#holowrite

Maybe this was meant to happen…

Water stretched her lungs out thin.

It sure was an easy way out, huh? 

It was getting darker.

‘I wonder what Watson’s doing right now…’

…

    Gura crashed onto the floor, tangled up in sheets, and with a newly acquired sting on her nose. She yelps, covering it with her hands, rubbing at it tenderly, “Agh, man…” She attempted to kick off the blankets to the best of her ability, struggling and grumbling until she broke free. She sat up, taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief.

    This was… not her house…

    “Huh,” Under almost every other circumstance, she would feel an extreme amount of fear, but, really, she only felt confused. To be fair, there are a lot more awful things that could be happening right now that aren’t, so that must count for something. She looked around the room, what had to be hundreds of drawings were scattered everywhere. Some of them were pinned up, some were framed, but most of them in stacks littered around the floor. In fact, in her frenzy, she had managed to knock over quite a few. She hissed through her teeth at that, scrunching up her face and scooting away from the mess, only to tumble into another stack, “Shit-”

    Papers slid across the wood floors, Gura scrambling after them. She grabbed as many as she could without disturbing the various stacks, She attempted to gather them up in her arms, the pages instead sticking to her fingers. She flicked her wrist, the drawings held. Another flick, another fail. She waved her arm around, the pages finally gave way, flying back across the floor. Back to square one…

Gura groaned, looking at the backs of her hands in distaste, they did kinda feel more sweaty than usual. She turned them around, squinting at her palms. She couldn’t stop the scream from escaping her, as the pads of her fingers glowed and oozed with clear slime. Her hands shot down to her legs, “Ew! Ew ew ew!” she rubbed them on her thighs, wiping away the goo onto her legs. She paused for a moment, taking a breath as she raised them back up to her face, turning them around once more. They were dry, if a little red, and they still glowed lightly under her skin.

“Okay…” she spoke with a hush, a single droplet of ooze dripping from her nose onto her hand, “Eugh,” She swiped at her nose with her forearm, a significant amount of slime left in a trail on her. It gave a cold feeling similar to wiping a runny nose on her skin. 

A creak resounded around the room as she turned to look at the door. A pair of wide red eyes stared at her through the half open doorway. It was a tall woman with vibrant pink hair, tied up in a pony tail wearing a black tunic with matching pants, both being a bit too big for her. She stood stiltedly in the entrance for a few moments, then silently began closing the door.

Gura shot up, grabbing a hold of the doorknob, “Oi, oi, oi!” She yelled, tugging the door back open, the woman took a step back with a flinch, “Now, who the hell are you? And where the fuck am I?” Gura stepped closer, grabbing ahold of the woman’s collar and tugging her down to her eye level. It bent the woman’s back at an awkward angle as Gura scowled at her, “What kinda kidnapper are you? Was the door even locked?” She hollered, watching as the red eyes of the woman skittered everywhere but at Gura’s own.

“Gura!” an extremely familiar, and equally as angry, voice called out at her side. Gura turned to look down the apparent hallway she was in, a head of blonde hair and tired eyes poked out from the staircase at the end of the hall, “Get the hell off her!” 

“Watson?” Gura let her hands fall from the stranger’s collar, turning herself towards her.

“It’s Doctor Watson now, shark brain,” She called, reaching the top of the stairs then clapping a hand over her eyes, “and get some clothes on!”

Gura looked down, she was clad in only a bra and underwear, “Oh, for the love of-” The woman tapped her shoulder, pointing to the foot of the bed, a clean pair of clothes was folded semi-neatly with a note on top of it. Gura groaned, stomping back into the room and slamming the door.

Gura snatched the clothes off of the bed, leaving the note where it fell. She unfurled it from its folds and inspected it for a moment. It was a white sundress, plain and simple, and around her size. She huffed before putting it on, tugging on it to straighten it out on her body. She paused, looking at her hands for a moment. The glowing had died down, only a few freckles shined under her skin. The ooze also had slowed, only having a light sheen of what could be mistaken for sweat. She sighed, falling back onto the bed and grabbing at the note.

‘Gura,

Dr. Watson brought you here to the church, said you were passed out in the water by the docks. She wanted you to be looked after until you woke up, so I wrote this note so you wouldn’t be so confused when you did! I’ll be out for a bit, but Dr. Watson will be here sometime this morning to check up on you. I hope the dress fits, if it doesn’t, feel free to look through my closet. I’m sure I have some old ones that might fit you.

-Reverend Ninomae Ina'nis’

Gura needed to be punched in the face… hard.

She stood back up, pinching the bridge of her nose and wandering to the door. She opened it, walking out to meet Watson and the stranger's eyes. Gura looked between the two, the woman was rubbing at her arm sheepishly and looking off to the side, or… several sides at once? Her eyes really didn't slow down for anybody, huh? 

Watson shoved at Gura's shoulder, "What a way to see my best friend after all these years. Now, was that a special treat just for me, or do you show all the girls… that." The stranger snorted.

