"How...?"

"I was hoping you would tell me! I know I was dying, and they had already erased my existence as a hero. I should be dead. Dead dead. No respawn."

"Well, you definitely didn't respawn..."

"Fair point. But how did I end up...in there?" she asks, poking your tummy with her small finger.

"I don't know. Maybe...Well, since making a baby is like leaving a part of yourself behind...But you couldn't keep anything yourself...You just left it all?"

She looks up at you with an adorable frown. "That sounds totally bogus."

"It's the best I have," you reply with a silly grin. It's odd conversing with an adult in the body of a toddler.

"Okay then. Now what?"

"Huh?"

"Now what?" she repeats. "I swallowed your milk like a woman possessed purely on instinct, and that's gotten me this big. But now that urge is gone. I'm pretty sure that means I'm weaned, so sucking out more won't make me bigger. How do I get back to being an adult?"

"Um..." you start, but she brings a hand up and interrupts you.

"Hold on, I think I found it. Let's see...HAH!? What do you mean, monster!? I'm a freakin' hero, you pile of crud! Hey! Stop filtering my words just because I'm an infant! I'll freakin' say fudge if I freakin' want to! GRRRRR!"

You couldn't suppress a fit of giggles. Her high-pitched voice arguing with her menu was just too adorable. You wrapped both arms around her tight and squeezed her to your chest.

"Hey! Wha-! Stop it! I'm trying to do something here!"

"Aw, but you're just so cute! And you're my daughter now, so I can cuddle you as much as I want!"

"Hey! That definitely breaks consent!"

"Nuh-uh. If it did, the system would stop me. You get all the hugs!"

She mumbles and grumbles, but eventually she gives up and wraps her small arms around your chest, returning the snuggle. It gives such a warm feeling you have to just hold her there like that.

"Can I get back to work now?"

"Alright," you concede. Kinda. You spin her around and set her down on your lap, then wrap your arms around her so you can keep holding her close. She accepts it, picking both her arms up and beginning to wave them through the air.

"Now then, as I was trying to say, the world recognizes me as a monster now. I guess that makes sense, since you gave birth to me, but...sorry, this will take a bit of getting used to. Anyway, it looks like for me to progress from 'Infant' to 'Child' I only needed nourishment from you. But to go from 'Child' to 'Youth' I'll have to level up. It's like a monster evolution tree: when I reach my max level for my current, er, 'class,' then I can evolve to the next one and start over."

"Oooh," you breathe out in awe. "So what level do you need to reach to evolve?"

"Five. It makes sense that the first one has to be easy, but...Well, I'm a child. I sorta have stats to match. Even five levels won't be easy, especially since the area outside your house is really high-level."

"Oh? What kind of stats do you have?"

"Only 15 HP, 10-" she starts, but you interrupt her with a small shout of surprise.

Mienna
Human Child, level 1
HP: 15
MP: 10
STR: 1
END: 2
AGI: 2
DEX: 1
MAG: 4
RES: 3
CHA: 70
LCK: 35

"You have 70 Charm! But I'm not surprised at all; there isn't anybody in the world that wouldn't be charmed by how adorable you are!" This brings a renewed bout of snuggles for your adorable little girl, which doesn't stop until she settles down and accepts it.

"Yeah, I'm cute. That isn't going to help me level up," she huffs once you finally set her back down in your lap.

"It might. Maybe you could ask somebody really sweetly to let you kill them."

"Yeah, because they'll definitely be willing to accept the penalty for that just because I asked."

"Well, other than that, your magic looks really good."

"It...does. I'm still not sure about that. Is it something from you? What are your stats? It's not fair only you can see!"

"It's perfectly fair; I'm your mother. Now, let me see...Ummm...Show my stats!" you command the air. Wishing seemed to work for Mienna's.

Mama
Changeling Broodmother, level 1 -> 23
HP: 100460
MP: 280
STR: 23
END: 1069
AGI: 54
DEX: 306
MAG: 23
RES: 1069
CHA: 100
LCK: 1

Mienna's eyes bulge out of her head--and considering how big her eyes are already, it's quite the accomplishment. "WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THOSE STATS!?!" she demands at the top of her high-pitched lungs.

"They are... quite distorted, aren't they?" is all you can reply. This is news to you, too. Not just the fact you have stats, or even that they're so incredibly unbalanced, but that you leveled up.

"Level 23," Mienna sighs. She's seeing the same thing. She looks up at you, pouting a little. "Mama went up 22 levels because she fudged me to ****. Fudge! Ah, heck, you freakin' system, just let me-! GRRR!"

"There, there. A lady shouldn't swear anyway."

"Fudge that; every hero worth her salt can swear like a sailor. Let's go get me big again so I can turn off these stupid Filters."

"Alright," you answer. The two of you get out of the tub and towel off. Mienna begins looking around expectantly. After a minute she turns to you. "Um...Where are the clothes?"

You stare at her dumbfounded for a moment. "Oh! Your clothes disappeared with you. I'm guess they were marked by the same thing that erased your existence."

"No, not that. I mean your clothes. If I can borrow a set, the automatic sizing should make it oversized but wearable."

"My...clothes?" you ask in confusion. Did you ever have clothes? Not that you can recall. There isn't anything like a wardrobe or a closet in your room, either. "Do I need clothes?" you ask hopefully.

"Yes! And I need clothes! Geez, Mama, it would be way too embarrassing to go outside naked!"

You pout a little, but Mienna isn't going to back off. She has her small arms crossed over her chest and is glaring with all the fierceness her small body can muster. "Alright, alright. I'll cover up. I guess."

This is something you haven't tried before, but in theory it would work, right? Picturing an outfit you might find comfortable, you begin to morph your skin. It ripples a little, growing out just a touch and then beginning to form into a textile pattern. Color begins to fill it until it's dyed a nice blue. Now you look like you're wearing a shirt. You keep the fabric growing from there until it hangs halfway down your thighs in a pleated skirt. Your legs take on the appearance of black leggings, and a set of boots wrap over your feet.

When it's all done, you look absolutely clothed. You keep changing things around a little until the dress is almost entirely separated from your body, attached just at your lower back. Now when a man finds you, he can tear the front of your dress open and pull up the skirt to-

"That's a nice trick and all, but what about me?"

Mienna is glaring up at you. "Um...I can only morph my form, I can't shed anything." She keeps glaring, tapping her foot impatiently. "I could hold you inside my shirt the whole time?" you suggest weakly. The glare continues. "If not that...I mean, the only cloth I have are the towels and the drapes..."