lumberlady | Prismatica IC Contact

That's right.

[So he better keep that promise!

Still somewhat sleepily stumbling out of bed and then retucking the blankets around her husband, Konoha stifles a yawn as she shrugs into her clothing, bundling up a pair of the pants she made Gonta wear during Sanguis, and grabbing a few rice balls from the "fridge". Once Murasame came into view she waved the demon bird over, followed where he led...

And lets herself into Shino's apartment after a small struggle with the stairs, calling out from the entrance.]

Shino... It's Konoha!

[ He's still sitting, but when he hears her call out he braces his hands against his new upper thighs and pushes his forelegs up, leaning forward and pinwheeling his arms to get his haunches up as well. Standing somewhat splayed, limbs akimbo, he looks around and side steps to grab the sheets on his bed and pull them off, nearly crossing his legs and falling again in the effort.

He drapes that sheet over his long back and rump, trying to disguise himself into some semblance of modesty. ]

I'm back here!

[ He calls out, heading to his door, but once again he manages to catch one antler on the frame and pauses, carefully moving his head so he can get the expanse of his antlers through without further hangups. ]

I stayed put when I was waiting—

[ There! His head's through the door, along with his forelegs, and with his hair a mess that's doing nothing to keep his chest decent, he comes through the door with exaggeratedly careful steps, his bedsheet dragging on the ground, making him look like a poorly dressed sheet-ghost. ]

There're so many limbs to get coordinated, how do you manage when you guys are little?

[Closing the door behind her, Konoha follows the sound of his voice, already prepared to cup her hand over her eyes and ask if he was decent, but then he's in the doorway with a sheet on, so-

Alright, at least he's not naked... and she doesn't mean to, but after the initial panic of thinking that something awful might have happened to him, calling her so early in the morning in a tizzy like that...

Konoha can't help but laugh a bit in relief.]

Jinba take two whole weeks after their born to learn how to walk... I don't know, it just happens...

[Which she says as if it's a super long time, but come on, Shino, human babies an even longer time and they only have two legs???]

[ Yes, human babies take up to years to learn to walk, and they often start with crawling, but this is more about him tangling himself up over the course of an hour! It's worth finding frustrating!

Even if, with her laughter, his cheeks have tinged pink. He stops halfway through the doorframe, one side leaning into the frame itself, a hand tugging at hair caught oddly around a horn and the other still holding the darn sheet in place around his human waist. Not a perfect solution, but a functional enough one. ]

This can't last that long. The moons aren't out like that, right? I'll have to learn faster...

[ Now he really is frowning, looking down at the ground and lifting a foreleg, reaching out to touch it with his hand as his torso leaned forward. As he's still leaning against the doorframe, he's at least not worried about toppling over again immediately. ]

Well you’ve got a much bigger brain than a baby, haven’t you? It won’t take you two weeks. Come on-

[She sounds confident enough for the both of them in that, at least, finally stepping close enough to touch in order to gently untangle his hair from his horns. Didn’t need to add hair tugging to this whole affair...]

First things first, though, we don’t want want you tripping on sheets... I brought a spare pair of Gonta’s trousers, but...

[Looking at him in person... they might be too big...]

Mmm, maybe I should give you mine instead...

[ Why does he feel like he's being told he has a fat head? (He's not.) He does lower his head more and with great care, making it even easier to untangle his hair from these antlers of his. Would they shed if he turned into this form during the right part of the year? Deer shed their antlers, don't they? That's the point of all the decorations that've been strung up this month, right? ]

... I'm nowhere near as big as he is.

[ He's resigned when he agrees with her estimate, since even while he's obviously much larger than usual for his human build, he's definitely now more similar to Konoha's size instead of anything close to Gonta's. Maybe a bit taller.... okay, so a bit, not much, taller now, but not all that broad in either chest, and certainly more on the lithe side.

Dammit! He's finally "tall," and he still doesn't feel like he's particularly impressive! ]

How do you even... [ He lifts a hind hoof, then taps it back down since he can't see his feet anyway given where he decided to stop and support himself. ] Get things on?

[ Then, quieter, with his eyes aimed toward the floor and his chin tucking in toward his chest, freed hair sliding forward to hang down between them; ]

Thank you. For coming, I mean, and for helping.

Nobody is...

[Konoha has never seen a jinba larger than her husband was... and sure, this place had some people who got larger when their moonblessings happened, but even then... he was a giant. She can't help but laugh a bit helplessly again, patting him between his horns when he bows his his head a bit, rustling his hair until it falls evenly free of his horns.

