467/Gimme a break

Gimme a break
Date of Scene:	20 September 2023
Location:	Administrative Office
Synopsis:	Hotaru always likes to share... but sometimes... she really shouldn't. As Setsuna learns the hard way and causes the nurse a... tiny problem.
Cast of Characters:	Hotaru Tomoe, Setsuna Meiou, Takashi Agera

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Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was, well, having a pretty good day. Takashi was getting a new office, so he was happy. Daddy was doing pretty good at work and had even COME HOME EARLY! Oh, that had been an absolute JOY for her. They'd played BOARD GAMES!

One of those moments she'd definitely cherish. And today, she'd gotten a kit kat bar out of the employee candy bowl! She'd never seen one there, but it was fun! But, now? Today? She'd actually had a dizzy spell. Not a seizure, a dizzy spell. But she had decided to go and see Setsuna, just in case. Letting the nurse check up on her to make sure nothing was wrong.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
The infirmary at the Radiant Heart Academy is, as perhaps expected, just as swank as the rest of the school. It's a large, well-supplied room separated with some of those rolling medical divider walls. Fairly nice beds can be seen here and there through gaps, and the main area is set up like a typical waiting room/nurse's station, complete with posters giving info about various adolescent diseases/conditions/problems.

One poster stands out a little from the rest. It's mostly just black text on a white background with the last word in bright red. It reads: 'Never Do Anything You Wouldn't Want To Explain To The NURSE'

Nurse Meiou is where she usually hangs out while waiting for a patient to arrive, namely leaning against a counter, reading a book while spinning a pen through the fingers of her off hand. Her current book has a picture of a tall, somewhat scruffy man in a longcoat with a staff in one hand and a massive revolver in the other.

As Hotaru arrives at her doorway, the nurse stops and looks over at her, the pen in her hands stopping dead before, with a twist, being replaced by...a black bar of nothingness. It kind of looks like a hole in reality with a golden and perhaps glowing stylized capital P...which she uses to mark the place in her book before shutting it and setting it on the counter beside her (revealing it's title to be 'Small Favors').

Standing up and walking towards the door she says, "Miss Tomoe, please, come in. How are you feeling?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave a small, weak little smile. "I had a moment of light headedness and got dizzy when I was outside working on a project for class," Hotaru said nervously. "I... I doubt it's anything, but I thought I should make sure to talk with the nurse, just in case." She'd come inside, walking over to one of the medical beds and jumping onto it, sitting down. Likely a lot of testing, measuring and...actually glancing at the poster. She spent a lot of time coming by here, yet she swore the posters were always changing. What wouldn't she want to explain to a nurse?

Likely a lot, if she was honest. Well, of the things she did. She did a lot of crimes these days. For good reason.

She thought they were good reason.

"Have you been well?" she asked, looking up at the much taller woman.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Nurse Meiou smiles back to the young woman, "Well, let's get you looked at, then. You're probably right, but best to check."

At that, she starts doing a series of the rather lower-tech checks that she's forced to use due Hotaru's prostheses...but she's calm and polite as she does, and she seems to be quite happy to respond, "Fairly well. Had it pointed out rather spectacularly this weekend that I know little to nothing about cars...but other than that, reasonably well. And yourself?"

She hrms after going through the little series of tests, then adds the question, "...when did you eat last?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help but giggle at the mention of cars. "Oh, don't worry, Meiou-san. I don't know anything about cars either. I've driven in them a few times. Oh, and they're a lot of fun when they're going fast."

Something Setsuna likely had some experience with. Whether she liked it or not.

However, when the question came up, her cheeks went red. "I... oh... I ummm... I had some crackers this morning... I uhhh... think I have a ummmm..." And then fished around in her pockets under... "Oh!" she said, pulling out the kit kat bar. It was a big one. And... some kind of holiday themed? 'Enchanting Apple'

Earlier at obsidian:

"Where is it?!" Majorina yelled.

"What are you yelling about?" Akaoni asked, peering over at her.

"Where's my swap-sizes-with-who-you-share-candy-bar?!" Majorina asked.

"... What? The kitkat?" Akaoni asked.

"YES! Where is it?!" she asked furiously.

"Oh, I threw it outside, I don't even like kitkats!" Akaoni said with a laugh.

