Day Two

The Bar

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#297. The Bar

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 12

Who had "Chloe gets ditched in 3 seconds flat" in the betting pool? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S_vclBlGZo">[...sound track!]</a> (This page took a ridiculously long time to draw. I spent weeks getting it just right, but 1000% worth it. Easily one of my most favorite pages this chapter.)

Approaching the bar "Cocoa Banana" just past sunset, with a line of people waiting to get in behind a large bouncer with a rhino head who has closed off the door with red velvet ropes. Most in line are human, but a few with tails or horns. A car drives toward parking, and more people are heading to join the line.
*Sophia and Zia pass right by the bouncer, who holds the velvet rope open* Zia (cheering): "Woohoo, ladies night!" Sophia: "Yeah!" Chloe (somewhat behind): "I really don't think this is — "
Inside the bar. Chloe: "Listen, you guys should stay close so we don't get separated —"
They're both instantly gone, leaving Chloe by herself in the crowd.
Chloe spots Sophia, who's already across the room, leaning toward a surprised guy sitting at a table in a booth. Sophia: "Hey, cutie, ever heard of Rule 34?"
Chloe sees Zia off dancing in a huge crowd while Lady Gaga's song "Born This Way" plays. (music: "...the right track baby I was born this...")
Chloe (sighing and shrugging): "Why do I even bother?"
Chloe (to the bartender): "Water, please." (Bartender washes a glass in front of a wall of bottles. Above the bar, bar trivia on one TV showing "Round Over!" and "Winner: Team Red". On another TV, news channel SNN showing a newscaster and an aircraft carrier, with headline "USS Alice Roosevelt" and "Breaking News," and subtitles reading "Reports on scene indicate that..." On the last TV, a soccer game at "23:17" with subtitles reading "He looks good..." and "Liverpool.")

Mark

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#298. Mark

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 13

...uh oh.

Chloe (hovering over her glass of water at the bar): "Can't believe it." "Fine." "Whatever." "They're grown women." Big crowd of people in the background behind her.
Voice: "Can I buy you a drink?" Chloe: "Listen, I'm just here chaperoning my friends —"
Camera pulls back to show a tall centaur guy in a gray T-shirt with slightly messy hair. "Hi, I'm Mark." Chloe starts to look up.
Chloe stands up and stares at him, a little stunned.
Mark: "Are you — okay?" Chloe's face is pink.
Chloe (bright pink): "HI I'M MARK, I'M HI!" *awkwardly jabs hand in the air to shake his*

Tall

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#299. Tall

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 14

...eep.

Mark: "Haven't seen you before." "And I think I'd remember another centaur." "This your first time here?" Chloe nervously fiddles with her hair, a large crowd in the background behind them.
Chloe stares up at him, stunned. Little hearts float over her head.
Mark: "Miss, are you — all right?" Chloe panics.
Chloe (looking up, her face flushed): "I'm sorry I'm fine —" "It's just I thought —" "And you're —" "REALLY —" "TAAALLL..."
Mark (shyly): "Yeah, tall's kind of an occupational hazard when you're a centaur." "So, uh, what's your name?"
Chloe (freezes, nodding cluelessly): "Name?" (Background: "...don't panic don't panic don't panic...")
Chloe (nodding furiously): "I HAVE A NAME!!!" "_HI, UH, I'M — _" (Background: "...panic panic panic panic panic...")
Chloe sits bolt upright in bed the next morning, holding the blankets over her chest — with Mark asleep beside her. Chloe: (whispering, eyes wide): " — in big trouble."

Apologies

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#300. Apologies

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 15

PAGE 300! WOO! 300 PAGES OF DAY TWO! MAJOR MILESTONE! 🎉 ...er, but holy crap, yeah, sorry Chloe, you kinda brought it on yourself, but I'm pretty sure your life isn't going to get any easier from here on out.

Chloe sneaks out of her room. Chloe is wearing a loose white camisole, clearly a quickly-found undergarment. Zia is at the end of the hall, looking at her phone and drinking coffee, wearing a sleeveless T-shirt that says "100% NOT HUNG OVER."
Zia (wryly looks up as Chloe approaches): "Well." Chloe: "I, uh, good morning?" Zia (eyebrow raised): "It should be."
Chloe: "Listen, I, uh — " Zia (brightly): "Oh, you have nothing to apologize to me for."
Chloe: "I — don't?"
Zia: "Nah." Chloe (nervously): "...good — ?"
Zia (grinning): "Now Mrs. Bankelstein downstairs — " Chloe (buries face, bright red): "OH GOD!"

Stick

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#301. Stick

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 16

There needs to be a betting pool on how many times Chloe will attempt to brutally murder Zia before the end of the chapter.

