Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
At the faint hint of morning sunlight, Fecto Elfilis opened their eyes. For a brief moment, they surveyed their bedroom until they found Vesa sitting next to the mattress with a cup of green tea in her hands. They could barely keep their eyes open and they felt lightheaded. Vesa blinked twice and placed her hand on their head.
"Elfilis?"
"I," Elfilis mumbled, "I feel sore."
The tone in their voice reminded Vesa of that one time her older brother came home from the dentist office after he had his wisdom teeth removed. She remembered he was also just as dizzy from the medications he was provided. She set aside the cup and climbed onto the mattress.
"Vesa?" Elfilis blurted.
Vesa's face reddened.
"I…wanted to check on you after I got my day started," she admitted.
"I see," Elfilis sighed.
Minutes continued on in silence as Elfilis cleared their mind, their awareness increasing as they became more awake.
"Now," Elfilis asked, their tone hinting concern, "what happened?"
Vesa lowered her head.
"Elfilis, I," Vesa stammered, "you won't get mad at me or your father if I told you, will you?"
Elfilis ran their finger through her strands of hair.
"I don't think I can be mad at you," they assured her.
Vesa let out a soft sigh of relief. Granted, she knew Elfilis's undying trust of her might've been a huge key factor.
"Well," she admitted, "your dad asked me to help him put you under long enough so he can change around your programmed instincts a bit."
Elfilis gave Vesa a puzzled look.
"You could've asked if that's what you wanted," Elfilis remarked.
Vesa let out a soft giggle.
"I mean," she mused, "there's one particular friend Kirby has that would like to say hello to you."
Vesa picked up her cup and went back to drinking her tea.
"Kirby may have taken down Dark Matter," she continued, "but he also befriended one of its members that happened to become one of the good guys, if I remember correctly."
"I suppose that explains things," Elfilis rubbed their head, "I don't see how it's possible, but I'll take your word for it, magic is hardly an exact science, no matter how much some people wish it was, there is a lot of flexibility there. So theoretically, anything is possible, on second thought."
Vesa nodded before she took the last sip of her tea.
"Now," Vesa asked, "is there anything you would still like to do? I'll be happy to tag along regardless."
Elfilis paused for a moment before they rubbed their head again.
"I had something I wanted to do for a while," they mumbled.
"Oh?" Vesa warbled, her tone hinting at eager curiosity.
"I can't remember," Elfilis admitted, rather spooked, "what do normal people do when they can't remember something?"
Vesa thought over the question for a moment.
"Would you like a journal?" she asked, "you can make a to-do list in it."
"I don't think I will need one for that long," they reassured her, "I can't remember what I was planning on doing when I had some free time to myself, though."
That was enough to remind Vesa of the times Elfilis had been focusing more on other people's issues. The tall angelic rodent slowly sat upright on the mattress.
"How about I give you a little more time to wake up fully," Vesa offered, "I could go check on Elfilin in the meantime. How does that sound?"
"All right," Elfilis nodded, "that sounds good."
Vesa smiled while Elfilis reclined on the mattress once again. She stood up and left their bedroom before making their way to the kitchen to place the empty cup near the sink. She made her way back to her room and focused on Elfilin, who was still curled up on a pillow. With the small chinchilla still asleep, Vesa pulled out a book on enchantment magic from her pocket bangle before she went to studying its text.
The silence continued on until Elfilin slowly opened his eyes and yawned a couple hours later.
"Oh!" Vesa blurted, "good morning, Elfilin!"
Elfilin levitated off the pillow and stretched his limbs.
"Morning, Miss Vesa," Elfilin floated over to her, "whatcha reading there?"
Vesa shrugged.
"I'm just studying enchantments," she explained.
"Like what?" Elfilin clamored.
Vesa blinked twice as a thought popped into her head. Now that Elfilin was awake, she closed the book and set it on the nightstand before she left her room. Crossing the hallway, she peered through the door. The small chinchilla followed her with interest as his tail swayed behind him. They could see Elfilis sitting upright and stretching their arms. Their wings flared outwards for a brief moment. Vesa smiled as she set foot into the room.
