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It was a somewhat peaceful day in a small market square, where a teeny tiny little girl by the name of Lilly was looking to buy a piece of bread with her coin that she had gotten from selling flowers earlier this morning.
It was always scary having any coin, with so many desperate and starving people who needed it just as much as she did. So alas, she could not save any up, it brought too big of a risk. She had to spend it the moment she had enough to do so with.
Thankfully, she managed to do just that, and now had a nice piece of bread to nibble on and an apple hidden in her dress for her mother. So she sat on a bench nearby, swinging her legs in the air as she ate and watched the numerous people exchange goods and discuss business.
The market was one of her favorite places to be, partly due to all the bright colors of the merchants' outfits. But she also liked seeing all the unique people that came through.
Even though she was probably one of the most unique, given her small size, and being a blonde haired child wearing a green and pink dress. She really didn't fit in at all, and almost everyone in the area at least knew of her. Thankfully it hadn't been a bad thing though.
While many folk were down on their luck, it didn't mean that they were bad people. Quite the reverse, the only truly bad people that Lilly saw were the mean armed men in red, supposedly guards but all they did was bully people.
She didn't like that, or them, but there wasn't really anything she could do except steer clear of them. She didn't notice, but three of them were walking towards her. She wasn't their target, but their path ran right by her bench.
And they weren't the only ones either.
As Lilly watched a woman wearing beautiful purple and gold exchange goods with a man in dark blue robes, another man approached from the side. This one was wearing white robes and a hood, with pretty little tassels around his shoulders. He almost seemed to appear out of thin air, before he took a seat on the bench beside the child.
She let out a tiny eep and looked at him, but he didn’t return her gaze as he instead rested his arms on his knees, his gaze cast downward, obscuring much of his face. Lilly stared at him for a time, taking in every detail that she could.
Then she froze as the men in red passed by, her tiny heart skipping more than a few beats as one slowed down and stared. She couldn't tell which of them his focus was on, but Lilly avoided eye contact and focused on her tiny bit of remaining bread.
She heard a quiet 'hmph' from one of the guards, but they passed by without a fuss. Lilly let out a shaky breath, and she felt the white robed man's gaze flick in her direction, but only for a second. She glanced over to him again, but he was already getting up. Still, the curious child watched him as he strolled towards the guards, then observed him sneakily snatching up a key from the belt of the middle one, without any of them noticing!
Lilly gasped, and by reflex, she opened her mouth even when she knew she shouldn't have.
"Hey! You stole that!" She blurted, then dropped her bit of bread and slapped her hands across her face.
Why did she say anything?! They were the big mean guards that bullied everyone! And he, with his white robes and hood, well... She realized a bit too late who he was, or who he worked for anyway. The Hidden Ones, a mysterious group of individuals who actually set out to fight against those that oppress the people, working from the shadows to defend the innocent.
And she had exposed him.
Numerous people in the market gasped, and the guards drew their blades on the robed man. But it was all for naught, as he suddenly threw something on the ground, and everyone was met with a wall of red smoke! Lilly coughed and hauled herself off the bench, picking a random direction and running out of the affected area.
Unfortunately, it just so happened that she picked the same direction as the Hidden One. As she fumbled in the smoke, she heard him step up behind her, but only for a second before he leapt over her and scaled up the side of a building. She paused as she watched him vanish onto the rooftops, and she felt a new sense of bubbling dread in the pit of her tiny stomach.
He wasn't going to be happy with her, what did the Hidden Ones do about such transgressions? It was sort of a mutual agreement that the people did not put the Hidden Ones in danger like this, and that she was to turn a blind eye whenever witnessing such things. She failed to do that, and now the child was left wondering if they would punish her and perhaps even her mother for this?
It was foolish to think she could hide from someone who could scale a building like that, and yet, Lilly wasn't sure what else to do. So, she ran down a small alleyway, before finding a little pot to crawl in. She picked the lid up and tossed herself inside, before setting the lid back up on top, hoping it looked just the same as any other, and if he came this way he'd pass by it.
