Lilly woke gradually feeling a breeze and- something not quite right. Did she leave the window open? No wait... She gasped as she realised she had slept on her tree! (wait her tree?)
She felt sheepish about it. It wasn't as if it was more comfortable then a bed, but.. it was something she just felt she had to try maybe? Or- was it more comfortable? She wasn't sure. With great ease, she vaulted across to her bedroom, noticing her father was sitting in a chair by the window. She was careful not to let the morning light near him as she closed the curtains.
He had stayed for her...
Lilly felt a little overcome, and gently tried to nudge her father awake.
"Oh- Sorry, I fell asleep." Leslie said shaking his head. "Are you okay dear?"
The squirrel girl blushed at being called 'dear'. Her father called her that when she had been a boy too, she vaguely recalled. "'m okay. So'ry, didn't mean t' make you wo'ry." She knew her father was now going to tell her to fight these instincts again. That she had to be strong. She had to remember who she really was! Oh no was he going to look under her bed too?
... her father simply pat her on the head, with a smile.
Lilly felt herself lean into the loving touch. It was soothing, and comforting.
"You should get ready for school Lilly. Daddy is... a little tired now and needs to rest." How many full day shifts had he been doing? He lost count. There was just so much to do but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.
"O-okay Daddy," said the furry girl. This... this felt really strange. Yet it also felt so... normal? Nice and... why did it feel okay for her father to talk to her as a child? A little girl?Because... because she was one? Her father just gave another smile, before going back to his room.
Lilly didn't have long to ponder as she had yet another visitor to her room.
"Knock knock," said the dinosaur boy Stacy, as he hunched under the door frame. He smiled at his little sister, and once again the squirrel girl was overcome by a strange... family feeling? It was as if she felt connected again, fitting in with her Mom and Dad.. her brother... that was so weird!
"I got you some clothes I heard you er- might need," he said. "It should work well with that school uniform."
"T-thanks brother," said Lilly- but as soon as she looked at the feminine articles she could feel herself cringing a little. She looked over the girly pants frowning a bit.. they were such a strange shape, and it didn't feel right at all to look at them. but worse was when she saw the weird little vest things? What in the world was this for? She thought maybe it a mistake.
"I'm off to school too sis. You take care okay?"
"Oh- m-me too," said the little girl nervously- though her older instinct, the one that protected Stacy suddenly made her worry for him. "Are- are you doin' okay in tha' school b-big brother?"
"I'm a dinosaur sis! I solve more problems then have them," he grinned as he gave his large teeth a 'chomp'. Sometimes it was strange, but he was also very glad to be older and... well.. knowing so many things? Sometimes he surprised his parents with his knowledge, but all in all he was actually just like any other teenager his age. Though he did feel a little guilty as he realised that this is exactly what his sister lost... it was no wonder she had it so rough- but at the same time, he also knew that in time she would gain it back. He waved goodbye to his sister, and closed the door.
Lilly gave a little smile. Yes, her family was very different now... she was very different, to her family. But at this moment, she wouldn't trade them for anything.
Alone now to change, she gingerly put on the new underwear, frowning a little as it got snagged onto her tails. This was always such a problem. She was a little surprised to see some kind of small elastic and a hole on the panties, but it was such a struggle to clip them together. It stretched just enough to allow the base of her tails to move. Not quite so freely, but... it was okay. It looked like manufacturers still didn't realise that some transformed people got more then one tail- rare as it was.
She looked at the vest, still not quite sure how that was supposed to work. She slipped it on easily enough, as it covered her chest. It didn't feel like any vest she wore before. it was a little soft? She half wondered if Jenny or Artemis wore anything like this. Since the vest seemed too small, she put it away and hoped her brother wouldn't be sad that he got the wrong size. She then put on her school uniform, looking over herself in the mirror.
Her eyes seemed so bright, and... curious? Was that a curiosity to herself though, or was that how she normally looked?
meow said her cat, as it tripped over a pen. The pen fell onto the strange blue stick tied to the string.
"Oh my pen. th'nks Saku'a" the little girl said petting her. She hugged the cat warmly...then glanced at the blue stick. It might come in handy... she decided to take it with her to school too.
Muriel smiled as she brushed Jenny's hair. "You have such beautiful hair dear," said the insect woman.
"Thanks mom," she said giggling a little. She was sure it was only so nice because Muriel paid so much attention to it.
"Oh I mean it. You are very lucky to have it such a special colour too. They always said, white hair must mean great wisdom."
"R-Really?" Jenny thought a bit about that. For some reason she didn't feel particularly wise... though sometimes, an instinct- or a burst of knowledge would make itself known to her, and she would just have a moment of realisation... but... maybe it was just that she had good instincts.
"How is.. magic girl patrolling?" Asked the police officer, with just a little edge to her voice. There was no disguising just how worried she was of her daughter. She felt like she wanted to protect her from everything... yet in this, she knew she couldn't. Indeed, Jenny was needed to help everyone around her. For the great good she had to allow that... but it didn't stop her mother worrying.
"It's been okay," she smiled. "Artemis is real'y helpf'l. She can see any issu's very quickly, an' I can travel there an' deal with it before it becomes a big problem." That was the curious nature of the 'enemies' she had to fight so far. They often started out extremely benign, but as time passed, they became stronger and stronger... as long as they got to them quickly, they were usually easy to deal with.
"Tell me of the enemy. What do they look like?" Muriel started to braid Jenny's hair as she talked.
"They start out like- ghost lights? But then they start to um- wear the environment?"
"Wear the environment?" Muriel tilted her head at that. "You mean they become like the environment around them?"
"Uh huh. So sometimes it's like a sea, or dirt, or even plants..."
"People?" Asked the officer in thought.
"Not seen em wear a person," The white haired girl said sighing in relief. The very idea of it though, was worrying. She was sure though that she could reverse whatever the monster would do... but still, it was a worry.
"Well.. you and Artemis watch each other carefully. I'm actually glad you have a partner now." It did bring a relief that at least, they were watching each other. They were also certainly not unable to defend themselves. Still if things looked really dire, she hoped her daughter would consider the police, just in case... it was after all, what they signed up for.
Ruth was reading a book in the living room when... she suddenly had the impression to turn around. She found Artemis there, looking at her. The moon girl seemed a little surprised that her presence was detected this time. She had not made a sound.
Ruth was... probably equally surprised. "Are you ready for school?" She asked.
"Uh huh," Artemis said smiling. "Aunt Sabrina is going to pick me up an' drive me."
"Good. Well I've packed your lunch... has Selena made any 'special' requests of you today?"
Artemis looked a little guilty at the probing questions of her mother... something was definitely different about her. It wasn't a transformation though, the moon child could see that. It was... as if her mother had gained some kind of perception? Very strange. Maybe she would have to ask Selena about this.
"I'm going to continue helpin' Jenny with er- stuff," she said. She didn't really want to specify more then that. "I'll be back late though. um- okay?"
"Okay honey," said Ruth with a sigh. You just... please be careful. I only have one of you."
Artemis tilted her head at that. "Well- actually mom, you got two of me. Really."
That made Ruth choke up a little, as she picked up her daughter and gave her a hug. She was her special daughter, and always her special daughter..
