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Pride had been fun so far for Steph Gingrich and her girlfriend Izzie Margolis. They been just hanging out with their friends, eating snow-cones and enjoying some live music. As the day wound down a little Steph and Izzie went to browse the stalls and see if they could find anything to make a nice memento of this day.
Neither expected to run into anyone they knew, let alone...
“Vi- Victoria Chase?” Steph exclaimed in shock, all the effort to bury thoughts of Arcadia Bay and the storm having left her woefully underprepared to encounter any old classmates, let alone the old alpha bitch; internally bemoaning her NAT 1 on the encounter table.
“Yes? Do I know- Wait,” The well dressed, short haired blonde turned at Steph's voice with her expression quickly morphing from incredulous to thoughtful as she took in Steph's face. Surely the self important Victoria won't remember the DnD playing geek, or so said geek assumed, “Blackwell... I wanna say 'Stephanie'...”
“Just Steph is fine.” The beanie wearing geek established. Izzie awkwardly looks back and forth between her girlfriend and the random girl she seemed to know.
“Umm, Izzie, Steph's girlfriend.” Steph almost regretted not talking about her past as she watched her girlfriend extend a slightly awkward hand towards the blonde.
“Victoria, Steph's old classmate.” Steph was again a bit shocked at the Victoria Chase being polite and shaking Izzie's hand with a slight smile. The smile seemed genuine, but Steph still knew better than to not be weary around Victoria Chase.
“Oh, were you guys friends?”
Steph snorted at the concept, “Not exactly.”
“So, how've you been Steph still playing B&B?” Victoria's eye's twitched.
“D&D, dungeons and dragons, popular at the cafe I work at, Save Point.”
“Safe Point?” Victoria's eyes narrow and unfocused as blinked.
“So Chase, what are you doing here?” Steph asks as she gently pulls Izzie back towards her, wrapping a protective arm around her without thinking.
“Same as you I imagine.” Victoria raised an eyebrow at Steph and Izzie, “Time with my girlfriend.” A brief glance around, “She should be around here somewhere.”
“You, girlfriend, sure.” Steph's disbelief was evident, as was Izzie's confusion as she leaned in quietly asked, “Bad blood?”
“Lots.”
“I heard that,” Victoria's sharp gaze quickly soften as she gave herself a hard blink. “And despite what you may, not unjustly, think of me-”
“Vicky!” Another blonde, this one was adorable and had her hair in a bun, jumped into Victoria's arms.
“Kate? You feeling okay? You never-” A quick sniff of the girl caused the taller blonde's face to adopt a scowl as she looked on the direction that Kate came from.
“I'm sorry! I didn't know those were jello shots!” Steph and Izzie both swivelled their heads in the direction of the defensive voice. A shortish brunette with almost shoulder length hair wearing a black t-shirt with the moon on it and a messenger bag over her shoulder. She had her hands up defensively and a sheepish look of her freckled face.
“Max...”
“Max?”
Steph and Victoria's eyes met in mutual confusion as to how the other could know Max, both slightly disconcerted at accidentality speaking in unison. Izzie was just looking back and forth with even less of a clue as to what was going on.
Victoria questioned first, “You graduated from Blackwell before Max even attended.”
“I met her at a High Seas gig that Chloe invited me to last year.”
“Right, I remember you and Price were friends.”
“Hi, I'm Kate, nice to meet you.” The shorter blonde introduced herself with a wave and a smile, “Any friend of Chloe's is a friend of ours! Right Victoria.”
“I suppose so.” Victoria agreed with the girl in her arms, her soft smile surprising Steph a bit.
“She doesn't seem that bad.” Izzie whispered to her girlfriend as she took in the sight; Steph responding, “She used to be a lot worse than this.”
“Umm, I'm Max.” The brunette stepped forward to introduce herself with a small nervous wave and smile.
The gesture was mirrored back, “Izzie, you a friend of Steph's?”
“Friend of a friend,” Max's smile grew a touch more confidant as she shrugged, “Well, girlfriend of a friend.” Her quip earned a chuckle from Izzie.
“And you're friends with Victoria?” Steph asked, finding it hard to imagine that Chloe's girl would be the type to hang around with Victoria Chase.
“She's a girlfriend of a friend.” That one got a chuckle from Izzie and Steph.
“That's fair.” Victoria admitted with a slight nod.
