Welcome to Gaia! ::

Most children, Kova reflected, would show more distress if they woke up nearly a foot and a half taller and with a considerable pair of breasts which they had not previously had before bed. Or at least that's what she assumed. Maybe not, though. Maybe Del's calm reaction was perfectly normal - how she woke up, discovered that her ruffled pink nightdress was in a rather tatted state thanks to her new size, and sensibly wrapped her sheet around her new body before trotting down the hall and knocking on the other bedroom's door.

Which left her standing in her doorway, long lime-green bathrobe belted tightly, as she regarded her much-changed child. Finally, she sighed. "Well, doodlebug," she began, "what are we gonna do about this?"

Delilah considered her options for long moments. Then she smiled sweetly. "Uncle Kiet can take me shopping for new clothing. After I shower and brush my hair." She reached behind her to lift heavy locks of her hair and pull it forward to be put on display. She had indeed developed butt-length hair. "I think it will take forever to brush these tangles out."

Kova looked nothing short of hysterically amused at Kiet's suggestion. "Kiet, darlin', think about what you just said. Would you really trust her around the others? What about your second gunner, Marco?"

Delilah tilted her head, still absently finger-combing out snarls in her bright hair. "Who's Marco? What's he like?"

Delilah gave a few moment's thought to this rule and Kova watched, fascinated, to see if she would show any kind of rebellion. Not that she wanted her daughter to rebel but Del was proving a hard book to read the older she got. At least, when she was little, a wrinkled nose meant disgust.

Finally, Delilah asked, "What if they've only met Mama? Is that alright? Because then I would be allowed to date Mystic and Antony and Ignacio and Mr. Shade and..."

Kova gave up and laughed.

"That's the truth," Kova agreed cheerfully, utterly unbothered by the slurs against her taste. She moved further into the room and perched on the edge of her bed. For a moment, she watched Kiet brushing out her daughter's hair. Delilah, strangely, allowed him easy access and sat willingly. This, Kova suspected, meant she wanted something.

Delilah fidgeted with the edge of the sheet but continued to hold her head still for Kiet. "I don't know that I appreciate that," she answered finally. "I would never date someone who was mean to me."

Kova giggled. "It's not them being mean to you that has him worried, Delly," she explained.

"Mama? Tell Uncle Kiet that is unfair. Mystic doesn't have a mouth. It would be rude to make him take me for ice cream if he can't eat it."

Kova nearly choked as she bit back another round of laughter.

"But he does." Delilah frowned. "It's like your tail but much, much thicker."

Kova saw fit to leave the room at that point, muttering something about putting the coffee on. Kiet could hear her giggling manically all the way down the hall.

"It's a fact." She sighed and tilted her head back a bit. Unable to see him, she straightened and twisted a bit to the side so she could look at him out the corner of her eye. "Uncle Kiet?" she asked. "Is this new me going to cause a lot of problems for boys?"

"Oh, I never said it was going to be my problem." She returned to staring at the opposite wall. "I know there's nothing wrong with me. I'm glad I grew up. I think I did a good job of it, don't you?"

Apparently, ego was not going to be a crippling problem for the new teenager.