Post by Mari on Aug 30, 2018 1:07:35 GMT -8
"...Forgive me, but I've some news for the both of you and I fear you may not be satisfied with what you hear."
An old woman whose body had all but given out on her spoke to Raffina, who currently had an arm protectively wrapped around Amitwo idly side-hugging the other. Arle had recommended her as a source of magical expertise, though finding her had taken her to a run down little shack built where an alley should have been in the black market. She seemed oddly genuine for such a seedy part of the life sphere. Raffina quietly wondered why such a nice, if not ...unsettlingly decreptic old woman would choose to live in a place like this. She glanced over at Amitwo, mildly concerned.
"It's subtle. So subtle I didn't notice it until I got a really good look at your friend here, but there seems to be... two people present."
"Two people..??" Amitwo curiously asked. Raffina made a face, slightly more able to pick up on the context of what the old woman was implying. "In... her?" she asked. The old woman nodded.
"Hidden within her, a second tapestry is laid out. Far less substantial, yet very distinct. You're carrying a child!" the old woman explained.
Amitwo and Raffina both blanched. Amitwo was the first to react, turning beet red and hiding her face in her palms accompanied by a groan. Stifling her anxiety, Raffina shot the old woman a rather dirty look. "Couldn't you have found a better way to put that?!" Raffina testily asked, attempting to calm a distraught Amitwo down. Frankly, the imagery didn't make any sense. Amitwo didn't even have insides. She was little more than a ghost that couldn't pass through walls! "I did warn you it might be hard to hear... Yet, it is the truth. They depend on her to provide them with sustenance and safety, much like an infant. I may not understand much of how they got there, but it would certainly destroy them if they were removed." the old woman explained. Raffina remained unimpressed. It may have been accurate, but she didn't appreciate the old woman continuing to upset Amitwo like that.
"...So you can't help us with that?" Raffina hesitantly asked.
"I'm afraid not. It is beyond my expertise. I deal in dark magics, whilst this calls for the magic of life. I can, however, tell you that whoever it is appears to have been touched by dark magics to put them in such an insubstantial state to begin with." the old woman explained.
"Great..." Raffina lamented, turning her attention to a still extremely flustered Amitwo. "You've never used dark magic on anyone, have you..?" she asked. Amitwo hesitated a moment. Raffina had just asked a very good question. There had been a time she'd toyed with dark magics. A very desperate time. Her eyes widened with realization. "--Lidelle!" Amitwo blurted out. Raffina became uncomfortable. "...You used dark magic on Lidelle?" she asked in bewilderment. "Noooo~ Not that Lidelle. My Lidelle! The one from the mirage~" Amitwo blurted out rather excitedly, having quickly forgotten the terrifying idea the old woman had given her moments ago. "I tried to save her! Honestly, I didn't think I was succesful... But she's been with me all this time~!" Amitwo blurted out. Raffina was stunned into silence. Woah. Hold up. What First of all, what??
...
Later in the same day...
"Are you sure you want to do this? We could use this to give you a real body..." Raffina softly asked, holding up a core crystal. They were at the Magical Girl's Society Lodge, in relative privacy in the sleeping area. Amitwo took a long moment to consider what she was giving up. They'd been planning this since Raffina got the crystal, hesitating only to make sure they knew what they were getting into. Yesterday Amitwo would have been all too eager to take the crystal for herself. Yet, today she found herself more than a little conflicted. She desperately wanted to feel like a reason person, but at the same time the old woman's words echoed in her head. Lidelle arguably had it worse than she did. Could she really be so selfish? Raffina glanced away. She already knew what Amitwo's answer would be. Would Lidelle even survive if Amitwo radically changed her body? ...Maybe? She somehow doubted Amitwo would be willing to take that risk, even if the odds weren't bad.
