Volume 10 - Extending Family, Chapter 73 - A Tremendous Thing

Mara had used her scheduled MMO raid to get out of an awkward conversation with her mom, but the raid didn't go well either. She and her guildmates were up past midnight, trying and failing to defeat the boss of the dungeon. When they finally gave up for the night, she told her guildies that she wouldn't make the next night's attempts. They were very disappointed, at least until she mentioned that it was because of her birthday party.

"Ding!" one guildie cheered.

"Grats, Mara!" said another.

"Happy birthday! Let us know what cool stuff you get."

"Though it'll probably just be shoes, or whatever boring stuff girls get for their birthdays."

Mara replied, "Thanks, guys. Seeya online in a couple days!"

She took off her headset and looked down at her carapace-covered pedipalps and the pointy 'feet' at end of her eight legs. She pondered that last comment, Shoes, huh? I guess they all think I'm a regular human girl. No one knows you're a spider on the internet…

Mara powered down her PC and crawled down from her desk chair. Should I tell them I'm an arachne? Would they believe me? …Would they still like me?

She stripped off her many socks and climbed into bed, where Tsuen was already sleeping like a rock. A big, warm, fuzzy rock. As Mara snuggled up between Tsuen's front legs, Mara thought, Whatever. I've got bigger things to worry about… like how to get Mom to like Tsuen…

When Mara awoke, she was alone in the large bed, but that was typical with Tsuen's early-to-bed-early-to-rise schedule. Mara shivered a bit in the chilly room, longing for her warm and cuddly lover. As she climbed out of bed, she decided, It's my birthday, so I'll do what I want. I'll wear my favorite clothes, eat my favorite food, and I'll deal with Mom later…

Mara grabbed a comfy, frilly blue t-shirt, matching arm warmers, a black skirt, and some white panties with a kitten on the front. Then she picked out four pairs of socks and a fifth kitten-themed pair for her pedipalps. Still wearing her baggy sleep-shirt and with her arms full of clothes, she shuffled off to the bathing room.

Her bath was uneventful, giving her time to think, or in this case, to stress about her mom. Despite her desire to deal with her mother later, she couldn't help but worry, How can I get her to like Tsuen? It seems like the only time she's open minded about other liminals is when grandkids are involved, and I'm pretty sure Tsuen and I can't make any little spider-horsies.

After fretting and fidgeting for a while, Mara got out of the bath and dried off. Then she got dressed in her carefully selected outfit and made her way to the kitchen.

She rounded the corner and saw Tsuen sitting on her haunches next to the table, wearing those same cozy pajamas as the day before. Mara said, "G'mornin', Tsuen. It was chilly in there without y—" She cut off when she saw who else was at the kitchen table.

"Oh, hi, Mom."

Eria was wearing snug red flannel pajamas, plain white socks on all her feet, and a genuine old-fashioned nightcap over her shoulder-length green hair. Her chair was turned sideways to make room for her yellow abdomen behind her. "Good morning, Mara, and happy birthday," she said cheerily.

"Happy birthday!" Tsuen echoed.

Seeing her mother and Tsuen talking had Mara immediately on edge. This can't be good. Maybe I can diffuse this… "Thanks. Where's Missulena at?"

Eria smiled broadly. "Oh, she's with Iormu and Pwess. Iormu was happy to watch her for me for a bit."

Mara cringed. I need to get Mom away from Tsuen. "What about the other girls?"

"Still sleeping. They stayed up too late playing that video game you set up for them. I found Murina passed out with the controller still in her hand this morning." Eria was watching Mara's face closely, and she asked, "What's with the curiosity, Mara?"

"N-nothing. Just wondering," Mara stammered.

"Oh, that reminds me. I was curious about something," Eria said offhandedly. "Tsuen here"—she gestured with a couple legs in Tsuen's direction—"mentioned that you two are sharing a room. Is that just to make room for me and your sisters?"

Damn. I bet she knew that even before Tsuen told her. Mara never could keep hide things from her mother. After raising so many mischievous daughters, Eria seemed to have a sixth sense.

Mara swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say, but then Tsuen acted first. She admitted, "No, we shared a room before that."

Eria's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Oh? May I ask why?"

Mara looked around the room for an out, some escape from the awkward time-bomb of a situation. Finally, she darted up and grabbed Tsuen's hand and pulled. "Sorry, Mom. No time to talk. I have something important to deal with, with Tsuen."

As Tsuen was tugged away from her half-eaten breakfast, she smiled and said, "Sorry for the sudden departure, Eria. It was really nice talking with you."

Mara pulled Tsuen all the way to their bedroom, which was quite a challenge due to her socks' lack of traction on the wooden floor. Once the door was securely closed behind them, Mara let go of Tsuen's hand and grabbed a large plush hamster off a shelf.