He didn't need to thank her.

After all, she didn't know what it was like to have a family beyond adopted parents but. Was this what it was like to have a nephew? Something like that? (Never mind they weren't actually that far apart in age.)

Actually, she's gonna try really hard to think of him as a family right now, and not a man, because-]

Mmmm... You can watch me change and copy me, or I can put them on you... Which one is better... ?

[With those thinner-even-than-a-horse's legs, and how easy it was for creatures like them (temporarily "them") to injure themselves there as opposed to anywhere else, she didn't want him flailing around by himself again, twisting about trying to get his trousers on...]

[ Both options are embarrassing! Welcome to your new nephew, Auntie, he's looking a bit perturbed at this idea, but not... well, for his nudity at least. He doesn't feel okay watching her change. Too intrusive of him! He can't do it! ]

You can put them on me!

[ He blurts out. At least he's used to having people help dress him from most his early life (read: the majority of his life). ]

I'm... used to being dressed when I'm sick, so...

[ That makes it better? Somehow? He's trying not to think hard on this, more like, right. Family! Family or medical professionals. Truly, the two types to likely see you naked and just deal with it a-okay. ]

A- Alright, then!

[Totally normal! She'd dressed the village children she'd looked after when she'd been... well, basically a filly still herself, but. One snag... she should probably put him in her own clothes instead of Gonta's, what with the size difference... so she still had to change anyway.]

Well, close your eyes first.

[A bit ruddy-cheeked, she moves her hands from the top of his head to his eyes, covering them until she's positive he's obeyed before she twists about to start undoing her own "skirt", which she'd tied... extra tight that morning to keep her traitor of a tail from rising. After all, she was Iris, too. Hopefully his deer parts didn't come with a heightened sense of smell like Sanguis people had.

While she changes from her own to Gonta's, accompanied by the soft sound of hooves on his floor, Konoha tries to keep talking, though- best way not to be awkward!]

Mountain jinba are... way more free [naked] about things, so I actually had to show Gonta how to wear a loincloth before... Which means I know how to teach now! No worries!

[ His eyelashes brush her palms when she covers his eyes and he unhesitatingly complies; closed tight, enough that his forehead knits some in the sincerity of showing how he has no intent to open them. Childlike, really, but not because he's a child: it's the overdone nature of it, and in an unthought, purely reactionary way.

I will not open my eyes, promise.

He listens to the shifting of hooves, and notes how her single hoof sounds similar and different to his cloven hoof; he wonders if that effects any big differences or not. His understanding of those mechanics basically doesn't exist. Horses are large, impressive, steady, and usually something he's hauled up onto, and that's that. ]

Are we talking fundoshi style?

[ He hasn't personally worn undergarments in that style, even if it was still the most popular one outside of the cities for adult men. For some complicated reason of canon nonsense, boxers and briefs have been introduced before WWII, so... once he got to live as a boy, once underwear became a thing, that's right where he went. SO MANLY! So progressive! So anything but traditional when tradition has done little to benefit his life, or that of those he loves. ]

It's still popular back home, but I've never actually learned how that works.

[There was a bit of a difference between a cloven and an equine hoof, mostly in how the weight distributed, how best to put one's foot down when walking... which she only really knows because when Iris hit her strongly Konoha sometimes woke with a more deer-hide colored coat and cloven hooves herself... This month had been kinder on the more physical changes.

For her, at least.]

Mm, that's right. In the summers most of the men on the lumber yard strip down to fundoshi to work. It's not like I, um, make a habit of putting them on people or looking at them, or anything, it just so happened that I could do it is all.

[Her blush over the holes she digs herself aside, Shino is a good boy- She has faith he won't peek, so she changes out of her own trousers for Gonta's, tying them as tight as possible and managing to get them to at least stay on, unflattering and mis-sized as it was. Modesty was all that really mattered here, so- It's fine.]

Alright- Open.

[When he does, she's got her own smaller pair of trousers in hand, and, thinking nephew, nephew, nephew she steps beside him to first lay them out on the ground, arranging so that he could step into the leg holes, holding out the "belt" portion for him to take.]

When we dress by ourselves, we hold onto this part, step in... then pull to tug it up over our rears, okay?

[ He waits until she says he can open his eyes to then comply with that command, blinking a few times and stepping awkwardly out of the doorframe to look down at where she's lain the cloth on the ground. Oh for heaven's sake, he's got to perform gymnastics, he's doomed.

