Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 65
Evie

“Happy birthday, Evie!”

I jump at the sound of Diego’s voice as he sails into the room with gusto. Thankfully I’ve gotten used to his sudden booms of activity and recover quickly. I realize he’s holding a platter with a gazebo-sized chocolate cake balanced on top.

I wasn’t expecting this. Star and Moira and I have been at the Ignacios’ dining table for the past couple of hours, deeply engrossed in some room escape board games, which I’m sure is going to become my newest obsession at this point. I didn’t want to do anything particularly special for my birthday - my partner and I have romantic dinner plans later, and I was content to just enjoy a bit of girl time otherwise. I didn’t even realize Diego had come back into the house, he and Aiden had been off somewhere.

Speak of the devil. Right as Diego strolls in from the kitchen, I realize my boyfriend is just behind him.

“Thank you!” I call up to them, feeling embarrassed by the attention but very touched all the same. Then I completely cover my face as a barely-subdued cacophony of a happy birthday song fills the air, with everyone quickly joining in. As self-conscious as I feel, I take a moment of gratitude in the darkness behind my fingers. I’m so thankful for my oversized friends.

I look up again as the four of them finish their singing, and I realize Aiden has crouched in front of the table to set something just ahead of me. It’s a miniature version of the chocolate cake with a tiny dollop of frosting on top - it’s still almost as big as I am, but far more suited to my size. Stuck into the center of the cupcake is a tiny candle. Actually, I think it’s a toothpick, but it’s been painted with festive stripes, and at the very top is a tiny bit of yellow cotton fluff. Even the smallest birthday candle would produce too much fire to be safe for me… but this setup lets me pretend.

And I step forward to do just that. The small chunk of cotton is light enough for me to blow it away, and as I meet Aiden’s eyes I can feel tears welling up in mine from how thoughtful the gesture is. He beams back at me, and as the others start gathering around to partake in the normal-sized version of the cake, he and I share a brief kiss right there on the table.

“I know what I’m going to spend all of my earnings on,” I tell him a short while later, pointing at the room escape game that’s still sprawled out.

“Evie’s really good at puzzles, apparently,” Star chimes in as she clears off the table to make room for plates.

“So are you!” I respond avidly, “We never would have figured out the spaceship layout without you.”

“Eh, I guess I’m better at seeing the bigger picture. You’re better at catching all the little details.”

“Spaceship layout?” Aiden asks with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, I’m interested.” His hands are busy as he helps me with my own plate. The mini cupcake is so big that it could keep me fed for a month, so even I need a smaller slice cut out.

I reach out with a thankful smile for my tiny portion as I say, “Good, because there’s a whole series of these games and I need to play all of them.”

We dig into the sweet treat and spend the next hour hanging out all together. The gathering is loud, it’s lively, it’s a little overwhelming at times. But it’s so much fun. We talk about a new show we’ve all started watching, and we make plans for the camping trip coming up in a few weeks. I compliment Diego on the kickass cake - I think cherry and chocolate might have just become my new favorite combo. I’ve had a little bit to drink and end up wandering around the table to make sure everyone gets a finger hug and is told how much I appreciate them. It’s edging into late afternoon once Aiden and I finally call it and decide to head for home.

I’m practically bouncing off the walls of the shirt pocket during the drive. “Thank you so much for that surprise!” I gush, "I’m still buzzing with energy.”

Aiden chuckles and tenderly says, “Pace yourself, babe. Don’t forget, we also have dinner tonight. I actually just got the text confirming our table at that Greek place. They still haven’t treated me weird about reserving a private room for one.”

“I can’t wait.” I throw myself against his chest, craning my neck back to look up at the side of his head. “Can we just cuddle in bed until then?”

“I’d like nothing more!"

He sounds a little more tired than I do, but his heart rate is still kinda high. I think he enjoyed the excitement too, and I feel warm with affection as I nuzzle into him and collapse into a seat.

“What were you and Diego up to?” I call up.

“We were back at the apartment, just getting some stuff ready.”

“Oh is that where he baked the cake?”

“No, he baked that last night.”

I frown and glance upward. “Then what…?”

“Patience, my love, patience.” He runs a finger against the outside of his pocket, as if to rub my back, but due to the plastic barrier it just creates soothing shifting sounds instead. I notice he’s barely suppressing a grin. I feel insanely curious about him being so cryptic. I had insisted on no expensive birthday gifts, but did he get me something anyway? For his sake, I decide not to pester him and let this play out.

By the time we get back to the apartment, though, I can’t take it anymore. I steal a glance over the edge of the pocket as the giant steps inside, my eyes aimed right for the kitchen counter to see if there might be some kind of new object wrapped in colorful paper. But even though the counter is empty, it only takes me another two seconds to realize what’s different.

I grow very still, my eyes widening in shock. “Oh my god. Aiden, what…” and I can’t get any more words out.

Tunnels. Along the walls, across the shelves, both nearby and in the distance, is a long series of clear plastic tunnels. My gaze traces their path, all around the room, and I notice some furniture has been rearranged, I think there’s a new shelf or two. I hardly have time to take a decent look before I’m distracted by massive fingers reaching for me. I’m still very preoccupied with the apartment as Aiden lifts me up and kisses me on the neck and cheek.

“You’re not getting out of cuddling in bed with me,” he murmurs, and then I descend again, elevatoring all the way down to the nearby counter, until the hand I’m in rests on its surface to gently slide me off. With a sly smile he adds, “I’ll meet you there.”

And I watch as he walks away from me. The vibrations of his footsteps grow fainter as he steps through the living room and his figure disappears into his bedroom.

The context of him leaving me alone like this is disorienting. I take a quick glance around my immediate vicinity, getting a lay of the land with fresh eyes. I’m on the kitchen counter right next to the front door, since upon entering the apartment the open kitchen area is to the immediate right. There’s a plastic tunnel opening nearby, and it’s taller than I am, more than enough clearance for me to walk through. I notice it’s going across the door as it lines the wall, staying up at counter height, and then continues deeper into the living room. I’m actually not sure how he opened the door to get into the apartment just now without crashing into this thing, but I’m diverted from that thought by a paper note that’s resting by the tunnel entrance. I hurry over to it to see familiar handwriting.

I’ve said it before, but it’s about time you had better access to your own home. Don’t worry, these weren’t expensive and they weren’t that hard to put up. Plus they’re super sturdy and safe - they can hold up to thirty pounds and you weigh a wee bit less than that.

Happy birthday, Evie. I love you so much. Now don’t keep me waiting!

This is when the tears start.

Fighting the building emotion in my chest, I turn now to the entrance of the tunnel. Despite trusting what the note said about these being secure, I’m still a little hesitant when I first step inside. Thankfully Aiden has lined the bottom with some black fabric so that I don’t see straight down to the floor, but I still get a clear view of my surroundings through the rest of the clear plastic. As I venture further inside and feel how rock solid this pathway is, my steps become more confident. I pass over a couple of seams in the plastic that I suppose must allow for the tunnel to come apart as the door opens, and I quickly make it to the corner of the wall. The tunnel bends to line the room, like a hiking path carved into a canyon.

I gaze out at the rest of the living room. I can’t believe I’m able to make my way across it on my own. Even now that I have access to the floor by the desk, I don’t usually venture out anywhere else in the apartment. I always rely on Aiden carrying me to other areas since everything’s so high up. But now I don’t have to. I think about some of the food staples that he keeps out on the kitchen counter. He refills my own supply of food and water all the time, but he doesn’t have to do that either, I can do it myself!

I quickly come across something else that’s new: a small floating shelf with what resembles a miniature picket fence lining the edge of it. The tunnel cuts off at the shelf and then continues again just past it, like an open balcony. I’m right below the hook where Aiden hangs his keys, and he’s put his wallet up on this shelf, leaning against the wall. I also notice a couple of me-sized things too - a dollhouse chair, the jacket I recently made for the fall, one of my two pairs of shoes. This is the perfect little getting-ready-to-go-out station. I can already imagine myself scurrying over here to get prepped while my boyfriend finishes something in the kitchen, or to greet him when he comes home from work.

After exploring this area, I head back into the tunnel to continue my way along the leftmost wall of the apartment. The desk where I live is at the far end of the living room, next to the window, but it looks like I have one more stop before I reach it.

I pass over the familiar squat bookshelf that has always been against this wall, where Aiden keeps his books and rock collection. But now there’s a new piece of furniture - a taller, narrower bookshelf that intersects my path. There’s a hole cut out in the side of it that lines up perfectly with the tunnel I’m in. I curiously pass through it and step out of the doorway, and I have to suppress a gasp as I look out at the miniature room.