“Maaax...” Kate moaned as she piped up, tapping her girlfriend's arm as she looked at Max, “You're friends, photo buddies, fellow shutter bugs.”
“Okay Katie, we're friends.” Blackwell's old alpha bitch smiling serenely at her cute girlfriend was not on Steph's bingo card for today, though Max's lack of surprise implied it wasn't too rare a sight.
“But Max,” Victoria somehow managed to glare with just her, even while smiling, “Your covering her hangover breakfast.” Max's small nod and shrug didn't show any argument.
“So Max if your here then-”
“Booyah! Found your cape Super-Max!” The one and only Chloe Price yelled out as she half tackled Max from behind holding a lesbian pride flag and stuffing the edges into the collar of her girlfriend's shirt and sweet kiss on Max's smiling cheek.
It took Chloe a moment to notice who else was here, “Steph! Okay now this is hella rad!” The blue haired girl gave a quick wave at Izzie, “I''m Chloe, betting Steph's told you all the awful things.”
“Yep all terrible.” Izzie shot back before muttering in a rhetorical aside to her girlfriend, “I like her, why don't you hang out with her more?”
“Chloe, got some water? I wanna try sobering up Katie a little.”
“I'm fiiine, Vic.”
“Maximus! Did you get Kate hammered? For shame.”
“It wasn't on purpose Chlo.”
“Oh yeah, this seems like a good group.” Steph guessed that her side eye at a certain short haired blonde was petty obvious when Izzie, “I guess Victoria's must have gotten less bitchy or something.”
“Chloe must just be putting up with her because their girlfriends are friends.” Steph further theorises, unable to believe that Victoria could have improved to the point that Chloe would go out of her way to spend time with her.
“Besides, we were trying to avoid this creepy girl with weird double bun hair.” Max shuddered as she explained, Kate's face also scrunching up in disgust. “Laugh at one joke and she wouldn't stop trying to hit on me.”
“She did not respect boundaries.” Kate said, as she nuzzled into a softly smiling Victoria. “Demanding photos for 'new friend Amanda' and not taking no for an answer. No means no.”
“Very true sweetie.” Victoria agreed with Kate. “I think you need coffee, the sweet kind.”
“Didn't you mention working at cafe, Steph?” Max asked having remembered from her first meeting with the other girl over a year ago.
“Save point?” Victoria half asked, half confirmed.
“Right, the gaming cafe place, right?” Chloe chimed in, glancing at Victoria. “I see that look Victoriyama, it's Pride! Let your geek flag fly!”
“One time, Price, I said I liked his art one time.”
“Vicky... Don't hide your heart, like when you showed me Princess Momokeys.” Kate muttered to her girlfriend.
“Monono-” Victoria pressed her lips together stopping herself, taking in the amused looks from most everyone in the odd little group, “Nope, no taking the bait.”
“Soo, are we going or...” Max broke the awkwardly silence.
“Yeah! Lead the way Steph!” Chloe announced as she threw an arm around her smiling girlfriend.
And that was how the unlikely trio of lesbian couples ended up in a gaming cafe; most already had various drinks.
Chloe and Kate were browsing various TTRPG books, admiring the artwork and illustrations, a shared interest in Kate's chosen profession and Chloe's love of graffiti and tattoos. Elsewhere Max and Izzie were chatting, judging from the minor actions being mimed one could guess that they were discussing guitars, their mutual instrument.
That left Steph with Victoria as the former finished up their drinks.
“I owe you an apology.” Steph was a little startled as she turned away from Victoria, glancing back over her shoulder.
“Huh?”
“For my behaviour earlier, and in general back in Blackwell.” The blonde further explained. “I was caught off guard and my old bitchiness reflex kicked in, I'm trying to better but I still slip on occasion.”
“Umm, okay.” Steph acknowledged as she finished making her own drink, unsure how to respond as she came face to face with the former bully. She latched onto the new titbit she'd heard earlier, “So closet geek huh, even if it just Miyazaki.”
“Gatekeeping much.” Victoria smirked at her small victory.
“I hate you right now.” Steph deadpanned.
“Do you hate me, or that I made a point?” The question was obviously rhetorical and earned an eye roll from Steph. Victoria held up her cup, “To surviving Blackwell, and surviving Arcadia Bay.”