"You fool!" Majorina yelled at him.

Back at the plot:

"Want a piece?" Hotaru asked, before breaking off a piece for herself. It was pretty big for such a little thing... the second piece she offered out to Setsuna. It smelled chocolate apply.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Nurse Meiou looks briefly chagrined at the comment about 'lot of fun when they're moving fast'. Her experiences there were rather...different.

Then again, Hotaru probably didn't get to experience a true motorhead pushing the limits of what a supercar can do in an experience that one expert once commented to observers about, 'It's about now that the uninitiated have a tendancy to soil themselves'. She managed to avoid THAT fate...but overall...she's not looking forward to repeating the experience.

Ahem.

When Hotaru does what Nurse Meiou suspected and realizes that her bout of dizziness was her body saying 'Eat somthing, stupid!', she covers her mouth for a moment to hide a grin...that's sadly completely evident in her eyes. But when Hotaru offers to share a candy bar with her, the older woman's smile becomes much more genuine and she nods, "Why thank you, Miss Tomoe. I wouldn't mind at all."

She figures that Hotaru will be more likely to eat the rest if she eats at least a little, after all, so she accepts the offered piece and eats it as soon as Hotaru starts hers.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe honestly, really liked it! It was an apply kit kat. As kit kats go, it was pretty great. A bit... nutty, even. She was midway on the second piece before... huh. She felt actually REALLY good. Like. Stronger, even. Tougher. Taller. More powerful. Like she--

Blink. Blink blink. Wait. She.. was taller. A LOT taller. SHE WAS A LOT TALLER! SHE SHRIEKED, FLAILING FOR A MOMENT! "M-MEIOU-SENPAI!" she screamed, kicking out a WAY TOO LONG LEG!

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Nurse Meiou, on the other hand, had closed her eyes for a moment as she was chewing...so when she opens them and her view is suddenly not the young woman sitting on the bed that she was treating and is now instead the lower back of a fully grown woman.

Blink.

Blink.

She holds up an arm...tht's now lost in a sleeve FAAAAAAAAAAAAR too big for her arms.

The other arm is held up...same problem.

A quick look down is taken...and MY, but the floor is FAR closer than she's remembered seeing it since...well, before floors, actually.



Now, NORMALLY, Setsuna Meiou is the kind of person that is best described as 'unflappable', as she apparently takes most everything in stride.

But this?

Only three words come to mind.

"What?"

"The?"

"FUCK?!"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe looked back and... AND THEN SHRIEKED AGAIN! And, oh dear. She already had her cell phone out, clumsily sending a text to her senpai. "AHHHHH! You're tiny?! Why are you tiny? Why am I so big? Why do I-- AHHHHHH!" aaaaand why was she so big and her clothes were tight and... And she was maybe kind of panicking juuuuust a little bit.

Okay, a lot of bit. She was not the kind of girl TO KEEP HER COOL IN SITUATIONS! LIKE THIS OR OTHERWISE!

Then, however, she stopped for a moment. And... "Wait, what? I have arms again!" ... Okay then.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Nurse Meiou tries to take a step...but wobbles and very nearly faceplants as she realizes that she is now swimming in her labcoat like a four year old trying to wear her mother's clothes.

She doesn't FEEL four. She's not four, right?

No...wait, if she was four, she'd be way shorter than this, even. Probably about nine to eleven. Yeah.

After taking a few seconds to think that through, she reaches down and clumsily pulls the material of her labcoat up so that she's not trying to walk on it when she moves and she shuffles around to the other side of the exam bed...then she looks up at Hotaru.

And up.

And up.

And up.

And up.

Absently the thought goes through her head, "...is this what it's like for everyone else?"

In a hesitant (and FAR higher pitched than normal) voice, she says, "...Miss Tomoe?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe looked back down at her from her frantic typing...

You text Takashi Agera: Ummmmm... There's... a small problem.

A text from Takashi Agera: Are we talking like Hotaru size small problem or Hematite-size problem

You text Takashi Agera: HEMATITE! DEFINITELY HEMATITE!

You text Takashi Agera: Oh, hey! I have arms again. And legs!

A text from Takashi Agera: so do I need to put on my fighting lab coat, my rescue lab coat... No, I just need to get over there right now clearly.

