Some People Just Don't Understand

"Look," you say, pointing at the tattoo of Omaha on Sara's arm. "See? That's a catgirl. Or at least one guy's idea of a catgirl."

"What, this? It's just a cool tat." she shrugs. "I was drunk when I got it anyway. What does it have to do with this place?"

An attractive waitress who bears a remarkable resemblance to her Omaha--or at least a younger sibling--appears at by the table. "Welcome to Waller's. So what can I get you guys tonight?"

"Uh--" Sara says intelligently. She stares blankly at the catgirl, her mouth open.

"Ummm...is she all right?" the waitress says a few seconds later.

"It's fine, she's just a townie," you say. "Lessee...Newcastle for me, strawberry margarita for him, and a mojito for her," you say, pointing to each of them in turn.

"Sure thing," she says, and heads off.

"Jasper?" says Sara, when she snaps out of her shock.

"Whah?"

"Close your mouth--you're drooling."

"Oh..." he promptly shuts it.

"Okay, look," you say. "Furs are anthropomorphic representations of animals. Speech, intelligence, the whole nine yards, right? You ought to be at least vaguely familiar with the concept, because they've been a staple of comics and cartoons for at least 75 years now..."

"Right, that I got. But those are cartoons." She breaks off as the waitress returns with your drinks. "Uh..mind if I ask you where you're from?" Sara asks her.

"North Dakota," she says. "Around Bismark."

"Oh. I mean, based on your, errr--looks--"

"Oh--yeah, my mom is Japanese," she says, her long tail lashing just a bit as she places the drinks before you. "Look, I'm kinda busy tonight--if you need anything, just holler for me, okay? My name's Kelly."

"Thanks," you say. She smiles, nods and heads off to a table a few yards away, her tail up.

You take a long, slow sip of your beer and begin again. "Okay, well...yeah, those ARE comics and cartoons. But for whatever reason, somehow we're in a place where the people ARE furs. Real furs, with tails, claws...spray." You indicate the dancer, who's just finishing her set.

"And...you're fine with this," says Jasper.

"I was confused for about a second, but for some reason, I'm actually okay with it. I used to write furry fiction on the internet--maybe that helps.." You stop as Sara starts laughing. "Look, you--you don't tell anyone about that, and maybe I won't tell anyone about the 860 page Sailor Moon/Star Trek/Gargoyles/Evangelion crossover you wrote in your first year of college, Miss 'Jadeite_Fangirl_001'"

Jasper starts laughing at her. "How the heck--" she starts, but you cut her off.

"Look, don't worry about it, all right? We're all geeks here. Just relax and go with it, okay?"

1. More talking--Sara wants to know where the hell this place is, among other things, like what the heck this whole ":Furry" thing is about....
2. Flashback: Sara's first year at university, when she discovered the fanfic community for the first time.
3. Rather than deal with their problems, Sara and Jasper get drunk off their butts.
4. Sara discovers a dimensional portal in the ladies' room.

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