“Really?" 

She couldn't help an amused snort escaping her as she peered down at the fluffy creature in front of her. The lioness almost reached the top of the doorframe, her ears just able to brush it if she stood particularly tall. Admittedly, the home was intended for smaller creatures like the dragon in front of her, who squeaked in protest as he gazed up.

“W-well! You said to wear my favorite thing, and.. I like being comfy…" The smaller white dragon whined below, crossing his arms a bit. Aptly named Vanilla for both his soft white fur and rather sweet, innocent demeanor, which was frequently too pure for this world. He only stood four feet tall, if even, although his wings and absurdly fluffy tail bought back a fair bit. 

“I said we were going out on the town, you dork." Lavender, the lioness looming above him, affectionately sighed and reached down to ruffle between his ears with a paw not much smaller than his head. Where the, admittedly adorable, little dragon had opted for a warmly colored baggy sweater and a pair of neatly fitting jeans, she'd been much less modest. She'd opted for only a top, leaving her midriff fully exposed down to her torn denim shorts, which her tufted tail stuck out from atop. “Half-tempted to take you upstairs and dress you myself, but we'd be late. But that *would* be fashionable… Mmh. No, we've gotta go. C'mon, fluffbutt."

With a grasp on one of his large, fuzzy ears, she started tugging Vanilla right out the door, amid squeaky protests and complaints of the little dragon at both her opinions on his outfit and her not letting him walk on his own two paws. Ears that big are meant to be grabbed, she frequently reminded him, often by playing with them whenever she ended up behind him.

Before the pair even reached the sidewalk, the music from her car full of friends was reverberating through them from nose-to-tail. The group inside the car cheered as she nudged Vanilla inside and then climbed in herself, trapping the fluff in the middle seat. It did make sense, with how he was dwarfed by an even larger zebra on the rightmost seat and Lavender on the left, but still being in the middle sparked a brief flash of anxiety in his soft mind. Even as Lavender leaned over to chat with the zebra beside her, one of her classmates from the college they both attended, she hooked an arm over Vanilla's small shoulders and tugged him into her flank, her tail flicking out and over his lap as it frequently did. Despite the sudden jerk and booming noises of the car as it veered off, he still purred some, easily distracted as his smaller pads wrapped around the length of her swishy limb and gently stroked at it, getting some kind of revenge for the earlier embarrassment over his ears.

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Before long, the car full of loud anthros was wedged into a spot on a narrow street, much to the attention (and disdain) of many of the passerby at their volume. Lavender seemed unbothered no matter how many eyes were on her, though, her tail swishing as she practically bounced out of the car and drug her soft friend with her. “You're gonna love it! Everyone does. C'mon!"

“I-i, uhm…" Vanilla tried to hesitate for a few moments, seeming a bit overwhelmed by the bright street already, but he was quickly whisked along in the crowd. Lavender gave a quick smile down at him, her tough demeanor faltering for just a moment at genuine excitement for the night ahead of them, and that was enough to soothe the soft dragon for a moment. Even if they felt out of place, seeing their friend truly happy was enough to coax him out of his shell. Not that he had much of a choice, having to keep trotting along with the group to avoid being trampled, but still.

Once they reached the door, most of the group was quickly ushered inside, only being stopped by a striped hand when Vanilla was about to be passed inside. “You've gotta be kidding me." A gruff voice echoed through the entrance as a buff tiger stepped out, laughing at the sight of the short fluffdragon being tugged by the far taller lioness. “You can't bring your kid in with you, lady."

Lavender quickly stepped in front of him, baring her fangs and about to snap back, hackles raising in a growl - but Vanilla poked his soft snoot around her side, already holding up his ID. “I'm twenty-one! See? My parents weren't very tall either, it runs in my family…"

The bouncer stared between the card and him for a solid few moments, seemingly about to object nonetheless… But finally, he backed down after an intense stare from Lavender. With a sigh, he waved them inside, muttering something about it being too early in the night and him not being paid enough for this. Vanilla chirped happily and gently pressed his nose into the lioness's side, reassuringly rubbing against her flank. “See? No issue at all! Let's go have fun, right?" The fluffdragon gently nudged Lavender along, trying to distract her before she could pick a fight.

