Dead and Horny

Legs to Stand On

Sunset for Dana was a surreal affair on top of the barn. The view was quite lovely as the sun descended behind the distant mountain, and the breeze was strong enough to create little ripples in Bigfoot's hair, an effect that was magnified by the ripples that traveled across his massive chest.

The sasquatch sipped at his beer and nodded appreciatively. "Lookin' good, kiddo."

"Thanks, Uncle Foot." Eulalie was deftly weaving a long line of spider silk down Dana's back. She couldn't feel the needle piercing her muscle, but she could feel the skin being pulled back together as Eulalie worked her magic.

The last couple of days had been like a mini vacation. Between sword dodging lessons with Velvet, the occasional hot spring trip, and going through surveillance photos at night, the days were rolling past quicker than ever. In two days they would be able to leave, and Dana was starting to think that Eulalie's efforts to find the Dragon's Seed would be in vain.

However, if nothing else, Dana was a quick learner. Eulalie had to patch her up on multiple occasions, but the wounds came less frequently now, even as Velvet had ramped up the speeds of her attacks. They had even given her a bit of practice with the blade, but her dead girl brain was far better at reacting than attacking. If she got into another spat with a member of the Order, she was far less likely to lose another limb over it.

As for winning? Her memory was photographic, which meant she knew which way to move based on the swing and possible follow-ups. Velvet was murderously fast, and she knew that she wouldn't be caught off guard again. But unless someone attacked her in a way that Velvet had demonstrated, she was out of luck in that department. Still, the mental exercise of trying to predict the arachne's movements while relying on her own reactions had done her some good, and it gave her something to process during the long, lonely nights.

Lily had been disappearing in the twilight hours and kept her lips shut on her activities. All she had done was tell Dana that it was nothing to worry about, she just needed some time to think and process some things. Figuring she would be a massive hypocrite to push the issue, Dana had left it alone.

"Okay, all done." Eulalie moved back and Dana rotated her arms. Her back itched, a sign that the wound was healing, and she put her shirt back on.

"Won't get me next time," Dana told Velvet. Velvet was sitting next to Bigfoot, her legs splayed out around her. She held up her own beer in a mock salute and then drained it.

"Blegh." Eulalie made a face at her sister. "You're drinking the cheap stuff tonight."

"I'm drinking to get drunk, which means the cheap stuff." Velvet held up her bottle and sighed. "Unless you want to share some of your wine with me."

"Hell, no, you drink five times what I do and then complain about the taste." Eulalie took the needle she had been using and put it away in a small sewing kit with the word Dana written across the front in black Sharpie. "And then I have to wait a month until Dad can make a trip into town just to refill me. No thanks."

Velvet frowned at her bottle. "Fine. Guess I've got to drink the shit dad doesn't like."

"He's getting picky in his old age." Bigfoot finished his beer and then picked out another from the multi-pack. "Getting too old to waste his day on shit he doesn't enjoy."

Everybody went quiet. Velvet finished her beer and then helped Dana off the roof once the sun was down. While the arachne walked down the sides of the barn, Bigfoot took a casual hop and landed on the ground with a thud, leaving two giant footprints in the dirt. He stopped long enough to wipe them away with his feet, then saw Dana watching.