Gura's brows furrowed, "Oh I see how it is, Watton. Keep puttin' yourself up on that pedestal, Doc, you and I both know you're just tryin' to impress our little woman of god here." She shoved Watson back, giving a glance towards the stranger, her cheeks flushing slightly as they puffed out.

Watson turned to the woman, winking dramatically as she leaned on Gura's shoulder, "Is it working?" Gura laughed, shoving off Watson's arm, only to stretch up to place her own on Watson's shoulder. She wore an awful smolder, using her whole face to wink. Watson jabbed at her side, watching as Gura recoiled, "God, you're terrible-"

"You ain't so bad yourself, Doc." Gura grinned, turning to watch the nerves on the stranger's face crumble into a smile, "Ninomae, right?" she pointed, shoving Watson away, "The Reverend?" The woman shook her head, waving her hands in denial, "Man, all the wrong answers today."

"Yeah, more like everyday with your track record." Gura opened her mouth, only for Watson to cut her off, "It's Calliope, she's bunking here for a bit, got caught in the storm, just like you," She elbowed Gura, "but she didn't almost drown like you did, dummy."

"Hey, hey, I got a reason for that!" Gura barked back, pointing a finger at Watson's chest.

Watson just grabbed ahold of Gura's arm, tugging her down the hall and towards the stairs,"You better! I didn't have a heart attack for you to just have a swim in a storm-" She huffed, Gura stumbling behind her. Gura only got to see a shy wave and a smile from Calliope, not even having a moment to wave back. 

They sped down the spiral staircase, Watson's hand gripping harder as they approached the first floor. She yanked Gura behind the staircase, "Hey! Hey! What are you-" Watson shushed her, turning her head and searching around, "If this is some kinda way to sneak a makeout sesh from me, I'm down, but you coulda waited for us to get outside. I mean, this is a church, Watson-"

"Listen, just, shut up for a second," Watson took one last scan around the room, turning back to Gura and placing a hand on her cheek, "What were you doing out there?"

Gura swallowed her heartbeat, staring up into Watson's eyes. They flickered up and down Gura's face, dark circles underlined their movement, "What's this about, Amelia?" Gura's voice was small, putting her hand on Watson's, "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other in person, but you just look so… serious."

Watson huffed, "You almost drowned, Gura, I don't think you understand that." her brows furrowed, eyes tearing up. Gura's face instantly melted as she moved forward, holding her best friend close. 

"Shit, dude," Gura's heart prickled as she squeezed Watson's torso. Watson just let her arms loosely wrap around Gura's small frame, "I-I didn't realise- I mean, I just-"

"Just answer the question." Watson tearfully spoke, it was quiet, but firm.

Gura stuttered, so Watson moved to scratch at her back for encouragement. Gura let out a shaky breath, "I thought I saw someone in the water." she began, pulling back from the embrace, "The waves pulled them under, I just, I live at a lighthouse, y'know? I couldn't just let them drown-" she looked down, her heart picking up its pace, "I got to em', but when I grabbed them to pull them up, they stuck me with something, scratched me maybe. Either way, I let go of em', and something pushes me under, maybe they kicked me by accident, I dunno." She looks back up to meet Watson's gaze, it's wide and flickering, "It messed up my sense of direction, couldn't find the surface for the life of me…" she backs up against the wall, smiling weakly with her arms crossed, "then you found me, Doc," she moves her hands up and jazzes them, "yay!" her expression pinches as she lowers her hands back down.

Watson seemed to study her for a moment, silent and expressionless. Gura stepped forward, looking up at Watson, the quiet pricked at her nerves, "Earth to Amelia?" she tried, Watson's shoulders tensed, "Listen, I know I fucked up big time, but don't go all silent on me. Lotta big thoughts in that big head of yours, but there's a big dummy here that needs ya,"

"Right, yeah, sorry…" Watson scratches at the back of her neck, "Listen, uh, I got something kinda weird to ask ya-"

Gura squinted at her, "Is it much weirder than almost dying and waking up in a church?" she snapped her hands onto Watson's shoulders, "Wait, why'd you dump me on the Reverend anyway? Aren't you a doctor? Couldn't you have let me bunk in a guest bed at some Watson Estate with all that sweet medic money?" she paused, "Or at my house?"

"Firstly, I have a doctorate in criminology, and you know that. Secondly, I'm freshly graduated and don't have much more than my office that's barely big enough for one. Thirdly, I don't have a key to your house." She concluded, crossing her arms over her chest, Gura's hands sliding off her shoulders,  "Now, shh, and lemme ask my question." 

"Can I say one more thing that's kinda urgent?" 

Watson slapped her forehead with her palm, "Fine! Fine!"

"Is this normal?" Gura stuck out her hands, facing her palms toward Watson. 

She gasped, choking on her breath for a moment. The ooze had begun to drip from her hands again, freckles beaming out at the detective, "Dude! You put those on me!" Watson proceeded to feel at her shoulders and back, finding slightly damp spots on her button up, "Eugh!"

