Two hours later, we both stood in the living room purveying each other's costumes. Mina decided to go the Game of Thrones route. She had managed to recreate Daenery's outfit when she goes beyond the wall to save Jon's ass. A beautiful blend of white and grey "fur" creates a striped look. A chain of silver dragon's teeth encircled her body, tied together with a three-headed dragon pin. She wore her grey suede Ugg boots lined with fur. She wrapped them in leather cords to look as if they needed to be held together against the cold. Underneath the coat, she wore a replica of the famous blue dress from Astapor, minus the cape. It consisted of a knee-length royal blue dress with a slit in the center, a deep V and squared shoulders. Grey undershirt added long sleeves and covered the hole in the back to winterize it. Grey leggings tucked into her boots completed the look. And of course, she had styled her hair to look like Dani's. A flowing mane with many braids and tendrils of curl to catch the wind.

I had thought long and hard about my outfit and decided to go the anime route. It seemed the most plausible in my current condition. I picked Grey wolf from Kemono friends to model myself after, albeit a sexier version. I end up wearing a short grey pea coat with two sets of silver buttons, small pockets and buckles on the sleeves at the wrists. My skirt is a purple-grey with bold black and white stripes and a tiny stripe of hot pink. There's a matching tie to go with it, which I, of course, put on. My boots are thigh-high grey wedges, with buckles over the foot. Fur lined and laced with hot pink laces and pompoms that match the stripe in the skirt for a little extra flair. Plain white gloves and a white fur collar complete the ensemble.

I was having a problem with the skirt now that I had the addition of a tail. I tried the skirt on both ways; with the tail tucked in and with it tucked out. Even with it tucked in, the skirt barely covered my ass! It was, however, more comfortable for my bushy tail so I decided to wear it that way. I decided I needed to still wear underwear even though it wouldn't matter if everyone saw my who-haw, it was covered with hair. I still wanted to feel like a human playing dress up instead of a human becoming a wolf. I grabbed a pair of glasses, a notebook, and a feathered pen to complete a schoolgirl look and asked Mina her opinion. "What do you think? A bit on the nose?"

She looks me over and smiles. "Well yes, but only because I actually know you are a wolf. Other people will flip when they see how intricate and lifelike you look. I already think you're a shoo-in for the best costume at the party." She smiles mischievously. "Let me help you with your hair though it's a bit wild."

I laugh. "You got that right!" It needed a firm hand being so full and all. Mina curls all of my hair in order to tame it better. She braids a tiny fishtail on my left side behind my human ear. Then she takes my curled hair and creates a sort of pouf, half up half down look. Plenty of segments frame my face and a section leans precariously over my right eye giving the illusion of a cartoon. I don't know how Mina does it but it's not in my way or annoying me. When she's done I glance in the mirror and am amazed at what I see. I look like I stepped right out of the game. I turn to hug Mina. "I look amazing! Thank you!" I gasp. I feel a tingle in my nose, and a few actual tears slip out. Secretly I'm thankful. "I am still human after all," I say to myself relieved.

"Glad you feel that way. I was wondering if I went too far." She bites her lip glancing at me. "I have one more thing I need to do. Let me clip those claws! I'll give you some bling on a few if you want?"

"Ok. I trust you, Mina. You know that." I reply and give her my hand. She goes to work.

My phone pings and I see its Ben. It's exactly seven. I click on it and it opens up for me to read. "I can't wait to see what you've come up with Alyx. I know you're quite creative. Who is coming with you? The guys are asking. If your one friend is coming, I don't want them hitting on her if she's just got out of a bad relationship. It would be helpful to know."

I giggle a little. "See, Mina." I say after reading it to her. "A nice guy. He's worried about Ahna."

"Sure he is." She wiggles her eyebrows at me. "There. This hand is done. Is this okay?" she asks. She'd clipped all the points off my claws and painted them with super-fast drying hot pink glitter nail polish. I laugh. "I mean I know you're wearing gloves, but in case you take them off. You want them to look nice, right?"

