Once upon a time...

[timefather]

[ For the residents of Märchenstraße, and all the land surrounding it, the eighth of December was a day to look forward to. Looking at it from an outside perspective, strangers and travelers could easily assume it to be a holiday. At the very least, a day for a festival, if a modest one. A day that shopkeeps spent all morning preparing for, that all manner of creatures spent days traveling to the city to witness. They'd heard the talk that passed around, the rumors from those still left. But would it work? No one knew for sure, no matter how confident the stories seemed to be. But hope was very quickly becoming all they had left.

They had decorated the whole town. Streamers, banners, wreathes and garland made of autumn flowers, plus whatever the Fairy Godmother had cooked up. Oh, she was just giddy. No skepticism could be spoken around her, not if you wanted to escape the wrath of her wand! Rumor had it that she had caught wind of a few piglets squealing about the likelihood that their magic would fail, and that they were subsequently transformed into the band of musicians who could be found performing in the park.

Well, at least the music was festive.

Of course, the decorations weren't for the newcomers alone. Autumn was coming to a close in just a few weeks, and Old Man Winter would take the reigns like he did every year, and their weather would turn cold and harsh. The chill was already there, cool and biting when the wind picked up speed. Lady Autumn was much preferred to the citizens of the city with her gentle nature, even if she failed to show up, finishing her work in the orchards instead. That was what they liked about her.

It was mid-morning when Father Time was found outside of his tower, checking one of the numerous pocket watches he kept on his person. "Unnecessary, but comfortable," he called them, and closed the watch again. It was twelve o'clock in the afternoon, and where empty space had been just seconds before, now they were. Sitting on benches, lying in flower patches, scattered about the city and outside of the gates in peaceful slumber. They would awaken to the bells of the clock tower. Some, to many friendly and relieved faces all around them, some to grateful ones carrying gifts of food and clothing and magic, and some to fearful, cautious faces. Regardless of how the town treated them, they would awaken to a celebration of their arrival, and choices to be made, and the books. Each and every one. ]

Comments

[topgun_textiles]

[He's rubbing a cheek and looking away. Subject change, subject change, subject change...]

...Take off yer hat.

[pishirogane]

[Her eyebrow rises quizzically.]

My hat? Why?

[topgun_textiles]

Just- just do it!

[pishirogane]

[She doesn't understand still, but she raised a hand and pulled her hat off, revealing the rest of the dark blue hair.]

[topgun_textiles]

[That was when he pulled his other arm away from behind his back. During his fiddling about in the garden, he'd absently weaved a flower crown. Why? He didn't know. But when he rest the floral ring atop her head, nestled amid her hair, he jammed his hands in his pockets and turned away.]

...

B-beauty liked flowers.

[pishirogane]

[She flushed faintly as the crown is placed upon her head. Flower crowns weren't strange. Knowing about them in primary school, it was something the other girls would do.]

Ah... [She should remove it, but oddly, she doesn't want to, fiddling with her fingers.] ... How does it look?

[topgun_textiles]

Why the hell're you askin'-- ...

[A deep breath. Nope. He had to stop lying.]

S'nice.

Brings out the- the eyes.

[Aw hell, why'd he have to go and-!?]

[pishirogane]

... I see.

[She looked towards the ground, just catching his murmur. Her face remained flushed faintly and, without noticing, the flower crown glowed faintly.]

[topgun_textiles]

[Ohhh... he fucked up. He'd been told to say what's on his mind, but he was getting that 'verbal diarrhea' shit he'd heard about. But in the resulting silence between the two of them, he looked up and his eyes widened.]

Naoto. ...Th-they're lighting up.

[pishirogane]

[Naoto turned back to look at him, blinking. She couldn't see how the flowers became vibrant on her head.]

What?

[topgun_textiles]

Th-the freakin' flowers! They're glowing!

[pishirogane]

[Raising a hand, she removed the crown and brought it before her. It was glowing... and there was something green around her fingers again.]

... W-What is this?

[topgun_textiles]

[Now her fingers were getting glowy and green.]

Uhh... m-magic? Are the flowers magic? But I didn't feel nothin' from 'em when I touched 'em.

