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ERIKA'S GARDEN - AFTERNOON
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Fiora walks through the garden, pushing her way through the undergrowth. She definitely doesn't remember stuff being quite this big, but that makes sense, but was it always this overgrown, or did she just never notice with her head six feet above where it is right now? Eh, as long as nothing in here is carnivorous and big enough to swallow a pygmy possom, she'll be fine.
Fiora continues walking through trying to find the center of the garden, calling out to her sister, "Erika? Hey, Erika, you in here?"
Erika scrambles from underneath a bush, the okapi crawled under one particularly thick specimen, doing something or other under branches. She calls back to the unfamiliar-yet-familiar voice: "Hang on a moment, I'll be right with you!" From Fiora's point of view, all she can see is the big bush shaking this way and that until the okapi's head pops from somewhere right in front of the possum. "Oh! Hi!"
Fiora approaches the shaking bush, and then perks up as Erika's head pops out in front of her, "Ah! There you are, sis! I have absolutely no idea how you navigate through that stuff..." She blinks, then puts a hand to her chest, "Right! Uh, it's me! Fiora!"
Erika blinks several times: "Fiora? But you're like... tiny." She shuffles in the bush for a second, then her head pops back into it and she makes her way out another way, kneeling on the other side of the bush: "That makes no sense. Or at least, it makes way less sense than say, most things."
Fiora nods, trying to keep her gaze up at Erika, "Uh, well, we found a magic basement under our house, and both me and Brunilda transformed into this tiny little form. It's pretty damn inconvenient, so that's sorta why I came to find you! You kinda know the most in town about magic transformation curse magic stuff, right? Cause of the whole um... you know. Thing."
Erika kneels down to look at Fiora: "What kind of tiny did you end up as? Some kind of..." She waves a hand: "...mouse-ish thing? Probably. Pretty cute, though. You gotta know that."
Fiora poses a little flamboyantly, stretching out in a way she definitely couldn't do as a giraffe, "Pygmy Possom! According to Brunilda at least. She found some stuff about in the basement. Whoever owned the house before had a few in cages, but like, the animals, and not people like us... err..." She chooses not to further investigate that line of thinking, "And yeah, but I was pretty cute before, in my humble opinion."
Erika smiles: "Well yeah, but now you're like, extra cute!" She can't help but let out a little 'eee', before gathering herself: "So basement and research and transformation and probably some kind of plant being involved. Hmmm..."
Fiora stops posing to shrug, not seeming to mind Erika's opinion of this form, "I think I was cuter before, but I'll take the compliment. And, I mean, maybe? There was some kind of dust we find in this old clay pot that I crashed onto, so that might have been what caused this. Plant dust. Is that a thing?"
Erika nods: "I mean, any plant can become dust if you grind and dry them enough." She glances around the garden, wheels in her head turning: "I'm unsure what might have caused this, but... hmm. Maybe I can find something in here, or head out to find."
Fiora lets out a sigh of relief, "Anything you can find, we'd appreciate. And just knowing you're looking into it makes me feel a lot better. I know I uh, I kind of suck at hanging out with you, and you're my sis and all, but... it really means a lot to me."
Erika gets a grin on her face: "C'mere!" She grabs Fiora for a sudden and inevitable hug: "My Little Big Sis is now Little Little Sis! Eeeeeee!"
Fiora squirms at first, trying to fight the hug as Erika picks her up, "Hey now! Careful! I mean, uh! Yeah? What of it?" She relents, hugging back, "Ahhh, fine. Fine. Boy this is... really weird."
Erika giggles as she hugs Fiora tight (but not too tight), before holding her Sis in her hands and looking at her: "You're adorable! I need to cherish this moment, I do."
Fiora hugs back as best she can with her much shorter arms, she smiles, relaxing a bit in her sisters embrace, "I mean, yeah... that's fine. Cherishing it is fine. I uh..." She's a bit awkward, still unsure how to deal with her sister sometimes, "I'll... I'll cherish it too? It's weird, but it's not a bad weird... and this is a really good hug..."
Erika giggles before finally letting Fiora down, smiling brightly: "I mean, gotta find a cure of course, but at least you're not on all fours like I've been. Not having hands, that sucks big time. How are you holding up, otherwise?"
Fiora manages to laugh, finding her feet on the ground again, "Yeah... I'm holding up. It's just another adversity, you know? I've always tackled life head-on, just take out the problem in front of me and don't think too much about it. Climbing is cool, I've never really don't any kind of climbing before. Opening doors is a pain though, even with the hands. I can't imagine how you managed to survive without them."
Erika giggles again, shaking her head: "Mostly by avoiding doors." She glances at her own back porch: "I just rigged my own door open a sliver."
Fiora: "We got a stack of Brun's books piled up by the door to climb. It's working out pretty well. We gotta do a lot more climbing around on the counters in the kitchen, but we still managed to make breakfast that tasted pretty good."
Erika shrugs: "I just got used to grazing more... it's weird, but kinda works." She glances aside, then back at Fiora: "Do you think you need any help around your place, then?"