"Hey! Not important right now, Watson!" Gura pointed at her hand, "Currently experiencing magic goo hands over here!"

"Right, okay, um…" Watson grabbed a hold of Gura's wrist, inspecting her digits. She tilted her head to the side, "You woke up like this, right?" Gura nodded, "Um, okay, so don't panic-" Gura's eyes widened, her breathing coming out in big puffs through her nose, "don't panic, but I, uh, I really don't know what this is." Gura's mouth opened as Watson gasped, cutting her off as her hand ran through her hair, "Wait! This is perfect!"

"What? What? I'm not gonna die from this?" 

"What? No! Of course you're not gonna die, not what I was thinking at all-'' Watson put her hands on Gura's shoulders, "You gotta stay here-'' Gura shook her head, reeling back, "Okay, I know it's weird, just-... stay with me, okay?" Watson pulled back, taking her watch out of her pocket and checking it. Her eyes never left the watch as she spoke, "Ina's going to be back any minute now, and I need you to keep an eye on her. Say I wanted you to be looked after for a little longer, you haven't recovered all the way yet or something."

"Well, I haven't, I got some kinda disease that's doing this." Gura wiped her hands on her dress, and Watson grabbed at her wrists.

"Stop that!" Watson reprimanded, "She can't know about this, she's… she's sensitive."

Gura snatched her hands back, "Who cares if she's sensitive! What if this is contagious?"

"Then just keep direct contact to a minimum, and if it is then you've already gotten it all over me, so there's that-" Watson scratches at her head, "You touched Calliope too, so let's just hope that's not what's happening until I figure out what the hell this is." Watson huffs, flicking her watch open once more, "Listen, Ina will be back literally any moment now-"

"How do you know that?" Gura interjects, "And why do you care so much?  Is church girl your new bestie after university?" Watsons eyes widened, taken aback as Gura balled her fists.

Watson shook her head, "For fucks sake, Gura…" She shoved her against the wall, stifling her yelp with a kiss. Gura felt her heart leap to her throat as Watson relaxed into her lips. A warm buzz settled in Gura's bottom lip as they parted, "I care about you and junk, and Ina is dangerous. Keep an eye on her, okay?" Watson put her hand on Gura's cheek, rubbing her thumb along it as she spoke, a nearly imperceptible sparkle in her eyes as she smiled.

Gura nodded dumbly, her pulse nearly thumping all the way out of her chest. Watson hummed, letting her hand slide back down to her side as she turned to leave. She walked out the door with a glance and a wave, one that Gura had no chance of returning before it slammed shut. She huffed a sigh or relief, just babysitting a dangerous priestess from now on, how hard could that be?

She shook her head, putting a finger on her lips with a grin. She walked back up to the stairs, looking up at the very same red eyes, "... How much of that did you hear?"

Calliope's eyes began to skitter once more, her arms stiltedly fidgeting for a few seconds before bolting up the stairs.

Bae had made up her mind, and that was that she had no idea what was going on. So, as any good leader would, she consulted a trusted individual who may have more information than she did. Luckily, Kronii was a few steps behind the conversation between Fauna and Sana (something about Mumei getting both of them lost on their walk here). 

The rat slowed her step to be in time with Kronii, her face lighting up a little at the company, "Hey Kronster," she began, elbowing her playfully, "somethin' up with Sana today? She feels a lil' different," 

Kronii visibly stiffens, looking off to the side, "Uh, I, uh, don't know what you're talking about!" She chuckled, it came out a lot more stilted than she intended, "Uhhh, why?"

Bae's ears flicked, "Oh, it's nothin', just, uh," her tail curled as she fidgeted with her hands, "She just, seems a lot more… hot?" 

Kronii nearly stopped dead in her tracks, "Wh-what?" 

"Do you not think so?"

"What? No! I mean- yes- augh, just- shut up," Kronii slapped Bae weakly on her arm, squeezing a loud cackle out of the rat.

"Oh my god!" Bae could hardly keep the smile off her face as she shoved Kronii gently, "Warden of Time, Ouro Kronii, considers someone other than herself hot? And the Speaker of Space, no less? Get me some popcorn!"

Kronii quickly retaliated, "Hey, you were the one who said it first, not me!" she pauses, "And I don't think she's hot!" it was too late, however, because Bae was already keeling over laughing. 

They approached their picnic spot, speeding up their step to meet up with Mumei. The owl was peacefully laying out little baggies of sandwiches and blueberries on her blanket, she smiled as she saw the council, waving them over. Sana sprinted over to take her seat, butt resting half on the edge of the blanket and half in the grass, her legs criss crossing in front of her haphazardly. Mumei quirked her head to the side at Sana, only receiving a flushed chuckle in response. 

"Hi Sana," she chirped a little bewilderedly, popping open one of the baggies and pulling out a blueberry, "Berry?" she offered it out delicately, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. 

Sana nodded, a more natural smile returning to her features. She took the berry between her fingers and popped it in her mouth. It was incredibly delicious, and also reminded her of how hungry she was. She hummed as she chewed, making grabby hands out for her portion of peanut butter and jelly sandwich, to which Mumei handed to her graciously. 

