Soldier of Knowledge - First Waterfall

[smrtrthenu]

[Ami awoke to the familiar, fuzzy haze of the early morning. Almost instantly she sensed that things were not right. Her surroundings, the fuzzy outlines of furniture, her position in the room and the size of her bed, were all out of place. Instinctively, Ami reached to the bedside table which normally would be where she placed her eyeglasses from

Comments

[ooeeooahah]

Oh, that's good - my Japanese is horrible.

Did you just wake up in a strange house?

[smrtrthenu]

[Ami almost dropped the phone at the sudden reply. Fumbling with it, she raised it again to her ear and spoke again.]

"Ah! H-Hello? Y-Yes! Yes, I-I did wake up in..

Um.. How did you know that I..?"

[ooeeooahah]

Because it happened to all of us, hon. Are you downstairs, or can you find a piece of mail with your address on it?

[smrtrthenu]

[Conveniently, there's some mail on the table where the phone rests. Ami, filtering through the written English, slowly speaks the address into the other line.]

"Eight.. Five.. Two.. Gold.. Berg street? I believe that's how it is pronounced. Yes, Eight five two Goldberg street."

[phone]

[weiss_tank]

[Sorry, it took him a moment. It's been so long since he's heard actual Japanese that he didn't really respond till she started speaking English. His bad. He's just so used to the Town making everything in the American standard.]

H-hey! It'll be ok...You're new I take it.

Re: [phone]

[smrtrthenu]

"N-New?! What do you mean by that? Was I expected here?"

Re: [phone]

[weiss_tank]

No. Well, Yes. Sorta. You see, this town likes to bring in people periodically, but we don't know who it'll bring next.

Just take a deep breath, it's going to be fine.

Re: [phone]

[smrtrthenu]

[Ami does as she is instructed. Normally she wouldn't lean so easily into the suggestions of a stranger, given how often it has cost her and her friends, but she couldn't help but follow the orders given to her. Some thing about his voice seemed "good" and concerned for her well being.]

"Th-thank you. I'm so confused, but I assume this is some thing you had to go through as well, yes? Please, just tell me one thing if you can..

Are my friends and Mother okay? If you know.. Do you know? I just want them to be safe. I hope they aren't trapped here.. Well, wherever here is, any ways."

[hontobakabaka]

[A quiet emotionless voice responds]

"Most people speak in English here, but if it helps I can speak in Japanese. Did you just wake up in a strange room?"

[smrtrthenu]

"Y-Yes. I did!

Is that.. A common occurrence here?"

[hontobakabaka]

"The first day. That's how we all end up here. Check around, there should be pictures of you and several people in family like settings, that will confirm it. Don't let them scare you, its whatever is running this place trying to confuse you."

[smrtrthenu]

"Running this place?"

[Goodness! What has Ami gotten herself into now? Was she perhaps in some kind of limbo from all of her dark deeds?]

"R-Right! I understand! Pay no attention to the pictures on the wall. I.. I think I can handle that."

[Clenching her free hand, Ami nodded with resolution, even if Ruri could not see it on the other end.]

"Tell me, please, where exactly is "here"?"

[seetails]

Yeah, I can hear you. But if you want to speak in Japanese, I can do that, too- it's better to help someone out in their native language.

[smrtrthenu]

[Ami just begins to unwind a whirlwind of questions to the recipient on the other end, speaking in her native tongue of course.]

"Yes, can you hear me, Miss? My name is Ami Mizuno. I'm a ninth grade student at Jyuuban Junior High. Could you please tell me what is happening, if you known, of course? Where is this place? Is this even still Japan? It looks more like America than Japan.. Could you please help me? I'm in such a mess right now I don't know what to make of anything.."

[seetails]

[Okay, Japanese time, then!]

This isn't Japan, it's America. Or so they say. It's 1950's America, apparently. This place is called Mayfield and from what I've heard, a little girl called Lucy runs the place.

[smrtrthenu]

[There's a long pause before Ami speaks again. Seems the poor girl is at a loss for words. Normally, it would the kind of response her friend Usagi would make, but her inner Nippon girl takes hold and speaks for her.]

"Heeeee~h?! The nineteen fifties?! And.. And this is in America?!"

["A little girl called Lucy runs the place"? Ami could only assume, against her better judgment, that a youma was to blame for this. Perhaps this little girl was merely a youma possessing a young girl's body. Ami had seen this sort of thing before. However, she could not be brash or immediately jump to such conclusions before some small detective work.]

"Pardon me, Miss.. But.. Are you from this place?"