***
It was somewhat random, what a morning would be like in the Barnes/Baker/Romanova household. Somedays they would all be there, greeting the day like anyone
else. Sometimes there would be someone extra, a hero from the Legendary or Riot Force crashing there when they were too tired to head for the other city zones.
Sometimes there was no one there. After all, they were all full time heroes, which made keeping to a regular schedule nearly impossible.
It was with this in mind that Ifrit Barne, Lady of the Peace, made sure to check all the rooms before she started making breakfast. She stopped and knocked at
Alices door, then opened it and leaned inside.
Alice was sprawled out on the bed, face down in the pillow. Ifrit smiled slightly as she looked at the room. Originally, the room had been somewhat sparse, as
Alice had kept her belongs limited to what she could carry, a habit born of necessity. Slowly though, as she'd come to believe that not only was she
welcome here, but she would be able to remain, she'd begun to make it her home. There was still a ragged looking backpack sticking out from under the bed,
but near it were some new clothes (All needing to be tossed in the laundry hamper later), there was a poster of the Torch of Victory on the wall, even a DS
that Nene had gotten her in an attempt to teach the girl all about the 'wonders of video games'. And of course, Neko had a rather large basket with
some rather warm and fluffy blankets to bury herself in.
"Are you going to be in here for a while, or should I cook up some eggs?" Ifrit asked, smiling as the purple haired catgirl raised a hand up in the
air and made a vaugely affirmative noise. "Eggs?" she asked again, getting the same noise in reply. "Okay," she said, closing the door. As
she walked away, Neko slipped out through the doors catflap and followed her. "What time did you guys get back?" she asked.
"About three," Neko replied, darting ahead of her feet as they went into the kitchen. "We got back from Salamanca late, and then we heard about
an Arachnos theft, so..."
Ifrit chuckled, understanding all too well. "You know, she's really getting dedicated to this job," she noted as she went to the fridge and
fetching the cat food. Neko looked more lively as she realised it was was the salmon flavor. "She's overtaken me, Rob... And she's pulled off a
fair few big wins."
Neko nodded as Ifrit scooped some food into the cat bowl. "I realize that it may sound cliche, but I suspect she's found her calling, at least for the
moment. The trick is making sure she can move on if need be."
The winged woman paused and gave her an amused look. "Something tells me you've got experience in that field," she said.
"Quite a bit," Neko replied. "I've been an advisor to magical girls for quite some time now."
Turning back to the kitchen counter, Ifrit started on the food before asking "how does that work anyway? Is there some sort of agency that decides who
gets to be Sailor Paragon or something?"
The cat looked up from her food and swallowed. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I could bore you with metaphysical details and descriptions, but in short,
there is an... organisation with the task of making sure the right people get the powers and weapons."
Pausing as she dropped bread in the toaster, Ifrit looked down. "So you weren't being snarky when you said some idiot misfiled Alices magical girl
paperwork?" she asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought you were joking when you said that."
"Well, it made her smile," Neko said. "I was supposed to be sent to her at the same time, but since we lost her location..." Ifrit nodded
in understanding, but any further comments were halted by a terrified shriek from the bathroom. Ifrit and Neko both broke into a run at the sound of Alices
voice, breakfast forgotten. "Alice?" Neko called out as she reached the door ahead of the winged heroine.
Alice was standing in front of the sink and the mirror above it, ears sticking straight up and her tail frozen. Just as Ifrit got to the door, Alice managed to
turn around, and the reason for the scream became obvious. Her eyes were radiating a purple-pink light so bright that both women could only barely make out the
lower half of the girls face. "I, I was, I was going to the toilet, and I saw my face, and my eyes, they're glowng..." she said as Ifrit moved
forward, placing her hands on the girls arms.
"Alice, listen to me," she said softly. "Whatever this is, it's alright. We'll deal with it, but you need to take a deep breath and try
to calm down, okay? Can you do that?" Alice managed a weak nod, taking some deep breaths. Ifrit suspected she'd closed her eyes, but she couldn't
tell because of the light. As Alice managed to calm down somewhat, Ifrit led her out into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "You can still
see fine?" she asked. Alice managed a nod. "Good... okay, it looks magical," she said, taking a look with her own extra senses, looking at the
mystical energies floating around the girl.
