Tiffany accepted the cocoa taking a moment to look around the house.
It was strange. The house felt different to her. Not that anything was physically different but she couldn't quite place what it was. "Did you tidy up?" she asked
Her father glanced around "A little. I always do," he said smiling a bit.
The strange horned girl wasn't sure what it was but shrugged. It felt... kind of nice to be here. "Dad? Can... we talk about mum?"
Her father paused. "Of course we can. What do you want to know?"
"Tell me the truth."
Her father sighed. "You know the truth. I always told the truth."
"Well... tell me again. Please." Tiffany's unusual request with a touch of politeness on it this time was very unlike her. It surprised her father a little.
"It was.. complicated."
"You always say that! I want a real answer!" Tiffany shouted straightening up slightly.
Mr Saunders tensed. "I- you're right. Sorry. I didn't want to keep things from you. I just... wanted to protect you.
Lilly continued to wonder... was there a purpose to this? But maybe some people had a purpose and others it was random. The squirrel girl never felt she was anything special even if her parents said she was.
Jenny, Artemis... even Melanie were special.
Her father once said that big questions are just lots of little questions. To answer the big question all you had to do was to simplify it. Still it was so hard to think with big words. She was just a kid now after all.
She wanted to know why this happened... if there was some purpose to this, like Jenny suggested. But she couldn't think of anything. There was no obvious reason of why she had to be a girl and an animal and a child at the same time.
She glanced at Jenny, glad that they had made up so quickly. She only wished Artemis was here too. She might be even madder at her though then Jenny. Melanie was looking at her again interrupting her trail of thought. It was also making her fur bristle. She had to remember that she wasn't a bad person any more... but it was hard to just forget what she did.
"Questions?" Asked Melanie who had been studying the expressions the 'emotive' one made. There was still a savoury feeling in her mind when she was near the squirrel girl.
"Um. I just want to know why I am like this." She asked.
Melanie got a little closer as she stared at the squirrel girl. "Your purpose too? Like... mine? Experience?"
Lilly's jaw dropped at that. Melanie... actually had a very valid point. She knew certain things, and she knew she had to experience life... so... perhaps that was the answer? Staring at her right in the face... could it be that simple? She was supposed to just experience this state? But why? What exactly was that going to lead to? She was actually quite worried about that part especially. One day she would grow up... but with this body? She didn't want to!
Yet... did she have any choice?
"But.. did you do this? Did you make me a squirrel girl?" If they were some kind of alien then maybe she had the answer.
Melanie got a little closer at that question.
The squirrel girl tensed but stood her ground. She had to know the truth.
Melanie tilted her head with some confusion. She didn't really understand what Lilly was asking of her. Is she speaking of the culmination? The summary of the present? That was something everyone added to, including Lilly herself. Ripples floating in reality. After all the existence of Four required her creation... so technically she was here because of her in a very simplified way.
For something like Lilly, the culmination was very complicated and would take an age to work out and another age to explain it- as was every other being. Still she seemed to be demanding an answer... "You... are because you are," She said.
"Are what? I was not a girl before!" she raised her voice slightly.
Girl? What was that exactly? Melanie looked even more confused. These questions were just odd to her.
Jenny placed a hand onto Melanie's shoulder. "We're all girls, it means we can some day have babies" she explained.
Lilly screwed her face expressing distaste. "Ugh! No! Gross!" That image- that image just went right into her mind. It was stuck there now and wouldn't go away.
Melanie glanced between. "It.. is undesired?" Was this some kind of disease? The way Lilly reacted it sounded really bad.
Jenny giggled. "No! it's how we're born! Of course it's a good thing. You saw Lilly's Mom right?" even she was blushing as this was starting to get awkward very quickly.
"Explain?" asked Melanie with interest. Mother. Was that Like The larger one called Muriel? Was that a title? Yes. She did observe the was a little larger then the normal parameters would have suggested. Was that a symptom of this... baby illness? She had to learn more.
Lilly placed her hands over her ears. "I'm not hearing this!" she said crouching down feeling very sick at the thought.