Now she took a moment to... look at Setsuna and... wow. "Oh... Oh wow. You are adorable." Type type type.

You text Takashi Agera: ... Ohmygosh she's so cute. Take your time. Is this what I'm like? Am I adorable?

A text from Takashi Agera: you are very adorable.

You text Takashi Agera: ... That guy in the ship never stood a chance.

"Meiou-senpai? Is... is that you? Are you... are you..." And then, she couldn't help it. She reached out. And picked her up. AND HUGGED HER! "Oh my gosh you're so tiny and cute I could just EEEEEE!"

Oh boy.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna...because let's face it, nobody's going to think of her as 'Nurse Meiou' when she's swimming in her labcoat just blinks at Hotaru a few times. Something this fundamentally altering happens and her first instinct is to...send a text message? Maybe several?

She opens her mouth to say something, but then Hotaru comments that she's 'adorable'.

This is something...she can't remember having ever been called before.

Does not compute.

While she's trying to process that, Hotaru manages to get off several more texts...and then Setsuna finds herself being picked up and hugged.

On reflex, she hugs back with all her chibi might (ie, not much)...but after a moment, a thought manages to percolate into her brain, 'This is what Chrono must feel like ALL THE TIME.'

A moment later, she asks, "...uhm...Miss Tomoe...do you have any idea what's going on?

She doesn't stop hugging, though.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe shook her head. "Ummmm... no. Honestly? Wish I did. I... was kind of hoping you did. Ummmmm... kind of hoping neither of us remember this but kind of hoping I do because oh my gosh you are so cute!"

And oh my gosh she hugged back EEEEEEE! BEST! TINY CHIBI SENSHI EVER!

"Ummmm... I don't know enough made up words to even try and imagine what this could be. It's like we were left in the washer too long and I... grew and... you... shrunk... maybe?"

From across the city, Chrono suddenly felt the urge to nod in agreement, no idea why.

Hotaru blinked a few times and just stared. "... You are REALLY cute." Annnd more texting.

A text from Takashi Agera: he saved you for me and then helped you pick up loot. did you not think you're adorable after that?

You text Takashi Agera: I mean, yes, I knew I was kind of cute! But I didn't know I was THIS cute. I'm gonna hug her.

A text from Takashi Agera: Alright, should I meet you as a civilian or Riv?

You text Takashi Agera: Takashi. I didn't call on my device.

A text from Takashi Agera: I don't know if there are places you get better cell service than magical device service. you can't blame me for asking. One sec I have to Door there.

"My senpai will be here soon, ummmm... he might be able to figure it out?"

You text Takashi Agera: Oh, and Nurse Meiou is here. She's twelve I think. Like I was. And she is ADORABLE.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
There's a pause before Setsuna can be felt to open and close her mouth a few times as she starts and stops responding before she finally gets out, "...okay, while that's not the WORST description of what the RESULTS are, I was hoping more that you'd have some idea about the CAUSE."

She sighs and very reluctantly lets go of the hug and tries to shift to sit on the bed next to Hotaru, "...your senpai?"

She looks a bit skeptical, "...and what are the odds that he'll have a clue what to do...because frankly, right now...I'm at a loss."

She really is. There isn't any kind of magic she knows of that can do something like this...and the only thing she knows of that would be able to reverse this is the Queen's Silver Crystal...and THAT artifact is not only very very lost right now, but even were it found, by all accounts, it's notoriously tricky to use.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe stared at her for a long, long, long time. Finally... "Senpai? I'm twelve," she offered in response. That was a good answer, she felt. As all things went. Kind of.

A text from Takashi Agera: I'm pretty sure she's at least 17.

You text Takashi Agera: Not anymore she's not.

A text from Takashi Agera: 1sec I'm stopping for ibuprofin this sounds like I'm gonna need it.

You text Takashi Agera: Bring us some juice, too? Oh... and a stuffed animal for Meiou-senpai.

A text from Takashi Agera: Oh this sounds bad but also hillarious. Gimme a sec or a few.

