Steven was engrossed in the library, trying to learn what she could about plants.
She had never been very good at research, and thought plants were a waste of time. What exactly was the use of such knowledge? Though she guessed it was good to know things about crops, but still.. it didn't seem that important. You fed them, you water them, they grew. Harvest them, and start over. What more was there to it?
It turned, out, quite a lot.
She had to find books on herbs, which it turned out the library had shelves of them. Some specialised in one particular plant, others were far more generic. The plant girl found a few of the more popular books, and spread them onto the table. She sat down on a chair, her floral skirt moving very slightly to allow this position. That... still felt weird. It was hard to forget that this dress was not something she wore, but part of her own body. She felt things through it, constantly. The pants she wore tucked underneath shielded her legs from their touch, but the skirt itself still felt any fabric she wore there.
She cast aside those distracting thoughts, and got back to the task at hand crossing her very feminine legs
Learning about chilli was a bit more interesting then she thought it would be. It turned out, creating really hot seeds was a very fine balance. One had to subject the herb to harsh conditions, being very careful so it would not wither. This forced the herb to create more of the potent chemical that gave it taste. A defence mechanism maybe?
Steven wondered if that related to her in any way...
That's when she thought a little more about what the plant was experiencing.
Stress.
These were responses to stressful situations. Could it be her own seeding, was simply her own version of... acne? That was quite a strange thought... but it was not implausible. It was true she had been feeling stressed out... so if this was the case, all she had to do was try to relax.
But how in the world could she relax?! She was a plant-girl! She was afraid of bees, but the flower on her head would always attract them. Though maybe she could buy a pesticide? Would that work for her? It might keep the insects away...
What if she continued to be stressed? According to the books, plants wouldn't self pollinate unless conditions were extraordinarily dire. Steven was hardly in a dire situation... which meant even if her body was capable of this mechanism, it should never be an issue unless she was on an abandoned island or desert somewhere for decades.
She was hoping this meant she would never produce fruit... but the book was not forthcoming on that. It was still possible a normal life cycle to include a fruiting stage... maybe if would only happen occasionally? But then, how often? She had heard from others that had gone into a fruiting stage, but few were willing to talk about it...
She continued to read.
Lilly was a little upset that the secret was revealed to her parents...
but maybe at the same time, this was not going to be too bad. Maybe since they knew, she wouldn't feel bad about keeping a secret from them. She was in her room, feeling a little dejected. She crawled into her space under the bed, with all her various items she collected.
Having this hoard made her feel safe... this was her own little place.
She relaxed in the instincts she had, feeling a measure of peace. Why was life so difficult for her? Why did she become.. this. She wondered if the monsters that Jenny had to fight were responsible. Could they be the ones who changed the world?
If that were the case, she would fight alongside Lilly and force them to change everyone back. She would do anything to be a boy again... but... what if, she was stuck like this? What if there is no cure?
She scratched at the carpet a bit, then got out from under her bed. Her medium sized hair was messed up, so she quickly went to the mirror to tidy it up. She glanced behind seeing her father. It looked like he was checking up on her.
"H-Hi dad," she said. Was he mad at her for something?
"Hello son," he smiled kindly to her. "I didn't mean to intrude," he said a little worried.
Lilly the young child look perplexed at that. Why would she want to keep her father away from her? But then... didn't she used to? She kept everyone out of her bedroom as a boy... she remembered that. "It's okay," She said. "I ain't doin' anythin'"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he said looking at her sadly.
"I.. I'll be fine. Jus'..." she looked down a bit as she moved to sit down on her bed, her twin tails twirling slightly. "I... I guess I'm stuck like this," she said looking down sadly.
Mr Gordon bit his lip. "I'm sorry son... I'm not going to give up... as soon as this mess is sorted out, I will rebuild... we'll find some way out of this."
Lilly wondered if she should give up? Her father kept on trying, and she... wasn't sure how to feel about that."D-Dad? could I.. have a pic'ure of how I use' to look like? I... Can't remember any more." She said looking sadly.
Mr Gordon gave the young child a hug, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Billy... I'm just so sorry..."
Lilly hugged back. "It's... okay." she said, trying to sound mature and brave. "C-Can I ask you somethin'?"
"Anything son," He smiled looking to her.
"Artemis... a girl in school.. said she was on the moon. Could I go there?"
Mr Gordon blinked. Was his son going crazy? But then, he was descending into childhood... she just didn't understand such a basic thing. "Son, nobody can live on the moon... there's no air there."
"But... Artemis said she did,"
"Artemis is just someone in a story dear... It's not real. The moon was formed a very long time ago, and has no atmosphere any more. No air," he tried to say to her as simply as possible. "Your friend is just playing a game," he said ruffling her hair.
"B-But..." Lilly sighed. She knew her father was making sense... but at the same time, there was some yearning wish in her, to be able to go there, to see other places, in a sky of wonder. A childhood fantasy.
"Why don't you get some rest son... enjoy the story, but remember it is just a story," he said with a smile.
Lilly felt a little disappointed but nodded. "T-Thanks dad," she said smiling.
Mr Gordon couldn't help but feel a little worry of his son's strange thoughts... she was acting more like a young child. He had hoped he would retain some adult function but, for whatever reason her mind was just too susceptible. He really was just a child again... and they would have to teach him all over again.
Teach her ... all over again.
Melanie blinked. They were now at another house? What happened? did someone use a power on her? How did they come to be from one place to the next? Someone must have put her to sleep like she had done to that distracting furry one!
She jumped onto her insect legs looking around, then saw the larger one, Muriel... "How... is this here?" Melanie asked.
"How is what here dear?" Asked Muriel.
"Place. This place."
Muriel glanced around. She still wasn't sure she understood how the girl thought... "You fell asleep. I brought you here" she said gently.
"How you do that?" it detected no power on her... no abilities. What trickery was this! How did she lose consciousness!
"You fell asleep dear... It's what happens when you are tired," She explained realising the child seemed to not grasp that.
"Sleep... again?" she asked.
"Yes Melanie... if you want to. I mean- we need to sleep eight hours a day give or take."
The girl looked very frightened suddenly. "Don't want to sleep!"
