good to me.”

“In that case, I think there’s something long overdue.” Jane said.

“What?”

Jane pulled a pair of controllers out from under her bed. “Put your paws on. We’re playing furry Mario Kart.”

***
Solvezia, her muzzle between forefinger and thumb, surveyed her two co—performers. “You know what would look amazing? If Wortag cupped his hands and lifted Jamina into the air.”

“Not bloody likely,” Wortag said, shaking his head. “I’m not that strong and these paws aren’t that tough.”

“I’d be afraid of falling anyway.” Jamina agreed.

“Interaction is a good thing to base our performance on, but it would still be nice to have a routine,” Susan said, pulling her head partway off so she could drink straight from her water bottle.

Mike and Jane both sat backwards on chairs, pushing their own muzzles up to their foreheads. “You two could do cheerleader things while I did sports dude stuff.” Jane said.

“I suppose.” Susan replied.

“I understand,” Mike said. “You want something more creative. I think we’re just going to have to go out there and do what comes to us. Maybe the coordinator will have some ideas.”

“I hope so.” Susan replied. “I really want to do this right. Who is it that we’re seeing on Thursday, anyway?”

***

"Good afternoon, Mr. Toplofty." Jane said, shaking the sports coordinator's hand.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Hayworth." Galliant Toplofty responded. "And to all of you." He sat back down behind his desk and looked at each in turn. "Dr. Latz was very insistent that you three would be an asset to us. I'm not sure why we need three more mascots."

"With respect, sir, we're more than that." Susan said. "Our school mascot is a very good performer, but the school can only afford so much. Our methods and equipment allow us to do more. Besides," she said, trying not to smile, "our school is represented by a — forgive me — crude cartoon hawk. We can provide a more elegant product."

"And of course there's the obvious," Mike added. "Sometimes there's more than one game. We make it so that there's crowd interaction at more than one event."

"True," Toplofty replied. "And since Dr. Latz has already signed you, I have no reason not to work with you. I've heard of your appearance at our Halloween event, Mr. Falkner and Ms. Hayworth. I have not heard anything about you, Susan."

"We brought this along for just that reason," Mike said, placing his palm on the integrated video control. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

"Entry number twelve in the novice division." Mike said. On one wall, their masquerade entry with Susan played.

Toplofty nodded to himself as the video ended. "Interesting. I can see what you mean. There are some possibilities to it. How about this, then? We've got some informal meets going on through the summer. I'll start you out on the indoor sports and then we'll see how things go from there. Of course, we'll have to handle a few logistical difficulties."

"We understand," Mike said. "We had some suggestions about changing rooms."

"I would think you could use the locker rooms with the teams and cheerleaders."

"Not necessarily a good idea," Jane said. "We prefer to dress together since we're most familiar with our own costumes."

"That might pose a problem."

"Oh?" Susan said. "We have four locker rooms in this school. Three are ceded to female use. I'm sure the lingering spirits of the yoga and lacrosse gym will pardon our use of the small room on the south side of the gym."

"I suppose we can allow that as long as there's a sign. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of something else. For safety reasons our mascot is assigned an assistant. I think our insurance will insist that you have at least one."

"That might be a problem, sir." Mike said. "Our preparation —“

"I'm afraid this part is non—negotiable. We can't afford the problems if there's an incident."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Jane said.

"As a matter of fact, yes. One of our more ... enthusiastic extra—credit helpers. She's expressed some dissatisfaction with being one of the staff for the cheerleaders and I think she might enjoy your company more. Phoebe Grundle."

"Brown hair, big glasses, kind of on the small side?" Susan asked.

"That's her."

"If it's necessary, we won't argue. At least you won't have to worry about the coed factor, if that's a concern. We always wear plenty underneath."

"It had crossed my mind. I'll tell Phoebe. How about you meet with her over the weekend and come back to talk with me on Tuesday?"

"Sounds good to us. Thank you for your time." Susan said.

"So, what's this Phoebe like?" Jane asked on their way to the bus.

"At a guess, I'd say a submissive personality and genius intellect. I haven't actually met her. It's just that Phoebe is one of those names you grow into."

"You guessed what she looked like?" Mike said.

"Well, yeah."

"That's not very nice."

"I've already been accurate this far. Care to bet on it?"

"Enough, Susan." Jane said. "We'll see on Saturday. Her dissatisfaction with the cheerleaders is already a good sign. Let's hope she's also difficult to shock."

"Worried that we'll bruise her sensibilities, muscles?" Susan asked.