Neko didn't hesitate, hopping onto Alices lap and rubbing against her stomach. Her partner reached down, scratching the cat behind the ears and generally
taking comfort from her presence. The cat purred softy as Alice watched Ifrit, hoping for an answer.
"Well, it looks pretty simple," Ifrit said gently. "There's no sign of a spell or any outside source behind this, so if I'm reading this
right, this is your own power at work." Alice tilted her head to the side slightly. "Your abilities keep growing," she pointed out. "I
think that this is a side effect of it."
"Glowing eyes are a side effect?" Alice replied, twitching slightly as her ears went flat. "Tell me you can fix it. I stand out too much
already!"
Looking up at her, Neko considered it. "Well, if we could work out how to detransform you to your civilian form," she said, "but every command
phrase I know seems to do nothing... your powers never did conform to what you were supposed to recieve-"
"In other words, I get to look like a freak," Alice snapped, glaring at the cat. Neko blinked, then was knocked off Alices lap as she stood up.
"Ears, tail, then fur, and now this?" she growled. "Which you have no idea how to fix?!" Neko backed up as Alices eyes blazed even
brighter. "Don't!" she snapped as Ifrit tried to say something. "Whatever you've got to say, I don't care!" she said.
"You've figured out how to hide the wings and ears! When you want to go around and not be noticed, you can! Me, I get to be the damn catgirl, with a
hundred different perverts coming after me, people looking at me like a freak... all I want to do is be normal for once!" she yelled, before storming off.
As Alice slammed her bedroom door shut, Ifrit and Neko shared looks. "I guess it was getting to her after all," Ifrit mused as Neko started towards
the door. "Neko, leave her be," she said softly. Neko looked back at her, then nodded miserably, going back to Ifrit. The woman picked her up,
petting her gently. "I think you should check back with your people," she suggested, getting an agreeing nod.
"I knew it bothered her," Neko said softly. "Being noticed... well, she liked it, but at the same time, it left her uncomfortable, like
she'd learnt to avoid it whenever possible." She sighed as Ifrit petted her.
***
Alice was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. An angry scowl passed over her face as someone knocked at the door. "Go away Ifrit," she said,
irritation tinging her voice.
"....it is not Ifrit," a different voice noted.
Alice sat up, looking towards the door. "Inyme?" she asked, before kicking herself. Of course it was Inyme, who else had that voice?
"Yes." Alice paused, somewhat worried about Inyme seeing her, then rolled her eyes. As if Inyme would think any less of her for having glowing eyes.
Getting up, she went and unlocked the door and opened it, giving Inyme a good look at her. As Inyme looked her over, Alice suddenly remembered she was wearing
only an oversized t-shirt and felt her cheeks warming slightly. "...you look different," Inyme said at last, drawing a slightly bitter laugh from the
catgirl.
"Oh yeah... Ifrit thinks it's my powers growing, and this is a 'natural occurance.'"
"Not exactly unusual," Inyme said with a nod.
"Yeah, but I can't turn it off," she grumbled, moving aside for Inyme to come in, closing the door behind her. "It's..."
"Frustrating," the armored woman guessed.
"Very," she replied, dropping down on her bed. "I, I'm... I'm not used to standing out," she admitted, looking for the right words.
"Standing out means drawing attention, and that's never good..." Her mind wandered back to when Laura had told the Skulls where to go when they
went after a cute girl on the street. The memory of them chasing her, of... She'd learnt to keep quiet after that, to be ignored as classed as unimportant.
"Drawing attention means the possibility of bad attention," Inyme nodded.
Alice managed a nod of her own. "It's safer to be ignored," she said softly. "I... I can't do that anymore, and that scares me. It's
weird, but that scares me more then Trolls, the Council, even those beasts in Croatoa..."
"You're afraid that if you can't hide...eventually someone will find you," Inyme said, sitting down next to her.
Alice chuckled slightly. "I know, it's crazy... I can defend myself now," she said. "I can defend others, heck, I enjoy it, but..."
thoughts flickered through her head, not of now or the future, but the many many times she'd been helpless in the past.
