Beyond the Veil - Ch.8 - Team Building Pt.2 (Patreon)

Lexi and Marianne and I caught up with Mara and Mira and the succubi in line for our next ride, which turned out to be another coaster.

"Didn't Lily hate this one?" Mira asked as we reached the front of the line.

Amber nodded, "She did. In fact I'm pretty sure she forbid you from going on it again, Mara."

The twin with the horns grinned and flicked her tail as she pointed out, "Lily's not here this time."

Soon enough all eight of us were seated near the front of the ride, but instead of going forwards up an initial hill this coaster began by pulling us backwards, like we were in some kind of giant slingshot. Then when we got to the top of the hill it launched us forwards, back through the boarding area then directly into a couple three-sixty loops with a corkscrew in the middle.

At the end of that we found ourselves halfway up another hill, where the mechanism slowly pulled us the rest of the way up. Then it let go, and we were launched back down to repeat the whole ride again. But that second pass we did the whole thing backwards, which was a new experience for me.

This time when the safety restraints let go both Susan and Melissa caught the giddy twins before they could run off again. Then all three succubi practically dragged their demonic girlfriends into the line for an old-fashioned carousel.

"Aww!" Mara pouted while her tail swished around in frustration. "Why are you making us ride this boring thing? Lily's not stuck in my head anymore, so it's not like we need to give her a break after we've been on the good rides!"

Amber rolled her eyes, "She might not be stuck in there Mara but you three are still connected, remember? I'm sure your demon mom would appreciate it you two chaos gremlins would slow down once in a while."

"Are they always like this?" Lexi laughed while her fluffy tail swished around in amusement.

Melissa grinned as she replied, "Always! I've known Mara since high-school and she's been exactly like this the whole entire time."

Susan added with a wry smile, "It was bad enough last time we were here when there was just one of her. Now that Mira's here too the gremlin energy isn't just doubled, it's off the chart."

"Awww!" both twins pouted in stereo at that comment.

The carousel was extremely tame compared to the other rides, but I didn't think it was so bad. Still, the moment it stopped both Mara and Mira escaped containment, and the demonic twins raced away giggling while their girlfriends and the other two demons chased after them.

I decided to let them go this time, and instead went to track down another group to spend some time with. That actually didn't take very long, and soon enough I was walking alongside some of the older members of our team.

Lily and Eva were hanging out with Amethyst and Theresa, and the four of them had been joined by Julie and Tanya. When I met up with them all six were on their way to a river-rafting ride.

"Hello Lucie," Amethyst greeted me with a friendly smile. "I don't suppose you've seen Siggy anywhere?"

Theresa added, "I know they can take care of themself, but I can't help worrying about a small cat in this big crowded park."

"I'm actually a little surprised they came today," the tall redhead added. "Siggy usually doesn't do well with crowds. Or strangers."

I nodded, "I saw them about an hour ago? They were helping a kid deal with some sensory overload issues."

"This is certainly an overwhelming environment," Julie commented with a grimace.

To my surprise the eight-thousand-year-old demoness agreed, "Last time I was here I had to ask Mara and her girlfriends to stop for regular time-outs, just so I could unwind. Some of the rides here are terrifying."

"Aww," Eva grinned as she pulled her wife into a hug. "I hope this one won't be too much for your delicate sensibilities, will it love?"

"It's fine," the older demoness mumbled while her cheeks warmed up.

Despite being billed as a 'white water' rafting experience the river ride was actually fairly calm. There were a few bumps and jolts as we rode over some man-made rapids or bounced off the artificial stone walls, and we all got splashed once or twice, but that was about it.

From there the others decided to visit the carousel, but since I'd just come from there I moved on once again. That's when I finally had my first encounter with some members of the public.

A pair of shy-looking older teens approached me and one of them asked, "Sorry to bother you but um, what's the deal with the ears and tail? Is that some sort of costume?"

The other one looked almost embarrassed as they added, "It's just that they uh, almost look real? Like the way they're moving and stuff. That's impossible though... right?"

The pair looked to be about my age, maybe eighteen or nineteen. I figured they'd either just finished high school, or maybe they were in their first year of college. Either way they were both masc-presenting, but with the oversized hoodies and the shy awkward demeanour I didn't need my supernatural senses to guess that they might be a pair of eggs.

So with a wide smile on my face and a flick of my long black furry tail I reached into the pocket of my own oversized hoodie and channelled just enough of my Goddess' magic to manifest a pair of frosted plastic capsules.

"Oh they're very real," I told the two. Then I held out the packaged plushies as I added, "Here's a little gift for the two of you, in case you cuties would like some fuzzy ears and furry tails of your own. Try not to use them till you get home though. And definitely read the enclosed instructions first. Have fun!"