The sheet needs to come off, and so he collects it and folds it in a messier fashion than he prefers, letting it drop to the ground as he feels very, very naked in spite of his abundant fur. He won't think about it. Don't think about it! It's like having a sister around (his limited experience is largely with sisters, but they're all younger, and mother as a concept has only meant an absent hole in his younger life, what with his memories fuzzy as they are) helping him out when he's too ill to do everything on his own. It's an annoying thought, but also grounding. Annoyance means while his cheeks are still touched with pink, he's not letting himself worry about it.

Much.

Despite a frown as he contemplates what he needs to do, he accepts the "belt" and with an awkwardness to his manner, very, very carefully slides one back hoof in place, overly delicate as he settles his hoof back on the floor. By now he's at least balancing better on three legs, so he doesn't thump down like he did at some times before she arrived, but it's still notably awkward.

Following her instructions, he pulls on the belt, the fabric bunching and sliding up just as she'd said. He pulls faster than he intended, rucking his fur up over his haunches, and it's a weird enough sensation he gives a full body shudder and grits his teeth. Speaking through clenched teeth and the remnants of his embarrassment that he's trying to banish as much as he can, he asks: ]

Like that? Now what?

No need to rush it...

[Konoha is there to caution when he rushes getting the garment on, even though... alright, she understands why he's rushing. Thankfully, this wasn't like when she'd had to dress Gonta, because fundoshi have to fit over a certain body part very accurately and he may have been lounging in the sun before she came around, and a certain body part may have been relaxed enough to have been. Out.

So really, it's probably for the best Shino is nervous.]

Next you have to cross those under your belly to hold the bottom flap closed and get them back on top to tie them, so-

[She plucks at the trousers to pull them away from his rump a moment to let his coat lay back flat before she lets them go, stepping back to mime how she means he'll need to move, twisting around at the "waist".]

I'll stand right here in case it's hard to balance.

[So she can catch him if he topples.]

[ He can at least spare them both anything like that, everything tense enough about him to be almost ridiculous. She tells him not to rush it, and he tries to listen, but it's still not easy when he half feels like this attempt at getting himself decent will end with things falling off or failing to work right.

Have more faith, he reminds himself, this is fine.

Right before he almost bolts when she plucks at the material, letting his fur settle properly flat. He manages to check the impulse at the last moment, even keeping himself from dancing in place with the small hopping steps his feet seem to want to fly into in response to his nerves. ]

... Okay.

[ His blank stare at her words before she pantomimes what she means is met with a flicker of understanding, and once again being careful, he tries to twist at the waist to cross the fabric like she's stating. He's fumbling the effort, ends up dropping one end of the "belt" he'd been working with, and in an effort to catch it again, overbalances and does, in fact, start toppling toward Konoha. ]

Woah—

[ Isn't much of a comment or warning, but it's what pulls out of his throat as an arm windmills and he tries to throw himself back to a central balanced position, one hoof skidding out from under him while his other hand desperately keeps its hold on his "belt." ]

Whoops- !

[There he goes... but hey, at least he’s got a hold of part of the belt still. Prepared for this possibility, Konoha simply reaches out... and snatches him back upright, hooking her hands in his armpits to casually-as-you-please lift his front half, feet forelegs included, back into a steadier upright position as if he weighed no more than a bag of apples.]

Steady there- I’m putting you down.

[Which... yeah, to a jinba as muscular as she was, he kind of was.

She gives him the warning before she sets him back down on all four hooves, only releasing him once he’s steady to retrieve the lost belt end and offer it back with a patient smile.]

Try again?

Edited 2019-12-13 08:31 (UTC)

[ She's so strong! It's not new information, he was aware of her strength before, but it's different seeing it applied to himself when he feels so large and awkward and heavy compared to his usual body. Working as she does, and working where she has, gives her all that physical assurance in being able to handle so many things.

Heck, while he's stronger than he looks, it's not because he works out or has worked that kind of hard. Frankly, it's all due to Murasame. ]

Right!

[ He's still red cheeked out of embarrassment for all of this, but it's reassuring knowing Konoha really will make sure he doesn't fall flat on his face.

All four hooves on the floor and spread somewhat to keep him steady, he accepts the lost belt end and tries again. He's still awkward, and he comes close to dropping the belt once more, but this time he does make the pass off and manage to do what she'd instructed. ]

Then I tie them, right? In a bow?