With her back to Tsuen, she hugged the plushy tight to her chest, then spoke, "Tsuen. My mom's really old-fashioned. She doesn't like other liminal races, and I don't think she'll approve of us at all. Maybe it'd be for the best if we kept our relationship a secret."

Tsuen understood Mara's fears all too well. She'd been kicked out of her childhood home due to outdated prejudices, and it had changed her life irreversibly. However, she felt Mara's situation was not as hopeless as Mara seemed to think. "Mara, I think things will be fine. Give her time, and she'll come around."

"No! She won't change that easily. Help me out here, Tsuen." Mara turned and stared up at Tsuen, her expression frantic and worried. "We need a story for why we're staying in the same room. Maybe you're new here and don't like to be alone. Or maybe my fear of the outdoors morphed into a fear of—"

Tsuen cut in. "Mara, stop. Calm down." She put a soothing hand on Mara's shoulder. "You just need to get your mind off things…"

Tsuen's face lit up as she had an idea. "Misaki, Yamato, and Actia will be visiting tonight for your birthday dinner. How about we call them now instead, and you spend the day down in town with them?"

Mara was as distractible as always and her frantic energy shifted focus just like Tsuen had hoped. "Ooh, that sounds like fun! I don't think Actia's met Misaki yet." A mischievous grin formed on her face. "I bet she'll drive Actia crazy…"

"Consider this your birthday gift, Mara," Actia grumbled in her soft, quiet voice. She was wearing child-sized yellow snow boots and a puffy grey coat so large it was more of a dress. The coat had been modified to let her four diaphanous wings through, but that was for comfort more than function. "I should be asleep right now, and it's too bright out here, and I can't even fly when I'm this bundled up."

"Me either!" Misaki cheered, her raspy voice entirely too loud for Actia's sleep deprived state. "I'm so puffy and round in this coat!" She ran around in circles under the leaf-bare cherry trees, leaving giant bird-footprints in the frosted grass of the park. She was wearing a bright orange coat that was more of a vest, since it didn't cover very much of her wings. Unlike Actia's coat, it was properly sized for her, so it didn't cover the tight black leggings she wore.

Yamato was thankful for that. He couldn't believe how good Misaki's butt looked in those leggings, and he couldn't take his eyes off it. He sat down on a park bench and zipped his blue jacket the rest of the way up. It was beautiful out, but a bit chilly to be wandering around a park.

A black shape climbed stealthily up the back of the park bench. Before leaving the house, Mara had put on a black hoodie to match her skirt and taken off her socks, except the kitty ones on her palps. She pounced and grabbed Yamato's shoulders, startling him. "Control your male gaze, loverboy," she teased. "It's rude to stare, even when her booty looks that good." Then she swiped his grey wool cap, exposing his messy brown hair to the chilly air.

Yamato jumped up and reached for his hat, his ears turning red from cold and embarrassment both. "Hey, she's my girlfriend, and you were looking too!" As he chased Mara around the little park, he was very glad there weren't any other visitors. Being with three small liminal girls, I probably look like a babysitter, or a creep…

Actia tapped the toe of her yellow boot on the ground impatiently. "Are we just going to play around in the park all day, or did you kids want to do anything in town?"

As Yamato finally caught up to Mara and grabbed his hat back, he thought, I guess Actia's the real babysitter here. She's the oldest by several years, and she's acting as Mara's guardian for the day. He pulled his hat down over his ears and said, "Misaki and I still need to pick out gifts for Mara. We'd been planning to go to the mall until Tsuen called."

Mara ran back and grabbed her precious parasol from the bench, then skittered back to the others. She no longer needed the parasol to feel safe outside, but she still liked having it around, especially as a reminder of Tsuen's kindness. "Let's go to the mall then! It's only a few blocks away. And I promise I won't peek when you pick out my presents," she said with a wide grin.

After shopping for a couple hours, the little group walked back to Yamato's car and he drove them up to Yuisu's house.

"Thanks for the ride, Yamato," Actia said from the back seat of the little two door car as they came to a stop next to the porch. She was still tired from being awake during the day, but she'd had a lot of fun.

"Yep, yep. My Yamato's the best," Misaki said, then started climbing across the console to try to wrap him in a feathery hug.

"No problem, Actia," Yamato replied, holding Misaki back with one hand. "Misaki, wait 'til we're out of the car, okay?" he said, then opened his door and stepped out.

Misaki got out of her side and sprinted around the car. While Yamato was sliding the driver's seat forward to let Mara and Actia out of the back seat, Misaki jumped on his back, wrapping her wings around his shoulders. She stayed there, happily flailing her legs, even as he grabbed a bag of presents from the trunk and approached the house.

Yamato just chuckled and shook his head. He was used to Misaki's adorable antics, and at least she was light enough that carrying her around wasn't a problem.

