The Parts We Play

If You Can Still Remember

"Oh no." Irene looked deeply disturbed. "I don't remember drinking after that. It was awful enough after one cup, and my mother always reminded me of it."

Douxie blinked, then commented, "Do you think Akiridions can get drunk? I mean, they don't work remotely the same-"

"Everyone and everything gets drunk if you try hard enough," Irene replied. "I suppose we can ask- Cara hasn't gotten drunk on anything but sugar, from my recollection."

"Well now we have to text her and Krel," Douxie pointed out, pulling out his phone.

'Okay so funny story,' came Cara's quick reply to Irene. 'I do not know if we can get drunk but we CAN drink rubbing alcohol with no adverse effects- remember when ur bottle u used to clean earrings was mysteriously half-empty, when I was like ten?'

Irene audibly gasped. 'CARA–???'

'IT TASTED LIKE STRAIGHT LEMON JUICE TO ME IT ACTUALLY WASN'T AWFUL'

'Lemon juice is good. Rubbing alcohol is not.'

'Did I die though? No- Krel is laughing so hard rn QUIT READING MY TEXTS OVER MY SHOULDER YOU TALL DOOFUS'

'Isn't he my height tho? 😭'

'He's in his normal form. He's a few inches taller than Hizzydizzle this way'

"Casperan, could you stand next to me for a second, please?" Irene looked up from her phone. "I need to see how concerned I should be right now."

"Uh- sure?" Douxie stood up and straightened his back and shoulders.

The corners of Irene's lips tugged upwards a little when she stood at her tallest for comparison. "Oh my."

'That's scary to think about. He's just a baby bean,' Irene replied to Cara.

'Lemme get Aja to take a picture of us cuz I'm in the flesh suit rn- Krel asked me very vehemently not to call my disguise that ha-'

Cara sent a picture of the two of them a minute later, whereupon Irene found out that in human form, the top of Cara's head was barely even with the uppermost part of Krel's core. He had his upper arms around her shoulders, the lower pair around her waist, his head effortlessly peeking over hers, and a very smug expression. Irene promptly started gagging uncontrollably.

"What???" Douxie asked, surprised and a bit concerned.

Irene stopped for a moment, "Look– check... messages– BLEH!" She slid her phone to Douxie, the coughing turning into laughter.

Douxie looked at it. "... I don't see the problem."

"He's– it scares me– he's supposed to be little and young and small!" Irene looked at the picture again. "Cara is supposed to be- she grew up, but not as much as I thought, apparently."

Douxie laughed. "Not to mention she's all wrapped up in not just two but four arms of a boy," he teased, looking for the older-sister-utter-horror response.

Irene's face scrunched up, and she looked up at him with a level of shock nearing offense. "Why would you say that? Out loud?"

Douxie nodded to the picture. "I'm a boy. I see the way he's holding onto her," he said, even as he internally noted that if Krel could hear him right now, he'd kill him.

Irene looked at the picture, then back at Douxie. She put her hands on her hips and started to circle around the wizard. Before a second and perhaps better thought could stop her, Irene wrapped her arms around Douxie's torso. "Heheh."

Douxie froze, staring blankly at the two little forearms lying across his stomach. If his heartbeat had toured his esophagus when he'd first seen that demonic figure, now it was doing a full check on his circulatory system, battering almost painfully against his ribs and spine, washing out all thought and slamming against his eardrums, even making his fingertips feel like they were pulsing to this music Irene was drawing from his body.