Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 147: brought to you by plausible gayness

This chapter is actually brought to you by a new update on the [title redacted] which Tyndali is currently working on divorcing: on top of all the other crap he's done, he's also *drumroll* a cheater! Adulterer!  Ashley Madison account, lonely Ukraine wives, 'Yay we like booty calls' (probably), and other dating sites that have to do with cheating, I don't keep them all down because, get this, I don't cheat! Yay! And many much emails and dates with other women, including one this weekend. Booty calls....please send her love. Her eyes are gathering salt crystals from crying so much. 

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"You made this?" Leopold's eyes practically popped out of his head as he watched Neara process the cotton with her rudimentary gin. "You must be sent from the gods."

"I'm... not though. Like I said, someone figured out how to do this once and I'm just kind of remembering how they did it."

Winston, who disliked this visitor more than he'd ever openly disliked someone before, stood behind him with his tail swishing back and forth. "She has explained this to you many times. Why do you refuse to believe her?"

The Lion beastman took an apologetic step back, hands flat on his thighs in surrender. "Of course she has, I just mean... it is too wonderful to believe. That a female is here, who reads the ancient language and carries a stripe..."

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, what did you just say?" Benedict looked up from rolling the fibers together with Ethel. "Neara has a stripe?"

Leopold nodded and gestured to her collarbone. "That is a different color than the rest of the beast markings. It can only be a stripe."

Neara didn't notice the entire room zeroing in on her chest because she was trying to do the same thing. Unfortunately, her chin hit the top of her collarbone and beyond that, her double chin got in the way.

Orson pulled the others away to get a closer look, his head inches from her face. She thought about giving it a quick peck, but knew he'd be frustrated with her not taking this seriously.

"Damn. It. All."

Oh shit.

"How did we... ugh." He slammed his hand to his forehead with enough force to shake the leaves around them. "Someone want to explain to me, out of the three mates she has constantly circling her, how we missed that she has a mark?"

Tony frowned. "When we mate, she isn't comfortable with me studying her body as much as I like."

"That was a rhetorical questi... " He sighed heavily again. "Why the hell can't things ever be easy with you, woman?"

"Hey, I didn't know I had it."

"Obviously, I'm just saying you've turned my life upside down since the moment I met you!"

"That sounds really romantic but you're saying it like you're pissed at me."

"I AM pissed at you. And me. And Tony. But not poor Winston," he reached up a bony hand to pat the stony face. "We all know he tries his best."

Normally placid, Winston jerked his face away from the unwanted touch and narrowed his eyes at Leopold. "What else does your prophecy say?"

Suddenly the center of attention, he cowed a little. "That she brings healing and health, that good luck follows wherever she goes and we will be restored to our former glory as beastmen when her destiny is fulfilled and she meets the Ancient Ones."

"Oh. What a relief. It's not Neara after all." Orson smiled and itched his horns. "Good luck follows her? Yeah, definitely not our woman."

"But she has many males guarding her of a high rank, and they don't fight over her," Leopold pointed out. "Many predators are territorial, yet you two don't mind an herbivore has chosen her for his own as well."