482/A Small Visit To The Nurse's Office

A Small Visit To The Nurse's Office
Date of Scene:	21 September 2023
Location:	Administrative Office
Synopsis:	Amy returns to the school nurse's office for supplies and to find out what Nurse Meiou knows about magic. She finds a small surprise... and she and Setsuna do their best to make each other feel better about their situations.
Cast of Characters:	Setsuna Meiou, Amanda Faust

---

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As much as Setsuna wanted to avoid the Radiant Heart like the plague, as the day went on she realized she had left a few things she'd need behind when she made a tactical retreat. Thus, she's snuck her way back onto campus...though she's made sure to do so after class has ended for the day...meaning she can't be forced into a school uniform and made to take classes.

So she's slipped her way back into the Infirmary, wearing a pair of sweatpants that are bunched up a lot over her shoes and a sweatshirt whose bottom hem comes down low enough to practically be a dress itself.

On her head, of course, she's wearing a tenugui (that thing with a handkerchief tied under the nose), and she's rummaging through a drawer looking for where she left her spare set of keys.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    ~About 5 weeks after last time~

    Low on supplies, Amy pushes her way past the invisible forcefield that feels like it's surrounding that aisle at the pharmacy. She's a *girl*, dammit, she belongs here!

    Problem: CHOICES. Oh right there was a REASON she didn't manage this before! How is she supposed to know what's good... Screw it, she'll just get more supplies from the Nurse's office. Hopefully Nurse Meiou won't be in; and if she is, she can distract the nurse from her *horrible incompetence* by starting up a conversation about MAGIC, which apparently Nurse Meiou knows about!

~~The next day after that~~
    Amy peeks in the door. Nurse Meiou isn't in. Yay/Damn! On the bright side, embarassment avoided! She'll have to see what the nurse knows about magic another time. The small redhead stealthily walks in -- rolling her feet a bit towards the outside of her sneakers, advice she's not even sure she remembers where she heard it -- and makes her way to the drawer she remembers Nurse Meiou going to last time. Now, which one was it?

    ~~About 5 weeks ago~~
    Amy is set down on the bed ow ow why did Nurse Meiou move her she was fine on the floor! She rolls over and tries another position that she remembers reading might help, and then takes a breath, trying to relax, and after she calms down, Nurse Meiou comes back to her with the stuff.

    ~~Now~~
    "[Dammit!]" Amy hisses and stomps a little foot. She wasn't paying attention, so she can't remember where the supplies are! Okay, well, she remembers which way the nurse *went*, she can at least look for--

    There is a tiny burglar. She can tell they're a burglar by that handkerchief tied under the nose thing she doesn't remember the name of. "...Wait, who actually *dresses* like a burglar to burgle..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Crap! Someone's coming into the infirmary! Crap! It's a student.

Hiding is impossible...just stay really still and maybe they won't notice there's someone else in here.

No dice...and she's been spotted, too.

Wonderful.

The adorable little greenhaired girl who looks like she might be all of twelve stares back at Amy from where she's elbow deep in a drawer in that way that cats sometimes do when they've been caught...before Amy's comment makes her frown a little, "I am NOT a burglar."

JUST what a burglar would say!

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "I suppose it's more likely a non-burglar would wear the handkerchief thing than an actual burglar, but if you're *not* a burglar, why are you dressed like..."

    Well, now the little not-a-thief is talking and Amy gets a good look at her, and.

    Clothes way, WAY too big. An actual child in need of serviceable clothes that only had this available would probably be best suited just taking the sweatshirt-dress; wearing shoes and pants that don't fit you has *got* to be a tripping hazard. Either this person was already wearing these clothes, or they felt they had to.

    And the size difference is *way* past guy-turned-into-girl-of-same-relative-height. Although he supposes he-- dammit, she, brain, don't do that! She supposes she can't write off the possibility that an especially tall guy got turned into a little girl, but this person appears to have...

