Chapter 13: Give Thanks for the Memories

November 24, 2023 12:12PM

Sanders smiled up at his dad's and his handiwork. Maybe it wasn't the prettiest piece of craftsmanship ever, but it got the job done which was what really mattered. Aviel came out from the kitchen, looking to have enjoyed her talk, and noticed their project. She stared up at it in wonder for a moment before chuckling to herself.

"Wow, glad I am not eating off that thing," she said as she started up at the over-sized TV dinner tray they had put together next to the porch. It was about as high up as the house and did look a little flimsy, but Sanders was not going to admit that to Aviel.  It was pointed perpendicular to the porch to allow Flonne to sit on the ground and have her legs go out away from them.

"Oh really? And I here I thought you wanted to be large and in charge. Guess you will just have to stick with us little people and our well built tables," Sanders shot back. Aviel gave him a miffed look and was probably about to return fire when Mrs. Cutter interrupted them.

"That's enough of that. We still need to set up the dinner table," she tutted at them.

"You two can flirt some other time," Mr. Cutter added getting a slight chuckle from Abigal. Both Sanders and Aviel narrowed their eyes at him in anger before starting to set up the much smaller table on the porch. While it was rather cold for an outdoor dinner, Abigal had been insistent they have it where Flonne could join them. With John's "little" project to build the fairy her own table, she could sit with them and have dinner just like a part of the family. Neither of his parents would have accepted anything less.

It didn't take long to set up the table for the family. With the tables set, Flonne's was left unset as they really had no way to get up to it, Abigal and Aviel went in to get the food. John went back over to Flonne's table to make sure it was holding up and Sanders was given the job of getting the kids to come to dinner.

He headed off toward the fields and saw the large form of Flonne searching around for something. As he got closer he saw Lissa and Jessy hanging a good ways away from her, but still obviously following the large fairy. Flonne was brushing aside bits of dead shrubbery, searching through trees, and even lifting up some of the heavy duty farming equipment to look under it. He could guess what game they were playing and knew that calling Jr out for dinner would be useless. The little punk took his hide and seeks way too seriously and wouldn't come out till he was found. Good thing Sanders knew where he was.

"Flonne, you looking for something?" Sanders yelled up at Flonne. Flonne was looking over one of the farming tractors in her hand, like it was large toy, before she turned to look at Sanders. She set the tractor back down, gently, before she knelt down to him.

"Yeah, I am playing hide-and-seek with your brother and sisters and I found Jessy and Lissa, but can't find Jr. anywhere," she said as her antennas drooped a bit. Jessy and Lissa came up and Lissa clung to Flonne's leg like it was some kind of tree-like teddy bear. Looks like Flonne had made at least one friend.

"Well that's no good. Dinner is about to be ready," Sanders said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Great, he won't come out of hiding even in Mom tells him to. She'll ground him for a month if he does that on Thanksgiving," Jessy said as she sighed to herself.

'Probably. And if he is grounded he can't come play. Looks like you need to find him Flonne," Sanders said in a slightly more "serious" tone.

"But...but I can't," Flonne said as he antennas drooped even further.

"Well, how about if I give you a hint. Like that you should check something big...and red. Maybe the second floor of that big red thing in a big pile of yellow stuff," Sanders said giving her a mischievous grin. Flonne looked confused at first before looking up and looking around. She turned in the direction of the barn before her face lit up with realization. She looked about to run over when Sanders stopped her.

"Wait!" Sanders yelled as Flonne stopped, "like the ninja?" Flonne got a wicked smile as her wings glowed again and she took off a few feet off the ground. Sanders got Lissa off Flonne's leg and then Flonne, silently, flew toward the barn. Sanders, Lissa, and Jessy all headed for the barn and arrived just in time to see Flonne looking into the second story opening. She raised her arm and got it ready before reaching forward into the barn. The ruffling of hay and the sounds of Flonne's hand scrapping against the floor drifted down to them before Jr yelled out in surprise.

"GOT YOU~!" Flonne said as she pulled the startled Jr out of the barn, bits of straw raining down from them both. He looked completely taken off guard as he suddenly found himself looking at a person-sized face staring happily down at him while resting in a hand big enough to close around him. Flonne giggled in glee at her having won the game and Lissa started to cheer for her.

