Katie Skullgrinder - Modern-day Orc
After doing those commissions, I decided to cleanse my palate by making something that maybe only I will appreciate. I started with a very muscular body and was going to just make a badass orc who needed love. But then I accidentally put her in a cute dress, and a story unfolded in my head. I'll share the story below the card. Try not to fall in love with my dear Katie, I dare you.
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"No. Absolutely not." Katie crossed her arms, looking down at her best friend. "I am not wearing a thong!"
Tansy giggled. "Listen, ye wanna to look good, right? For yer date?"
"Yeah, my mystery date. Some weirdo who actualy wants to dance with the tallest girl in the whole class. And I'll be wearing heels."
"Ye'll be wearing shit-kicking heels, and they are making yer already incredible legs look amazin'!"
Sighing, Katie dropped her hands to her side. "I'm six and a half feet tall, I-"
"I'm well aware a' how tall me best mate is," the gnome said, cutting off her complaint. "Trust me. Yer beautiful, an' tonight everybody's gunna see that. And they are NOT gunna be talkin 'bout how yer panty-waist was showin' under yer dress."
Katie took the tiny garment off the dresser and turned to go into the bathroom. "Where did you even find this? We're the only orc family in this whole borough, and Greentown's... well, it's not safe."
"S&M store. They've got lotsa stuff in orc sizes."
Katie dropped her towel and shimmied into the little thong, taking a moment to check how it looked in the mirror. "I'm gonna need your help with the other piece, too." She pulled the corset up over her muscular torso to cover her breasts before walking back into Tansy's bedroom. "I'm not sure this is gonna fit."
"Oh, it'll fit," the gnome said with a grin, pulling up some sort of ratcheting tool from her belt. "I'll MAKE it fit."
---
The car ride over was almost worse than the corset-fastening. Katie could feel her palms sweating. She reached up to run her hands through her hair, but Tansy punched her thigh before she could.
"Tissues!" she snapped, pulling some from her clutch and handing them over. "I spent too long on yer hair ta let ye fuck it all up now. Same goes fer the makeup. No touchin'. No fightin'. And absolutely no bleedin'!"
Katie chuckled, wiping the sweat from her hands. "You didn't have to do so much. I feel like an elf, with all this makeup on."
"It's barely an accent, an' it brings out yer cheekbones."
"I wish you'd let me go with the tux. This dress barely covers anything."
"The dress covers plenty. The hose does the rest a' the job."
"Yeah, but you can see my clan-brand."
Tansy folded her arms, somehow wordlessly commanding Katie's gaze down to meet hers. "Katie Skullgrinder, yer brand is part a' who ye are. It's beautiful, ye're beautiful."
"It means my family used to-"
"Grind skulls? Aye, an' my family used ta set napalm traps fer yer raiders. But the Age o' Aggression's long past. It doesn't mean that anymore. It means yer a clanswoman, that ye respect strength an' honor, an' family. It hasn't meant ye 'grind skulls' in centuries. Nobody remembers that tripe."
"The elves remember. They were there."
"Mister Goldenleaf's a right racist git, aye. But ye've proved his shit wrong. Top a' the history class, right? Ah, I love watchin' 'im fume when he hands ye those A's."
Katie giggled, biting her lip. Her tusk dimpled it inward, and she let go before her lipstick could smudge. "Alright, alright. I'll forget about the elves. Will you at least tell me-"
"Here we are, girls," Tansy's father called from the front seat. He lifted the cup of his privacy headphones and looked back at them through the mirror with a warm smile. "Ah, me girls, ye both look so lovely. It brings a tear to me eye. An' don't ye worry, little Kat, the missus's illusions are all ready fer when yer da' calls ta check up on ye."
"Thanks, Mister Trickfoot," Katie said, bowing her head. "I'm sorry about-"
"It's no trouble. A Trickfoot's always ready ta play a li'l trick on the closed-minded, aren't we? Now get yer keister outta this car, I can see yer date's gettin' impatient."
Katie felt her cheeks darken. "Wait, my date? Where..." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, here I go."
The cool breeze tousled Kate's bangs as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She swallowed, forcing her heart back down out of her throat. "Alright, I'm here," she said, looking around. "Now who's this mystery date?"
There was a whirring behind her, followed by several metallic clicks and a hiss of hydraulics. Turning around, Katie's eyes landed on Tansy's face. A face which was level with her own. She looked down at the shiny metallic stilt-frame that her friend was strapped into, then up into those big gnomish eyes again. "Wait, I- what?"
Tansy smiled, reaching her soft little hand to cup Katie's cheek. "Ye're so smart, and so stupid at the same time," she whispered. "Will ye go to the prom with me?"
---
The dance was as lively as ever. Energetic humans bumping up against graceful elves, halflings weaving between their legs like an elaborate obstacle course. Some other crafty gnomes used stilt rigs to dance with taller partners, although none as elaborate and elegant as the two long, polished brass spider legs under Tansy Trickfoot. And holding her hand at the center of it all, Katie Skullgrinder was, for the first time ever, not afraid to be seen.