Face them alone!

You can't believe you are considering this, much less actually speaking the words out loud, but as you tell Dean Dimitrescare, "What's the point in saving my friend if I can't love her? What's the point in freeing the school for now only to be your **** forever? I'm sorry, Dean, but as tempting as the offer is, and it is so, so tempting, I guess I'll have to face them alone."

You don't know who is more surprised, Lily or you. She looks at you quizzically, then says almost admiringly, "Hmmph. I should say that I expect nothing less from the noble heritage of Gulgubous, but to be honest, pedigree means shit to me. I've killed higher borne than myself by scores. My bloodline...your bloodline, it's a passport at best," Dean Dimitrescare winces ever so slightly, "and more often a curse. So seek your own destiny child. Build your army. Find the outcasts the TYRFs haven't gotten to yet. Find their weaknesses from the inside out. Now get out of here before I get bored and decide to turn you into a buttplug."

You wonder if that's more of a threat or a temptation, but remind yourself that there is a more important task for you than an eternity inside her awe inspiring ass, even if it is hard to think of when you're blushing so brightly you're almost red. You mumble a "Thankyouma'amI'lldomybesttomakeyouproud" on the way out of her office.

Once outside, you are in a bit of a daze. You absent mindedly pull up your schedule and see you have already missed half of Shaping for Slimes, but you figure you can test out of that now that you can shape shift at will. Instead, you consider who you can trust. Your first thought is Olive, but that just brings a painful pang to your chest. The second is Lolly, and you realize that despite almost everyone and everything being awful all the time, there are still some people you can count on. You begin to head to your dorm, hoping to find the loyal lamia between classes, when suddenly you feel a hand close around your shoulder. "Hi, Willow. You look lost. Can I help?"

You turn to see Karin smiling down sunnily, in a move you've learned from years of hiding who you really are, even from yourself, you smile right back and give the same deer in a headlights look you always do. "Oh sorry. I just don't know where my head is today. I got some bad news about someone I thought really cared about me. Turns out they were a twisted, lying monster." Karin looks down sympathetically as you describe her and her fucked up filter and confirmation bias tell her you are talking about Olive. She squeezes your shoulder sympathetically and it takes every ounce of your will and mastery to not fall into a puddle away from her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. You know, I see a lot of myself in you, give or take a millennia. We both have hearts that love to easily. I had to form scar tissue to protect mine, but I hope to make this campus, and someday all of Hell, a place you can love openly, without fear of betrayal." Karin can make poison sound like the sweetest succor and you allow the blush that wells inside you to show through, hating having to hide in plain sight and adding it to a growing list of debts you intend to collect from the femme facist's fetching flesh.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you just yet, Karin, but I hope to someday." Your smile and sweet tone belie the true intentions behind your promise and the vile valkillrie bids you adieu and resumes her patrol. You take a deep breath and keep your friendly facade up, not knowing who is watching or who you can trust. You keep your chipper smile up until you reach your dorm, breaking down in sobs the moment the door is closed and locked safely behind you.

"Willow? Oh Willow, sweetie, what's wrong?" Lolly soothes you as she scoops you up in her tail and pulls you into her bosom. All you can do for a long time is bury you face and howl horribly as she strokes your hair and kisses the top of your head. Eventually, you are calm enough to tell her what happened to Olive and the monumental, monstrous task ahead of you...

Lolly responds with her usual restraint. "That Kay Kay Kunt! I knew her group was up to no good, but I thought they just harrassed people on Slitter and held book clubs for British bigots! We've got to do something! I'll try to find help on my end, but to be honest most girls here find me to be a bit much. They definitely have the numbers. What you need to do is find the girls they're afraid of and recruit them, and, no offense, but I doubt any of them will follow you with nothing but your anger to offer. Sorry, I'm a blunt bitch, I know. Still, I've never met a slime like you. You'll learn, get stronger, and I will do some digging and find out where Olive is and if we can help her somehow. In the meantime, I think you need to buddy up to Karin's thrall. She can probably tell you more about the inner workings and weaknesses of the TYRFs, and she doesn't seem like she buys into their bullshit. She just chose the wrong bitch to fall for."

You consider Lolly's advice as you cuddle close to her. You hate to admit it, but she's right. You can't save Olive or anyone else as you are now, and you need something to offer the outcasts if you want their help, even if it's only information. Karin did offer her thrall's help in tutoring you. Well, you hope the 'smart for a cow girl' Krissy knows more than Karin realizes. With her heart belonging to the warrior woman, the cow girl cannot love you, but you plan to make sure she likes the Hell out of you...