And for... having a clue... "Ummmm... honestly? None. I can't imagine he'll have any idea. What he WILL have, however... is juice. And stuffed animals. And... maybe he can get us out of here before anyone sees because otherwise we're going to have to explain this to people and I don't wanna have to tell people why I can suddenly play basketball." She stood up... and promptly sat bad down. "W-w-w-wow that is REALLY far from the ground."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna just starts rubbing her temples and absently comments, "...yes, now try doing that in three inch heels."

Not snarky, just trying to share for the other woman the full experience of being 'Setsuna Meiou Tall'.

She then stops and looks off into the middle distance, "...oh...oh yes. Sneaking out of here is good. Very good. Must do."

Why the change of tone? Simple. She just realized that if she gets caught at her current height and form outside this room...she's going to get stuffed into a school uniform and dumped in class.

She doesn't WANT to get dumped in class. She can barely relate to adolescents as it IS...it's the whole reason she literally refers to everyone as 'Mister or Miss X'.

Then another thought crosses he mind...there's literally ZERO chance that if she gets dumped in class that her resemblence to 'Nurse Meiou' WON'T be INSTANTLY noted.

THIS MUST NOT COME TO PASS.

Meanwhile, from the outside, Setsuna just has an increasingly wide stare out into nothing.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave the nurse a nervous look. Oh... oh dear. She uhhhh... she did not look good. In fact, she looked less than good. She looked.... she looked quite unwell. She slowly climbed off of the medical bed and knelt by her. "Hey... it's going to be okay. Senpai will be here soon and, when he gets here? He'll figure things out. He'll get us out of here, nobody will see and... and then, before you know it? It'll... wear off."

On the bed... was a single piece of kitkat. Uneaten. Dun dun duuuuuun...

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Unlike most people Takashi has actually had some low-level access to magic for a while - Dark Energy being a part of him. He'd stepped into the Dusk Zone. He had, in short, seen some stuff. But... he was wholy unprepared for what he saw as he rounded the corner with a shopping bag.

    "Tomoe...chan?" he asksed, looking eye to eye with his kohai like he hardly did anyone else. And then a slow, slow turning of his head, and looking down. "Meiou...sensei?" There wasn't a whole lot more to be said, other than an eruption of confusion. Oh, and the most important question. "What?!"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna tracks slowly to look over at Hotaru. Fortunately, she doesn't look like she's about to cry or burst into tears. She just stares at Hotaru for a few moments...then, on an impulse she leans over and gives Hotaru a brief hug again since she's in range.

She lets go before Takashi arrives (more accurately because she heard steps approaching from outside).

And Then Takashi arrives and takes in Hotaru's changed form.

And when he looks over to her...she can't think of anything else to do but wave, her arm in a sleeve that flops over long before it gets to her hands.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe lightly pat Setsuna on the back... Then looked up. She gave a small, tiny grin to Takashi. "I... I had a growth spurt. And Meiou-sensei ummm... was... in the dryer? I... I think? Or... something like that? I'm not really sure," she said sheepishly. "Can... you help us sneak out so nobody sees? Did you get everything I asked?" she asked with a small, nervous laugh. Then held up Setsuna. Like a doll. "Isn't she just so cute? Is this what it's like to see me? also, ummm... I'll need your help. I uhhh... it's kind of scary to walk. The ground is REALLY far away now..."

... she was serious.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi holds his head and actually says something in a language Hotaru has never heard him speak before. "Mitt liv är kaos." he says, mostly to himself, as he looks around the room. "Alright. This is. Difficult." he says. "It's not... the sort of thing I usually... deal with." The fact that he's here and not going completely berserk - actually he's taking it quite well - probably gives away him being magic. As heck.

    Can't take either of them through the Dusk Zone... This was a magic problem, so his mind immediately went to magic solutions.

    "Well. We need to get both of you out of here without anybody seeing... and then obviously fix this because it's weird. Also all of the other good reasons. But it's kind of really weirding me out." the tall boy says, nervously running a hand back through his own hair. "We might have to go with a mundane solution of like... really big hats and coats." he says, honestly. "Unless you think we can reverse it right here, but I'm betting you tried something like that?" he pauses. "You're taking this well enough, Meiou-sempai." he says. The same thing giving him away as at least being magic, probably does for her too. "How did you two end up pulling a Freaky Friday, anyways?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna gets held up towards Takashi like someone showing off their cat.

And once again, she has just zero context on how to react to this...so just like some of the more docile cats, she just hangs there, giving the young man a confused look.