Kronii sat down next, deciding to sit next to Mumei as she was also offered a berry. Sana looked to Kronii nervously with a mouthful of sandwich, directing her eyes to the empty seat next to her and Fauna steadily approaching with Bae in tow. 

Kronii, of course, could understand Sana's signals perfectly, "What?" 

"She's on to me, Kronii-nii!" Sana whispers harshly, not doing anything to prevent Mumei from hearing and sputtering crumbs from her lips.

The owl lifted a brow, "Who's on to you? What did you do?" 

Sana shushed her obnoxiously, swallowing her bite before speaking, "If she sits next to me, she might keep asking questions! She said I was different today!"

Kronii sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Sana, that's because you're being all weird about it, here just-" The warden grabbed Sana's shoulders, "Don't worry about it, you want us to have fun and not worry, then you gotta have fun first," Kronii let her hands slide off of Sana as something seemed to click behind Space's eyes. Kronii inwardly sighed, taking it as a good sign. 

Fauna and Bae sat down just as Mumei had begun to open her mouth, Kronii quickly taking the hint to elbow her side before she could speak. After a quick coughing fit and a few reassurances, everyone began to pass around food. The cool breeze turned their noses pink as they chattered amongst themselves. They had all collected in a little circle of warm conversation, gathering slightly closer because of the beginning of fall chill bumping their skin. 

Fauna and Mumei surrounded Sana's sides, her nerves peaking at the sight of their small frames. Something inside her had the urge to scoop them both up in a warm embrace every time they shivered. It was so distracting that she hardly noticed that Fauna had begun to cling onto her arm in an almost protective manner. She trailed her fingers gently over Sana's skin, making little shivers go up her spine and warmth spread across her face.

"Sana, would you like to go on a little walk with me?" Fauna spoke in her usual hush, but with a bit of a husk held beneath it.

Sana nodded dumbly, a few beats skipping in her heart, "Uh, sure!" Fauna stood, offering her hand out to Sana, which she took gratefully. She looked back towards the group tentatively, before being dragged away by Fauna's insistent hold on her hand. She was only able to catch light smiles from the group as she was pulled into the forest. 

Fauna lead her through the winding trees in relative silence for a few minutes. Sana felt an air of unease slip over her, feeling a distinct lack of even little tidbits of facts of the flora covering the ground. Just as she thought to speak, Fauna slowed to a stop, holding both of Sana's forearms to face her. 

"Sana," She spoke, her name warm and loving on her tongue, she let her hands travel further up her arms, resting nearly at her biceps, not being able to reach much further, "You've grown," She giggled before Sana even had the chance to deny it, "Sorry, I just… wanted to get you alone just to be sure," Fauna looks up at her inhibitor, "It's not broken, is it?"

Sana shakes her head, "No, no, it's just a little touchy right now. Kronii fixed it up, for the most part- I'll be okay," She puts up her hands dismissively, only for them to be held gently by Fauna's own. A warm thump settled in Sana's chest, the familiar feeling taking her breath as Fauna stepped closer.

"Were you trying to hide this from everyone?" she asked, her brows slightly furrowed. Something in her voice rang hollow, her fingers giving a light squeeze to Sana's hands. 

Sana felt the danger in her tone, chuckling at it instead, "You make it sound so serious," her eyes travelled down Fauna's face, coming to stop at her gentle frown, "Hiding isn't really the right word, it's more like 'not mentioning', right?" 

Fauna rolled her eyes, giving Sana a pointed look before tugging her back along the path they came, "You're such a dummy," she huffed, startling the butterflies in Sana's stomach to life, "and don't take that as a compliment! You really should trust us a little more with this kind of thing,"

"It's already too late, Fauna! I'm already at your beck and call-" Fauna gently slapped Sana's arm, the last of her resolve cracking away as they both giggled. Each crack of laughter from Fauna had made the air feel lighter, the trees seeming to sway with more life as Sana elbowed her gently. Fauna had grabbed onto Sana's arm instead, leaning into her side as they walked. Sana's breath hitched, a low buzz of want settling in her lips as they travelled back towards the council.

Fauna chimed in quietly, kneeling onto the picnic blanket, "Nothing that she would be ashamed of," she grabbed at the remnants of her sandwich, hiding her amusement with a bite.

Sana raised up her hands in surrender, "Guilty as charged," her smile softened as she sat down back in her spot. She jumped at the now ice cold ground, squeaking a bit at the little needles of chill pricking her legs. 

Wordlessly, Mumei unclipped her cape, her expression dripping with neutrality as she held it out for her. Bae stretched her words out long in front of her, "Oooh," she sing songs, "looks like Sana's not the only one being chivalrous!"

"Leave 'em be, Bae," Kronii chided, "Not in front of my sandwich,"

"Oh, I see how it is! You're only caring about your food when Sana's around, huh?" Bae pointed accusingly at Kronii, brows furrowed and tail whipping with the motion, "What about when you were tryin' to smack me with it earlier!" 