"We don't need someone going off half cocked." Jane replied. "Remember that no one in authority knows which one of us is which. If she is too surprised, she might say something she shouldn't to someone she oughtn't."

"As strange as it may seem, that's a valid concern." Mike said, putting his card through the bus reader. "We're a pretty progressive neighborhood but there are right—wingers everywhere. There's bound to be a parent who will react before they think and make a big deal out of it. Maybe we ought to tell Dr. Latz now."

"No," Jane said. "It's none of his business. Two girls and a guy go into the room, two girls and a guy walk out. It's none of his business if they aren't the same people."

"Mike has a point," Susan said. "You're right in as much as we have a right to privacy, but he has a right to know if trouble might come of this. I'm not too thrilled with a lie of omission that might cause that kind of harm."

Jane sighed. "I know, but if we tell him, he'll tell others and I don't trust the admins' discretion. We'll see Phoebe on Saturday and find out what kind of metal she's made from. If it looks like she's likely to shoot her mouth off, we'll head things off. If not, we sit on it for as long as we can. Or have you forgotten Halloween?" She said to Mike, eyes glittering.

"Oh, yes. The entertainment factor."

It was Susan's turn to sigh. "Fine. First sign that there's going to be a leak and I talk, though."

"We'll all go if it comes to that." Mike said.

"Agreed." Jane replied.

Mike laughed. "It is kind of funny to think of how the cheerleaders and Fashion Club will react. If we do a good job, we'll be popular and yet anonymous." He paused. "They're our biggest threat, then." He began to laugh even louder. "I can't believe I'm talking about threats to my secret identity. I've got a secret identity!"

"Not for long if you keep shouting like that." Susan observed drily. "I still can't believe I'm volunteering for something, though. Even if I am getting paid."

"None of us can," Jane said.

***

They had agreed to meet at Mike's house since it had the most space and fewest obviously strange decorations in the living room. Nora's influence had kept most of Victor's models in other parts of the house.

The doorbell rang at 11 AM almost precisely. "Score one for me." Susan said as Mike went to answer. "Compulsively conscientious."

"That's not a bad thing," Nora said.

Mike had to admit that at least in appearance, Susan was right. Phoebe had definitely grown into her name. Dark brown hair held back with a hairband fell straight down the pale blue blouse she had perfectly tucked into the darker blue skirt which itself fell to just below her knee. Just when Mike was expecting Mary Janes, he was surprised by the heeled sandals she wore. Bright green eyes made contact with his briefly before looking away. "Mike Falkner?" She asked.

"Oh, sorry. Come in." Mike said. "I'm Mike. There's Susan and Jane."

"I know them." Phoebe said. "They're in my math and history classes."

Jane looked briefly at Susan, who hid her surprise at having had classes with Phoebe by standing up and shaking her warmly by the hand. "Hi. Well, since you know us and have met Mike, how about we get to business?"

Phoebe nodded once. "Right."

"Can I get you a drink before you start?" Nora asked.

"No thanks, Mrs. Falkner," Phoebe replied. "I'd prefer to start now."

"You sound a little stiff," Mike said. "Is there something wrong?"

Phoebe shook her head. "Sorry. I'm so used to the cheerleaders."

"Let's hope we're easier to work with than them." Susan said.

"Most of them aren't so bad." Phoebe replied. "But there are a few..."

"Who are in it for the popularity." Jane finished. "I've met them."

They rolled their fursuit boxes into the living room. "I'm not sure what you'll be doing," Jane said. "We can pretty much handle everything ourselves."

"Before we start," Mike said, "there is one thing we'll definitely need. Your discretion."

"You mean that I won't tell people who you are?" Phoebe laughed. "Of course I won't! Nobody I like would care and no one who'd care is worth my time."

"You may feel differently soon." Susan said.

"Quit stalling," Phoebe replied, seeming to gain some confidence from their nervous behavior.

"Fine, fine." Jane said. "She's right; let's go." They removed the clothing covering their lycra undersuits and pulled out their respective bodysuits. The moment she saw Jane with gray fur and Mike with orange and black Phoebe's expression changed to understanding. "I see what you meant. Do Mr. Toplofty and Dr. Latz know?"

"No," Jane said, one leg clad in gray fur and the other still outside. "We felt that it wasn't ... Well, we know it's important and that he has a right to know, but we also have a right not to tell him. Does that make sense?"

"Not really, but I understand what you mean." Phoebe sat on the one unoccupied chair. "You know I have to tell Mr. Toplofty at least."

"He'll tell Dr. Latz, who'll tell Principal Harriman and so on and on until everyone and their sister know." Jane replied.