"...Yeah. I--I think I'd rather have Lidelle than a body~" Amitwo softly replied, beaming at Raffina. Raffina hesitantly shrugged. "...It's not fair." she replied, turning her gaze. "Huh?" Amitwo asked, floating closer. "What do you mean, Raffi..?" she asked, grabbing Raffina's gaze as she peered over the other's shoulder. "...You shouldn't have to choose. Both of these things are really important. ...Are you really not upset about this?" Raffina replied, closely inspecting Amitwo's face as if to catch her trying to hide anything. " . . . Nope~! Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever have a real family. Now we're making a daughter together!" Amitwo replied, smirking knowingly at Raffina. Raffina recoiled slightly. "--Are you trying to freak me out??" she asked. "...No? It just feels right~" Amitwo replied, earning herself Raffina's frustration. Somehow, Raffina felt like she wasn't taking that idea seriously. Thinking about it though, should she? This entire situation was pretty ridiculous when she thought about it. She doubted she'd be making it any worse by letting Amitwo play pretend. "...Yeah well, don't go introducing her to everyone else like that." Raffina relented, attempting to convince Amitwo to keep it on the down low. "--Of course I'm going to tell people! I can't wait to see Lidelle's reaction." Amitwo remarked, snickering with amusement at the thought.
(...God damnit.)
Raffina leered at no one in particular. She'd never felt regret so quickly after making a decision. "...Let's just do this." Raffina lamely replied. Mirage Lidelle probably wouldn't be into this anyway right? It was all just a joke. A joke that would end when they realized it was too weird and awkward talking to each other like a parent and kid.
...
Using the Core Crystal to draw out and grant Mirage Lidelle a new, complete form, the two successfully brought Mirage Lidelle back into the world! She looked just as the two remembered her, indistinct from the original. Her ears fidgetted somewhat energetically as she re-adjusted to having a body, her eyes remaining closed for several long moments as she waited for her new and quite sensitive eyes to adjust. Amitwo was pretending to hold her breath. She wasn't sure why, but it felt appropriate. " . . . Lidelle?" Raffina asked, breaking the silent. Mirage Lidelle almost seemed to flinch, but it was mostly because her ears were still very sensitive and she wasn't used to hearing things with them. "Yes, ...Mama~?" Mirage Lidelle softly replied. And while Raffina's mind filled with the sounds of her own panicked screams, Amitwo rushed to embrace her long lost friend!
"Lidelle! You're alive!" she blurted out between fits of joyous laughter. Mirage Lidelle returned her embrace, slightly squishing the other doppelganger in the process. Unlike Amitwo, her body was very much real. "And you're ... cold..." Amitwo continued after a brief moment. She'd discovered that Mirage Lidelle was ice cold to the touch, a rather alarming development all things considered. She didn't let go, though. The cold really didn't bother her, so much as it concerned her. "Hehe~ You're-- ...I really enjoyed spending time with you both. Especially when... all three of us were together." Mirage Lidelle hesitantly replied. Raffina's face lit up like a christmas tree at the remark, not having considered the implications quite that thoroughly until Mirage Lidelle brought it up. It abruptly occured to her that she'd been unknowingly inviting a stowaway into her body whenever she absorbed Amitwo to shelter her. " . . . I don't-- . . . It would be nice... if it didn't have to e-end..." Mirage Lidelle sheepishly added.
"Did you mean it? ...About being my parents?" she eagerly asked, watching the two of them carefully. Raffina, still quite freaked out, began putting the puzzle pieces together. Lidelle had been an orphan. This probably meant the world to her. She suddenly realized she was the one who hadn't been taking this entirely serious, simultaneous to the realization that she'd be breaking Mirage Lidelle's heart if she refused now. She felt very much trapped at that moment. "--Of course~!" Amitwo eagerly replied. "Raffina always took care of me ever since I was created and brought back~ It'll be just the same with you!" Amitwo added. Silence overtook the group for a moment. Mirage Lidelle turned her attention to Raffina, who was paralyzed where she stood. "...What about... Raffina?" Mirage Lidelle hesitantly asked, noticing the other's hesitation. Raffina took a deep breath and sighed. The way Amitwo had put it was a little comforting. They'd basically skipped the first few years of being parents, probably the hardest parts. Maybe they actually were ready to handle this? Catching a hint of disappointment in Mirage Lidelle's eyes, Raffina felt her heart skip a beat. Nnnope! One thing was definitely for sure. She didn't have the heart to tell Mirage Lidelle no. "If that's what you want... You can call me whatever you want." Raffina relented, offering Mirage Lidelle a weak smile.
