"I don't know what the legalities of that are in general. I can look it up if it won't upset you."

They still can't make her. But Julie and Winona could try, and that would hurt.

"I'm reasonably sure we can't be compelled to help anyone who's trying to put you in an institution."

Okay. That's the important part.

Snuggle.

Snuggle.

Julie is back pretty quickly. "Do you know how to swallow pills? If you don't I got some applesauce I can mix 'em into," she says.

Yeah, she knows how. And the trick to keeping hold of them even though they're little and her hands are bad. Down they go.

Julie fridges the applesauce and comes back and sits with them.

Julie is promptly snuggled.

Denice is really glad she found the two of them.

"We're glad you found us too, kiddo," says Julie.

Eventually Winona and Julie go to bed.

Denice takes the kindle up to the roof until it feels like bedtime for her, too.

By the time she wakes up the next day lunch is ready - and Julie's heard from Dr. Chen, who said Denice should eat lightly for the next couple of days but being a magical girl and putting some fat on probably shielded her from the worst risks. Denice's lunch is two apple pancakes, cooled enough that she can pick them up.

She considers letting herself have an opinion about the pancakes, but... maybe not today. Last night was enough crying for a while.

Anybody up to anything interesting?

"You feeling up to that hike?" Julie asks.

Yep!

"Cool! How do you wanna get to the trail - just walk there and then hike less, or try the car, or - let's not try the thing where you shrink again, if having added some fat's protecting you from the refeeding thing -"

She did figure out flying, yesterday.

"Cool beans," says Julie, "we can fly there, then. Now, I have this wing design because it works well with the speed boosts I can do by magic, I'm pretty slow if I don't use any and way faster than people who don't have speed boosts if I do. Might make me hard to follow if you're not used to it but I can double back for you as needed, all right?"

Sure. And if she gets lost somehow she'll land and put up a cartoon sign or something.

"Great plan. You're a problem-solver, that's you." And she kisses Winona goodbye and they're off. Julie's speed is very choppy but she manages not to get out of sight. When she uses her bursts she accelerates like a roller-coaster, wings held stiff.

Denice is still clumsy with her wings, on just a couple hours' practice, but she stays in the air and pretty much aimed the way she wants to go, and she's much improved by the time she gets there.

Here's the trailhead! Julie lands and trades her fancy shoes for fancy hiking boots. "You want something with traction."