Mittens Has Class

Mittens Has Class

Chapter 13 - First Impressions Are Always Important

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After leaving the mall, the trio piled into Mittens' car and began actively roaming around Cartersville, exploring what treasures might be found within its limits. All three of them took a turn sharing rare places of interest that they knew about, with Krystal turning out to be a veritable catalog of quietly beautiful places hidden about the city. While Mittens had never assumed she knew even a third of the many secrets the town held, it shocked her just how many places with amazing views and scenes that were tucked away in unexpected corners.

It wasn't so much a surprise that all of the places that Krystal showed them had the one thing in common of being places where other people weren't. They were the sorts of places someone went to be alone with their thoughts. At most, a sketch pad to capture whatever inspiration was in abundant supply there. She could easily picture Krystal seated on a bench or stoop somewhere, mocha latte sitting beside her, furiously drawing with a charcoal pencil.

Valli had been the least versed in obscure sites of interest, as she and her friends tended to frequent only a handful of places, mostly all near her house and generally unremarkable. However, she did lead them to a very interesting place that she and her friends had discovered a year or two ago. It was a used book shop tucked away in a corner of downtown, hidden among a collection of far less interesting businesses. Mittens quickly earmarked it as somewhere she wanted to spend a lot more time.

The owner, a quirky-seeming lady that looked like she'd stepped out of the sixties, hadn't even batted an eye when Mittens explained that she lived as a cat. She'd simply begun treating her as though she was an actual feline that the other two had brought along with them, scratching her behind the ears, offering her milk, and telling her that she was a 'very pretty kitty'. Mittens had eaten it up and shown her appreciation in typical cat fashion by purring and rubbing against the woman a few times.

However, the shop itself was what truly made her want to return to spend more time. It wasn't arranged like a typical bookstore with uniform rows of shelving filling the space, but more like some old-world library, chaotic and beautiful. All the shelving was splayed randomly around the periphery and at the center of it all was a cozy little nook full of deep and soft chairs where people could just sit, read, and enjoy the teas and coffees that the lady also sold. Mittens suspected that the pricey beverages were her real business, the used books more intended as something for patrons to enjoy while they relaxed.

Mittens could easily see herself spending hours curled up in poofs, exploring all manner of weathered old tomes. It was like something out of a fantasy story. It was definitely somewhere she intended to introduce Master and Chloe to as soon as possible.

For her own turn as tour guide, Mittens brought them to 'If You Dream It', the comics and collectables shop that her friends Papabear and Butterfly owned. Both Krystal and Valli had thoroughly enjoyed browsing there, but only Valli had seemed just as enthusiastic about meeting the couple themselves. Krystal had quickly shifted into her shy and self-conscious mode, politely greeting them in a quiet voice, before awkwardly migrating off to browse. The sudden change in personality made Mittens realize just how significant a difference there was between what she considered to be the 'real' Krystal and the emotionally armored version that most of the world always saw.

She'd watched the transition happen several times over the course of the day as they'd visited various stores; though not as significantly pronounced, since she hadn't been expected to actually socialize with new people in those places. Even in the used bookstore, the proprietress had focused far more on Valli, whom she knew, and Mittens. Krystal had managed to subtly wander off and just quietly look around, avoiding any direct personal interaction.

When Krystal was comfortable and felt safe, she was warm, funny, and unafraid to be as eccentric as she wanted to be. Outside of that comfort, she acted as though she was embarrassed of herself and her chosen appearance. She seemed constantly braced for rebuke or to be made the butt of a joke. She had honestly hoped that Krystal would find Butterfly and Papabear to be people she wouldn't feel the need to wall up around.

The type of D/s relationship the two of them lived was that of the 'Daddy Dom/little girl' dynamic, where Butterfly took on a child-like aspect versus Papabear's father-figure-like role. Because it was still, at its core, a sexual relationship, with Butterfly's portrayal of a 'little' often being a sort of sexualized parody of youth, the two of them suffered a lot of social disapproval. People often misinterpreted their lifestyle as 'glorifying pedophilia', 'promoting incest', or similarly horrible things, and the pair regularly suffered ridiculous amounts of abuse.