    "Shrunk." Amy stares. "Are you..." And NOW THAT SHE'S THINKING THAT, she notices the hair, and the PURPLE EYES, and the skin color, and remembers that oh right, Nurse Meiou was *really tall*.

    "Nurse Meiou?!"

    As curious and amazed as she is, she can't help looking over the 'thief' with concern. "What happened? How can I help?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
At first, Sestuna's eyes widen in a 'how did she figure it out' kind of look...but after a very brief moment, rationality reasserts itself and she kind of sags a little after her mind runs down more or less the same path Amy did.

It's the hair and eyes. The skin tone a little, but even in a school as magical as this one, 'green hair with purple eyes' is kind of a unique color combination.

At Amy's question, Nurse Meiou blinks...then sighs and rubs her face in her tiny hands, "...At the moment, Miss Faust? Not really. After you leave here, perhaps just pretend you didn't see me."

She sighs, then looks at the now taller girl, "...so what, precisely, brings you here? I DO hope you're not of a habit of sneaking around the offices?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    At the shocked expression, Amy comments dryly, "I [ore] think about this kind of thing a lot."

    And slumps a bit at the question. "Um... well... I [atashi] um... ran out of supplies and... I dunno which to get when there's so many kinds at the pharmacy, okay?!" She looks away, awkwardly. "I f-figured I'd just get more from here..."

    And then she looks back to Chibi Meiou. "...And also, I wanted to find out what you knew about magic and give you the heads-up that I do too... I was hoping I didn't misunderstand something, but if you *didn't* know about magic you'd probably be freaking out more right now..." She holds her hand to her chin. "Although, *I* wasn't freaking out when *I* changed, come to think of it... I mostly thought it was pretty cool..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna (because it's just really not fitting to think of her as 'Nurse' when she's so TINY) blinks at Amy...then sighs and shakes her head.

She snags a set of keys from the drawer she was reaching into, then closes it and turns to walk over to a different corner...at which point she looks up at the cabinet in some consternation.

Apparently she stores most things up where it was convenient for her to reach when she was nearly six feet tall. Now that she's much, much shorter, she can't reach said places, "...Hrm...we appear to have a bit of a problem..."

She then glances back at Amy and says, "...and yes, as you suspected, I'm 'in the know' about magic."

Then there's a pause...and she cocks her head, "...changed from what?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy follows Setsuna's gaze. A problem? "...Ah. We'll just stack stuff and climb on top." She blinks at Setsuna. "...You've really never thought about what to do in this situation?" She looks around for something suitable. She gets one of the beds and wheels it over. "I know, this is really dangerous and kids shouldn't do it. Good thing we're both adults." She smiles. "Also, that's what these are for." She re-engages the brakes.

    Changed from what? Amy feigns being hurt. "Meiou-san, you really don't remember me? Whenever there was some stupid problem importing a student's records from a medical institution and it turns out they're so *backward*, I ranted like this... I mean, who's still using *fax machines* in 2023?! Come on!"

    She takes off her bag and pulls a little card out of it, and holds it out for Meiou-san to see, looking more somber now: a staff ID for Mallory Faust, Radiant Heart Academy IT Department, Birthday 1987-07-06. A pale-skinned, bespectacled westerner with blue eyes, white hair, and a case of resting bitch face looks back at her from the photo.

    "...It's okay. I think magic has done something to the memories of everyone I've associated with in person; perhaps because I can't very well function as a magical girl if people ask too many questions about where Mallory disappeared to, and where Amanda Faust came from..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
There is a few moments of Setsuna blinking at you blankly as you make the connection...and the magic concealing inconvenient questions from the minds of those Amy had acquainted with is lifted.

A moment or two later, there's a further moment of enlightenment as she runs the previous meeting through her head with new information.