"Then once it's obvious the secret's out, we'll get canned as an image risk." Susan added. "If it makes you feel better, we've already agreed to tell all if it looks like things are leaking anyway."

"But it won't as long as I keep quiet, is that it?" Phoebe replied. "You might be right." She giggled. "I owe Mr. Toplofty for assigning me the cheerleaders anyway. Plus if it's an open secret that I'm assisting you, and then everyone who wants to know will focus on me rather than investigating independently. I know which airheads will be seething with jealousy and I know they're too small minded to try more than one approach at a time. As long as I resist, they won't think to look elsewhere. AP Psych." She said, looking at the amazed faces. "What? Did you think I was completely in the administrations' pocket? Maybe I was at first, but this teacher's pet is growing up. I'll probably still be the first to tell Mr. Toplofty if it looks like things are going south, but for the time being you can count on me. Satisfied?"

"Quite," Susan said. She stood, the bottom half of her bodysuit already on. She turned her back to Phoebe. "I note three performers and four sets of hands. Would you mind?"

Phoebe tugged on the suit as Susan got her arms into the suit's and pulled the zipper up for her as Mike and Jane helped each other. The zipper stuck slightly as it reached the top and Phoebe braced one hand on Susan's hip to keep the suit steady as she finished. Susan felt Phoebe's hand tighten and her other hand fall down to her other hip. "This fur really feels good." She said, her hand lingering. As Susan turned her head, Phoebe seemed to start and fall backward. "I'm sorry!" She said.

"No, I understand,” Susan replied. "It is really soft," she continued, putting her own still human hand on her sides. She forebore from saying that Phoebe's touch had been pretty pleasant as well. She saw that Mike and Jane had already put on their hand and foot paws and were staring at her. She cleared her throat. "Yes. Let's continue." She put her own paws on, checking to make sure that the twisting pattern of the suit was unbroken. Phoebe, meanwhile, was standing slightly apart trying not to look at Susan.

The three put their heads on and by the time they had all made the final adjustments Phoebe seemed to have recovered. Jamina bent down to rummage in her fursuit case. "I wish I'd remembered to ask for a cheerleader uniform." She said, pulling a sleeveless top and a short skirt out. "A bit full," she said, looking at the skirt. "But it'll do for now." She pulled the top on and stepped into the skirt, looking appraisingly at Solvezia. "I think you'd do better in shorts rather than a skirt."

"You think?" Solvezia asked, twisting around and running her hands along her sides. "Hmm. I believe you're right. What do you think, Phebes?" She asked, turning to Phoebe.

Phoebe gulped. "I think you'd look good in anything, your voices —”

"We forgot!" Jamina said. "Yes, it's better for our characters if we sound right. Me and Solvezia use machines."

"I'm just good at sounding tough." Wortag finished. "Thanks, by the way, for the compliment. I helped build Solvezia."

"You all look amazing," Phoebe said, gratefully taking the out Jane was offering. "Her eyes are the same?"

"Some of my dad's doing," Mike said. "Meanwhile," Jamina added, "I think you would look good in a football or baseball uniform. Not so sure about soccer or basketball." She said to Wortag.

Wortag sniffed. "Is that supposed to be a comment on my size?"

Jamina put her arms around Wortag. "You're my big wolfy hunk!"

Phoebe, meanwhile, had been circling the three of them. "Sizing will be a problem. Do you have a tape measure?"

"I'll get it," Nora said and returned momentarily with the item.

"Let's see." Phoebe took the tape and wrapped it around Wortag's waist, moving on to his legs, arms, back and covering every possible line and angle. She went surprisingly swiftly and rather than protest or question, Wortag merely stood still. When Phoebe finished, she pulled a notebook out of her bag and wrote the figures down. She opened what looked like a magazine and compared the numbers. "Yes. We'll definitely need something custom made if only to account for your tail. Ladies?"
Jamina stretched her arms out and stood with her legs apart. "Go for it." She giggled slightly as Phoebe criss—crossed her body with the tape and looked with interest over her shoulder as Phoebe put the figures in next to Wortag's. Phoebe paged through the booklet again, finally nodding to herself as she closed it. "You're on the tall side, but I think we can do something for you. It helps that you're slender for a — pardon me — male. If the top turns out a little short, that's fine because it makes room for the tail and I think you'd agree that the audience won't mind seeing your midriff."

"Not at all." Jamina said, a little taken aback by Phoebe's brisk and businesslike air.

Phoebe cleared her throat and seemed to be struggling with something. Finally she said, "I hope you don't mind the question. What are your breasts made of?"