"Yay! You're awesome Big Sis," Lissa said as she bounced around. Flonne's smile lit up even more at being called big sis and her face blushed a bit. Sanders left Jessy to get them to dinner as he headed back to see if there was anything else to do at the porch.

Aviel was waiting on him on the porch, having watched the whole thing with Flonne. She smiled at Sanders warmly as he came to stand next to her.

"I didn't think bringing Flonne along was such a good idea, boy, was I wrong. Don't think I have ever seen that fairy happier," Aviel said as she watched Flonne and the kids laugh as they got in a few more seconds of playtime.

"Yeah...Just wanted to apologize for freaking out on her that first time. Wasn't right to treat her like she was a monster just because she was big," Sanders said as a wave of guilt washed over him.

"And had antennas...and wings...and could use magic, though we didn't know that at the time," Aviel added in a lighthearted tone. Sanders smirked a bit at the joke and nodded his agreement. Still, it was hard to imagine Flonne as anything but a little girl now that he had gotten to know her. Wings, antennas, and size aside, she reminded him of his own two sisters in almost every way.  Maybe that was why he felt so bad for treating her like a monster. It felt like he had done it to one of his own little sisters.

He glanced back over to Aviel before getting a wicked grin, "Wait, you actually do care about what happens to Flonne, don't you?" Aviel shot him annoyed look as she moved further away from him in anger.

"Of course I do. I don't want her to get hurt or anything like that. Why would you even think I did?" she demanded as she looked angrily at him.

"Well you haven't exactly treated her well over the past month. In fact, you have been downright mean to her a lot of the times," Sanders said as his face got rather serious. Aviel opened her mouth to say something but closed it as she turned away.

"It-...Its just I don't want to get too attached, alright?" Aviel said giving Sanders a hard look. Sanders remembered her talk in the Giga Stomp and turned away as he looked at the ground. He really had no idea how to respond to that... Hell, how did one respond to that?

From behind them, Abigal yelled out, "KIDS DINNER TIME!" The two of them gave each other a look and a silent agreement to put this aside for now was reached. The kids started to run over to the porch as Flonne floated over herself. She looked rather confused by the large table-like thing next to the porch and stopped in front of it.

"WOAH! Dad, did you build a table for Flonne?" Jr asked as he looked up at the big table.

"I sure did. Its quality work, if I do say so myself. Go ahead, Flonne, try it out," John said motioning for Flonne to take a seat.

"Okay.." Flonne said before moving toward it. She sat down on the ground and found the table just slightly lower than what might be totally comfortable, but still usable. She placed her hands on the table and gave it a few test pushes. It creaked a bit, but did not give out under the weight. Flonne smiled in utter joy as she looked down toward John.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Cutter!" she said and then placed her chin in her hands as they rested on the table. She giggled at being able to have her own table to sit and eat at.

"You are very welcome, Flonne. Now lets get to eating," he said as Abigal began to bring out the food. Sanders and John had to head inside to get Flonne's much large portions, but it wasn't long before everyone was eating, talking, laughing, and just enjoying each others company. Even Aviel looked to be having a great time as she told embarrassing stories about him, Isabella, and other Rangers.

After a long while, the sun began to creep downward and the dinner wound down. The kids and Flonne all headed back out to the fields to get in one last bit of fun before bedtime as the adults cleaned up the porch.

"Thank you for having me, Abigal and Johnathon, this was a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner," Aviel said with a warm smile.

"Oh it was our pleasure, Aviel. Your welcome to come back anytime, a friend of Sanders is always welcome here," John said as Abigal nodded in agreement. She moved over and whispered something to Aviel that Sanders didn't catch. Whatever it was, it caused Aviel's features to darken a bit but only for a second. Aviel nodded and mouthed a thanks as they both retreated into the kitchen with some of the dishes.

Sanders and John headed over to Flonne's large table, which she had cleared herself, and began to take it down. They tried to take it apart without damaging it so that it could be used again if Flonne came back to visit. Considering how much fun she was having with his siblings, and them with her, he thought that was more of a when than if now.

After some careful deconstruction, the seat was put away and stored inside the barn. By then, Aviel and Abigal had finished with the dishes and were waiting on them by the porch. The sky was getting dark as night began to descend.

"I think its about time we headed back. I'd love to stay but I got clothes to wash and that kind of stuff," Sanders said.

"Yeah, same here," Aviel agreed.

