A story in the modern time where, while enjoying a pleasant nature walk with Eren and Mikasa, Armin accidentally comes into contact with an odd mushroom which has a bizzare defence mechanism- it releases a spore cloud that causes anyone who touches it to suddenly shrink down to the size of a doll (about 19.7 cm tall, but thankfully the effects are temporary), and is left in the care of Alyse, a female Genetic Hybrid Human, until he returns back to his normal size.
Warning: Contains slight nudity.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin walked through the forest as they enjoyed the tranquil serenity of it, the trees flowing softly in the gentle breeze, the ground completely covered with flowers that were a vibrant purple colour, and the rays of sunshine beaming through the branches and leaves, creating an enchanting scene that was like something out of a fairy tale.
"This is such a beautiful forest." Mikasa said, even as she looked at some butterflies that were fluttering around some of the flowers and landing on them to feed on their nectar. Other butterflies that already had their fill from the flowers began fluttering over to the trio, flying and dancing around them as if to greet them. Some of them even decided to land on them just so they could rest from flying, but also wanting to say hello.
"I guess these butterflies are quite friendly, huh?" Armin said, even as one perched on his right hand, which was slightly raised. He raised his hand a little higher and brought it a little closer to his face so he could have a closer look at it. "Aww, hello."
Eren and Mikasa decided to greet the butterflies that landed on them as well, and just looked at the beautiful colours and patterns on their wings.
"I've never seen butterflies like these ones before." Eren said as he looked at one on his left arm.
"Neither have I." Mikasa replied while looking at one that was on her right shoulder, admiring the patterns on its wings.
A few minutes later, all of the butterflies fluttered around the trio, then they flew off. Armin smiled. "That was unexpected, but it was pleasant nonetheless." Eren and Mikasa nodded in agreement, then the trio kept walking through.
At one point, they suddenly came across a mushroom that was growing from a tree stump. It was about 20 centimetres in height, and its cap was an unusual colour- it was a light teal colour with navy blue dots on it, and the rim of it was a crimson colour.
"That's a unique-looking mushroom." Eren said. Mikasa nodded. "I know some people like mushrooms, but there are those that are poisonous. Is there anything about this one?" Armin went into his bag and pulled out a small encyclopedia that told about all kinds of mushrooms. He carefully scrolled through the pages, but to his surprise, there was absolutely nothing about this mushroom. "There isn't anything written about it." He said. "And there's no illustration that matches the description of it."
"So, do you think it's a new type of mushroom?" Eren asked. Armin shrugged. "Could be. Maybe I should examine it more closely and see if there are any details about it that we missed." So he went to have a closer look at the mushroom, but the moment he did, that was when the mushroom did something nobody was expecting- as soon as Armin was close to the mushroom, it suddenly released a cloud from itself, startling him and causing him to jump back as he yelped.
"Armin! Are you okay?" Mikasa asked. Armin coughed for a second, then sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine." But then he paused. "What's wrong?" Eren asked. Armin remained silent for a moment. "I don't know. I just... I feel... strange." Eren and Mikasa tilted their heads. "What do you mean?" Mikasa asked. But before Armin could say anything else, he suddenly started to shrink, catching himself, as well as Eren and Mikasa, by surprise.
Armin shrunk into his clothes, which left his two best friends gobsmacked. "Armin...?!" Mikasa asked in growing alarm. She pulled up his shirt, and that was when something fell out. Eren and Mikasa looked, and to their shock, it was Armin. He was naked, but he was small- about 19.7 centimetres in height, having shrunk to the size of a doll. Strangely, even the seashell-shaped locket gifted to him by Alyse on his 19th birthday had shrunk along with him. Eren stammered for a moment before he found himself speaking the words he was going to say. "Armin, what the hell's going on?! What happened?!"
Armin just looked at himself, around and then at Eren and Mikasa, obviously too shocked to say a word. All he could do was softly shrug and shake his head. Knowing that this was serious, Eren gathered up Armin's clothes, shoes and bag as Mikasa carefully picked up the now-shrunken Armin and used her scarf to carry him in. After that, Eren started running back to his car with Mikasa following him as she used one hand to hold Armin securely while he was still wrapped in her scarf.