This entire shelf is a new lounge space for me. There’s the couch-beanbag thing I’d made for myself, a table and chair, a lamp that I think was originally a little night light for children. There’s a phone I’ve never seen before - an older model by the looks of it, so thankfully he didn’t buy a brand new phone - sitting against the wall like a wide screen TV. There’s a bundle of trimmed pine needles in a little plastic container like a potted plant, giving off a subtle but refreshing scent. There are even some snacks wrapped in small scraps of foil to help keep them fresh - a single chocolate chip in one, a sliver of rice cake in another, a drop of peanut butter in a third.

There’s also what I quickly realize is a curtain that’s installed into the open side of the shelf. I experiment with this, dragging the curtain fully closed and turning on the night light. It’s so cozy in here now, and surprisingly quiet. I’ve gotten pretty used to wide open spaces at this point, but it still feels so good to not have to be surrounded by so much empty air.

In one corner of the shelf-room there’s a hole in the floor. I peer down into it and there’s a ladder leading down to the next shelf. From up here I can see another hole past that and another ladder, and so on. It looks like I have access to this entire bookcase. I glimpse the edges of my paints on one shelf, my packing supplies further down, and then it all clicks in my mind. This is my new office building.

“Oh wow, Aiden…” I whisper, fighting again the urge to break down into tears again, though they well up anyway and I have to wipe one stray drop off my face.

I’m itching to explore the whole bookshelf and figure out what should go where, but I know that should be for another day. I soon rip myself away and head back into the tunnel that continues its way around the apartment. It’s a short trip along the next corner, and soon I’m stepping out onto my familiar living space on top of the desk. But there are a few clear changes now.

My toilet closet, clothing shelves, mini fridge, phone and random bits of entertainment are all just as I’d left them. But there’s a new couch now, the base clearly bought from a toy store but the cushions lovingly hand sewn by my boyfriend. My treasured purple geode is still there in the background, the usual basil plant is recently pruned, my stuffed toy lion has been dusted and cleaned. I don’t even notice that my bed’s missing, I’m so inspired by the fresh feel of my space. Now that all of my business stuff has been moved, I can separate my work and my leisure time and just relax here on the desk. But that’s not even the best part.

“No no no no no,” I breathe through choked sobs as I walk over to the plastic box that contains my bathtub. It’s always just been a plain white box, but there’s something new on its outer wall that now lines the space of my new living quarters.

I immediately recognize Moira’s art style. Tiny tableaus of beautiful fantasy landscapes are artfully arranged on the wall. No wonder she’s been talking a lot about home decor recently and asking for my opinion, this is the perfect whimsical aesthetic I’ve been pining after. A couple of the paintings I know are from Star, since we had that one artsy hangout and I know how obsessed she is with doodling flowers. The goofy mushrooms in all sorts of bright colors are surely from Diego’s hand. I even think one of these might be Camila’s watercoloring. And I’ve played enough pictionary with Aiden to recognize those acorns with smiley faces.

This is what breaks me, and the crying starts in earnest. It must have been so difficult for my friends to make art on such tiny pieces of paper, most of them smaller than postage stamps. Not to mention the simple fact that they all came together for me like this… And I now have a beautiful mural to look at every day to remind me of the people I care about. I don’t deserve them. My body’s racked with sobs as I focus on each individual art piece in turn, and I’m thankful that Aiden’s left me on my own to savor this without an audience. My emotions are probably heightened by the alcohol I had earlier, but the love I have for these people is so genuine all the same.

It takes me a little while to pull myself together again and traverse to the other side of the desk, where I see another plastic tunnel entrance. This one lines the opposite back corner of the living room and then passes right over the top of the couch. In fact, there’s a hole in the plastic here, an open door that gives me access to the couch backing and tops of the cushions. There’s a rope ladder draped over the edge of the fabric cliff that would allow me to get to the armrest, to the seat, and even to the floor. I now imagine Aiden sitting here, working on his laptop, and I can sneak right up to kiss his neck.

The tunnel continues, along and past the couch. I know that on the other side of the wall I’m lining is the bedroom. I still haven’t fully stopped crying, and I quicken my pace in anticipation. The tunnel makes a U-turn once it reaches the edge of the wall, going straight through the open doorway of my boyfriend’s room. And there he is, the first thing that I notice, sprawled out on his bed as he casually reads a book. But then immediately after I realize that the entire room has been rearranged. His bed is now on the other side, up against the wall that the living room shares. The tunnel I’m in slopes downward, and it’s leading to its final destination: Aiden’s nightstand. Where he’s already set up my own bed.

I’m several steps closer when my movements catch his attention. Our view of each other is slightly warped by the transparent plastic that I’m encased in, but we’re still able to smile at each other. He turns in my direction as I move towards him, and I’m thankful for the fabric floor that keeps me from slipping and sliding down the tunnel. We’re able to make better eye contact once I’m closer, and he lifts his head off his pillow, frowning with concern as he sees how red my eyes are.

“You okay?” he asks quietly.

Words aren’t an option right now, so I just silently and fervently nod, hurrying towards him and motioning for him to put his head back down. I think he can tell that I’m the good kind of emotional right now since he does indeed lay his head back on the pillow, but he continues to fret as I run out onto the nightstand.

“We can rearrange stuff however you like, I want you to get a say in how it’s all set up–”

I leap onto his pillow and practically crash into his face in a hug. “I love it,” I sob, shoulders shaking as the tears just won’t stop. I press my forehead against the space between his eyes, struggling to breathe as I cry. “Aiden, I l-love you, s-so much…”

His hand reaches my back to gently cover my frame and hug me against him. I revel in how close his voice is as he softly says, “I’m glad you like it. I’ve been kinda nervous about it for weeks, but I was excited with how it came together today.”

“I t-totally didn’t s-see it coming…” I whimper, sniffling. “Good job.”

Before we get into a serious snuggle session on the bed, he gives me a slightly tighter squeeze and whispers, “Welcome home, honey."

[Olo]

@littlest-lily An EvieTrail! I wish she could carry a video camera with her as she walks through it so Aiden and the others could see what it looks like

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Ehehehehe I love that! Evie cam~

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 66
Aiden

I manage to wake up silently today. As soon as my eyes blink open to the morning sunlight bathing the nearby wall, I’m ultra aware of what’s sitting very close to the back of my head. The simple knowledge of it makes me smile, and I decide on a little mission. As stealthily as I can, I slowly flip over, doing my very best not to make a sound against the bedsheets and pillow. And although it takes me a solid minute to simply rotate, I have a nice little reward waiting for me at the end. There she is on the nightstand, quietly snoozing away.

Still moving ever so carefully, I lift my head so that I can prop it up with my hand and smile down at my tiny girlfriend by my side. I got used to glancing at my mini crane origami every morning - which is still there - but this is admittedly way better. And it’s so rare that I’m the one who wakes up first. Evie keeps assuring me that I’m not a loud sleeper, and thank goodness for that, since there’s no way I’d subject her to spending the night in here if I snored or thrashed around. Still, I know that just shifting my head to the side is probably enough noise to rouse her come morning, because even if she’s still in bed when I wake up, her eyes are almost always open.

It’s such a treat now to see her looking so peaceful. Aww, apparently she smiles in her sleep. And she’s also apparently more active than I am - her blanket has been half shoved off her body and she’s got an arm flung off to one side while her hair’s fanned out to the other. I lean in a little bit to make out how her miniscule fingers occasionally twitch. So tiny. So cute. I feel a powerful desire to hold her close. But that would defeat the purpose of trying not to wake her up.

Alright, stop being a creep, I finally tell myself.

I’ve still got well over an hour before I need to get ready for class, so I can just chill in bed for a while. I carefully retrieve my phone that’s in an open space in my nightstand, just under Evie’s bed. I reflexively grab a breath mint that’s there too - I’ve become a little obsessed over the past half a year in making sure I’m clean at all times. I know I can already be overwhelming enough to be around without also making her deal with morning breath.

A few minutes later, I hear the slightest sound, a tiny inhalation, and I glance up from my phone to watch my partner stir. She stretches her arms past her head and her eyes blink open before she turns her face my way and smiles.

“Good morning,” she says, her voice tight from her stretching.

“Morning,” I respond. I set my phone down and add, “Sleep okay?”

“Uh huh… Better than usual, I think. You didn’t wake me up at all.”

I chuckle, “Good! I’ve been feeling kinda proud of myself, for once I’m up first.”