[ He starts a simple knot, one that could loop into a bow, but please help him, Konoha, because right now he's behaving like he's tying a ribbon in his hair or tying his shoes... this kind of underwear is so strange to him, it's so... right there. ]

[Konoha hasn’t seen many babies of her own species. Her own village was mostly humans, and when she went in town it was mostly stallions, and the few mares with foals usually had them swaddled up at their breast at that age... but she thinks it must be kind of like this, all ungainly and hard to balance. So... this is just practice!

Practice that, for a moment, makes her expression darken slightly, gaze averting at the mental reminder. She needed to stop thinking like that. The doctors had said this place made them all barren. There wouldn’t be anything to practice for.

Shino’s voice draws her back, thankfully, and Konoha puts on a smile again, nodding.]

Just tie a bow if that’s easiest for you to get off later. No need to make it more complicated.

[And once he was done... horse trousers! Perhaps a weird garment, but it covered the rear, and the bottom flap covered the crotch, so... mission accomplished?]

[ Shino hasn't even wondered about fertility here, just as it wouldn't occur to him to worry (can he even procreate, he sort of doesn't think so, if he sat down to think about it), but what does occur to him to worry about is... well, everything else right now.

He misses her darkening expression, but catches when her gaze averts. There's a question in his eyes before she replies, and it lingers after; what had she been thinking about? Too hard for him to blindly guess. ]

A bow it is.

[ He says instead, doing as promised; and what follows is, well, weird, yes, but also preserving his sense of modesty better than the sheet or a blanket alone was doing. He'd never think twice about seeing a horse or deer in their natural state, but as soon as it was his body? Too much! He can't be seen in public that way! ]

En, thank you, Konoha. I was freaking out trying to figure out what to do... or if I'd have to leave this place half dressed.

[ Other freak out thoughts: bathing, bathrooms, and... bathing. He needs his daily baths, okay?! He holds off on that, figuring there must be a bathhouse that'll work if nothing else. His mind wanders back to her averted gaze, not paired with the awkwardness or embarrassment they might have both been feeling, but something else he hadn't identified. ]

Is there anything that's been bothering you?

There you go.

[A bow was fine. And it gives her something to do to refocus, to drag herself out of the momentary, depressing reminder that she'd recently learned she wouldn't be able to have the thing she wanted most. What her husband wanted.

Instead, she gently smooths her hands over the trousers, fixing the fit here and there until they lay mostly right. Unfortunately for him... these were designed for horse rears, and when jinba needed to use the restroom their tails lifted, conveniently raising the back of the trousers with them. But with a deer tail... he might just have to get out of them then back in.]

Don't worry about it... I was a little shocked getting a call like that, but I'm glad I could help.

[And she really was, she was, so she can smile again and put aside the unfortunate reminder. It wasn't something she thought a man would really understand anyway, let alone a young man like himself.]

No, I'm fine... Do you think you can walk?

[ He watches her smooth everything out, trying not to allow his hide to twitch. He succeeds half the time, the other half visible as a twitch of skin or a reactionary twitch of his stubby deer tail, which as Konoha could predict, doesn't lift the flap in the same convenient way that a horse tail does. If this ends up being a regular issue to contend with, he's going to need to seek out custom tailoring.

The thought alone gives him a headache, so he promptly stops thinking about it. ]

I'm sorry it was so early...

[ When she was obviously sleeping, and she's so busy during the day. ]

If there's any way I can make it up to you, tell me.

[ When she says she's fine, he doesn't fully believe it, but he also knows he won't press. He asked, and made his concern for her known, and anything else was on her terms to decide. Hamaji had taught him that over the years, and it's a lesson he retains close to heart.

(Not that she's wrong. For a dead man to contemplate children when he's not assured of living to see another day, it's complicated. Nothing he'd want to leave behind, either, and what also if he outlived any children he had? There's no way to win, if he ever took to thinking about it.) ]

I can try.

[ The answer should be yes in his opinion, now that he's calmed down and been otherwise embarrassed. The panic that'd taken over him earlier that morning has subsided, and while he's careful as he walks forward, placing each hoof with deliberate precision, he's steadier than he had been. It helps being in the open space of the living area by the entry way, with ceilings high enough and without dangling parts to catch on his antlers. ]

I think I'm getting the hang of it. Until I have to walk on ice, or stairs.

