fashion statement

[revivian]

Isabella eats up as much magic as Vivian can teach her; both of their library cards see a lot of use. The list of spells she's allowed to cast gets longer, and eventually she gains permission to cast one or two by herself. Vivian worries, but she's also proud. It's nice to see Isabella so motivated.

Now that Isabella has a medallion and a library card, they go to the Avalon more than just "as necessary to replenish her cash." It becomes something of a habit for Vivian to arrive, drop Isabella off at the library, and then wander around to sell her charms, do her shopping, catch up with her friends, or whatever else she feels like exploring that day. The critters are blinder to human society and politics than she might like, but she thinks she's getting through to some of them. If they want to blend into human culture, these things matter, after all.

Today in particular being a nice day, Vivian and Isabella took the whole day to go out. After a protest demanding equal rights for LGBT employees, they head into Avalon. Vivian leaves Isabella at the library and goes to grab a cup of tea from the cafe next to the marina. She drapes her jacket over the back of her chair, but when she sees the woman at the next table eyes her Out and Proud! button on it warily and grimacing, she removes it from the coat and puts it onto her shirt, front and center. Take that, nosy lady.

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[revivian]

Vivian arrives the next morning with Isabella in tow. This time the flowers are for her brother, and have a cute Get Well Soon card tied to the vase. "How is he?" she asks Gianna.

[shesepankh]

"Sleeping," says Gianna, gesturing at her brother. He has a very classical cancer patient appearance to him.

Isabella steps closer to Gianna's brother and then abruptly collapses. Wings fluff out of her back as she falls; her hands become paws.

[revivian]

"Isabella? Oh my god, Isabella!" Vivian rushes to her daughter's side. When she sees Isabella's still breathing she begins breathing herself, but what just happened? She crouches over her daughter, feeling her neck. Her pulse seems perfectly normal, but it's not like she can call for a doctor when Isabella's like this. "Gianna, could you- the door- Isabella, love? Isabella, love, please wake up..."

[shesepankh]

Gianna rushes to the door and shuts it.

Isabella remains breathing, winged, clawed, and unconscious.

Gianna's brother opens his eyes and squints, and Gianna makes a squeaking noise.

[revivian]

Vivian is not interested in squeaking or squinting right now. She fetches a glass of water and a paper towel from the bathroom and starts dabbing water on her daughter's face. "Isabella...?"

If she can't wake Isabella up what does she do, she can't medallion things for her, she'd have to get her out somehow...

[shesepankh]

Isabella does not react to being dabbed.

"Oh my god," whimpers Gianna, "what happened, is she - Ilario -"

Ilario says something in Italian, frowning at Isabella; Gianna replies likewise.

[revivian]

"I don't know," Vivian says helplessly, "I mean, I knew she was a critter, but she's never done this before, she didn't even do anything! Isabella, sph- love, love please."

[shesepankh]

Ilario sits up. He says something else in Italian.

"She did something," breathes Gianna.

[revivian]

If Isabella put herself in a coma to heal someone she just met Vivian is going to have a nervous breakdown at her when she wakes up.

(When when when when not if. She'll be okay she has to be.)

She glances at Ilario. She's glad he's better. She supposes. She'll be a lot gladder when her daughter is awake. "I thought maybe- I'm not a critter! I knew, maybe she'd have healing, that's it. Not- this. I don't know what this is, I don't know what to do, I can't even ask the doctors!"

[shesepankh]

"If we can smuggle her out - wrap her in a blanket," says Gianna, "take her to the Avalon, can you ask someone there, they must have doctors -?"

(Another flurry of Italian.)

[revivian]

Vivian looks around. They're in the middle of a hospital with a miraculously healed cancer patient surrounded by uninformed humans. It's definitely past time to get her unconscious midform daughter out.

"Smuggling her out is a good idea," she agrees immediately. "I might have something- I can't go invisible, but I can be unobtrusive for a bit, and if she looks normal wrapped up-" she wraps Isabella in her jacket as best she can and then layers it with the nearest blanket. She'll... send the hospital its price later. Or something. She doesn't care right now.

Doctor... maybe. She can get Isabella home, cast some spells, make sure everything's functioning properly, wait for her to wake up- but if it takes too long, if the spells say anything's wrong, if Isabella does anything but seem unconscious she'll face down whatever horde of angry dragons she has to if it means she gets her daughter back.

[shesepankh]

Isabella does not resist swaddling.

"I'm so sorry," breathes Gianna, now sitting on her brother's bed and holding his hand.

[revivian]

"It's not your fault," Vivian sighs, finishing her wrapping. "We knew something might happen. Just- not what." She manages a weak smile at the sight of the siblings on the bed. "At least it was a success, right?"

She loses the smile looking back at Isabella. "I can't talk once I cast this," she warns Gianna, "it'll break the aura. I'll call you once she's awake, okay?" She's going to wake up. "Good night, Gianna. I'm glad your brother's better." She murmurs something in Cantonese and scoops up her daughter.

And then an entirely commonplace, boring figure is headed out to the lobby.

[shesepankh]

Nobody has any reason to stop her.

Isabella breathes.

[revivian]

Then she will be bundled into the backseat of the car and driven home. Vivian only has to pull over twice to panic. Both times Isabella continues to be, to all appearances, completely fine except for how she's still unconscious, and Vivian can eventually re-convince herself to keep driving.

Once they're home Isabella is moved to the bed and carefully tucked in. Vivian pulls herself up a chair and holds her daughter's hand. She's just going to wait here for a while.

[shesepankh]

After about an hour, Isabella opens her eyes groggily.

[revivian]

Vivian's eyes are a bit red, but she's managed to stop crying by now. "Isabella!"

[shesepankh]

"Mommy? What happened?"

[revivian]

"You passed out in the hospital room. Gianna's brother got much better suddenly, we think you did something, but- you scared me, sphinxette."

She bundles Isabella up in a relieved hug. Her daughter's awake.

[shesepankh]

"I didn't do anything really -" Isabella puts her claws away and hugs her mommy. "I was thinking about how to try and then I woke up here."

[revivian]

"Well, I certainly wasn't the one who healed him. Even if you didn't do it on purpose, entirely." She pets Isabella's hair. "We'll just be more careful in the future, okay?"

Vivian, and her shirt, greatly appreciate the lack of claws in this hug.

[shesepankh]

"And he's better? All better?"

[revivian]

"He's better. I don't know about all better. I think so, but I got you home before they checked." She reluctantly lets go of the hug. "I told Gianna I'd call her when you woke up anyway, I can ask."

[shesepankh]

"If he's all better and all that happens is I sleep a while I should do it more."

[revivian]

Vivian chokes on nothing at all. Once she's done spluttering, she says, "What if you sleep too long? Or I can't wake you up? You went into midform when you collapsed, I couldn't get you a doctor."