When I'm Small [P]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

Grain Village was a place Capsule had not ventured out to in a good while. It was a great escape from the daily hustle and bustle of city life… which she exposed herself less and less to, nowadays. She had truly become a recuse, the proper way: in a secluded mountain range very few could find her in. With carrier pigeons to pick up and deliver her work, it greatly limited the amount of human contact the woman used to go through. Was it impersonal? Very much so. Did she particularly care? Of course not.

She had returned to the village on a somewhat busy day. The villagers were celebrating, which Capsule wanted no part of. There was a bunch of kids conglomerating near the center, getting geared up to head out to the beach. She had no idea what it was exactly about, other than being heavily family oriented. It was almost… envious. Seeing the kids swarming around their parents, all laughing and chattering energetically… it made her feel thirsty, and not just for any old beverage.

Capsule tucked her hands in her pockets as she left the darkening atmosphere to head into a small Lander bar. It was only just now getting dark, so aside from most of the villagers gathering up for a bonfire, the bar was mostly empty. The only people here were single or too old to join the festivities. The albino requested a cocktail from the bartender, and claimed an empty table as her own when the order was completed.

Ah, finally some peace and quiet. She was not much of a drinker, but it was nice to indulge and unwind once in a while. Depending on how silly the drink go her, she might even sneak out to the beach and join in on the festivities. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 312
♫: 400 Lux
✏: Bleh, sorry about the quality.
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu had been feeling fairly bored as she randomly roamed around in the streets of Londonium, still in awe of the world that she found herself in. She decided that it was probably time for a change of scenery, so she decided she would try to find a new place for her to visit. She heard rumors of a place that was known as Grain Village, so thats where she decided she would head to. She heard that it was a peaceful place that was known as being the complete opposite of Londonium. It sounded like the perfect fit for her. I took her awhile to make it to the island where this village, but she was blown away by the area when she got there. It was so peaceful and calm, minus all of the parents and children she saw in town. While they seemed to be celebrating something, it was definitely way quieter than the standard day in her old home city.

She didn't really know what she would do once she got into the tiny village known as Grain. She had heard from a few sources that the things most people did when they arrived in a new town mostly involved going to a bar and sampling what they had. Shizu had never drank before and decided she would have to do it first at some point. She didn't really know what the drinking age was, so she didn't know better than to do it. She quickly went to the bar and bought the most expensive drink they had, something called bourbon. She assumed more expensive meant a better drink. She looked over at the person she saw next to her and said, "Hay! My name's Shizu!" She said feeling more confident in her talking lately.

Words: 299

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

Capsule had been given something called a Zombie, a very fruity cocktail mix with three types of rum added to the mix. She cautiously sipped at it, and found it strong. The taste was not bad, however, unlike beer. That stuff she could not drink at all, and would downright refuse if offered. The only upsides about it was that she could not get easily drunk on it. The same could not be said of these fruity drinks, which she may find herself drinking more than what was advised.

Her body grew slightly warmer as the alcohol made its way down her throat and deep into her belly. She might get drunk very fast, as she was not knowledgeable enough to eat something with her beverage. It was around her third sip (much bolder now), that someone joined her table. A girl who introduced herself as Shizu had joined her. An Assassin, huh? Capsule would be more surprised to have been approached by a Druid or Cleric. Even a Warden or a Heretic.

She blinked back at the girl with uncertainty. Why sit next to her, when there were plenty of other places to sit, and other people to pester? Capsule certainly did not consider herself interesting… unless she was the first Enchanter Shizu had seen? They were apparently a dying breed. 'Or maybe she is trying to pick you up…' That was also a thing that people did in bars. "Ah, I'm Capsule." She raised her hand and pointed at her ring finger. "And I…" She would have said married or something to that effect, but there was no ring there. Frack. "...Am a doctor." It was the first thing to pop into her head.

Now committed to this semi farce, Capsule steepled her fingers and rested her face against them. "Would you like a free consultation?" That was a dangerous thing to offer when she was already somewhat tipsy, but it was a better alternative to socializing.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 329
♫: Brooklyn Baby
✏: ---
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu was already starting to feel quite tipsy from the drinks she was having. She never really got drunk before but realized that she apparently did it quite easily. She was staring to slur her words and look like your standard drunkard in a tavern. She looked at Capsule with a smile broadly plastered across her face. She then realized that she ran out of her drink, but luckily she remembered buying something earlier that would do. "You look pretty!" she said quickly as she reached into her bag to find the drink that she had. "I feel funny." she said as she took the drink, and she assumed that drinking more would only help her condition.

