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◆Ahvra◆

Ahvra had been awake for a few hours, staring at the several monitors in her lab. For once, she actually felt rather energetic, since she had just slept for two and a half days straight. It was likely that she could go at least another week, maybe a week and a half, before needing to sleep again. She munched on some snacks as she watched the data from the blood trials compile, a smile on her face as wide as her small, emotionless state would let her have.

She loved nothing more than data and figuring out the results of experiments. Her goal in life was to solve all of life’s great mysteries, and the task Useful One had presented her would be a feat incomparable to anything else. If she managed to solve that problem, she may very well end up with a nearly full understanding of what life truly was.

However, it was slow going. Science was a lot of rinse and repeat: hypothesizing, testing, retesting, adjusting variables, more testing, an endless cycle. Even though it was slow, Ahvra loved every second of it, and couldn’t imagine herself doing anything else. After scanning through the new data, she loaded up another batch of blood into her machines for experimentation.

Once all the machines were whirring, she sat back at her computer and pulled up a special list. She immediately turned into her adult form, unable to hold back, her face gushing with excitement. Today was movie day, her once a month ritual where she’d let her emotions flow as she watched movies from all the major genres. She checked the list again to make sure she had a good and diverse spread. Ahvra needed this for sure. She’d been unwillingly turning big a lot more lately, her emotions slipping out when she let her guard down.

However, this movie viewing would be a little different, assuming she could work up the nerve. She glanced over to her surveillance monitors, and smiled again, making her nervousness grow. Useful One was still in his room, meaning her window of opportunity was still available. After recomposing herself and shrinking down, she grabbed an aerosol can that was sitting on her desk, then headed out of the lab and into the underground tunnel.

She climbed up the stairs once she made it to the mansion. Then, she started opening Useful One’s door, but was bonked in the face instead. He had chosen that exact moment to exit his room, and had knocked her over onto the floor. “Oh, sorry Ahvra,” he apologized. “Rare to see you up here, and by rare I mean literally never.”

“Yes, hello Useful One. I have business with you,” she ignored the bonking, and picked up the aerosol can that had fallen to the floor. She handed it to him and said, “This is a special hair spray for your unique condition. One coat should neutralize the light absorption effect for about a week. It works by--” Ahvra couldn’t even begin her explanation before her mouth was completely covered.

Useful One had grabbed her, lifted her off the ground, and was hugging her tightly, practically squeezing the life out of her. She didn’t struggle, and just let his warmth flow into her. Maybe stuff like this isn’t so bad once in a while, she thought to herself. Once Useful One realized what he’d done, he set her down and apologized again. It was clear how much this meant to him.

“Oh, Useful One, I want to discuss another matter,” Ahvra stated. “Tonight, I’m having a movie night, and I wanted to let you know it’s open to anyone who wants to come.” She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Those are the movies that I’ll be watching tonight. Umm… please… please tell the others that they can come too, and they can drop in and out for any of the movies.” She couldn’t contain it anymore, and her body suddenly grew. “It would be nice if you could come!” She cried as she ran away, her face beet-red with embarrassment.

Ahvra finally managed to calm down once she made it back into the tunnel. She had never invited a friend before to anything, and was amazed that she’d gotten through it. Now, she’d need to go run a lot more tests, to get her mind off what just transpired. “So, did you manage to invite him?” Assistant ambushed her as soon as she got back into the lab. This caught her off guard, forcing her to turn into an adult again.

“Gah, what are you doing, Assistant?! Scaring me like that…” Ahvra sulked.

“Wow, and seeing you act like that… this day is just full of surprises,” Assistant smirked.

“How did you know anyways?” Ahvra wondered. “Have you been spying on them too?”

“No, I caught you mulling over how to ask him yesterday,” Assistant explained.

Ahvra was embarrassed again, so she decided to flee the situation and hide in her lab. To calm down, she prepped several more experiments, but ended up timing it poorly. About an hour later, all of her machines were working but no data was coming in yet. So, she was left with a gap of time to kill and nothing to do. She could run some tests for an entirely different subject matter, but that would take more time to set up than she needed to fill.

Instead, she grabbed her broom and headed to one of the empty labs. Perhaps it was due to her more emotional state, or the influence of being around the others, but she suddenly felt the urge to train. It was something she hadn’t done in a long time, not since she’d gotten a good grasp on her curse. The strongest Fiend… sure doesn’t feel like that to me.