After they got into the car, Mikasa turned to Eren and asked "What should we do?" Eren turned to her and said "Only thing we can do now is go to Alyse. I believe she'll know about what happened to Armin." Mikasa nodded silently, then Eren started up the car and drove off.
About an hour and a half later, they arrived at the small sanctuary Alyse and her family were staying in, which was one she created herself using a few of her kinetic abilities. It was like a small, cosy cottage with nature mixed into it. Eren pulled the string to ring the light pink coloured bell, which gave a gentle twinkling sound. Moments later, the door opened, answered by Alyse. Angel, Fawkes, Dainan, Selene and Moonlight were there too. They were a little surprised to see them, but gave them a warm smile. "Hello, Eren and Mikasa. What brings you here?" Alyse said. Eren paused for a second before saying "We really need your help, Alyse." The smile on her face instantly vanished, even when she saw the urgent looks on their faces. Without a word, she and the others moved aside and gestured for the two to come in. Eren and Mikasa didn't waste a second when they came inside, and after Alyse closed the door, she gestured to a table, which she, Eren and Mikasa went over and sat at the table, with the animals following.
"What do you need my help with?" She asked. "It's... It's Armin." Mikasa started. Alyse leaned a little closer to listen as the stripes on her body turned regular blue in colour and changed into a different pattern, going into the Worried Pattern as she began expressing concern. "What happened to him?" But instead of telling her, Mikasa gently put her hands into her scarf, pulled out the now doll-sized Armin and carefully placed him on the table. Alyse became shocked as her stripes then changed into the Surprised Pattern, changing their colour from regular blue to lavender and going into another pattern. Even Angel, Fawkes, Dainan, Selene and Moonlight were shocked. "My stars...!" She said softly. She immediately calmed down as her stripes returned to their standard colour, which is light pink, and their standard pattern, then Dainan looked at Eren and Mikasa. "Can you please tell us how it happened?" He asked. Eren and Mikasa wasted no time and took turns explaining how it happened.
Alyse remained silent after hearing them explaining what happened to Armin, then Mikasa asked her "Do you know anything about that mushroom?"
Alyse looked at her and nodded before saying "I do. That mushroom you found is called a Shrinking Mushroom. If it senses any living thing coming near it, it releases a spore cloud as a defense mechanism, causing whoever or whatever goes near it to suddenly shrink down to a small size. Thankfully, the effects are only temporary." Hearing this, Eren, Mikasa and Armin sighed in relief. "Is there any way to return Armin back to his normal size? Like a medicine or a potion? Something?" Eren asked. A look of slight guilt came onto Alyse's face as her stripes went into the Guilt Pattern, turning navy blue in colour and going into their own pattern.
"Sadly, Eren, there is no remedy for this."
Mikasa became a bit shocked, but remained calm as she asked "So what can be done?" Alyse turned to look at her. "I'm afraid the only thing we can do is wait for the effects to wear off." "How long will that take?" Eren asked. "Not long. About 24 or 28 hours. That's how long it takes. Sometimes it takes about two days, other times it takes a shorter amount of time." "So we just need to wait for either a day and a bit or two days for Armin to return back to normal?" Eren asked.
Alyse nodded. "Yes. In the meantime, how about leaving Armin here with me? I'll keep an eye on him and let you know how he's doing. I've seen this happen before, so I know the signs. Don't worry, he'll be in good hands." Eren and Mikasa trusted Alyse without a doubt, as did Armin, but also knowing that his parents should never know what happened to him, as they might panic, so they decided to leave their best friend in her care. But before they could go, Dainan said "But are you certain Armin's parents shouldn't know about this?" They both stopped, realising he had telepathically read their thoughts. They looked at Alyse, who had also read their thoughts. She took a deep breath and said "I know you're afraid that they'll get upset and panic if they saw their son shrunken down to doll size, but I just don't feel comfortable having to lie to them. Why not ask them to come over, I'll explain everything, and I'm certain they'll understand and realise there's nothing to worry about."