"Morning, Elfilis," she sang, "are you feeling better now?"
Elfilis blinked twice as they focused their eyes on their girlfriend.
"I am," they nodded.
Vesa sat down on the mattress while Elfilin began circling around his larger fragment.
"I hope you don't mind if I ask again," Vesa proposed, "but is there anything you want to do today? I'll tag along regardless."
Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw.
"Hmm, now that my mind is functioning at a higher level, there are a number of things that I need to follow up on. My experimental environment I set up on that planet, checking up on your planet, potential exploration of the Mirror World, and several other things I've been meaning to look into, but I never feel like I have the time."
Vesa took a moment to think while Elfilin perched on her shoulder.
"Perhaps we can go to that planet you released the slime to today," Vesa suggested, "and we could go check on my planet later on this week. How does that sound?"
Vesa offered her hand to emphasize her point.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Elfilis nodded, "the slimes should've reproduced to the point they are now likely a permanent species on the planet. They've also likely started absorbing local elements to suit their environments better."
Elfilin tilted his head as the tall angelic rodent stood up from the mattress, with Vesa following suit.
"The slime that I spawned, you mean?" Elfilin paused.
"That same one," Vesa agreed.
"By now, they're probably the most populated species on the planet," Elfilis added, "after they reach a certain number, they stop reproducing in an area—so there is no risk of them growing too much more by now."
Once Vesa and Elfilis set foot into the hall, she made a beeline for her room. Elfilin hopped off her shoulder, allowing her to put on her coat, gloves, scarf and trapper hat. Once she slid on her boots, she and the small chinchilla followed Elfilis down the hallway, descending the stairs to the foyer. Vesa didn't hesitate to open the front door. Not surprisingly, Kirby stood out in the courtyard.
"Oh!" Vesa blurted, "morning, Kirby!"
"Hi!" Kirby waved his arm.
Elfilin happily flapped his arms as he floated over to the pink puff. While Vesa watched Kirby chatter with the small chinchilla, she noticed as Elfilis quickly created a cotton robe dyed to match the color of their fur, complete with a golden trim at the sleeves and hem. They enchanted the hood to allow their ears, feelers and antlers to slide through it with ease.
"That's odd," Vesa commented, placing her hand behind her head, "doesn't your fur already keep you warm?"
Elfilis tilted their head.
"I'm just seeing how I feel about it," Elfilis told her, "I could do something like—"
Elfilis put their cloak away.
"…this."
Vesa watched as Elfilis changed their fur color to red. Their mane shifted into an open flame as they changed their biology to something similar to a Burning Leo.
"Well," Vesa mused, "that's new."
Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby and Elfilin. The small chinchilla returned his gaze.
"I don't change my own personal biology often as of late," Elfilis admitted, "ever since the lab, I've been a bit challenged by the DNA in my body being scrambled, and I have been a bit…afraid to change myself too much after being stuck as…a creature…a maddened thing as opposed to myself."
Elfilis closed their eyes for a brief moment.
"It doesn't help that I had a brand forced onto my soul," they added.
Their pupils dilated as their fur bristled and their fiery mane intensified.
"Poyo," Kirby sighed sadly.
Elfilis continued to zone out without moving save for some minor twitches. Vesa noticed and worry filled her eyes. They snapped out of their trance after around thirty seconds.
"I-I apologize," Elfilis stammered, their voice hinting at more emotion, "I…I just need a moment."
Vesa noticed as Elfilis twitched their tail slightly. Kirby and Elfilin shared glances.
"Poyo?" Kirby asked.
Elfilin did a happy backflip.
"Sure!" Elfilin chirped, "I'd love to come play with you!"
Kirby grinned and jumped up.
"Poyo!"
Vesa simply smiled at the pink puff and the small chinchilla.
"Well then," Vesa advised, "you two take care, alright?"
"We will!" Elfilin nodded.
