Steve sighed.
Another day over. She actually got through another day like this. It was bad enough when she had turned into a girl first, but a flower-girl? It was just... well was annoying really the right word? It almost sounded like she was 'okay' with this. But wasn't it more just a state of adapting to the new world? Sure she had met quite a few other plant-types, though her being the walking type seemed to be a rarity. She was actually glad that she had legs- even if they were so... so...
Steve walked in to the living room, and relaxed the strange leaves that made up her blouse to their lower position. she felt a slight... oddness. Not pain exactly, but it felt crinkly and dry. She noted that her 'dress' petals, were not quite the same brilliant pink they had started, but were now a duller shade. "Weird," She thought to herself. Maybe she needed to take more of those vitamins.
She went into the kitchen, and took put a box of 'plant' tablets that her mother had bought. She put it into her mouth and swallowed, feeling for a moment the strange sensation of nutrients flowing into her- as her body got to work creating and crafting the nutrients she would need for her flower-parts. It was weird, to be some kind of hybrid metabolite. She both created and consumed what she needed, each side of her doing what the other needed. Even the air she breathed out probably was used in a curious synergy or symbiosis.
She retreated into her bedroom hoping to at least finish playing the latest game. Ever since her transformation she had completely quit on her favourite games. But now that she was slowly getting back into things, it might be nice to play a bit of it.
Steve glanced out the window to see her mother soaking up the last rays of sunlight in the garden. She had to smile a bit. Her mother seemed so natural doing that. The greener plant woman glanced up sensing her daughters gaze with a return smile. A little lazily perhaps, she walked back into the house curious to see how Steve's day was.
"Hi Mom," said the young plant-girl. She wasn't sure she could get used to her mother looking like that... any more then she could get used to herself.
"Hello Honey. How was school?"
"The usual," Steve sighed. "I don't think I can play football any more."
"Why not?"
"I can't wear the sports kit on top of all this," she said groaning. Being a flower girl seemed to make it really hard to know just what to wear. She couldn't cover herself completely or her inbuilt perfume would go into overload. neither did she want to dress too light- although her body was perfectly fine in almost any moderate environment without clothes at all.
Her mother was staring at her in some concern. "Honey, how long have you spent in the sunlight today?"
"Oh- well- an hour or so." Said Steve quickly. "But I also sat next to the window in class."
"Was it a south facing window?" Asked her mother carefully.
"Well- I- I don't know." Steve bit her lip. She perfectly knew it wasn't the most optimal place to gain sunlight. "It's okay. I took the vitamins."
Steve's mother sat down on the bed beside her daughter. Steve bit her lip.
"Honey, you need sunlight now. Not just an hour's worth. You need to have as much as possible. If you don't have sunlight, your flower parts will wither. The vitamins and your other processes can only take you so far."
"I don't want to be out in the sunlight all day mom! There's nothing to do!" She groaned. Maybe her mother was content to just lie about all day and... talk to flowers, but she wasn't. She just wanted to be normal again! Even being a normal girl at this point was a better prospect then this. At least she was able to pretend she was a boy still.
Steve's mother hugged her daughter around her shoulder. "I know this is hard for you... but you need to take better care of yourself. I'm going to pull you out of school tomorrow."
"mom!"
She raised her hand delicately. "Just for a day... we will have an outing. Lots of sunshine, and wide open spaces." Her mother grinned at the prospect.
"C-Can't we just go into the garden?" Steve said worried at the idea of walking around with- with her mom. Like this.
"I thought you didn't want to be bored..." Her mother said tilting her head.
Steve cringed. Her mother got her. There was no escaping this one. She had to go out in this body, and take a day off school. "B-But maybe the school wont..."
"Oh they will, once I explain your needs... they don't want to see you starving yourself. And that is exactly what you are doing Steve... you need the sunlight. Look at my body..." her mother slowly revealed a little of the green skin hidden by her great swathes of leaves.
Steve cringed again. "N-N-" The young flower-girl cringed as she tried to object.
"Steve, honey, look at me. I'm your mother."
She reluctantly did so. "Yeah.. well... you're a lot like me. Just.. different."
"We are... and I have spent a lot of time in the sun. See how my leaves shine? You need that too. I want to see my daughter shine as the most beautiful flower she is. You are unique Steven. I love you so much," She hugged her and for a moment, Steven felt incredibly guilty. "Now please, there's still a half hour or so of sunlight left. best take it while you can. Unless you want me to buy sun-lamps." she said ruffling her daughters head slightly, and the flower atop her head.
"S-Sorry mom. I'll try. I'll... I'll spend more time in the sunlight."