Eren and Mikasa looked at each other for a second, then they turned back to Alyse. "Yeah, you have a good point. We'll go and get them." Eren said. Mikasa nodded in agreement, so they left to go get Armin's parents.
While waiting, Alyse set up a little bed for Armin- made out of a dried cocoa pod husk that was 23 centimetres in length and 7.5 centimetres wide, put in a soft and fluffy scarf, made from the hairs of her wing feathers she had molted, that was folded up to be used as a mattress, leaving the bottom part that wasn't folded in sticking out at the bottom of the pod husk so it could be used as a blanket and cut up a piece of cloth also made from the hairs, and folded it up so it could be used as a pillow. Then she grabbed an art kit and a piece of cloth and crafted a subligaculum and loincloth for Armin to wear. She crafted the subligaculum out of silk and after giving it to him, he put it on like how she taught him to. And once Alyse had finished making the loincloth, she gave it to him and he put it on. Alyse even made sure it was long enough to reach down just above his knees.
"How do you like it?" Alyse asked. Armin looked up at her with a smile and said "I love it, it fits perfectly. Thank you." Not long after having prepared Armin's small bed and crafting the subligaculum and loincloth to cover up his nudity, a knock was heard. "Come in." Alyse said. The door opened, and Eren and Mikasa came in. This time, Armin's parents were with them. The moment they turned their gazes to the table and saw their son, having shrunken to the size of a doll, they were shocked. Mrs. Arlelt turned to Alyse and asked her "What happened to him?"
Alyse explained what Eren and Mikasa told her, then about the Shrinking Mushroom and how long its effects would wear off, and that she'll be taking care of Armin until he's back to normal. Both Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt nodded in understanding. The whole explanation, as well as Alyse's reassurance, having completely eased their worries.
"I'll admit, this is quite a lot to grasp," Mr. Arlelt said, "but because we've seen how much our son and his friends trust you, then we'll entrust you with caring for him until he's back to normal." His wife nodded in agreement. "And we know just how much you've wanted Armin, Eren, Mikasa and their friends to be happy ever since you learned of what their past lives were like. We are grateful to you for coming into their lives in the past as well as now, and wanting them to be accepted and living the happy lives they deserved. So, thank you. We're counting on you."
Alyse smiled as her stripes turned yellow and went into their own pattern, going into the Grateful Pattern. "I promise we'll care for him as if he was one of our own." Armin's parents smiled and nodded in gratitude, having also learned that whenever Alyse makes a promise, she'll always hold on to it, but also learning of the anguish she would have to go through if the promise she made were to be broken, though usually if it was against her will or if from something that was unexpected and ending badly.
They looked at Armin, then Mr. Arlelt reached his hands out, cupping them in front of him so he could climb in. When he did so, he slowly brought his son to his face and hugged him gently. "Please be careful, son. Stay with Alyse and the others until you're big again." Armin just nodded. Then Mr. Arlelt passed him over to his wife, who gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek after cuddling him to her face, then said "Just promise us you won't get hurt, all right, sweetheart?" Armin nodded and said "I'll do my best to avoid getting even a scratch." Mrs. Arlelt carefully placed Armin back onto the table, then she and her husband turned to Alyse, both giving her a grateful smile. Alyse returned the gesture, then turned to Eren and Mikasa with the same smile as she nodded, then after Eren and Mikasa smiled and nodded in thanks, all four of them headed to the door. Just as they were walking out, Alyse suddenly called out to them.
"Eren, Mikasa, Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt." They turned to her, and she said "When Armin returns back to his normal size, I'll send Fawkes to let you know so you can come over and pick him up." Mrs. Arlelt smiled again. "Thank you, dear. We'll be waiting for when Fawkes comes over." Mr. Arlelt, Eren and Mikasa smiled and nodded, then they left.
Alyse turned to Armin and gave him a comforting smile. "You all right?" She asked. Armin nodded and said "I'm fine. Thank you for agreeing to take care of me." "I promised your parents and your best friends, so until you're back to normal, I'll make sure to treat you like a dearly cherished gem." Hearing this, Armin smiled.