"Umm." Jamina was as embarrassed to be asked as Phoebe had been asking. "I'm not sure. You'll have to ask dad..."

"Polyfill core with a ball bearing layer for weight and an outer layer of thick rubber for texture and movement." Victor called from the kitchen. "I know I could have done better over the years but at the time it was the best there was and it's done the job so I never bothered to change."

"So she doesn't need support?" Phoebe called back.

"No, you're fine without." Victor replied. "I never wore one and neither has Mike. It holds up pretty well on its own."

"Right, good." Phoebe circled several items and looked up.

Solvezia was already standing with her arms out and did not comment when Phoebe took a little longer on her. "Before you ask, yes, there is some extra and they're standard silicone. Support is built in." She jumped up and down to prove her point.

Phoebe looked at her book. "You said you'd prefer shorts?"

"Jamina did, but I agree."

"Hmmm..." Phoebe circled one thing and then looked Solvezia up and down again. "I think we'll go with an intentional halter top on you. It fits your image." She smiled wryly. "Experience with the cheerleaders pays off after all." She closed her book and rolled up the tape measure, putting it on the coffee table. "I'll let Dr. Latz know. He does all the expenditures for the department."

"Do you think we'll need to wear our suits when we meet with Mr. Toplofty?" Jane asked, pushing her muzzle up.

"Only if you want to," Phoebe replied, shaking her head. "I'll also see about some other gear when I'm talking to him. If that drink is still on, I wouldn't mind one."

"I'll go," Jamina said. She filled the cups and got out the straws. "Who's going to stay in?"

"Might as well," Solvezia said. "While we're all tarted up, we ought to go out."

Wortag grunted his assent, pulling his muzzle back down.

Jamina took out three straws and rejoined the group. Phoebe nodded to herself. "I thought so. I'll add that to the list. Water bottles, straws and that," she said, seeing Solvezia's curious glance. When she'd finished her drink, she got up. "I should go."

"Wait," Solvezia said. "Do you mind a word privately?" Phoebe looked apprehensive but nodded. Solvezia looked at Jamina. "Mind if I use your room?"

"Go ahead."

When they'd entered and Solvezia closed the door, Susan took her head off and sat on the end of Mike's bed. "Please," she said, motioning to a space next to her. When Phoebe had settled herself, Susan said, "I prefer to be direct and get to these things as soon as possible. I take it that you're ... attracted to me?"

"Umm," Phoebe looked down. "Not quite. Your suit. It's beautiful."

Susan was taken aback. Not sure what to say, she let the silence grow. Finally she said, "So..."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Phoebe said, putting her hand on Susan's knee. "I'm sure you're a great person, but I'm not a lesbian." Susan looked meaningfully at the hand that was still resting on her knee. Phoebe snatched it back. "It's complicated," she said. "I've never felt exactly like this before. I've had crushes on guys, I mean who hasn't? I've never really thought about liking a girl that way. I still don't. I — I don't know what it is."

Susan rose. "Stand up for a moment." Phoebe looked confused but complied. "You're a little smaller than I am. Let's see." She pulled her handpaws off and turned her back to Phoebe. "Unzip, please?"

Phoebe pulled the zipper down and Susan wriggled out of the suit. "Here." She held it out to Phoebe. "I'll help you in."

"But I'm not dressed for it."

"That's OK for now. I note that you don't object to putting it on." Susan grinned as Phoebe sighed and allowed herself to be helped into the bodysuit. She shuddered as Susan pulled the zipper up and put the handpaws and head on. "Everything feel all right in there?" Susan asked.

"It's a little hot," Solvezia's voice replied in Phoebe's tone. She sighed when Susan clicked the nose and turned on the hidden fan.

Susan grasped Phoebe by the shoulders and turned her towards the mirror. "How do you feel now?"

The slightly rumpled Solvezia stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before going into a series of poses. "I want to leap at the mirror," she said. "I know what you were thinking and thank you for the experience. I feel marvelous. I also, however, feel an enormous attraction to myself right now. I think I'm attracted to the suit, not the feeling of being in it." She took the head off and carefully gave it back to Susan. "Thanks again. I don't know how to thank you. You barely know me."

Susan shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You've already done plenty for us. I also felt obliged to find out. As I said, I like to deal with things as soon as I can." She spun the head around and looked into its now motionless eyes. "So, you have an admirer."

"If it makes you feel better, I was a lot more affected by you in it than me."

Susan laughed. "I think it does. Thank you. I'd better get you out of that before someone comes in and gets the wrong idea." She put the head on and winked at Phoebe.