"Yep, that's great Mina. What would I do without you?!" I giggle again. "Answer Ben for me real fast. Say I'm finishing up the last details for my costume and that my flatmate Mina is coming. Ahna went to go get some professional help." Mina does that and takes my other hand and finishes it in record time.

Ben replies. "Sorry about your friend. I'm glad she's getting some help. What are you coming as? Will I know it's you?"

I smile and am able to reply thanks to Mina. "No, I'm not telling you. I think you'll know it's me, but I'll give you a hint, my flatmate was inspired by Game of Thrones. Now leave me be so I can finish or I'll never make it there!"

"My, he does sound impatient. We better get a move on." Mina comments.

"Okay! Okay! See you soon." He answers back.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm all done then?" I say and check my nails before putting on my gloves.

"Yep, let me tie your boots and get on my own then I think we can leave." She does just that. "How are you feeling BTW? Any more symptoms? Pains? Anything?" she looks at me concerned.

"I feel totally fine. I'm used to everything now and even have control over my ears and tail. Watch!" I rotate the ears, separately from another and swish my tail back and forth.

She laughs. "Good! Now let's go party! We head out to my car and get in. I hold my tail in my lap absently stroking it. Mina notices when she gets in the driver's side. "You seem worried. Are you worried?" she asks me grabbing my hand. "We don't have to go."

I look at her, not wanting to convey the thoughts swirling in my mind. I see the concern in Mina's eye and know she's got my back, so I say them. "What if something happens and I go full-on wolf and shift? What if someone sees? What if?"

Mina hushes me. "We can't live our lives by what if's, Alyx. All we have is right now. Let's try to focus on that and have a good time tonight, yeah?" She starts the car and drives off.

"You're right I do want to go. You know I love a good costume party." I push all my fears to the back of my mind. As long as I feel fine, I'm not going to worry about any of it.

"You're not going to drink tonight, are you? I would think that unwise." Mina mentions.

"Nope. No alcohol for me. I don't even know if I can tolerate it in this state. I'm sticking with water. I think that's safest." I tell her.

She nods. "Good. None for me either. I want to stay sharp in case you need me. I've got your back. We're going to have fun tonight and worry about Ahna and all the crazy tomorrow. You're good at ignoring things you don't want to deal with. Let's do that!" Mina smiles as she pulls up as close as she can to the house. "Well, here we are. Which one is Ben?" She asks then laughs, "We're a half block away."

"I can see," I tell her. "They both have very good costumes. I think the blond one with the braid is Ben… Wait is he dressed as Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist?" I gasp. "He's even got Ed's metal arm!" I explain excitedly.

"I can see why you two nerds like each other!" Mina giggles as she shuts off the engine. I give her a look. "Come on introduce me." She jumps out of my car and starts languidly walking toward the porch, waiting for me to catch up.

I grab my tail. "Why am I so nervous? It's not like I like him!" I ask myself. "Whom I kidding; I do like him," I answer back. "I love Dean, but this guy is so nice to me and… I... I should have never come!" I lay my forehead on the dashboard and hit it. "Blarg!"

Mina whispers on the wind but I can hear it. "Come one you chicken shit! You were the one that wanted this. Now get out of the car! You have a costume contest to win." Several people stopped to talk to Mina, all dressed as Game of Thrones characters. Mina's was great only she had her dark hair. She looked like the actress before she put on the wig. If it wasn't for the three-headed dragon pin no one would have known who she was.

I get out of the car and head towards her, my tail swishing merrily. I get a few whistles and looks from people, but no one says anything rude, thank goodness. "Mina!" I whisper in her ear. "Why aren't you a blonde. No one knows who you are, the only reason those guys did is they were similarly dressed. You should change that."

She smiles and nudges me. "Bout time you get out of that car! And thank you for reminding me. I was going to do that earlier, but I forgot helping you get ready. Is anyone looking our way?" I shake my head no. She murmurs a little something under her breath then gracefully waves her hands over her hair turning it just the right shade of blonde. "That better?" she asks smirking. I nod and she strings her arm through mine pulling me gently toward Ben and the front door.