She looked to what she got in her hand to see what she was going to drink. It was purply colored, and purply was one of her favorite colors so she wanted to drink the purply. She quickly took the cap right off the little bottle thing it was in and chugged the whole thing. It tasted really funny and almost like that weird medicine she had to drink the real world. She hated the taste of that stuff, but strangely she was alright with the purply stuff. Her vision began to grow blurry as she looked back over at her new friend. "Sleepy time." she said before simply falling over onto the ground as she learned why people shouldn't drink when underage. She learned on that day to never try and go to a bar again.

Words: 254

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

"You look pretty!" Woah. That escalated.

"Are you coming on to me?" Capsule was now an adult who needed an adult. She was also not at all accustomed to being flirted with, so it was hard to tell if the girl's comment was innocent or worthy of her suspicion. Then again, it may have just been the alcohol talking. Capsule was not new to drinking, so she could (almost) hold her own, and knew better than to chug her drink down. Shizu, on the other hand, was putting herself at risk for alcohol poisoning.

Capsule was still on her first drink when Shizu began rummaging around in her bag for a second. Not wanting to get involved, Capsule refrained from saying anything as the girl pulled out a bottle -- and almost choked on her drink when she recognized it. That shade of indigo was one she was all too familiar with. And Shizu was just going to drink it like it was any old beverage?

The Enchanter opened her mouth, as if to stop the girl, but all that came out was a soft giggle. She was going to be in for one hell of a rude awakening in the morning. Capsule watched as Shizu gulped the stuff down, not using the one skill in her arsenal that would have rendered the effects of the potion null and void: Controlled Substance. That would have been the ethical and adult thing to do, though there was no guarantee she would have intervened, even while sober.

…And then the girl fell to the ground, after declaring it was "sleepy time." Was that Appearance Change potion laced with a sleeping potion? She awkwardly turned around in her seat, trying to pretend she was not associated with the lightweight. The Landers in the bar seemed to think otherwise. As she and Shizu were the only Adventurers here, the bartender insisted that she escort the Assassin out. Apparently it was bad for business, and all that jazz.

With a sigh, Capsule finished off her glass, resulting in instantaneous dizziness. She wrapped an arm around the girl and struggled to hoist her up on her feet. The stupid Landers just sat there, watching as the taller woman limped out with the smaller braced beneath her. Once outside, Capsule was able to call her reindeer over. She somehow managed to get Shizu on its back, and then led the Crystal Reindeer out to an abandoned hut. Capsule was not nice enough to buy the girl an inn room, so this would have to do until she could wake up and fend for herself.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 437
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu was now completely fast asleep as she was being carried by this new enchanter lady. The last thing she had on her mind before going out was the children she saw around her while she was being carried out. The celebration appeared to be going fine so that was all nice and good. She dreamed of what she saw and wondered what it would have been like to actually be a child. She got a brief taste of what it was like in the real world, until it was taken away from her when she turned 7. Unbeknownst to her was that as she was dreaming of this sort of this, she was slowly changing her body. She slowly lost what little height she had, leaving at a mere 4 feet tall. Her hair became lighter and lighter until her deep black hair was replaced with a new set of blonde hair. Her eyes slowly shifted from their usual green into a deep red.

Eventually her shift finished and she woke up with a groan, looking around to see where shew as located. Before she could however she looked to see that her hands looked tiny. They were extremely small. She instantly freaked out when she stood up and realized she wasn't standing as tall as she usually did. And she also noticed that her clothes were extremely baggy on her. She didn't know what happened and began to freak out and eventually start to cry in her confusion.

Words: 250

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

While Shizu slept, Capsule slumped down beside Kasper, outside of the hut. What a total waste of a night. All she wanted to do was be alone and spend her never ending free time by indulging in fruity spirits. Not… babysitting. She was more than a little tipsy, too, though not so much to fully enjoy it. It was hard to do so when she felt somewhat obligated for the safety of this girl, one she had only just met. But she was not so indifferent to just leave her high and dry. There were predators lurking around every corner, and since many things were possible in this world, Shizu was in danger of being taken advantage of.

A child was crying somewhere. Capsule turned her head to gaze in the direction of the sound. It sounded like it was coming from inside the hut. Had she overlooked a family of hobos in her hurry to dispatch of Shizu? Had she been a drunk like her father, Capsule might have tossed a glass bottle into the hut out of drunken intoxication. But no; Capsule was not a violent drunk.

She poked her head into the hut, expecting to see a brat bawling their eyes out over the passed out Shizu. What she saw instead was some blonde kid in too big clothing, sitting where Shizu had slept. There was no one else in the hut. Capsule closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them again. The blonde was still there. Capsule slowly backed out of the hut. Like a pregnant teen on prom night, the Enchanter was thinking of abandoning her prom night dumpster baby. But damn, she would be helpless all on her own.