"You built a life around hiding," Inyme said, sliding an arm around her.
"At first, I figured it was a chance to punch back... I'm changing Inyme," she admitted. "Not just physically... I'm becoming an
entirely different person..."
"That scares you?"
"Wouldn't your life changing so utterly scare you?" she asked. "Everything you know and take for granted shifting in ways you can't
imagine?"
Inyme tensed slightly "...it already has," she admitted. Alice looked up, surprised. "I was a soldier, back home. I was used to being part of
a...a larger thing than myself. Now...now I'm here. I know it's important. I know that it has to be done....but I'm alone. There's no support.
No backup. Every success or failure is...on my head. Every decision. And the mission's so important that that's...."
"If you're wrong, if something was to happen to you..."
"Maybe...maybe they could send a replacement. Or maybe I'd just fail..." she said softly. Alice reached over, taking her hand gently, drawing
Inymes gaze and a sense of gratitude from the woman. "...but I can't dwell on it. I can't dwell on how I'd be better off if things hadn't
changed. I have to deal with what is...not what was...until it's done."
Alices face was almost hidden behind the light crackling from her eyes, but Inyme could sense the smile. "You're a lot braver then me..." she
whispered.
"...you have it in you to be just as brave. You stood up to someone when you didn't have to. You're made of sterner stuff than you think you
are."
Alice felt her cheeks warming again "You think so?"
Inyme nodded, certain. "Yes. We're born with things and have things that mold us. You survived one of the harshest, strongest molds there is."
A slight chuckle escaped the catgirl. "You may have a point."
"You're strong...independent. You'll survive," she said, resting her other hand on Alice's.
Alice laughed slightly, although there was a slight catch to it, her emotions grabbing her "Thanks," she managed. "It... It means a lot that
I'm not alone in this."
"You aren't...believe me...I'm always willing to listen." Alices smile widened as she leaned over, hugging her. Inyme stiffened slightly, but
Alice got more of a feeling it was out of surprise than wanting to get away. "Thanks for listening," she said. "I guess it all just got a little
overwhelming."
"It's fine," she said, returning the hug. "You can trust me with anything. I don't have anyone I could tell," she pointed out, a
sense of melancoloy passing through the womans emotions.
"You've got me," the catgirl replied softly.
"....I suppose I do," she said, emotions shifting to soft pleasure. "Did your companion have any suggestions on a way to try and handle
this?"
"Well, she said that if we could figure out a way to detransform, but all the methods of doing that don't seem to work..."
"Because your powers do not merely 'turn off' for lack of a better term," Inyme said. "I belive the the problem is control. You summon
your bow and arrows, you use a handful of mental tricks, but more precise control over your powers is somewhat lacking. While I admit I understand little about
magic, I have a suggestion that may help..."
***
Ifrit watched the pair, both sitting in the living room, not moving, not talking. Occasionally, she would see a tiny flicker of magic around Alice, but that
was is "They've been like that for an hour," she murmured.
"They're telepaths. They're probably thinking up a storm," Nene said from next to her.
"... You think it'll help her?" the fey woman wondered.
"I think having a friend, not another mom, will help her," she smirked. Ifrit blinked at her, confused. "Think about it. How many of us,
warranted or not, treat her like a kid?"
"I don't... do I?" she asked, looking back in the room.
"Not exactly, but you treat her like someone you need to look after."
Ifrit considered that for a long moment, then sighed, conceeding the point. "It's just... everything she's been through... life outside that seems
to scare her... she doesn't deserve to be alone," she murmured.
"I know. And that's what I see too. But she needs friends too. And Inyme can be that for her."
The concerned look faded from Ifrits face, replaced by a gentle smile. "Let's leave them to it."
Nene nodded. "Want a cheeseburger?"
"I was thinking an Atlas meal from Up N' Away."
"Sounds good."
