There was a briefing for Mic, who had changed so he wouldn't stick out in her world, and then they were ready.
Ana recreated the portal in the same spot, and they were lowered carefully in from above. There was a sense of vertigo, and then they were in her bathroom, right back to where she had been at the original incident.
"Whoa. What a trip."
"Uh huh." Elly was seated at the edge of the bathtub with her face in her hands.
Hizashi stepped cautiously over, worried from how she was acting. Something was obviously very wrong. "You okay?"
She shook her bald head.
He noticed the lack of hair, and that her ears and tail were gone. There was, also, the factor of her size. The height seemed the same, but her weight was definitely not.
"Hey." He gently pried her hands away to find himself staring into her heartbroken, brown eyes. There was so much pain he almost recoiled, but knew she would have thought his action meant he was disgusted at her appearance. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she said flatly. "But it's over." Standing up revealed how large she really was, and her defeated posture wasn't helping. Her back was slightly bowed, and she appeared to be taking the pressure off the left side of her body.
"Well. Same place. That was right, at least..." She frowned, listening to someone speaking outside.
"Hello? You've been a long time getting that coffee!"
"And apparently about the same time, too. Weird." She grimaced. "You're probably going to meet my mother. Be prepared."
"Hey, mom," she greeted her after they walked around a cirner. "Someone at the door, so we stopped to chat begore he came in."
"Who is this?" She peered closely at the tall man, dressed neatly in his casual clothes.
"Zashi, this is my mom, Karen. Mom, this is Hizashi."
He nodded and smiled. "Hi. I'm sorry to ah, drop in like this on you."
Elly gave him a weak smile and limped off into the kitchen to grab the coffee.
"How do you know my daughter? She doesn't get out a lot, so it's strange to see her bring a friend over." She stressed the word "friend" a bit much, he thought.
"Well, we've been together for awhile now. I wanted to see her home and everything. Meet her family. You know."
The older woman blinked at him. "You're not dating, are you?" Her voice dropped a little. "She never mentioned you at all. And honestly, you don't seem the type to go out with her..?"
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. In the distance he could see Elly coming back with two steaming cups and he wished that she would just say what she meant before she could overhear. He had a feeling it wasn't a compliment.
"We don't have a lot of money, you know," she told him darkly.
Hizashi's heart caught in his throat. He turned the widest, most pained look on the woman and shook his head. "I'm not with her for money," he said very quietly.
Elly came back and handed him a cup. "We're going to grab some stuff from my room and go out," she announced. "C'mon, Zashi."
He followed her off to the side of the house, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.
"Yeah, I know she said something stupid," she murmured. "Sorry about that."
"No, no, don't apologize! It's not your fault."
"She's tried to convince me that everything is, my whole life. It's hard to stop now." She waved her free hand. "Here we are. Brace yourself."
Ana recreated the portal in the same spot, and they were lowered carefully in from above. There was a sense of vertigo, and then they were in her bathroom, right back to where she had been at the original incident.
"Whoa. What a trip."
"Uh huh." Elly was seated at the edge of the bathtub with her face in her hands.
Hizashi stepped cautiously over, worried from how she was acting. Something was obviously very wrong. "You okay?"
She shook her bald head.
He noticed the lack of hair, and that her ears and tail were gone. There was, also, the factor of her size. The height seemed the same, but her weight was definitely not.
"Hey." He gently pried her hands away to find himself staring into her heartbroken, brown eyes. There was so much pain he almost recoiled, but knew she would have thought his action meant he was disgusted at her appearance. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she said flatly. "But it's over." Standing up revealed how large she really was, and her defeated posture wasn't helping. Her back was slightly bowed, and she appeared to be taking the pressure off the left side of her body.
"Well. Same place. That was right, at least..." She frowned, listening to someone speaking outside.
"Hello? You've been a long time getting that coffee!"
"And apparently about the same time, too. Weird." She grimaced. "You're probably going to meet my mother. Be prepared."
"Hey, mom," she greeted her after they walked around a cirner. "Someone at the door, so we stopped to chat begore he came in."
"Who is this?" She peered closely at the tall man, dressed neatly in his casual clothes.
"Zashi, this is my mom, Karen. Mom, this is Hizashi."
He nodded and smiled. "Hi. I'm sorry to ah, drop in like this on you."
Elly gave him a weak smile and limped off into the kitchen to grab the coffee.
"How do you know my daughter? She doesn't get out a lot, so it's strange to see her bring a friend over." She stressed the word "friend" a bit much, he thought.
"Well, we've been together for awhile now. I wanted to see her home and everything. Meet her family. You know."
The older woman blinked at him. "You're not dating, are you?" Her voice dropped a little. "She never mentioned you at all. And honestly, you don't seem the type to go out with her..?"
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. In the distance he could see Elly coming back with two steaming cups and he wished that she would just say what she meant before she could overhear. He had a feeling it wasn't a compliment.
"We don't have a lot of money, you know," she told him darkly.
Hizashi's heart caught in his throat. He turned the widest, most pained look on the woman and shook his head. "I'm not with her for money," he said very quietly.
Elly came back and handed him a cup. "We're going to grab some stuff from my room and go out," she announced. "C'mon, Zashi."
He followed her off to the side of the house, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.
"Yeah, I know she said something stupid," she murmured. "Sorry about that."
"No, no, don't apologize! It's not your fault."
"She's tried to convince me that everything is, my whole life. It's hard to stop now." She waved her free hand. "Here we are. Brace yourself."
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