Evie sits up in her bed to do a deeper stretch into a forward fold, and then she pushes the rest of her blanket away. She slides off her mattress to quickly make her way to mine, and I lay my head back down so that we can share a kiss. She lingers, sleepily leaning her cheek against my upper lip as she yawns.

“I’ll go get breakfast started,” she says.

Her position slumped over my mouth makes it harder for me to talk, but I manage to quietly murmur, “Noooo, not yet.”

I set up the tunnels and ladders in the apartment about two weeks ago now, but Evie’s still very excited about her newfound independence. She’s been getting into the habit of heading to the kitchen on her own first thing in the mornings and doing as much meal prep as she’s able. Yesterday she used a small plastic knife to make the beginnings of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. She’d managed to gather the bread and peel, cut and arrange the banana all on her own. She did end up needing me to open the jar of peanut butter, but I’ve been impressed with her resourcefulness all the same.

This morning I’m feeling particularly clingy, though. I don’t want her to go.

“You don’t have to get up,” she tells me, completely missing the point. “Take your time, I’ll at least go put bread in the toaster today.”

She gets back to her feet and starts walking away, but she doesn’t even reach the end of my mattress before I gently grab her leg. “Nope,” I say as she yelps and loses her balance. I start dragging her back towards me with a grin. “You’re not going anywhere.”

She giggles and manages to writhe out of my grip before sliding right underneath my pillow to hide. I push myself up, laughing as I uncover her again and whine, “Let me love you!”

Playful shenanigans aside, Evie is ultimately completely amenable to spending a little longer in bed. After dealing with some more overenthusiastic kissing from me, she makes her way to the collar of my shirt and tucks herself inside with her head sticking out. I hold her against my chest as we relax and she tells me about the dream she was having. The warmth of her body against mine is so comforting. Ugh, do I really have to go to class?

“Two more weeks,” I murmur after a lull in the conversation, and I smile as I feel her reaction under my fingers. She always perks up enthusiastically whenever I refer to our upcoming cabin trip.

“Less than that!” she chirps. “Closer to a week and a half. And there’s supposed to be a cold front hitting that area so it’ll be nice fall weather too!”

“Yeah, it’ll be perfect for campfires that way. How have the cold weather clothes been coming along?”

“I finished crocheting two scarves, and I’ve got a bunch of socks now. I’m almost done with the warmer pants too. I’ve been procrastinating on the coat, though… I really need to get it done.”

“Anything I can help with?”

“Umm, I’ve been meaning to add a hood to it so… I might have some stuff for you to cut out when you get home?”

“Mmkay. No problem.”

“Hey babe?”

“Hmm?”

“I really am starting to get hungry.”

With an amused exhale I finally relent and release her from my loose grip. “Okay, fiiiine…”

Evie wriggles out of my shirt and turns back to look at me when she reaches the night stand. “Seriously, take your time!” she says, putting a hand out to encourage me to stay prone.

“Yeah, I might be lazy and stay here while I answer some emails,” I mutter, reaching for my phone again.

“Leave it to me! I can just bring your breakfast to bed.”

I laugh and joke along, “In that case, I’ll have eggs benedict. Make sure they’re poached just right.”

“Right away, sir.” I beam at the glint in those beautiful brown doe eyes of hers and then watch her turn and scurry away down the tunnel. Off she goes.

I procrastinate on my phone for a while before going through a few of the emails like I’d planned. Subconsciously I’m keeping an ear out for any worrisome sounds coming from the kitchen, but for the most part I’m able to trust that Evie’s doing just fine over there. Eventually I notice that a good half hour has passed, and I decide I should finally roll out of bed and make sure she was able to find something to eat.

As I sit up, my eyes fall onto the plastic tunnel on the wall, originally meant for ferrets but perfect for shrunken women too. I’m pretty proud of the setup. I’ve always felt content with carrying my girl to wherever she needs to go, but I’ve been surprised by just how much of a joy it’s been to have her come to me sometimes. We’ve haven’t had this new setup for all that long yet, but it’s already done wonders for her confidence and overall mood.

There are still a few kinks to figure out, though. Lately Evie’s been lamenting the fact that she only has one toilet, which she wanted to keep in the more central location on the desk. It’s a bit of a hike for her to get there from the kitchen or from my room, so her current plan is to have makeshift chamber pots around for emergencies, but her engineering brain has already started trying to figure out the mechanisms of the metal contraption that was in Dr. Little’s old briefcase. Maybe we’ll be able to replicate it at some point. She’d also like to replace the ladders leading to the floor - particularly the ones in the kitchen and at her work shelf. She’s convinced that she can come up with a pulley system to create miniature elevators, and I totally believe she could do it.

I’m smiling as I get up to leave my bedroom, daydreaming about the future. Having a tiny roommate with tiny furnishings is fun. I feel like I could live like this forever. How cool would it be, assuming I’m graduated and have a stable job, for us to buy a house, maybe even build it custom, with Evie’s situation in mind. If we owned the place we could actually do things like cut holes in the walls for her tunnels to pass through, or alter the electronics and water lines for her to be able to use them as well. We could build a sheltered little outdoor area, almost like an aviary, so that she could safely enjoy some fresh air whenever she wanted. Maybe we could even get her some kind of vehicle to get around faster–

A tiny voice suddenly reaches my ears in a shrill scream, “Aiden, AIDEN!”

I was in the middle of walking out into the living room, but as soon as I realize the direction the voice is coming from, I snap to my senses. I almost fall over as I jerk backwards and lift one leg up high. I have to reach a hand out to the nearby wall to steady myself, heart racing as I look down. Evie’s on the floor. Oh my god. I hadn’t noticed since I was passing through a doorway. I nearly just stepped on her. Holy fuck.

She was in the middle of launching herself backwards and away from my incoming foot, so she’s fallen over, eyes wide with panic. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her look at me in terror like this. For a second I’m completely frozen in place, horrified, caught between the desires to either get her off the ground or drop down to her level. But seeing how scared she looks right now, my better judgment tells me that the last thing she needs is me hurtling towards her in any capacity. I take a couple of shaky steps backwards, giving her some space, before kneeling down on the floor.

“You’re okay,” I whisper in an attempt to reassure her, “Everything’s fine… Fuck. I’m sorry."

I watch Evie trying to get a hold of herself, and she manages to take a couple of deep breaths as she sits up straighter. “N-no, I’m s-sorry… I shouldn’t have come down h-here without w-warning you, that was stupid…”

Now that I’m able to evaluate the situation a bit more clearly, I’m thinking things through in the back of my mind. From my trajectory, I don’t think I was actually going to land on her, maybe just kick her aside at worst. Plus, if I’d felt the slightest thing against my skin I’m sure I would have been able to stop myself before putting my weight down. I desperately want to believe that I didn’t just almost kill my girlfriend by accident.

I’m trying to meet her gaze as I barely manage to keep my anxiety in check. God, I hate how freaked out she looks in my regard. She keeps dropping her head for a second, as if wanting to put her face in her hands while she struggles to catch her breath, but then quickly looks back towards me, clearly afraid to take her eyes away. I hate that, I hate feeling like this menacing monster. But I don’t blame her for being on high alert right now. It’s hard to imagine what she just went through…

I need to focus. Does she need more space or less space right now?

Before I can ask the question out loud, Evie answers me. I’m far enough away that this is hard to make out, but I think she’s got tears welling up in her eyes, and her bottom lip is quivering. She reaches her arms out to me, and I immediately lower onto my elbows and then lay down beside her. We silently embrace, her slender body fitting in the space where my nose meets my cheek. She’s still a bit shaky but she’s fully leaning into me, and we breathe out in tandem. I’m relieved to feel her muscles begin to unclench now that we’ve made contact. I’m glad I can still bring her comfort despite what just happened.

After a solid minute of us calming back down in silence, she lets out a tremulous breath. “I think you would have missed,” she says with forced confidence, echoing my own sentiments from earlier.

“I think so too,” I agree. “Still… that was scary.”

“I don’t have to come down here anymore. I just spilled some oats on the floor, so I wanted to go down and gather them up… and then I thought it’d be easier to go straight to your room to come see you, but… but I can stay up on the counters from now on.”

I wage a battle within myself. My paranoia around her wellbeing is agreeing wholeheartedly to never risk anything like this again. But at the same time, I don’t want to see that confidence of hers slip away as she loses bits of her independence once more. Her safety is absolutely crucial, but her freedom is important too. Maybe there’s another way.

“I mean, I’ll leave that up to you,” I say evenly, “but… um… If you were to go down then, yeah, a warning would be good? Just so I can be extra vigilant. And maybe try to stick close to the walls? But I feel like I’d normally notice you easily, it’s just because I was turning a corner… I think this was really bad luck.”