With a low groan, Capsule ducked back into the hut. Not sure of how to calm down a panicking child, Capsule resorted to poking the small girl with the end of her staff. "Hey. You stop that. Shhhhh." How had her mother soothed her when she was small? Capsule had no idea, and lacked the capacity to even think back that far. Her family was not made of very affectionate people.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 359
♫: When I'm Small
✏: Where is the off switch
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu was unbelievably confused. Between her crying she was able to take a look at her surroundings, it was some kind of hut or small house from what she gathered. She wondered how exactly she got here and why it looked so big to her. She eventually managed to stand up on her own and take in her new shorter stature. She eventually heard someone try to talk to her and realized that she recognized the voice from somewhere. Her memories were hazy about it, but she was sure that she heard it at at some point.

She felt herself get poked and instantly fell to the ground again. She wasn't really sure what was even happening and decided it would be best if she just introduced herself. "Im... Shizu..." she said shakily before seeing the sight of her life. There was a very small puddle in the hut with them, and this is what Shizu used to take in her appearence. She was so young! That couldn't possibly be Shizu. She had long blonde hair, reddish eyes and looked to be only about 10 years old. But it was then that she remembered back to a few days ago when she mistakenly bought something to change appearences.

The memories came flooding back and merely sat back down and began to cry again, hoping deep down that this was all some kind of sick dream. Why was she even thinking about changing into a child anyway. She didn't realize what was going on outside.

Words: 254

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

"Mein Gooott. Diese is sehr not geil," Capsule whined. She was finding it difficult to stick to one language in her intoxicated state. It would be a cinch if she could focus or even just force herself to make the extra effort, but this was just so not cool. The blonde kid was obviously Shizu. She continued to cry, which was partly the fault of the albino. Poking at her with her staff was clearly not the best of ideas, but she was not the one who forced Shizu to gaze upon her drastically different appearance.

"Na jah…" Her voice rang with indecision as she stared at the sobbing girl. Capsule avoided the dirty little puddle as she made her way to Shizu. This time, she refrained from poking and prodding the little girl. She was so small; around three feet, if Capsule had to guess. "Heeey." She retrieved her plushie, a cute little panda bear, from her inventory. Shizu was technically teenage aged, but since she was crying like a baby, Capsule figured the panda might help her to calm down.

She squatted down beside the girl, bear arm extended. "Look what I haaave." She poked the girl on the side of the head with the bear. "His name is Siiiiir Panda!" She gave the bear a light shake. "He thinks that you should calm down and give him a big hug." This was so surreal. "Everything will be all right," she lied. It was never going to be all right. At least the girl had a funny story to tell now. It was like a less deadly version of Honey I Shrunk The Kids.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 276
♫: Cola
✏: She is doing her Kanye best
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu was completely unsure of what she should do. On one hand she was in some random hut in some random place, and on the other she now looked like a child and was unwilling bawling like one. She didn't want to cry, she was just so confused and felt so helpless that she couldn't really help herself. It was more of an instinct rather than what she should be doing right now. She imagined that her day would be a fun casual adventure, nothing like this.

Thats when Shizu looked over at the person she was in the hut with. She looked huge compared to her, but that was probably because of her whole new appearance thing. She seemed to be talking in some form of other language which she couldn't understand at all. She barely knew how to speak English, how was she supposed to know a new language? She continued to cry unwillingly until Capsule managed to bring her back to reality by speaking words that she knew.

Shizu looked perplexed at first when Capsule pulled the panda bear plushie out of her inventory. She remembered always liking pandas, but it felt weird to see it now. However right now she really felt like she needed to hug something, anything. Within a minute or two she was hugging the bear as it was being held by this woman. Her tears managed to stop, only to replaced with a few occasional sniffles. She always did like adorable things.

Words: 250

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

Mission success! After what felt like eons, the girl finally reached out for the stuffed bear. Shizu was even hugging the toy, which was what Capsule was hoping for. She begrudgingly loosened her grip on the bear, but did not let go. Why? It was her bear, and crafted by one of the few friends she had left in this world. Sadly, she had not seen or heard from Charity in a while now, which made the bear all the more special to her. It had served her well as a means for comfort, however. "There, there." She cautiously reached out to pat the girl on the head -- gently, as if she were made of especially fragile China.

Beyond this, Capsule had no idea how to further soothe Shizu. She looked okay now, but how long would that last? Were she drunker and not sobering up from this experience, Capsule might have summoned her polar bear, Aleksei, to give the little girl a hug. That seemed like a horrible idea, even to tipsy!Capsule. A song might work better. While she lacked substantially in the hugs or physical comfort part, Capsule was sung to.