Chapter 2:
Celebrities

"Thanks for the lift." Mike said, getting out of the car and going to the trunk for his fursuit.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you," Victor said.

"Me too." Nora agreed. "Though these tickets are a bit expensive. You don't think you could get us a discount, could you?"

"I'm not even sure I want you here at all!" Mike laughed. "I'm nervous as it is."

"Well, now you can feel nervous with us around. Did you think we were going to miss this?"

"No, mom. I take it the Hayworth's will be there too?"

"You bet your fluffy tail they are." Victor replied. "We even got Susan's mother to show up. She was a little put off by the fact it's an indoor lacrosse game, but we convinced her that if she just watched you three that it would be a valuable cultural experience."

"There they are now," Mike said. "I'll see you afterwards."

"Have a good time now!"

Susan had shared the back seat of Jane's car with her mother and it took a moment for them to haul their boxes out of the overflowing trunk. The thunder of wheels on asphalt had been what clued Mike to their approach.

"So, our big debut," Mike said lamely.

Jane smiled. "I'm not sure whether to feel elated, exhilarated or terrified either."

"I'm putting on a fursuit and dancing for strangers in the service of school spirit," Susan said. "I think astonishment is appropriate."

"Let's get inside before our parents start to push us." Jane replied.

They found Phoebe already inside the small locker room they'd been given. She'd set up drinks, three tall fans and had laid out the cheerleader uniforms for Mike and Susan next to the lacrosse jersey and shorts for Jane. "I haven't had much trouble with the cheerleader outfit for Mike and you're just getting standard gear Susan. Jane, I'm still waiting on a reply on the football stuff but basketball, lacrosse and soccer came in already. I'll give you the other two when you're done tonight." While they were unpacking and arranging their suits, Phoebe continued her briefing. "There's no hurry to get ready tonight. Dr. Latz and Mr. Toplofty decided that since you were a new thing that we'd wait until halftime or whatever it's called before introducing you. I know you were talking about crowd interaction but Mr. Toplofty says to be careful it doesn't go too far. Apparently there are still people who remember an incident over twenty years ago when a halftime got too racy. Somehow I doubt you were going to do anything like that."

"We'll keep it in mind," Jane said drily.

"There's nothing planned for after that, but we want to know how long you can manage indoors, so stay out for however long you feel comfortable. Since you're going on late and probably leaving early we won't have a problem with getting in and out but it may become an issue later. This locker room doesn't have a direct path to the arena so we have to go by way of the cheerleaders' space."

"If I'd known we were going to have to wait, I'd have brought cards." Susan said.

"I can go and find some if you want," Phoebe replied. "I was thinking of going to get a brush anyway. There's no point in wasting the time."

"That's OK, Phoebe. I'm sure we can entertain ourselves."

"Before you go," Jane said, "don't go too far afield for the brush. I know we have the time but I'd feel bad about you going all over the place. That said, it would have to be a very gentle brush. Our fur doesn't grow back."

"Thanks for the concern. I won't go too far and if I don't find something in the school to use, I'll see if I can get it as equipment. Be right back."

"I could get used to having an assistant." Jane said.

"I'm still not too comfortable with the idea." Susan said.

"It didn't exactly float my boat at first, but she's really good!" Mike said.

"Yeah. I think there's something more complicated than discomfort with being assigned a gopher, though." Jane said, looking sidelong at Susan. "So? What's the deal?"

"Well..." Susan looked at the door as if expecting Phoebe to come back in at any moment. "I'm not sure I should be the one telling you about this. Then again, you saw plenty and probably came to the wrong conclusion."

"When it comes to the three of us, I try not to come to conclusions." Jane said. "I did once with Mike. Imagine how much greater the embarrassment would have been when it turned out we went to the same school."

Susan took a deep breath. "It's like this. Phoebe is... She's sort of... She's in love with Solvezia. Or at least strongly attracted. She says she's never been interested in girls before."

"Not an uncommon phenomenon. At least loving the character but not the player," Mike said, getting a surprised look from Jane. "What? I've been in the fandom for almost six years even if mom wasn't comfortable with me going to cons until a year ago. I know the score pretty well."

"He's right," Jane said. "Solvezia is a very compelling personality. In addition to being close to the cutting edge of performance technology, she was also created by a mind already trained in eliciting intended reactions and constructed by someone with experience in maintaining an illusion. I'm less worried for you than for her. You've got some experience in the field and us to help. She's probably never had to forcibly separate her fantasies from her reality. It doesn't help that your performance blurs that distinction."

