[Mari]

Ciel began eagerly writing down her own notes, Aile's audio being automatically recorded for her purposes. She gingerly tested her arms and legs, giving her torso a gentle swing that caused her stomach to rock gently. Huh! Everything felt right. Everything was working correctly, though she could feel her weight resting differently on her hips. It made her balance feel a bit funky, but for the most part she wasn't having too much trouble. walking was a little odd, but only because she was trying to be gentle on her guest. After listening to Aile speak, she made a point to gently caress her stomach in a comforting embrace, which Aile could feel from within.

“ ...I'm sorry if I went too fast~ I was just worried about choking... I'm glad to hear you find my tummy so comfortable, though! *Stifled snickering* ...I think I might understand why, though. It must be very warm too. ...Soft... ...Snug... ...Intimate... ...Protected from the concerns of the outside world... Perhaps it reminds you of something~? ”

Ciel idly rubbed Aile's back a little in a soothing fashion. A back rub for her was a belly rub for Ciel! How quaint. There was a certain affection in her tone as well. She seemed to be enjoying this a little. Then the question of 'getting Aile out' came up, perhaps rather unexpectedly. Had she been unclear about that as well? Curse her ladylike restraint with her words.

“ --Of course! If you feel any pain or discomfort, please let me know immediately so that I can help. I do not mind if you need to get physical to get my attention, either. In fact, I'd prefer it if you explored your surrounding so that we can get a more thorough idea of your experiences. ...I'm writing some of my thoughts down so that I'm free to speak to you. ”

Ciel continued her idle back rubbing as she reassured Aile of her safety, before reminding her she was looking for data. She then stopped after a good moment, letting her hand rest on her stomach, curious about whether Aile would react to or play with the outside stimuli.

“ ...Though, as scary as what might happen to someone who finds themselves inside a girl's tummy might be, it actually takes girls up to sixty percent longer to digest food compared to boys! ...Well, in humans anyway. *Weak Chuckle.* ...As you can see, digestion is already a well-documented topic. I don't think we'll have any need to do any research on that. Especially nothing on a live subject. Though I am curious about this strange sensation of elation and energy I'm feeling. If you're not feeling any 'pain', where is that energy coming from..? ”

Ciel seemed to enjoy regurgitating facts a lot, like a true nerd. She seemed quite proud of her knowledge. She pondered this question for a good moment. The lack of pain suggested that Aile was not in fact being digested, ...but then was that necessarily true? It seemed obvious, but energy did not come from nowhere. Could her body be absorbing energy from Aile in a less destructive fashion? Symbiosis, perhaps? The idea excited her, her heart racing for a moment at the thought of a previously unknown mechanism for nutrition. The possible application of nutrient absorption without actually digesting food was not lost on her, though she had to doubt that it would be so simple as to absorb infinite energy. Would it even work on normal food, or was... The heat. Suddenly it clicked for Ciel. People generated a lot of heat, and likely had trouble cooling themselves down in a wet, humid environment like her belly. Perhaps she was absorbing energy from Aile's heat, simultaneously keeping Aile cool enough to survive inside her and providing her with a small boost of energy. It wasn't food energy or nutrition based energy, but it was energy none-the-less. She eagerly began writing this down.

“ ...I'm not certain how your size will affect how long your stay will be, so it might be a little shorter or longer than my 24-hour estimate. But, if anything goes... wrong, I can always go to the maternity ward. They are well equipped to 'separate' us in a worst-case scenario. ”

[Coolshaymin]

"... Yeah, that makes sense. As I said it was just a panic response. I did agree to this. Also... um yeah, I did draw the connection a bit... Warm, protected, soft, close, almost like... Well, I'd rather not compare myself to one. I'm older than you apparently and I don't want to make this weird. Weirder than it already is I mean," she replied, feeling the hand give her a back rub through the belly rub. "... Okay, sounds good to me.  Though not really a how to fix but a how to warn..." Aile commented before shifting around a bit, to the best of her ability.

"Not much to explore since, you know, I'm occupying a large amount of it but I'll take the excuse to try and get my head... above the bottom of your stomach,"Aile said as she tried her best to push herself into an upright position... She kind of just looked at Ciel's presence in the form of her hand resting on her belly. After a moment she pressed her own hand back against Ciel's gently. This was... one way of putting the word intimate. "... So, being in a girl's tummy is better than being in a guy's tummy. Got'cha. You know though, that only makes me feel better knowing  you are the one in control right now and not someone less... good mannered. Anyway, yeah, I mentioned some power boost before from eating someone. I got some extra speed from that thief for a bit. It seemed to wear off once he was... not there to supply it you know," she stated, keeping her hand on Ciel's...

"... Well, if that's your reasoning alright. Your hand is giving me a bit of comfort from the outside, but if you want to commit to this 24 hours thing, we should probably do that in your lab and not Neo Arcadia.. I guess it will be a good test on motion sickness at least..." Aile joked, hesitating before seeming to reluctantly withdraw her hand. "... Oh yeah, thanks again for saving me by the way. That guy would of blasted me if you did not come... I think now is a good time to return home... Though come to think of it, we should of done before testing..."

(Length Quota has been reached. You can now end presence anytime)

Mission Complete

Sub-Objective Complete

[Mari]

Ciel's chest tightened with anxiety as she felt Aile's hand press against hers from within her. Her eyes widened and the softest gasp of delight escaped her. Her heart raced momentarily at the sensation. It was alien and surreal to her, yet... whimsical and sweet. She came to the perhaps startling realization that a part of her loved this, and certainly not because her non-existent inner glutton had gotten out. No... This was was her heart speaking to her, not her stomach. Ciel affectionately made subtle squeezing motions against Aile's hand as if to hold it, though she could not actually. It was more of a gently playful yet affectionate gesture.

“ ...Of course. I'll always be there for you if I'm able, whether it's to save you from harm or support you in your day to day life. I'll start riding home momentarily... I would also think it helps not to have the 'emotional overhead' of being inside a body you may find 'unfamiliar and strange', 'forbidden' ...or 'attractive', such as with the opposite gender. But yes, it's definitely nicer to be with someone who cares about you and respects your comfort and feelings when you're in such a... vulnerable state. ”

Ciel began to walk over to her bike at a very relaxed pace to make things less bouncy for her guest. She then gingerly began setting herself up for the ride home, though pausing for a moment as a thought got the better of her. She continued after a brief pause. What followed was perhaps very surreal--if not because of Ciel's sassy and playfully assertive tone, neither of which were traits anyone would associate with Ciel, then because of what she actually said.

“ ...Which is why I won't force you to call me Mom, even though my initial analysis and just about every definition I know of would loosely classify this as a pregnancy~ ”

...Ciel sat down, making sure to give her stomach a bit of extra room, before starting up her bike and beginning to ride back to the life sphere. She was driving at a very slow pace, once again for Aile's comfort. It served little purpose to go fast unless she actually ran into something she needed to flee from.

“ ...Or... is this one of those times I should be more assertive and up front~? ...This is basically a very unusual ectopic pregnancy. And I'll be treating it like one because that seems like the best way to make sure your stay is comfy and you get out healthy~ ...Plus, I really like thinking about it that way instead of thinking of you as food~ ...I wonder if I can get a birth certificate! ”

Ciel continued on her way back to the life sphere at her modest pace, eager to begin running tests with more specialized hardware.

((End Presence?))