“Yeah… Yeah, okay.” Evie buries her face into my cheek, sighing audibly. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

It’s hard to feel completely reassured right now, the aftermath is too raw. She’s right, I’m sure we’ll be fine, but… this was quite the sobering reminder that we do indeed have a couple more things to still figure out.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I guess it’ll be a while before Evie can convince Aiden to indulge her in some “unaware” roleplay.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Yeeeah, that kind of playfulness is probably not going to happen in their near future

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 67
Evie

Finally, finally, finally! I may have been overhyping this cabin trip a wee bit at this point, but… it’s finally here!

I thought I was going to lose my mind during the over-three-hour-long drive it took to get here - there’s only so much entertainment that Aiden and Moira can offer me when I’m trapped in a pocket for that long. But then we exit the car and I pop my head outside. I take in the expansive oranges and browns of the trees, the sound of squirrels chattering, the smell of wet leaves, the refreshing crisp fall air in my lungs… Yup. This is exactly what I was looking forward to.

The cabin itself looks positively picturesque. It’s two stories tall with red cedar walls and a deep green roof. It’s well surrounded by trees and is even bigger than I imagined from the photos I’ve seen, and yet it still looks so quaint and cozy. As much as I hated having to move all the time in my adult life, I’ve spent so much time in one spot since I’ve been shrunk, and the change of scenery is so appreciated.

The three of us have gotten here slightly before the Ignacios, so we’re able to settle in for a little bit, taking a brief tour of the bottom floor together. The living room is cavernous, even to my giant friends I’m sure, taking up the entire two stories and sporting massive windows. In comparison the kitchen and bedrooms feel almost cramped, but of course that’s speaking relatively since to me everything’s still very vast. Once we’ve taken a look at all the rooms, Moira brings me with her so that we can check out the upstairs while Aiden unloads luggage from the car. Up here there’s an open loft area that contains a bed and looks out over the living room, along with one more side bedroom and bathroom.

Moira sets me down on the bed so that we can chat while she starts unpacking her backpack. I’m doing a whole lot of staring at my surroundings, my head twisting this way and that to take in the rest of the loft. There are a couple of couches up against the window and opposite banister, a pool table, a mini fridge. This palace of a cabin is a lot to take in.

“Sooo. What do you want to do first?” Moira asks me, looking entertained by all of my wide-eyed wonder.

“I don’t know!” I say, a little breathless. “Umm, since it’s too windy for a campfire, maybe we chill inside and play Magic tonight?”

“Hell yeah. Oh, and I brought some spa stuff! I’ve got face masks, a body scrub, nail polish…” She’s pulling the items out as she lists them, separating them into a smaller bag for later.

“Sounds great.” I grin and let myself collapse back onto the covers so that I can stretch my limbs. “I don’t know why the car ride felt that exhausting, my legs are all sore. I’d love to have some spa time soon.”

“Especially with the hiking we’ll be doing tomorrow,” Moira points out, “We’ll be nice and primed.”

I laugh. “You mean the hiking you’ll be doing. I get to hitch a ride.”

She pauses in her unpacking to join me, resting her arms nearby on the bed as she smiles my way. “Hey, you have to go on long hikes on the daily. You probably deserve to relax more than any of us.”

“Says the workaholic,” I scoff, sitting up so that I can scoot closer and touch her forearm. “I’m glad you’re finally getting a vacation, Mo.”

“Me too… I mean, I do need to get a little bit of work done… I’ve been slacking on making social posts lately…”

“Moiraaaa,” I sigh.

“Well, this sure feels cozy!”

We’re interrupted before I can further scold my friend for bringing her work to the woods. I thought I’d heard creaking come from the stairs and sure enough - Aiden’s made his way up to the loft as well, taking his first look around at the furnishings.

Moira flinches, not having noticed what I’m sure were much more subtle sounds to her. She pulls away from me to turn towards him, sitting back on her heels as she quickly recovers and says, “Isn’t it? This’ll be the perfect spot for me.”

Aiden takes another minute or so to poke around at the nearby rooms while Moira and I wrap up our conversation. Then he comes back to where we are and offers his hand to me, laying it onto the bed cover.

“You want to come set up your space, Eve? The others should be here soon.”

“Sure!” I get to my feet and hop aboard. It actually feels particularly nice in the warmth of his palm right now. I can sense the fact that we’ve traveled further north, the air is chillier here. I’ll need to unpack my jackets and socks first and foremost.

We knew that we picked the smallest of the bedrooms, and it’s even more cramped than we had anticipated. I’m fine of course, but my poor boyfriend has trouble maneuvering around the bed. He focuses on taking everything out of my bag first - we’ve brought my bed, toilet, phone, one of the shelves to store clothing, and a ladder in case I need to reach the ground. I unpack my garments onto the shelf, and then raise an eyebrow at Aiden when I notice he’s not unpacking much of his stuff at all.

“Can’t find a spot to put your clothes?” I ask.

“Eh, it’s only three nights. I’ll live out of the suitcase.”

“Fair enough. I guess when you’re camping in a tent you probably have even less space.”

“Mm-hmm. I don’t mind this at all.” He plops down onto the bed and smirks as he brings his face closer to the nightstand. “And I especially don’t mind being in a tight space if I’m crammed into it with you…”

We’ve barely had time to start making out before we’re interrupted by a car door slam outside letting us know that the second half of our group has arrived. I catch a glimpse through the nearby window at the Ignacios exiting the car. Star is looking cute in her cable knit sweater, Diego seems comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt despite the chill… and there’s Camila, looking like a movie star as usual. Her perfect waves are pulled back into a ponytail, she’s wearing a fashionable skort and crop-top, wedged knee-high boots with a fur lining, and designer sunglasses perched on top of her head.

I find myself rolling my eyes at how out of place she looks, and then I berate myself. Be nice, I think. I’ll be seeing her from today - Thursday - until Sunday morning. Plenty of time to, um… bond. Maybe this weekend we’ll finally hit it off.

The six of us gather at the entrance and I’m able to greet the others from my partner’s shoulder - even Camila shoots me a smile, which I gratefully return. Everyone trickles in their luggage bit by bit as they find their home bases for the weekend. Diego and Star will be sharing the main bedroom downstairs, just next door to Aiden and me, and Camila will be staying in the side bedroom upstairs by the loft.

I hang out with Moira in the living room as my boyfriend gets roped into helping Camila get her three suitcases up the stairs. I try not to think about how the two of them are alone upstairs as I make plans with Moira to join her in her yoga practice tomorrow morning. Eventually we’re all gathered again in the living room, and I’m reassured when Aiden gently yoinks me from behind so that I can sit with him on one of the couches.

“So!” Star exclaims once we’ve all caught up on how our drives went and have shared in our excitement for the weekend. “Since it’s so windy tonight, I’m guessing that’s not great for the campfire?”

“Probably not,” Aiden says apologetically, “I can try to make it work, but it’s probably not the safest. Forecast is showing that tomorrow night should be way calmer, mind if we switch my dinner plans with yours?”

“That’s fine! We’ll go start working on the stew then, yeah? So that we don’t eat too late.” Star turns to her husband for confirmation.

“Aye aye, cap’n!” Diego says as he stands.

I wave as the couple leaves for the kitchen, and I find myself sighing as I drop my arm again. I’m actually starting to feel a bit overstimulated at this point, if I’m being honest… I’ve gotten more used to hanging out with multiple giants at once, but rarely are we all in the same room at the same time, especially in such a new and exciting environment. It’s going to be a long night of festivities, so I eventually decide that I might need a little break before the food’s ready.

“Can you set me down?” I call up to Aiden from my spot at the crook of his elbow. “I just want to grab something in our room real quick.”

“I can go get it for you,” he says, brow furrowing as he looks down at me.

“Nah, I’ve been doing a lot of sitting today, I should stretch my legs. I’ll be right back.”

He hesitates for a beat longer. It hasn’t been that long since our close call back at the apartment. We’ve gotten into better habits since then - I’m much more careful about lining the walls now if I’m ever on the ground, and we’ve had zero issues since. Everyone else here has been briefed about how to watch out for me too. But still, I’m sure that moment where he thought he had almost stepped on his girlfriend still has him rattled.

“Alright, yell if you need anything,” he says, scooping me off his arm and extending his hand to the floor. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that as soon as I’m no longer in the living room he probably wouldn’t be able to hear me. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Camila, who has been discussing one of her classes with Moira, trails off as she notices what’s going on opposite to her. I step onto the ground, grateful for my heavier duty socks as I can feel a layer of cold radiating from the hardwood floor. She locks eyes onto me and raises one eyebrow.