She then pauses and asks in the tone of someone who wants to be very certain of her facts, "...so you've been like this for, oh, several months now? How did this come to pass for you?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Meiou-san is no longer fretting over being short! See, Amy is helping! She puts the ID away. She shakes her head, looking a bit awkward again as she clarifies, "Just a couple months... It was the evening of July 14th when I made the contract... err..." She glances at Meiou, then away, then back at her. "The lady with the black feathers? Attacked that fancy clothing store while I was walking past. Next thing I know there's a *magical girl battle* happening in front of my eyes... and Kyubey -- err, this little white talking animal with red eyes -- his voice is in my head, telling me I can become a magical girl too, and be part of all this... And look. I dunno how it happened for you, but... I always wanted... I mean... how could I say no to, to getting to know about *magic*? And, the girls, and one guy, were *losing*, and when I looked up from talking with Kyubey there was only Sailor V left standing against bird lady, and... so I became a magical girl and saved the day." She smiles.

    "The *very next day*, the invitation to the academy as a *student*, addressing me by a name *no one* could know, was in my mailbox."

    "...I moved everything worth saving to my dorm room. They've rented it to someone else, now."

    It would all come out sooner or later, Amy likes not having to dance around the truth, and again, she's keeping Meiou-san's mind of her problem, so that's good!

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna blinks a few times...then says, "...so ultimately, this is what you wanted?"

She sighs, "...while I would normally admonish someone for making magially binding contracts with mysterious beings that offer power...I suppose there are FAR worse reasons to make such a deal than to save others."

She gets that very intense look again, "...but this is ultimately what you're okay with? Or do we need to start looking for ways to get you out of this contract?"

And that's it. No admonishment beyond chiding poor if heroic judgement. No accusations. No yelling. Just concern for Amy's wellbeing and desires.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy winces and takes a step back at the talk of going back. "Okay uhhh, so... funny story, like believe me, I spent a lot of time *very* confused, I mean oh my god the first time I came here can you imagine... but uh... after talking to people some it's really looking like I'm trans?" She looks away. "I mean um. I guess a guy probably *wouldn't* be okay with this, huh. So uh. Looks like *that* kinda worked out for me..."

    She looks back to Setsuna. "As for the whole risking my life thing... I'm finally getting to do something that *really* matters and helps people and changes their lives. Like, I'm *not* a short-sighted teenager, I *assumed* that fighting magical battles meant risking my life, and..."

    She rubs the back of her head. "You know, it's been pretty great, making friends and fighting alongside others? If I die in battle tomorrow I still kinda feel like it was worth it."

    She looks over Setsuna curiously. "What about you? What happened? Is this permanent? Do *you* need help, um, undoing it? ...Or did you always want to be shorter, too?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
And the moment that Amy makes it clear that she's more or less 'okay' with how everything's turned out...and that she is as she wishes to be, the tiny nurse's whole demeanor changes slightly, "...well, that's good, then."

That said, she starts climbing up to get to the cabinent she was aiming for a bit ago, "...no...this was the result of what appears to have been a magical prank that switched my height with someone else's. From what I understand, it should wear off on it's own in a week-ish."

She quickly puts together another 'self care' package for Amy, "Everyone's a little different in how things go for them." She then launches into a brief primer on things like 'flow' and the various ratings associated for hygeine products, "...beyond that, it's a matter of what particular shape or style you find most comfortale."

She tosses Amy the bag, then eases herself down off the counter to the floor with a little hop the last few inches to the floor.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "There are *magical pranks* that do stuff like that?!"

    But then, Setsuna dispenses advice and Amy goes red-faced and looks away but listens attentively, partway through pulling her phone out to make notes again and, at the end, squeaking out a 'thank you'.

    "...I'm glad you're a bit more at ease now. But those clothes have got to be uncomfortable. Should we go shopping for stuff that fits? ... I guess you can just return it after a week."

    She cocks her head to one side curiously. "What's it like? What do you think? Not very many people have the experience of being transformed, do they?"

    She looks thoughtful. "...Come to think of it... how'd you learn about magic, anyway? Inai-san said she has some kind of loophole, what about you?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna is so very very tempted to comment that she predates the concept of loopholes.

She doesn't, though. Instead, she smirks and says, "...something like that, yes."

