How to Make Friends, By Heidi

[Harry Potter]

***

Heidi enters Tangled Green cheerfully enough, her blonde pigtails bouncing along with the rest of her, a big pastey smile on her face. She straightens her flowing pink top and smooths her skirt over her bare thighs as a cool breeze picks up. The first thing she does when her white tennis shoes touch the soil of the green verse is to breath in deeply, taking in the sweet and pungent aroma of the forest. She stands in the sunlight for several minutes, her eyes closed and her arms outstretched, inhaling the scent of honesysuckle and exhaling it with a tinge of bubblegum.

When Heidi opens her big amber eyes she realizes she is in a clearing in a thick woods. Even to Heidi, a city girl if there ever was one, the plant life seems very off. There is bamboo, palm trees, oak trees, willow trees, mushrooms the size of trees. She hears the squawk of parrots, the croak of frogs, the chirp of insects, the screeches of monkeys, but also other, stranger animal sounds she is quite sure she does not recognize.

There are several badly-maintained paths leading off from the clearing, but there are no signs, and the towering trees make scouting ahead impossible.

Heidi chews her gum for a while, thinking, then blows a bubble and pops it, creating a loud echoing snap around the clearing and startling several birds. She then bends to tighten the laces on her shoes, her tiny skirt almost magically covering her ample bottom discretely.

Seemingly satisfied, Heidi tucks her body into a crouch. The soles of her shoes start to glow a bright neon pink. Suddenly, she rockets into the air, leaving a cloud of dirt behind.

Her first bounce takes Heidi up into the air about ten meters. She peeks over the tops of the bamboo and willow trees, and into the Understory of the forest. The woods seems to thicken a little ways back, but Heidi can only see the lower branches of the largest trees. The lower branches are all wrapped in vines sprouting enormous bright flowers buzzing with insects.

Heidi lands in a crouch, bounces right back up again, this time leaving a little divet in the ground at her feet. The perky blonde Prime rises thirty meters into the air, her pigtails flapping around her head wildly as she surveys the Tangled Green form a new height. Here she can see into the Canopy, where firebreathing monkeys scurry across everpresent thick vines, fleeing from carnivorous flowers and flying pythons. She realizes that her clearing seems to be a valley, a low point with the forest rising up in all directions around it. Still, Heidi sees no signs of civilization; no towns, no roads, to smoke from fires, nothing.

This time when Heidi lands, her eyes flare briefly pink, and when she jumps in the air she leaves a mushrooms cloud of dirt in her wake and a shallow hole.

Heidi beholds the majesty of Tangled Green from two hundred feet in the air, and her big amber eyes widen. She sees brightly glowing pixies chasing each other through the tips of the giant Kapok trees that infest the verse, the sun burning brightly behind them. She sees a jaguar with rainbow feathered wings gliding over the impossibly tall bamboo shoots. She sees giant eagles screeching over the Sierra Slime. She sees a brightly glowing beacon of emerald light way off in the distance. And towering above everything, the massive Yggrasil tree. Heidi briefly snaps a picture with her phone.

As Heidi descends, her mind is on many things; the jaguar, the massive tree, where she was going to go, remembering not to swallow her gum. It is therefore understandable that if someone, say a sublime being of transcendent beauty with hair like wildfire and eyes like sapphires, were to wander beneath her mid-jump then that someone might end up with a face full of Heidi.

Heidi squeaks in an absurdly high-pitched voice as she collides with the girl on the ground.

***

[Belle]

Retreating from the forest at breakneck speed, Belle staggered into the small clearing that abutted the beach, last refuge from the dark creatures that continued to flood the island second by second. She slipped as her sandaled feet scraped through slimy black fluid, the rampaging elephant's discharge mere minutes before still coating the grass.

Belle came down hard, sliding, trailing a wake of kicked up grass blades. Skin burned, elbow erupting with a sharp pang of pain as her movement slowed, her angled arm striking a half-rooted stone about the size of a pumpkin.

She only had time to indulge in the luxury of suffering for a moment. Overhead, she heard the by-now telltale screaming that signaled another barrage was incoming. Belle pulled her arms overhead and gritted her teeth.

The explosion darkened the sky, a fireball of red blossoming into existence with a deafening thunderclap at the treeline. The ground shuddered beneath her, jumping at the impact. Her ears rang, singing that singular tone of impending death as ripples of air buffeted her prone form and churned the waves beyond. Belle shadowed her face with her injured arm, daring to squint open one bright blue eye. There had to be … At least one …

There was. It was small, barely more than a personal sailboat, but it was real. As the explosion subsided, Belle rose – more like lurched – to her feet. The damage to her ear might have been worse than she thought, a dull throb of pain inside making her queasy as she took another step, staggered, then one more. Feet slid in the sand, threatening to turn as she made for the dock, cacophony of sounds behind her making her turn her head.

From beyond the edge of the forest they came, a multitude of shapes, tall and short, long and blunted. Their howls gibbering as they sloughed from the branches and underbrush. The remnants of the island's zoo had followed their previous friend's trail, and were now intent on claiming their prey.

Belle's sandals slapped on the worn, warped wood of the dock as they careened across the distance. She shook, reaching inside for the energy she knew was there -... and grasped at wisps. Again, she sought, stumbling onto hands and knees. There were faces on the boat, peering out over the railing. Some shouting at one another, others at her. A small hand reached out, its owner staring back at her, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.

The same eyes as she'd had back then.

Clenching teeth, Belle reached out, not for her power, but for the other. Small fingers reached for her as the animals hit the sand, stampeding forward.

Someone screamed. “We'll never make it in time!”

“Oh baby, it'll be okay, it'll be okay baby,” the mother of the child whispered as she wrapped herself around them.

Clatter of hooves and heavy paws on the wood. Belle felt her heart sink in her breast. And then – steeled. “Get out of here,” she shouted as she turned, wincing. Her vision swam. “Go!”

The sludge-infested creatures bayed as they jockeyed for position on the narrow dock, swarming towards her like a twisting, living flood.

Belle closed her eyes. Took a breath. She wouldn't let them reach the boat. Even if it cost her -...well. Even if it cost her a lot. What was the point of having this power otherwise...? What did she get it for?

Energy surged through her chest, through her arms and legs, boiling over like a current of molten electricity.

What she wanted more than anything.

As the animals reached for her with teeth and claw, Belle lifted her fists. The horde moved as if in slow motion, yawning maws gaping, shining with the same ghostly light as their eyes. Crouching, Belle gathered her will, and punched down.

The aged wood underneath the dock shredded with the impact. Her other fist came, chasing the wisps of the first, striking another plank, then the first whipped forward again... Churning into a maelstrom of destruction as she ripped the dock beneath them to pieces. Ripples of power rocked forward, crushing what remained of the supports. The creaking weight of the charging animals was more than the rest could bear, and the rest collapsed into the waters below in a cascading failure.

Wood cracked, snapping away under Belle's feet. She reached out, but fingers came just short, and she fell into the waves. Splash of warm, tropical water, the muffled noise of the thrashing and howling creatures dulled in her water-filled ears. A thin smile stretched across her lips as she lay back, her previously injured elbow exploding with pain. She could imagine Yuki's disapproving glare.

'Overdid it again?

Sorry, old woman, she thought as the sounds of the animals rose. Most of them weren't made for the sea; even if they got her, they wouldn't be able to catch the boat, much less mount it. Belle tried to move her arm, then blanched, immediately regretting it. No getting away.

Belle closed her eyes, swallowing, a whimper of fear slipping free from her as the waves kicked up. They were close...

Something wrapped around her, tightening hard. With sudden horror, Belle realized that just because she had only seen land animals infected, didn't mean that the infestation was limited to them. Rough hold around her squeezed; but instead of pulling her down, she felt herself being lifted up out of the water.

A thick length of rope was wrapped underneath her arms, and she stared dully at it as her legs were pulled free from the sea. She gasped as a dozen hands grabbed her, pulling her into the waiting sailboat. The sails unfurled, pulling taut as a small hand reached out to find her own, and squeezed.

~+~+~+~

The Tangled Green stretched before her, an endless mass of mingling forests. It didn't look like any nature brochure she had ever seen, that was for sure.

Arm in a sling, elbow wrapped stiffly to keep it from moving too much, Belle turned to look back at the gate leading to the Nexus. The remaining evacuees lay behind, it, being relocated to relief shelters in the Empire. She had bid the little girl and her mother a tearful farewell – obviously mostly on the girl's part, and Belle would maintain that, even if something had gotten in her eye back then – and parted ways just before.

Her home lay in Coruscant, a few more gates over, but rather than return, Belle had decided that she would take a little detour. She still had time in her vacation, after all, and would have been spending it on the beach - before it had been so rudely cut short, of course.

And now?

Belle turned back to the forest, squinting into the distance. Yuki had once mentioned in passing that there were several martial arts schools throughout the Omniverse – with several located right in the Tangled Green. The old woman had mused aloud, then, about taking her to visit them “one day.”

That day was today. Adjusting her sling, Belle gathered herself and her dignity – what dignity one could have in a bikini in the forest – and stepped onto a half-beaten path leading into the forest. Belle's resort had been, unfortunately, one of the first areas assaulted by the infection, and she had had to leave her luggage behind.