“Aren’t you worried about running into a spider or something?” she asks with a small smile on her face.

I glance up at her and feel a little dizzy. Even at home, looking up at Aiden from down at his feet, as if he truly was a skyscraper, is enough to make my insides squirm. And now the unfamiliar hulking furniture, the towering group of titans, particularly the dark-eyed beauty who already makes me feel rather uncomfortable… Yeah, I’m starting to rethink this plan. Oh well. I can push through.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, feigning confidence best I can.

“There shouldn’t be as many bugs around this time of year anyway, not in this area,” Aiden adds reassuringly.

Not wanting to extend this exchange, I quickly make my way towards the nearest wall as they resume their conversation. It takes me almost ten minutes to get to our room and climb up the ladder to my little camp on the nightstand. I change into a slightly warmer jacket to justify why I came here, and then I take a few minutes in the quiet to steady myself. I knew that a lot about this trip was going to be a bit intense. But I’ve got this. I’m going to have a fun evening and a fun weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this trip so much, and I know it’s going to be worth it.

I slip back out into the hallway when I start feeling mild tremors that are growing in strength. And then I notice a shadow up ahead before seeing a colossal figure turn the corner. Oh jeez, it’s Diego. He must be taking a break from cooking to go grab something from his room. Just a 150 foot giant heading towards me, no big deal…

He quickly notices me walking alongside the wall, his smile growing in acknowledgement. He slows down as he gets closer and asks me, “Need a boost? Or you’re good?”

He’s honestly so tall that I’m not sure he’ll be able to hear me very well from the floor, so I just flash him a double thumbs-up and he seems to get it. He keeps moving, and so do I. That’s pretty cool, this ability to coexist so seamlessly. I don’t plan to wander around on my own all that often - hell, in a place like this, I’m sure bugs really are more of a concern than they are back at the apartment. But it’s nice to know that I have the option of keeping some independence if I need to grab a snack or something.

By the time I get back to the living room, I can tell Aiden’s been casting frequent glances towards the hallway. He notices my movements and straightens up with a smile, and I wave before hurrying to him. He plucks me back off the floor, and once he’s set me onto his knee, I sit with a tall back full of pride. I know my little trip was so minor, but I kinda feel badass from it.

Things really pick up soon after that, and we end up having a blast this first night. We gather around the dining room table for the hearty stew that the Ignacios made in the cabin’s cast iron Dutch oven. We discuss the hiking trails that we plan on checking out tomorrow. We play a lighthearted party game all together, and then we eventually meander to the living room. Aiden gets a fire going in the hearth while Moira fetches apple cider for everyone, and soon we’re sprawled around in a circle, half of us on chairs and the other half on the floor as we chat.

I do bristle a little as Camila sits on the ground particularly close to Aiden and I, leaning against the couch right next to his legs. I think I saw a couple of subtle frowns from the rest of the group in her direction, but everyone regains their composure so fast that I question whether it even happened. I get over it very quickly.

“So does anyone have Halloween plans?” Diego suddenly asks.

“No” is the general consensus, and Star immediately follows that up with, “We should dress up and go somewhere! Like, as a group. It’d be fun.”

“Hmm… What should we dress up as?” Moira wonders.

Diego points his finger in my direction. “Well, what should Evie be? Let’s start there.”

I startle, pulling my legs into my chest self consciously as I shift back on the couch armrest. “Oh, I don’t have to be part of this,” I say, feeling embarrassed.

Star leans forward as she urges, “No, you have to be! Think about it. Halloween might be the only time of year you can be out in public and people won’t question it.”

This thought makes me pause. I’ve gotten so accustomed to hiding. The thought of being out in the open in any capacity, pretending to be a toy as part of someone else’s costume, is a little scary at first. But the more I consider it, the more I think it might be freeing too. Finally I relent, “I guess that’s true… Uhhh… Maybe I could be a fairy or something?”

“You could be Tinkerbell?” Aiden suggests with a smile. I’ve been gradually having him watch all of my favorite childhood movies since he missed out on a lot of the classics as a kid. Due to his particular interests, he was quite familiar with Peter Pan, but recently we decided to watch it anyway.

Moira seems excited by the idea. “Oooo, yeah, we could be a Peter Pan group! That’d be so cute.” She nods in our direction. “Aiden, I guess that makes you Peter?”

“Hmm…” he muses, and I shiver with pleasure as he runs a finger along my back while he thinks. A playful smirk lights up his features. “I kinda want to be Hook, actually. Then I could pretend I’ve captured you in a lantern… you know, if you ever need a break from any crowds.”

I laugh. “Uh huh, pretend, sure. I just won’t read too deep into the fact that you want to be the villain.”

The others chuckle, but meanwhile I’m already daydreaming about this potential opportunity for my boyfriend to dress up as a sexy pirate. Camila jumps in with uncharacteristic eagerness as she beams over towards her cousin. “I think Diego should be Pan. Green tights and everything.”

We all laugh even more at this casting choice. But Diego’s completely unphased and agrees heartily, “I have noooo problems being the main character!” He swoops his arm around his wife to pull her in closer. “I guess that makes you my Wendy, darling.”

Moira turns to Camila with a giggle. “You want to be a lost boy with me?”

Everyone seems eager enough that this plan might actually happen, and I start feeling more and more excited about the prospects. We end up discussing a group trip to Disney World too while we’re on the subject, which would be so expensive and logistically complicated that it probably won’t happen, but it’s fun to dream. It’s so nice that everyone’s in this good of a mood, and the number of times that I get interrupted due to simply not being heard is at an all-time low. We don’t stay up very late since we’re all tired from the drive, but man what a wonderful first evening this was.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

“Aren’t you worried about running into a spider or something?”

Just the two-legged variety…

I guess our little troupe will have to do without a Tiger-Lily.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Ehehehehe I see what you did there

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 68
Evie

I shiver and twist deeper into the covers as I come to consciousness this morning. The air feels even chillier in the early hours, but it just makes my bed feel all the more cozy. I slept pretty great, actually. As much as I’ve gotten used to the sounds of people and cars passing by outside back home, the relative quiet of the forest that surrounds us is lovely. I peek my eyes over the blanket to look towards Aiden, who’s turned in my direction but still fast asleep. The very tip of his nose is pinker than normal with the cold. I wish I could tuck him in a little better. But even if I was strong enough to drag his blankets, I’m too comfortable to move right now.

Soon I hear a slight floor creaking coming from outside of our room. I lift my head up to listen, and sure enough, there’s a very light tap on the door a second later.

Alright, alright… Comfort be damned, Moira and I made plans for this morning. I force myself out of bed, rushing to throw on some warmer outerwear, and then I quickly make my way down the ladder that’s hanging from the nightstand. I pause to look up at the bed, looming so high that I can’t see past the edge of it. I blow my sleeping boyfriend a kiss before I turn and hurry away.

The gap under the door is big enough for me to slide under, and the first thing I see are a pair of feet clad in fuzzy purple socks. My friend is crouched there, anticipating my arrival, and she already looks so put together with her yoga pants, a light coat of makeup, and a cute, casual side braid. And here I thought I was an early bird.

“Good morning,” she whispers, immediately offering me her hand.

“Morning,” I respond sleepily, and once I clear the door I don’t even bother standing up before I crawl aboard. It takes a great amount of effort to keep myself from curling up in the warmth of her palm and refusing to budge.

A quick stop by the kitchen for a drink of water is enough to rouse me to attention, and then once we head out to the back deck, the fresh air does the rest of the job. Looks like Moira’s already rolled out her yoga mat, and she has a hand towel laid out on a nearby bench for me. I thank her profusely for the setup as she sets me down.

“You said you’ve done yoga before, yeah?" she asks once she’s stepped onto her own mat.

“Um, I’ve followed a couple of videos before, but I’ve never done a class. Please guide me," I call out to her.

“Okay, sure! Let’s do some sun salutations to get us going? We’ll start with tadasana, mountain pose. Stand like this, arms to the side… There you go.”

I quickly realize that I need to stretch more. I was diligent about doing the leg extensions that Diego sent me after my injury, but I’ve been slacking lately and I can really feel it as I struggle to hit some of these yoga poses. I’m more in shape now compared to before I got shrunk since I have to travel further distances and do a lot of climbing, but I don’t take nearly as much time as I should to stay limber. Actually, I should ask Moira to do this with me more often. It’s fun to do it together, she’s a good teacher. Even if she needs to go out of her way and come quite close to me to help correct my positions from time to time.