For the rest of the day, Alyse cared for Armin very lovingly, tending to him when need be, making sure he would be away from anything or anywhere that was dangerous or hazardous. When it was breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, Alyse would break apart tiny portions of food that was fully prepared and serve them to Armin on a small wooden plate she carved, making sure he would eat everything she made, not leaving a single thing out (for example, for dessert, if there was sticky date pudding with sauce and vanilla ice cream, Alyse would make sure Armin got all of those). She even made tiny cutlery for Armin, such as a knife, a fork, a soup spoon and a teaspoon, each made out of silver, as well as a wooden bowl, a drinking goblet made of copper and glass (the cup part of the goblet made of transparent glass), and even a wooden dining table and chair, having made all of them via her kinetic powers. As for when he needed to bathe, she would grab a wooden bowl and put hot water in, and fill it up with some cold water so the water wouldn't be too hot for him. She would also get a couple of clean bottle caps and put on a tiny bit of body wash and shampoo on each of the caps, putting them on a little box that was high enough for him to reach them. She also crafted a small towel for him, as well as a towel rack and a bathmat.
Even as Alyse was caring for Armin, Angel, Fawkes and Selene decided to spend some bonding moments with him- Angel would cuddle him close, letting him snuggle into her super soft, fluffy fur, and at times the relaxing comfort of her fur would make him fall asleep as she lovingly cradled him like a baby.
Fawkes would let him rest against her so the warmth coming from her feathers would prevent him from getting cold, even when she would snuggle her head against him or tuck him under her wing, making him feel really cosy.
As for Selene, she would take him for a fly around the house and the garden, after Alyse made a small saddle with safety reins applied so they could be strapped to Armin and if he accidentally let go while he flew with Selene, he wouldn't fall off. She would even take him to spots in the garden where they would find things, such as small flowers and gemstone fragments, and even interact with the bees, bumblebees and butterflies.
And at night, Selene would use the Lunar Lotus on her tail to release Armin's favourite fragrances to help him sleep, Angel would very gently rock the cocoa pod husk-turned bed like a cradle, and Fawkes would sing very beautiful soprano songs to aid him with his sleep.
Alyse, Dainan and Moonlight, upon watching all of these moments, found them truly endearing.
"It's so sweet that Angel, Fawkes and Selene are spending their moments with Armin to bond with him." Alyse said softly. Moonlight gave a soft purr-like coo at this, expressing her agreement. "I agree as well. It's a shame that it'll only be for another night until Armin returns back to his normal size." Dainan said. Alyse nodded. "True. But at least, this gives Angel, Fawkes and Selene the chance to bond with him in their own ways while he's small. Why don't we just enjoy this moment while we can?" Dainan and Moonlight nodded, knowing that even though this was going to be for another night, they should enjoy the sweet, tender moment.
The next morning, as a beam of sunlight shone down on him while he was sleeping, which, in a way, made him look like an angel, Armin woke up and saw Angel, Fawkes and Selene sleeping close to his bed. He carefully climbed out, walked over to Angel and gently stroked the side of her face. Angel gave a soft squeak as she stirred, then when she opened her eyes and saw Armin fondling her, she greeted him by affectionately nuzzling him very gently as she made purr-like coos.
"Good morning to you too, Angel." Armin said as he chuckled. Angel responded with a gentle squeak as she gave a friendly expression. Fawkes and Selene woke up not long after, and they too greeted Armin with affectionate, gentle nuzzles as they cooed. "Good morning, Fawkes. Good morning, Selene." Armin said as he gave them gentle scratches and rubs. A couple of minutes later, Alyse came into the kitchen, as Armin's tiny bed was on the coffee table in the loungeroom, and she could hear Angel, Fawkes and Selene's purrs and coos. When she came over, she saw that Armin was already awake.
"Morning, everyone." She said in a soft, gentle tone as she gave a warm smile, even as her stripes went into the Love Pattern, giving off her usual kind, loving motherly vibe. Angel, Fawkes, Selene and Armin turned to her when she spoke. "Morning, Alyse." Armin said with a smile, even when Angel, Fawkes and Selene happily greeted her.