“Don't- Can we- Can we not talk about that.” Steph cut in, stumbling over her own words, her desire to avoid thinking about and or remembering the storm as strong as ever. “Not now. Or maybe ever.”
“Sure, of course.” To her credit Victoria looked good and contrite, unsure how to continue with her cup still half raised.
“We don't have to do a-”
“To coming out of the geek closet.” Victoria managed to keep her face straight as she deployed her second attempt at a toast managing to earn an amused snort from Steph as she brusquely admitted, “Sure, cheers.”
A quick tap of cup rims and a sip each and Steph quickly said, “Now that's over with, I'm go gonna hang out with my girlfriend.”
“Same.”
The two young women both quickly split off from each other to to talk to their respective girlfriends.
“Vicky! Look at this artwork, isn't it great.” Kate gushed over the open book on the table, sipping her coffee with slight shake of her head and a hard blink as she slowly managed to sober up. Chloe was standing behind her and observing over her shoulder.
“The detail, the creativity, the colouring.”
“The boobs.” Chloe earned herself a light slap from sweet Kate for that one. “What? Those are some great elf boobs.”
Kate rolled her eyes and giggled at her punk friend's antics, she and Victoria focusing on aforementioned illustrated elf.
“They are pretty good.” Victoria admired, admiring the artwork in question.
“Chloeee, don't give my girlfriend ideas about elf boobs.” Kate whined, seemingly not completely sober yet.
“Sorry Katie, too late, the elf boobs are in my brain.” Victoria smirked as she laid a hand on Kate's shoulder.
“Moving on.” Kate firmly announced as she flipped to another page, this one was mercifully free of elf boobs and instead showed a number of cute critters. “Aww, look at these little guys, I might have to draw a few them myself.”
“Used to play this with Steph and Mikey, back at Blackwell. Good times.”
“I was always intrigued, but never had enough people I trusted enough to get anything started.”
“Oh, Vic...” Kate reached up to caress her girlfriend's hand.
“And now, you trust Kate for sure, but me and Max?” Chloe's nod towards the book and the wiggled eyebrows made her meaning obvious.
“I guess that could be fun, and another way to help Katie stick it to her parents, embracing the devil's game.”
“Ugh, really, Vic.” Kate squeezed her hand a little.
“Sorry.”
“Can't we just have fun with our friends.” Kate admonished; Victoria's old (and thankfully fading) tendency to justify things with spite was something that always irked her girlfriend.
“I know, we can and should.” Victoria affirmed before turning to Chloe, “So, Dungeons and Dragons, think you and Max would be up for that?”
“Those were your photos? They were great.” Izzie said as her girlfriend approached her and Max.
“It's not that big a deal.” Max brushed off the praise with a blush. “We were friends with the band and they asked.”
“Hey don't sell yourself short, I do enough of that myself with my music,”
“Yeah, I could never do that; play in front of people.” Max takes a moment to shudder at the thought, “The only creative expression I can manage is from behind my camera lens.”
“Still pretty cool, next time you and Chloe are in town we gotta have a jam session or something.”
“Planning something?” Steph asked as she came up to the chatting girls.
“Maybe, does Chloe play anything?” Izzie inquired, looking back and forth between Max and Steph.
“I don't think so, unless she picked something up since...” Steph didn't want to draw attention the a certain traumatic event she hadn't discussed with Izzie, and really didn't want to.
“Nope, no sudden musical skill.” Max confirmed, to Steph's relief, without mentioning Arcadia Bay or the storm.
“But Kate plays Violin.” Steph suppressed the urge to cringe at more potential time hanging out with Victoria Chase, even by way of her girlfriend.
“Ha, three string girls.” Izzie chuckled a little before her expression darkened a bit, “But about Kate, is she cool? I saw her cross necklace, I mean sure she's at Pride and all but...” Izzie answered Max's confusion by showing off the blue, pink and white on her eyelids.
“Oh, yeah she's cool, nothing to worry about.” Max responded with a smile and nod. “Complete sweetheart.”
“Good to hear, I know she has a girlfriend and all-” Steph stops herself from commenting on Kate choice of girlfriend, “Terfs are a thing.”
“So maybe a jam session next time you everyone's in town?” Izzie proposed, trying to steer the conversation away from annoyances.