Finally, she's broken out of it by the feel of her phone vibrating in her pocket as a text arrives. She looks down at said pocket...but...well...she couldn't answer the text right now if she WANTED to, what with the sleeves and all.

She looks over at Takashi, briefly makes a mental note about how he seems to be taking this at least as well as she is and the implications of that, then answers, "...well, Miss Tomoe came in because she had a slight spot of dizziness and wanted me to look her over as a precaution. Her vitals all seemed fairly normal for her...but then I asked her when she ate last and it seems she skipped breakfast this morning, so I figured she'd just had moment of low blood sugar and told her of that. She offered to share a candy bar, and since I figured she'd feel better sharing, I took her up on the offer."

She waves her arms, causing her sleeves to flop about, "...the next thing you know, we're like this."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded rapidly. "R-right! I'll get a hat! And a coat! I have neither of those and I do not know where to get them! Uhhhhh..." She looked around. "Maybe... a blanket?" she offered.

Though, when he asked how they did this... She just looked him straight in the eye and put Setsuna down. "I am, in fact, still twelve."

She didn't know. Magic stuff was OTHER people's departments. She was like. Cute.

However, fortunately SETSUNA had the answer! "I-I swap bodies with people when I'm hungry?! How does that work? Is that a thing? Meiou-senpai, you have a medical license, is that a thing?!" she asked, shaking the smol senpai wildly. "How do I get to being me again?!" then she gasped. "I-I'm not cute anymore, am I?! N-no! That's like, the only thing I actually do! I'm not smart or athletic o-or fast o-or anything else but I was at least cute a-and could c-cheer people up like that!" ... On the one hand, a bit vain. On the other hand was it vanity if you thought the only thing you were any good for WAS being cute?

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi does, however, fail at not giggling at the bigger Hotaru shaking the smaller Setsuna. He starts to look around and finds the remaining candy and its wrapper on the bed. Looking at it, he sees that there's something different about it - the brand name is replaced by a head of a familiar hood wearing old witch. "Häxan." he repeats in the same language. And sighs. And then turns to Hotaru. "Well, if you're looking for something to do while you're this size, basketball is now a viable option." he notes. "But really a lot of your cuteness comes from within."

    "Anyways, I think the candy bar is your culprint. It's..." he pauses. "magic." he answers, deciding not to clarify. "So in a roundabout way your hunger did cause this. I keep telling you to eat more, girl!" he adds, the frustrated tone of an older parent or brother.

    He looks at the sheets on the bed. "Well, halloween is a month out but do you want to try dressing up as ghosts for a bit? And letting me distract folks?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna gets shook around by a mildly panicking Hotaru, "...you...feel...pretty...athletic...to...me...right...now..."

Once the shaking stops, she looks down at herself and peeks inside her labcoat, "Uhm...well, Miss Tomoe can probably wear my labcoat. For some reason, my clothes more or less fit. My concern is more with getting spotted by someone in charge or a truant officer or something. I have NO desire to get put in class right now."

'Or ever' isn't explicitly said, but the implication is there.

As she starts working her way out of said labcoat, she sighs as a second opinion lines with hers and she says, "...yes, magic. I figured, even if I was hoping otherwise."

At this point pretending all three of them aren't 'in the biz' is a pointless exercise, "So then the question becomes, 'will eating it again change us back', if not 'will it wear off on it's own' and if not 'are we stuck like this?'"

She looks around, then peeks out the window past the blinds that are in blackout mode, "...if there are people out in the hall, we could maybe sneak out the windows. They unlock, and the bottom panes can open wide enough for even someone Miss Tomoe's current height to navigate reasonably easily."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe let out a soft gasp and stared at Takashi with shimmering eyes. "T-that's what I said senpai!" she said. Oh my gosh... she was such a little kid. "A-and you think so? So I can be big and cute?" She then blinked and looked at it. "W-what? But... but I grabbed it from the community bowl! Who would put a magic candy bar in there?" she asked. "Why would someone do that?"

Oh. Ohhhh. It was entirely her fault. She felt her cheeks going red and lowered her eyes. "S-sorry. I... I'll try and not be so... selfish and... and not eaty..." that was a thing, right? Being greedy by not eating?