"I understand. I'll go get the car ready and take you two back to the tram. Johnathon go get the kids and tell them its bedtime. Oh and tell Flonne to come here for a second," Abigal said as she went back inside to get her keys. John nodded and yelled to the kids to come on back, which brought a few groans and whines.

Flonne did as she was asked and flew down to land near Sanders and Aviel. Abigal soon came back out with her keys and a small camera. Sanders sighed to himself as his wondering when she was going to break that out came to an end.

"Just want one picture of my boy and his co-workers, if you don't mind," Abigal said as she moved toward them with a smile. Sanders mentally begged Aviel or Flonne to voice a complaint, but both nodded in agreement. He grumbled as Flonne laid down flat to fit in the picture and Sanders and Aviel stood on either side of her face. Abigal raised the camera and was about to take it when Sanders phone began to ring.

"Hold on, my phone is ringing," Sanders said, thankful for the distraction. He moved off a bit as he took out his phone to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Sanders, are you still at your parents' house?" the Captain said over the line.

"Huh? Oh...uhh yeah I am. Do you need something, Captain?" Sanders asked, a bit confused as to why she was suddenly calling.

"No, I just remembered you had mentioned you were having Thanksgiving there and asked if I wanted to at least come by for a visit. I know I declined, but I happen to be heading down I-75 now. If it is not too late, I could stop to see them at the tram station," the Captain said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh, actually that works out great. We were just about to head to the tram to leave. We'll meet you there," Sanders said glancing at Aviel. Her face had darkened again and did not look at all pleased with this news. Flonne, however, looked rather excited as well as Abigal.

"Alright, I will see you there," she said before hanging up. Sanders had to wonder why the Captain was heading down I-75, but figured it must not have been too important if she didn't say.

"Was that your giantess leader, Isabella?" Abigal asked.

"Yeah it was. She is heading down I-75 and is willing to stop to meet us on the tram for a bit," Sanders said with a smile. Abigal seemed more excited by the news and put away her camera in her pocketbook. Aviel, however, looked confused and gave a "what the-" look at Sanders. Sander just shrugged in response.

"Good, good. I have been wanting to meet her. Come on, lets get in and head there," she urged. Sanders and Aviel, with a bit of reluctance from the latter, got into the much roomier car and the group began to head for the tram. Flonne took off into the air and followed them.

The ride to the tram was a lot quicker without having John and Aviel constantly mocking Sanders AND not being packed in like a sardine. Abigal parked the car at the tram station and the three of them climbed up to the station proper. The station was nearly abandoned save for one or two other people who looked to just be visiting like they had been. Flonne was nowhere to be seen, but Sanders figured she was probably up above the station looking for Isabella's car to appear.

While they waited, Sanders headed over to an emergency station and used his ID to open a giantess communicator locker. Usually, these were only to be used in case emergency personal needed to communicate with giantesses for disaster relief and that sort of thing, but Sanders figured no one would mind them borrowing them for a bit.

He got two out, he knew Aviel wouldn't want to talk, and gave one to his mom while he put the other one on. A few minutes later the bright headlights of a jeep coming down the highway could be seen and it slowly stopped a fair distance away from the tram station. The Captain climbed out as Flonne floated down to her. The two talked as they came closer to the tram, Isabella's massive feet beginning to cause the entire station to shake. Thankfully, the Captain still had her headset on so they could talk without having to yell.

The Captain had to practically lay down to be face to face with them on the, comparatively, tiny tram station. Flonne, however, only had to bend down a bit. To say it was a bit intimidating see a face that was larger than the tram station beside a fairy that was, also, bigger than it would be a titanic understatement. Sanders was able to keep calm thanks to knowing both of the giantesses, but Abigal and the other people in the station were not so calm. She tried to back away from Isabella's sheer size, but Sanders stopped her with a comforting grip on her shoulder. Aviel looked uninterested and keep her distance.

"Mom, this is my Commander, Isabella Raim. Isabella, this is my mother," Sanders said. Abigal didn't say anything at first as she just stared.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cutter. Your son is a fine scout and a good man. You raised him well," Isabella whispered, though it was still loud enough to boom a bit. Abigal cringed at the volume of her voice, but seemed to finally snap out of her horror at the Captain's talking. She took a moment to compose herself before she answered.