Mirage Lidelle's ears drew back and she beamed at Raffina, filling the pinkette with an unexpected delight. It was like her smile was infectious. She then rushed over and hugged Raffina, who gently returned the embrace. "--Thank you!!" she blurted out, affectionately brushing her cheek against the other. Trembling slightly where she stood, Raffina resolved to ask Peach for advice later. Mirage Lidelle, on the other hand, was simply overjoyed that Raffina had said yes. She could hardly believe it! Pulling away, she gestured to Amitwo. "...Mom." she declared before turning to point at Raffina. "Mama." she added. Huh. Raffina blanched for a moment. Mirage Lidelle had figured out how to deal with the whole two moms thing before she'd even given it any thought. She had to admire Mirage Lidelle's intelligence, given her age. "--Oh yeah! We haven't named you yet." Amitwo said, beginning to ponder the question of what name they'd give this doppelganger. Mirage Lidelle nearly protested, but decided to begin nibbling on her sleeve instead. She understood they were doing it to avoid confusing her with her original. She'd been there when they decided Amitwo's name, after all. Raffina and Amitwo bounced names back and forth for a bit, ocassionally receiving a headshake from Mirage Lidelle to indicate she wasn't too fond of them. Eventually though, they settled on one in particular.
"How about... Rider?"
"...Rider?"
"To commemorate the ride up that perilous mountain we made to find the crystal that gave her life." Raffina proudly explained.
"--Oooh, I like the sound of that! What do you think?" Amitwo replied, glancing to Mirage Lidelle.
" . . . I like it~" Rider replied, still nibbling on her sleeve.
Raffina had taken notice of the sleeve nibbling by now and gave Amitwo a look. "...Alright then. I think Rider is hungry. Let's get something to eat."
"--Yay, birthday party!! I've got cake and ice cream~!" Amitwo blurted out, conjuring up a rather extravagant puyo themed cake and a tub of neopolatin puyo ice cream for the ocassion on the spot. Raffina was stunned. The cake was fit for a small wedding. It honestly wasn't her thing at all, but she'd be polite and have a little so that Rider could enjoy this special day.
...She had no idea how she was going to explain this to Amitie ... never mind Lidelle.
An old woman whose body had all but given out on her spoke to Raffina, who currently had an arm protectively wrapped around Amitwo idly side-hugging the other. Arle had recommended her as a source of magical expertise, though finding her had taken her to a run down little shack built where an alley should have been in the black market. She seemed oddly genuine for such a seedy part of the life sphere. Raffina quietly wondered why such a nice, if not ...unsettlingly decreptic old woman would choose to live in a place like this. She glanced over at Amitwo, mildly concerned.
"It's subtle. So subtle I didn't notice it until I got a really good look at your friend here, but there seems to be... two people present."
"Two people..??" Amitwo curiously asked. Raffina made a face, slightly more able to pick up on the context of what the old woman was implying. "In... her?" she asked. The old woman nodded.
"Hidden within her, a second tapestry is laid out. Far less substantial, yet very distinct. You're carrying a child!" the old woman explained.
Amitwo and Raffina both blanched. Amitwo was the first to react, turning beet red and hiding her face in her palms accompanied by a groan. Stifling her anxiety, Raffina shot the old woman a rather dirty look. "Couldn't you have found a better way to put that?!" Raffina testily asked, attempting to calm a distraught Amitwo down. Frankly, the imagery didn't make any sense. Amitwo didn't even have insides. She was little more than a ghost that couldn't pass through walls! "I did warn you it might be hard to hear... Yet, it is the truth. They depend on her to provide them with sustenance and safety, much like an infant. I may not understand much of how they got there, but it would certainly destroy them if they were removed." the old woman explained. Raffina remained unimpressed. It may have been accurate, but she didn't appreciate the old woman continuing to upset Amitwo like that.
"...So you can't help us with that?" Raffina hesitantly asked.
"I'm afraid not. It is beyond my expertise. I deal in dark magics, whilst this calls for the magic of life. I can, however, tell you that whoever it is appears to have been touched by dark magics to put them in such an insubstantial state to begin with." the old woman explained.