Just like that the two eggs were blushing brightly as they accepted the capsule plushies. Then they mumbled some quiet thank-yous as I continued on my way, with a smile on my face and a skip in my step.

It was only another minute or two before I located the next group, except they weren't riding anything more exciting than some bar stools.

I found Lenz Fergus Ida and Moira sitting in a tavern, where they'd been joined by May Hawthorne. The five deities were talking as they enjoyed some drinks and snacks, and thanks to my big bunny ears I was able to hear what they were saying before I got anywhere near the group of gods.

"I still can't believe Siggy's decided to go full-time with that cat form," Moira commented.

After a sip of her cider she grinned, "Remember that time she changed herself into a cat by accident? She ended up hiding behind a sofa. Then it was what, a decade before she was ready to show her face again?"

Ida pointed out, "Accidents aside, it seems to be working for her this time. Or them, I mean. They still seem kind of shy at times, but they're a lot more bold than they ever were in their human shape."

Fergus had a swig of beer before saying, "And don't forget how they're pulling in the new worshipers like crazy these days."

"I'm pretty sure that little furball's got enough power now they could beat all four of us single-handed," he added as he set his mug down and reached for a chicken wing.

May grimaced, "It's really quite remarkable to me. All of this, I mean. Changing our focus, appealing to new worshippers, being open and honest with the mortals... Amethyst certainly opened my eyes about a lot of things. As has Cassandra."

"I guess," Lenz shrugged after a gulp of his cooler. "I think I'm doing alright anyways. Maybe not Sigrun levels of alright, but I'm getting there."

Ida picked up her glass of wine as she agreed, "These new ways will definitely take some getting used to..."

At that point I decided I'd heard enough. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but their conversation left me thinking I probably wouldn't fit in with a bunch of gods talking about their divine business. And I wasn't sure how they'd feel if I'd tried to invite myself into their little group, considering I was basically just a wanna-be angel compared to them. So I decided to move on, and see if I could find some other members of Team Chaos to hang out with.

Sure enough it wasn't much longer before I spotted Raven and her girlfriend. The couple were standing together near the exit for the park's tallest dive coaster, and it seemed pretty obvious they were waiting for the rest of their found family to emerge from the ride. I headed over to talk to them, but it turned out I wasn't the only one with that idea.

A pair of college-age guys got there first, and the two men immediately started trying to hit on the goth angel and her girlfriend. Raven looked uncomfortable at having to deal with the intrusion, while Avery didn't seem to have any trouble telling them to go take a hike.

Unfortunately the guys wouldn't take no for an answer. And when they figured out that the attractive young women they'd been trying to chat up were a couple, the men's behaviour shifted from obnoxious to downright abusive.

For a moment I was confused about why the angel just quietly stood there and let a couple assholes verbally abuse her and her girlfriend, when I knew for a fact she could have dealt with them both in an instant with her divine magic. Then I realized she was probably afraid of causing a scene.

As Cassandra's chaos alata I had no such concerns. Especially considering my Goddess already pointed out that half the reason we were here today was to be seen by the public. Plus looking out for members of our pantheon was part of my job description, so I was basically under divine orders to get involved.

With that in mind I marched right up and forced my way into the middle of the altercation. Then with my tail twitching I glared up at the two guys and stated, "Bad enough you jerks wouldn't back off when they said they weren't interested, but you crossed a line with the queermisic bullshit. You get one chance to leave now with your dignity intact."

From their expressions I got the impression the two guys were both amused, and maybe even stupid enough to take my threat as a challenge.

Sure enough the one on the left looked at my ears and tail then made a comment comparing me to a circus freak. Then he questioned my mental capacity and suggested I must be lost, considering this was an amusement park rather than a circus tent. Meanwhile the idiot on the right was more focused on my boobs as he followed up with a crude sexual remark. Then he went on to suggest Raven and Avery and I should all put our mouths to better use, while gesturing at his crotch.

"That's it," I announced as a burst of rainbow sparkles swirled around me. They faded to reveal my business form, complete with my black-as-death antlers and rainbow halo.

When I spread my huge black feathered wings a moment later the two guys were literally falling over each other in a clumsy attempt to escape. A wave of cold black flames behind them suddenly blocked their path, then faded to reveal Ravenna in her angel-of-death form, complete with black flaming sword and halo.

I smiled as I pointed at the guy on the left and stated in an icy cold voice, "Mr. Freakshow is mine."

"And Mr. Sexual Assault belongs to me," the other angel practically growled, as her own black wings spread out to their full span.