"Isn't this like when I got Solvezia, then? Won't she get used to it?"

"Not necessarily," Jane said. "You own Solvezia. You could wear the suit when you wanted and define the character as you needed. She'll be working with you, but she'll see you on your own terms. There won't be the doubts or the feeling ridiculous of someone getting into character. She'll be on the outside looking in.
"I don't want to go overboard, but that's how I see it. She's got a strong mind and probably can work her way through on her own, but I think we owe her friendship, empathy and emotional assistance. She's already gone beyond what she needed to do for the sports department and did a personal favor by not bringing our gender issue to admin. Plus we put her in this position even if we didn't know we would."

"OK, OK. I know I'm the one who'll have to bring it up." Susan said. "When you say 'we' you mean I start the ball rolling and you give me support. Excuse me if I wait until after we've finished for the day."

"I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait. I mean, should we be getting ready?"

"Let's wait for Phoebe," Jane replied.

Phoebe returned fifteen minutes later with a very bristly brush and a portable hotspot. "At least I can get you a connection in here," she said.

"You're doing so much tonight that I wonder what you'll be doing in our next appearance." Jane said.

"It's always good to be prepared. Is this a good brush?"

Jane ran it through her own hair several times and looked at it. "It's not picking anything up and mine is in worse shape than Wortag's. Seems fine to me."

"You'll be on in about forty—five minutes."

"That gives us about fifteen before we have to get ready." Mike said. "Stratagema?"

"Ugh. I never know how you can like that thing." Jane replied.

"I think I'd better check on my mom," Susan said. "I've heard Lacrosse is a pretty vicious game. I need to make sure she knows we'll be in soon and she can uncover her eyes."

When Phoebe let them know it was time, they began getting into their bodysuits. Before they put on their hand or foot paws, the three tried on their uniforms for the first time. Mike found that the top of his cheerleader uniform reached to just above where his navel was under the orange belly fur of his suit. This meant that once he'd tucked the short skirt just under his tail, the tail moved as freely as it did when he wore his specially tailored dresses or nothing at all.

Susan's own outfit clung to her chest, leaving everything just below her fur covered breasts down to her tail unclad. The shorts were as tight as the top and would have left little to the imagination if not for the fact that her suit was padded down there almost as much as Mike's, so in fact the shorts added to the impression of curves.

Jane had been given a jersey and shorts sized to her larger frame. They hung as loosely on her as they would on one of the players outside. As she pulled the jersey over her head, Mike laughed. "What?"

"Your player number is forty—two." Mike replied.

Jane looked quizzically at Phoebe. "I'm surprised you knew that."

"It's my job."

"You're going to make one fearsome executive one day."

"I actually want to be a teacher." Phoebe replied, looking down.

"You'll have the best behaved class in the county." Susan said.

They put on their paws and heads and looked at the clock. Still fifteen minutes to go. Jamina jumped up and down experimentally and did a few twirls and kicks. "I feel so perky!"

Wortag doubled over with laughter as Jamina continued to try to make letters with her body. "It's too bad you don't have pom—poms."

"I've got my tail!" Jamina replied, pulling it around and gesturing with the end. "On the other hand, it might not be such a bad idea."

"If you want, I'll see if I can procure some for next time." Phoebe said.

"It can't hurt." Solvezia said. "We could both practice and see if they would help. Although perhaps my proper accessory would be a boa or feather fans."

"Down girl!" Wortag laughed. "Remember we aren't supposed to be too suggestive."

"If they leap at me, it's hardly my problem now is it?" Solvezia sniffed.

"Time to go," Phoebe interjected. "We need to get you to the door with at least five minutes to spare."

They padded through a door in the back of the locker room and through a narrow hall. On the other end was another door leading into a larger locker room. Clothes and bags littered the floor, being watched by a bored looking platinum blonde in shorts and a cast. "Make way for the furball brigade." She said. "Oh, and one ingrate traitor."

"Darci." Phoebe said, not stopping.

"Jealous?" Solvezia asked, putting her hand on her hip.

"Of a costumed weirdo?" The injured cheerleader glared at Solvezia. "You're probably one of those unfortunate ugly girls who sit in the corner of the lunchroom. Why else would you have to hide your face?"

"I might be," Solvezia said. "But think about it this way, what if I'm not? Why are we making our first appearance at a lacrosse game? Maybe I'm a member of the Fashion Club and he's a football player." She pointed to Wortag.

"Please. Football players only date cheerleaders and I'd know."