By the time we finish up half an hour later, I’ve started to sweat and have abandoned my jacket, but I feel refreshed. We’re noticing bits of commotion coming from inside the cabin as everyone else slowly wakes up. Aiden’s face had briefly appeared in the window halfway through our practice, smiling once he’d confirmed where I was before leaving us be. Soon enough the scent of coffee trickles out of open windows.

The back door opens, and with a pronounced yawn Star shuffles out onto the deck as well. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun so that only the one strand of blue is hanging down by her face. She’s holding two bowls in her hands as she trudges our way and says, “Hellooo ladies. Anybody want oatmeal?"

There’s a patch of sunlight that’s landed on the patio accent table, giving us a spot to have breakfast outdoors. I fill my senses with the apple and cinnamon, savoring the taste of fall. Thankfully I carry a few basic tools and utensils in my jacket pockets, so I’m able to dig right into the spoonful of oatmeal that I’m offered.

“Is everyone else up too?” I ask between bites.

“Yeah. Camila’s still upstairs getting ready," Star says with a sleepy smile. “I think I’ll be staying with her while you guys go on that hike, I just want to relax. The boys are prepping food for the day in the kitchen.”

Moira ponders for a moment and then suggests, “Well, I don’t think we were planning to leave until 9 or 10… Would you guys want to do a bit of that spa stuff beforehand since we didn’t end up doing it last night? We can have some quality girl time?"

Star perks up at this. “Yeah, totally, if you guys have time! I’m sure Camila would love that too."

I briefly hesitate, imagining the four of us hanging out and putting on face masks. That does sound nice and relaxing. And Camila’s been pretty chill so far, which is encouraging. So quickly I chime in, “Sure, why not!”

We finish our breakfast while marveling at how beautiful the nearby tree line looks at this hour. Star is apparently extra touchy when she’s sleepy, frequently putting a hand on Moira’s arm or rubbing my head with a finger as we chat. But I’m endeared by it. I honestly still haven’t quite figured out why I don’t find Star to ever be patronizing. No matter how honey-sweet of a tone she employs, or how much she fawns over how cute she finds me, or how she gently pets me without expressed permission, it never feels disrespectful. It feels like she would treat any of her loved ones this way, and I’m all for it.

She’s the one who offers to carry me back inside, cupping her fingers around my frame to protect me from the odd breeze. We go by the kitchen to drop off the dishes and let the guys know what we’ll be up to before the hike. They’ve got an array of bread slices spread out on the counter, in the middle of making way too many sandwiches.

“What do you want in yours?” Diego asks as he points at me in his wife’s hand.

“I’m fine with whatever,” I call back, “I’ll have some of Aiden’s.”

“Pshhh, c’mon. Not even half a sandwich?” he mocks with a grin, slapping a spoonful of mustard onto the sourdough. “Weak.”

I roll my eyes with a sigh, but I’m laughing. I’m also not sure why it’s never bothered me all that much that Diego has poked fun at my size from the moment I met him. I’ve found it refreshing that he doesn’t overthink how he needs to treat me. Again, it feels like he acts this way with all of his friends, and it’s how he helps make me feel like I’m truly part of the group.

We update the men on our spa plans, and they’re amenable to splitting up by gender for the next hour - I’m sure they’ll be happy to sneak in a couple of games of Magic before we head out. I can see the intent look in Aiden’s gaze when our eyes meet and we silently check in with each other. I smile widely to let him know I’m doing just fine.

We gather in the main bedroom downstairs, where Camila quickly joins us, wearing fancy loungewear and fluffy red earmuffs. She seems quite enthusiastic about the face masks, and we all pile onto the bed, with me finding a spot on one of the pillows to spread out some tissue paper to sit on.

Once we’ve done some exfoliating and moisturizing, Star offers to cut my hair, since apparently she does it for her nieces all the time. I’m initially wary when I see the blade, despite the rounded tips on the small scissors that she has. But ultimately I agree when I remember what Diego had said about how Star has stitched up a hamster’s leg before. I trust that she’s capable and will be very careful.

“Have you cut it since you’ve gotten tiny?” she asks me, draping my long brown locks over the side of her index finger.

“Nope. It’s actually been driving me a little crazy lately,” I say, closing my eyes to try to block out the thought of scissors coming so close. I hear Moira murmuring something to Camila about how they need to hold still and not shake the bed.

“Hmm, maybe the split ends are just too small for me to make out, your hair feels so silky… Okay, this’ll be real quick.”

I hold my breath and everyone goes strangely silent. I feel a slight tug, hear the sound of quick snips, and it’s all over in less than a minute. I look behind me as Star carefully tries to brush some of the loose hairs off of my back. I take one hanging strand to examine it, feeling immensely satisfied at the fresh feel of it now that it only comes down to my chest instead of nearing my waist.

"There, I tried not to make it too short,” Star says, smoothing out my hair affectionately. I turn around to smile up at her gratefully and she coos, “You are so precious, Evie. Like a little doll.”

The other two girls relax now that there are no more sharp blades in my vicinity. “That looks great! You even got some layering in there,” Moira marvels.

Camila leans in a little closer. “Yeah, you do look like a little doll,” she comments. I feel a bit guilty for thinking this, but I can’t help feeling that those words sounded better coming out of Star’s mouth. Still, she’s trying, and I respond with a warm smile.

“Thank you so much for this, Star,” I say, giving my friend’s nearby finger a tight hug.

“Anytime!” she giggles, “I’d love to be your new hairdresser. I’m sure I’ll get better at it over time.”

I thank her a couple more times before relaxing the embrace, finally letting go at the sound of a ziploc bag opening.

“Oh good, I’ve been meaning to change up my nails for the fall,” says Camila as she also notices Moira reaching into her bag of nail polish.

Mo is in the middle of holding up one of the bottles when she pauses. “Shoot. Evie, I didn’t think about this… Are the fumes a bad idea?” She bites her lip with concern, and the other two turn their heads towards me.

I squirm and shake my head, feeling suddenly embarrassed under their stares. “Oh, um, I’m sure it’s fine. I just won’t get too close. It’s not like I can use the brushes on myself, and uh… here!” I reach over to a nearby scrap of tissue that I’d been using to wash my face with earlier, and I tear off a strip before tying it around my face to cover my nose and mouth. “Ta-da! Don’t worry, it’s not like I do this every day.”

“Let me at least go open a window to air out the room,” Moira offers and gets up to do just that.

The girls start painting their fingernails, and while I’m feeling a little wistful that I can’t join in due to my own nails being the size of poppy seeds, I still feel included when they ask me for my opinion in color choices. But while Camila and Moira seem very accustomed to this activity, Star is struggling.

“Ahh, I’m so bad at this,” she laments, trying to scrub the dot of polish that she got onto the skin of her thumb.

“Can I help?” I pipe up, sliding off the pillow to head towards her. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, so she has to lower her hand down towards me for me to reach it.

“You sure?” she asks tentatively. “I thought you weren’t going to get too close.”

The smell of the polish is pretty strong, but not nauseatingly so. “It’s really not too bad. I’d love to give you a hand! It makes me happy if I can return the haircut favor in any way.”

“Alright then… thanks!”

I extract a couple of the tools from my jacket pocket since some of them are for painting minis, and they really come in handy now. I use a small splinter to scrape errant nail polish off, and then I eventually end up helping her paint an orange leaf on her ring finger.

“Wow, that looks really good!”

I’m shocked to look up and see that it’s Camila who has praised me so avidly on my detail work. I hope I don’t look too surprised as I beam up at her.

“Thank you! I can try to help if anyone else wants some kind of design.”

Star pauses in blowing at her fingernails to giggle, “You say that now until we switch to pedicures.”

I grin and wave my hand to push her concern aside. “I really don’t mind!”

“No, no, I was kidding, I’m not going to make you deal with my dirty–”

I gasp as just then we’re interrupted. Out of nowhere, Camila has just extended her foot from her seat, plopping it down right in front of me. I lose my balance from the impact and land on my butt, every muscle tense as I try to make sense of what’s happening. Her bare foot is as large as a tank, imposing all on its own, her heavy toes having landed much too close for comfort. The rest of her leg is like a hulking tower, and looming far above is her smiling face.

No, it’s… it’s more of a smirk. It’s incredibly apparent to me in this split second. She’s getting a kick out of seeing me down at her feet like this. Our eyes meet and the message she sends me is as clear as if she’d spoken out loud. It sends a shiver down my spine.

“Ewww, Camila, what are you doing??” Star yelps, and just as quickly as it appeared, the foot is shoved away again, the bedsheets buckling back and jostling me again.

“She was offering!” Camila laughs, casually folding her leg back.