"That's my girl," she said hugging her once more.
Steven sighed.
Melanie wasn't really sure what to make of it. She was perfectly capable of following instruction- yet her new... what was the right word? Mother? The one that she had to believe in. The one that gave her the tasks. That is what their nature was. Something needed to be done, they simply went and did it. Even if- she chose not to follow her action. But to not do what she was asked to do, was the right course of action- wasn't it? But what was right? Morality? Did this body come with a set of conditioned directives? They did not detect that. She tried to push the strange thoughts away.
The strange insect girl didn't understand this world and its nuances. She found the doll house, and was looking at the facsimiles of potentials that they represented. She could recognise an exchange-medium when she saw one. Curious indeed- a simulation? Maybe they represented... practice? If so, this would be a good way to show she knew exactly how to act in a... school. She surrounded the various dolls together into a heap, to show how information was optimally exchanged- not the square pattern that it had before. Each one now displayed fractal geometry across the central plinth. This was how information was passed between them was it not? But how to make them achieve the desired goal? Oh yes, the thought had to be placed inside them.
Their minds were all locked inside the plastic. That was not efficient at all. She carefully took out a doll and unscrewed the head, wondering what she might find inside. She hoped it would teach her something about this odd world too.
Melanie gasped with horror, to see the doll's head was... empty?! It was hollow! Hollow... things. Suddenly she felt sickened and ill. Why did human's make representations of themselves, to practice with, but neglect a- thought in them?! This wasn't practice... this was just... she had no word for it.
"Whats wrong Melanie?" asked Jenny curiously.
"D-Dolls. Nothing inside them."
Jenny blinked. She bit her lip as she noticed Melanie had actually unscrewed the head of one. However it didn't look damaged. It could go back on. "Course not silly. That's caus' they're dolls."
"B-But they ... can't think." How could they make them do anything if they don't have that vitality in them? It made no sense.
"Why's it gotta think?" Jenny said with greater confusion. "They are just toys."
Melanie cringed just a bit and sat down, handing the toys to Jenny. Maybe... M-Mummy was right. She didn't know how to act right.
Jon continued to walk with her drow friend Tim. She took a moment to look around and was startled by how... normal things had become? If you glanced about, people were now becoming less overwhelmed by the strange beings everyone else had become.
One thing that struck her, was how everyone was now talking to each other. Sure they lived in a small suburb, and almost everyone knew each other anyway- but this was taking it a level further. Strangers would openly look at their neighbours and comment on their transformations. Everyone had become far less 'stressed' over things, and some were even... enjoying it? The laughter of children playing echoed somewhere.
Jon had to actually smile. It wasn't just Haru. Many people were happy. Many people had found their lives changed- sometimes they lost something, but often they gained something more too. Her wish was not intended with any malevolence in mind at all, and that reflected the lives people now lead... it did not take away the weight of responsibility she felt at changing everyone like this- but if there was a certain inevitability that this kind of thing happens... maybe her burden could be eased a little.
Yet there had to be other wishes in play. Wishes she didn't know. She knew she had to decide how best to give everyone the best of each life. What if she could give people the chance to change back and forth? But then she thought of people like Becca... if she did that, it could cause greater harm. Going from child to adult and then back again when you wanted, may not work- and that was an example she actually knew. She could word her wish carefully, but there was no way to account for how people would react to another new change, or even changes that she herself didn't know about.
She was starting to appreciate how the first human who wished on the stone must have felt. How many of his tribe might have become so scared at the sudden realisation of self? Didn't a lot of them want to go back? to just become animals? But... staying the course worked fine. Humans became engines of imagination... this was another step towards that. What if she was denying something of an even greater existence then what they had before? What if...
"Well this is my house," Smiled Tim.
Jon looked awkwardly a moment but smiled. "Thanks... I really needed this."
"Well, I noticed you were feeling a little low. You... didn't really say what though," Said Tim with quiet concern. Still he seemed respectful of Jon's privacy. He could have a guess though at what it might be. Jon seemed to be bottling up how she felt about her change, given she was clinging to that hope- or had Tim simple not minded it? His change was fine.
"It's... complicated." Jon said with a sigh.
"Isn't it always?" said Tim patting the slug girl on the shoulder. "You're a good person Jon, and I think you make your change work. I said that before you know. Even if no cure is found, I know you'll be fine."
Jon cringed just a bit- out of guilt. "I- thanks..." she said in the end.
The slug-girl awkwardly crawled down the side walk to head back to her own house. This was a nice breather, maybe she could have days like this.