Regardless of how many times they'd had their store, house, and cars vandalized or suffered the indignity of hateful things shouted at them, they refused to hide them being a part of the fetish lifestyle and openly presented themselves as the lifestyle-dynamic roles of 'daddy' and 'daughter'. Butterfly was always dressed in a youthful way, wearing clothing styles that were indicative of children's apparel and with her hair usually dyed bright colors and pulled up into bushy pigtails tied off with ribbons. That she was a thirty-something year-old, deliciously curvy, woman made the whole thing seem humorously, if also alluringly, taboo.

Papabear was usually dressed less in a 'parental' sort of way than just as an all-out geek. In fact, today he was wearing a kilt (despite having no Scottish ancestry) day and a t-shirt proudly displaying a popular image of adventurers facing a red dragon from a well-known role-playing game. He was the size of a real bear, six foot four and with the build of a wrestler, but radiated the aura of a plush bear rather than anything imposing. Regardless, his role as Butterfly's 'daddy' came through clearly in how they reacted to and around one another. The love between them was beyond apparent and Mittens couldn't imagine a better match.

She'd hoped their status as people who attracted plenty of slings and arrows, but refused to hide who they were, might help Krystal find a common ground with them. However, Krystal had quickly withdrawn, seeming almost intimidated by them. Subtly arranging for Papa and Butterfly to keep Valli entertained by explaining how a particularly interesting board game was played, Mittens decided to check in on her friend.

"You okay?" Mittens asked softly as she joined Krystal at a shelf of comics she was half-heartedly perusing.

Krystal gave her a look meant to suggest that she was confused by the question. It wasn't all that convincing, however. "Hmmm? Yeah. I'm fine." She assured her absently.

"No you're not." Mittens replied, gently taking Krystal's hand in her paw. "Are you just starting to run out of social fuel?" She made sure to keep her voice and speech normal, showing that she was taking this seriously and wanted to help. "Or did something about them make you uncomfortable? I know it can be a little weird to see a three-hundred-pound man in a kilt, sometimes."

Krystal gave a wan smile and light chuckle. "No. No, I really am okay. They seem great. I just..." She trailed off, as if rethinking what she was about to say.

"You just..." Mittens prompted her.

"I know they are really good friends of yours." Krystal said, climbing carefully through the words, as though unsure they were the ones she was actually meaning to use. "I don't want them to..."

Mittens made herself wait, instead of trying to push. It was obvious that Krystal was having trouble articulating what it was that was bothering her. She decided it would be easier to show she was patient and willing to let her friend find her words.

"I don't know. It's stupid." Krystal finally said lamely. "It really isn't anything important."

"It's important to me." Mittens said gently, giving her hand a squeeze. "I want you to feel comfortable. Even if that means we need to just grab Valli and say a quick goodbye. Head somewhere else."

Krystal sighed, but did seem to relax slightly. "I just got this sudden fear that they might not... I don't know, approve of me, think I was weird? I got this stupid little panic that, if they disapproved, it might make you..." She trailed off again.

Mittens sighed softly at her silly, insecure friend. "First of all, I don't need their approval. You're my friend and I make up my own decisions on who I do and don't like. Second, your weirdness is what I know they will love most about you. I mean, look at them." She directed Krystal's attention towards where Papabear had broken open the game they were explaining to her, showing it off.

"I mean, Butterfly is dressed like she's ten and Papa looks like he's on his way to a comic-book convention." She snorted. "They are two people almost twice our age that dress and act like kids half our age. They are major weirdos themselves, in the same awesome way that you are. You being unique is what makes you fit in with us. I mean, geeze, has it still not sunk in that I think I'm a house-cat?"

That made Krystal snort, but her expression remained somewhat melancholy. "I've just had fun today. It's nice to feel like I have friends again. I know it's dumb, but I just got...insecure, I guess."

"I wouldn't call it 'dumb'." Mittens said soothingly. "Unnecessary, maybe, but nothing about it is 'dumb'. I understand where something like that can come from. If you want, me and you can just browse a bit, together, and I'll properly introduce you to them another time."