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Once inside, Lavender did brighten up quite a bit, eagerly taking the scene in where Vanilla shied away again and his ears folded back. Music was blaring across the dark room, full of dimly lit tables in the corners and a floor illuminated with LEDs, and practically packed with vague shapes of all species. “Much better." She purred, reaching out to ruffle at Vanilla's soft head and then draping her tail across his nose. “Hold on. I don't wanna hear you squeaking as you get squished under someone's hooves!" She called back at him playfully, prompting him to quickly nod along and grasp at the limb, following close behind as she weaved through the crowd, fighting and even having to push a few particularly obstructive animals aside. 

Finally, though, she managed to reach the bar, reaching down to scoop her arms underneath Vanilla and lift him right on up. The soft dragon squeaaked in alarm for a moment at the sudden movement, huffing a little and softly bapping at their friend. Lavender didn't listen much, though, climbing onto a stool herself and then settling him on her lap. “I can sit by myself!" He complained, wiggling.

“Yeah right. You'd barely reach the bar, fluffbutt. Get cozy." She purred, hugging an arm around him again and then using the other to wave at the bartender. “Two shots of something strong! I wanna get buzzed before we dance."

Vanilla looked anxiously back at the dancefloor, swallowing with dread at the thought of wading into that sea of legs again, but was quickly distracted by a pad stroking beneath his chin. “Hello there, handsssome~" A smooth, feminine voice hissed from over the bar, giggling brightly at the pair. “He yoursss tonight, mm? I wouldn't mind ssseeing how that fluff feels under my fangs…" The bat behind the bar leaned down to be on eye level with him, her short fur almost pitch black except for purple accents along the tips of her ears and nose. Vanilla's soft white cheeks quickly redenned at that as he stammered, shaking his head.

“Not a chance, sorry. He's firmly into boys, as adorable as he is. Myself on the other hand…" Lavender brushed through her dyed mane, purring playfully at the lady bat who'd backed up to start pouring the pair a drink. By the time the shot got nudged over to him, the pair were already quickly flirting back and forth, all the better for the flustered little creature to gently sip from the glass and be lost in his own blushy world.

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Vanilla spent the next bit nursing on the drink, spaced out a bit as he tried to catch up on what was happening around him while the alcohol trickled through his system. It wasn't very good, he'd decided, being the worst of licorice and something strong mixed together quite poorly. Only when Lavender started to shift beneath him did he squeak back to reality, eyes wide as he looked up at her. “Gonna be right back, fluffutt. You'll be okay right here, yeah? Ask any of my friends if you need anything, I'm gonna entertain our lovely bartender on her break." The bat behind the bar slipped out, offering a webbed hand to the lioness and whispering something before starting to tug her along.

Before he knew what was happening, Lavender was halfway across the floor, and he was left alone on a chair not quite tall enough for hiim. He started to call out but hesitated, not wanting to interrupt her while she was enjoying herself, especially with how often she went out of her way to protect him. Still, he shivered atop his stool, tail curling up around himself as he went to hide behind his fluffy wings…

Only for them to be nudged aside by a familiar set of pads, and a reassuring trill. “Maybe that's a bit much for your first time here, mm? Sorry for almost leaving you like that…" Lavender crouched down beside him, reaching to smooth out his fur and fix his sweater.

“B-but, weren't you two..? I don't, uhm, want to be a burden…" Vanilla whined softly, mournfully looking down at himself, but Lavender was quick to brush underneath his chin and tilt his head back up.

“No such thing! Besides, numbers exist. You bet I'm gonna call her later. I could even send it to you if you want~" She teased back, knowing full well how gay the poor fluff was. Before he could squeak in protest too long, she reached around his waist and lifted him right up, settling him on her shoulders for a ride. “I've got a better idea. Let's go dance, yeah? This way your tail won't get stepped on." She purred warmly, bringing a smile back to his snoot. 

It was rather fun, being lifted high above the crowd like that. Some of the taller anthros even reached up to give him high fives while Lavender bounced below, earning lots of entertained squeaks from the fluffdragon and 'Hell yeah, little dude!'s from the animals around.