"How did you sleep in your bed I made, Armin?" Alyse asked. "Very comfortably, thank you." Armin said as he gave her a warm smile. "That's good to hear," Alyse said, then asked "You feeling hungry?" "Yeah, a bit." Armin replied. Alyse nodded. "I'll get breakfast prepared. What would you like?"
Armin thought for a moment. "Could I have some herbal toast cut into the appropriate size for me, please?" Alyse smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. How many pieces do you want and what would you like on it?" "I'll have two pieces, and I'll just have some of the rich, creamy butter you've made, and some salt sprinkled on both slices, please." Armin said. Alyse nodded again. "Coming right up. And would you like something to drink, too?" Armin nodded. "I'd like to try that tea you made from the Nebula Flower, please." After hearing what Armin wanted, Alyse smiled. "Of course. The honey made from the pollen and nectar of the Lunar Lotus, or only the nectar, just so happens to be the perfect sweetener for this tea, which gives it a really sweet and delicious flavour. What's more, it causes the tea to gain a beautiful bluish-purple colour."
Armin raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. "Sounds interesting. I'd love to see that!" After a little chuckle, Alyse went to making breakfast for Armin, as well as for herself and the others, with Angel, Fawkes, Dainan, Selene and Moonlight helping out and Armin decided to sit patiently at the dining table, watching the Mythical Six prepare breakfast at a safe distance, and being able to see how they all do it.
After heading into the kitchen, Alyse started by putting in some twigs and a bit of crushed pine cones in a couple of very shallow pits on a large, smooth flat stone, Fawkes and Moonlight lit them up, and Dainan got out a loaf of herb bread, cut 5 slices of it, put them on a little thin stand, each made out of iron, 2 on one and the remaining 3 on the other, and placed the stands above one of the lit up pits of fire and Alyse grabbed 6 whole salmon, placed 2 each of them into a pan and hovered it above the other fire pit. Dainan gave the bread slices a couple of minutes before flipping them over, seeing that the sides that heated up were a crisp, slight pale gold brown colour. The other sides were the exact same 2 minutes later, so Dainan cut up 2 small pieces from one of the slices, making sure they were the right size for Armin, then he spread the butter on them, as well as sprinkling a tiny pinch of salt, which he crushed into a powder using a mortar and pestle, onto the buttered herb toast before placing them on the small wooden plate.
After that he grabbed a knife and cut up the slice of herb toast into pieces small enough for Fawkes to eat, placing them into a bowl as Alyse sprinkled some salt, as well as some rosemary, onto 2 each of the salmon after cooking them, preparing Moonlight's breakfast and placing them onto a big plate, then Dainan grabbed two more plates and a kettle as Angel grabbed a couple of bowls and a couple of tea cups. Alyse spread the butter and sprinkled some salt on the two slices of herb toast for herself on one plate and Dainan did the same thing with his two slices, and Alyse grabbed some fruit, which were strawberries, blueberries and an apple and mango each, putting the berries into the two bowls and cutting up the apples and mangoes- one apple and mango cut into thin slices for Angel and the other two each chopped into small cubes for Selene before putting them into their respective bowls.
Alyse then got some of the Nebula Flower tea and put it into the strainer, which was in the kettle, grabbed a small iron pot, poured some fresh spring water into it and put it on the iron stand above one of the fire pits, then waited for a couple of minutes until the water began to boil. After that, she opened the kettle, poured the boiling water into it, poured herself and Dainan a cup each, grabbed a spoon and carefully put a bit of the tea into Armin's goblet, then she grabbed the Lunar Lotus honey, which was naturally a beautiful blue colour, and she and Dainan put a teaspoon each their cups as Armin got himself a teaspoon of the honey and putting it into his goblet.
With breakfast ready, Alyse put out the fire pits and she and the rest of the Mythical Six went to the dining table to enjoy their breakfast, with Armin sitting among then on his own little dining table, everyone happily enjoying their breakfast.
Armin absolutely loved the herb toast with the rich, creamy butter and salt sprinkled onto it, and he certainly enjoyed the Nebula Flower tea with Lunar Lotus honey. The way the toast tasted, as well as the tea, was so divine to him. After all, Alyse happens to be a fantastic cook- even better than Nicolo, but she happily shared some of her recipes with him, as she wanted him to become a skilled chef like her. Even Dainan is just as excellent a chef and baker as Alyse is, as she taught him how to prepare her recipes.