Her curse was undeniably strong, but when it came to every other aspect, she felt hopelessly weak. Her physical strength was appalling, and she had almost no stamina aside from the ability to stay awake. Even that short trip to the mansion and back left her tired and slightly winded. Being a Fiend multiplied one’s abilities, but it didn’t do much when there wasn’t a proper base to work from.

She started off by swinging her broom a few times. It was a good bit heavier than a normal broom, given the various modifications. It had spikes that could be used for impaling, a capture mode she’d use to corral rowdy test subjects, a grabber for reaching high things, and a bunch of various features that made it the ultimate tool for daily life. The part that was useful only to her, though, was the fan.

After her arms started feeling like they were going to fall off, which didn’t take very long at all, she switched the broom to its fan mode. Using the last of her available strength, she swung the broom once more, creating a gust of wind. She made that wind blow for as long as she could, before it eventually petered out and dissipated. Even this much was exhausting, she’d definitely have to gulp down some energy drinks later.

She tried a few more times, holding out for as long as possible. When her progress seemed to stagnate, she decided to change up her tactic. Her arms had rested for long enough that she could do a few consecutive swings. She created a few gusts that merged into a single larger one. Using her curse she increased the speed steadily. It became more forceful with every passing second making her feel like there was a vortex around her.

Her hair was flying everywhere, and her lab coat was barely staying on her body. It was starting to feel dangerous, but she wanted to see how far her limits could go. She swung the fan a few more times, adding to the raging storm around her. Eventually, it went too far. The walls were shaking, and Ahvra was lifted up by the wind and thrown into the ceiling. Once she could finally move again after collapsing to the ground, she decided that was enough training for the foreseeable future.

Her tests still weren’t done, so she decided to go get food. There was a lunch plate already waiting for her in the fridge. She was happy that Disguised Robot had finally taken her criticisms and gave her a smaller portion than everyone else. Her stomach was simply too small for a full meal that was suited for people with an active lifestyle. There was a chance she would feel hungry if she turned big after eating, but it was much better than the opposite. If she stuffed herself when she was an adult, she’d feel insanely bloated once she shrunk.

Ahvra chugged a six pack of energy shots before heading back to work after eating. The hours passed quickly since she was completely enthralled with her tests, but finally it became time to go prepare for the movie night. Since others might come, she decided to use the movie theater under the mansion and needed to go a bit early to make sure she knew how it all worked.

However, her expectations were low. They were all busy people. Ahvra didn’t even know who was around that might possibly come. There was a good chance half of them were off on jobs, though she’d seen them all on her monitors throughout the day. Even if they weren’t busy, there still wasn’t a guarantee they’d come. She didn’t know any of their hobbies, and she only considered herself even remotely close to Assistant and Useful One. She could probably count the number of conversations she’d had with Wet Dog and Dandy Mirror on her hands.

Walking through the tunnel, she noticed a familiar creature around the corner, which Ahvra had dubbed ‘Elusive Fluff’. He hadn’t seemed to notice her yet, so it was a prime chance to try and catch him. She had a bit of time before the first showing, so she could work in a quick dissection. Hell, she’d even be willing to cancel the whole thing if she could dig into those innards. Even with all the mutated monsters in the world, she had never seen a creature like him. All of his flows were wrong, and she wanted to find out why.

Unfortunately, Ahvra didn’t have her broom with her. The capture mode worked like the devices that animal wranglers used and would be ideal in this situation. She’d have to make do with a backup plan and pulled a scalpel out of her lab coat. Sadly, there was no wind in the tunnel to manipulate the scalpel, and she had no way to generate it either. She’d have to rely purely on her throwing ability.

It wouldn’t matter if she hurt him with it, or even killed him. Since she could turn back his time, there was no risk. Elusive Fluff had a lot of it, more than any other living being she’d ever met. This was yet another reason why she was so fixated on him. She threw the scalpel, but it missed by an inch and clanged against the floor. Elusive Fluff immediately dashed away, wasting Ahvra’s only chance. She’d be far more upset if she wasn’t about to go have a lot of fun.

The theater was quite grand for a private residence. It could seat around fifty, and the screen was as big as any at a commercial theater. With this many seats, it seemed the Fiends were set on their plans for expansion. After she’d gotten the movie theater set up, Ahvra realized she’d forgotten something and returned to the lab. She was going to dress up properly for once. It wasn’t often she’d be in adult form for more than a few minutes, so she wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to wear the clothes. She had some from a few years ago that she’d been meaning to wear but never got around to.

