After the bath, Ryan's clothes were dirty, so Amber set them aside to wash later. After she left the room she returned with her clean underwear, baggy jeans and an old shirt, all tiny-sized. Those clothes weren't his, and he wondered where they came from, but he preferred to save the question for now.
She too dressed, and soon after, she took him out of the bathroom, into the corridor between her room and the stairs. She leaned Ryan on her shoulders, and, after a few attempts, with a long pole, managed to pull the ladder that led to the attic. The two went up, and she sat on an old armchair, he sat on her thighs.
The attic was a dusty place filled with cardboard boxes and old furniture. A beam of light entered from a single window in the ceiling, which made individual dust particles floating in the air visible.
"Where we were?" Amber asked.
"What?"
"You had to tell me about yourself. About what you went through before you found yourself in the shop."
"Oh yeah, well. It's no big deal. I've never been anyone's tiny before, I was kind of a drifter. You giants would have called me a stray. I was born east of here, in a place where the prairies were warm and bare. One thing I hate about this place is the cold. It's freezing here."
He paused, unsure what to say, but looking up he saw Amber fascinated by his speech, like a little girl listening to a story, so he decided to move on.
“I know very little about my parents. I vaguely remember them, but they and I separated when I was very young.”
"Why did you separate?" She asked.
"It was a day when it was raining a lot, I was looking for shelter, and the sound of the rain drowned out any voice, well... I don't feel like talking about it, really. But I was raised by a man named Jonah, he taught me how to survive, move around unnoticed, get food, and, well, everything in between. I traveled a long way to get here, passing through woods and mountains. It was a long time, it took years, and perhaps I should have stayed where I used to be."
"It must be hard for something that small to survive in the woods. Pretty much anything can kill you." She said.
"It's true. This world isn't made for tinies like me, it's too big and dangerous. It probably wouldn't have taken more than a few days' drive to cover what I've been walking for months." He said sighing.
"And why did you decide to come here? You said it's much colder." "I don't want to talk about why. It's stupid."
"You said you were going to tell me all about your past! Why are you trying to keep things from me?"
"It's silly, but there was a widespread idea in the tinies community where I lived that going further and further northwest there would be fewer giants."
"And why would you want to go where there were no giants? Giants could give you a home, keep you warm and make you live better." She snapped Amber, as if she was personally offended.
"Yes, they could, but often they don't. You are an exception, the giants almost always mistreat the tinies, they treat us like toys or pets, and when we try to live on our own in isolation we are almost always considered a nuisance, parasites, like a rat population to keep from growing too large. We just wanted to live on our own."
"That's not true, we're not that bad. I know a lot of very good girls who treat their tinies very well and are loved by them. Your prejudices are cruel." She replied.
"It's not prejudice, I saw it for myself. Anyway, this was my story, you heard it, now I hope you're satisfied." He said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"What? But you didn't tell almost anything! Didn't you have adventures on the border between life and death, go through mysterious woods, fight with animals or something like that?" She said, hoping to get Ryan talking a little more.
"Well... Yes. I risked my life a few times. I fought a squirrel once."
"And what happened?"
"I scared him with fire. I managed to sear his fur, and he took off." Ryan said indifferently.
"But why did you do that? Squirrels are good and cute!"
"They're good and nice to you, you're big enough to hold them in your hand. With me they can be aggressive even without reason."
"How funny. I wish I'd seen you fight a squirrel. Maybe in the second round he would have won."
"You are so cruel."
"Oh yes, I am" She said, bursting out laughing.
"Just kidding, of course. I would never wish you any harm, my little one. If you were disfigured by a squirrel you wouldn't have been so cute and at the store they should have thrown you in the trash. A not cute tiny is useless." She said with a chuckle.
"Stop it! Do you enjoy seeing me scared?" He said ironically. It was a good time, that he was having with her, and, before thinking again that she was the same girl who had threatened and humiliated a couple of tinies, for a few seconds, he felt at ease about her.
She stroked his head with a finger, which surprised Ryan.
"You've had a rough life so far I understand, but as long as you're here with me you needn't worry, I'll take care of you and make sure you're protected, warm, full, and safe. What do you think , are all giants so bad?"
"You... You seem fine." He said stiff again. "Anyway, these aren't my clothes you gave me, but only you and your mother live here. Do you know what I mean?"
"I... Well…" Stammered Amber. Her blonde hair seemed to shimmer when the light from the window hit it.
Giantess World
