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Preparing for something touching the mind is not like preparing for a monster invasion. It's not exactly easy to be ready for that sort of thing. Do be careful what you eat that is offered to you, though. Sometimes, it can be ... odd?

[Or downright alarming, but she figured Gwen had probably found that out by now. You know, chocolates.]

And I did. It was a lovely, relaxing week with no demands on my time, trundling through the forest and assaulting bees for honey. I rather enjoyed myself, once the 'what just happened' moment faded.

Why, do people try to poison you through your food a lot?

Yeah. I guess once I got beyond the "wtf" of it all, being a bear wasn't so bad. Some muppet looking guy brought me and Jeff meat. Then later we hung out with some Pokémon.

Poison? No, I wouldn't say that. But, some of the special foods that have been offered can affect the mind from time to time. So if a stranger offers it, be a little wary.

Ah, you've met Franciscus then? Lovely gentleman. He has very cute friends, doesn't he?

Good to know.

I don't know about any Franciscus. It was just a bunch of Pokémon that I met. I couldn't speak at the time, so I didn't catch their names or anything.

Oh, were you in bear form when you met them? I would imagine that would be fun in a way. You sound like you know about these pokemon, though. Are you from their world?

Uhhh, no, I'm not. But I'm from a world where I had... heard about Pokémon being a thing. In other universes.

[ Hoo boy how do you navigate the "Where I'm from all this stuff is fictional" conversation without actually outright stating it? ]

Ah, I see. Yours is a world that knows of other worlds then? A pity they did not know of pokemon in mine. They're quite adorable. But it was other worlds we new of.

[It might be hard to navigate, given that she was used to the idea of multiple worlds. She didn't have any clue that it was fiction for some people, actually fiction. But multiverse? Oh, she got that.]

Uh. Sort of. We know of the idea of other worlds. Most people don't believe those other worlds actually exist, though.

[ That seems like a safe way of putting it. ]

Hmmm...

[She frowned and raked her fingers through her hair, considering what had been said to her, and what she'd seen in some of the incidents over time. Still...]

Honestly? I suppose if one didn't know someone who could travel between worlds, I could see why they wouldn't believe. It should feel impossible, shouldn't it?

Right? As far as I know, me and my brother are the only people from our universe who've ever traveled to a different universe. It's not exactly commonplace.

[ And even then, they don't know how to get back. Not that Gwen would go back, if she could. ]

The idea of a multiverse is talked about, but only as a vague theory, not a fact.

The only person in my world capable of it was borderline a god herself, so it is far from commonplace for us as well. I doubt this would ever be a common sort of power, considering how great its effect could be.

It is hard to deny for me, though. My sword, after all, is from another world than my own.

So, tell me. Are you some sort of sorceress then?

[ Don't go putting ideas into Gwen's head about being a god; that won't end well for anyone. ]

Me? No way. I leave the sorcery stuff to my friend Sarah. I'm a hero... a mercenary.

[It'd be funny though! But Dyshana was definitely a shard of the lord of night, Chaos. So it definitely took a god where she came from.]

Ahhhh, so your arrival is more ... happenstance? Or another's doing?

Well... no. I was sort of stalling out in my home universe. I'd dropped out of school and couldn't get a job. I was just living at my parents' house playing video games and reading comic books.

Then I started thinking, how life would be so much cooler if I was in the comic book universe, instead!

So my brother and I figured it out-- well, it was Teddy mostly, but the two of us, we traveled between the universes and wound up in the comic book universe! And I've been a superhero ever since.

I...

[That was officially as crazy as Wade, dear. She was completely without words for a moment.]

No magic... no powers... you just decided to leave your world, put on a suit and go somewhere else?

Uhhh.... Yeah, that's basically it. I didn't put on the suit until I got to the new universe, but otherwise that about sums it up!

[...She didn't believe, and was quite certain someone had unknown powers somewhere that explained it, but for themoment? Best to let it lay.]

So, did you choose to come here, or get dragged like the rest?

Oh, yeah, no. I did not come here by choice.

[ Her tone of voice implies that anyone who WOULD come to Deerington by choice is whacked in the head. ]

I rather thought not. It just seemed a moment to ask if you had some easy way to just leave this place. You never knew.

Believe me, if I knew how to get out of this town I'd be long gone by now.

[ A pause, as she considers how selfish that is to say. ]

And I'd have taken everyone else with me.

Well, I don't think everyone likes where they're from... so perhaps we fix this place and find a way to have you all home? Everyone wins then, in the end.

it woudn't be such a bad town if it wasn't filled with monsters and horrors.

Yeahhhh, but the monsters and horrors kind of overshadow all the nice parts. You have to admit.

Mmm, yeah. I can't really argue with that. Still, I know at least one who'd call this place an improvement most days, so I can't speak for everyone.

Wow. Their universe must really whomp if they like Nightmare Maine better.

I try not to ask her too much. I do think something horrible is wrong with it, though, that they don't like to share too much.

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