After putting on her blouse and skirt, she brushed her hair. Looking in the mirror, it was hard to believe she was the same person. Since she didn’t age like a normal person, she never really felt like she’d become a proper adult. It felt weird knowing this is what she’d look like all the time if she hadn’t been cursed. Ultimately, she felt like her small form reflected her inner self better, or at the very least she could use it as an excuse for not acting responsible.

The clothes fit well, since she’d known what her sizes would be years in advance. She had put them on when she was small, then literally grew into them. It was a different feeling to wearing children’s clothes. Her body was quite different after all, so these clothes were more shapely and snug in certain areas. It definitely made her feel more mature too.

“Oh, hey Ahvra. Wait, it is you, right?” Wet Dog greeted her. To Ahvra’s surprise, her and Useful One were waiting for her when she returned to the theater. They were right on time for when she said she’d be starting the first movie. Honestly, of all the movies, she had believed it the least likely to get anyone to come. “Would you like some popcorn?” Wet Dog gestured to the huge tub of it she had prepared towards her.

“You’re going to spoil your dinner if you eat that much,” Useful One chided Wet Dog.

“Well, that’s why I’m trying to share it, duh,” Wet Dog rebutted.

“Dinner? There’s going to be dinner?” Ahvra inquired.

“Yeah, Mallea’s going to bring some later,” Useful One informed her. It made sense. They were starting pretty early since there were six movies to get through, so it was likely they hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

“You look nice by the way.” It was an unexpected compliment from Useful One as they went to take their seats. The movies hadn’t even started yet and Ahvra had become a little flustered.

“Oh, Ahvra, you should turn small and sit on my lap!” Wet Dog eagerly proposed.

“Sorry, but the point of this is to let my emotions run wild,” Ahvra immediately rejected her. “I have to stay in my adult form to do that consistently.”

“Ahh… what a shame,” Wet Dog sulked.

Without further ado, Ahvra started the movie. It was her favorite as a child: a gift from her fathers that Useful One had delivered to her. The title was ‘A Gift from Me to You’. It was about a sentient box, used by a family throughout generations. It was initially used to give a present, but then was relegated as storage for a long time, passed around, and eventually put in an attic and forgotten. Eventually, someone stumbles across it, and decides to use it to give a present once more.

By the end of it, Ahvra had to assume her face was disgusting. She had been filled with so many emotions: joy, sadness, but mostly nostalgia. Tears had been streaming down her face practically the entire time. “Ugh, wipe your face, you look so unseemly,” Rude Convenience hissed at her, disgusted, when she walked into the theater. Out of everyone, she thought the chances of Rude Convenience showing up to be the lowest. “And you, move over!” She yelled at Wet Dog, forcing her to change seats so she could sit next to her brother.

A minute later, Disguised Robot entered, accompanied by Dandy Mirror. He was helping her carry trays of food. Dandy Mirror then sat down next to Ahvra as Disguised Robot served everyone. “Let me know if anyone needs anything else,” Disguised Robot told them, bowing in preparation to take her leave.

“You could stay and watch with us, you know?” Useful One suggested.

“Hmm, I just may,” Disguised Robot thought about it. “It’s a superhero movie, yes? Movies do work with my replication ability as long as their actions are feasibly possible. Who knows, I may pick up a useful move.”

Everyone dug into their food as the next movie started to play. It was ‘United 9’, the latest blockbuster hit in a long franchise. Based on the title, one would think it was the ninth installment, but with the number of spinoffs it had generated, it was probably around the 20th. The movies were all intertwined as well, so missing a spin-off meant one of the main movies would make less sense.

Ahvra had gone to great lengths to get this movie. It had only come out two weeks ago, but no one had watched it due to the bank madness, and it was still currently playing in theaters. To get her own personal copy, Ahvra created a fake movie theater persona online, and tricked the studio into sending her one. She had to pay the outrageous price for a theater copy, but she didn’t regret it in the slightest.

The movie was well done, even at this late stage in the series. There were twists and turns she hadn’t expected, and they even boldly killed off a fan-favorite character. It really got the heart pumping, and would have been a wonderful conclusion if it hadn’t already been practically confirmed that they’d milk the series dry. Everyone greatly enjoyed it, and discussion quickly erupted.

Once it calmed down, Rude Convenience excused herself. Ahvra had expected this. The next movie was a comedy, and most of the jokes would likely go over Rude Convenience’s head. However, this didn’t end up being the reason. Apparently she took Disguised Robot’s dinner as a challenge, and wanted to make a dessert for everyone. It seemed like Disguised Robot had been planning to leave too, but now decided to stay so she could judge the food.