“She was just being nice, you weirdo!”

Moira gently approaches me as Star berates her cousin-in-law. She gets my attention by showing me the nail design on one of her fingers, quietly pretending to need help straightening out a line. She uses the opportunity to pick me up, pushing the side of her hand into the mattress to slide her palm under me. I quickly snap out of it and cooperate, regaining my smile as fast as I can. But I’m still reeling from what just happened, reliving it in the back of my mind.

Everyone I’ve met since I’ve shrunk has treated me a little differently. Some of them specifically make reference to my height while others avoid it. Some of them are more liberal in touching me while others are more mindful about my personal space. Some of them try to help me out directly while others help me help myself. But outside of Dr. Little they’ve all been kind. They all treat me as an equal.

Camila clearly does not share that sentiment. I could practically hear her voice in my head as she sat there and savored the sight of me all the way down at her toes like a servant. The look in her eyes very clearly told me, “Oh, you think you’re one of us? That’s cute.”

I feel sick. I’ve been spoiled by so many months of living with Aiden and being surrounded by supportive friends. I have no idea how to deal with this. Desperately I fight back tears, only barely managing to.

Soon we’re able to just laugh the moment off as a silly little joke. I really don’t want the others to know how unnerved I feel after that. I don’t even want to acknowledge it to myself. All I want is to have a good time on this trip. But deep down I know that whatever benefit of the doubt I had been offering Camila up until now, whatever naive hope I had that she and I could get along as casual friends… all of it has vanished in an instant.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I’m sorry to say it, but Camila is my kind of villain. I understand why Evie wants to keep her feelings to herself, but she’s in for a time. Good luck, girl.

Star & Diego make an adorable giant couple. I kinda need fanart of them from Evie’s POV.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Oooo I’m curious what you mean by your kind of villain. It’s been interesting to see the reactions to Camila - even far before this particular chapter of her being more blatantly a bully there have been a lot of intense comments about her. (Meanwhile I’m hoping people hate her in a way that’s fun because she’ll be around for a bit longer yet…)

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 69
Aiden

I’m staring out at a sprawling valley, and the untouched wilderness stretches out for miles and miles ahead. The hills and low mountains are completely covered with trees. You can actually visibly see the transition from summer to autumn in the jagged line that separates bright green leaves from the yellow and orange ones, the colors mixing with a chaotic beauty.

“Woowww,” sighs a voice from near my shoulder.

“Right?” I whisper back.

Evie isn’t in my shirt pocket as usual - I didn’t want to risk her having to deal with any dampness if I got too sweaty on this hike. Instead, one of the many ways we prepared for this trip was by attaching a pocket to the strap of my backpack. It definitely looks handmade in comparison to her regular spot right against my chest, but it’s also custom built to her specific size. So far she’s seemed quite comfortable in there, and it doesn’t make much difference to me since she’s around the same level on my body as usual.

“I’m assuming there’s an impressive view on the other side of that bush?” Moira asks from just behind me.

I turn to glance down at her, frowning as I look between her and the foliage in question. “Oh shoot, you can’t see over that?”

She tries standing on her tiptoes before shaking her head. “It’s fine, I’m sure we’ve almost reached the oooohmygodwhatareyoudoing–!”

Diego has suddenly stepped behind Moira to hook his hands under her arms and vault her into the air, so that I have to now look way up instead. He places her on his shoulders nonchalantly, as if she was a child. Her arms flail in fear before she latches tightly onto his head.

“Diego, are you nuts?! We’re on an incline!” she whimpers, squeezing her eyes shut.

“And you weigh, like, two pounds,” he chuckles. “I’ve gotcha. Just relax and soak in aaalll those fall vibes!”

Moira finally catches her breath and relaxes enough to open her eyes. She hesitantly joins us in admiring the scenery, nothing but the sound of the breeze filling the air as we stand in silence for a few more moments. It’s a welcome break after a couple of hours of nonstop walking. Not that I’m complaining, as this hike has been such a pleasure. Fresh air, colorful scenery, both quiet moments and lively ones. The weather is absolutely perfect - sunny enough that the lingering morning dew was sparkling when we left, but with a pleasant cool breeze that has kept us at the ideal temperature in the shade.

I peer up ahead at our path, trying to get a sense of how much further we need to go. “I think I can see the trail marker,” I say, “We’re almost there, I’m sure the view’s even better up in that clearing. And then we can have lunch?”

“Sounds good to me!” Diego declares as he turns and starts walking up the trail again, with Moira still sitting on his shoulders.

She immediately protests with an uncharacteristic firmness. “No, no. You are not going to keep hiking up this mountain with me here. Put me down.”

“Aight, aight. Take it easy, chiquita,” Diego relents, hoisting her back over his head and down to the ground.

“I don’t know how you do it, Evie,” Moira sighs, though now that she’s on terra firma again she’s able to smile as she gives Diego a playful glare. “Getting manhandled all the time.”

“You get used to it,” Evie laughs.

“‘Scuse me for worrying about those lil’ legs of yours after the past few hours,” our tallest friend chuckles good-naturedly.

I chime in, “He’s sort of got a point. Are you holding up okay, Mo?”

“Yup. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Several minutes later we make it to the sign that marks the end of the seven mile hike. The trees are far more sparse in our immediate vicinity, instead replaced with a few large rocks for us to sit on and around. In turn we collapse into seated positions to rest. Moira takes a little longer to get some pictures of the scenery for her work Instagram before she joins us.

“Alright, I’ll admit it… I’m really grateful for the break,” she says with a heavy exhale. She hangs her head and mumbles, “Stupid short legs.”

I’m in the process of transferring Evie from my pocket to my hand, but once she’s settled I grab a water bottle from my backpack and extend it to my second shortest friend.

“My bad," I tell her, "I didn’t even take into consideration the fact that the two of us are quite a bit taller than you when I suggested this hike.”

She reassures me that she’s alright, that she had happily agreed to joining and that she’s having a great time. But then as she’s speaking, I can’t help but notice out of the corner of my eye that Evie’s looking particularly deep in thought as she looks up at the rest of us one by one. I nudge her with my thumb curiously.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She snaps out of it, shaking her head apologetically before explaining, “Sometimes it’s hard to get a sense of certain things from down here… But, um, I can’t believe I’ve never asked this before… How tall are you, Aiden?”

Yeah, wow, I also can’t believe we’ve gone this long without mentioning it. But since Diego happens to be present when she asked, I just can’t help suddenly smirking and looking sidelong at him in reaction to the question. He responds with a massive eye roll.

Evie notices our exchanged looks and is preemptively laughing as she says, “What? Is it a weird thing to ask…?”

“No, it’s nothing,” I croon, still grinning smugly. “Just a bet I won a long time ago that I like to still rub in his face.”

Diego groans. “Just answer her question, bro.”

I take a moment to explain first, meeting Evie’s eyes again. “So believe it or not, I was actually taller than Diego when we were kids. But then he hit puberty early and shot up like a weed, and he broke the six foot mark when he was, like, twelve. At that point he bet that I’d never reach that height. But I was more of a slow and steady type. I was moving around the country after that with my family, but I would text him updates as I slowly inched up. I was in high school when I finally hit the mark. Just barely, and I never went past it, but still. I made it to six feet tall out of pure spite.”

“Yeah, whatever. You still never caught up,” Diego grumbles with a teasing smile, and from the way his arm tenses I can tell he would have shoved me if I wasn’t holding my tiny girlfriend aloft. Thankfully he abstains.

Evie giggles and turns to him. “So how tall are you, Diego?

“Six foot nine,” he says with a hint of pride but mostly the automatic drone of someone who’s had to answer that question many times to curious strangers.

“Holy crap. I guess you really are a giant,” she marvels, and then she turns the other way. “What about you, Moira?”

“Four foot eight,” she sighs.

Evie nods pensively. “Huh. Yeah, we’re uh… kind of all over the map, aren’t we?”

I frown as I try to remember that day back in February that I usually want to forget, back when I was looking over her paperwork before guiding her into Dr. Little’s lab. I quickly give up and decide to just ask, “How tall were you, Eve? Before, I mean.”

“Five foot four,” she says automatically, before twitching as if she’d received an electric shock.

Diego muses absently, “Huh, you’d be about Camila’s height. That’s hard to imagine…”

But I’m still focused on Evie and how her demeanor has changed. She looks visibly shaken. I lift her up slightly higher to catch her attention. “You alright?” I ask softly.