Oh well, she thought, sighing. At least I didn't lose Lily's gift-

The rustle of leaves overhead was the only warning Belle got before the canopy above exploded. She glanced up just in time to see a shadow before something large slammed into her, knocking her to the ground in an instant and taking the breath out of her. Head struck the dirt road, reawakening the nausea she had only put behind her shortly before, and she gagged for breath. Eyes rolled, swinging groggily to the shape that had landed on top of her.

To her dual relief and confusion, it was a girl. By some cosmic happenstance, the creature's face had buried itself into Belle's cleavage. After a moment of shifting, the blonde-haired other dislodged herself, coming up for breath. “Sorry!” the girl squeaked.

Belle stared.

“I was jumping!” the girl said, as if this explained everything.

“Uhm,” Belle muttered, her head still stinging. “Okay.”

“I couldn't see, you see?” The girl continued. She then put a finger to her cheek, looking off in throught. “Well, I could see, but not you. I could see around, though.”

“Please get off me.”

The girl was sitting on her stomach. The other blinked, then laughed. “Sorry!” she said, then at last, stood. Her amber eyes landed on Belle's arm as the redhead sat up. “Are you okay?!”

Belle grunted, brushing herself with her good hand, then checked her head. Miraculously, although there would be a bruise, it didn't feel like anything was cut. “Oh yeah, I'm good,” she grumbled. “I love it when strangers bodyslam me...”

Belle stood, testing her legs. Everything else seemed to be in working order. She turned to the blonde again, and gave the girl a proper once over. She … did not look like she belonged in a forest. Not that Belle herself have any right to say anything on that score.

“Heidi!” the girl offered. “What's your name?”

“Belle,” Belle answered, brow furrowed. Something about this girl seemed a little … off. “Where did you come from? Were you at Sabaody?”

"Sab what now?” the pigtailed girl squeaked, then shook her head. She pointed back in the direction Belle came from. “I came from there. Just a little while ago!”

The Nexus. That meant...

“Prime,” Belle breathed. She felt her lip twist.

“What's what?” Heidi asked, tilting her head.

Belle took another breath. Let it out slow. If the girl – Heidi – wasn't lying, then she was probably a new arrival. The least dangerous kind of Prime – at least if you were dealing with someone who wasn't an asshole by default. “Nothing,” she said. “Anyway. See you.”

Belle started to walk. To her chagrin, the blonde fell in right beside her.

“Sooo. Where are ya going?” Heidi asked.

“Somewhere. Meet someone. Or some people. I-... guess I'm really not sure,” Belle mused aloud. “'Mokugakure'. That's what the soldiers told me, anyway.

“What about you?” Belle turned the question around, hoping that the sooner the Prime got bored, the sooner it would go away.

[Harry Potter]

***

Heidi giggles. “You just told me!” she squeaks in a high pitched voice. “Mo-, uh Mo-”

“Mokugakure,” Belle’s interrupts, continuing down the thin path through the Tangled Green. The trees loom large overhead, their leafy shade starting to darken the trail. Heidi observes the subtle interplay of sunlight and shadow crisscrossing over Belle’s slender frame with intensity. Heidi notices how she walks, all classy-like, like how ladies walk.

“Look,” says the redhead, shaking Heidi out of her musings. “If you’re trying to find a place to live, I recommend Coruscant. It’s a few miles that way,” she says, pointing back at the gate.

Heidi twirls a pigtail nervously, still following in Belle’s path. “They wouldn’t let me in on account of my friend is a terrorist.”

Belle lets out an exasperated breath, which people tend to do a lot around Heidi.

The pair walk in silence for a moment.

“So…” says Heidi in her strange, high pitched way. “What’s Makakaka like?”

“Bad,” replies Belle reflexively. “Mokugakure is a city of ninjas. Assassination is rampant, murder is currency, blood is water.”

“Oh,” squeaks Heidi, and is silent for a moment. “So do they have a spa, or…”

Belle stops walking, and Heidi almost runs into her. Belle turns on her heel, her ruby hair twirling, and fixes Heidi with a steely glare.

The blonde Prime smiles perkily back up at her.

“You can’t come with me,” Belle says firmly.

“Awww, c’mon!” whines Heidi, her voice high enough to make Belle wince. “Your arm is broken! I could carry your stuff.”

The bikini clad redhead stares sardonically, as Heidi slowly realizes she has no luggage, nor apparent belongings of any kind.

“Please?” Heidi squeaks. “I dunno where I’m going and you seem really cool and I just need to find a place to stay and maybe a job and also whatever conditioner you use and maybe also learn to be a ninja-”

“No,” Belle says briskly, but not unkindly. She watches the confused, fountain-fresh Prime wilt in front of her; Heidi’s pigtails droop, her big amber eyes grow wide, her lip starts to tremble. Other Omniversians might see a potential for profit in Heidi, but all Belle can see is a big bag of trouble.

She lets out another breath of exasperation; Heidi’s pigtails perk up, her pavlovian response mechanism to hearing someone sighing in defeat.

“Fine. I’ll take you to Mokugakure,” Belle begins, but is cut short by a high pitched squeal. Heidi rushes into her and hugs her tightly, lifting the redhead off the ground and squeezing the air out of her. Belle squirms until Heidi puts her down, her cheeks slightly pink.

“This is gonna be great I’ma rock your socks-,” Heidi starts to say.

“But,” Belle interrupts sharply. “You’re going to follow my rules.”

Heidi’s demeanor shifts; she crosses her hands together in front of her skirt and leans in intently. She blows a tiny bubble with her gum from the corner of her mouth.

“Kay,” she says attentively. Belle seems dubious.

“Rule number one; no fighting,” Belle begins. She glares at Heidi to take in her reaction.

“Kay,” squeeks Heidi. The blonde pigtails are nodding, the amber eyes focused.

Satisfied, Belle continues.

“Rule number two; don’t cause trouble,” she continues.

“Kay kay,” Heidi squeaks again.

“Rule number three, and this is important,” Belle squints down at Heidi, who gazes raptly back. “Stop staring at my butt.”

There is a long silence in the Tangled Woods.

Heidi rubs her shoulder. “I just like how you walk…”

***

Belle largely ignores Hedi’s constant stream of high pitched commentary about the Omniverse.

“Yeah,” Belles responds boredly to one of Heidi’s constant questions. “It’s called the Tangled Green, it’s one of a dozen or so verses. It’s nothing but forest from end to end. There’s elves and ninjas and orcs and all sorts of things. I guess it is kind of exciting. You’d never see THAT in Coruscant,” the redhead says, pointing to a massive orange snapdragon flower the size of an elephant.

More bamboo is growing on the trail now, taller and thicker too. The shade is closing in on the girls when they come to a fork in the trail. The dirt path leads off to right, but a hundred foot rope bridge covered in miss and vines leads in front of them over a deep ravine with jagged moss covered rocks leading into pitch darkness.

The girls stop, and Belle puts her good hand on her hip. The redhead inspects the bridge, just a single thick rope to walk on with two smaller ropes on either side. Carved into the beams on the post is a secret ninja code.

MOKUGAKURE →

“It’s this way,” Belle says. What she does not say, though it is on her mind, is Fuck.

Heidi just nods, and scurries out onto the rope bridge. Belle gasps.

“BE-,” Belle says loudly. Heidi stops and whips her head around, a big pink bubble in front of her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. The rope bridge trembles beneath her.

Belle breathes deeply, and speaks in a calm voice. “Heidi, please come back here, carefully.”

Heidi slowly walks back back across the bridge. When she reaches the end, Belle’s good hand snaps out faster than lightning and grabs Heidi’s wrist, pulling her off the bridge. Belles does not let go for several seconds.

“That bridge isn’t safe, we’ll have to find another way around,” Belle says, poking her head over the ravine to look for other pathways. Heidi chews her gum helpfully.

“It seemed fine to me…” Heidi squeaks, trailing off. “Are you...it’s ok if you’re scared.”

“I am,” says Belle curtly, still looking for another way over the ravine.

“That’s ok!” Heidi repeats sweetly. “I’ll help you across, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re a Prime,” says Belle, distracted. Heidi chews her gum for a moment, looking at the floor. Then, with a cute little scowl on her face, hops onto the rope bridge again.

“Heidi!” Belle snaps. Heidi grins, and starts to walk backwards on the rope. “Heidi!” Belle shouts, her eyes narrowing. Heidi does a backflip, and is halfway across the bridge already. “Get BACK here!”

“Look,” says Heidi calmly, when her foot slips. A moment later, Belle is holding Heidi by a pigtail as the blonde sways on the bridge. Heidi meets Belle’s steely gaze with an apologetic grin.

Heidi squeals as Belle drags her by her pigtail down the second half of the bridge across the ravine and deposits her in the dirt. Belle continues down her path to the ninja city.

Heidi bounces back up, an unabashed grin on her face. “Hey! Wait up! What’s a Prime?”

***

[Belle]

Belle turned, frowning slightly, and raised an eyebrow at Heidi, feeling her heart start to slow as she did, the adrenaline rush fading from her veins. “What, you mean you don't know?” she asked. Belle had heard from Primes about how each of them were supposed to get a pep-talk of some sort from the ruler of the Omniverse. “Didn't Omni clue you in?”