"How was your herb toast, Armin?" Alyse asked when she finished her serving. "Very delicious, thank you!" Armin said. Smiling, even as her stripes went into the Grateful Pattern, Alyse then asked "And your Nebula Flower tea? How was it?" "Exactly as you described its flavour to be. I really loved it." Armin replied. Alyse's smile grew a little warmer. "I'm very happy to hear that. Thank you, sweetheart."
A couple of hours after everyone enjoyed their breakfast, Selene took Armin to a very small pond, which has crystal clear water and a few different coloured flowers scattered around it. There was no fish in the pond, nor were there tadpoles and frogs.
And thankfully, no mosquito larvae.
Selene leaned down and took a drink from the pond, then gestured with her head for Armin to take a drink, so he did. He kneeled down, cupped his hands, scooped up some water and took a sip. To his surprise, the water tasted very fresh and pure. "Wow!" He said. "This water's so pure! I've never drank water like this!" Selene smiled and gave a happy squeak, pleased to hear that Armin liked the water.
"Do Alyse and the others know about this pond?" Armin asked, earning a nod from Selene. Smiling, he looked at the scenery around him, awestruck by its beauty. "This is an amazing place."
Selene showed him around the pond, then they returned back to the cottage. Alyse, of course, was the first to notice. "Hey, you two." "Hey, Alyse." Armin said. "I take it you went to the Fairy Pond with Selene?" Alyse asked. Armin nodded. "Yeah, she did. It was a very gorgeous place." Dainan, who overheard them, came into the loungeroom. "Indeed it is, Armin. I'm glad you and Selene had a good time." Armin smiled as he noticed Alyse was making one of her signature recipes with Dainan's help- Aura Berry cake.
"Are you making your Aura Berry cake?" He asked. Alyse nodded. "I am. We're having it for dessert tonight, along with some Nebula Flower tea." Armin was thrilled- Aura Berry cake was one of his most favourite recipes of Alyse's, and Eren and Mikasa loved it just as much. It was made of four skinned Aura Berries that were mashed up and mixed together with white sugar, full cream milk, bi-carb soda and creamy butter, and she would make the icing for it too. It happens to be absolutely delicious, as it has a very sweet, rich and tasty vanilla bean flavour, which, to Armin, is just divine. After preparing it and putting it in her own oven she built based on careful thinking and nature-based creativity, Alyse then prepared lunch- Portuguese chicken with mashed potato and gravy and broccoli coated in a seasoned cheese sauce for herself and Armin, seasoned snapper for Moonlight, chopped up broccoli for Fawkes, blueberries and raspberries for Selene, and broccoli coated in the seasoned cheese sauce for Angel and Dainan.
After having lunch, getting the cake out when it was done, preparing the icing and frosting the cake after it cooled down, everyone decided to just relax. Alyse chose to sit and read a book, Angel sitting on her shoulder to watch, Fawkes just sleeping comfortably on the lounge as Armin slept on a soft, fluffy cusion next to her while he was tucked under a blanket, Dainan doing a puzzle of a very beautiful European landscape, Selene checking on the flowers- the ones growing in the different pots and the stray flowers growing around the nature cottage and Moonlight just sleeping on the floor.
After resting for a little bit, the Mythical Six, along with Armin, went to the forest, where they arrived at a secluded spot, and there was a glade that was filled with flowers.
"What's this place?" Armin asked. "This is a spot where these special flowers grow. They're known as Aurora Flowers, and they only bloom once a year. The moment they bloom, they release these veils of colourful light that dance in the air like a curtain swaying in a breeze that's sometimes strong and gentle at other times. It's quite beautiful, and it only happens when an aurora happens. There'll be one appearing here tonight, so we'll come back here later on after dinner." Armin became amazed at this, wanting to see it all happen.