Fauna shook her head incredulously, shooting a look towards Kronii, "You what?"

"She's lying!" Kronii yipped, taking a conveniently big mouthful of sandwich-

As the three bickered, Mumei bounced her offered cape back out to Sana. Her face was still devoid of expression, all except for her eyes. They flickered between Sana's own, a silent plea to accept her offer. 

Sana hesitated, her face delving into a pinched smile, "I don't want to sit on your pretty cape," 

Mumei bounced it once more, "Then, wear it," she conceded, the same look in her eyes growing just that little bit bigger.

"It won't do me much good on my arms, my legs are what's cold-"

"It's still better than sleeveless,"

"My gloves can count as sleeves!"

"You have goosebumps,"

Sana opened her mouth to argue, only to receive a gust of wind whipping at her back. It stung as she bit down the quiver in her voice, "You'll be cold too…" Mumei was already leaning over to wrap it around Sana's shoulders. The cape was already warm and pillowy against her skin, bringing with it the smell of down and coconut. 

Mumei lifted herself up onto her knees, looking at her in the same watchful way owls like her were known for. A layer of soft and warm blanket was swaddled around Sana's heart as she spoke, "I have feathers," she stated plainly, a chuckle catching in Sana's throat, before she was given the quickest peck on the lips.

Sana's lips buzzed, watching as Mumei leaned back into her spot, leaving only a light pink dusting on her cheeks as the only evidence of her crime. Sana's heart thumped against her chest, hardly having the time to process anything before seeing the looks of shock sparking off the council. If it weren't for all the emotional turmoil, Sana would've laughed. It was the first time they all had been silent all day, only the shaking of leaves filled the air as Sana shifted.

Of all people, Fauna raised her voice, "Mumei!" The owl shot up at the sound, everyone's eyes on Fauna. 

"What? Didn't you have your turn?" Mumei asked genuinely, her eyes warily skittering away from Fauna's gaze.

"My turn?!" Mumei flinched, watching as Fauna yanked Sana closer, "We were supposed to do it together-"

"What!? What the hell are you two talking about?" Bae cut in, nearly shriveling back in on herself at the sting of Fauna's gaze, "I- uh, I mean-"

Fauna huffed, looking back towards the council, "We just-" She paused, taking a deep breath, "We wanted to ask… with words," Mumei curled in on herself.

Kronii leaned forward, "What did you want to ask?" her words were brittle and quiet, her eyes never leaving her lap.

"I- We just," Fauna wilted, "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have yelled," She looks at Mumei, "I just wanted to do this together…"

Mumei relaxed, tilting her head 

slightly as she spoke, "We still 

can…"

A few beats of quiet passed, everyone’s eyes trained on Fauna, "We just wanted to know… if you all wanted to be… more?"

Mumei flushed, hands fidgeting as she yelped, "Wait- weren't we going to do this one by one? I-I mean I guess it doesn't matter now, but answering as a group-" 

"Yeah, alright." all eyes stuck to Bae, her ears twitching as she looked from side to side, "I er- uh- I've kinda been thinkin' about that too, for maybe a, uh, century or so…" She gripped at her tail, the silence etching into Bae's speeding heart, "Someone else talk or I'm gonna explode!"

Kronii tucked her hands in her lap, "Uh… I guess the only fit for someone as perfect as me would be gods, or whatever-" She huffs, confidence not quite reaching her words as the council collectively smiled, "I guess I wouldn't mind…"

Bae grabs ahold of one of the hands Kronii has in her lap, giggling as her face colored two shades darker. Fauna turned to Sana, offering her hand out to her. A moment passed between them, "You don't have to say yes, Sana, we're still your friends either way." 

Sana looked at Fauna's hand, turning her eyes up to her expression. It was so hopeful, a small smile curling her lips, brows raised with glass in her eyes. Sana turned to Mumei, her face was nearly identical. Bae and Kronii were the same, maybe a little less obvious on Kronii's face, but the way she leaned a little too far forward gave her away.

Sana took her hand into Fauna's, the collective relief in her heart and mind washed over her. Even if it was such a relief to not have to hide from her emotions anymore, Sana's pulse rivalled Bae's bombs in her throat. Her voice was hardly able to stumble out of her mouth before she gave up on talking. 

Sana decided that the next best thing would be to just kiss her. A hum slipped out of Fauna's lips before they both closed their eyes. Sana thought that Fauna's lips would taste more like fresh cut grass if she was honest with herself, but the pleasant hint of golden apples and berries hit her more than any lawnmower flavors. It was warm and slow, Fauna was too tentative to give anything more, and Sana was far too happy with what she was receiving. 

They parted, both puffing out little gusts of air as they looked at each other. Sana smiled, goofy, giddy, and full of teeth, and all Fauna could do was laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled against Sana's collarbone, Sana rubbed at her back, her heart leaping at the feeling. 