Chloe: "I just — he was hot, and I — ." "I don't know what I was thinking." "I wasn't even drunk." "He bought me one cosmo, and I just — "
Zia: "Chlo, you don't need to apologize for it." "You've needed to get laid for months now." Chloe (angrily): "Zia!"
Zia (snarky): "I'm just saying, while he was all up in there, I hope he finally pulled out the stick you had up your butt."
Chloe glares at her, fuming murderously. Zia (sweet and innocent): "What?"

Owning It

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#302. Owning It

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 17

*flips frantically through the script* What page are we even on? Who the hell is this guy!?

Chloe (through gritted teeth): "I don't need your sarcasm, I need your help! He's still here!"
Zia (heads toward the kitchen, grinning): "Okay, I'll make some breakfast." "You think he likes eggs?" "Bacon?" "Pancakes?" Chloe (angrily): "Zia!"
A curly-haired satyr man slips past behind them, grimacing, holding his underwear and shirt over his waist. Chloe (startled): "!" Zia looks back.
Chloe (disgusted): " — the heck!?"
He slips out to the living room while they watch.
He slips in front of the TV and turns the apartment doorknob.
He darts out the apartment door. Zia (brightly, holding up her hand like a phone): "Call me!"
Chloe (steaming angry): "You goddamn HYPOCRITICAL LITTLE GREEN —" Zia (gestures with coffee cup, with a dark smile): "The difference between you and me, Chloe my dear, is that if I'm gonna make a mistake, I OWN it."

The Mistake

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#303. The Mistake

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 18

Oh, Chloe. 🤦‍♂️

Chloe (whispering fiercely): "Zia! What are we gonna do?" Zia: "I think I'm gonna make some waffles. You think your boytoy likes waffles?"
Chloe (starting to panic): "Zia!" Zia (serious): "Chloe, you're a grown woman. You slept with a guy. It's the most normal thing you've done all year. This is good for you."
Chloe (constrained panic): "No, you don't understand!" "How do I tell him without hurting him that I made a massive mistake?" "That I never should've done — what we did!" "Not now, not ever with this goddamn horse stuck to me!" "And it was my idea — not his! — to come back here, I dragged him into my bedroom, and I — oh God, this is completely my fault, and I wasn't even drunk, and that just makes it worse!" "This is a horrible mistake!" "What was I thinking!?"
Zia: "Chloe, you were thinking with your butt. Welcome to the human race." " — I mean, sort of."
Chloe (full-on panic): "Zia, this is a DISASTER!" "I have to figure out what to SAY to him!" "I let my guard down for just ONE MINUTE, and I friggin' picked up a guy at a bar and SLEPT with him!" "What did we — what did I even DO last night?" "Oh my GOD, I don't even want to THINK about it!" "This was a HUGE MISTAKE — I need to — "
Mark (behind her, softly): "Was it really that bad?" Chloe (frozen like a statue, crumbling as metaphorical lightning strikes).

Hurt

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#304. Hurt

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 19

Oh, man. First rule of being in a hole: keep digging. ... ...I can't believe Zia is now the voice of reason.

Chloe (horrified): "That's not what I meant, Mark, I — " Mark stomps past to the door, frowning.
Chloe: "Please, I'm sorry, I — " Mark keeps walking, angry.
Mark (at the door, glancing back): "I thought we had —" "I thought you —" "You know what? Never mind." "I guess we both made mistakes last night."
Mark (waving from outside the door, frowning): "Bye, Chloe."
Chloe stands frozen at the door.
Chloe stands frozen and stunned.
Zia appears next to Chloe.
Zia (frowning): "Well go after him!" *slaps Chloe*

Sorry

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#305. Sorry

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 20

...oof.

Chloe darts into the hall after him, but he's gone.
Chloe races down the stairs.
Chloe races out of the building.
Chloe stands outside in the middle of the street, still half-dressed, staring into the distance, horrified.
Camera pulls back. People are walking, and cars are driving.
Chloe (reaching out, whispering, camera far away): "I'm sorry —"

Help

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#306. Help

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 21

Zia, we really need to talk about your moral framework again. Crime equals bad, remember?