Flipping the chocks on the bed, she rolls it back into place, "What's it like? For me?" She frowns, "...it sucks. Badly. I'm way shorter than I've been in...a very, very, VERY long time." She then waves a hand at the cabinet she'd just been using, "...and as you can see, I generally arrange my spaces to be convenient for how I WAS, which makes things NOW rather inconvenient."

She then smiles a little, "Thanks for the offer...but by the time I get home, I should have a delivery from a clothes store for some stuff that'll fit me better. I just needed to come here and grab my spare keys and a few other bits and bobs."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods. "I guess that's pretty inconvenient." She goes for a hug, but stops if Setsuna refuses or pulls back. "Anything I can help you get while you're here? And uh... any tips or words of wisdom for the newbie Magical Girl?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Perhaps oddly for the always rather dignified Nurse Meiou...little Setsuna...actually steps into the hug and hugs back.

While she does, she shakes her head a little, "...nah, I'm pretty good, I think. Thanks for asking, though."

She pauses, "...advice? Hrm..."

Almost reluctantly, she pulls back from the hug, but there's a soft smile on her face as she says, "Well, some of the advice I think should be standard and is broadly helpful is as such:"

"If violence wasn't your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it."

"Never turn your back on an enemy."

"Friendly Fire Isn't."

"Your name is in the mouth of others: be sure it has teeth."

"There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload."

"Watch your back."

"Conserve ammo."

"And NEVER make a deal with a dragon."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy squeezes after Meiou-san hugs back. She's recently learned that squeezy hugs are the best! She lets go when the other girl pulls back, though.

    Amy nods along with the advice. Given that she has to conserve magic, it is indeed very important to conserve ammo! Also: "Oh, shoot, that's right! I *really* need to come up with a catchy magical girl name. Any thoughts on how to do that?"

    Never make a deal with a dragon. "Right, yeah..." Then her eyes widen. "Wait, dragons are REAL?! ...Eastern, or western?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shrugs, "Sorry. I'm pants at names. And as far as dragons? To be honest, I don't know. I've never met or seen one. BUT, Eastern or Western, there's enough lore in common for me to say that, if they DO exist, then a few things are true about them."

A finger is held up, "They're older than you."

A second finger goes up, "They're SMARTER than you."

Finally a third finger goes up, "...and they're unlikely to have your best interests at heart."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "What about metallic-- right, sorry." Amy shakes her head. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

    Beat.

    "...So um. If you know 'lore' about mythological creatures... from what magic you've seen, how much of the myths are true? Can I rely on that stuff as actually useful?"

    "Oh and um... I dunno if you fight monsters, but if you do: Never enter a Witch's Labyrinth alone."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shrugs, "Sadly, I can't really say with a degree of accuracy. I'd go with the idea that mythicallore might contain some good hints or guidelines about how to deal with certain things...but in the end, it's a bunch of stories told and retold over the ages...so don't expect much more than the occasional grain of truth from them."

She then nods, "I'll take that advice to heart if I ever encouter one."

She then starts heading for the door, "In any event, I think we should probably sneak out of her while the sneaking is good."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy looks at Setsuna and nods. "Alright, um... oh! We should exchange numbers... never know when help with magic stuff will be required." That taken care of, it's time to go, but..

    One last question: "Okay, *why* did you dress like a burglar? Like, in what way does the handkerchief *help*? I actually never got that. At least a western cartoon burglar is covering part of his face... But wearing your mask backwards doesn't hide anything at all!"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna smiles and gives and accepts contact info from Amy...then, when asked about the handkerchief thing, looks mildly embarrassed, "...to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure myself? I guess on some level, I just figured that since enough people in this part of the world believed it, it might just work as advertised."

She shakes her head, "...clearly I have been a bit...distracted by this whole thing."

As the two depart, Setsuna snags her belongings (which appears to contain a stuffed animal someone left in the infirmary) and quickly ducks out with a soft, "...thank you for your help, Miss Faust."