We reach the sidewalk and join the small line that's formed as each person registers for the costume contest. I start to get a little nervous. Ben and his friend are giving everyone stickers to write who or what they are supposed to be. Then a small pad of paper for voting. Everyone can vote in each category once, then there's an extra for best costume of the night. Categories include group, solo, most creative/out there, most realistic, best character, best couple, laziest/worst. There are eight in total. When we reach the front of the line, I make sure we talk to Ben. "Daenerys Targaryen. It's a pleasure to meet you, your Grace." Ben bows and kisses her hand. "Where are your famous dragons I've heard so much about?" He glances behind her looking for them and spots me instead. "And who might this enchanting creature be?" He asks walking around her to get a full view of me.

My tail wags involuntarily. If I were more human, I would be blushing profusely. "Hello, Ben," I say shyly. "Great Edward Elric costume. I love Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Alyx?!" he stares at me blinking intensely. "Is that you?!" He runs his hand through his hair forgetting he's wearing a wig and it goes flying off into Mina's face behind him. She catches it gracefully and holds onto it while Ben gets his bearings.

I send Mina a silent thanks before answering Ben. "Guilty as charged." I shrug sheepishly.

"Wow!" Ben whistles appreciatively. "That's one great costume. I'm guessing you merged the quintessential schoolgirl and Grey wolf from Kemono friends? And you totally knew who I was! I never met a girl who was into anime before. Wow!" he breathes appreciably. Mina taps him on the shoulder with his wig, pulling his attention away from me. "Oh right! Sorry ladies." He blushes and walks behind the table becoming all official, handing us stickers and our papers. "The official judging will be at eight when everyone will convene out back for the show. Then we collect all the votes and announce the winners by nine. Please mingle, grab some snacks or a drink." We both nod and fill out our name tags. Mina chooses to fill hers with all her names and titles. I write anime red wolf on mine. Ben leans over as Mina is filling hers out. "Meet me out back at eight. I don't have to help with that part because I'm registering everyone. Then we can talk more. Alright?"

I nod as my tail starts thumping against the porch. I smell the sharp odor of pheromones being released, both from Ben and me. "Get me out of here!" I whisper to Mina out of the corner of my mouth.

"We'll see you later, Ben!" Mina trills and pulls me inside to the living room where she quietly explodes on me. "Alyx! What is your problem? You're acting like a lovesick schoolgirl or puppy or whatever! I thought you said you didn't like Ben!"

"I… I don't Mina. Not really. I'm sure it's just the pheromones, the attention. I've been so lonely and…" I start panting heavily "I need to sit down. I'm feeling dizzy."

Mina snaps into Mom mode and guides me to the chair, shooing some people out of the way. She snags a curious-looking gentleman. "You! Go grab me two waters from the bar. Now!" he runs off hastily to do so. "Alyx! Talk to me."

I put my head between my knees breathing slowly and deeply. The guy returns with the water. I grab it and gulp it down before leaning back into the chair with my eyes closed. Mina pets my arm waiting for me to speak. "Water?!" I croak out and she gives me the other bottle. When I've finished that one, I lean forward. "Sorry to freak you out, Mina. I'm okay." Everyone staring begins to disperse. I lean into her. "I didn't realize how strong his pheromones would be. When Ben saw me, his went into overdrive and with my senses already so frayed from all that's happened today. It was a little overwhelming. I'm okay now though." I sit back normally.

She looks at me concerned. "Are you sure? Cuz we can leave. I only came because you wanted to. I could leave." She rubs my leg.

"Will you please stop petting me? It makes me feel less human." I whisper a little harshly.

"Oh, sorry." She hastily pulls her hand away, "I didn't realize I was. Your fur is so soft. Comforting, like the kittens at home."

"Really? That's nice to hear." I say. "I thought it would be rough. It looks rough and I can't tell, you know." I raise my gloved hands. "Can I have some more water, please?"

"I'll go get some," Mina says. "Don't move, okay?!" I nod and she heads toward the kitchen.