***
Alice didn't have the words to explain what she was doing. She could 'see' Inyme probing at her with her extra senses, careful not to push too
hard, but essentially helping the catgirl guide her powers, feel them flow in directions she'd rarely been willing to look at. It was somewhat terrifying,
taking her mind to places she'd never imagined, but guiding her powers down new paths as well, helping her to understand. Slowly, she began to steer the
power, helping it to calm itself, to rest
"...and release," Inyme said finally. Alice pulled herself back to the real world, feeling oddly smaller and... "Congratulations," Inyme
said softly as the girl blinked and looked down at herself. Underneath now slightly baggy clothes, she saw clear skin. The now familar sensation of her tail
was missing, as were her ears. Reaching up, she pulled brown hair into view.
"Woah..." she murmured, then looked up at Inyme and smiled softly. "This is me," she said.
"Pleased to meet you," Inyme said. "....I'm grateful you felt I could help," she admitted.
"Thanks. I guess I needed someone I knew I could trust."
"...you trust me...with this?" Inyme said, slightly amazed.
"Well, I'd have thought that was obvious," she grinned, standing up "Come on... let's get you some casual clothes and hit the town. I
feel the need to walk around without being stared at."
Inyme nodded. "....can I borrow some of yours? I don't...own any besides the jumpsuit and the armor..."
"Sure," she smiled, before an idle thought flickered into her mind. If Inyme only had the jumpsuit... what'd she wear when that was being
cleaned? Alice firmly stepped on that mental image, even as a slight blush appeared.
"Hmm?" Inyme asked, noticing the blush.
"N-Nothing," she said, feeling the blush grow even brighter.
Inyme looked at her. "....of course," she noted. Though deadpan, Alice got the impression she knew it wasn't nothing and just didn't feel
like prying if Alice wasn't forthcoming. Alice took a deep breath as the other woman went into her room, then went to find Neko.
The cat was resting on the window sill, and blinked as Alice came in. "I... you transformed?" she managed, surprised.
"Yeah... Inyme helped me to power down," she said. "Um, about earlier-"
"It's quite alright," she replied. "It's perfectly understandable that you'd be upset-" she shut up as Alice pulled her into a
hug.
"Doesn't matter," she whispered. "Sorry Neko, I was being a bitch."
"Apology accepted," the cat whispered back.
***
(Thanks to OM for helping with the Inyme lines)
It was somewhat random, what a morning would be like in the Barnes/Baker/Romanova household. Somedays they would all be there, greeting the day like anyone
else. Sometimes there would be someone extra, a hero from the Legendary or Riot Force crashing there when they were too tired to head for the other city zones.
Sometimes there was no one there. After all, they were all full time heroes, which made keeping to a regular schedule nearly impossible.
It was with this in mind that Ifrit Barne, Lady of the Peace, made sure to check all the rooms before she started making breakfast. She stopped and knocked at
Alices door, then opened it and leaned inside.
Alice was sprawled out on the bed, face down in the pillow. Ifrit smiled slightly as she looked at the room. Originally, the room had been somewhat sparse, as
Alice had kept her belongs limited to what she could carry, a habit born of necessity. Slowly though, as she'd come to believe that not only was she
welcome here, but she would be able to remain, she'd begun to make it her home. There was still a ragged looking backpack sticking out from under the bed,
but near it were some new clothes (All needing to be tossed in the laundry hamper later), there was a poster of the Torch of Victory on the wall, even a DS
that Nene had gotten her in an attempt to teach the girl all about the 'wonders of video games'. And of course, Neko had a rather large basket with
some rather warm and fluffy blankets to bury herself in.
"Are you going to be in here for a while, or should I cook up some eggs?" Ifrit asked, smiling as the purple haired catgirl raised a hand up in the
air and made a vaugely affirmative noise. "Eggs?" she asked again, getting the same noise in reply. "Okay," she said, closing the door. As
she walked away, Neko slipped out through the doors catflap and followed her. "What time did you guys get back?" she asked.
"About three," Neko replied, darting ahead of her feet as they went into the kitchen. "We got back from Salamanca late, and then we heard about
an Arachnos theft, so..."
Ifrit chuckled, understanding all too well. "You know, she's really getting dedicated to this job," she noted as she went to the fridge and
fetching the cat food. Neko looked more lively as she realised it was was the salmon flavor. "She's overtaken me, Rob... And she's pulled off a
fair few big wins."
