[OPEN] that dude looks like a lady

[burnmydread]

Who: Minato Arisato & others!
When: July 20th through August 15th
Where: Petrosian & Caissa
What: Rule!63 Minato coming back from the dungeon and enjoying what he can of womanhood. Oh, and the Dye Hard job
Rating: PG, will update if needed!

[ Reference for the Job Post is here. Also, if you're interested and haven't already, you can pick your character's arcana for Social Linking! ]

001. ♀ Dude Looks Like A Lady

[ The dungeon wasn't successful. At least, for Minato it wasn't. Apollo was thankfully able to finish it off and Minato was able to try and protect Aigis, but when he re-spawned outside, he was...different.

Like, reddish brown hair, wider hips, and more reasons to wear a shirt type of different. He's seen this happen before--or rather, he's heard about it, but to actually experience a full on bodily switch...

It's...interesting.

So now there's a new female hero wandering about Petrosian, wearing a uniform that is made for a boy with different measurements. She looks a little confused, gaze shifting from building to building. It creates a convenient opening to accidentally bump shoulders with someone passing by. ]

Oh...sorry.

[ Is that really is voice? Her voice? Gah, she can't even get her mental dialogue straight. ]

002. ♀ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

[ He's had side effects from a dungeon before, but never more than a day or two. Returning to Caissa had been the main goal at first. Now that he's woken up on day three, Minato figures he...she will just have to find a way to enjoy it. Granted, for what experience he has with he female body really doesn't prepare him for having one. The first day was enlightening, the second day was entertaining, and now, well...

What do girls get to do that he doesn't?

So Minato goes out.

A > The Dining Hall is crowded during meal times. Why does she decide to come to this place? Well, because it's free. So there's a strange new Hero in town gorging on the buffet. Where is she pudding all that pudding?

B > Who doesn't love an obligatory bath scene? Minato enjoyed the baths before and that hasn't changed just because he's got a little more going on up top. Minato is enjoying a nice bath, or maybe napping. But, is that a fish in the water too?

C > Reinforcing gender norms by shopping. Or maybe she really just doesn't have many articles of clothing that fit his new feminine physique. Not that he's worried about longevity, but...he looks decidedly less questionable in the lingerie section now that he's a she. Help a girl out? ]

003-A. ♀ Live Free or Dye Hard

[ Just because Minato is in the middle of a very strange shift in physiology doesn't mean that there isn't a job to do. Patrolling the river doesn't sound too difficult, so she figures that it'll do for now. Got to keep that income...coming in and that public image, right? Not that she's particularly worried about what the masses think of the Heroes, but she is starting to see how it's affecting her colleagues. The rumors and conspiracies that have begun to pop up around it don't bode well either. She doesn't particularly like the idea of being used, but she's undecided about the amount of truth in those theories.

That leads her to now. Now, waiting for people and mergoats. She's never actually seen a mergoat before, so that will be interesting. Sword in hand, she walks slowly down the riverbed, occasionally looking up to scan the horizon. She's not alone, though, and it's not her carrier. She's actually following the wanderings of a baby griffon, who despite its fearsome appearance, is only a couple of feet tall for now.

Super cute.

In fact, this griffon is so excited to be out--which is one of there reasons Minato brought it along in the first place--that it tries to take off. Unfortunately, said griffon hasn't mastered flying yet, and sort of jumps high into the air, veers to the left, and slams right into someone else. ]

...

[ Oops. ]

003-B. ♂ Dye Hard With Vengeance

[ He's...he's glad to be back to normal. He's used to this body, he knows this body, and as fun as the stint had been on the short-term, the thought of being a girl permanently was...well, not devastating, but there are certain things he missed about being a guy. One of them had to do with how short the lines to the bathroom always were.

Now he's patrolling the river...again. But just as himself. How boring.

He looks totally innocuous, at least at first. After chasing down a pair of bandits, Minato finds himself with a bag of their stolen goods. Standing there, by the river. That...doesn't look incriminating, does it?

Oh, he's not alone, is he? ]

...It's not what it looks like.