"Great..." Raffina lamented, turning her attention to a still extremely flustered Amitwo. "You've never used dark magic on anyone, have you..?" she asked. Amitwo hesitated a moment. Raffina had just asked a very good question. There had been a time she'd toyed with dark magics. A very desperate time. Her eyes widened with realization. "--Lidelle!" Amitwo blurted out. Raffina became uncomfortable. "...You used dark magic on Lidelle?" she asked in bewilderment. "Noooo~ Not that Lidelle. My Lidelle! The one from the mirage~" Amitwo blurted out rather excitedly, having quickly forgotten the terrifying idea the old woman had given her moments ago. "I tried to save her! Honestly, I didn't think I was succesful... But she's been with me all this time~!" Amitwo blurted out. Raffina was stunned into silence. Woah. Hold up. What First of all, what??
...
Later in the same day...
"Are you sure you want to do this? We could use this to give you a real body..." Raffina softly asked, holding up a core crystal. They were at the Magical Girl's Society Lodge, in relative privacy in the sleeping area. Amitwo took a long moment to consider what she was giving up. They'd been planning this since Raffina got the crystal, hesitating only to make sure they knew what they were getting into. Yesterday Amitwo would have been all too eager to take the crystal for herself. Yet, today she found herself more than a little conflicted. She desperately wanted to feel like a reason person, but at the same time the old woman's words echoed in her head. Lidelle arguably had it worse than she did. Could she really be so selfish? Raffina glanced away. She already knew what Amitwo's answer would be. Would Lidelle even survive if Amitwo radically changed her body? ...Maybe? She somehow doubted Amitwo would be willing to take that risk, even if the odds weren't bad.
"...Yeah. I--I think I'd rather have Lidelle than a body~" Amitwo softly replied, beaming at Raffina. Raffina hesitantly shrugged. "...It's not fair." she replied, turning her gaze. "Huh?" Amitwo asked, floating closer. "What do you mean, Raffi..?" she asked, grabbing Raffina's gaze as she peered over the other's shoulder. "...You shouldn't have to choose. Both of these things are really important. ...Are you really not upset about this?" Raffina replied, closely inspecting Amitwo's face as if to catch her trying to hide anything. " . . . Nope~! Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever have a real family. Now we're making a daughter together!" Amitwo replied, smirking knowingly at Raffina. Raffina recoiled slightly. "--Are you trying to freak me out??" she asked. "...No? It just feels right~" Amitwo replied, earning herself Raffina's frustration. Somehow, Raffina felt like she wasn't taking that idea seriously. Thinking about it though, should she? This entire situation was pretty ridiculous when she thought about it. She doubted she'd be making it any worse by letting Amitwo play pretend. "...Yeah well, don't go introducing her to everyone else like that." Raffina relented, attempting to convince Amitwo to keep it on the down low. "--Of course I'm going to tell people! I can't wait to see Lidelle's reaction." Amitwo remarked, snickering with amusement at the thought.
(...God damnit.)
Raffina leered at no one in particular. She'd never felt regret so quickly after making a decision. "...Let's just do this." Raffina lamely replied. Mirage Lidelle probably wouldn't be into this anyway right? It was all just a joke. A joke that would end when they realized it was too weird and awkward talking to each other like a parent and kid.
...
Using the Core Crystal to draw out and grant Mirage Lidelle a new, complete form, the two successfully brought Mirage Lidelle back into the world! She looked just as the two remembered her, indistinct from the original. Her ears fidgetted somewhat energetically as she re-adjusted to having a body, her eyes remaining closed for several long moments as she waited for her new and quite sensitive eyes to adjust. Amitwo was pretending to hold her breath. She wasn't sure why, but it felt appropriate. " . . . Lidelle?" Raffina asked, breaking the silent. Mirage Lidelle almost seemed to flinch, but it was mostly because her ears were still very sensitive and she wasn't used to hearing things with them. "Yes, ...Mama~?" Mirage Lidelle softly replied. And while Raffina's mind filled with the sounds of her own panicked screams, Amitwo rushed to embrace her long lost friend!