She looked back towards the council, Kronii's hand silently laid onto Mumei's, her lips pursed as she stared down the ground. Bae, obviously, was holding back a cackle to preserve some of Kronii's dignity, while Mumei just turned her hand and squeezed Kronii's. 

Mumei tilted her head at Sana, her expression the exact same as when she had offered her cape, "What were you doing with Fauna out there then?" She asked slowly.

"Um…" Sana hesitated as Fauna leaned back up, "bird watching?" Fauna gave her a soft shove followed by a stern look, "What? I said that we already have a pretty bird at the picnic to watch!" Sana chuckled, Mumei flushing lightly at the compliment, her eyes skittering to the side.

"Save the flattery for later, Sana." Fauna scolded, her eyes flashing with a hint of danger,"Truth, now."

Sana shrugged, "Ah, right… Fauna was checkin' up on me cause I'm just a bit taller than usual." she paused to adjust her inhibitor, "It's, um, just a bit finicky today. Kronii fixed it up earlier today." She smiled at Kronii, watching as she scrunched in at the attention.

She shrivelled even farther as something seemed to click behind Bae's eyes, "KRONII!" she practically squealed, Kronii yanks her hands away from Mumei's and Bae's grip, covering her face with shame, "You said you didn't know what I was talking about-" She stopped… the picnic went near silent as the enevitable turning of gears clicked in Bae's mind. All Kronii could do was sink her head low and avoid eye contact, "AND YOU THINK SANA IS HOT!" 

Kronii snapped up, slapping at Bae's shoulder, "You said it first-!" she yelps as Bae strikes back. 

Bae's face heated, but the grin on her face grew three times as she laughed, "So you admit it!" 

"What- no! I never said that-"

"But you just did-!"

"Girls!" Fauna's voice gave both of them pause, their eyes flickering between the other members, then between themselves. Both of them slowly lowered their hands, folding them neatly in their laps, not unlike a child in time out. Fauna couldn't help herself, she let a giggle cut through her serious façade. it wasn't long until they all succumbed to laughter, letting it ride out until it died. 

Sana let herself feel a little smug, giving Bae and Kronii both a look that they shied away from, "So that's what you two talk about when I'm not around." Both of them fidgetted, almost beginning to argue before Sana cut them off, "I'm kidding! You have to talk about some other beautiful council ladies sometime-" 

This time, Mumei elbowed her side, the feathers under her clothes ruffled up at the praise, making her look like she had put on puffy winter wear, "Shhhut up…" She mumbled. 

Sana smiled, patting her head lightly as she spoke, "Alright, pretty bird, we'll leave you be…" Mumei grumbled, but let herself tilt her head into her hand.

Bae leaned towards the two, "Hey, wait a second-" both of them looked towards the rat, "Mumei, did you know Sana was taller?"

"Oh, yeah, when she sat on the blanket her legs didn't fit all the way." 

…

Bae threw her arms up into the air, "AUGH! I was the ONLY ONE?!" She let herself go limp on the blanket, groaning as Kronii laughed mockingly. Sana patted her back sympathetically, she's kinda embarrassed herself, honestly. She thought she'd be able to hide it way better than she did.

"She does look cute when she's tall, doesn't she?" Fauna remarked to Mumei, electing to ignore the newly made Bae wall between the two of them. 

Mumei nodded, "She does, I couldn't really help it when I saw her with my cape on-"

"OKAY! That's enough of that!" Sana flailed in front of the two of them, chuckling nervously. She usually would be able to handle all this if she didn't know that they meant every word. 

    Kronii sighed as she rubbed at one of her eyes, her phone stinging her vision as she suppressed a yawn.

    ‘What are you talking about, Sana’

    ‘oh you're awake! good, so’

    ‘inhibitor is a LITTLE bit on the fritz rn’

    ‘Oh Christ.’

    ‘ok i know how that sounds, and i know youve tried to fix it before’

    ‘BUT! you are, in fact, the only person i can really ask about this.’

    ‘youre the only one that really even gets how it works and like,,,, is available’

    ‘i just need to be somewhat normal for the council picnic!’

    ‘pleaseeeeeee!!!’

    Kronii blinked hard and moved to get out of bed.

'Meet me at my house in 20 minutes, if you're late then I'm not helping you.'

'yes ma'am!'

…

Kronii heaved a duffel bag of tools onto her workbench, huffing as she inspected some of the stranger instruments she had collected over the years. She laid out a few of the ones she knew she'd need, most of them being needlessly flashy and hard to hold from complexity. 

She'd been given them from Sana herself, considering she hadn't any idea how to use them like her papa did. That and Sana's papa was busy as all hell and couldn't really do many regular repairs, it only made sense to give it to the next most knowledgeable. 

Unfortunately, that knowledge was still limited, and Kronii knows it will be a frustrating ordeal, just like always. This was only enforced by the fact that Kronii's garage door was being dented by some huge booming creature outside. 

She quickly reached at her side for her blade, only finding empty air. A brief vision of it leaning against her bed made her heart sink.