Heidi's blank look answered her question more effectively than any words. Belle started to sigh – something she felt like she was going to be doing a lot around Heidi - but then stopped herself. It could be worse.

“There are two kinds of people in this world,” Belle explained as she started to walk down the path. She held up her index finger. “Primes.” She then raised her middle finger to join the first. “And Secondaries. Primes are like you – people that were summoned by Omni. And Omni is sort of like...” She searched for a way to describe him, turning her eyes towards the lush canopy. “I guess you would call him a 'God.' That's the way people treat him. He brings Primes here to play in his game.”

“Game?” Heidi asked.

Belle nodded. “Yeah, game. I don't know what you were like where you came from, but I'm guessing you probably feel a little weaker or stronger than before? That's part of the game – Omni wants every Prime on a level playing field. And there are rules. You probably saw a bunch of soldiers with guns when you came in, right?”

Heidi nodded.

“Scary, right? But here's the thing: those guns probably couldn't hurt you. They're only there to intimidate fresh Primes that don't know how things work yet. In the Omniverse, a gun is only as strong as the person using it. And that's not some bullcrap line from an anime – here, it's literal, because everything is made of Omnilium. And that's part of what makes Primes so special – you make that stuff just by existing. As long as you're here, as long as you continue to... 'be', you'll get more of that stuff. Y'follow?”

Heidi nodded again, though looking less and less certain as she tried to keep up.

“Now, Secondaries – that's me – we're different. Omni didn't pull us in. We just sort of … show up as these places get bigger. Or a Prime brings someone here using their Omnilium. If you can think it, you can make it.”

Belle continued to explain the rules as the pair wandered deeper into the forest, the undergrowth seamlessly transitioning from scrub to jungle, then back again. After what felt like an hour, Belle called a rest, sitting back again a tree trunk, finding a convenient rock for seating. She wished she had thought to maybe stop off somewhere first, grab some snacks for the road. After all the excitement of the last day, she found she was starving. “Anyway, that's... about it for now,” she said, sighing as she fanned herself and looked for Heidi. “Do you think you have a handle on -.... it?....”

Heidi's lips were pursed, her face screwed up. Belle could practically see steam leaking from the girl's ears. Slowly, a bubblegum balloon swelled between the pigtail girl's lips, trembled, then popped, hanging limp against her chin. “Uh huh,” Heidi said at last, licking her gum back up.

Belle rubbed the back of her head with her good hand. “I guess it is kind of information overload. It'll take a while to sink in. It did for me...”

She thought back. She had been so lost after being dumped in the Omniverse. Shunted from place to place, only to land in the human garbage dump that was Coruscant's Tier 4. Lost in the cracks... Without a friend to count on. Lily was the first. What if she had never shown up?

Eyes refocused, looking towards Heidi. The girl was currently attempting to blow a larger bubble than before. She seemed to have either an endless supply of sticks, or else didn't mind chewing on flavorless. It was also possible the stick simply hand unlimited taste – Primes didn't really care a lot for the rules. She just went along, chewing away like she didn't have a care in the world. Instead, the Omniverse would chew her up and spit her out, a discarded glob on the side of the road. Just like it did everyone.

Why did Belle earn this power … ?

“Listen,” Belle said, her voice quiet. “I think it's probably best if you don't tell everyone about what you are just yet. A lot of Secondaries – we don't really trust Primes. You could draw a lot of trouble your way, especially since you're new.”

“I gotcha. So, like a cover story, right?” Heidi chirped, smiling broadly. “I can do that. I'm a Segundo. And you're my friend. And you had a boating accident.”

“We're not-... Ugh. That's closer to the truth than I like,” Belle grumbled, closing one eye and wincing at the memory. Boating accident. Pfft.

“How did it get hurt?” Heidi asked.

“Monsters,” Belle said, as if that one word was enough to explain everything. “It's not important.”

With a grunt, Belle started to lever herself out of her seat, and paused. Heidi was already standing, a hand offered to her. The redhead hesitated, before reluctantly accepting the assistance. The Prime's grip was strong – probably as strong as her's. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“No problem, bestie!” Heidi giggled before looping an arm around Belle's waist, starting to walk.

“Heidi?”

“Yeah, bestie?”

“If that hand goes any lower, you're going to lose it.”

~+~+~+~

Belle stopped, motioning with her hand for Heidi to do the same. Straining her ears, she bit her lower lip, eyes narrowed.

“What's wrong?” Heidi asked, squeaking in her usual high-pitched way.

Belle winced. “Shh!” she hissed. “I think I heard something...”

It had been several hours since the rope bridge incident. The sun was beginning its languorous dip lower in the heavens, and Belle had to admit, not for the first time, that she wasn't looking forward to going 'home', where only artificial light waited...

… Though at least those streets weren't prowled by animals. Well. A different kind of animal, at least. Putting her hand over Heidi's mouth, Belle pushed the girl with her shoulder, taking refuge in a nearby bush. Everything was quiet, save for the rustle of wind through the tree tops...

Belle was just starting to think maybe she had been imagining things, when there was a sudden shaking of branches further down the path. With menace and dread, the foliage parted to reveal...

A fairy.

Belle let out an explosive breath, sagging in place, as the diminutive creature flitted about, looking curiously left to right. There was an 'ah ha!' as the tiny being located her target, and with a moment's pause, darted to grab a twig of berries from a nearby bush.

Heidi laughed, breaking the muffling of Belle's hand. “Oh noooo,” Heidi tittered, rocking back onto her bottom as she held her belly, kicking her feet. “Look out! She's gonna get you, Belle!”

Belle did her best to glower, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “Sh... shut up... It could have been something...” she grumbled, turning from Heidi's mirth to locate the pixie, now nowhere to be found.

“What are you doing?”

The small voice came from above, and when Belle lifted her head, it was to find the inches-high fairy standing on her head, leaning over to stare upside-down into Belle's eyes, mildly curious expression on her face, the two small antennae sticking out from the pixie's short head of hair twitching.

[Harry Potter]

***

Heidi watches with wide eyes brimming with excitement, overwhelmed by cuteness at seeing the little fairy perched atop Belle’s head. Heidi has always loved fey, fairies, pixies, and what not. She has always had a natural affinity with the fickle and feisty creatures.

“Uh…” stutters Belle, walking slowly around in a circle, hoping to gently dislodge the fairy. “We’re uh, we’re heading to Mokugakure, but I think we can-”

“Oh,” says the fairy, nodding while Belle crosses her eyes to stare at him. “Yeah that’s not gonna work, you’re going the wrong way.”

“Well uh, thank you,” says Belle courteously. “But we’re gonna go on ahead, didn’t mean to uh, disturb you-”

“Well ya did,” says the fairy with a sigh. “And now I think you don’t even trust my advice.”

The fairy glares at the cross-eyed redhead.

Belle glares right back.

“Uh, Belle,” squeaks Heidi nervously, but shuts up after a quick shushing from the other girl.

“Actually, thank you, but we DON’T trust your advice, Mr Pixie, and furthermore,” Belle begins to say.

“Oh no,” squeaks Heidi, rolling her eyes. She might be a natural blonde, but she would never call a fairy a pixie.

“Hey!” says Belle as the fairy disappears from her view. “I wasn’t done talking to-EEP!”

The redheaded girl’s squeak is almost as high as Heidi’s as the fairy swoops down behind her, unties the strings to her bikini top, and flies off with it.

Belle stands with her face the color of her hair, her one good arm clasped tightly over her bare breasts, sputtering at the giggling fey who floats feet above her head with her bikini top dangling below him.

“Are you FRICKIN kidding you weird little flying creep? Get down here NOW!” Belles says, yelling the last word, to which the fairy only cackles.

Suddenly, the fairy stops laughing as a streak of pink light barrels towards him. He dodges Heidi, flipping backwards in the air, smirking at Belle. The blonde flies past him, but never touches the grounds, instead launching herself off the side of a tree trunk back at the pervy fairy.

This time she is closer to the mark, but she still misses the tiny humanoid, landing in a crouch on a sequoia, ready to pounce again. A frown crosses the fey’s face, and he starts to buzz upwards, the bikini top trailing behind him. He grins, but when he looks behind him, he sees Heidi’s pink bubble rocketing right at him. He barely has time to register surprise before Heidi snatches the bikini top and encases him in a bright pink bubblegum bubble, which starts to drift away.

As Heidi falls back to the floor of the Tangled Green, she hears the fairy complaining and banging against his bubble as he floats northward. She lands in a crouch in front of Belle with a very smug grin on her face, the bikini top in hand. The redheaded rolls her eyes, her one good arm covering both her bare breasts tightly.

“You know, this really is a nice top,” Heidi muses.

“Don’t start,” Belle warns.

“No really, I kinda wanna keep it,” the blonde insists, inspecting it.

“I don’t think it’ll fit,” comments Belle dryly.

Heidi giggles. “Any top will fit if you try hard enough!” she says. Belle watches Heidi blink.

In a split second Belle has snatched her top back and covers herself again by the time Heidi’s eyes open.

The Prime just giggles, and turns away snorting with laughter as Belle tries to redo her bikini top with one arm, waiting for her to eventually give up and accept Heidi’s help.