I glance over the room looking and hoping for someone I might recognize. There's a couple in the corner I think I do, but their backs are facing me. I cock my ears towards them and listen in. Jean and Allen. I recognize her voice. I stand up thinking I'll go say hello. Then I get dizzy and sit right back down again. "Crap!" I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come. "Jean! Allen!" I call, hoping they'll hear me.

Allen hears his name and turns to scan the room. I start waving when he looks my way. "Allen! Hi!" He looks at me, obviously not recognizing me. Turning to Jean he nudges her and asks if she knows who I am. She shakes her head. They head over anyway, not wanting to be rude. "What's taking Mina so long with the water's?" I think and I move my ears toward the kitchen. She's flirting with the bartender. "Of course." I laugh. Jean and Allen reach me. I see they are dressed as Romeo and Juliet. "Hey, guys! How are you?! I love your costumes! So authentic! Did you steal them from the theatre department, Allen?" I tease him.

"Alyx?!" He says finally realizing who I am. I stand and go in for a hug. "Wow! What a great costume!" He reads the tag. "I'd say you nailed that one on the head. I… We didn't know you were coming tonight. You don't usually hang with this crowd." Jean nods, looking guilty.

"I didn't know I was coming either. Last-minute kind of thing." I say hastily, trying to make them feel at ease. They look at me with wide eyes. "I know it doesn't seem last minute with the costume and all…" I stall trying to think of something that sounds plausible. "Ben invited me. Last night when I ran into him at Walmart. I didn't know if I would make it because I had an out of town friend in for a visit. This costume is what I was going to be for Halloween last year, before Tyrion… you know… And then I didn't have the heart to face the holiday without him when the time came. It was lying around and when Ben invited me, I thought I'd have a chance to use it. I love costume parties."

Jean nods. "Yeah, I know you do. You were working on this costume and a Game of Thrones costume for Halloween?"

Mina finally shows up and hands me a water. I chug half of it before answering. "Yeah. I wanted to wear the Game of Thrones costume, but I wasn't sure if Tyrion still wanted to pair with me. Be my partner in crime after the awful fight we had that summer. So, I started on an alternate costume in case I was going it alone." I explained.

Mina jumped right in to help with the lie. "Yeah, I helped her find all the fake red and blonde fur. She wasn't sure she'd have enough so I collected it all summer. I also helped her with the mechanical ears." She beamed at me. "Go on show them how good they are."

Embarrassed, I glared at her but did as she asked moving my ears around "showing" them off. "How was the bartender?" I asked embarrassing her right back. She handed over the other bottle of water and stormed off. I shrugged after her, a little pissed, but not enough to go after her.

Jean, Allen and I chatted a bit more, other people stopping by to say hi and checking out my costume. I wasn't feeling dizzy anymore, so we headed to the snack table. I wasn't sure if I should eat something or not. I wasn't hungry so I decided to be safe and not eat anything. While Allen and Jean filled up their plates, I headed to the bar to pick up some more water. I was thirsty. Mina was there talking with the bartender. I could see why she liked him. He was dressed as Dracula. Cliche but he had done a very good job adding little touches to make it seem more authentic. I sidled up to her. "Mina," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

She turns and looks at me. "It's okay. You had every right to be mad. I said I'd have your back and I didn't. But it's so rare these days for me to find someone so cute that I can't see directly what's going on in their mind. It was kind of refreshing. Forgive me?" she asks.

Realization dawns on me. I often forget she can hear people in addition to being a powerful witch. "There's no need." I put my hand on her shoulder. "Come outside with me, the judging is going to begin soon. I might need you close when Ben comes around." I say pulling her gently.

She calls back to the bartender. "I'll catch u later, Vlad." And giggles.

We head outside into the brisk night air. The lacrosse team has set up those heat lanterns and people are huddled around them. I'm fine in my natural fur coat and Mina's fine in her costume so we scoot toward space not heated in the back looking for Ben. The night air dissipated the smell of human pheromones and I'm finally able to relax. That is until I feel a sharp pain in my left shoulder that radiates down my arm into my hand. "Oh, shit that can't be good!"