Krystal inhaled a deep breath, an awkward grin sprouting on her face, looking as though she were chiding herself for being foolish. "No. Let me apologize and properly meet them." She looked gratefully at Mittens. "I'm over it now."

They went back over to join the demonstration, Papabear giddily extoling all the intricacies of the in-depth game. If he or Butterfly even noticed Krystal's awkwardness earlier, neither made any mention or indication of it. They just immediately looped her into the discussion. Even after he'd finished the spiel, Papabear never gave Krystal a chance to actually try to apologize for anything, just jumped straight into a pleasant discourse with her about comics. While Krystal didn't seem to know a whole lot about them, she seemed quite open to learning.

Throughout the whole exchange, neither Papa or Butterfly ever so much as commented on Krystal's unusual make-up or loud clothes. The more apparent it became that they weren't going to, the more relaxed Krystal seemed to become. It made Mittens feel very grateful for the couple at their beautifully accepting hearts.

However, Mittens couldn't quite get rid of a nagging feeling that Krystal hadn't told her all of the reasons that she'd gotten anxious. While she didn't believe that what she had said wasn't true, her 'cat-intuition' told her that there were still a few cards that her friend was keeping very close to her chest. For now, though, they were her secrets to share or keep as she wanted.

It was almost an hour before they all took their leave, both girls stating they definitely intended to come back. As it was, neither of them left empty-handed, Valli buying the board game Papabear had shown her and Krystal picking up the first two collected volumes of a recommended comic series that sounded interesting to her. Mittens had to chuckle at how good Papa was at sales.

Though they made a couple more stops after that, less than another hour later, they decided to call it a day and migrate back home. Swinging by the mall for Krystal to pick up her car, Mittens made sure her GPS system had her address, in case they got separated, before began making the drive back to Zucker's Mill. After a day spent roaming all over, it felt good to be going home. Mittens' paws were tired from all the walking they'd been doing, though it had been time and effort very well spent.

Valli, pre-planner that she was, spent most of the way with her nose stuck in the instructions for her new game, wanting to make sure she could explain it well later that evening, since they'd all agreed to give it a play. The quiet gave Mittens a chance to mull over a few things, deciding just how much of her lifestyle she thought it wise to foist on these two right off the bat. While Master and Chloe were already planning to dial back on some things, she'd been toying with the idea of giving her new friends more of a show.

Both of her new friends had expressed sincere interest in seeing the lifestyle in action, seeming sincerely curious to see what the dynamic really looked like. Even Krystal, who had previously been a little more unsure about everyone being naked her first time there, had become comfortable with the idea of Chloe greeting them in nothing but her completely exposed normal. In fact, over the course of the day, the two of them had begun to build up a kind of excited anticipation for it all.

And so, under the excuse of needing some gas, Mittens pulled off for a couple minutes to add twenty dollars to her tank and send a quick little message to her lovers. She just hoped they would have enough time to figure out something that would be the right amount of pageantry without seeming intimidating. With some luck, it might also be enough of a shock to the system that Krystal didn't have a repeat bout of anxiety over that Mittens' partners thought of her. If she knew Master though, he would not disappoint at making a fun first impression and immediately putting everyone at ease.

When she pulled into the driveway of the house with Krystal's car right behind her, she noticed another car already parked off to one side of the horseshoe. The sight of the car made her blink in surprise for a second, then giggle in utter glee.

"What's so funny?" Valli asked curiously, peering suspiciously at her.

"Oh, you'll see in a few minutes." Mittens said with a laugh. "I think you and Krystal are definitely going to enjoy this."

She quickly parked in the garage, waving for Krystal to pull into the empty beside her. She patiently waited for her friends to gather their things, then guided them to the door in the garage leading into the house. As they reached it, the door opened and someone appeared in the doorway to greet them. Both Valli and Krystal's jaws swung wide open in utter surprise at the sight of the man before them, before bursting into laughter that they struggled to contain.