***

The girls are again on the road to the ninja city of Mokugakure. Here the bambo rules over all, towering above them impossibly high like skyscrapers. They start to see traffic, travelers to and from the ninja city. Heidi trades a set of eyeshadow for some fresh picked fruit with a korean gnome, and the girls eat some kind of strange blue peaches as they walk. At one point they pass a panda in a monocle who tips his top-hat to them. A little girl signs Belle’s cast, prompting Heidi to sign it as well in pink eyeliner.

“How is it?” she asks kindly as she dots the ‘i’ on her name with a little heart, and then writes her name again impossibly small within the heart, dotting the ‘i’ with another tinier heart.

Belle flexes the fingers on her injured hand. “Better. I mean,better than I would expect at this point.”

The gorgeous redhead looks away, deep in thought.

***

The girls are walking under a pathway of jacaranda trees, their bright purple flowers flowing about the path. Heidi is staring into the sky and smiling widely.

“What do you believe in, Heidi?” Belle asks suddenly.

“Sunshine and bubblegum and tube tops,” squeaks Heidi without missing a beat.

Belle snorts. “Is that a joke?”

Heidi shakes her pigtailed head. “Nope. I believe in sunshine and bubblegum and tube tops. And I believe in the rights of people everywhere to enjoy sunshine and bubblegum and tube tops. And I believe sometimes we have to fight for those rights, even when the fighting isn’t all sunshine and bubblegum and tube tops.”

Belle nods, and the jacaranda flowers swirl around them, caught in the wind.

***

As the sun sets on the Tangled Green, Belle and Heidi find themselves in Tyoko, a tiny rest-stop village with a hotel and a small food market. Tyoko is a few miles from Mokugakure, but those few miles are up a steep hill. After a wholly internal debate, Belle decides to spend the night at the hotel.

The owner of the hotel is an elderly human woman in a kimono, but her guests run the gamut of different races. While checking Belle spots an elf, a twi’lek, a gnome couple, and a curvy goth chick that might be a vampire.

“Um,” says Heidi intelligently to the hotel owner. She digs around in her tiny purse, pulls out a few coins glowing with pink energy, and lays them on the counter. “Is this enough?” the blonde asks hopefully. The owner’s eyes widen.

“I’ll see what we have available,” the old woman says as she reaches for the payment.

“Heidi!” snaps Belle in an embarrassed whisper as she hurries to collect the glowing coins from the counter. She leaves just one, and glares at the old lady. “That should be plenty,” she says. The hotel owner grins sheepishly and hands them a key. Belle’s eyes do not leave the old woman as she hands Heidi her money.

***

[Belle]

Shoots of bamboo stretched overhead, reaching for the starry night sky and the moon above as Belle stepped outside, exiting through the hotel's rear doors. The back was enclosed by tall bamboo-work, many trunks lashed together to form a fence ten feet high. Ahead, in the far right corner, was a small, squat hut. To the left, twin sets of drapes cordoned off doorways to separate enclosures.

Warm air wafted across her body, carrying with it the rich scent of moist soil and fallen leaves, mixing with the steam rising from the hotel's hot spring as Belle pushed through one of the drapes. The women's enclosure was roughly square, with the spring that the hotel made use of slashed in half by a dividing partition. Dim illumination came in the form of incandescent lamps that had been scattered along the bamboo walls. To one side a set of cubbies to store garments.

No one seemed to be about. Cocking her head, Belle listened to the soft lap of water as the pool's heat stirred the surface, creating miniature currents. Crickets – or something like them – chirped.

Belle undressed – the work of a handful of seconds, even with her injured arm – and placed her bikini in the cubby. Looking down at the wrap pulled around her elbow, she flexed her fingers. Squeezed. A mild pang of pain, but not as bad as it had first seemed. Perhaps it had never been broken in the first place?

The edge of the pool itself had been smoothed – whether by water or through labor was unclear – and Belle momentarily perched on the ledge, putting her feet into the heated water before slowly sliding the rest of her inside. It was like slipping into a Jacuzzi – almost uncomfortable amount of heat pressing against her skin before slowly subsiding.

Belle leaned back against the edge of the pool, tilting her head back to stare upward. The shadow of the ninja village blended with the mountain in the distance, just visible through a cut of tall bamboo shoots. The sounds of the night rustled from beyond the fence, every so often a hoot breaking the soft background of crickets and flowing water. Peace – true peace – was elusive in the Omniverse, but for the moment, Tyoko had managed the trick.

She held her breath, sliding lower, briefly submerging herself in the spring before coming back up. Now that she was out, she found herself half-dreading the return to Coruscant. If Yuki wasn't there... If Lily wasn't there... If she didn't have something to do...

Temptation to leave it all behind swelled like poison in her chest, whispered that it wouldn't really be so bad … “Shut up,” she mumbled to herself, digging the heel of her hand against her brow and grinding.

Another rustle, closer this time. Belle stiffened. “Who are you talking to?” a husky voice asked, it's tone playful, before arms were abruptly wrapping around her, quick hands grabbing at her chest!

“Ack!” Belle was snapped out of her brooding in an instant, sending her good elbow back against her assailant, adrenaline spiking through her veins, surge of energy mixing with it as she habitually reached within for her power, drawing it out. Her elbow connected with something soft and rubbery, and a familiar squeak sounded from her attacker, the grip on Belle immediately loosening. She spun around“... Heidi!?”

The other girl winced, one eye closed, as she sat back, holding her side where Belle had struck her. “What was that for?” she demanded.

“That's my line,” Belle shot back, her cheeks flaring pink. “What do you think this is – an anime? Who the frick just goes around groping people?!”

Heidi huffed, her cheeks puffing out and shoulders hunching. Her pigtails rose like hackles on the back of the neck. “You looked unhappy,” she groused, lowering the hand on her side. Given how … bouncy the girl was, she wondered how much of Heidi's pain was real, or an act. “So I thought I'd take your mind off of it!”

Belle opened her mouth, closed it. Her eyes closed and she pinched the bridge of her nose. It was like dealing with a child, this Prime. “Next time, how about you just say 'hello'?”

Heidi blinked. “But that's sooo impersonal! We're best friends, aren't we?”

Belle opened her eyes, giving Heidi another in a long line of flat looks. “Best friends aren't supposed to be that grabby,” she said, enunciating slowly so that the other could understand.

“Maybe not your friends,” Heidi grumped, then held up her hands as Belle opened her mouth to speak again. “Fine, fine! Sheesh. Must be boooring where you come from.” She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes closing. “No wonder you're so broody...”

“I am not broody,” Belle protested, brows knitting as she reddened. Maybe she had been brooding, but she wasn't brood-y... Right?

An inward frown, her eyes momentarily unfocused. No – she was normal. It was just that Heidi herself was too hyper. Of course Heidi could be so carefree about everything – the girl didn't even have to worry about dying anymore. But all the rest of them stuck in this hellish purgatory? It could be forgiven if they were a little-

“You're doing it again!” Heidi squeaked, interrupting. Reaching out with her hands, Heidi pressed on Belle's cheeks, smooshing them together and forcing Belle's lips to into a figure-eight. A giggle as Belle stared at her, nonplussed. “That settles it: I'm going to make you smile!”

“Ai dunn kneed id!” Belle said, muffled as she grew increasingly flustered. “Ai c'n shmile!”

Heidi released her cheeks, and Belle rubbed them with a hand. “Oh yeah? When was the last time?” Heidi asked.

Belle had to think back, frowning some more. “I'm sure I did today.”

“Nope.”

“Uhhh, uhm...” Belle screwed up her face. “... Back in Vasty Deep! Yeah. I definitely smiled then!”

“Oh?” Heidi tilted her head. “What were you smiling about?”

“... Escaping monsters trying to eat me.”

Heidi made a sound like a gameshow buzzer, holding up her arms in an X in front of her. “Eeeh! Wrong! Relief at survival doesn't count! Try again.”

Belle bristled. “Why not?! … And why am I having to justify myself to you?! I smile plenty, and that's that! I'll do it right now!” Belle forced a grin.

Heidi blanched. “Ew. Are you smiling, or sitting in a dentist chair? This is worse than I thought.” The blonde tapped her lips with a finger, thinking some more. “How about a joke? Here we go: What did the buffalo say when his son went to college?”

“Please stop.”

“Bison!”

“Please.”

“My friend's bakery burned down last night. Now his business is toast!”

“Uuuugh...”

“Hmm... No good, huh...? That usually always gets a laugh.” Heidi rubbed her chin, then snapped her fingers, something hitting her. “I know! Revenge! Broody moodies always get a kick out of revenge.”

“I'm listening.”

“Now we're getting somewhere! So, given everything, I think the best chance you have is if you grab me back.” Taking a breath, the blonde puffed her chest out. “Go crazy! It's for a good cause! … Bestie? Bestie, strangling yourself isn't going to help anything...”

~+~+~+~

The day dawned beyond the village, orange glow lighting up the sky, thin sliver of sunlight visible through the cutting bamboo shoots casting golden wires across the shadowed ground, streaming through the window of the hotel room. Belle groaned, turning over as a fiery band fell across an eye, and she waved her good hand at it as if swatting a fly.