So thus the little one hid in darkness, hugging her knees to her chest with a frown, feeling a mixture of guilt and fear at the same time. The Hidden Ones did good work, and she didn't want to bring them trouble. And yet, she did. He escaped it swiftly enough, but it still disturbed his plans, whatever they may be. She was sure he still got the key, whatever that was for, but now they knew he had it...
Lilly let out a small gasp as she heard footsteps outside. They were faint, she almost missed them actually, with how quiet the person moved...
It was him, it had to be. Most people clomped around so loudly and carelessly that Lilly was always on alert to keep from being kicked or stepped on. She wouldn't have to worry about that with him, she could tell. Instead, she found herself battling between popping up and profusely apologizing, or staying hidden and hoping that he'd forgive her on his own, and also hope that he wasn't one to go rummaging through a bunch of pots and baskets.
"I know you're back here, little squirrel." He said in a soft, knowing tone. His voice was subtly deep, though with a hint of youth still lingering, showing that he wasn't exactly the oldest and wisest member, but probably still knows his stuff.
In that moment, Lilly heard the cry of an eagle somewhere high above, that animal likely being how he located her here. She only had a few seconds to debate her next move before daylight suddenly poured into the pot as the man lifted the lid. From there, she was met with a bearded face, a friendly smile, and warm brown eyes. He at least didn't seem angry with her, but why did he seek her out? What did he want?
"H-hello there mister. I-I'm really sor-sorry for-" She began to stammer out, figuring that even if he wasn't upset, an apology was still in order.
"Shhh, save your words." He practically cooed, before he reached into the pot with his free arm and Lilly found herself picked up via his hand wrapping around her torso.
She rested her hands on his wrist as she was brought up closer to his face, peering up into his eyes as he scanned her over, almost... sizing her up. Then he shrugged, before he opened his mouth wide! In response, the little one let out a tiny 'eep' noise at the cavern of reddish pink flesh that greeted her.
For a split second, she thought he was yawning, simply because she didn't know what else to think! But that idea was quickly snuffed out, pretty much as quickly as her vision was consumed by warm darkness, with only small slivers of light shining around her and showing her the wide open throat below, which she was easily slid into with just a single gentle shove by the man.
He was swallowing her up whole and alive, she didn't even know the Hidden Ones could do that! But here she was, about to slide down his throat and, ultimately, end up in the man's belly.
The Hidden One wasted no time either as he tipped his head back, with her little legs still sticking out of his mouth, before he took a hefty gulp! Powerful muscles grabbed hold of her and pulled her down, but it didn't hurt. She wasn't sure what to expect, but the process of being swallowed was actually strangely comforting. The way that the throat muscles rippled around her and coaxed her deeper into him wasn't nearly as scary as she expected it to be! If anything, the little one felt a sense of belonging, like him gobbling her up was the natural order of things, but not in a scary way. Just that she was rather fitting to be swallowed up and curled up in his tummy, likely due to her smaller size.
She knew that The Hidden Ones were not supposed to harm innocents, under any circumstances. So Lilly knew she wasn't in any true danger. Perhaps he just figured she couldn't spoil his plans if she was tucked away in his stomach, which was probably true. He had many layers of clothing on, so that tied with layers of skin and muscle, it was unlikely that she could even make herself known to anyone if she wanted to. She was essentially becoming a Hidden One herself, but in a literal sense. A little hidden one in a belly.
The man swallowed a second time to help her down more smoothly, before he let out a content sigh just as Lilly spilled down into her new home. She heard him pat his middle afterwards, followed by a subtle 'urp', signaling the end of her journey as the stomach walls ever so gently cradled her inside of him. It was now pitch dark, she couldn't see a thing! Normally that'd frighten the child, but something about this was different. Perhaps it was knowing that there were no monsters in his tummy, and that she was merely being kept safe, all nicely stowed away in the man's belly.