[ How's he going to have to balance? He's only ridden horses behind someone else, how does any of this really... argh! It's so frustrating! He breathes out in an exasperated sigh, wanting to throw his arms out to the side but keeping the motion small to maintain his sense of equilibrium. ]

When people talk about the changes that happen during the moons, I never thought it'd be like this!

It's alright. I'm just glad it wasn't that you were hurt or something.

[Which had admittedly been her first thought, hearing how panic-stricken his voice had been when she first answered the phone. As for how to make it up to her... She'd come up with some sort of chore he could help with next harvest to allow him to feel like they were even again.

When he walks she hovers nearby, not wanting to appear overbearing but wanting to at least let him feel like she could catch him again if he needed it...]

Let's not walk on ice and avoid stairs, then, alright? Well- as much as you can.

[And avoid the root of her upset, because so far... all her attempts to speak about it have just made her husband sad, or she's attempted it with women who... were quite glad not to have to worry about pregnancy here. She supposed she should try to understand their relief, even if it was instead her worst nightmare.]

I haven't seen anyone who was Iris change like this before... you're my first... But I guess it's still "deer parts" so maybe we should have thought of it...

[But she can't help but laugh a bit wryly, scratching behind her ear a bit awkwardly.]

I can't imagine what I'd do if I woke up with two legs or something...

Stairs might be the hardest.

[ The admission is paired with a sigh, given how much of the city on each level is comprised of staircases one needs to navigate outdoors, unless one takes the longer ways around. There are solutions, he's just usually impatient, and the restructuring of his thoughts about his haphazard navigation tendencies is another headache.

One more thing to shove off until later.

He's been staring at the ground where he's placing his forefeet when she admits he's the first case she's seen transformed in this particular way, Shino lifting his head to look at her with the "two legs" comment. ]

I've heard of Sanguis gaining full fish tails but staying normal from the waist up, I guess it's possible. If that does happen... at least I can help you with balancing then, huh?

[ Offering a small, sheepish smile. He's still not entirely steady, but that's less because he can't walk right and more because he's still cautious, figuring out how to move without tripping himself up. His tail flicks occasionally, sending the flap of material over it twitching now and again. ]

This is why we're supposed to be careful with whatever weird bracelets that one guy sells, isn't it?

[ Shino, in no way is that a helpful, not vague statement. ]

They’re not my favorite either, to be honest...

[There were so many of them in this city, where they built everything so high... just another one of the many reasons Konoha just felt generally more comfortable in the Groves. Plus, dirt was so much kinder than concrete and metal on her hooves.]

There’s some Sanguis people who get snake tails like that, too... so I’m really hoping there’s not like a “human” moon, haha... or I really will need your help.

[They’d definitely be even, that was for sure...

But his next comment does leave her a bit confused, blinking as she keeps a slow pace beside him still, glad to see that he’s gaining a bit more confidence.]

Weird bracelets?

A human moon?

[ That gets the first real smile out of him, and he chuckles a little, rubbing his face with his hands. ]

Maybe there is. Or a monkey moon. It'd be close enough, wouldn't it?

[ Then they could all go hotspringing together. He's heard stories about that in other parts of the country. Not so much where he grew up. He drops his hands away from his face, having been steady stepping forward even without staring at the ground. Not fully certain, but more confident than he had been. Now he works on turning slowly, which is done with such care that he's actually putting himself more off-balance. ]

Uh, the... the things that... that Lumi guy? The Wolf Wares shop, or the Ware Wolf shop, something like that. I saw him one month and bought a necklace I liked the shape of, and it did something to the magic the moon makes me have. There were bracelets too, I think? Only he said he thought those did something else about making moonblessings stick around full time. Word of mouth from his other Moonblessed buyers.

[ He wrinkles his nose, glancing over at her as he finishes his awkward turn around. ]

I didn't like the sound of it, so I decided not to deal with it.

That would work, I guess... I grew up with humans so they look like humans to me, but my husband's nephew had never seen one before they came down the mountain, and he said they looked like naked monkeys to him...

[Noticing that he might be thinking about his movements just a bit too much, Konoha moves a touch closer, keeping up the conversation in the hopes that maybe talking would distract him enough that instincts might kick in. Maybe that would work?]

Oh... I think I bought some seeds from him, once. And a box that plays music.

[It had seemed like such a strangely eclectic gathering of wares she'd gotten curious, but.]

Guess I'm not buying any jewelry, either... I don't really want that magic or the moonblessings sticking around, thanks...

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