Chloe in bed, sobbing and wailing into her hands.
Camera pulls back to show Zia beside Chloe's bed, and a wallet on Chloe's bedstand next to the alarm clock. Zia: "I'm thinking I should just pick up some bagels for breakfast instead." "Blueberry bagels?" "Chocolate?" Chloe (still wailing).
Zia (sighs): "Chloe —" " — do you like him?" Chloe (sobbing and snuffling): "I —" " — he was nice" "and he was cute" "and he was tall" "and I — "
Zia: "Do you LIKE HIM?" Chloe (cringing pathetically): "I mean —" "I think I do, but —"
Zia (sips coffee sagely): "Then the right thing to do —" "— is to go apologize."
Chloe (irritable, still crying): "Zia, I don't even —" "How am I supposed to do that?" "I don't have his number —" "I don't know where he lives —" "I —" "I don't even know his full name!"
Zia (picks up wallet off the bedstand, flips it open): "Hmm, you might want to return this wallet to someone who lost it." "It says 'Mark Reed, of 513 Los Robles, number 27.'"
Chloe (fuming angry): "You SERIOUSLY didn't PICKPOCKET —" Zia (sipping her coffee again, shrugging, holding out the wallet to Chloe): "Would've if he hadn't left it, horsegirl, but you didn't need my help on this one."

Proof

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#307. Proof

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 22

Look, at least she's angry instead of crying, this is progress.

Chloe holds up the wallet, her tears starting to dry. Chloe: "I can't just — go up to him with this."
Zia: "Then mail it back." Chloe: "I can't just mail it back!"
Zia: "Then I'll return it." Chloe: "It shouldn't be you!"
Zia (holds up a finger sagely): "Then it MUST stay here. Q.E.D." Chloe (shouting): "It CAN'T stay here!"
Zia (sips coffee): "Nope, sorry, Law of Noncontradiction. Invalid proof." Chloe (angry): "Zia!"
Zia (snidely): "Listen, you can do anything you want with love, horsegirl, but math and logic are mine." Chloe (fuming angry).

Army of One

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#308. Army of One

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 23

Chloe, can you please not go full stereotype? Maybe dial that eleven back to like an eight? Also, why do I get the feeling this isn't the first time Zia's talked to her tail?

Chloe sits in her bed, wrapped up in blankets, eating cookie-dough ice cream from the carton while emo music blasts in the background.
Zia (fully dressed now, arms crossed): "You really ought to do something." "You can't just stay in here all day eating ice cream and playing Evanescence."
Chloe (irritably takes another scoop of ice cream): "Like fudge I can't."
Zia: "Okay, in your best interest, I'm not going to let you stay here all day eating ice cream and playing Evanescence."
Chloe (grouchy): "Yeah, you and what army?"
Zia looks at Chloe.
Zia's tail points back at her as if holding a conversation with her. Zia: "Hmm —"
Zia's tail points back at Chloe. Zia: "Just measuring troop strength, I get that there's two of us and only one of her, but she's in the cavalry..."

Hate Bargain

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#309. Hate Bargain

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 24

Forever seems to be shorter than I remember.

Chloe, still in bed eating ice cream with music blasting. Zia: "Listen, somebody's gotta return his wallet, and if it's not you, then I'm gonna do it."
Chloe: "No way." Zia: "He's gonna come back for it if one of us doesn't."
Chloe: "Argh!" "Fine, I'll do it, but I'm gonna hate you forever!"
Zia (shrugging, walking away): "Okay, but we half-changed Sophia back yesterday..."
Chloe glares at her, bending the spoon in half.
Chloe: "Okay, fine, but I'm gonna hate you for at least an hour!" Zia (holds out hand, grinning): "Deal."

The Walk of Shame

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#310. The Walk of Shame

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 25

😬 ... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAEhWEOrlnc">musical accompaniment</a>

Chloe walks through town. Camera far away. Skyline in the distance, and car traffic on the street. Chloe looks very small.
Chloe walks in front of buildings, with pedestrians and cars around her. Camera closer.
Chloe walks across the street at a crosswalk. Camera closer.
Chloe walks in front of a building, head hanging. Camera closer. A pedestrian walks by, looking at her phone. Blue news box with the "Los Angeles Guardian" newspaper inside with headline "Airstrikes in Baku". Red news box with "The Star" newspaper inside with headline "Princess Outrage".
Chloe stops, holding Mark's wallet. Camera close up.
Camera behind Chloe. Mark leans on the railing of the balcony of his second-floor apartment. Potted plants in the windowsill. Mark (dully looking down at Chloe): "Oh. It's you."

The Actual Problem

phantom-inker@dontmailme.nomail (Phantom Inker) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT

#311. The Actual Problem

Ch.9 - Date Night - page 26

...she — actually said it?

Chloe (holds wallet up): "You, uh, forgot your wallet." Mark (dully, still on the balcony): "Thanks."
Chloe: "Listen, I — "
Mark: "It's not the first time I've been dumped." "I'm a big boy." "I can handle it."
Chloe (looking up, slightly panicked): "That wasn't — " "I mean — "
Mark (stands up, arms crossed, looking down): "What do you want, Chloe?"
Chloe (looking away and looking miserable): "Honestly —" "— that's the problem. I don't really know."