(TATB) Ch 11: The Three New Lillis, Lets Get Started!

(Skylar)

Holding the Q-tip before me, I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. At first, it was disbelief—a trick of the light or maybe a smudge. But no, these were unmistakably three tiny, moving figures clinging to the fibers, tiny Lilliputians looking back at me with what I imagined was fear or shock.

"How in the world did you guys get here?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady and as soft as possible. I could feel the warmth of my own breath drifting toward them, and immediately, I realized they'd probably feel that as a gust of wind. "Oh, sorry," I murmured, pulling my face back slightly and lowering my voice to a near whisper. Carefully, I raised the Q-tip above my mouth, adjusting so I could look at them without overwhelming them with my breath. For a moment, I just stared, not really knowing what to say or do.

They were so incredibly tiny, mere specks clinging to the white fluff of the Q-tip, and I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of awe and responsibility. But then I realized—I was standing here completely naked. Heat flushed my cheeks, and I decided I needed to wrap this up.

I extended my other hand, slowly spreading my fingers open to create a makeshift landing zone. Bringing the Q-tip down close to my palm, I tilted it as gently as I could, watching the little specks tumble down into my waiting hand. Their weight didn't register at all, but I knew they were there, standing on my skin.

"Don't worry..." I said softly, managing a reassuring smile, even though I knew they probably couldn't see much from their size. My fingers slowly curved inward, forming a loose fist around them. I made sure to keep my grip as relaxed as possible—just enough to shield them, not enough to apply any pressure.

With one hand occupied, getting dressed was a bit of a challenge. I fumbled a bit with my clothes, trying not to shake them up too much as I balanced keeping my hand level and steady. Once I had my shirt and pants on, I held my hand at waist level and took slow, even steps back to my room. I could only imagine what they were feeling, being moved around like this. The weight of that responsibility sank in further as I walked.

Finally, I reached my desk and sat down, exhaling softly as I placed my closed fist over the smooth wooden surface. "Okay, I'm going to let you out now," I said as gently as I could. Slowly, I unfurled my fingers, lowering my hand just above the desk to give them an easy step down. I watched them carefully, my heart racing as I wondered how they'd react to the sudden shift in their world—and the fact that a Brob was sitting so close, waiting.

***

(Vu)

The softness beneath me was like nothing I'd ever felt—almost like sinking into the air itself, if air could hold you. It cushioned every ache, every sore inch of my body, giving me the illusion that maybe, just maybe, I could rest here for a moment. But the thought of that enormous eye above was enough to keep my eyes cracked open, even if barely. I'd made it—made it to the Brob's attention. But the cost? That was something I wasn't yet sure I wanted to calculate. Rule number one... don't let them see you, don't let them know you're there.

Now here I was, too weak to lift my head, barely able to look at that endless, ocean-blue eye peering down at us. My body wouldn't respond—my fingers, my legs—they all felt detached from me, beyond my reach. The Soul object. It was a tool, a weapon, an escape, but each use tore me down from the inside. I'd known it would be bad, but I'd had no other choice. We had to survive. I just hadn't thought it would feel this much like everything in me had been drained and left hollow.

"I still can't move," I muttered under my breath, the words hardly reaching my own ears.

Then, her voice came, loud enough to shake my skull. "How in the world did you guys get here?" Her voice boomed and rumbled through my bones, even though she was trying to keep it low. I felt the air shift, the wave of sound rolling over us, pushing down on me. I struggled just to breathe against its strength.

And then, with a tone of something close to... regret, maybe? Surprise?—she added, "Oh, sorry..."

A Brob... apologizing. I had no words. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the way my mind felt like it was on the edge of splitting, but it brought a dark chuckle to my lips. "A Brob that apologizes... that's new."

I managed to flick my gaze toward Sawyer and Nemu beside me. My sight was slipping, edges going hazy, but I could just make them out. They were still, huddled on the same soft surface, their small forms quivering against the Brob's power. I didn't know what to say to them, didn't know how to reassure them, or if I even could.

Then her voice came again. "Don't worry." And the platform we clung to started tilting, slowly at first but with increasing speed, like the world itself was tipping off its axis.

We couldn't hold on. Our screams tangled together as the ground dropped out from under us, and we plummeted toward a tan, fleshy surface below. I hit the surface hard, a dull thud that I barely registered through the exhaustion. It was warm, firm, yet soft enough to break the fall.

My vision was slipping, the world around me a blur of light and shapes. I could hear Nemu and Sawyer's voices fading, lost in the fog swallowing me whole. My body sagged into the warmth beneath me, every ounce of energy drained.

And then, there was nothing.

***

(Skylar)

I leaned down, staring at the three tiny figures on my desk, barely able to make out their forms as they stood motionless, likely shocked or scared. They didn't know me yet; I was just this towering, mysterious figure to them. I tried to imagine how I must look from their perspective—this massive, looming presence above them, every movement I made probably sending a tremor through their world. I didn't want them to feel threatened, and the last thing I wanted was for them to be afraid.

"Don't worry," I said softly, keeping my voice as gentle as I could. "I'm not going to hurt you."

As I watched them, I couldn't help but wonder how in the world they'd ended up in my bathroom of all places. The Lilliputians were known to have hidden colonies scattered throughout our land, though the Brobdingnagian government considered them illegal. Still, there was always something that felt wrong to me about that—they'd been here before we expanded, after all. And now, looking down at them, tiny and vulnerable on my desk, the reality of it felt more... personal.

A little smile crept across my face. I'd wanted to meet Lilliputians my whole life, and now here they were, these little people who had been just a story to me for so long. They didn't know it yet, but I wanted to be their friend.

My gaze shifted to the small glass vial tucked in the side pocket of my bag, resting beside me on the desk. I reached over and pulled it out carefully, peering closely at the little group inside. Ten more Lilliputians, barely distinguishable through the glass. I felt a pang of embarrassment, realizing they must have been cramped in there.

"Sorry, I hope you all didn't feel too smothered in there," I murmured, mostly to myself, as I gently laid the vial down on its side on the desk. I didn't want to shake them up any more than I already had, so I moved as slowly as I could, placing it in a way that would let them easily walk out on their own.

I watched as they began to emerge, stepping hesitantly from the vial and taking in the vast, unfamiliar expanse of my desk. Now I had thirteen little people in front of me, and I could barely contain my excitement. I had so many questions and wanted to learn everything about their lives. But I knew I needed to take this slow, let them get comfortable first.

"Alright," I said, trying to keep my voice as soft as possible, "let's get started." I leaned in close, but not too close—I didn't want to overwhelm them. Instead, I just watched, hoping they'd know from my face alone that they were safe with me.