“Yeah, that could be-”
“I mean don't you and Chloe travel about a lot.” Steph cut in, bringing up what she knew of Max and Chloe's general lives. She'd been trying to avoid more time with Arcadia Bay survivors, still not willing to face the losses of that day.
“And we don't even know what Kate and Chase's deals are.” Steph added as she shrugged to her girlfriend, hoping that her true motives didn't come to light.
“Umm, Steph are you-” Izzie began before being
“Steph!” Chloe suddenly announced herself, again half tackling Max from behind and planting a kiss on the shorter girl's cheek with a mutual smile. “Hey DM, me and the girls were talking, had a crazy idea.”
“I can't believe you still have that rust bucket.”
“Hey, do not disrespect my Ship of Theseus.” Chloe quipped back at Steph, offended on behalf of her truck.
Things had wound down for the set of six sapphics, they'd all had their own directions to take. Victoria had driven her and Kate back to the air bnb they were renting, Max went to fetch the truck, Izzie had been offered rides from both but she was heading in the opposite direction. Steph was secretly glad, she was still afraid of someone mentioning the storm. Chloe had stayed behind to keep her old friend company as she relocked everything at the cafe.
“But seriously think about the DnD idea, if we do it online we can maybe even get Mikey back as well, ha, a token straight guy for the party.”
“I'll think about it okay.”
“Is it Victoria, is she a deal breaker, because you could torture and kill her character and probably get away with it.”
“Don't-” Steph half suppressed her chuckle before effecting her best Ian McKellen impression, “Don't tempt me Callamastia.”
“So, Izzie seems really cool.”
“Yeah, she is. Max seems to still be pretty cool too.”
“Okay, weird question here.” Chloe started as she and Steph stepped out of the cafe locking the door afterwards. “Does Izzie know? About Arcadia Bay, about the storm?”
“No.” Steph stated bluntly before starting to stammer an attempt at an explanation, her friend's withering look getting to her as she wrapped her arms around herself willing the memory of howling winds away, “I- I don't like talking about it, or even thinking about it.”
“Have you ever talked about it? With anyone?” Chloe's question as answered with a shake of her friend's head, “I know I'm hella far from being miss mental health, but you gotta talk to someone.”
“Yeah, I know, I've heard the line a thousand times already.” Steph shook her head hard, huffing and releasing her arms, “Can we talk about anything else, please.”
“Sure, just think about it.” Chloe's question was answered with a mumbled 'fine' and a nod, neither of which inspired much confidence in the blue haired punk.
“So, have you and Max seen anything particularly cool on the road, maybe something cheery.” Steph asked as they walked as she desperately wanted to move the conversation away from her avoidance of trauma.
“Well..” Chloe started coyly with a growing smile, “I may have an interesting thing I've been going over in my head... Keep a secret?” Steph nodded, “I've been looking at rings.”
“Rings? What sort of- Wait.” The revelation hit Steph, “No way.”
“Yep.” The blue haired punk's smile refused to budge.
“But we're like, barely out of high school.”
“High school as like six years ago for me, and four years for you.” Chloe chuckled at Steph's attitude, her smile never faltering.
“I mean, are you like really sure, sure?” Steph was having trouble getting the idea of wanting to commit at their age; her own parent's divorce in the back of her mind.
“Yeah, I am.” Her smile turned serene, “I'm gonna stay with her, my Max, forever. Why not tie the knot?” Chloe mused with a shrug.
“You're a little crazy Chloe.” Steph commented with a roll of her eyes.
“Ha! Yeah, hella crazy.”
A semi comfortable silence endured for the few minuets before they came to where Max was waiting with Chloe's truck, happily waving from the cab.
“Well there's my ride, and the truck.” The smirk spoke for itself.
“Ugh, really Chloe.”
“It was hella cool running into you, meeting Izzie.” Chloe offered her arm, “We really need to keep in touch better.”
Steph rolled her eyes as she took it, getting pulled in to a brief half hug from her old friend, nodding over her shoulder as she pulled away, “Looks like your ride's here too.”
Steph followed Chloe's eyes and saw Izzie in her van waving at her.
“And also a-”
“Don't Chloe, just don't.” Steph cut off the obvious incoming joke as she tried not to chuckle. “See ya around Chloe.”
“See ya around Steph,” The blue haired punk reciprocated as walked away with a wave, calling back, “Gotta admit Gingrich, this was probably one of the better encounters to have at pride.”