Later on, after everyone had dinner- Alyse and Armin had beer-battered barramundi with tartare sauce, Moonlight had regular barramundi seasoned with rosemary, Fawkes had chopped up pieces of herbal toast, Dainan had some roasted carrots seasoned with salt and pepper, Selene had a peach and dragonfruit chopped up into small cubes and Angel had a mashed ripe banana with honey. Then they headed back to the glade, and thankfully, the weather was clear. Right on time when they arrived, that was when the aurora appeared. Moments later, the Aurora Flowers bloomed. Just as Alyse said, the lights that emerged from the bloomed flowers began flowing around, looking as if they were dancing. It was a truly spectacular sight to see. Armin himself was awestruck by the beautiful scene. After seeing the rare moment, they headed back to the cottage and had dessert, which was the Aura Berry cake, and having it with Nebula Flower tea sweetened with Lunar Lotus honey.
Armin bathed in the small bathtub Alyse made for him, while Alyse had a shower and bathed each of the rest of the Mythical Six, except Dainan, who bathed himself, and kindly helped Alyse with washing Moonlight, as she bathed Angel, Fawkes and Selene herself. After that, Alyse went and said good night to Armin as he went to sleep in the cocoa pod husk-turned bed she made for him, and she, Dainan and Moonlight went to bed as Angel, Fawkes and Selene stayed with him to keep him company. Just like last night, Fawkes sang a beautiful vocalisation to lull him to sleep, Selene released one of his favourite aromas from her Lunar Lotus on her tail, which was the smell of the ocean air, to soothe him, and when he fell asleep, Angel very gently rocked him, as if his handcrafted bed was a cradle. A few minutes later, the three of them decided to sleep with him for the night, knowing that sometime tomorrow, Armin would return back to his normal size.
The next morning, Alyse woke up and went into the loungeroom to check on Armin, and was met with the adorable sight of Angel, Fawkes and Selene protectively snuggling up to his bed as they slept, causing her to become endeared by this, even as her stripes went into the Endearment Pattern.
"Aww..." She said softly. Then Dainan and Moonlight came to check on her, and they too fell in love with the sweet scene. "Aw, how cute." Dainan said. Moonlight cooed in agreement, she too finding it cute. Angel, Fawkes and Selene woke up, then Armin a few seconds later. "Morning, you lot." Alyse said. "Morning!" Armin said warmly, Angel, Fawkes and Selene giving the warm greeting as well. "Anyone ready for breakfast?" Alyse asked. Everyone nodded, so Alyse went and prepared breakfast- this time, she made buttered hotcakes. She had maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hers, as did Armin, Angel and Dainan, Fawkes just had hers cut into small pieces and coated with maple syrup, Selene had blueberries mixed into hers with strawberry syrup and banana slices, and Moonlight had hers with just maple syrup.
A couple of hours later, as everyone was picking the fruits and vegetables that were ready, that was when it happened. Armin was safely on Alyse's shoulder, a piece of ribbon tied around his waist with the other end tied to the strap of her bikini top, when he started feeling it.
"Hey, Alyse?" He said as he gently patted her cheek to get her attention. Hearing him and feeling his hand patting her cheek, Alyse turned to him. "Yes, Armin?" Armin paused for a moment as he untied the ribbon around him. "I feel a little strange." Hearing this, and seeing that he was starting to grow slightly, she knew what was happening. "The Shrinking Mushroom's effect is starting to wear off. And that's good, because you're returning back to your normal size!" Hearing this, Angel, Fawkes, Dainan, Selene and Moonlight came over as Alyse gently placed Armin onto the ground. As he started growing bigger, the loincloth started feeling tight around his waist, so Armin took it off before it could be ripped apart, then a minute later, he had finally returned back to his normal size. As a bonus, so did his seashell locket. It too returned back to its normal size, as did the beautifully decorated pearl inside it.
Right after he was back to normal, Alyse pulled out a blanket from her bag and wrapped him with it to cover up his nudity. "Oh, thanks, Alyse." Armin said as he held the blanket and fully wrapping himself with it. Alyse nodded in acknowledgement, then turned to Fawkes.
Fawkes, remembering what Alyse said, flew off to let Eren, Mikasa and the Arlelts know that Armin has returned back to his normal size. A couple of hours later, the Arlelts' car pulled up, and Armin's parents came out, along with Eren and Mikasa.
