Lilly looked around for her friend Jenny. For some reason, the squirrel girl was feeling a bit anxious about it but wasn't quite sure why. School was going to start soon, and she was wish she knew where people usually met up here. She found kids her age playing everywhere, some outside in the playground, others in the halls... everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The urge to play was ingrained into the little squirrel girl, not the least reason was due to her new age. She just.. couldn't help it. Yet it also felt like a waste of time too. Immature... wasn't it?
"There you are!" a voice called behind her.
Lilly turned and smiled to see the snow white haired girl.
"Thought I lost you," She giggled happily.
Lilly blinked at those words. Why.. did that feel weird?
Jenny looked perplexed at her perplexed look in return.
"H-Hello Jenny," The squirrel girl gave a shy smile back as the awkward moment passed. She still had one thought in her mind though. From the events yesterday, and the new moon-child. "Do you think we'll see Artemis 'gain?" She asked.
"I'm sure we're gonna!" She nodded. "She's nice isn't she?"
"Uh huh... um..." Lilly gave a slightly distant look.
"What's wrong?" The white haired girl looked concerned.
The squirrel girl's tails twitched behind her showing some agitation. "I... er... can I ask you somethin'?"
"of course you can!" Though as soon as she said it, she noted how serious her friend looked she held back her enthusiasm. Something was distracting her badly.
Lilly seemed to struggle a lot with what she was wanting to ask. But this was probably the only time she could... and she had to know. "I-If I turned back to a boy... would we be friends still?"
Jenny blinked. That should be an easy question... but honestly, did she have many friends who were boys? It would be different there was no question of that... but Jenny liked Lilly too. When she had been Billy she couldn't have been that bad either. Even if she had been older... "Well... I never knew you as a boy," She said honestly. "I always known you as Lilly. Lilly isn't bad... I don't think Billy would be either," She said hoping that helped explain what she thought on it.
"I- I guess," Lilly said softly. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but at least Jenny was honest with her. "Um..."
Jenny tilted her head. There seemed to be something even more pressing. The young girl took hold of Lilly's paw-like hands, cupping them. "We're best friends."
"But.. I'm not really a girl either... an'... Artemis is really a girl. Am I gonna be.." she wasn't sure how to ask it. Replaced? pushed aside? become a third wheel now that Jenny had found a better friend, who was a real girl... someone she could be better friends with? Jenny was the only girl she felt any connection to... the only one she felt she could be honest with her. She cared so much... and Lilly wished she had met her earlier in her new life.
Jenny giggled. "You're bein' silly Lilly. Silly silly Lilly," she said shaking her head. "We're all gonna be best friends." Honestly, why didn't the squirrel girl understand something that was so simple?
Lilly tensed a bit at the rhyming. Being called a 'silly Billy' used to set her off... now it was going to be Silly Lilly? Still she didn't get mad. Not at her best friend saying that.
"B-But she said boy's are silly," she said a little worried. Can they all really be best friends if...
Jenny giggled unable to help it. "Well they can be. Sometimes. Girls too."
Lilly thought a bit about that. Maybe... it could be okay? Even if she wasn't the same... exactly... she could still be friends with them all. Right?
Artemis was wearing the same uniform now as Jenny and Lilly. The strange moonlight muted in the ambient light of the classroom. The teacher had yet to start class...
Jenny found the moonchild first and she smiled.
"Hi.. where is Lilly?" Artemis asked.
"Er- in the bathroom. She forgot to go at home and is waitin' for everyone else first." Jenny explained holding back a giggle.
The moon child nodded. "Aw. She's so cute," she giggled.
The white haired girl sat next to Artemis, smoothing her uniform as she got out her books. They were finally going to move on from crime and punishment, and onto another subject. She didn't know what, but she had had enough of all that. Still... there was something she had to ask Artemis. "Um.. How come Lilly doesn't remember?" Jenny asked cautiously.
Artemis looked curiously to Jenny. "How come you do?"
It was now Jenny's turn to look a little tense. "W-Was I not 'sposed to?"
Artemis smiled. "Seems you got a secret or two yourself," She giggled.
Lilly came into the classroom at that point, and glanced at the two awkwardly. Were they.. keeping something from her? No that's silly... Jenny then gestured the squirrel girl to come over and they all sat together. All suspicion evaporated from her at that point... they were all going to be good friends.
Jon was on autopilot for most of the day. Mythology was certainly... interesting. Especially in the current situation. There was definitely some link to what humans turned into and a lot of these myths... however it was just a rule of thumb. Some people turned into the bizarre. She glanced at Tiffany, who was still eyeing Jon a bit. Obviously she hadn't gotten over that whole 'crawling' thing...
"We need to talk," said Brittany as they broke for their next period.
Jon glanced around. "What's wrong?"
"Something... has changed. Remember I said Gods were returning?"
Jon bit her lip. "I.. remember. Is that bad?"
"One god woke up.. or is waking up... I think. It's hard to tell. Without my magic circle, I can't commune as easily." the ghostly girl said with a sigh. I feel I must tell you some more about Merlin. have you been reading the book?"
"Yes," Jon nodded. Though in all honesty, it wasn't as useful as she had hoped. While an interesting history on those who carried the magic elements before, it didn't offer much to help the current situation.
Brittany glanced around before speaking. "Every Merlin had a... special place. Sometimes a tower, sometimes a cavern... a palace, or even a spider's web," She explained. Someday you may find yours... but not for a very long time."
Jon looked curious at that- but it was irrelevant. She didn't want to be worshipped or have anything like that! She just wanted.. to get another wish on the stone. A perfect wish, to fix this... "Is there a way to charge the stone faster?"
The ghost girl looked thoughtfully. "Every method has a price Jon... a price you may not be willing to pay," She said quite sadly. "You have the option of removing all magic in this world... find all elementals, and banish them. But humanity would revert to becoming nothing more then animals at that point... indeed, there may not be any life at all."
Jon looked aghast. "I don't want that!" She said.
"I know you don't... you face a similar dilemma to the first Merlin. An animal once made a wish... and the result was humanity. Nobody quite knows what that wish was... but to undo it, would have meant the end of sentience... of understanding." she explained.
Jon wondered what that wish could be... it would have to have been something very simple. Much like her own 'very simple' wish... it could easily have been the 'same' wish.
"In any case... Jon, you are also part of that celestial alignment... you must be cautious of that. 'Things' tend to happen around one as you."
"What kind of things..." Jon asked, the thought sending a shiver down her slug-body.
"Your.. for lack of a better word, aura, 'attracts' attention... just be cautious." The ghost girl said carefully.