With a quiet giggle, Lilly couldn't help but softly cuddle into a stomach wall, feeling the soft lining provide cozy comfort as she was nicely coated in a layer of harmless slime, which felt soothing on her skin.
"It's good that you're cozy in there little one, because I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to keep you inside for a good long while. For nearly exposing me, you see." He declared in still a light and friendly voice, despite having gobbled up the child with such merciless ease.
Lilly gave a soft little wiggle in his belly, not in an effort to escape, but it was more of a happy curious wiggle, followed by an accompanying and matching giggle. She was soon surrounded by a series of gurgles, groans and rumbles from his belly then as the walls began to shift around her. Something was happening? She curiously squeaked, tiny hands pawing around his stomach as she felt his hand outside gently press inward, as if he was trying to subtly squish her deeper inside of him.
Then it all clicked together, that's exactly what was happening! She could feel his stomach, with her inside of it, draw deeper into his core, his other organs shifting around her to more deeply encase her within. It became a little more snug as a result, but she was small enough that it didn't hurt or take away from her comfort. She still had some room to move and stretch, which was good since it didn't seem like she was going anywhere anytime soon.
With a final 'glorp' sound, she knew that she was now fully tucked away, deeply obscured inside of him. The Hidden One hummed with content, now rubbing his belly in slow, gentle circles, making sure she was good and settled in his gut. Lilly couldn't help but softly cuddle back towards his palms, feeling perfectly content inside. She wasn't sure if this was meant to be a punishment, but if it meant being kept safe and sound in a snug, warm and squishy tummy, out of the sunlight and maybe even given a bit of food every so often? It didn't seem all that bad, really. Not that she'd purposely repeat almost getting him in trouble. But maybe there were other ways she could arrange future visits for herself and maybe even her mother too.
"Are you gonna tell my momma? She's gonna be really worried about me otherwise..." Lilly asked with concern. She was perfectly fine with staying in the man's belly, but she wanted to make sure her mother knew that she was safe and okay.
"Fear not little one, we will send word, I'll be sure of it. Now I'm afraid that I must proceed with my mission, but you enjoy your stay in there, and don't you worry about a thing~!" He replied with a sense of whimsical energy.
It earned a happy laugh from the child, giving one last content and trusting cuddle towards his hands, before the feeling was pulled away. Likely because he needed those hands to climb about!
"Thank you Mister Hidden One." Lilly said with earnest, speaking quietly in the slight off chance anyone else could really hear her, especially this deeply nestled away.
He took a few steps, but then paused, her words sinking in, and seeming to catch him off guard.
"... You're welcome." He replied back, his voice a bit deeper now, with a heavier sense of sincerity.
And with that, he was off! And Lilly was treated to a rather fun trip! As he climbed and swung about his business, Lilly found herself swaying about, like being in a crib during a pretty hefty storm, but without the scary aspects. His muscles would oftentimes close inward, holding her more snugly when he had to further exert himself. She also heard his labored breathing and increased heart rate as a result, all surreal sounds of a strong living being at work.
After a time, things grew a bit calmer as he was now a bit more into stealth mode, possibly sneaking into somewhere dangerous and important. But this was his lifeblood, and likely where he felt most at home. So Lilly wasn't worried, all she did was focus on staying quiet and still so that she wouldn't distract him. Even though she was still treated to the occasional belly rub when he was hiding somewhere, perhaps just biding his time.
At some point, Lilly drifted off to sleep when he was hiding for a particularly long time. Though, in hindsight, it wasn't that long at all, a minute or two max. But from within the soothing, comforting belly of the Hidden One, it was just the perfect environment to get some rest. And thus the little one slumbered, no longer feeling afraid or guilty, but instead perfectly at peace with her comfy, squishy fate in the man's gentle stomach.