Neko nodded as Ifrit scooped some food into the cat bowl. "I realize that it may sound cliche, but I suspect she's found her calling, at least for the
moment. The trick is making sure she can move on if need be."
The winged woman paused and gave her an amused look. "Something tells me you've got experience in that field," she said.
"Quite a bit," Neko replied. "I've been an advisor to magical girls for quite some time now."
Turning back to the kitchen counter, Ifrit started on the food before asking "how does that work anyway? Is there some sort of agency that decides who
gets to be Sailor Paragon or something?"
The cat looked up from her food and swallowed. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I could bore you with metaphysical details and descriptions, but in short,
there is an... organisation with the task of making sure the right people get the powers and weapons."
Pausing as she dropped bread in the toaster, Ifrit looked down. "So you weren't being snarky when you said some idiot misfiled Alices magical girl
paperwork?" she asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought you were joking when you said that."
"Well, it made her smile," Neko said. "I was supposed to be sent to her at the same time, but since we lost her location..." Ifrit nodded
in understanding, but any further comments were halted by a terrified shriek from the bathroom. Ifrit and Neko both broke into a run at the sound of Alices
voice, breakfast forgotten. "Alice?" Neko called out as she reached the door ahead of the winged heroine.
Alice was standing in front of the sink and the mirror above it, ears sticking straight up and her tail frozen. Just as Ifrit got to the door, Alice managed to
turn around, and the reason for the scream became obvious. Her eyes were radiating a purple-pink light so bright that both women could only barely make out the
lower half of the girls face. "I, I was, I was going to the toilet, and I saw my face, and my eyes, they're glowng..." she said as Ifrit moved
forward, placing her hands on the girls arms.
"Alice, listen to me," she said softly. "Whatever this is, it's alright. We'll deal with it, but you need to take a deep breath and try
to calm down, okay? Can you do that?" Alice managed a weak nod, taking some deep breaths. Ifrit suspected she'd closed her eyes, but she couldn't
tell because of the light. As Alice managed to calm down somewhat, Ifrit led her out into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "You can still
see fine?" she asked. Alice managed a nod. "Good... okay, it looks magical," she said, taking a look with her own extra senses, looking at the
mystical energies floating around the girl.
Neko didn't hesitate, hopping onto Alices lap and rubbing against her stomach. Her partner reached down, scratching the cat behind the ears and generally
taking comfort from her presence. The cat purred softy as Alice watched Ifrit, hoping for an answer.
"Well, it looks pretty simple," Ifrit said gently. "There's no sign of a spell or any outside source behind this, so if I'm reading this
right, this is your own power at work." Alice tilted her head to the side slightly. "Your abilities keep growing," she pointed out. "I
think that this is a side effect of it."
"Glowing eyes are a side effect?" Alice replied, twitching slightly as her ears went flat. "Tell me you can fix it. I stand out too much
already!"
Looking up at her, Neko considered it. "Well, if we could work out how to detransform you to your civilian form," she said, "but every command
phrase I know seems to do nothing... your powers never did conform to what you were supposed to recieve-"
"In other words, I get to look like a freak," Alice snapped, glaring at the cat. Neko blinked, then was knocked off Alices lap as she stood up.
"Ears, tail, then fur, and now this?" she growled. "Which you have no idea how to fix?!" Neko backed up as Alices eyes blazed even
brighter. "Don't!" she snapped as Ifrit tried to say something. "Whatever you've got to say, I don't care!" she said.
"You've figured out how to hide the wings and ears! When you want to go around and not be noticed, you can! Me, I get to be the damn catgirl, with a
hundred different perverts coming after me, people looking at me like a freak... all I want to do is be normal for once!" she yelled, before storming off.
As Alice slammed her bedroom door shut, Ifrit and Neko shared looks. "I guess it was getting to her after all," Ifrit mused as Neko started towards
the door. "Neko, leave her be," she said softly. Neko looked back at her, then nodded miserably, going back to Ifrit. The woman picked her up,
petting her gently. "I think you should check back with your people," she suggested, getting an agreeing nod.
"I knew it bothered her," Neko said softly. "Being noticed... well, she liked it, but at the same time, it left her uncomfortable, like
she'd learnt to avoid it whenever possible." She sighed as Ifrit petted her.