"Oh, uh, oops," Kronii felt the rumbles of her friend's voice, muffled behind the walls of her house. She sighed, a bit of tension leaving her shoulders as she opened up the dented garage door to the best of her ability. She grumbled, the door only opening halfway, as she squatted to get outside.

She saw Sana's legs first, criss crossed in order to take up less space, then Sana's torso, hunched over  and curled up in order to meet Kronii halfway, and finally, her face, almost as large as her garage and nervously looking to the side.

"Hey Kronii-nii…" Sana's voice trailed off, huge hand paused slightly in it's wave. Kronii gaped, if only for a moment, forgetting how much the inhibitor really inhibited before regaining her composure with a cough. 

"Ah… that bad?" Kronii spoke more to herself than to anyone else, moving to grab her tools from inside, tossing the duffel bag out onto the grass. She grabs the rest of the tools on her workbench in a big handful before meeting Sana back outside. 

Sana fidgeted with her hands as Kronii silently tried to find the closest tool akin to a screwdriver. Kronii can feel eyes on her back as she searches, a warm, uncomfortable feeling settling in her stomach, "You're usually bothering me by now," she states plainly.

She can feel the ground shift as Sana does, her eyes shying away once more, "Yeah…" She admitted, letting the air grow quiet before speaking up again, "It's uh, just, y'know," She gestured weakly at herself.

Kronii lifted her head up, meeting Sana's eyes, she quirked a brow as she grabbed a hold of a corkscrew-esque device. Sana just sat up, a flush coming over her cheeks as she shook her head, "Ughhhh, you know what I mean! It's-" she paused, leaning forward again to whisper, "It's embarrassing…"

Kronii nodded, "Ah, yeah, I guess being this big would grab a lot of attention," Sana just covered her face with her hand, heat nearly taking over the entirety of her. Kronii chuckled to herself, patting at Sana's calf sympathetically. It felt a little like patting a truck's hood after working on the engine for a long day, but she pushed through the strange gesture. 

Sana still hadn't cooled off much, despite Kronii's comforting. She sighed into her palm before looking at Kronii properly again. She stood with a tool awkwardly shoved into her hand, parts poking and prodding at her skin as she tried to adjust it. 

"It's too small, Kronii-nii," she reached out her hand, "Here, I can fix it," Kronii grumbled a little before handing it over, something about 'Of course it needs size manipulated…' Sana giggled, before willing the tool to change. The use of her power made a warm feeling swell up in her chest, along with the feeling of something rising in her throat, something powerful...

Hic!

"Ah…" Dropping the now perfectly Kronii-sized tool, Sana looked up at Kronii, grass acting as a jungle to her vision. She stood, finding that each blade only went up to her waist. She sighed to herself at that.

    “This is gonna be a long day…” Kronii picked up the tool, moving to unscrew the now tiny panel off of Sana’s inhibitor.

…

    Sana shuffled in the passenger seat once more, curled in on herself in order to not hit her head on the roof of the car. She attempted to crush her limbs into a more comfortable fashion as she spoke, “Do you think- ah-” she put her foot back down, effectively un-kneeing herself in the nose, “they’ll notice?” 

    Kronii shrugged, turning the wheel with the motion, “To be honest, they’re not really the most perceptive…” Sana nodded to the best of her ability, thinking of all the missed signals and hints even just over the past couple days, “Besides, you’re, like, already taller than all of them normally,”

    “Yeah, but I’m not taller than you normally! They have to notice that, at least!” Sana retaliates, waving a hand over herself, “Seven foot tall isn’t exactly a very human height,”

    “It’s the closest we can get you to stay at for right now, and none of us are really human either, so just- don’t worry about it,” Kronii finishes, a little harsher than she had meant to. She  stopped at a red light and listened to the car hum, heart prickling with guilt as she sighed, “Why are you so worried about it anyway? We’ve all had times where powers go haywire for no reason, y’know?” 

    Sana stilled for a moment, before twiddling with her fingers, “Ah, yeah… It’s just- uh,” She pauses, heat flowing to her cheeks, “Everyone was so excited for this, I just didn’t want them to get all worried about me instead of, y’know, screwing around, having fun.”

    “So, you throw me under the bus instead?” Sana sputtered at Kronii, panic stabbing both of them in the back, “THAT WAS A JOKE! THAT WAS A JOKE!” Kronii flailed her hands, attempting to calm Sana quickly, receiving a hearty laugh in return. Kronii's shoulders relaxed at the sound, resting her hands back on the steering wheel and pressing down on the gas as the light flashed green. 

"You're right though, sorry about that, Kronii…" Sana shuffled in her seat, Kronii turning a corner into the parking lot. Kronii pulled on the parking break as Sana unbuckled herself to the best of her ability, "You did a lot of work on such short notice, it was really sweet of you, I wasn't really expecting you to be so nice to me,"

Kronii unbuckled herself, her voice shaking awkwardly as she spoke, "Hey, don't get too sentimental on me, I know how great I am," Sana laughed, a bright jingle among the stuffy air of Kronii's Jeep, a part of her felt a flutter at the sound before clearing it out of her throat, "Anyway,"

"Kronii! Sana! Hey, over here!" the familiar squeaks carried from over the hilltop, accompanied by the sight of Bae swinging her arms over her head. Her tail swung wildly, swatting at Fauna's side as she took off toward the car. 