Today, first thing, she'd get something new to wear from the market nearby. After that, it was a short hike from their destination. Or, well, her destination, anyway...

[Harry Potter]

***

Belle’s arm hangs at her side in it’s cast. Heidi has convinced her at least to leave the sling in the hotel room, arguing that Belle’s arm seemed fine the last time she had tried to smack Heidi. She wiggles her fingers a little.

In the small Tyoko marketplace a strange cadre of merchants from around the Tangled Green gather to hawk their wares from wooden carts. As Tyoko is a bit of a glorified rest stop, most of the merchants are getting rid of excess inventory. Nestled between the katana stalls and food stands are tiny boutiques with styles from all throughout the Omniverse. Surrounded by exotic goods at discount prices, shopping with her best friend Belle for a new outfit, Heidi is clearly in her element.

It takes a little while for Belle to explain currency, but once Heidi understands she is off and running, bouncing from stall to stall with Belle in reluctant towe. The blonde Prime eagerly flips through every article of clothing at breakneck pace, occasionally grabbing something from a bit and holding it up to Belle, squinting, before placing it back. On several occasions Heidi is so excited upon finding a piece of clothing that she lets out a shrill squee, causing everyone in the immediate vicinity to wince.

It takes the girls over an hour of shopping from stall to stall, with Heidi buying items of clothing seemingly at random, before the blonde is satisfied. Belle stares dubiously at the pile of clothes, instantly noting the fishnet and frills. When she tries on the outfit picked for her however, it is comfortably modest and extremely fashionable.

Belle wears thin, stretchy black leggings beneath black bamboo sandals. A low cut pink blouse peeks beneath a tight black gui, tied with a auburn sash around her tiny waist. The fishnet is tastefull, covering Belle’s slender arms up to her shoulder, including her cast. Her bright red hair has been tied back in a ponytail with a silk pink ribbon, with only Belle’s bangs drifting lazily in front of her face.

Heidi grins smugly as Belle observes herself in a full length mirror. The gorgeous redhead looks apprehensive, but impressed.

“It’s…” Belle says. Heidi holds her breath. “Perfect,” Belle admits.

Heidi squees, and Belle feel herself grin just slightly.

***


As they are preparing to leave, Heidi finds a problematic stuffed pink bunny.

It is problematic in that the bunny is nearly as large as Heidi, and the girls are supposed to be packing water and food.

“Pwease?” Heidi whines shrilly, causing several passersby to wince.

Belle simply glares, her arms crossed over her chest, as the blonde hugs the stuffed animal to her ample chest and gives belle her best puppy-dog eyes. The blonde’s pigtails bounce in time with bunny’s ears, and Belle wonders exactly how much anime bunny-girl is in Heidi’s genetics.

“No,” Belle repeats calmly. “It’s frickin huge, and we need the space to carry food and water,” she says, gesturing to her own large, heavy backpack.

Heidi’s eyes go from big saucers to narrow slits. She hugs the bunny more fiercely.

Belle’s lips purse. “Heidi…” she says in a warning voice. “Put it back.”

Heidi glares, slams the bear back into the cart full of stuffed animals, and pouts for the next hour.

Belle sighs as she hefts her backpack full of heavy water canteens.

She begins to count the steps to Mokugakure.

***


“Frick,” Belle gasps, huffing and puffing her way up the hill to Mokugakure. The path is lined on either side with crowded bamboo plants. Her new sandals dig into the dirt as she pushes herself relentlessly forward, the water in her pack weighing her down. Twenty feet ahead, Heidi is hiking cheerfully forwards. Belle stops and leans against some of the bamboo, shrugging off her pack.

“One sec,” she calls as she fumbles for some water. Heidi looks disappointed, but does not say anything as she bounces down towards Belle.

“Kay-ay!” Heidi squeaks as she gratefully takes Belles water bottle. The blonde Prime is dressed like a cardio bunny, in a pink sports bra and yoga pants. Belle watches the toned young woman guzzle the water greedily, deep in thought.

Belle scratches at the cast on her arm, itching and sweaty, and finally, she rips it off. She flexes her hand slowly, wincing only slightly as she observes each finger curl and uncurl. The breeze feels welcome. They continue onwards.

The girls meet several travellers on the way down the hill, including a juggler that keeps Heidi’s rapt attention for nearly an hour. The juggler’s friend, a sword wielding twi’lek, speaks in hushed tones with Belle about the Darklings. Heidi is not paying close attention, as it sounds very serious.

By the time the girls get to the top of the hill Belle’s legs are screaming, her lungs are on fire, and she is ready to collapse. Her back aches from the strain of carrying the water-laden backpack.. Belle shrugs off the heavy pack and leans forward on her knees, gasping. Heidi of course, is already there.

“We made it!” squeaks Heidi happily. “And guess whaa-aat?” she asks mischievously.

Belle does not.

“I got to bring a friend!” Heidi reveals as she pulls the bright pink bunny from her backpack, looking a little wrinkled. Belle stares. “I know you said not to bring her,” says Heidi, hugging the bunny tightly. “But look, we had plenty of room!”

“I carried the water,” says Belle numbly, her hands on her knees, still gasping for breath. Heidi nods, her pigtails bobbing.

“You sure did!” the blonde agrees, somewhat condescendingly. “Now stop lollygagging and grab the water, cmon!” Heidi squeaks, delivering an encouraging open-palmed smack to Belle’s butt.

***

[Belle]

Belle seethed, glaring at the back of Heidi's head as the blonde bounced ahead of her. Rubbing her smarting rear, she grumbled dark deeds under her breath – water torture and nail pulling sounded good right about now.

Hefting the bag full of water bottles – some of which were, at least, empty by now – Belle grunted and started after the hyperactive Prime. Revenge would have to wait until they arrived at their destination.

It wasn't long to wait. Before another hour had passed, the slope of the winding path had started to taper, and just over the road's horizon, Belle spotted the enormous gate.

Made as if it were regular to admit giants into the city, the huge double-doored gate was flanked on either side by an almost equally tall wall of lashed tree trunks. Figures could be seen moving to and fro just beyond, walking the wall's ramparts.

Belle slowed as they approached. One of the guards halted, spotting them, and made his way back towards the gate. “State your name and intent,” his voice bellowed. “What business have you in Mokugakure!?”

Well, this was awkward. She had somewhat assumed that they would just let them in. “My name is Belle, and she's Heidi!” Belle shouted back, pointing towards her traveling companion.

“Hello!” Heidi chirped, bouncing on her heels. Even from that distance, Belle could see the guard's eyes shift, widening as he stared down at the blonde.

“We're here because we're looking for training! Everyone says that Mokugakure has the best martial artists in the Omniverse!”

The guard seemed preoccupied, but managed to collect himself. He was older, perhaps in his early forties, with a heavy bristle of a beard that rose up his cheeks to meet the downward sweep of his helmet. “Pah! That kind of flattery won't get you anywhere, outsider! We get plenty of tourists that throw out that same line! By order of Tsunade, the walls stay closed until you can prove your intent!”

Belle gritted her teeth. This was beyond the usual; something must have happened to make them so jittery. Maybe the infection? That would make sense for why they were so suspicious – every Verse probably had similar security at the moment. “We're not infected!” Belle protested.

“Silence!” the man shouted, and his nostrils flared so hard Belle was almost certain she saw steam blow. “Unless you can prove it, turn around!”

The Hell? Did we look like we're monsters?! Belle was just about to start shouting again, when Heidi's voice cut through the air.

“I don't know what you're all talking about - with the infection and everything!” Heidi squeaked. “But that should be easy to see, isn't it?! Will it help you see better if I take off my clothes?”

Again the guard's attention snapped back to Heidi, his nostrils flaring again, starting to speak, then stopping as the blonde began to pull off her yoga top.

Belle blushed. Folding her arms, she lifted a hand to cover her flaming face as a great whooping went up from the guards on the wall. Of all the things to do...

“O-o-oooh! O-o-oooooh!” the guard shouted, and Belle looked up to see him holding out a hand. Several other guards had also stopped by now to ogle the half-naked Heidi, the girl's thumbs in the waist of her shorts. “S-stop right there, young lady!” he shouted, his face as red as a tomato – and this time, steam DID pour from his nose. “We've seen enough! P-please... We will inspect you inside.”

“Yay!” Heidi smiled, giving another bounce on her heels that sent parts of her a-jiggle. “Belle can come too, right?”

A glance thrown Belle's way. “Your friend can come too, I guess,” came the relenting grumble.

The doors creaked, heavy sound of metal reinforced wood blocks being drawn, before the gates ponderously swung outward. “Welcome to Mogakure!”

~+~+~+~

Belle crossed her legs, tapping her foot in the air, arms folded. She sat on a bench outside the guard hut that lay just inside the city walls. Heidi had been in there for a while, now... Being 'inspected' for the Dark Data virus.

Belle's own inspection had lasted all of a few seconds. Not that she was annoyed, or anything...

After what felt like ages, the door finally opened. Heidi flounced out, looking just the same as she did going in, and smiled at Belle as she stood. “They say we can go! Oh, and they gave us these.”

Heidi held out her hand. “Papers?” Belle asked, taking the small offered slip and turning it over. It was printed with all kinds of legalese. “Uh... Huh.”