***
Alice was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. An angry scowl passed over her face as someone knocked at the door. "Go away Ifrit," she said,
irritation tinging her voice.
"....it is not Ifrit," a different voice noted.
Alice sat up, looking towards the door. "Inyme?" she asked, before kicking herself. Of course it was Inyme, who else had that voice?
"Yes." Alice paused, somewhat worried about Inyme seeing her, then rolled her eyes. As if Inyme would think any less of her for having glowing eyes.
Getting up, she went and unlocked the door and opened it, giving Inyme a good look at her. As Inyme looked her over, Alice suddenly remembered she was wearing
only an oversized t-shirt and felt her cheeks warming slightly. "...you look different," Inyme said at last, drawing a slightly bitter laugh from the
catgirl.
"Oh yeah... Ifrit thinks it's my powers growing, and this is a 'natural occurance.'"
"Not exactly unusual," Inyme said with a nod.
"Yeah, but I can't turn it off," she grumbled, moving aside for Inyme to come in, closing the door behind her. "It's..."
"Frustrating," the armored woman guessed.
"Very," she replied, dropping down on her bed. "I, I'm... I'm not used to standing out," she admitted, looking for the right words.
"Standing out means drawing attention, and that's never good..." Her mind wandered back to when Laura had told the Skulls where to go when they
went after a cute girl on the street. The memory of them chasing her, of... She'd learnt to keep quiet after that, to be ignored as classed as unimportant.
"Drawing attention means the possibility of bad attention," Inyme nodded.
Alice managed a nod of her own. "It's safer to be ignored," she said softly. "I... I can't do that anymore, and that scares me. It's
weird, but that scares me more then Trolls, the Council, even those beasts in Croatoa..."
"You're afraid that if you can't hide...eventually someone will find you," Inyme said, sitting down next to her.
Alice chuckled slightly. "I know, it's crazy... I can defend myself now," she said. "I can defend others, heck, I enjoy it, but..."
thoughts flickered through her head, not of now or the future, but the many many times she'd been helpless in the past.
"You built a life around hiding," Inyme said, sliding an arm around her.
"At first, I figured it was a chance to punch back... I'm changing Inyme," she admitted. "Not just physically... I'm becoming an
entirely different person..."
"That scares you?"
"Wouldn't your life changing so utterly scare you?" she asked. "Everything you know and take for granted shifting in ways you can't
imagine?"
Inyme tensed slightly "...it already has," she admitted. Alice looked up, surprised. "I was a soldier, back home. I was used to being part of
a...a larger thing than myself. Now...now I'm here. I know it's important. I know that it has to be done....but I'm alone. There's no support.
No backup. Every success or failure is...on my head. Every decision. And the mission's so important that that's...."
"If you're wrong, if something was to happen to you..."
"Maybe...maybe they could send a replacement. Or maybe I'd just fail..." she said softly. Alice reached over, taking her hand gently, drawing
Inymes gaze and a sense of gratitude from the woman. "...but I can't dwell on it. I can't dwell on how I'd be better off if things hadn't
changed. I have to deal with what is...not what was...until it's done."
Alices face was almost hidden behind the light crackling from her eyes, but Inyme could sense the smile. "You're a lot braver then me..." she
whispered.
"...you have it in you to be just as brave. You stood up to someone when you didn't have to. You're made of sterner stuff than you think you
are."
Alice felt her cheeks warming again "You think so?"
Inyme nodded, certain. "Yes. We're born with things and have things that mold us. You survived one of the harshest, strongest molds there is."
A slight chuckle escaped the catgirl. "You may have a point."
"You're strong...independent. You'll survive," she said, resting her other hand on Alice's.
Alice laughed slightly, although there was a slight catch to it, her emotions grabbing her "Thanks," she managed. "It... It means a lot that
I'm not alone in this."
"You aren't...believe me...I'm always willing to listen." Alices smile widened as she leaned over, hugging her. Inyme stiffened slightly, but
Alice got more of a feeling it was out of surprise than wanting to get away. "Thanks for listening," she said. "I guess it all just got a little
overwhelming."