"Edelweiss, edelweiss. Every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright. You look happy to meet me~." She was definitely not a great singer by far, but her effort was earnest. "Blossom of snow, may you blossom and grow~." Her mother used to sing this to her when she was very small, and to stop stuttering whimpers from becoming loud, gasping sobs. Her father had a strong distaste for rowdy children (and sometimes it seemed like he hated kids altogether), and heavily discouraged her mother from coddling her or her older brothers. In his eyes, it only made children grow into simpering and weak willed adults. Just look at how well it worked for Capsule.

Capsule absentmindedly wiped a her eyes with the back of her hand. Either someone was peeling onions, or she had actually shed a tear or two. "Are you all right now, Shizu?" If the song and bear did not do the trick, Capsule would find herself caught between a rock and a hard place. Offering someone comfort was not a skill she possessed.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 374
♫: Edelweiss
✏: ---
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu was feeling an odd sense of calmness as she hugged the bear in front off her. It was very soft and comfy, but she could tell that Capsule was making sure that nothing happened to this. She took this as a symbol to lay off and instead just sit there in a ball off what she hoped would be comfort. It felt extremely odd to have someone pat her on the head to say the least. She was used to having people touch her, but this just felt strange and oddly warm. She wasn't really sure how to react to that, but she was visibly calmed down a little bit from it.

By now she had completely stopped sniffling, but she was still no less confused and scared for what would happen to her now. How would she survive? Could she still fight like this? Would she need to get new gear since this set didn't fit her anymore. She really wished that she could just go back to what she used to look like, but she knew there was no undo button in this game. She probably could buy another potion but that would be a lot more money.

She got even more confused when Capsule began to sing in some other language she didn't understand. She was even more confused than when she just talked in another language. She had to admit that the music was soothing though. She nodded when she was asked by Capsule and said, "Yeah im alright... Just weird..."

Words: 256

[Capsule]

[attr="class","capsol"]

The confusion in Shizu's eyes was telling, though Capsule could not tell if it were offset by her singing or the events from tonight. She was more inclined to think it was the former, however. Shizu had already given her a funny look when the Enchanter slipped into German a few times, and that was an expression the woman was all too familiar with. It made no sense whatsoever, since Edelweiss was an English song, and Shizu seemed to understand English fairly well. Was it the flower mentioned in the song that threw the girl off? 'Oh well. At least now, she is calming down.'

The big question now was what to do with the girl? Capsule sorely wanted to hand her off to someone else, so that the now childlike Shizu could be their problem. Even with a dozen cousins and a few nieces and nephews, Capsule was simply not capable of taking care of a small human being. She could look after animals and monsters just fine, but a member of her own species? Ha! Fat chance. This was a woman utterly devoid of motherly instincts. "Uh, that is great. Being weird can be good." She had not stopped patting the Shizu on the head, but was slowly edging the stuffed panda bear out of her hands. "It will be strange at first, but the potion chose this appearance based on your subconscious desires." It would be nice if you could influence the result, but life was not all ponies and sunshine.

"And if you find it that unbearable, you could always find a Pharmacist--" She placed a hand over her chest. "Like moi, to craft you an Appearance Reversion potion. Or just buy one from a Lander, if you have money to burn." Going to a Pharmacist was honestly the best and cheapest way. Why pay one thousand gold, when you could pay he two hundred and fifty crafting fee, instead? That, plus whatever the commission price was would still be a better alternative to the piss Landers sold. "Do you think you will be all right if I leave you alone?" She had no idea what else to do, aside from making sure that no one took advantage of the little Assassin.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 376
♫: Bruises
✏: ---
@: Shizu

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Shizu]

Shizu wasn't really sure how to react to the woman in front of her. She wasn't really the most socially inclinded from what she could see. She assumed that if she wasn't there to witness the change, she would have no association with her. She doubted she would get help were it not for this woman. She hated the idea of being in this body, but she hated the idea of being alone when she got this body way more than the prior. She knew she had to try and be nice to her, even if she wasn't particularly good at it. She attempted to shed her view as a downer for just a little bit and smile up at this woman. "I hate my subconscious. Couldn't even give me clothes that fit." she said a bit pouty as she tried to make what she was wearing more presentable. She nodded up at the woman and said, "I should be fine. Thank you."

After a few more minutes of adjusting she managed to leave the hut that she fell asleep in and became a little girl in. She would probably always remember that place, for better or for worse. She was ready to face the world now as child. She hoped that it wouldn't be too bad, even though she had a feeling it would. She couldn't even leave the town without people complimenting her appearence and one of two people being kinda creepy about it. She managed to reach London again the next day and made a mental note, never go to that place again.

Words: 266
Notes: The End?