Apparently being confronted by a couple angry angels was all it took to send the two dude-bros into a complete panic. The pair scrambled to their feet, then took off running as fast as they could. And it was painfully obvious to anyone who happened to look that both of them were in desperate need of clean underwear.

Rather than give chase Ravenna and I let them go. It was pretty clear they weren't going to bother the angel or her girlfriend again. Or anyone else in the park, for that matter. In fact I gave it a fifty-fifty chance we'd scared them enough that neither of them would risk mouthing off to another woman ever again.

I was about to say as much when both of us were surprised as the crowd that had gathered around us suddenly burst into applause. That's when I realized almost all of them had their phones out, so they could take pictures of the two of us. And maybe even videos of the whole encounter.

Raven gave me a confused look, but it only took me a moment to figure it out.

"They think we're actors," I told her as I folded my wings against my back. "They think this was some kind of performance."

"Ah," the angel frowned and folded her wings up as well.

Then the two of us moved back to where Avery was standing, just as another crowd of happy excited thrill-seekers emerged from the exit to that coaster. Cheryl Tabby and Jinx were among them, and the three hurried over to join the rest of us.

"That was awesome!" the petite blonde human exclaimed. She had a wide happy smile on her face as she told her sister, "We're gonna go again! You have to come with us this time Aves, it's so cool!"

Meanwhile the catgirl grimaced while her tail remained tucked between her legs, "I'm not ready to do that again just yet. I think I need a year, maybe two, before I'm going on that thing again."

"No way, it was great!" Jinx insisted. "C'mon Tabby, we've gotta go again!"

Then the little cambion cocked her head to one side as she looked at me and Raven and asked, "Hey what's with all the wings? Are you two up to something?"

Raven rolled her eyes as she shifted back to her 'goth coed' shape, so I returned to my casual form. Then despite Tabby's and Avery's protests, Cheryl and Jinx dragged all of us back into line with them.

That was another fun ride, although Avery and Tabby were both a little pale by the end of it. Or rather, they were pale right from the start. Specifically the moment where the ride came to a halt at the top of the first hill, leaving us all suspended over a two hundred foot vertical drop for a few seconds.

Cheryl and Jinx both loved it, but when it was over Avery looked like she was ready for a break. And Raven was more than happy to indulge her girlfriend, so I left them to it and set off once again to find more members of Team Chaos.

That pretty much summed up the rest of the day for me. I did a couple rides and had a light lunch with Callie Bailey and Serenity from Really Strange Stuff and Praise the Chaos, then rode a suspended looping coaster with Mara Mira and the succubi. The demon twins insisted on trying a slingshot ride together, but their girlfriends refused to go anywhere near it.

And everywhere I went through the park, whatever I was doing, there were always people staring at my ears and tail. Or taking pictures of me. A few more even approached me to ask about them, and whenever that happened I made sure to hand out more of my Goddess' enchanted plushies.

Eventually I found my way back to Her and Kaylee. Cassandra had turned things over to Her demonic headmate though, and Cass wanted to visit some of the slower rides in the kids area of the park. That's also where we found Siggy. The little torty was a big hit with some of the younger kids, while they kept an eye out for anyone else who might need their help.

When evening finally rolled around and the rides and attractions began shutting down we all made our way back towards the entrance, and Team Chaos once again gathered around my Goddess to hear what She had to say.

"Thank you all for coming out today," Cassandra announced with a wide smile. "I hope everyone had a good time? And it feels like some of you made some new friends, which also makes us happy."

I noticed She was looking at May Hawthorne when she made that last comment. I recalled how the ravenette goddess seemed awkward or uneasy first thing this morning, but she appeared a lot more relaxed now. And instead of being at the back near her daughter she was standing with that other group of gods I'd seen her with earlier.

Meanwhile my Goddess continued, "As for our other objective, I think we pretty much crushed that one. There must be thousands of pictures and videos circulating by now, depicting evidence of magic and the supernatural out in the open here today."

"Finally," She added with a glance towards Siggy, "I know at least a few of you used today as an opportunity to help more people, and maybe pick up a few more worshippers or spread your influence a little further. That's perfect, I hope you all keep it up. The more people we help, the more we spread a positive influence among the public, the stronger we all become. And the closer we get to achieving our ultimate goal."

Cassandra also looked my way while She was talking, of course She'd have known whenever I gave out one of Her capsule plushies. She glanced at Amethyst and Lily too, suggesting those two were busy today as well.

That was actually the end of my Goddess' little speech, and the end of our big team building outing. She thanked everyone once again for helping make the day a big success, and that was it.

Then to give the status quo one last kick in the pants, more than half of our group teleported away in full view of the crowd that was streaming past us on their way out to the parking lot.