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

[kutanagi]

( Yui briefly pauses at her sudden comment, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. )

Yes, marrying me - ( The group suddenly went crazy, all approaching her and attempting to take her hand. ) - No, not me!

[direhit]

Hey! [Mei rushes forward, trying to turn herself into a barrier to separate poor Yui from the men. Her Serperior follows suit, slithering behind her trainer and raising herself up on her tail to make herself as tall and intimidating as she can.]

Come on! She said no! Go... try and marry someone else!

[kutanagi]

( They're slowly going away at least, either from her "no" or from Mei intervening. And it's something that Yui's been puzzling over for the entire morning since it's definitely not the usual kind of fawning the other townspeople were doing.

She watches the group warily for a moment, making sure that they're completely gone, before she turns to Mei with a smile. )

Uhm, thanks for your help. ( Yui nods at ... the creature beside her too. ) It was getting really weird back there.

[direhit]

You're welcome. [She smiles brightly. Maybe this whole marrying thing wasn't her business, but she couldn't help but think that this girl wasn't from around here and that that wasn't normal.]

Why did they want to marry you anyways?

[kutanagi]

I'm not really sure myself. It might have started when I woke up earlier but ... ( She looks around at the rest of the town who, while smiling and looking very enthusiastic at the sight of them, doesn't seem to be interested in anything else. )

I can't remember doing or saying anything to them. It doesn't seem to affect the other people too.

[direhit]

That's super weird. People just don't propose for nothing. [Mei glances around as well, curiously looking at the townsfolk around them. Minus their clothing, everyone looked like they were just going about their business.]

Maybe there's something about this place...

[kutanagi]

( She doesn't really find them creepy. Just a bit ... excited for some reason, that's all. )

I have a feeling that's the case too. Maybe it has something to do with the name on the journal that I got. It's the same name they've been calling me.

[direhit]

You too?

[Mei digs out her own copy, showing the name "Alice" written on the spine.]

No matter how many times I tell them, they all keep calling me Alice. It's like they're totally ignoring me!

[kutanagi]

Same here. They keep insisting I'm Kaguya. ( She shows her own journal with the name "Kaguya" stitched on the spine as well. )

I thought they just mistook me for someone but if it's happening to other people too, that's even more weird, isn't it?

[direhit]

Yeah. I actually thought that the book belonged to someone else until someone told me that this was happening to a lot of other people.

If this was like a role in a movie, I wouldn't mind at all, but not on a scale like this.

[kutanagi]

I'd like to think they'd still call us by our real names if this was a movie.

( It's unnerving, being called something else. )

But you said someone? ( Someone told her something important!! This is great news because the people she's encountered so far have only been telling her how happy they are to see her. ) A person from this town too?

[direhit]

Yeah. Directors would still call you by name.

[Sadly, she shakes her head.] I don't think so. He sounded pretty confused when it came to being here, so I think he was in the same boat as us. Sorry.

[kutanagi]

No, it's okay. ( If she's disappointed in any way, she doesn't show it and is instead smiling. ) I guess there really is a number of us showing up here all of a sudden.

[direhit]

Yeah, although without a reason they're willing to give. [She huffs and crosses her arms.] I'm all for exploring new places but usually the people in the towns I go to aren't so mysterious or cryptic.

[kutanagi]

Are they similar to this town in any way or form? ( Mei seems well-traveled to Yui, who's only been in Japan ... and in Zeus' villa. ) This is only my second time really, being brought to a different world, and during the first time, I had someone explain to me what's going on.

[direhit]

Um, well, not exactly. I don't know what their technology's like here but people definitely don't look or dress like they do here. I don't think this place is connected to my home at all. [That, and the complete lack of Pokémon. That's unnerving enough for her.]

Sounds like you for lucky before! [Luckier than they were now.] I've just travelled around my home's region. I never would have thought that other worlds even existed!

[kutanagi]

I didn't think they existed as well until recently, really. I still wouldn't say I'm luckier than everyone else though since the place I landed in was a school.

( After all, the fate of humanity rested on her shoulder. Too much pressure for one high school student. )

Is your ... ( Yui's not sure how to describe Mei's pokemon. ) - friend also from where you came from?

[direhit]

You mean you've been to other worlds before? Even if its a school, its another place to discover.

[Hibiscus tilts her head fondly. It's nice to have someone refer to her as a friend instead of her pet or random snake. Mei only smiles brightly at her.]

Hibiscus? Yup, she's a Serperior-- a grass Pokémon. We're partners, so I'm really glad that she's here with me.

[kutanagi]

Just one. I suddenly got transported to it without knowing too, like here. ( So technically, it's also kidnapping and such.

Yui smiles back. She'd like to try and pat her but then, Yui's not entirely sure how she'd take it. )

A grass ... Pokémon?

[direhit]

[How to describe Pokémon... in a Pokémon-less world?]

Well, you see... she's, um... [She glances at Hibiscus, who merely gives her a very flat look in turn. Come on, Mei, you can do this!] She's... a lot like the animals here I think. My world's pretty much full of them, and they come in all shapes and sizes, and different types! For example, Hibi here can use attacks based sort of around nature. Using leaves and vines and stuff. Others can breath fire or water or generate electricity.

[She'll start digging around in her pack for the rest of her Pokeballs. They have to be around here somewhere.]

[kutanagi]

( She tries to imagine that description. Animals ... attacking using leaves and vines, breathing fire or water or generating electricity. )

So like powered-up animals then?

( Yeah, no. That's an underwhelming way to describe them. )

[direhit]

[Very underwhelming. But sadly, they might have to leave the explanation at that. As Mei rifles through her bag some more, its clear that she's getting more and more anxious about something.]

Sort of. I could have another example here... for you...

[Thats when she stops looking all together and clearly looks distraught herself. Something's missing, and that something is the five other Pokeballs she normally has on her person.]

I don't get it. They were right here!

[kutanagi]

( She really wouldn't mind another example to go along with. But from the looks of it, Mei's definitely in some kind of distress, something that worries Yui as well.

From the way she's rummaging through her bag, it's as if she's missing something. )

Are you okay? Did you lose anything?

[direhit]

[She frowns, shakes her head and pulls out one red and white sphere.]

I know I didn't lose them, but I'm supposed to have more of these. A trainer's allowed to carry six Pokémon at a time with these, but I only have one for Hibiscus.

I'm supposed to have more with the rest of my team. I could show you other examples with them, but I don't know where they went to!

[kutanagi]

( She's never seen those kinds of items before, not even while she was going around the town. Either way, it seems like very important to Mei. )

I'll help you find it if you want. Do you remember if you still had them when you woke up? Or if you dropped anything in the place where you woke up in?