“Sorry I’m late,” Assistant finally joined them. “I actually really wanted to see the last one, but I lost track of time. When I realized, the movie was already halfway done and I didn’t want to join in the middle.” Assistant then joined Disguised Robot in the second row behind the others.

The third movie of the night was a wacky comedy called ‘Divine Tycoon’. It was about a spiritual medium who wanted to use his powers for personal gain, so he started up a haunting business. People could then pay him to convince a ghost to haunt someone they disliked, or for a prank. It got him into all sorts of trouble and bizarre scenarios. It definitely wasn’t high budget, but the acting was solid and it was good for getting the laughs Ahvra definitely needed.

When the movie ended, Rude Convenience returned with homemade ice cream for everyone. Disguised Robot took one bite, judged it as ‘adequate’, then took her leave, but still took the bowl with her. Ahvra didn’t understand the criticism. It was the best ice cream she’d ever tasted. She ate it so fast that she got brain freeze, and pouted in pain until she was served more. Rude Convenience’s title definitely was fitting, knowing her at times certainly was convenient. She then made Wet Dog move again since she’d returned to her original seat.

‘Where Was I, Again?’, a sci-fi thriller, was the fourth movie. It was about a woman who, through failed experimentation, would suddenly start teleporting randomly. She would teleport to a completely unpredictable spot anywhere in the world at any given time, all while being chased by the organization that created her. Eventually, she gained some control over the power, and was able to free herself from both her pursuers and the misfortune. Only when the movie had concluded did Ahvra feel like she could breathe again properly, since it had been so intense.

Both Dandy Mirror and Rude Convenience excused themselves from the next film, claiming it wasn’t their forte. It was a chick-flick, so it was understandable. ‘Arms of the Father’ was about a woman and her dog searching for her father who mysteriously vanished. She finds love along the way and together they manage to find him safely. Once again, Ahvra’s face was flooded with tears. Beneath the various layers of absurdity that Ahvra was composed of was still a maiden’s heart that could be tugged.

“Sorry, I’m uhh, not great with horror, so that’s going to be it for me for the night,” Assistant bailed before the final movie. Of course, the horror movie had to be saved for last, since it was now the dead of night: the perfect time for horror. Only Useful One and Wet Dog were left, leaving Ahvra amazed that they had joined her for the entire thing. It sure seemed like something Useful One would do out of kindness, but Wet Dog’s reasonings were a mystery to her.

The horror movie was called ‘Insomnia Nightmare’. In it, everyone in the world suddenly loses the ability to sleep. After a few days, most people started hallucinating, unable to tell what was real, and many of them started attacking each other. It really was a terrifying movie, the scariest Ahvra had seen in quite some time. She was glad the others were there to join her, since she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to handle it on her own. Though she had one criticism, people were way too weak after only a few days of missed sleep. They were pitiful numbers compared to what she did normally.

Overall, it was the best movie night Ahvra had ever had. Every movie was just what she wanted, and she had been able to relieve a lot of emotional buildup. It was quite possible she could even go for two months without needing to dump them again. She knew a lot of the enjoyment had been from the company. Ahvra never really had friends growing up, and now she understood what she’d been missing. ‘Nice’ was the only way she could put it.

Wet Dog had fallen asleep halfway through the last movie, leaving Ahvra bewildered on how anyone could sleep while watching it. “This was fun,” Useful One commented once the final credits finished rolling. “I got to see a side of you I don’t normally get to see. I’d be happy if you invited me again.” He then flashed her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

Geez, what’s with this guy?! Ahvra’s mind raced. No wonder the rest of them are so infatuated, he just breathes charm so naturally. Hell, if I wasn’t so much more interested in science over love, maybe even I’d take a bite. Useful One then gently picked up Wet Dog with his vines, said his goodbye, then carted her away. Well he’s not perfect… a little dense. Obviously, the right move there would have been to carry her in his arms.

Ahvra slowly returned to the underground labs, her mind still processing every movie and the conversations they had about them. Unlike the others, she wouldn’t be heading to bed. After all, she hadn’t been awake for even two days yet. She shrunk back down, and immediately felt the bagginess of her clothes, sighing at how poorly they fit. Once she got them off, she put back on her usual wear, and slipped on Magni’s lab coat. It felt so right putting it on after being in normal clothes. Now, she was completely back to being a scientist and was ready for endless experimentation.

 

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