Mara got to the door first and opened it wide. "Come on in. I think dinner should be ready soon, and I get to open presents after that!"

Yuisu intercepted the new arrivals while they were taking off their coats. "Ah, good, you're here. Dinner is ready to go, so come on into the kitchen." As Yamato, Misaki, Actia, and Mara followed her, she gestured at a couple folding tables that had been set up in the crowded kitchen. "Counting the kids, we've got seventeen people, so I had to split things into two groups."

Tsuen was shuttling plates of food to the main table, which had been extended to its maximum length. She raised a beckoning hand to the newcomers and called out, "You're all at this table. The kids and moms are at the folding tables." She turned back to grab more food, then added, "Except for Eria. She asked to be next to her birthday girl."

Mara froze, stopping right in the middle of the walkway. Oh, right. Mom. So much for my happy birthday…

Misaki pushed Mara forward and cheered, "The birthday girl gets to be at the head of the table!"

After a chaotic few minutes, everyone had a seat and a plate of food. Quess, Iormu, and all the arachne kids were at the two conjoined folding tables, with little Pwess bouncing up and down on Quess's lap, while the ten other adults were seated around the main table.

Eria stood up on her chair, but the small, yellow arachne still only reached head-height. She announced, "We're all here today to celebrate Mara's twenty-first birthday!"

Everyone cheered, "Happy birthday, Mara!" and Eria waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

"Mara left home a little later than normal, but she found a great home here, and made great friends," Eria said, sweeping her eyes across the group of humans and liminals. "I heard she's even planning an entire convention." She turned to her right and smiled at Mara. "I'm proud of you, Mara."

After Eria's little speech, every dove into their meals and side conversations of their own. Haru had brought home some excellent cuts of meat from the butcher and the carnivores in the group had been salivating from the smell. For the vegetarians like Tsuen and Actia, or anyone wanting a more balanced meal, Tsuen had prepared garlic baked veggies, miso soup, and salad.

As Eria sat down, Mara pulled her into a hug and said, "Thanks, Mom. It's really nice to have you and my sisters here for my birthday." Mara straightened her back and tried to act tough, but her eyes had gotten a little misty. "I missed you, and I miss home sometimes."

Eria returned the hug with enthusiasm and said, "That's only natural, Mara." She leaned back and held Mara's shoulders at arm's length. "Now, would you like to properly introduce me to your girlfriend?" she said, turning to look across the table at Tsuen.

"Bwuh?" Mara's jaw dropped open and she sat back in her chair with a WHUMP. "You knew?"

To Mara's right, Tsuen blushed and flicked her pink tail nervously. "I told her. I knew she would be alright with us."

Eria's eyes flicked side to side and she admitted, "Well, I wasn't at first. But we talked for a bit, and when I heard all that you've been through together, all Tsuen did for you, like helping you with your phobia…" she trailed off, blinking back a tear.

Eria turned to Tsuen and said, "You've done a tremendous thing for my daughter, more than I ever could. Thank you."

Tsuen nodded and smiled back silently, and scooted over so she could wrap an arm around Mara's waist.

Eria took a deep breath, looked into Mara's eyes, then resumed, "When I saw how much Tsuen loves you, I knew I had been wrong to doubt her, and wrong to doubt you."

Small, sparkling tears were running down Mara's face, but she was smiling. "Thanks, Mom," she said quietly, meaningfully.

Suddenly Eria turned to her plate of grilled meat and raised her chopsticks. "That's enough of this heavy emotional stuff. Let's eat dinner, give Mara her presents, and have fun!"

Hours later, long after the festivities had died down and everyone had gone home or retreated to their bedrooms, there was a knock on Mara and Tsuen's bedroom door.

Mara pushed her chair back from the desk, where her PC was busy installing one of her new birthday presents. She walked past the bed and a soundly sleeping Tsuen, then opened the door.

Eria was there in the hallway. She saw Tsuen asleep on the bed and whispered, "Hey, Mara. Just letting you know that we're leaving at five in the morning to catch our train to Tokyo. I figure you'd still be asleep that early."

Mara shook her head and said, "Nah, I'll wake up and see you off. What kind of sister would I be if I didn't say goodbye to the girls?" She didn't bother whispering since she knew Tsuen was a heavy sleeper.

Eria shuffled her legs and palps nervously, then said, "Thanks, Mara, for showing me I was wrong. The world has changed, and there are wonderful people in it. People like Tsuen. I'm so glad she makes you happy."

Mara smiled. "No problem, Mom. Now go get some sleep. It's past your bedtime, and you've got a busy day tomorrow," she said jokingly.

Eria chuckled and replied, "Alright. You get some sleep too." She pulled Mara into a brief hug, then shuffled off toward the cabin.