The Magic Box, Saturday

[livingartifact]

The first hint Jenkins had that something had gone weird was the fact that his short sword had turned into foam rubber. It was only while he tried to work out how to turn it back to its normal form that he discovered his potions had turned into fruit juice with edible sparkles.

In fact, it seemed that every dangerous object in his shop had become entirely harmless overnight.

"Tasty," he noted, as he tested the last of distilled nightshade by dipping his finger in it and touching it to his tongue. "But very disconcerting."

[open!]

Comments

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot's trek out into town today had been...

...

She wasn't sure, but she didn't think she liked it. Most of the humans around were short, around her size, which would normally be fantastic, but when it was all at once like this?

She was looking a little wide-eyed as she slipped into yet another shop to see if maybe there was still a little bit of 'normal' somewhere around here.

And then she was breathing a sigh of relief.

"You aren't short!"

This was such a great observation. Truly.

[livingartifact]

“That entirely depends: to whom I am being compared?”

Giants, for instance, tended to find him quite short.

[era_two_triangle]

"Almost everybody outside," Peridot replied, wrinkling her nose, and then turning to press it against the window to peer back out into the street. "Everyone is so small. And they're acting weird."

Like children. For some reason.

[livingartifact]

“Oh?” Jenkins went to look out as well. “In what way, specifically?”

Getting a complete list of symptoms was important for proper wacky event diagnosis.

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot waved one arm around as if to better illustrate her point.

"They're excitable," she explained, "and they have more energy than most humans I've encountered. I've even seen more than one with a touch-stump jammed up into their scent sponge!"

When humans weirded her out enough, she started to slip back into Gem vernacular. Sorry, Jenkins.

"That isn't where touch stumps go!"

[livingartifact]

"Touch-stumps up into their. . . ." Jenkins spread his fingers thoughtfully, aimed them at his face, and then nodded. "Ah. Yes, I believe I know what may have happened to them."

[era_two_triangle]

"What? What happened to them!?"

It was freaking her out, Jenkins. Like, a lot.

[livingartifact]

"I believe they have been regressed into childhood. Their . . . pupate stage, if you will. Extremely young humans tend to be much smaller and more irrational than when they've had a number of years of experience and growth under their belts." He rubbed his chin. "I'm familiar with a few artifacts from my own world that could have such an effect, but combined with what I've observed in my own shop, I don't believe any of those could be responsible. Fascinating!"

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot looked less fascinated and more horrified, really.

"Pupate stage?? Will it last?"

Because if she was going to have to witness tiny humans excavating their scent sponges much longer, she was going to move to the moon, don't think she wouldn't.

[livingartifact]

"I suspect no more than a few days at best. It takes extremely powerful magic to affect a permanent change on a single individual, much less a whole population and anything that might accidentally kill them."

[era_two_triangle]

And now Peridot's eyes were widening in... yes! Yes that was panic!

"Might kill them?! How?"

THIS WEEKEND WAS ALREADY NOT HER FAVORITE.

[livingartifact]

"Oh, you know, the usual things. Weapons, poisons. . . ." Jenkins shrugged. "They've all turned completely harmless. We can only hope we don't end up with another giant bunny attack while my sword is made of rubber."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot wrinkled her nose again. Yeah, that would not be on her top ten list of things to do while everyone on the island was small and stupid.

"That... would be bad." She paused a moment. "What do you suppose the odds are of that happening?"

[livingartifact]

"Quite low. I've only seen it happen once. Still. . . . I have seen it happen once."

[era_two_triangle]

"Point," Peridot allowed, grimacing for a moment. "But there are other ways to fend them off... right?"

She had no idea. Rabbits sounded properly dangerous. She'd probably just go hide with the gremlins again if it became an issue.

[livingartifact]

"Oh, most probably. One could try, say . . . luring them away with a giant carrot, perhaps."

[era_two_triangle]

"Where would you get a giant carrot?"

Did those even exist?

[livingartifact]

"Perhaps a county fair of some kind?" Jenkins was not being terribly helpful, no.

[era_two_triangle]

"I... don't know what that is."

At least her confusion was helping distract Peridot from her panic from before? That was... good? Right?

[livingartifact]

"Then I suppose we'll just have to settle for beating on the giant rabbits with toys," Jenkins said cheerfully. "Or get creative."

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh! I can be creative!" Peridot was actually perking up at that, yes. "I've been creative before!"

She made a robot once! It had been pretty great!

[livingartifact]

"Oh yes? What did you create?"

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot threw her arms into the air triumphantly.

"A battle robot!"

She paused.

"And another time, I made a duck."

She was kind of proud of both.