“They said if anyone asks us about that stuff again, to show them that,” Heidi said, retrieving her pack from beside the bench.

“They did, huh...” Belle mused, tucking the paper into her gi. “... How many guys were inspecting you, anyway?” A pause. “You know what? On second thought: forget I asked.”

“Aaand?”

“And what?” Belle huffed, picking up her own pack. She turned to see Heidi leaning close to her, a broad smile on her face, expectant.

“Mmmmm?” Heidi prompted.

“What-... ugh.” Belle rolled her eyes, adjusting the shoulder straps as she started down the street, away from the gate and into the city. Mumbled: “Thanks. For getting us in.”

The city itself was a tangle of various structures, most with several stories. Banners of all styles hung down over the shops that occupied ground level. Most of the people were dressed like Belle herself, and many couldn't seem to help but stop and stare at the pink-clad girl with her.

“Yeesh,” Belle whispered. “Whoever makes fishnet around here must make a killing.”

Spying an electronics shop out of the corner of her eye, Belle stopped in. On display on the shelves were plenty of macro-binoculars, wearable and otherwise, trackers, VPS systems, radios, surveillance equipment, bugs, and some things Belle couldn't begin to fathom the use of. Bypassing all of those, Belle poked around until she found what she was looking for – a replacement smartphone. It was plain, and with the shock absorbent case it wasn't going to be winning any fashion contests, but it was better than nothing. Her old phone was probably a melted slag of components by now.

Stopping by the register, Belle paid and set up her account, signing a few papers before stepping back out onto the street, thumb-swiping through the menus.

“What are you looking for?” Heidi asked, peeking over Belle's shoulder.

“Dojos,” Belle mused, brows pinching. “Most of the ones on the net seem like they're dressed-up strip mall joints, though. You wouldn't think that would fly here with... You know. Ninjas.”

Well, people had to make money. Shrugging, Belle pocketed her phone. “You wanna explore?” she asked. “We might have a better chance stumbling across something than looking at my phone."

[Harry Potter]

***

Heidi bounces around the tourist district of Mokugakure somewhat literally, the excitable blonde’s attention drawn to every new shop. She draws the eye in the way Primes tend to do wherever they go, but also in a quiet another way. They have to stop at every stall it seems, but Heidi manages to find a short white kimono that she wears over her jogging outfit, so her companion does not complain. Belle also finds it hard not to play the tourist, especially as the girls move closer to the dojo district. She has a passing interest in a street vendor selling laser-guided flaming shurikens, and the girls stop to enjoy a kung-fu street demonstration. At least, Belle stops to enjoy a kung-fu street demonstration. Heidi only watches because the kung-fu school was handing out lollipops that looked like Dragonballs.

So the girls watch the demonstration as Heidi enjoys her yellow lollipop. It really is quite impressive; the kung-fu practitioners are all different races, but all have the same fluid, dance-like quality to their acrobatic combat. Belle watches an orange Twi’lek leap into the air and reign down a series of gravity-defying anime stomps upon a grizzled dwarf who manages to block every blow with his forearms. She sees an aging human man in a blindfold standing serenely in a circle or his students, swaying and hopping gently as he avoids attacks from four of the students at once. She watches a little green-skinned girl with red hair and tiny tusks on her lower lip step up to a heavy bag, and watches the girl begin to punch the bag at lightning speed.

The crowd, including Heidi, is suitably impressed and hushes accordingly. Unlike the crowd, Belle does not see a blur of hands, but rather can see the girls punches for what they are; sloppy. At the speed with which the half-orc girl punches, she cannot aim, nor even keep her fist closed. It is the sheer volume of punches that cause the bag to frey and then catch on fire.

The crowd gasps and applauds as the girl steps away from the bag, a flaming hole in the center, its innards leaking out. The Kung-Fu school happily passes out lollipops and pamphlets advertising the Iron Tiger Dojo.

The old man in the blindfold has removed the cloth from his eyes and approaches Heidi personally.

“You come to Iron Tiger Dojo, you come train for free. We make you strong, Iron Tiger Strong,” the man says, slapping his belly. Heidi thanks him, and he moves on.

“They really want you to train with them,” Belle says neutrally.

“Yeah, I think he might have had something besides training in mind,” Heidi says, a little jadedly Bell thinks.

“They want you because they can tell you’re a Prime,” Belle assures the bouncy blonde. “They want the reputation of having a Prime using their fighting style, it’s great for publicity.”

As Heidi nods and reaches gratefully for another Dragonball lollipop, a ninja elf reaches in front of her and swipes it.

“What the fuck?” Heidi squeaks indignantly, her high pitched voice reaching a crescendo on the last word. The elf laughs, and pulls down his black mask, exposing a handsome, smiling face. Some people in the crowd laugh, watching the exchange.

“If they tried that on a Prime, they’d be dead,” comments the elf idly as he pretends to unwrap the lollipop, referring to the Iron Tiger School. Though he is wearing the traditional all-black of a ninja, he has a white armband with a black leaf on it.

“You have one second to give that back times up,” says Heidi as she leaps forward with her arm outstretched for the lollipop.

Belle watches Heidi begin to blink.

She watches as the elf moves, though the world does not move with him. Heidi seems to stand still, her arm outstretched, her hand open. Heidi is not frozen in time, but inching forward, moving so very slowly.

Belle watches the elf turn his head and catch her gaze, Heidi and the crowd still moving agonizingly slow. The elf ninja grins at the redhead, wags the lollypop at her, and sprints into the unmoving crowd. He hops up onto a parapet of a food cart, and clears his throat.

Belle watches Heidi complete her blink.

The blonde Prime lurches forward in confusion, but the elf and the lollypop are gone. Heidi and the crowd look around in confusion.

“Take note, ladies and gentlemen,” the elf calls loudly. The crowd turns as one to where Belle is already staring, at the ninja atop the food cart, and begin to chuckle. The ninja twirls the lollipop between his fingers. Heidi makes a kind of high pitched growl, and Belle puts a hand on her shoulder gently.

“The only way to defeat a Prime,” the ninja says loudly. He winks at Belle. “Run away.”

And he is gone again. The crowd claps. Heidi fumes.

***

The girls are sitting in a dojo with American flags on the wall and multiple weapons on the wall. There are asian weapons, katanas and nunchucks and shurikens, but also some unconventional weapons such as a gnomish pick-axe, a double-headed battle axe, and a glock-9.

An enthusiastic and tough-looking man in an american flag dew-rag and sunglasses is doing an exhibition, addressing a room full of spectators. He is wearing a traditional ninja gui, but his bulging biceps are showing as he has torn off his gui at the shoulder. His sweatpants also appear to have an American flag print.

“I,” he says accusingly to the crowd. “Am Rex. And if you complete my 8-day program you will learn the deadliest system of self-defense ever developed. It’s called,”

He flexes suddenly, his biceps visible

“Rex-Kwon-Do!” he shouts, pounding his fist into his open hand. Heidi jumps a little in her seat, startled. Belle rolls her beautiful blue eyes.

“I am the only known Rex-Kwon-Do grandmaster, which makes my techniques the most illegal death techniques in the Omniverse. I’ll need a volunteer,” says Rex, his hands on his hips.

Belle stares daggers at Heidi as her hand inches upward. Heidi meets her gaze, and lets her hand drop to her side. She needn’t have bothered.

A young woman with ink-black hair walks forward timidly. She is thin, and clearly feels awkward in front of the crowd, retreating into her grey hoodie.

“Hit me,” says Rex confidently. The bulging Rex-Kwon-Do grandmaster offers a free shot, his chin extended.

Then girl reaches out her index finger, and with a motion like she was popping a bubble, pokes Rex sharply in the jaw.

WIth a crack like a gunshot, the world’s only known Rex-Kwon-Do grandmaster is sent soaring backwards through his own dojo. He slams into a case full of tactical boomerangs and lies still.

The girl with the black hair smiles pleasantly at the crowd.

“This has been a guerilla demonstration of the Touch of Death Technique,” the woman says professionally. “This is the only technique we teach at Touch of Death Technique University. At TDTU we learn to channel all our resources into a single attack,” here she gives a little smirk, and glances towards the less-than-conscious Rex. “To devastating effect.”

A scattered round of applause is heard from the confused crowd as the woman exits.

***

Belle and Heidi soak in the sights as the sun rises high above them. They stop for some of the weirdest sushi they’ve ever had, prepared by an aggressive orc with a british accent. The girls start to see more street performers and martial-arts exhibitions, eager to collect money from the impressed tourists. Heidi eagerly obliges, tipping freely. There are musclebound Klingon bat’leth fighters, swinging their awkward blades are roaring loudly. There are element-benders, attacking each other with flaming fists and blasts of ice. There is a pokemon training offering 40 OM to whoever can outbox his Hitmochan. There are a bunch of force-users swinging multicolored lightsabers and bouncing around in the air attacking each other. Heidi stands still.

Maybe it is the elegant geometry with which the bouncing jedi move that catches her eye. Maybe it is just the bright multicolored lightsabers. Either way, Heidi is enraptured.

Belle might have noticed her companion had stopped moving if she had not caught sight of the elf ninja. He is leaning against a wall, his eyes on Belle, twirling a lollypop between his fingers. The lollipop he had stolen, from a Prime. He grins as Belle walks over to him.