"Lidelle! You're alive!" she blurted out between fits of joyous laughter. Mirage Lidelle returned her embrace, slightly squishing the other doppelganger in the process. Unlike Amitwo, her body was very much real. "And you're ... cold..." Amitwo continued after a brief moment. She'd discovered that Mirage Lidelle was ice cold to the touch, a rather alarming development all things considered. She didn't let go, though. The cold really didn't bother her, so much as it concerned her. "Hehe~ You're-- ...I really enjoyed spending time with you both. Especially when... all three of us were together." Mirage Lidelle hesitantly replied. Raffina's face lit up like a christmas tree at the remark, not having considered the implications quite that thoroughly until Mirage Lidelle brought it up. It abruptly occured to her that she'd been unknowingly inviting a stowaway into her body whenever she absorbed Amitwo to shelter her. " . . . I don't-- . . . It would be nice... if it didn't have to e-end..." Mirage Lidelle sheepishly added.
"Did you mean it? ...About being my parents?" she eagerly asked, watching the two of them carefully. Raffina, still quite freaked out, began putting the puzzle pieces together. Lidelle had been an orphan. This probably meant the world to her. She suddenly realized she was the one who hadn't been taking this entirely serious, simultaneous to the realization that she'd be breaking Mirage Lidelle's heart if she refused now. She felt very much trapped at that moment. "--Of course~!" Amitwo eagerly replied. "Raffina always took care of me ever since I was created and brought back~ It'll be just the same with you!" Amitwo added. Silence overtook the group for a moment. Mirage Lidelle turned her attention to Raffina, who was paralyzed where she stood. "...What about... Raffina?" Mirage Lidelle hesitantly asked, noticing the other's hesitation. Raffina took a deep breath and sighed. The way Amitwo had put it was a little comforting. They'd basically skipped the first few years of being parents, probably the hardest parts. Maybe they actually were ready to handle this? Catching a hint of disappointment in Mirage Lidelle's eyes, Raffina felt her heart skip a beat. Nnnope! One thing was definitely for sure. She didn't have the heart to tell Mirage Lidelle no. "If that's what you want... You can call me whatever you want." Raffina relented, offering Mirage Lidelle a weak smile.
Mirage Lidelle's ears drew back and she beamed at Raffina, filling the pinkette with an unexpected delight. It was like her smile was infectious. She then rushed over and hugged Raffina, who gently returned the embrace. "--Thank you!!" she blurted out, affectionately brushing her cheek against the other. Trembling slightly where she stood, Raffina resolved to ask Peach for advice later. Mirage Lidelle, on the other hand, was simply overjoyed that Raffina had said yes. She could hardly believe it! Pulling away, she gestured to Amitwo. "...Mom." she declared before turning to point at Raffina. "Mama." she added. Huh. Raffina blanched for a moment. Mirage Lidelle had figured out how to deal with the whole two moms thing before she'd even given it any thought. She had to admire Mirage Lidelle's intelligence, given her age. "--Oh yeah! We haven't named you yet." Amitwo said, beginning to ponder the question of what name they'd give this doppelganger. Mirage Lidelle nearly protested, but decided to begin nibbling on her sleeve instead. She understood they were doing it to avoid confusing her with her original. She'd been there when they decided Amitwo's name, after all. Raffina and Amitwo bounced names back and forth for a bit, ocassionally receiving a headshake from Mirage Lidelle to indicate she wasn't too fond of them. Eventually though, they settled on one in particular.
"How about... Rider?"
"...Rider?"
"To commemorate the ride up that perilous mountain we made to find the crystal that gave her life." Raffina proudly explained.
"--Oooh, I like the sound of that! What do you think?" Amitwo replied, glancing to Mirage Lidelle.
" . . . I like it~" Rider replied, still nibbling on her sleeve.
Raffina had taken notice of the sleeve nibbling by now and gave Amitwo a look. "...Alright then. I think Rider is hungry. Let's get something to eat."
"--Yay, birthday party!! I've got cake and ice cream~!" Amitwo blurted out, conjuring up a rather extravagant puyo themed cake and a tub of neopolatin puyo ice cream for the ocassion on the spot. Raffina was stunned. The cake was fit for a small wedding. It honestly wasn't her thing at all, but she'd be polite and have a little so that Rider could enjoy this special day.
...She had no idea how she was going to explain this to Amitie ... never mind Lidelle.
