"Always leave time for aftercare."

"Good girl." Skritch skritch. "Now what would you like to do?"

"This is some kind of test, isn't it?"

"I guess I'd like to do the aftercare I skipped out on."

"Good girl."

"But we've aftercared without you. That ship has sailed."

"Then, um... I'd like to go back to my room."

Kumi's nails dig into Audrey's hair and hold her. "Not when you're not done aftercaring yourself. You're feeling all messed up about this, aren't you?"

"... yeah."

"Hurting about it doesn't help anything. You still deserve pets and comfort even though you messed up, and neither of us are really taking this personally. Sure, I'm annoyed, Hannah is annoyed, but this kind of thing happens, especially with inexperienced people like yourself. It's just cost of doing business, honestly."

"...okay."

"And that's why we're going to snuggle and skritch you mercilessly until you feel better." She snuggles in closer to Audrey.

Soft coo. 

"... thank you."

"Pay it forward."

"I promise I will."

"Good girl." Skritch skritch.

Soft coo snuggle in.

Hannah just holds Audrey for a little while.

Kumi rakes her claws gently across her scalp, skritch skritch skritch. 

A while passes, and eventually the gentle warmth of being held and tended to melts the hard cold lump in Audrey's heart. 

"... I think that's enough."

"Alright." Hannah shifts away a little, but leaves a parting kiss on Audrey's ear.

Kumi stills her claws in Audrey's hair. "You're sure?"

"Mhm!"

Kumi disentangles her tails from around Audrey (they seem to have crept in while nobody was paying attention) and slips her claws free of her hair. 

"You're free to go if you want to."