Comments

[burnmydread]

[ Only special people under special circumstances. She's glad to totally mess up someone's knowledge of world mechanics. Good job, Minato.

Ah, yes, she remembers something similar to this statement back when they first met. Of course, Meliora doesn't know they've already met, but she can't help herself... ]

I figured it was natural.

[femmefailtale]

My my--someone's a charmer. [Meliora turns towards the other girl-apparent.]

Well, if you showed up like that, that makes you some kind of unusual type person. Definitely worth getting to know, I'd say. [Her being cute has nothing to do with this decision, of course.]

So, what's your name?

[burnmydread]

[ An "unusual person" is right. Too bad Meliora doesn't know the half of it. She's had to give her name already, so she...wasn't very creative, to be honest. ]

Minako.

[ Yep. Undercover.

Should she admit that she knows the other girl's name? Why not. ]

And you're Meliora.

[femmefailtale]

[Wwwwait a godsdamn second here, how did Minako know her name? They've only just met (something she can say with 100% certainty, as she remembers the face of every pretty girl she meets thank you)... which means that she must have heard of her somewhere. And since she doesn't exactly have a nametag on her anywhere, that has to mean...]



...Do I have a cute stalker that nobody told me about?

[burnmydread]

[ Well, she shouldn't be too surprised that it came off that way. Interesting, considering when she'd met Meliora as a he, she hadn't seemed nearly as pleased.

...Does Minato just make a better girl? That's an odd thought...

Minato opens her mouth to speak, but Unagi-kun takes that moment to burst through the water and just...gape. Like a fish. Why are you leaving him out. Can this be a love triangle? ]

...Yes, Unagi-kun has heard of you too.

[femmefailtale]

[It is truly and in every way a mystery why she's reacting to Minako better.]

[The fish's comedic timing, and Minato's comment to take advantage of it, make her smile--and then laugh. It's not the hearty belly-laugh she gave before, more of a dainty giggle. Either she was putting on airs before, is now, or--something.]

I see. I guess I have a pair of fans already, then. [That one store sells merchandise of heroes, after all--maybe she'd heard there.]

Well, I'm sorry to Mr. Unagi-kun... [She reaches to pet the fish, which makes its instincts kick in as it swims a way from her hand. Meliora gives a tiny 'heh,' having expected it--salvaging things by running her hand through her hair instead.]

--But I don't really have much interest in fish as more than pets. Maaaybe friends, depending on the fish.

[burnmydread]

[ Unagi-kun is indeed friendly for a giant carp, but there are certain instincts that cant' be ignored. Sometimes he just gets overly hopeful for food, since Minato is almost always feeding him.

Minato does notice just how...giggly she is this time around. ]

He's pretty friendly for a fish. [ She watches him disappear deeper into the water. ] If you feed him, he'll never forget. He likes pudding.

[femmefailtale]

Pudding, huh..? [She trails off, tilting her head to one side and staring off into the distance as she folds her arms. Hmn. If she's a fan... it can't hurt to try to have a little fun, right? She makes a mental note to thank Minato later--he's done her homework for her this time.]

We should totally grab some pudding after this. I know a good place for it, and something nice and cool after a hot bath is the best.

[burnmydread]

[ Minato also likes pudding. A lot. Probably not as much as Unagi-kun, but still enjoy to indulge whenever it's available.

Though...at the offer...she perks up visibly, blinking as she looks over at the other girl. ]

...Does that mean you're paying?

[femmefailtale]

If you're new here, it's only fair that I treat you the first time.

You can pay me back later, with another round for us after you've scored some cash. If you want, anyways.

[burnmydread]

[ This sounds like a situation in which Minato gets out free. ]

...That sounds good.

[ She might be enjoying this girl thing a little more now. ]

[femmefailtale]

[Congratulations, Minato, you are now directly involved in a case study of what Meliora's F-rank luck really means.]

Then it's a plan~

[She stands up, placing a hand on her hip as she eyes the door.]

So, are we going now or did you want to soak a bit more first?

[burnmydread]

[ F-rank...for all the Protag Street Cred she has, is she really ready for this? We'll have to tune in and see.