“So,” he asks her casually. “How do you fight a Prime?”

Belle does not hesitate. “You don’t.”

The elf nods, and walks down a dark alleyway.

The beautiful redhead follows.

***

Later, Belle emerges from the same alleyway, her guilty blue eyes scanning the crowd for Heidi, holding her still-wrapped dragonball lollipop in her hand. It does not take long.

Belle sees the blonde prime rocketing upwards, howling a high pitched war cry, and sees four light-saber wielding ninjas jumping impossibly high after her.

Belle gasps with the crowd as the ninjas converge on Heidi, weapons raised.

She does not cheer with the crowd as a bright pink lightsaber sweeps through the air, sending the four ninjas slamming back down into the earth. Heidi drops back down gracefully after them, her kimono flowing with her pigtails, and lands in a combat ready crouch. Her exceptionally small and thin pink saber is held deftly in her well-manicured hand. Her pigtails flutter in front of her face.

Around her, the four bodies of the ninjas groan, but at least they are alive. Lucky for them, the lightsabers are on stun. The rest of the students, at least a dozen ninjas wielding various colored lightsabers, some with strange exotic models, start to form a loose circle around Heidi.

Heidi blows her hair out of her face, and her eyes are glowing pink and wide with excitement.

Somewhere, an electric guitar starts playing.

Heidi streaks forward, howling her adorable war cry, her pink lightsaber making a trail of light behind her. The students converge.

The first one down is a dark furred wookie with a huge orange lightsaber. Heidi ducks beneath his first wild blow and slices cleanly through his abdomen, delivering an electric shock and sending the wookie twitching to the floor.

Heidi does not have time to turn around before a pair of dark skinned twin girls with blue lightsaber blades slash downwards at her. Instead Heidi rolls backwards on the ground between the two of them and hops up out of the roll, sending her sailing backwards through the air.

An overzealous orc is already streaking downwards towards her with a green saber. He slashes at Heidi, but the blonde rotates in the air and he fly’s past her heading for the ground. Heidi manages to stab him in the back of the head as he falls, delivering another electric shock, and sailing past him.

Heidi hits the ground like she was diving into a swimming pool, but instead curls her body into a tight ball and transitions into a roll.

She lands in front of a blue skinned twi-lek man with a lightsaber the same bright pink as Heidi’s. Running behind him to join the fight is an anime cat-girl with a pair of small green lightsaber daggers, as well as a catboy that might have been her boyfriend if he could ever get her to notice him, with a pair of blue lightsaber daggers.

The twi’lek man had jabbed high, where he had expected Heidi’s head to be, but hit only air. Beneath him, Heidi rolls forward and then springs upwards, kicking him with both of her powerful legs and launching him screaming a hundred feet into the air.

Heidi continues with the roll and then bounces up and forwards, but the cat-girl has predicted her move, and has leaped into the air as well. The women clash in midair, the catgirl holding her daggers to Heidi’s lightsaber, glaring into each other’s eyes. Then Heidi slashes downwards, and the catgirl is sent spinning to the ground, crashing into her one-day-maybe boyfriend while Heidi continues upwards

The crowd gasps and Belle screams. Heidi flips around midair just in time to see the dark twin girls with the blue lightsabers streaking down towards her. The twins have their lightsabers raised above their heads.

With the speed of a deploying airbag Heidi blows a bright pink bubblegum bubble in front of her face. The sabers bite deep into the bubble, but do not pop it, instead sending Heidi streaking down to the floor.

The crowd groans as Heidi lands square on her ample butt, but erupts in cheers as she bounces back up immediately, shooting up at the twins like a missile.

Heidi flies between the twins, and suddenly there are two pink lightsaber blades, and the twins are falling, and Heidi is sailing past them. The twins hit the floor. Heidi is hanging from a balcony on a sixth-story window with one hand, a double-bladed pink lightsaber in her other hand, her pigtails bouncing, her big pink bubble in front of her face.

Six students of the lightsaber school’s students remain on the ground, crouched and ready to spring.

Belle looses it.

“HEIDI!” she screams, making everyone flinch. Heidi’s bubble pops, and her pigtails droop as she sees Belle in the crowd. “That was awesome!” Belle calls.

Heidi grins, and leaps for the students.

***

“So then,” Heidi recounts for Belle as the pair wander through the tourist district, Heidi’s smooth silver lightsaber handle at her side. “The guys says to me, ‘train you, we cannot. Too bouncy, you are. In the swamp, meet Jedi Master you must.’ And then I was all like ‘gross swamps smell, Heidi goes not.’ And then he was all like ‘what?’ and I was all like-”

“Got it,” Belle says, regretting ever encouraging Heidi. The brilliant orange sun of the Tangled Green is setting on Mokugakure.

“Soooo,” Heidi asks slyly as she sidles up to Belle, as though about to ask her about a crush. “Didya find any karate classes you like?”

***

[Belle]

"Karate classes?" Belle repeats. "Well..."

~+~+~+~

The alleyway loomed, dark in shadows, reminding Belle of the side entrance to the Midnight Rose. Shadowed on either side by twin two-story buildings, the ground was puddled here and there by standing water, damp cold radiating off the stone walls.

The elf leaned against a wall nearby, foot placed on a brick, propped up. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. "Tell me," he murmured, eyes closed as she approached. "Where did you learn?"

Belle paused. Her eyes narrowed. "Learn what?" she demanded. Did he know? She hadn't shown her power yet - at least in the city. If he knew, he would have had to have been shadowing them since they arrived in the Green.

"What else?" he asked, and finally turned to look at her, cocking his head with a smile. "Your technique: the Hana no Michi."

Belle blinked at the name. "Hana no-...?" she asked. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Michi." The elf shrugged off the wall and faced her. An eyebrow raised. "You know-."
Abrupty, the world slowed. Something hard thudded against her chest, and Belle realized a moment later that it was just her heart. The sounds of the streets beyond, the chaotic shouts of the market and performers, turned fuzzy in her ears, indistinct, as if heard from underwater.
The elf moved, shifted, zooming towards her, passing over the puddles without disturbing the surface. With a whisper of movement he sprang, spun, flipping over Belle's head. She turned to follow, and as she did, she summoned a surge of energy to flow through her muscles. She whipped around, quick as thought - only to find the elf's face inches from her own, his eyes locked with her's.

"That," he said.

Sound flooded back to her, returning to normal. Her heightened perception receded. Jaw clenched, Belle swallowed. "How," she managed, "did you do that?"

"The same way you did," he answered, his face still uncomfortably close. He looked her over, as if beholding a curious specimen. "How did you come by it?" he mused aloud. "I think I would remember if I taught you, and the only other practitioners of the Way couldn't." His eyes narrowed. "Or wouldn't."

"If you're just going to ramble like a crazy person," Belle grumbled, recovering. "I'm heading back. Good luck with your lollipop."

Belle made to push past him. The elf sidestepped out of the way, giving a minute shrug. "Very well," he said. Then, as Belle passed, he spoke again: "It's because you're weak."

She wavered, pausing. "What?"

"You're still an apprentice, yes? You lack control," the elf continued. "When I approached you, you sensed my energy, and your body reacted on its own. You tried to bring it out, but by then, I had already taken your back." He smiled. "I sensed you the second you entered the city. You're very new, aren't you?

"But that's not a crime," he continued, turning from her. From the end of the alleyway came a familiar squeaking shout. "It sounds like your friend is getting herself into some trouble. If you want to continue this conversation, the dojo is on Sakura street."

Fingers flicked, a piece of paper sent drifting towards Belle. She caught it - an address hastily scrawled across it.

"Tomorrow," he said. "Until then, enjoy the city." He crooned, then vanished in a blur.

~+~+~+~

"Not really," Belle muttered. "But I did find a lead on... something."

"Yay!" Heidi bounced. Belle could see what the Force-users had meant. "Investigation time?"
Belle folded the paper and tucked it into a gap of her gi. "Nah," she shook her head. "He said I should check in tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Heidi huffed. "But thats, like... Tomorrow!"

"That is how it usually works, yeah." Belle snorted.

"Fiiine," Heidi huffed. "Well. I got a sword! And you got a note! So I think we should celebrate our success!"

Belle eyed her. "What kind of celebration?" she asked, cautious.

Heidi grinned, her amber eyes sparkling.

~+~+~+~

The air was saturated, drenched in the scent of an exotic incense, vaguely fruity overtones masking the smell of sweat and alcohol. Lights dark, corners faintly lit by a blue hue, lit occasionally by the flash of overhead truss lights.

A tangle of denizens of the Omniverse gyrated together to the beat of thumping music in the middle of the space, heavy notes shaking through the floor. Belle's drink vibrated toward the table edge before she reached out to stop its sideways motion.

Heidi's legs were crossed, her foot bouncing to the beat, her arms folded under her chest. The acid girl was dressed in a shoulderless pink dress, looking almost like latex the way it hugged her body, ending just below her bottom. A wordless look sent Belle's way.