"It's fine," she said, returning the hug. "You can trust me with anything. I don't have anyone I could tell," she pointed out, a
sense of melancoloy passing through the womans emotions.
"You've got me," the catgirl replied softly.
"....I suppose I do," she said, emotions shifting to soft pleasure. "Did your companion have any suggestions on a way to try and handle
this?"
"Well, she said that if we could figure out a way to detransform, but all the methods of doing that don't seem to work..."
"Because your powers do not merely 'turn off' for lack of a better term," Inyme said. "I belive the the problem is control. You summon
your bow and arrows, you use a handful of mental tricks, but more precise control over your powers is somewhat lacking. While I admit I understand little about
magic, I have a suggestion that may help..."
***
Ifrit watched the pair, both sitting in the living room, not moving, not talking. Occasionally, she would see a tiny flicker of magic around Alice, but that
was is "They've been like that for an hour," she murmured.
"They're telepaths. They're probably thinking up a storm," Nene said from next to her.
"... You think it'll help her?" the fey woman wondered.
"I think having a friend, not another mom, will help her," she smirked. Ifrit blinked at her, confused. "Think about it. How many of us,
warranted or not, treat her like a kid?"
"I don't... do I?" she asked, looking back in the room.
"Not exactly, but you treat her like someone you need to look after."
Ifrit considered that for a long moment, then sighed, conceeding the point. "It's just... everything she's been through... life outside that seems
to scare her... she doesn't deserve to be alone," she murmured.
"I know. And that's what I see too. But she needs friends too. And Inyme can be that for her."
The concerned look faded from Ifrits face, replaced by a gentle smile. "Let's leave them to it."
Nene nodded. "Want a cheeseburger?"
"I was thinking an Atlas meal from Up N' Away."
"Sounds good."
***
Alice didn't have the words to explain what she was doing. She could 'see' Inyme probing at her with her extra senses, careful not to push too
hard, but essentially helping the catgirl guide her powers, feel them flow in directions she'd rarely been willing to look at. It was somewhat terrifying,
taking her mind to places she'd never imagined, but guiding her powers down new paths as well, helping her to understand. Slowly, she began to steer the
power, helping it to calm itself, to rest
"...and release," Inyme said finally. Alice pulled herself back to the real world, feeling oddly smaller and... "Congratulations," Inyme
said softly as the girl blinked and looked down at herself. Underneath now slightly baggy clothes, she saw clear skin. The now familar sensation of her tail
was missing, as were her ears. Reaching up, she pulled brown hair into view.
"Woah..." she murmured, then looked up at Inyme and smiled softly. "This is me," she said.
"Pleased to meet you," Inyme said. "....I'm grateful you felt I could help," she admitted.
"Thanks. I guess I needed someone I knew I could trust."
"...you trust me...with this?" Inyme said, slightly amazed.
"Well, I'd have thought that was obvious," she grinned, standing up "Come on... let's get you some casual clothes and hit the town. I
feel the need to walk around without being stared at."
Inyme nodded. "....can I borrow some of yours? I don't...own any besides the jumpsuit and the armor..."
"Sure," she smiled, before an idle thought flickered into her mind. If Inyme only had the jumpsuit... what'd she wear when that was being
cleaned? Alice firmly stepped on that mental image, even as a slight blush appeared.
"Hmm?" Inyme asked, noticing the blush.
"N-Nothing," she said, feeling the blush grow even brighter.
Inyme looked at her. "....of course," she noted. Though deadpan, Alice got the impression she knew it wasn't nothing and just didn't feel
like prying if Alice wasn't forthcoming. Alice took a deep breath as the other woman went into her room, then went to find Neko.
The cat was resting on the window sill, and blinked as Alice came in. "I... you transformed?" she managed, surprised.
"Yeah... Inyme helped me to power down," she said. "Um, about earlier-"
"It's quite alright," she replied. "It's perfectly understandable that you'd be upset-" she shut up as Alice pulled her into a
hug.
"Doesn't matter," she whispered. "Sorry Neko, I was being a bitch."
"Apology accepted," the cat whispered back.
***
(Thanks to OM for helping with the Inyme lines)