She glances up at the three of us, hesitating before deciding that she can confide in not just me but all of us. “It’s weird. I’d never really processed the fact that I can’t give that same answer anymore if someone were to ask me my height… I still mentally measure my surroundings on my own scale - like, I think of your hand as measured in feet, not in inches. As if the entire world has grown bigger. It just makes me feel weirdly self conscious when I remember it’s the opposite…”

There’s a tightness in my chest as I watch her grappling with her own reality. I can’t possibly imagine what it might be like for her, even after all this time. The fact that her height makes her feel “self conscious” pains me in particular, considering how much this amazing woman means to me.

I sigh and give her a half smile as I lift her up higher still and say, “I know it’s hard, but… Just know that there’s nothing wrong with you, okay?”

Moira scoots in from one side of me so she can touch her arm with one finger. “Agreed. You’re our friend no matter the height difference.”

Evie hugs the offered finger gratefully, and Diego leans in from the other side. “Yeah! Besides, three inches suits you. You wouldn’t be our lil’ shrimp otherwise.” He gently pokes the top of her head to muss up her hair.

This is probably the closest thing we can do to a group hug, and that’s not lost on the tiny girl in my palm. She briefly gets misty eyed, hugging Moira tighter, and chokes out, “Thanks, guys.”

Evie still seems a little off after that. Externally she’s acting like nothing’s the matter, jumping into conversation without issue over lunch, and frequently expressing delight over fall leaves and deer sightings on the trek back to the cabin. But I’ve seen her hide her feelings enough to sense that something might be up. She’s been acting a little weird all day, actually. I figure it might be because she’s overwhelmed by so much excitement and by constantly being around groups of people. But it’s hard to find a private moment with her to really make sure.

We’re pretty wiped by the time we get back to home base and it’s nearing late afternoon. The plan is to just relax in the covered patio for a while with some cider. I’ll need to start working on the campfire soon since I’m on dinner duty, but I still have some time to rest first, so I plan to hang out with everyone too. That is, until we get intercepted.

“Welcome back,” says Camila as she comes down the stairs to join us in the living room. “Hey, Aiden, can I get your help with something?”

I’m in the middle of unloading, Evie in hand as I drop my backpack to the floor. With a stifled exhale I ask, “Right now?”

“Yes please. I wanted to air out my room but the window’s stuck.”

“I can help,” Diego offers, having just put away his own bag.

“I don’t think your hand will fit,” Camila mumbles, gaze falling to the floor.

Evie pipes up just then, calling out to me. “Go ahead, I’ll go to the patio with the others. Can I get a ride, Kong?”

I reflexively lift her up for the upcoming transfer, keeping my eyes on her slight frame. Diego grins and reaches his arm out, touching his fingertips to the back of my hand. “Careful what you wish for," he tells her, "You want a drop tower or loop de loops?”

Looking particularly small as she stretches one leg out towards my massive friend’s palm, she pauses before her foot makes contact. “Uhhh. Moira, can I get a ride?”

“I’m kiddiiiiiing, c’mere Shrimp,” Diego laughs, and with a matching giggle my girlfriend slides off of my hand and is whisked away.

I follow Camila up the stairs, glancing around at the contents of her room. It’s a little messy in here, making me watch where I step as I pick my way across. The space is cluttered with blankets, pillows, clothing and shoes, and the tables are covered in makeup and skincare products. There’s a sweet fragrance in the air, a perfume of some kind, and it’s a bit stifling. No wonder she wants to open a window.

I investigate the latch and notice how rusty it is, and it takes me a while to wrench away at it, since I’m being careful not to brute force the thing and break it. Camila sits on the bed and hugs her legs into herself as she waits unhurriedly. After a minute of me struggling with the window she makes conversation.

“Remember that trip to Wisconsin?” she muses, “At Honeydew Ranch?”

She’s been doing this kind of thing more frequently since we’ve been on this trip, reminiscing on our family trips from when we were kids. It bothers me when she brings it up while everyone else is around, essentially gatekeeping our conversation from half the group with old inside jokes. But otherwise I haven’t really minded it, since childhood memories are one of the few things she and I have in common.

“Mm-hmm,” I hum as I think back, “That was my junior year of high school. I guess you were still in middle school?”

“Yeah. My window kept getting stuck during that trip too. Maybe I’m cursed or something.”

“I remember that, actually,” I chuckle. Finally the latch comes loose, but now I have to try to slide the faulty window up to open it.

Camila continues her trip down memory lane. “Yeah I figured you would, because I kept asking you to help me then too. Remember that day we stayed at the cabin while everyone else went out? And we just watched those weird Spanish reality shows all afternoon? Good times.”

I smile wryly as my muscles strain. Yeah, I’m sure she had fun then. Meanwhile the only reason I had stayed at the cabin with her that day was because I had a broken tibia and couldn’t go horseback riding with everyone else the way I would have liked. Guess she forgot about that part. I opt not to remind her, instead laughing awkwardly and agreeing, “Good times.”

Finally feeling a breeze leaking into the room, I grunt from the last burst of effort and let go of the window. I was only able to open it by an inch, and now it feels like it might be stuck like this. But the difference in air quality is immediate, so hopefully this is fine. I turn back around and falter for a second as I realize how intensely Camila is staring at me. She smiles wider and I shift uncomfortably.

“You all set here?” I ask, motioning towards the window. “I need to go make sure I know where the firewood is for tonight.”

Her eyes drift lower along my body for a second before she sits up and swings her legs back off the bed. “Yeah I’m good, thanks for the help. I’ll come with.”

I feel a little better once we’re in an open area downstairs. I locate the firewood in a designated log holder near the fire pit, and it’s easy from there to rejoin the rest of the group. Everyone is gathered around the patio table and in the process of laughing at something. And there’s my girl, standing on top of the table, currently the center of attention as she energetically tells a story. I smile warmly as I sit on the bench and my eyes briefly meet Evie’s as she speaks. Camila slides in next to me.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I’ve said this before, but the fact that Evie didn’t know any of these people before she became tiny greatly simplifies how their relationships have developed. She’s already confronted the possibility that Aiden might “like her better this way,” and here Moira and Diego—while showing love and acceptance—tell Evie that they’ve adapted to having a three-inch-tall friend for the foreseeable future. If Evie is ever to be restored to full-size, she’s going to need her friends’ help, and she needs them to want that as much as she does. I’m curious to see the reaction of someone who knew Evie at full-size to see her as she is now (I just hope it’s not Brock).

Oooo I’m curious what you mean by your kind of villain.

One of my favorite size themes is seeing how different people adjust to the power differential, particularly in worlds (like this one) where size-changing is unheard of and no one’s had to seriously consider it before. While Camila might not be the most mature young woman, there’s been nothing to suggest that she’s disrespectful of others or prone to depraved indifference or casual violence. Until she met a three-inch-tall romantic rival.

World-breaking size-differential (like Evie’s) also tends to break morality; this is a brand-new situation, so perhaps the old rules don’t apply. The amount of physical accommodation tiny people need is so absurd that full-size people are constantly forgetting or discounting it. Their sheer vulnerability argues that worrying about tinies’ welfare is a waste of time and effort.

Camila initially resisted recognizing Evie’s personhood, and honestly what kind of person is threatened by a bare foot? Evie’s inability to affect much of anything runs right up against the fact that she has clearly foreclosed Camila’s romantic ambition. That kind of dissonance can erode all manner of moral values.

So, “my kind of villain” is an otherwise considerate person corrupted by the power-differential between them and people much smaller than them.

It’s been interesting to see the reactions to Camila - even far before this particular chapter of her being more blatantly a bully there have been a lot of intense comments about her.

Genre-wise, Out of Their Element has been a Gentle size story. The main antagonist seems to be miscommunication. There’s been no foreshadowing of a return of Dr. Little, and even Brock could well remain safely in the backstory. Then, just as Evie and Aiden seem to have found their groove, Camila shows up and interrupts the string of New Characters Who Unhesitatingly Agree To Protect And Befriend Evie. Camila is the other shoe for which we’ve been waiting to drop (hopefully not literally).

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Oof, there’s so much that I want to say that I won’t because ~spoilers~ but I really enjoy hearing your thoughts, as usual!

And yes, I think you’re right on how OoTE has been a gentle story so far, and so any kind of truly antagonistic presence really breaks the status quo. I wonder if part of the intense reaction to her comes from the fact that oftentimes the villains in these size stories tend to follow certain beats. A few of the folks I’ve heard from have made some very confident predictions on what Camila is going to do next. Meanwhile I just hope I don’t disappoint anyone with what happens, one way or another… But it’s all decided already (and I know that there’s never pleasing everyone when you make a thing) so I’ll just keep plowing on!

Thanks for indulging me in some of these more behind-the-scenes thoughts.