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The little tyke ran around the hive frantically, tripping over his ill-fitting socks. He wailed like a young harpy in a tizzy, all the while his lusus smiled in mockery. The young lad had been panicking since he woke up - he was an early riser, he woke as the sun made it's decent - which would have been for two hours now. He never knew that potion he tried would have an effect like this!

What's worse, he couldn't find his knives!

Belife ran in circles and climbed onto a chair to reach the usual hiding spot in the cupboard when Vanille picked him up by the hem of his pants and put his feet back on the floor. His lusus smiled down at the boy and said, " Now, now. That's too high for a wriggler, and pushed the chair back to the other side of the room. The young troll puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms. Not only did he shrink, his mind went childish, too.

" Ahm not a lit'l kid, Vanille. I'm still six sweeps old! Ahm jest... smaller! Now give meh back me knives!" Vanille just smiled at his young-again wrigger and laid on the other side of the room. It was just like old times. Belife crawled on top of Vanille and huffed, lazing about on his fluffy back, giving up.

They kept there for a while, Vanille fighting the urge to fall asleep. He just about got ready to doze off when Belife pulled on his neck fur and demanded he go see Minist, a friend. e wanted to know if she got the potion too, so he can make fun of her, or is she could adopt him until he was older, since Vanille was OBVIOUSLY being SO UNFAIR that he HID HIS KNIVES.

"If we're going to see Minist, we need to get out the saddle." Vanille stood up, slowly as to not knock off his troll, and went into the storage room. Belife didn't mind the saddle at all. He would prefer if he rode bareback, but seeing as he was smaller, the saddle would have been nice, actually.

But not this saddle.

Belife unmounted when Vanile started to dig for the saddle, despite their regular one hanging on the wall as usual. It confused ickle Belife; we have another saddle? he thought quietly.

Vanille returned from rummaging with a saddle with side bars and jars of glowbugs strapped to the side. He wore it broudly and stretched, getting a feel for the small saddle. Belife didn't notice the change of saddle until he felt the cross bars with his hands. To which he grabbed for the jars. He paused, felt the warmth of the glowbugs light and then huffed again. VANILLE. I ain't no kid! I don't need th'kiddy sat'l!"

Vanille smiled again. He was going to enjoy mocking him as long as the potion lasted. He did hope it wasn't a 'regrowing' potion, though. He could only stand so much of another baby. "Now now, Belife. Babies need to ride in the kiddy saddle. You used to love it as a kid. And now you are a kid again. We're not going to Minist's till you get in, and you're not going on your own. He shook his back, signalling for him to get in the saddle.

Belife sighed heavily like an angsty teenager and settled himself into the cage of a saddle. Vanille eminded him to hold the handles, which Belife did, painstakingly. The glowbugs were comforting, though.

Through the desert and half of town they travelled, where they split down a path to the top of the cliff. It was quite a long ride. By the time they made it to Minist's it was already three. Belife yawned and rubbed his eyes, he was getting sleepy. It was time for a nap. Vanille head-butted the door three times with his horn and Belife fell forwards into the saddle, asleep.

Vanille shoosed/mooed Minist and flicked her bare legs with his tail, trying to signal to her to be quiet. He hoped Belife was just as hard a sleeper as he was when he was really a kid. So far, only his intelligence has kept in tact.
The large hoofbeast lusus bucked down onto his front knees and then slid in his hind legs to lay on the warm sand. He was hoping Minist would pick him out of the saddle, as it couldn't have been comfortable, but without communication, and a yawn, he wasn't sure if she knew.

Trolls didn't have 'parental instinct' as the lusi did. Trolls sure are weird, he thought.

Vannile let out a moo similar to a sigh and let his head on the ground. The tiny child on his back woke up with a jolt and gave a big yawn and wiped at his face. "Are weh'ere yet, Vanille?" he asked, looking around, and then rubbed his shoulder. "Ahk. What in tarnation... Oh. 'Ey Minist! " He called out looking over at his friend. He unlatched the metal bars of the saddle and clambered out to greet her and hug her legs. He only barely came up to her waist.

" Oh am ei' so glad t'see yeh! Ah 'ave a lit'l problem," He said, pinching his forefingers together.

The inside of Minist's hive was quite different on a different angle, especially now that some of her junk piles were bigger than he was. He used to use them as thrones! Now they were like small mountains. What if there was a junk-avalanche? He would get crushed! Like a small child he stayed close to Minist and hoped Vanille really was okay on his own outside.

He glanced at the TV before she turned it off. He didn't have one, but some of the local stores did, and he didn't really like Thresh Prince. The comedy was not his flavour. He didn't really like TV at all. He would rather do something than sit around and rot his brain. It's not like he could tell what was going on, anyway.

Belife climbed the couch and jumped on it before settling down in an indian-sit. He stared her right in the eyes and in a serious tone, he told his story; ""It was a dark noight in th'desert. Vanille n'Ei had travelled far 'un we were toired. The noight was darker than us'ual. Like. Really dark. N' then we saw a poiple' haze in th'distance. A Genie appeared and says to us that... Uhm. Ei forgot wot he said. Buy anyway. He gave me a potion n' I drank it n' now I'm a kid." He smiled devilishly at the end of his story. It was a good story.

Belife pouted. It was no fairy tale! That's what REALLY happened. Except it was at his doorstep. And it wasn't a genie. And he signed up for a 2 week supply of mysterious elixir. Same thing.

The tyke shook his head rapidly. " Ei 'ave no idea. Ei'ope it don't last. Vanille hid all me' knives since ei'm lit'l ag'in. It's not fair!" He pouted again and crossed his arms. Just because he was small in stature didn't mean he was small in mind! He could still juggle.

Ei can't reach the cup'perd home t'make any food. Could ya help a tyke out? He grinned a sharktooth grin, and leaned in close.