"Ohhh! I can wear a lab coat? Like daddy? That sounds great! I've always wanted a lab coat!" she said and, if Setsuna would let her... she'd take it off and hold her hand out to Takashi to help her up. She'd then... spin. And nearly fall over, having to clutch him. "Do... I look smart?" she asked them both.

... She likely did not.

"... What if eating it again makes it permanent? I mean, like... if it's magic... wouldn't eating it just put more of the magic in us? What if Takashi-senpai ate some, would we balance out? Or...." She glanced to the window. "Maybe... maybe the window is a good idea..." she did NOT want to permanently be the giant. Though the lab coat was cool.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi listens to the two of them, and walks over... and has to reach his hand up further than he's comfortable with to pat her on the head and praise her. "You've been paying attention when we work with it, at least." It's probably awkward for Setsuna to watch, given that's sort-of-her-body and he's treating her like she's... well... Setsuna's -current- size.

    "Just take better care of yourself, Hotaru-chan." he says. "Now, the first thing is to get you out of here before anybody sees you. The problem with that is where do we put you? Hotaru can come with me but Meiou-sempai, do you have somwhere we can bring you?" he asks. "Otherwise it's just moving you. Once we've got you both settled I can do some research on this." he says, putting the candy bar into a pocket. But when they're not looking he'll store it safely in his watch-mode Device, instead.

    "In theory perhaps Hotaru-chan could play the part of an adult if we were stopped somewhere, but in practice, I doubt it. And I can't exactly take you to my dorm. But we'll need to be able to get ahold of you, wherever you are. I highly doubt we can break the spell one at a time, whatever the solution is. But worst case you shouldn't be stuck like this, we can always do the magic again if it comes down to it. I would try that now except I want the sample for testing."

    He doesn't need the sample for testing, he knows who to talk to about this. He's keeping the sample for Takashing.

    "Lets use the windows in any case, the less people the better?" he asks.

    Takashi did not answer if she looked smart. Because he was smart.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snags her phone and a few personal effects out of the labcoat before handing it over.

Hotaru's simple joy at the idea of even getting to wear one causes the now little woman to smile, "...keep it. I have a bunch...and you weren't being selfish, Miss Tomoe. You need to eat...and if someone put some kind of...magical prank into a community snack bowl...well...someone needs to talk with your HR department."

She then goes to put her stuff away...and she blinks, "Crap."

When the other two likely look over at her, she says, "I've gotten so used to wearing a labcoat that I forgot most of my dresses only have phockets." She runs her phone over the little fake pocket line that so many women's clothes have in place of functional pockets, "Hangon...I've got a bag around here somewhere"

And with that, she walks over to one counter...and then stares up at the cabinets WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY above her head, "...well, I have some in THERE."

She then looks back at the others...but before she goes on, she pauses and closes her eyes.

She feels at her magic for a few moments...then, once she feels confident that her Senshi bindings are still intact, she says, "Just get me off campus and out of sight. I have a friend I can call to pick me up and get me back home."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded happily. She always paid attention! Sure, she didn't always understand the stuff she worked with, but she tried! And that was... better than some! Not a huge bar. But better.

And on the other side of things... She got to watch Setsuna experience what she did alllll the time. "I know, right? This is why I always carry my purse or a bag with me, or have someone to carry my things. Or wear things with pockets. It's so annoying how we can never have pockets. And..." she glanced up at the cabinets. And for a moment, her eyes SPARKLE. And she walks over... And opens it. She doesn't even have to STAND on her TIPPY TOES! "Oh my gosh this is the most *amazing* thing ever," she said in an excited, awed voice.

Then she closed it... and opened it. And closed it. And opened it... and closed it. "Okay, right, windows..." ... ...... She closed and opened it one last time. Then moved to the windows, slowly, making sure to hold onto things so she didn't fall over. But she WAS getting used to it... and started to reach out, trying to get them up. At least THESE she could open.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi nods at Setsuna. "I will say, I find the labcoat's pocket space invaluable." he agrees with her on that. Maybe not everything, or most things. But on that. Yes. Takashi walks behind Hotaru and reached into the cabinets to get the bag that Hotaru was too busy experiencing the joy of cabinet opening to get.

