"Fine." Oboro sighed, exhausted by the antics of these strange people. "But you had better grow me back once I'm done."
There was a pause. Every one of the strange folk remained still and silent, almost as if time had stopped.
Oboro was confused. "What did I..."
"Hooray!" all the Wimpish suddenly cheered at once. They started bouncing about the room. Even the two restraining Oboro joined in, releasing the tiny woman from their hold on her. Oboro stumbled, disoriented for a moment, before feeling her robes starting to slip off her again. She grabbed her clothes not an instant too soon, barely saving what remained of her dignity. She stood up, awkwardly clutching at her over-sized clothes as the strange creatures continued to cheer.
"Silence!" The elder exuded an air of authority, thudding the ground with his staff. The chorus of excited voices immediately stopped, the Wimpish docile once more.
"Thank you, o chosen one." He gestured towards Oboro with his staff. She started to grow, her robes tightening awkwardly on her body. Not wanting the fabric to rip, Oboro had to pull at the clothes and adjust them as she grew. Her growth slowed to a stop, the blue-haired woman restored to an inch tall.
"Hey!" Oboro shouted, noticing her lack of further growth. "Make me bigger than this!"
The elder tilted his head, confused. "You mean this isn't your normal size?"
"Of course not!" Oboro yelled, "I'm still smaller than that darn needle!" He had just mentioned that she was from another world, how had he not realized she was normally bigger than this?
"Doesn't matter." The creature waved a hand dismissively.
"Yes it does!" Oboro protested.
"Whatever. I'm sure the needle will grant you whatever you wish, so long as you help us."
Oboro sighed. She believed them about as much as she was tall, but she didn't have much of a choice.
"Take the needle!" The elder commanded. Two Wimpish held each end of the needle, bowing to present it to Oboro. She took it, grateful for something that at least resembled a weapon.
"So I'm supposed to find you some food with this?" Oboro questioned, weighing the needle in her hands. Its length twice her height, it would be awkward to use in combat. Yet it somehow felt oddly light.
"Indeed." The elder confirmed with a nod, "Use the two sacred powers!"
"Sacred powers?" Oboro asked with a frown.
"Sacred powers!" The other Wimpish suddenly chorused. Oboro jumped, her new weapon almost jabbing the ceiling.
"Yes the sacred powers!" The elder leaned closer to Oboro, ready to deliver yet more clumsy exposition. "You, as the chosen one, are bonded to the Golden Needle. When it leaves your hand, and should you will it so, a mystical thread will connect you!"
"A thread?" Oboro queried.
"Try it now!" All of the Wimpish stepped back at once, forming a circle for Oboro. Irritated yet curious, she planted the end of the needle into the floor.
"Make sure you will it so!" The elder piped up.
With a sigh, Oboro backed away from the needle. As she did a strange, semi-transparent purple thread formed between her hand and the needle. Oboro gasped, in awe at the magical sight.
"Take hold of the thread!" The elder commanded, thrusting both of his hands into the air, "And summon it to your side!"
Oboro grasped the ethereal thread, and gave it a tug. Suddenly the needle was yanked out of the ground, eliciting a cry from some of the Wimpish as the pointed end moved towards them. It quickly shot towards Oboro, replacing the thread in her grasp in a mere instant.
"Incredible..." Oboro gasped, genuinely awestruck for the first time in this silly adventure she had been dragged into.
"There are many uses for this sacred power." The elder said. "Now go forth! Into the world of humans! And bring us some food!"
"W-wait," Oboro said, "You said there was another power to this needle?"
The elder stopped, rubbing his chin again.
"You know, two sacred powers..?" Oboro encouraged him.
"I forgot!" He suddenly shouted.
"Wait, what?" Oboro cried, about to launch into a tirade before he shouted over her again.
"You and you!" The elder jabbed his staff towards two of the Wimpish. "Show her where the food is!"
"Yes, wise one!" The two Wimpish bowed, each grabbing Oboro. "Come with us please!" They sang, pulling Oboro.
"Wait, wait! I have more questions!" Oboro shouted, fighting against her forceful escort, but they pulled her out of the room.
"Thank you, chosen one!" The rest of the Wimpish cheered after her.
The door slammed shut on its own, leaving Oboro outside with her new companions.
"Let me back in!" She protested, pulling at the door.
"Now is not the time!" The Wimpish said in unison, pulling her away.
"Just let me..." Oboro began, but stopped. Now further from the door, she noticed that the entire wall was tree bark. Confused, she looked up to see giant leaves and countless branches over her head. Mouth hanging open in awe, she looked around this extraordinary new world.
"Time to go!" One of the creatures said. "No time for looking around!"
Oboro didn't respond, still dizzied by the huge change in scale. She knew she had shrunk, but seeing this gigantic tree made it all seem much more extraordinary.
"Come on, we're hungry!" The other wimpish whined, pulling at Oboro.
"All right, I'm coming!" Oboro complained. "Stop pulling me already!"
"This way, this way!" The wimpish sang. Oboro followed them across the plank of wood that was affixed to the side of a tree, large enough to be a walkway for the tiny people. They led her over to the edge, around the other side of the tree.
"Time to go down!" They cried.
Out of curiosity, Oboro peered over the edge. Color drained out of her face as she saw a huge drop. Though she couldn't see all the way down, even the next branch seemed very far away.
"No!" Oboro shouted, stepping back from the ledge. "I can't go down there!"
"Yes you can!" One of the Wimpish said. "Just jump down like us!"
"I'll die if I do that!" Oboro protested.
The Wimpish looked at each other, confused. One seemed to get a spark of inspiration, looking back to Oboro.
"Just use the thread!" It said.
"Huh?" The blue-haired woman uttered, confused yet again.
"You can go down slowly with it, right?" it explained, unsure of its own reasoning. "Just plant the needle in the bark and descend on the thread! Then pull it out when you're done!"
"I can do that?" Oboro asked, staring at the lance-sized needle in her hands.
"Sure!" The two of them cheered, leaping off the edge.
Oboro ran forward, instinctively reaching out to save the falling creatures, but they were already far below. The rustling of leaves below were the only signs of the Wimpish.
Oboro turned back to the tree.
"Okay, you can do this." She told herself, raising the needle. She stabbed it into the tree bark, before letting go. She felt the thread in her hands. Was it really strong enough to take her weight? Though she probably didn't weigh very much at her current size, she thought. She hesitantly stepped off the wooden ground. The thread held. Not sure if she could just let go, Oboro relaxed her grip slightly. She started to fall, faster than she liked. She tightened her grip, jolting to a halt. The tiny woman hung off the tree, suspended in the air, like a spider on web. The thread extending didn't make much sense to Oboro, but she could use it to get to the ground.
Letting go in stages, Oboro rappelled to the ground. She found the experience oddly enjoyable. She had to weave back and forth, avoiding branches and leaves as she went. It was mind-bending how small she was, smaller even than a single leaf. Perhaps she could have used one to glide to the ground, she thought. But she was starting to trust the strange needle, descending faster towards the ground.
Eventually Oboro really got into her fun descent. She whooped with joy, spurring herself to get faster and faster as she got more confident. She even felt that her journey to the ground ended too soon, landing in the grass. For a moment she marveled at the huge green blades, taller than she was. Could she ever get used to being so small? She doubted it, but perhaps she would have a fun little adventure after all. She tugged on the string, pulling the needle free. It flew towards the ground, returning to her hand.
"Told you!" Oboro jumped at the shout, the two wimpish joining her at the foot of the tree.
Oboro's grumpiness returned at the sight of the creatures. "All right, where now?" She asked, keen to get this over with...