Culture Shock by ImoutoCommissions Sometimes Damsel felt like keeping Elphin around was like keeping a pet, or, if she were to be a bit more flattering, raising a child. She understood that the fairy- if her origin story was true and that was what she really was- had seen a lot, yet seen nothing of the modern world, and she understood that she had a responsibility to take care of her, but that was often easier said than done. She had let herself believe that the fairy had adjusted enough to society to be allowed to run errands on her own. Elphin had learned how currency worked and could carry on conversation without sounding too terribly unusual. It seemed as though she could be trusted with these simple tasks, but when the fairy was brought home by law enforcement, Damsel began to have second thoughts. "She came with us peacefully, at least," said one of the men. "We don't think she really knew what she was doing wrong, but she came peacefully." "What, exactly, did she do?" asked Damsel, already dreading whatever the answer may be. "Well...we caught her attempting to, uh...urinate in public." ~X~ A long discussion followed, in which Damsel tried to explain to Elphin why that was not something she should be doing. Of course, she was confused, insisting that that was always how she had done it before. She claimed that she understood how bathrooms and toilets worked, but didn't see why, if you were already outdoors, it wasn't perfectly acceptable to relieve yourself there. "It just isn't how things are done," Damsel said at last. "I know it's hard to adjust to all of these new rules, but there are just some things you'll have to do, okay?" "Yes, I will try," said the fairy. Her mentor could only hope that that would be the end of the problem. ~X~ Of course, it wasn't. Damsel had at least known better than to send Elphin out on her own for a bit, just to make sure that she didn't have any more problems. Once it had been determined that she was adapting properly, it would be fine to let her out on her own. But for now, the two went out together, and one day, Elphin excused herself for the bathroom. Damsel quizzed her a bit, making sure she knew what that meant, what buildings to go into, what sort of signs to follow, and Elphin answered impatiently, making it clear that she knew everything, but she had to go now. And she took off quickly for a public bathroom, and Damsel followed behind, losing her a bit in the crowd. By the time she reached the building, Elphin had already gone inside, so she decided to wait outside until she came out. First, a small group of men came rushing out of their respective bathrooms, looking confused and somewhat afraid. She inquired after what had sent them running out like that, though she already had her suspicions. "Some chick came in there," one of the men said. "Looked kinda young," said another. "No way in hell I'm riskin' getting in trouble over something like that!" Damsel sighed and pushed past them to retrieve Elphin. It seemed that she had not quite grasped the concept of gendered bathrooms just yet. ~X~ Once again, the two went on errands together as another test run for Elphin's ability to adapt. This time, Damsel hoped that there would be no serious complications. She had taught Elphin everything she could about public decorum, especially that involving bathroom etiquette, had repeated things over and over, and could only pray that this time, Elphin had actually retained what she had been taught. This time, when she excused herself, Damsel insisted on coming with her. She was pleased to see the fairy study the signs on the doors before selecting the correct bathroom, and they stepped inside together. All was going well, and she breathed a sigh of relief to see her teammate had learned. And then Elphin entered the stall, lifted her dress, pulled down her panties, and sat down on the toilet, all without closing the door, and Damsel realized she had to teach her about the concept of modesty. ~X~ The heroine felt as though she would never get the fairy fully adapted. She could talk about proper human protocol until she was blue in the face, and there was still always something off. All she wanted was to help Elphin make a new life for herself, but she felt as though she were failing in that. She did not let Elphin know that she felt that way, however, and continued to allow the fairy to go out in public with her. It was during one such outing that she started to regain some hope. There had been no incidences of any sort, and though Elphin was a bit more quiet than usual, she didn't think anything of it. As long as things were going well, that was a sign that there was still hope. In fact, she was so pleased about the success of their outing that she did not stop to think about the fact that the fairy hadn't attempted to visit a bathroom all day, and did not connect that to her strange bout of quietness. In fact, even when Elphin became quite fidgety and agitated, she did not put two and two together. "What's wrong?" asked Damsel. "I am fine," was the only response she received and, though she did not believe it, she didn't press the issue further. But her behavior did not improve, her movements became rather jerky, and she looked pained whenever she took a step. She began pestering Damsel about when they would return home, and Damsel tried to speed up the process as much as she could. Suddenly, the fairy slowed and then stopped, whimpering slightly. They were so close to home that Damsel wanted to tell her to just hurry it up, but she stopped herself when she saw what was happening. Elphin had her hands jammed between her legs, and there a dark spot spreading across the front of her dress. A look of relief crossed her previously agonized face, and a trickling sound could be heard as pee ran down her legs, hitting the pavement. The poor thing was wetting herself, and Damsel had not realized the problem soon enough. She felt bad for being so impatient with her, but she had genuinely not known what was going on- though now she realized she should have. Elphin gave a small sigh as she finished emptying her bladder, and she looked up at Damsel, her face questioning what would happen next. This would be another thing she was unfamiliar with, and she wouldn't know what sort of reaction she would be met with. "You poor thing," was all Damsel said. "Why didn't you tell me you had to?" "Because there are so many rules and customs and I cannot keep up with them!" said Elphin. "It all gets so very complicated, and I had hoped that I could wait until we were home." Damsel smiled reassuringly and said, "It's okay, I understand how hard it must be for you. I'm sorry I was so pushy about everything. Let's get you home and cleaned up, okay? And next time, just let me know what's wrong. I'm always here to help you."