Kronii looked over at Sana, the blonde's eyes scrunched with a smile that sat the slightest bit crooked, "Well, here goes nothing," Sana mumbled as she reached for the door handle. She promptly swung the door into Bae's face.

"A new town," they would say, "A way to find something important, a way to meet me," 

That was when they were quiet. Their voice became less and less weak over time, each word becoming less of a struggle to force out of their metaphorical lungs. Calliope had taken to calling them the works of the devil, only receiving a squawk of resentment in return. Each day she lived out wandering from wild plains to thick forests, not remembering the day before or anything before that. She thought it strange, finding only a blur of shapes and colors where there should've been childhood.

One can only take so much nagging, which is exactly why she had followed the devil's orders. She trekked through the slush that surrounded a pitiful town, drowned in its own waste and tears. Heavy rains deterred Calliope, only to receive an itch in her back every time she turned away. Her ragged clothes stuck to her skin, cold and leaching at her as she spotted the main road. 

"Almost there, Calli," the devil spoke, a hint of impatience in their voice, it recently having taken on a feminine lilt. Surely, it was a trick to garner trust from Calliope, to have someone that's somewhat alike, but something in her stirred at its sound. Her tongue curled around what used to be a name, but long since forgotten. 

Calliope grumbled wearily, her legs screaming as she finally hit the rocky tops of a cobblestone road. The sky sobbed, loud rumbles of water pattering at the roofs of houses around her, deciding to stumble over to the closest building and collapse on the door. It had swung open, leaving Calliope to wetly slap the ground. A quiet gasp was all the warning she got before her head was lifted from the cool stoney floor.

"Oh jeez, uh, are you alright?" The kneeling woman spoke, long dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and onto her cassock. She peered down at Calliope through her glasses, kind and soft eyes relaxed her exhausted body.

Calliope scraped words out of her throat, scratchy with unuse, "Yeah," She sat herself up to the best of her ability, feeling as though if she put too much weight on something, it may snap. 

As Calliope gathered her senses, the devil spoke once more, "Calli! This is it! I remember this place," The woman had stood, now sifting through a few baskets by the door. Calliope scanned the room, it being somewhat sizable, and filled with pews all pointing toward a huge stained glass window. Its colored shards displayed an entirely white figure with tendrils strung across the landscape like webbing, shades of purple and orange faded to a blue aura surrounding the figure. She felt that it may have looked a lot more soothing without the constant bashing of rain against its surface and dark tones it took from the clouds.

Calliope felt a piece of cloth draped on to her head and covered her eyes. Panic stabbing her limbs to life, she scrambled away, ripping the rag off as she did. 

The priest held up her hands as Calliope's breath slowed, "I didn't mean to scare you," She pointed at the watery skidmarks on the floor, "but, unfortunately, you are wet."

Calliope, looks at the puddles, face beginning to prickle with heat. She opened her mouth, only to be cut off with a giggle, "Don't worry about it, I've spilled plenty of bottles of communion wine on these floors. They can take a beating, especially if it means someone is safe," She squatted to meet Calliope's eyes, "Speaking of someone, may I have your name?" 

"Calliope," She coughed out, rubbing at her face with the rag, "Morrison,"

The priest hummed, "Reverend Ninomae," She held out her hand in offering, Calliope hesitated, but took it after drying her own. As they shook, the reverend smiled, "Water you doing out there?" 

A small moment of silence overcame the room, Calliope tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows. The reverend snickered to herself, "Alright, alright, I'll lay off the puns… for a bit," She readjusted her glasses, moving to sit next to Calliope, "but seriously, what were you doing out there? The whole town's been preparing for this storm for a week-" She stopped herself, turning to squint at Calliope, "You're… not from here, are you?"

Calliope looked off to the side, shaking her head. She sat there for a long moment, staring at the walls of the church surrounding them, “Rever-en…” she cleared her throat, “Rev-Rev… Ni-nino- AGH!” she balled her fists, shaking her head at herself.

    Ninomae held up her hands, “Hey, hey, it’s alright.” She moved her head to meet Calliope’s eyes, “You can call me Ina if that’s easier for you, your voice sounds real beat up, you shouldn't use it all up on my title." She chuckled as Calliope smiled back, gratitude seeping into her expression.

Calliope sat up slightly, preparing her voice with a few thumps to her chest and a cough, "Ina…" she spoke slowly, "home?" she pointed down, tilting her head to the side.

Ina raised a brow for a moment before her eyes widened, "Oh! Yes, I live upstairs. It's a lot cheaper than having a house around here," Ina smiled, a sharp canine slipping out and resting on her bottom lip as she spoke, "I can show you around since I can't imagine you enjoying going back out into the rain." Calliope nodded and Ina stood.