Kirby and Elfilin darted off. Elfilis placed their hand on their head while trying to wipe away the tears that started to shed from their eyes. Their body shook lightly as they slipped back to their normal appearance, their fur changing back to turquoise.
"I'm sorry, Vesa," they sighed, "I don't quite feel like myself at the moment."
Vesa frowned before she wrapped her arms around their waist.
"It's ok," she cooed.
Elfilis blushed, and they returned the embrace, their body still shaking a bit.
"I-I feel strange…I haven't been awake long yet but…everything feels…more. I feel so much."
Even Vesa could tell her partner's voice heightened with emotion, rising from a stoic dulled tone. Who could ever wonder if a creature designed to be a weapon of war could change vastly by adding emotion? It made Elfilis feel more…alive.
"Well," Vesa assured, "if anything, you don't need to hide your pain from me. I'll still be here for you at the best of times and the worst of times."
Vesa tilted her head up and nuzzled Elfilis in the cheek. They held her close and gave her a soft lick on the forehead.
"Thank you, I don't know what's come over me," Elfilis whispered, "everything feels so intense all of a sudden. I didn't notice before, but I feel like I'm about to break down."
Elfilis held Vesa a little tighter. They may be good at protecting their girlfriend, but they felt like they were a burden to her or even too emotional at times. Could this be some kind of depression? A result of their mind or even body chemistry being changed in some way? They weren't sure if they would be capable of staying intact with another traumatic experience, now that their emotions were coming at them strongly. They feared they wouldn't be able to hold up later on.
Elfilis gazed into Vesa's eyes, fresh tears welling in the corners of their eyes.
"You don't need to hold it in," Vesa reminded, "remember?"
Elfilis dropped to their knees as Vesa tightened her embrace.
"Sorry," Elfilis mumbled.
They weren't sure if they should appreciate the fact their mental block had been lifted. Their body froze internally, caught in a loop and not wanting to break out of it. This reminded them of their time in the lab and now their emotions were forcing them to face their trauma more directly, unable to ignore it any further.
"I…don't know what to do."
Elfilis cried quietly, struggling to keep it together. Before long, they realized this wasn't just the lab, this was a lifetime of bottled up emotions and feelings all coming out at once. It was like before now they were colorblind, and they've just been exposed to every color of the emotional rainbow. All they could feel right now was the stormy clouds coming out beforehand. Vesa ran her hand down their back as snowflakes began falling from the sky.
"I…feel bad," Elfilis wept, unable to find the words for what they were experiencing.
"You want to tell Fransisca about it sometime?" Vesa asked, "she'll be happy to help you."
"That sounds good," Elfilis nodded.
Elfilis took a few moments before they managed to calm down.
"Can…can we put off the experiments for another day?" they requested, "I think I need a bit more time."
Vesa noticed the expression in their eyes indicated they weren't just as thrilled to be putting off their trip as much as she felt bummed out.
"All right," Vesa sighed, "let's head back inside."
Vesa slowly led Elfilis back into the foyer, stripping herself of the winter gear before placing each of them on their respective racks.
"I'm sorry," Elfilis lowered their head, their eyes filled with shame.
Vesa glanced over her shoulder with a slight frown.
"Don't worry," she told them, "I'll go see if Fransisca's up."
Vesa heard the dining hall door open and spotted Fransisca emerging from the room with a mug in her hands.
"Oh!" Vesa blurted, "speaking of which…"
Fransisca blinked as she focused her eyes on Vesa and Elfilis. The ice mage noticed the tall angelic rodent's fur bristled and their body tense. The fur around their eyes were matted with fresh tears.
"Morning, Fran," Vesa casually waved her hand.
"Good morning, Vesa," Fransisca sighed, "is everything ok?"
Vesa shook her head.
"I don't think Elfilis is ok," she answered, "they're feeling emotions for the first time now that they no longer have that mental block."
"Well, I think they've always been able to feel emotions, I suppose that they must have been dulled then if this is how they're reacting," Fransisca frowned, "let's sit down and talk about it."
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