Fiora frowns a bit at Erika's thoughts back to her time feral, but shrugs, "I mean, I don't think we'd say 'no' to a bit of help, but we're managing okay. If you want to help out, sure! But yeah, the cure is the thing we're mostly worried about. Getting used to this form is... not something I'm trying to think about?"
Erika nods: "Yeah, makes sense. I wouldn't want to either." She glances around her garden: "I'm sure I can find a cure here... somewhere..."
Fiora walks up to Erika and puts a hand against her leg. "Hey, no pressure! I was a bounty hunter... which... I guess I'm not anymore, right? But I'm still part of the guild, and they've got decursers. It'd be a couple months away back to Vamas, but, no worries there, right? Then I'd be back, good as new!"
Erika frowns, glancing at Fiora: "I'm sure I can find a way that doesn't need you to leave..." She touches her hand on Fiora's shoulder: "...well, hopefully. I gotta dig around."
Fiora nods, "I don't think Brun much wants to leave either. There's nothing back in Vamas for me, though, and everything and everyone I care about is here in Respite."
Erika smiles: "You've made quite the home for yourself here, hmm? I guess so."
Fiora nods, "Guess so. I mean, been a long time since I had a real home. Never felt like I belonged back in Vamas... maybe I belong here? And with Gareth settling down to start up his own company, I've agreed to help him with that, so you're sadly not gonna get rid of me too soon, sis."
Erika giggles, sitting down next to Fiora: "Been here all my life, and while I want to see the world one day... maybe that's not just yet. I don't know. So you won't be rid of me that easily either."
Fiora steps forward to hug Erika's leg tight, tearing up a little, "Good. Cause I sorta like having family, even if I suck at being a big sis. Or ah, a little sis?"
Erika lifts Fiora to hug her proper once more, sniffling herself: "G-gotta keep together. Big Sis or Little."
Fiora sighs, "I'm fine. I'm... fine. Just this form you know? I think uh, possoms have some kind of plant allergies, or something, that's all..."
Erika smiles: "If you say so, Sis. Our secret." She gives Fiora another squeeze before letting her down: "So what are you going to do in meanwhile when I look for cure?"
Fiora wipes off her face, "Just... trying to stay in shape? Enjoying the extra mobility? And the extra big bed. Goodness, sis, it's so soft and nice now."
Erika blinks, then giggles: "Oh! It must be, if it's like... your and Brunilda's bed. Wow. I'm kinda jealous."
Fiora crosses her arms, smug, "Oh, yeah, it's kinda amazing. We could sink in there and get lost, I think. How about you, hm? What've you been up to lately?"
Erika shrugs: "Not much? Figuring out where I stand in my..." she waves a hand: "...relationships, I guess. What the line between friend and more-than-friend even is?"
Fiora chuckles, "I am... literally the worst person to ask. I mean, I guess Brun and I have gotten there, but it was kind of... I was pretty rude to her early on. I think the friendship's gotta come first before anything else, but you tried that with Cavro and it didn't fully work out either."
Erika sighs, nodding. "Then I tried with Mirriam, misread her... made amends, and now we're sorta casual 'having fun' friends as well?" She shakes her head: "Half the time I'm not sure what the situation even is, but one day at a time, yeah?"
Fiora nods, "I'm... getting closer to Brun. Honestly, this whole experience has made that a bit easier? But I was pretty bad at that before. Hell, I think most people assumed me and Gareth were an item back in Vamas, but he was like family too, you know? Kind of my Brother-in-arms, but I was never interested in him otherwise. He's on the shortlist of folk I'd do anything for alongside Brun. And you."
Erika smiles warmly: "It's a good list to have and maintain. Nesseth's saved my life a few times now, as have you."
Fiora hums, "Nesseth, eh? Don't know him too well, but I've overheard him and Louma trading quips at the training grounds. I figured those two were just getting geared up to kiss."
Erika giggles: "That's what everyone thinks when they first witness those two. They're... very good friends, but I don't think there's anything more with them."
Fiora laughs, raising her hands, "Well, I won't interfere with that... I cause enough problems with Cavro, I won't repeat it with Nesseth or... Mirriam? I don't them. But yeah, you're much bigger than me, so I'll just pretend you know better than I do. But you can always come to me if you gotta talk stuff out."
Erika winks: "First time I hear you offer that, but I will take you on it. Sides, it's good that we talk, even if it's about nothing much at all." She shakes her head: "Also probably good to muse on your relationship with someone not directly involved, you know?"
Fiora coughs, having definitely not done this. "Prooooobably? We can talk about me and Brun too, if you'd rather."
Erika giggles, poking Fiora on the shoulder: "I meant for both of us. Or we can just get ice cream and talk about that stuff some other time."
Fiora perks up, "Oh! Yeah, of course! Eating has been weird in this new body, but ice cream is still ice cream, so you're on! Whenever you want!"
Erika gets up, offering her hand to Fiora: "Right now is good time as any for ice cream, no?"
Fiora nods, climbing up into Erika's hand. "Is there ever a bad time?"
Erika smirks as she hefts Fiora onto her shoulder, both of them likely feeling pretty weird about it: "I don't know and I don't want to know."