"Th...Thank you, Commander Raim. It's nice to meet you too. Sanders talks quite a bit about you and I am glad to hear you treat him so well. Thank you for keeping him safe," Abigal said having composed herself completely.

"You don't need to thank me, Mrs. Cutter. Keeping him safe is as much a part of my job as anything else. If anyone should be thanking someone it is me for the very kind treatment you gave Flonne," the Captain said as she looked over to the fairy with a warm smile.

"She barely let me get out before she was talking all about being treated just like a part of your family. Truly, thank you so much for that," the Captain said with the brightest smile Sanders had ever seen her with. Even Aviel looked a bit surprised by her smile.

"Now its my turn to insist you don't thank me. We just treated her like anyone else. Just because she looks a little different doesn't mean she deserves to be treated differently," Abigal said returning the Captain's smile.

"Indeed it does. I wish there were more people like you, Mrs. Cutter. And that I had more time to talk with you, but I must return to base and..." she paused for a moment, "meet others on the base for a late celebration." Aviel's eyes narrowed at that and even Sanders found that a bit...hard to swallow. The Captain had never been very much into the celebrations things even when Gabby was the one who invited her.

Abigal, however, accepted it right away, but quickly said, "Oh wait, could you do something real quick before you go?" The Captain nodded as Abigal fished out her camera.

"I wanted to get a picture on my son's squad to put in my scrap book," she said. Sanders groaned again while Aviel gave him a wicked grin. The Captain looked a bit confused by the request at first, but smiled and nodded as she tried to position herself to fit in the picture.

"OK, Sanders move to your left...No now I can't see Flonne. Mov-, no Aviel stay still. Ms. Raim could you slid back a- no that won't wok..." Abigal said as she tried to get them all into the shot. It was proving nigh impossible from the station, though.

"I have an idea," the Captain said before standing up and kneeling back down to put her hands next the station. "Mrs. Cutter, get on my left hand. Sanders, Aviel, get on my right," she instructed them. Abigal looked less than thrilled with the idea, but seeing Sanders and Aviel climbing on without missing a beat got her to move on. Sanders keep a close eye on his mom as the Captain picked them up. Thankfully, Flonne headed up with the Captain's left hand and made sure Mrs. Cutter keep her balance. The Captain raised both hands to about level with her face.

"Let's see if this will work, Flonne could you get on my shoulder once I am finished moving Mrs. Cutter?" Isabella asked. Flonne nodded as the Captain moved her left hand further away from herself. She then put her right hand in front of her face as well, but not as far as her left. Sanders now figured out what Isabella had wanted to do. With them closer, it would give the illusion of them being bigger, thus getting him and Aviel in the shot while giving the Captain and Flonne room to get in as well.

"Oh, this will work perfectly. Thank you, Ms. Raim. Say cheese now," Abigal said. Aviel had to nudge Sanders to get him to smile and he whipped his arm around her shoulder at the last minute in revenge. She eyed him, but didn't move away as they both smiled along with the Captain and Flonne for their first ever squad photo.

Article on Giantess activities in city limits:

Most giantess activity is off-limits inside Atlanta city limits. By simply walking they can cause a great deal of destruction and the potential death toll they could cause is reason enough for the city council to ban them from entering.The only times this restriction is lifted is during disasters of a scope too large for the city alone to handle. As of this articles writing only five such incidents have occurred.

The first was the massive tornado of 2014, followed by a chemical explosion caused by the old sewage system in 2016, which was followed by the flood in 2019. The last two disasters, however, were not caused by nature but from outside forces.
The first was in 2018 when a massive bomb was set off in a scientists', named Professor Martin, lab. The bomb was found to be of Resistance origin and a panic of multiple such bombs sweep through the city. Thankfully, the bomb was the only bomb set that day, but the panic still caused the council to call in giantess support to scour the city.

The latest indecent was in 2020. A feral catgirl managed to sneak into the Atlanta area and began to cause of string of grisly murders. Unaware of the origin of the murders, the Atlanta SWAT moved into the warehouse it had made its home. Of that squad, only one survived the fight and only thanks to the intervention of a giantess.

When giantesses are given permission to enter, they are mainly used for clean-up and search and rescue operations. Those that do enter the city are trained heavily in walking as lightly as possible and to watch every movement they make, both to lessen damage and prevent harming anyone. While some find their appearance a welcome sight, other have voiced opposition to them entering the city. Such people are, however, in the vast minority.