Jamina put her arm around Wortag. "I'm dating him. Do you know where all the cheerleaders were last Halloween? I remember seeing you at the party, but did you see everyone else? Fashion Club members would never come to a lacrosse game and neither would football players. We could be anyone." She twitched her skirt with one paw. "Funny, I could be you. Imagine if a rumor went around that you didn't break your leg at practice last month but pretended to so you could slip into a vixen suit and join your boyfriend in entertaining the crowd." With a last swish of her skirt, Jamina followed the others out of the room.

"Nice one," Wortag said. "The logic of what you two said is just poisonous enough to be believable but not so convoluted that no one would believe a Fashion Club member would come up with it. I'm not sure I like spreading rumors though."

"I'm not going to say a word," Jamina said. "She'll do the work for us. That poor girl will ask her friends in a nervous way whether they heard the rumor or try to violently deny it. Either way, they'll hear it from her first and spread it themselves. It's close to summer vacation, so the rumor will not have been proved either way before we go on break. By the time break is over, people will come back to school with the idea as fact. It's not fair to her and I'm sure what she said will be echoed by others. Then again, she said it to our faces — figuratively speaking — and that kind of poisonous attitude is hardly deserved by us."

"If the self—congratulations and moral debate are over, you're almost on," Phoebe said. They were in a wider hallway now with double doors right in front of them. They could see bright lights leaking from between the doors. "The cheerleaders will do a routine first and then you'll be introduced. When it's time, I'll give you the signal and open the doors. Do your thing for maybe five minutes and then the game will start again. I'll open the door and give you a sign when that's supposed to happen. You can go on for as long as you like on the sidelines and I'll be waiting here when you start to feel your limit."

A moment later there was a loud buzzer and an announcer calling half time and introducing the cheer squad. All the four in the hallway could hear of that was an unfocused soprano beat. When this ended, Phoebe opened the doors. "You'll be announced in a moment so get ready."

"That was Fredrich Von Brussels High School's own cheerleader squad. Now a special event. For the first time ever we are excited to introduce a trio of students who we think will really liven things up. Give a big welcome to Jamina, Solvezia and Wortag!"

It was more than the normal performance in suit. The moment they stepped onto the polished court, every trace of Mike was gone. Only Jamina remained and even she was caught up in the rush she felt when she looked out at the crowd cheering and clapping at the sight of the three costumed teens. Jamina bounced up and down, skipping to the center of the court. She saw their parents in the crowd and waved for a moment before Wortag picked her up and twirled her. "Steady, Mike," she heard Jane whsiper. "Remember our secret identities."

Jamina nodded and then giggled. "Is everyone here having a good time?" She called into the audience and received a roar in return. She put her arm around Wortag and watched as Solvezia did the light gymnastic routine she'd been practicing. When Solvezia had finished, she danced with Wortag. Solvezia leaned over and said, "Phoebe says one more minute."

Jamina spied a cheerleader who had put her pom—poms down and left to get a drink. Scooping them up, she threw one to Solvezia and held her hand, the other holding the pom—pom as Solvezia did the same. They waved them and threw them back. Wortag, meanwhile, had leaned over the railing and was having a conversation with a girl Mike recognized from one of his classes. Not to be outdone, but she and Solvezia sat on either side of a pair of the lacrosse players and said a few things Jamina couldn't remember later on. They contrived to look disappointed when their 'boyfriends' had to get up to go back to the game, but cheered from near the doors as the game started again. When their team scored a point, Jamina jumped up and down and hugged Wortag as Solvezia struck a pose. They hung on for another ten minutes, reacting to scores on both sides with the appropriate movements and cheers before ducking back through the doors. Before they could go a step, Phoebe had stuck straws through all three of their muzzles and pressed the cups into their hands. "Can't have anyone passing out on their first show, can we?" She asked as she guided them back. The injured cheerleader threw them a look but Wortag just made a rude gesture for the three of them and kept walking.

By the time they'd shed and cleaned their suits and recovered by draining their cups several times the game had ended. They met their parents outside and took their praise with tired but dignified acceptance. Susan's mother said it was worth sitting through that violence to see her. On their way back, Mike leaned into the front seat and asked, "Why didn't you wear Saliaven or Thrakmon, by the way?"

"Upstaging is for when you're established." Victor said. "Maybe this fall."

The next day conversation in the hallways was about their appearance and little else. Most of the male students were arguing over which of the two females was better looking and who the wolf might have been. The females were mainly trying to ferret out the identities of all three and strenuously denying any hint that it might have been them or their boyfriends there. This continued into an argument between many of the couples when the females found out that the males were attracted to 'those hairy things.'