    "Well, if you're sure you can get out on your own. Hotaru-chan, make sure you get Meiou-senpai's number so we can undo this when it's time." he notes, as he passes the bag to Setsuna. Along with a sheet for her.

    "Okay, so the plan is out the window, along the side of the building, till we hit the west gate." he begins. "If anybody interupts us, or tries to, I'll play the juvinile delinquent in their face and you two just book it. Hotaru-chan, you know where we meet when we get separated. Meiou-sempai, just do your best not to get seen."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna says nothing as Hotaru opens and closes the cabinets repeatedly...let the girl have her fun, she supposed.

But when Hotaru then gets distracted and heads over to the windows, the green-haired chibi blinks a few times, then looks back at her and arches an eyebrow.

When Takashi hands her a bag, Setsuna nods to him, "Thank you, Mister Agera." With that, she takes the sheet of paper and puts them in her bag. She grabs her phone, pulls it out, then walks over to Hotaru and taps her phone to the tol girl's phone, passing over contact info via the NFC chip.

As the three stack up next to the window, Setsuna calls out to the open air, "Niti-chan...please wait five minutes, then lock the windows."

A pause.

More waiting.

Finally, Setsuna frowns for a moment, then sighs, takes a deep breath, then lowers her voice a register and repeats, "Niti-chan...please wait five minutes, then lock the windows." A moment later, a pleasant voice responds, "Certainly, Nurse Meiou."

Setsuna then shakes her head and waves at the window, "Let's go."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was not all here. Because she was spread extra thin. And she had a LAB COAT! Of course... getting out the window was easy enough. And, if nothing else, at least Setsuna knew that Hotaru's senpai had things under control. They--

... What was that sound?

As Hotaru climbed out of the window... she started humming music. Spy music. From a spy movie. Dramatic. On point. Probably the worst thing to ever actually hum as you were trying to be incognitto and hide the fact you were suddenly a really tall teenager.

She climbed out, looked around and then... Held her hand out to Setsuna, to help her up. "Okies Meiou-senpai, up and at-em! Ohhhh, do you wanna ride on my back? I've never given someone a piggy back ride before."

She should NOT be considered stable enough to carry ANYONE.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    He can only imagine what the two of them are going through, and in the moment, he's just glad it's not him - having to adapt to such a radically different body. Having to worry about being seen. Sure, later, there's going to be some digging, but right now he's mostly all business. "Well, just remember one of you is a lot bigger than usual and the other... well... less so." He mentiones, working with them out of the window.

    He sighed one of the loudest sighs, and turned to Hotaru. "Not a chance, girl." he said, firmly. "We're getting you two off school grounds with minimal shenanigans. Do you know how much trouble it'd be for all of us if we got caught? And there are days I don't think I trust you to carry around Yo- around anyone in your own body. Don't break our nurse by tripping in the wrong body. Who knows who ends up with the broken bits when we switch back anyways? Maybe both of you for all we know. Be very careful with yourself. Or with that body you're driving. Right now I'm honestly not sure which."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna has at least the advantage of having been this size once before.

Sure, that 'once before' was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time ago...but it's a lot easier to get used to a lower center of gravity than a suddenly vastly higher one.

Still, she takes the offered hand to help her through the window, then waits for Takashi to get through before she swings it closed and nods. It'll lock itself in five minutes.

That squared away, she listens to Hotaru. She SHOULD be mad. She SHOULD be panicking. But despite it all, Hotaru is...well...adorable. Even while tol.

Just the simple joy she's finding in the new circumstances help a lot to keep Setsuna on an even keel.Shehe reaches out and touches the darker haired woman to get her attention, "Miss Tomoe...the secret to sneaking around when you can't actually hide is to act like you're supposed to be there. Most people will pick up on that and simply ignore your presence."

That said, she puts word to deed, pulls herself to all of her three feet nothing in height, then calmly strides towards the west gate like she owns the place.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was probably handling this pretty well, all things considered. She got to be big! And it was kind of fun! If she stood on her tippy toes she could even be TALLER than Takashi!

"That's... probably fair. I do fall over a lot. But it's so cool! No prosthetics. Whatever that thing did, do you think it'll be permanent? I mean, not... not all of it. But like... this part?"

