Moonlight spilled across the sprawling estate like silver ink, casting long shadows between the towering hedgerows and glowing paper lanterns that still fluttered in the soft night breeze. Beneath the shimmering canopy of stars and residual dance lights, the last echoes of music faded. The earth, momentarily still, seemed to breathe in relief.
A sea of teenagers, flushed with energy and the remnants of laughter, began to dissipate like smoke, drifting toward waiting rides and polished cars. The scent of sugared cocktails and outdoor festivities lingered in the air. Despite the looseness of the evening, Chloe Gracewood’s security team moved like silent sentinels, conducting discreet sobriety checks. Anyone too close to the legal limit was gently ushered toward a designated transport. No names were recorded. No punishments meted out. Just quiet, practiced mercy, an invisible hand of privilege wielded with surgical subtlety. The Gracewood’s didn’t enforce rules; they rearranged consequences.
Nestled into entertaining space at the Gracewood estate, in the specially designated Little area, where speakers, staging, and platforms were scaled to size, a parallel celebration had unfolded.
Littles, some in bespoke customized attire crafted from threads no wider than a human hair, had danced and twirled atop small intricately designed dance floor made of repurposed wood and metallic parts. Now, they were filing back into their transports: small capsule shaped devices, each one no larger than a suitcase to the average human but complex in its engineering. To Jordan, standing on the far raised end of the little area beside Kelli, the sight was almost otherworldly.
“They’re so… calm,” Jordan murmured, watching the miniature figures line up in tidy precision. Their movements lacked the usual post-party chaos, no pushing, no stragglers. Just practiced grace.
Kelli squeezed his hand gently, her fingertips wrapping around his like warm vines curling around a stem. “They’ve had to adjust,” she said softly. “We all have, eventually.”
Footsteps approached, heavy and rhythmic. Gavin, slightly flushed and still chewing the last bite of a slider from a Little Food Truck, sauntered over with an easy grin. The food truck had already shut down for the night, its operator—a Little woman in a white apron sped by waving goodbye as she zipped off into the transport bay.
“This little party,” Gavin said, brushing crumbs from his jacket, “was just as wild as the big one.”
Kelli smirked, her auburn hair catching bits of the starlight. “Liv Dangerously doesn’t do anything halfway.”
Jordan watched Gavin give him a respectful nod, an acknowledgment not just of presence, but perhaps of resilience. In a world where Littles were often seen as pets or products, such gestures were rare and valuable.
“I saw you guys,” Gavin added, “dancing near the stage. Surprised the guards let you that close. That one woman in the vest looked like she was ready to kill anyone who crossed the line.”
Kelli laughed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Please. Jordan’s practically Chloe’s Little. We’re basically VIPs.” She said with a sarcastic wave.
“What?” Gavin blinked, confused. “I don’t—”
But his question was cut short as a massive shadow blanketed them. Mallory had arrived.
She towered above, her silhouette carved in moonlight and the lingering haze of party fog. Her breath, laced with the sweet scent of beer, rolled across the group like warm wind. Littles, ever-sensitive to scents, instinctively reacted. Jordan stiffened slightly, but Mallory’s presence, as always, was less threatening than it was commanding.
“Jordy,” she drawled with that familiar hint of teasing steel, “I saw you and Kelli out there. Didn’t think you had it in you to break the rules.” Her gaze flicked to Kelli with a smirk and a subtle wink.
Jordan flushed, but before he could muster a reply, the final wave of Littles disappeared into their transport pod. It hovered briefly before being lifted like luggage by one of Chloe’s assistants, a young man in Generitech-blue gloves. Watching an entire community carried off by a single human hand left Jordan with an aching sense of scale. A kingdom reduced to contents in a briefcase. It humbled him. Reminded him.
Mallory turned toward Gavin. “Babe, ready to head out?”
“Yeah,” Gavin yawned, stretching. “I’m beat.”
Without ceremony, Mallory bent down and reached into the designated Little area, her fingers moving with casual grace. She plucked Gavin from the platform like one might retrieve a phone, lifting him into the sky of her palm. As he settled against her hand, she leaned in, brushing her lips against his face. The kiss was gentle but firm, possessive even, and Gavin responded instinctively reciprocating a kiss to Mallory.
As she shifted him to her other hand, Mallory’s smile lingered, unconscious and fond.
Jordan said nothing, merely watched. The view from down here was always changing.
And yet, some patterns, like who gets to carry whom, never did.
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Seems like the party arc is wrapping up. I can’t wait to see what happens afterwards.
The party arc is winding down to its conclusion.
Thank goodness Gavin got to be in the little area.
Gavin got a litlte bit of time to mingle and get food.
WE ARE BACK BABY !!!!
Yes we are.
0) Welcome back, I hope all went well with your moving.
1) Love your purple prose for describing the party coming to an end.
2) “Anyone too close to the legal limit was gently ushered toward a designated transport” and what is the legal limit for 15yo’s in Amwrica?
3.1) “Now, they were filing back into their transports: small capsule shaped devices, each one no larger than a suitcase to the average human but complex in its engineering.” sounds like something that’s become standard for them.
3.2) “To Jordan, standing on the far raised end of the little area beside Kelli, the sight was almost otherworldly” it’d look almoslt like voluntary alien abduction.