I mean the rest of the castle's magic, too, but-

[But her -hands- were glowing, when his weren't. He plucked a daisy that hadn't bloomed yet, and held it out to her.]

...Touch it.

[pishirogane]

Am I reacting to the magic then?

[None of this is making sense still. The crown probably couldn't smell any sweeter at this point.]

[Raising her head, Naoto stared at the budded daisy with one eyebrow raised. Still, with crown in one hand, she accepted it with the other. Those green sparks still lingering in her fingers gathered in the flower. Her mouth opened, but no sound escaped as the daisy bloomed abruptly.]

Ah!

[topgun_textiles]

[The wonderment on his face was obvious as the bloom sprung to life in her sparking fingers.]

...S'you. I think you're the one doin' it.

[Either she was suddenly magical or the flowers really liked her or something. In the story, Beauty wanted a rose, something she loved dearly. He was Beast, who turned monstrous when emotional. So Marchen had given them strange powers... but related to the stories? But her power didn't make much sense.]

Wh-what happened? It took a second to make the flower crown glow at first, and then the sparks wouldn't stop after. what started it??

[pishirogane]

I'm... doing this?

[From what little she knew of Beauty and the Beast, she didn't have any magical abilities. Sure, she loved roses, but this was a little much. She shouldn't be able to do this if she was replacing the last Beauty. Slowly, Naoto shook her head.]

I don't know... This garden, I can feel its magic, but Beauty wasn't a magical person of any kind.

[topgun_textiles]

[He sighed through his nose. So it didn't make sense for her either? So it wasn't just him. But he looked up again.]

Aahh! That version! The one with-!

[He gestured to her hands.]

Beauty's half-faerie in one'a the versions! That'd make her pretty magical, right? I didn't think about it 'cause faeries got wings but you don't.

I-I mean, not that ya need 'em, but... shit, what if you're a faerie?

[pishirogane]

There's a version where she's part faerie?

[That's news to her. Glancing behind her again, Naoto was glad that there weren't any wings there. But what if her shirt was covering them? No... no, she shouldn't have wings.]

Do you know if she ever showed any magical traits?

[topgun_textiles]

Yeah! One was sayin' a King and a faerie got together and bam, there she was.

She didn't show any magical traits, though. I mean, not that I could work out. She was put in with the merchant to hide her away from danger, so I didn't really think she'd learn any magic growin' up.

But fae or not, that's news... this Marchen place gave us weird powers.

[pishirogane]

I see...

[She was even the daughter of a King. Wait, so she's a princess too then? That was far from her part; very far. More flowers were popping up on the crown as her mind wondered.]

Who was trying to harm Beauty?

[topgun_textiles]

A, uh... er...

[Come on, memory, work for once in your goddamn life!]

Another faerie! She wanted the throne of the King, and remove any competition she'd have... namely, any kids the King had.

Memory's kinda shaky there, though, 'cause I think it's the same faerie that wanted the Prince, too? Real crown-hungry hag.

[pishirogane]

[Naoto's eyes narrowed. The flower crown was soon tangled by sharp thorns as her glare became dark.]

Is that right? I can't condone such actions... and if this is the tale we're cast in, I may deviate. [Naoto wasn't Beauty... and she would take care of anyone who threatened her or her friends.]

[topgun_textiles]

[Thorns! And she looked pissed. Was the magic going haywire because she was working herself up? Kanji looked around quickly.]

Uh, well, I don't see 'er anywhere, so for now I think we're good. If that's the version we're from, we're ready. She comes around here, we'll just beat her ass, yeah?

...You're makin' thorns.

[pishirogane]

If she knows what's good for her, she'll give up her pursuits before any actions must be taken against her.

[Thorns under her hands, they don't seem to be pricking her. When Kanji pointed out what was happening, she looked down and panicked, trying to get the thorns to change back. Easier said than done; the thorns untangled to wind up her arms.]

... I'll have to figure this out before we do anything else.

[topgun_textiles]

We know how that always goes- they don't wanna quit until they get their asses kicked.

[But he couldn't think of any ideas on what her magic was. Did it affect all manners of things or just flowers? He couldn't tell. ...Hang on.]

The flowers looked pissed... s'it 'cause you're feelin' worked up like I was?