And that, at least, made it pretty clear... why she was having so much fun. "I have toes and everything. Hee hee." She was clinging onto Takashi's arm as they walked, though, as she was a bit... unsteady.

"Right. Right. I belong here. Act like I'm a nurse. Like I am a professional. Quick, Takashi-senpai, get me... a chart. Oh, and glasses, stat. I need... ummm.... 3 CC's of adrenaline, or... stuff! Could happen," she said. At least she was just saying this and not yelling it, so to most it would just seem like she was talking. Supa srs bsness here, with toll-aru.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi just was going all over the place as they walked. He was thinking about the situation, partly. Obviously, it was funny on some level and he kind of wanted to pester them more. But he was also frustrated with Majorina, frustrated with the world, frustrated with being outed to Meiou-sempai as magic - though that went away as he figured Kyouka might have told her anyways.

    And Hotaru-chan was being Hotaru-chan, tall or not, and he wasn't entirely sure how to handle that either. Half frustrating, half adorable, so Takashi's face reflected his confused feelings. Finally he turned and looked sternly at her. "Hotaru-chan." he said again, "Act like you're a quiet nurse who is just walking outside. NOT like you're a bad nurse actress. Quiet, but dignified." he said, trying to help. Trying to. The three of them keep kind of moving towards the gate. He can only hope that the way magic tends to push civilians away - holds true when the magic has swapped the sizes? bodies? ages? He was still figuring that out - of the two of them.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna frowns at how LONG it takes her to get from the window to the gate. She's used to having a MUCH longer stride...but eventually, she DOES make it...and quickly turns the corner the moment she passes the gate so she's out of view of the school.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help it. She had to do something once they made it. And she didn't dare jump for joy. Even though she managed to barely suppress the urge to keep talking, once Takashi said to stop, she stopped...

And then glanced after Setsuna. "Are you going to be okay from here? I mean... you're really small, what if something happened to you?"

She said that as if SHE wasn't normally SUPER TINY and delicate looking. And yet often went off on her own. But then, she had Luminous Titan AND Takashi to come and save her if things went bad. Setsuna had NEITHER of those...

As far as she knew.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi nodded. "She's still Meiou-sensei. If she says she has a way home, she has a way home." He said, tilting his head and looking at her a bit. "Right?" There was something about the way he looked at her, like he was trying to figure out something, or remember something. "So let's worry about getting you somewhere they won't ask why you're suddenly nigh-on-six-feet-tall and work on getting this reversed. I've got a few ideas..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna turns to Hotaru and once more looks up...and up...and up.

She then sighs and tugtugs on her coat for a moment, indicating for her to lean forward...and then once Hotaru is close enough, she'll hop up and give the other young woman a hug.

Which of course puts her where she can say in a low voice, "Don't worry about me, Miss Tomoe. You go get settled. We can talk on the phone later. I'll be fine. I've got someone I'm going to meet to pick me up."

It was just so she could tell Hotaru that. No other reason.

Which is why she holds the hug for a bit longer than strictly necessary before letting go and straightening out her blouse.

Then she nods to Takashi, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mister Agera. As you guessed, I'll be fine from here."

And with that, she puts word to deed and quickly crosses the street and easily disappears from view via people passing by.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was, at least, relieved to hear that from the nurse. And... and then, as quick as could be, she was gone. Leaving her and her senpai to get home. She gently took his sleeve. As she often did. Not quite his hand...

If ever there was any doubt that there was still her inside there... He knew her. The way she could be. How quiet. How nervous. How easily frightened. How delicate.

And big body or not, he knew how much she looiked up to her senpai.... and trusted him, in the end, to take care of everything. So she, in a strange way, wasn't that concerned. To her, it was just a fun little adventure. Because she knew he'd find a way, somehow, to solve it.

"Do... you think daddy will notice?" Probably... not. Kaolinite might, though. But she, at least, would be easier to explain it to.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi bites back his response to Hotaru. That he'd have to see her, pay attention to her, to notice. He knows that's not helpful even if it's what he thinks. "Well, only one way to find out. C'mon, Hotaru-chan. We'll get this sorted. But it'll be a lot easier with my lab assistant. Hey, it'll even be easier for you to pass me stuff now." he says with a grin. "'cause you can reach more of it. I guess I shouldn't get used to that, though..."