Mittens wasn't worried about the laughs, as such reactions were very much the desired response. Before them stood Shawn, who came once a week to clean the house. However, he did so as a 'sissy maid', all dolled up in a classic 'French Maid' dress, stockings, and heels. He was a completely straight man, built like a superhero, who worked as a bouncer and bar-back for a local club. This was his fetish and reveled in feeling humiliated by it.

Master had agreed to play the role of Top to his sissy bottom, often going the extra mile to give Shawn plenty of deeply satisfying mortification. He usually instructed Chloe and Mittens to follow Shawn around and make fun of him or generally torment him by doing lewd acts that he wasn't 'allowed' to pay attention to or be a part of. Every so often, Master would have company over and invite Shawn to come do his work in front of people he didn't really know, making it all the more embarrassing for him.

Face completely made up with bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and pink rouge, Shawn smiled invitingly at the guests. He had a bad blonde wig of bouncy curls on and a feather duster in one lace-gloved hand. "Good evening, mademoiselles!" He said in a high-pitched squeak, effecting a terrible attempt at a French accent. "Do come in and make yourzelves at home."

Looking back at her two friends, she could see both of them staring goggle-eyed, fighting hard not to be impolite. She whispered towards them. "It's okay to laugh. It's what he wants you to do." To which both of them erupted in giggles, seeming glad not to have to hold it in any more.

Showing them inside, his own blushing out-shining his rouge, Shawn pranced along ahead of them, relishing the bit more than usual. It was obvious he was trying to show off a little and make the girls laugh more, pausing to bend over and dust something every so often or wiggle his rear to make the giant ribbon on the back of his dress dance.

Krystal and Valli were practically mesmerized by the whole display, loving every second of it. As they passed through the sun room, headed for the living room, Mittens heard Valli whisper to Krystal. "OMG! He looks like a Hemsworth! In drag!"

Shawn stopped, spun on one heel and fixed her with a look of wide-eyed enthusiasm. "OH! Are zos Hemsworths not just zo dreamy?! Ze give zis little sissy such vapors!" To which he fanned himself with his duster to accentuate the point. It was said in such a silly, over-the-top, way that there could be little question that he was thoroughly enjoying himself with their reactions.

Usually, guests he made an appearance for were still people in the lifestyle, aware of what to expect and how to 'properly react' in accordance. Getting the chance to perform his sissy role for these two, whose reactions were far more authentic, must have felt all the more daring and provocative. From the bright red of his face, it was obvious that was deeply feeling that heady rush of humiliation he enjoyed. She would have to make sure that she let them know they were welcome to interact more directly with him. While there were certain rules set up, she doubted they would have much difficulty in respecting them.

In the end, most of the rules revolved simply around limits on him, not for others. The only real limits for others, beyond that any taunting should not coming from a truly mean place, was that they were not allowed to directly touch his penis. And she really didn't see either of these girls being daring enough to even try something like that.

However, when they entered the living room, all thoughts of Shawn flew from her head. Waiting on them was Master and Chloe, arranged in a tableau that once again left the two girls' jaws hanging wide open. Master was wearing a blood-red tie over a black-on-black silk suit, sitting in one of the wing-back chairs. Subtle strains of violin were playing in the background and the lighting had been arranged to that only he and Chloe were illuminated.

For her part, Chloe was kneeling at his feet, just to one side of the chair. Dressed in a leather cincher, lace thigh-highs, arm-length gloves, posture collar, and a pair of eight-inch platform heels that were padlocked onto her, all of it pure white, she was otherwise completely exposed and in a formal pose of supplication. Her wrists were bound together by leather cuffs connected by a six-inch spreader bar, a leash was connected to the O-ring of her collar, and a ball-gag was firmly strapped into her mouth.

While Mittens had told them to set up a nice scene, even she was a bit surprised by what was before her. Not to mention, suddenly so aroused she could feel her shorts becoming damp. Without even really thinking about it, she came forward, falling instinctively into a submissive demeanor, and stood before her Master.

"Kneel before me, pet." Master intoned, his voice soft, but dripping with power and authority. She immediately did as he commanded, kneeling in front of him, head bowed. He reached out stroked her head lovingly. "Good kitty. I'm glad you're home."