4) “They’ve had to adjust, We all have, eventually.” Kelli’s right.
5) “This little party was just as wild as the big one.” And he’d know, this ain’t his first rodeo at the Gracewood Manor.
6) “I saw you guys dancing near the stage. Surprised the guards let you that close. That one woman in the vest looked like she was ready to kill anyone who crossed the line.” Jordan learned how to name-drop.
7) “Please. Jordan’s practically Chloe’s Little. We’re basically VIPs.” I don’t foresee him living that one down anytime soon.
8) “Jordan stiffened slightly, but Mallory’s presence, as always, was less threatening than it was commanding.” SHe hasn’t really made threats towards Jordan, but commands, absolutely, so it makes sense.
9) “Jordy, I saw you and Kelli out there. Didn’t think you had it in you to break the rules.” She’s talking to the mastermind behind the Harris’ Yard Escape Attempt, she’d know he’s not completely beholden to rules.
10) “Watching an entire community carried off by a single human hand left Jordan with an aching sense of scale. A kingdom reduced to contents in a briefcase. It humbled him. Reminded him.” That’d immediately ruin any sense of normalcy he’d mustered at the party.
11) “The kiss was gentle but firm, possessive even, and Gavin responded instinctively, reciprocating a kiss to Mallory.” It’s nice to see him kissing back.
12) “The view from down here was always changing. And yet, some patterns, like who gets to carry whom, never did” At least he’s getting used to certain things in his knew life.
2) technically, 0% lol legal drinking age is 21. Smoking I think got bumped from 18 to 21 too, but that might just be a California thing
2) Same here, mostly. Our drinking age is 18, but with parental/adult supervision younger kids can drink on private property.
0) it went pretty well. Thanks. Expensive as I bought new furniture along with it.
1) It was an easy way to move along the evening as I had basically touched base with everyone who was at the party and while I could go more in-depth with what side characters are doing it seemed like it would have just added on text that was probably overall not all that relevant to the reader. The main plotlines were covered.
2) the legal limit would be it never touching your lips at that age.
3.1) They would have gone through a similar process being moved to the generitech into the city. plus in the early days before housing and things were built it would have been similar as they would have to be transported to a living area.
3.2) that’s a good way to put it.
4) Adjusting is part of being a little or any kind of disability or hardship really. you have to adjust into what is your new normal.
5) Gavin has been to Chloes house before. Not as often as Sara but he’s been to a gracewood party or two.
6) It is fitting for him that he tries to do something nice and it ends up getting him teased a bit granted in good fun sort of way but still.
7) Definately not. I’m sure it will be legend.
8) that’s accurate. I can’t think of anything that would be construed as a threat or malicious toward Jordan. I mean she thinks of him as just another little. He is only of note because he belongs to Sara. Otherwise she wouldn’t even think of him or know him from any other little.
9) lol the harris yard escape attempt. He is probably glad she doesn’t know or doesn’t remember that.
10) It would to a degree but there wasn’t really any other way to safely transport that many littles.
11) they are together. Gavin does acknowledge Mallory as his girlfriend. Gavin hasn’t had many opportunities to publicly display any affection towards mallory though. So it was nice to get to show it here.
12) Its been nearly a week so things would start falling into place for him As for better or worse this is going to be his life. His wagon is hitched to Sara to speak.
1) some things are better left up the the imagination.
2) kind of figured, not the worst crime to commit,but I will be bringing it up when accusing Sara of hypocrisy later.
3.1) they’d be used to it.
3.2) Tah.
4) They’re all on the Hedonic Treadmill.
5) yeah, is it his first time since shrinking?
6) Everything else he’s done had gotten him teased, so why not.
8) Ironically Mal actually has a higher opinion of Littles than Sara or Ellie, still seeing them as not just people but viable romantic partners, though from what we’ve seen, she’s singled out Jordan, treating him worse than other littles.
9) Mal was probably told, Sara loves telling her friends embarrassing things about him.
10) It woukd ne unavoidable.
11) I liked reading it, often he feels like he’s only with her because he has to be.
12) it’s unfortunate, but his options were limited, thanks partly to Sara limiting them.
A) I love seeing Jordan with his towering dream woman. They are a perfect pair, he is a smaller then normal little man and is a little social awkward and Kelli is tall and athletic and a social pro. The best thing is Jordan try’s for Kelli and even if it doesn’t land right all the time She loves that he try’s for her and he has gone through similar virus hardships that give them a bonding point. He is his Kelli’s other half to give a mellow perspective to things to her fiery attitude that doesn’t match her new little standing. You can get spicier with them because they are college age or older. lol
B) I was wondering, do littles physically bond to each other like a little does to a human? It would make sense for little men to bond with the dominate little woman and be more relaxed to their touch.
C) I was also wondering, once someone turns into a little, does the same age norms hold because what if a male parent and a young daughter become littles but the daughter becomes bigger and more aggressive then the dad. I would assume like in nature the bigger offspring would assert power?
D) I know I have said this before but I think Generitech realizes becoming a little is not a evolution down but up and littles could out breed humans through the years because I would guess humans would lose a little bit of their population to the virus every year because many immune parents lost children and family to the virus plus human population numbers were falling before the virus because of humans damaging their food and stuff in their environment. Humans are Darwinian them selves out lol.