"But once again, shoulds don't always lead to the appropriate does or does nots." She shrugged, turning her gaze to the cluster of blooms nearby. "And as you don't seem eager to decide... I will."
She reached for them, to brush her hand and sleeve across them. "I choose fairness."
♥ ♥ ♥The scene around them became the interior of someone's house, something possibly far before modern times, with smooth clay walls and tiled floor... it seemed to all be one room, though it was a fairly large room, one with a few vertical poles situated here and there, looking like nothing so much as trees growing up through the center of everything, disappearing into the domed ceiling. There was a decently large bed to one side near some shelves, a few chairs, a stone sink's basin and countertops, sans faucet, what seemed to be a ball of bread dough rising next to the hand-built-looking stone oven, the smell of wine and fruit heavy in the air.... There didn't look to be many modern amenities, no obvious refrigerator or freezer, no clear stovetop save perhaps the top of the oven, no dishwasher, no countertop appliances, no electrical outlets or anything else in view, no lamps in the ceiling, but several large candles nestled in hanging bowls, makeshift chandeliers of sorts....
A child, perhaps four years old, with the same barely-pointed ears as Mallia, and the same slightly-oddly-large eyes, was sitting up on the end of a table, very gently petting a butterfly that was bigger than the kid's own hand. The big wings opened and closed very slowly, more to show off for the child than for any practical reason as it perched at the side of a bowl, on a few twigs that were sitting in black wine. The liquid swirled with some sparkling sort of quality... perhaps it was magic? And the little bug reached down with a hand to the wine to pick up another large drop, not needing a cup at such small scale, when surface tension would do the trick for them.
"I bet you can do it," the child said quietly, still carefully petting the little creature. "You can look like one of us, if you try...."
"What are you up to, poppet?" A lady, large curls of golden-brown hair piled up on her head, wearing a long flowy dress and long jacket over that, was stepping in, a load of fresh laundry in her arms, sheets and clothes all in a basket that she set down on the bed, giving her kid a smile... and then paused to look again, the situation registering half a second later. "You're being careful, I'm sure?"
The child leaned down to whisper to the bug, "You should do it to surprise her."
The tiny thing looked up to him, and then to the lady, and turned around on the twig it was perched on... and then hopped to the tabletop. When it stood up... its shape had changed a bit. A little taller, perhaps? If Mal looked closely, she might see that it was missing its antennae, and it only had two legs now, though they were thicker than the previous ones. The little dress was actually a dress, though it blended in well with the wings still behind it. It looked up to the child, and then to the child's mother, seeming proud of this.
The younger elf giggled, once they realized what the little fairy had done. "I meant bigger," they said, climbing down from the chair to crouch on the floor beside the table. "Like this!" With that, they sprang up, flinging their arms wide for emphasis, and landed standing up.
The tiny fairy stepped to the edge of the table to watch, and then jumped, fluttering lightly to the floor. Barely half a second paused, and then they jumped up as well, mimicking the elf child's performance... size included, by the time gravity was reclaiming them. This new child was far darker in color than their young coach, still half butterfly, from the looks of it, with even bigger dark eyes and huge wings behind it like a cape... but the head was about right, the body was about right, if hidden by a black dress that blended into those wings, the familiar purple edging streaking up from the bottom... and she blinked, pleased and a little surprised at this herself, looking from the child up to the mother. They moved to take a step....
...And the mother, who'd paused in folding the laundry to watch more intently, now cast it back to the bed as she hurried over to catch the fairy child. The little one tripped over her own feet, eyes wide in surprise. "Oh... oh, poppet...!" She was smiling, though, helping her back upright. Or she tried to, at least; the little fairy was still working to get her new feet under her properly, and clinging to her as she did, wings spreading wide behind her and flapping, trying to help with her changed balance.
The elf child, hit with said wings, only laughed harder; it clearly didn't hurt them any. "It worked, it worked!"
"So I see!" Unable to do much else past smile in response, the mom leaned forward to plant a quick little kiss on the fairy she was holding, which earned her a few blinks and a wide-eyed look, but also a moment of stillness while it processed. More blinks, and another stumble while trying to take a step toward her, clinging harder to the lady's sleeves.... "Oh... oh, you must be exhausted!" She stood up, picking up the new child to hold them against her like any other young one, and turned to the bed. By the time she sat down, next to the laundry, the fairy child had settled onto her chest, head on her shoulder, hugging, looking content, if tired out already.
"Take your time, precious," the lady said, one hand raised to gently brush some of the fairy's dark hair away from her face. "I've more wine if you want it." Another little kiss, on the top of her hair this time, and the fairy's smile grew, even as her big eyes closed, nuzzling into the lady's jacket. The elf child, quiet now, but still grinning, stepped closer to them, about to climb up onto the bed to join them....
...And the scene faded, leaving Mallia standing there, silent, staring after where the trio had been. She seemed a bit stunned to say anything herself, for a moment... though if Mal were observant, she might notice that the fabric that usually draped loosely behind her wasn't hanging as it usually did. It was raised a little, sticking out a bit behind her, as if it were wings that were just barely unfolded, the purple bottom edging shining as the rest of it did, like... well, like butterfly wings did, a soft luster that might have been mistaken for pearlescent dust on velvet.
But at least the scene explained her outfit and colors: it was simply translated from her original tiny form, all black with purple accent, those wide fading stripes held over from the panes of the wings. And if that were the case, as shown, then she wasn't half anything, not half dragon, surely, but a form-changed arthropod. At least she'd done a rather convincing job of it, now that it was clearer that she'd been emulating those elves, rather than actual humans this whole time.
no subject
She reached for them, to brush her hand and sleeve across them. "I choose fairness."