"Armin!" They called out as they ran over to hug him. "Thank goodness you're back to normal, sweetheart!" Mrs. Arlelt said as she kissed her son on his cheek. "Thanks, Mom." Armin said as he smiled. After the group hug, Eren, Mikasa, Mr. Arlelt and Mrs. Arlelt turned to Alyse, all four of them having a grateful expression. "Thank you so much for taking such good care of our boy, Alyse. And thank you to the rest of you as well." Mr. Arlelt nodded and said "Yes, thank you for looking after our son." Alyse smiled and nodded as her stripes went into the Happiness Pattern. "Of course, we were more than happy to take care of him. And you certainly had a fun time, didn't you, Armin?" Hearing her query, Armin smiled and nodded. "Sure did!" "What did you do while you stayed with the Mythical Six, Armin?" Mikasa asked. Armin turned to her and said "I'll tell you in the car ride home." Alyse then asked "Did anyone bring Armin a change of clothes?" Mrs. Arlelt nodded, so she went into the car, pulled out a shopping bag and gave it to Armin. "Your shoes are in there too, sweetie." Armin smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Mom." So he went into the bathroom to get dressed, then when he came back out he turned to Alyse and gave her a sudden hug. "Thank you for taking good care of me, and for the fun times for the two days I stayed here." Alyse smiled and hugged him back. "You're welcome. And you, your friends and your family are more than welcome to come and visit us anytime." After giving a grateful nod, Armin headed to his parents and his best friends.
"Oh, and before you go," Alyse said, "Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt, there's a couple of things I'd like to give you to try at home." She went into the cottage and gave them a couple of containers made of crystal, with the bigger one contained two things wrapped in leaves, while the smaller one had one thing wrapped in leaves and a box next to it. "What are they?" Mr. Arlelt asked when he looked at them. Alyse pointed to the bigger container and said "That's a herbal bread I made myself. It has rosemary mixed into it, and it's really good. This bread actually goes so well with this creamy butter I made, which is in the smaller wrapping of leaves. It goes well with salt too." Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt raised their eyebrows in surprise. "And the other is an Aura Berry cake I baked. In the box next to it is a bag of dried up Nebula Flowers, which is used for tea, and a jar of Lunar Lotus honey that you can use as a sweetener for the tea, as the honey goes perfectly with this tea, and the tea itself goes so well with the Aura Berry cake." Alyse said when she pointed to the other container.
"I had those during my stay here while I was doll-sized." Armin said. "And how were they?" Mrs. Arlelt asked. "Absolutely delicious. Trust me, you're really going to love these." Armin replied. "Then we'll try these when we get home. Thank you, Alyse." Mrs. Arlelt said. "No worries. See you later, everyone, and take care!" Alyse said. As Armin got into the car with his parents, Eren and Mikasa, they all waved at the Mythical Six, who waved back to them, and they went back to picking the ripe fruits and vegetables as the Arlelts drove off with their son and his best friends.
"So tell us what happened during your stay, Armin. What did you do?" Mikasa asked. Smiling, Armin told them everything- even when Selene took him to a couple of spots, Angel, Fawkes and Selene caring for him their own ways while he was small, and when they saw the Aurora Flowers bloom last night and their lights dancing when an aurora appeared. Eren and Mikasa sounded impressed, as did Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt. "Sounds like you had a grand time there, son!" Mr. Arlelt said.
Armin smiled warmly. "I sure did. And I'd love to have more great experiences with the Mythical Six, along with you." Mr. and Mrs. Arlelt smiled warmly, as did Eren and Mikasa, and Armin looked out at the beautiful rural scenery as he continued smiling, looking forward to next time he and the others visit the Mythical Six.
A little story I thought I'd do. So yes, Armin comes into contact with the spore of a strange mushroom that causes him to shrink down to the size of a doll and is cared for by the Mythical Six for two days. During his stay, he goes on a couple of adventures until he returns back to his normal size. Also, Alyse (my fictional self) is like a loving mother figure to Armin and she loves him like a very precious son, just to let you know.
If you don't like it, then I ask you to please not leave any bad comments. Like they say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."
Anyways, hope you liked it!