Naturally Mike, Jane and Susan were left out of these conversations as they were never invited to chat gossip and never wanted to. The looked on with some amusement as a remarkably loud fight ensued when one of the Fashion Club noted that the cheerleader with the broken foot had not been seen at all during the game and that her cast would have easily fit into an oversized paw. This was met by the cheerleaders defending their injured member and asking how many members of the Fashion Club had been seen and where the day before. By the end of that, both sides were suspicious of the other and half of their own, and had stalked off with a gleam in their eye to interrogate their respective boyfriends. Just in case. All of them had descended on Phoebe at one time or another, but all she would say was, "Of course I know who they are. Anyone with half a brain could figure it out without my help. It's just so obvious."

Since she was ex—cheerleader staff, that only made the Fashion Club more suspicious. Given the circumstances of her resignation, the cheerleaders were all the more sure it wasn't any of them. The injured cheerleader and the one who had been gone and had her pom—poms borrowed were interrogated mercilessly by their friends but then defended if asked anything by anyone else.

"We've really got the hornets angry now," Susan observed at lunch.

"Good." Jane said. "The longer they stay that way the better off we are. It's too bad we can't eat with Phoebe, though."

"I don't like hanging out with the honor society anyway." Susan said.

"And we can't be seen with her too much or people would guess." Mike added. "None of us quite fit the profiles, but the witch—hunt won't be too discriminatory if it can find a scapegoat."

"The witches hunting the witches," Jane said under her breath.

"I could limp a little at the next game if you want," Mike said.

"No," Jane grinned. "I think this summer will be fun enough without intentionally causing trouble."

Epilogue:
Indecision

"Hello, Susan," Phoebe said. "Where's everyone else?"

"I thought it would be good if we talked alone," Susan said. "Please come in."

Phoebe looked around as they ascended the stairs towards Susan's room. "This place is —"

"A moldering old ruin?" Susan asked. "Mom's taste."

"It's romantic!" Phoebe said. "It's like being in a history book."

Susan opened the door to her room. "I hope you like this as much."

Phoebe stood silent, her eyes running over the wall opposite Susan's bed. Susan quietly closed the door and stood behind her. "So this affects you as well?"

Phoebe's eyes were locked on the array of paintings, drawings and other assorted images of Solvezia. "She's so beautiful."

"You can see why I like to become her." Susan said. "Though I'm sure you understood that already. I'm glad you appreciate my inner beauty." That was enough to make Phoebe turn towards her. "I couldn't make myself over into anything that isn't a part of me. Not for the first and maybe only suit. I've spent my life climbing around old temples and traveling through every kind of nature. I've often wished I could feel more comfortable padding through forests or up ziggurats that may as well be rocky hills. Solvezia is at home in those places as much as she is with her demonstrative emotion. She's attractive, knows it and lets everyone else know it."

"But you're—" Phoebe began.

"I know I'm not too hard to look at. I've had a relationship or two even this early. Like Mike and Jane's, my other side is really just a larger than life version of me. Me with the traits I like best in myself magnified." She shook her head. "This isn't about me. It's you. Maybe this has helped but the question remains. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Phoebe shrugged. "Maybe just ignore it."

"When you work with her, help her dress, see her out there every game we do? You may be that strong, but it is not fair to make you do that."

"It seems we're at an impasse then." Phoebe said. "I am not going to stop being your handler just because I'm attracted to Solvezia." Her tone was ironic. "Trust me; I can handle myself too."

"It would look weird if we went on a date like that."

Phoebe tilted her head. "Maybe in most places, but we both know there are some we could go."

"Now listen here! I'm not going to go out with you if I have to wear a fursuit to every single one!"

Phoebe laughed, "Think of it as being properly dressed for the occasion."

"There's a difference! You wouldn't be dating me in a fancy skirt. You'd be dating a character I portray with me just along for the ride."

"Be consistent, Susan. You said yourself that Solvezia is the idealized you. Don't you want to put your best face on for a date?"

"Not when that face has whiskers!" Susan was laughing by this point herself.

"Fine. I'm straight anyway."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"You three weirdoes don't have a monopoly on being unique." Phoebe said.

"That's for sure." Susan agreed.

"This doesn't really fix our problem."

"I know."

"I guess I could be bi."

"And maybe I could go as far as joining you at a certain club I know that I can wear Solvezia to. As long as the second date is gloves and a tail at most."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Saturday night?"

"Love to."

"I'll see you there." Susan reached up and pulled down a printout of Solvezia sitting on a hilltop and looking at the moon. "Here. Maybe she’ll have a companion soon."