♥ ♥ ♥
The scene around them became the interior of someone's house, something possibly far before modern times, with smooth clay walls and tiled floor... it seemed to all be one room, though it was a fairly large room, one with a few vertical poles situated here and there, looking like nothing so much as trees growing up through the center of everything, disappearing into the domed ceiling. There was a decently large bed to one side near some shelves, a few chairs, a stone sink's basin and countertops, sans faucet, what seemed to be a ball of bread dough rising next to the hand-built-looking stone oven, the smell of wine and fruit heavy in the air.... There didn't look to be many modern amenities, no obvious refrigerator or freezer, no clear stovetop save perhaps the top of the oven, no dishwasher, no countertop appliances, no electrical outlets or anything else in view, no lamps in the ceiling, but several large candles nestled in hanging bowls, makeshift chandeliers of sorts....A child, perhaps four years old, with the same barely-pointed ears as Mallia, and the same slightly-oddly-large eyes, was sitting up on the end of a table, very gently petting a butterfly that was bigger than the kid's own hand. The big wings opened and closed very slowly, more to show off for the child than for any practical reason as it perched at the side of a bowl, on a few twigs that were sitting in black wine. The liquid swirled with some sparkling sort of quality... perhaps it was magic? And the little bug reached down with a hand to the wine to pick up another large drop, not needing a cup at such small scale, when surface tension would do the trick for them.
"I bet you can do it," the child said quietly, still carefully petting the little creature. "You can look like one of us, if you try...."
"What are you up to, poppet?" A lady, large curls of golden-brown hair piled up on her head, wearing a long flowy dress and long jacket over that, was stepping in, a load of fresh laundry in her arms, sheets and clothes all in a basket that she set down on the bed, giving her kid a smile... and then paused to look again, the situation registering half a second later. "You're being careful, I'm sure?"
The child leaned down to whisper to the bug, "You should do it to surprise her."
The tiny thing looked up to him, and then to the lady, and turned around on the twig it was perched on... and then hopped to the tabletop. When it stood up... its shape had changed a bit. A little taller, perhaps? If Mal looked closely, she might see that it was missing its antennae, and it only had two legs now, though they were thicker than the previous ones. The little dress was actually a dress, though it blended in well with the wings still behind it. It looked up to the child, and then to the child's mother, seeming proud of this.
The younger elf giggled, once they realized what the little fairy had done. "I meant bigger," they said, climbing down from the chair to crouch on the floor beside the table. "Like this!" With that, they sprang up, flinging their arms wide for emphasis, and landed standing up.
The tiny fairy stepped to the edge of the table to watch, and then jumped, fluttering lightly to the floor. Barely half a second paused, and then they jumped up as well, mimicking the elf child's performance... size included, by the time gravity was reclaiming them. This new child was far darker in color than their young coach, still half butterfly, from the looks of it, with even bigger dark eyes and huge wings behind it like a cape... but the head was about right, the body was about right, if hidden by a black dress that blended into those wings, the familiar purple edging streaking up from the bottom... and she blinked, pleased and a little surprised at this herself, looking from the child up to the mother. They moved to take a step....
...And the mother, who'd paused in folding the laundry to watch more intently, now cast it back to the bed as she hurried over to catch the fairy child. The little one tripped over her own feet, eyes wide in surprise. "Oh... oh, poppet...!" She was smiling, though, helping her back upright. Or she tried to, at least; the little fairy was still working to get her new feet under her properly, and clinging to her as she did, wings spreading wide behind her and flapping, trying to help with her changed balance.
The elf child, hit with said wings, only laughed harder; it clearly didn't hurt them any. "It worked, it worked!"
"So I see!" Unable to do much else past smile in response, the mom leaned forward to plant a quick little kiss on the fairy she was holding, which earned her a few blinks and a wide-eyed look, but also a moment of stillness while it processed. More blinks, and another stumble while trying to take a step toward her, clinging harder to the lady's sleeves.... "Oh... oh, you must be exhausted!" She stood up, picking up the new child to hold them against her like any other young one, and turned to the bed. By the time she sat down, next to the laundry, the fairy child had settled onto her chest, head on her shoulder, hugging, looking content, if tired out already.
"Take your time, precious," the lady said, one hand raised to gently brush some of the fairy's dark hair away from her face. "I've more wine if you want it." Another little kiss, on the top of her hair this time, and the fairy's smile grew, even as her big eyes closed, nuzzling into the lady's jacket. The elf child, quiet now, but still grinning, stepped closer to them, about to climb up onto the bed to join them....
...And the scene faded, leaving Mallia standing there, silent, staring after where the trio had been. She seemed a bit stunned to say anything herself, for a moment... though if Mal were observant, she might notice that the fabric that usually draped loosely behind her wasn't hanging as it usually did. It was raised a little, sticking out a bit behind her, as if it were wings that were just barely unfolded, the purple bottom edging shining as the rest of it did, like... well, like butterfly wings did, a soft luster that might have been mistaken for pearlescent dust on velvet.
But at least the scene explained her outfit and colors: it was simply translated from her original tiny form, all black with purple accent, those wide fading stripes held over from the panes of the wings. And if that were the case, as shown, then she wasn't half anything, not half dragon, surely, but a form-changed arthropod. At least she'd done a rather convincing job of it, now that it was clearer that she'd been emulating those elves, rather than actual humans this whole time.