Oh, now? And Meliora is certainly...yes.

She blinks, looking back into the water. Unagi-kun is still swimming around. ]

...I guess he'll be okay in here for a while.

[ Yes, Minato, leave your giant carp in the hero baths so someone else can be surprised by him without any explanation. Sounds like a good plan.

She nods and stands as well. ]

[femmefailtale]

[Leaving fish behind in baths--truly, Minato is the most responsible of pet owners.]

Alright then. [Taking the lead, she tosses her hands behind her head and heads to towel off and put some actual clothing back on.]

[As she does, Meliora's giving herself a little mental pep-talk and reminding herself that everything is going well so prepare for the worst. She's used to it. Still, she makes sure that her uniform's on and that her hair's done up in her favorite twintails.]

[Got it. Totally got it. Now to just wait for her pudding date to finish.]

[Don't freak out and do something stupid Mel. You can do this. (Maybe.)]

[burnmydread]

[ Minato follows suit. Thanks to a couple of her female friends, she actually does have some clothes to wear that fit a little better than what she actually has back in her room. She doesn't have a woman's issue uniform, but she does have a skirt and top. Bare legs? It's kind of awesome. She didn't realize how fun female clothing could be before.

Also, it means it's totally not weird that she's there were other female heroes are changing.

But, basically, she's not a total mess when she approaches the other girl. She's actually cute as hell. ]

I'm ready.

[femmefailtale]

[Oh wow, rude. How dare Minako be so cute!! But then, that's to be expected--Meliora prides herself on having an eye for cute girls. Having only her uniforms to her name, she's still wearing one of those... albeit with her having decided to tie the coat around her waist for the moment. No point in being too formal, right?]

So I see. [She gives her a friendly wave before taking her hand.]

I'll show you the way. Try to keep up, okay?

[burnmydread]

[ A casual air is good. That means this is a causal food trip, right? Right. Perfect. Though she won't say "no" to free food in almost any occasion. (If she does, then it is cause for worry.)

She nods in agreement. ]

That won't be a problem.

[ Just don't make her run. Not that she can't, but she's lazy. ]

[femmefailtale]

[It's one of the many cafes that Minato'd hooked her up with--the nearest one that has a good pudding.]

So... I don't suppose you've heard about the war, have you?

[burnmydread]

[ Then she'll definitely like it. She'll just have to decide if she should sound surprised by it or not.

Ah, the war... ]

Yeah. [ Meliora does think she's new, huh? She has been curious on how it's affecting her colleagues. ] What do you think about it?

[femmefailtale]

Me? [She looks away with a 'tch.']

Not really sure, yet. Never had wars back home--everything was too small scale and there were people who'd make sure it didn't happen. But... I know death, and we don't exactly get along. This smells like a lot of death.

So, s'why I was gonna' ask you what you thought.

[burnmydread]

[ That's an interesting way to look at things. People who'd make sure it didn't happen? That makes it seem like things are tightly controlled. Hmm...

Still, Minato takes a moment to consider. What does she think about it? ]

...People are always looking for a reason to fight. [ Is that a good way to put it? ] But it's easier to do when you're not the one that has to do the fighting.

[femmefailtale]

[♪ ♪ ♪]

[Meliora laughs, a cynical tint to it.]

That's the truest thing I think I've heard all day. The best fight's the one that you can get someone else to do for you, right?

Well... me, I'm not a fan of fighting anyways. Tends to up your odds of getting yourself killed. So it figures that I'd land in this kind of sitch, right?

[burnmydread]

[ She nods. She won't ever forget the lies that led to SEES' path, even if they were able to make right by it in the end.

A fair criticism, though. ]

Death isn't permanent here.

[femmefailtale]

Oh, really?

Well, hell, that just makes everything all better, doesn't it? Lemme just run right out there and get myself killed for the benefit of people who aren't even paying me past room and board.

--Except not, because that's dumb. I dunno about you, but I'm so not testing that.

[burnmydread]

[ Is this where she comes clean? Or should she keep riding this out?

Oh, wait. She wants food first. Definitely riding this out. ]

Would you rather not come back?