Belle ignored it, taking a slow sip, then looked down at herself. She had lost count of the number of dresses Heidi had made her run through before finding something that the girl was satisfied by, and Belle had finally assented. Pale blue, soft fabric tight to her skin, plunging back ending just above the curve of her rear, crisscrossed straps across her back. The skirt ended about the same place as Heidi's, uncomfortably high, and her feet were slipped into a pair of strappy heels.

"You've been drinking that for twenty minutes," Heidi finally said, her tone accusatory. Pigtails hung limp.

"No one said you had to wait for me," Belle countered, brushing her hair back, fingertips brushing a simple earring.

"You're supposed to have fun!"

"I came, didn't I?" Belle grumbled, taking another nursing sip.

Heidi uncrossed her legs, standing. "Well. Okay. Be a sourpuss! I'm going to dance."

Belle watched her go, not really seeing. Heidi disappeared into the throng of swaying patrons, squealing and giggling.

She clenched her fist. Who had that elf been? He hadn’t even introduced himself. Was it possible that he knew Yuki? He talked about the Hana no Michi … The ‘Way’? The Way of what?

The ache in her elbow gave a dull throb. A bruise still resided there, a minor discomfort when she bent it.

He had called her weak.

Glass lifted, she took a heavier gulp of the concoction inside. The bartender claimed it had alcohol inside, but was so masked by fruit that it tasted like sipping iced Kool Aid.

Bullshit. She wasn’t weak. Hadn’t she survived the Graveyard?

By relying on others, came a small voice inside.

Hadn’t she escaped the island?

By the kindness of strangers.

Hadn’t she fought back against the gangs?

And hurt Lily.

There was a sound like a dry chip crunching underfoot. Belle looked down. Her image, reflected in her glass’ surface, was bisected vertically by a lightning bolt-like crack.

No; she didn’t hurt Lily. That wasn’t her fault. What was she supposed to do? Nothing? Just let it happen?

It wasn’t her fault.

It wasn’t.

A hand touched her shoulder. Belle started, sitting up straight, and turned. “What-?”

She had been expecting someone trying to chat her up, someone trying to be a little too fresh. They had gotten those offers, earlier, but had turned them down. Instead, it was Heidi, and her eyes were wide, her brows raised in concern.

“Didn’t you just-?” Belle started to ask, then stopped. Her eye caught the neon-illuminated clock on the wall nearby.

Fifteen minutes? When did she lose fifteen minutes…?

“Are you okay?” Heidi asked.

“I’m fine,” Belle assured her, wishing she sounded more convincing. She set the glass down - the empty glass, she now realized.

She could feel Heidi’s stare. Belle looked up, then away. The acid girl squinted, suspicious, before her expression slowly relaxed. Reaching out, both hands placed themselves on Belle’s cheeks, and she gently turned Belle’s face towards her’s.

Belle felt her cheeks heating as she stared upward, brooding thoughts abruptly halted, replaced with sudden nervousness. She wasn’t going to do what she thought she was going to do - was she?

“Heidi-”

Heidi leaned in, slow, pressing herself near, to that Belle could smell the faint perfume on her skin, fruity like the gum she chewed. Roll of tongue to place that chewy treat in one cheek, before lips puckered.

“I’m fine-...!”

Lips pressed … to Belle’s forehead. And then Heidi blew, making a rude noise, jiggling and giggling as she pulled back, leaving Belle momentarily stunned. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Miss Broodybrood,” Heidi said, smiling and still holding her cheeks. “But if you’re going to do that, you should at least have a little fun once in awhile.” Hands dropped, moving to take one of Belle’s own and pull her out of her chair. “Up you get, GrumpyBritches!”

Belle put up a little resistance, but relented, standing. Taking Heidi’s hand, she made her way to the floor. As loathe as she was to admit it, Heidi had a point. And Belle was more than willing to drown out the doubts swirling inside her, to deafen herself to her own thoughts - for at least a little while, to be just…

Free.

She lost track of time - lost track of drinks. Dancing. Sweaty and wild, colors colliding and cascading across their swaying bodies. Moving close, away, pairing off, before returning together. Moving from one club to the next, and the next after that. More drinks, more dancing. Closer - grinding, holding hips. Somewhere in that chaotic mess, she forgets to not smile.

[Harry Potter]

The night blurs.

***

Heidi meets a wood elf who tells her all about the elven city of Yggrasdil, and buys her several drinks, but loses her interest after he is rude to a blue-haired waitress.

***

The girls crash the vip table of a flying-carpet salesmen from Ambrosia and his hanger ons. The carpet salesman happens to be a genie who is quite taken with the girls. They spend some time sipping strong rice wine and smoking genie-grade hashish, watching the rainbow pixies fluttering around the vip section and listening to the genie tell of his adventures. At one point, at the end of a drunken ramble, the genie tells Belle to make a wish. Belle whispers in his ear, but Heidi never notices anyways, as she is arguing with a pixie; they are both wrong.

***

Outside the club, Heidi and Belle learn dance moves from a pair of orange twi’leks. Later, they use their newfound skills to win a twerking contest to raucous applause. It wasn’t intended as a couples contest.

***

Belle drunkenly arranges her hair in the bathroom mirror while Heidi giggles in the stall. She reads loud in her squeaky voice a poem written on the stall.

There was a big ugly man from Ambrosia.
Who was arrested for indecent exposure.
He told Princess Guu
And behold it was true
Twas his greatclub, and he was an ogre.

The girls snort with laughter.

***

Heidi eyes a line of white powder being offered to her by an anime bunny girl.

“It’s pixie dust and starlight,” assure the cat girl. Heidi hesitates, then snorts the line off a small mirror.

“Wow,” squeaks Heidi. “That’s a lot like cocaine.”

***

The girls are dancing with a pair of handsome young knights from Camelot beneath cascading lotus petals. The petals vibrate along with the bass drums. During a particularly loud song Belle catches sight of Heidi’s face and sees a politely irritated expression. She watches as Heidi tries to create distance, but the knight closes the gap quickly and, Belle thinks, aggressively.

Heidi does not hear exactly what her red-headed screams in the knight’s face, but she gets the jist of it when Belle throw her oversweet drink in the knight’s face.

***

Belle is playing a game at the bar. She is stabbing the points between her fingers with a butterfly at an impossible pace, going faster than any competitor who steps up to her.

Heidi is listening raptly to an Ewok gangster from Coruscant. Her eyes are wide and glowing pink.

Belle cheers as her opponent bleeds, having stabbed himself in the hand deeply. Belle grins as she collects her winnings, a small pile of cash and the losers butterfly knife.

***

The girls are holding each other up on the dance floor, their breath mingling with the sickly sweet aroma of honeydew vodka, their bodies seeming to melt together.

***

[Belle]

The morning light came armed with righteous vengeance, mace in hand, and pounded at the slatted windows of darkened hotel rooms across the city. It raged and rattled its bright warcry, taking the peace of many. One window, however, remained stubbornly shuttered. Slowly dawning on the fact that the occupants were having none of it, the sun reluctantly skulked higher into the air to continue its heavenly duties.

Faint movements inside the room, the groggy half-stirring of creatures equally reluctant to get on with the day. Their shadows outlined, shapes thrown into stark relief by the square cut of light that shone from around the blinds.

Belle woke. Head pounded. Fumbling, she reached out blindly, feeling her way to the bedside table, then from there half-dragging herself free from the covers, slinking to the bathroom. On reflex she reached for the light switch, regretting it a fraction of a second later as artificial light stabbed her eye sockets. She lifted her arm to cover her eyes, slapping her hand at the switch until the bulbs died.

There was a glass by the sink, overturned. Picking it up, Belle stuck it under the sink's faucet and filled it. Gulped cold water, closing her eyes. Emptying the glass, faint cough, before filling it again, downing another half, before making her way back out. She lifted the sheet, sliding her legs inside before cocooning herself back into the warmth.

The soft spring of the mattress caused the lump next to her to groan. Heidi stirred, turning over, but seemed as unwilling as Belle to leave the confines for now. And why not, really? It wasn't as if they had jobs to get to, and the dojo would still be there when Belle wanted it.

The last night was hazy, indistinct and confusing the later it went. The last clear memory she had was of them dancing, their lips close together, the thudding pound of heavy beats thumping through their feet and into their chests. Kissing. Taste of gum.

After that she wasn't sure, but given the fact that she was, one, naked, and two, sharing a bed, she could make a few educated guesses.

She really had to find a better way of relieving stress, she thought to herself as eyes closed again, setting the half-empty glass of water on the bedside table. Then again … Heidi didn't seem like the kind of person that would mind.

~+~+~+~

Somewhere in the extended morning nap Heidi had woken up enough to toss her arm across Belle's stomach, claiming real estate on her chest and making her an impromptu pillow.

Putting a finger between Heidi's brows, Belle pushed, nudging the blonde off of her. Heidi let out a protesting groan, but eventually relented, rolling over.

Belle sat up, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back with a yawn. She rolled forward onto hands and knees, reaching out for discarded clothing to at least make herself merely indecent instead of naked.

Feeling of fingers on her made her pause, followed by a sharp yelp as the digits pinched. “Hey!” she hissed, then winced as her own voice rang in her ears. She swung her head around to the offending assailant.

Heidi grinned sleepily, her hand giving a rub to the spot where she'd pinched. She was gloriously unconcerned with her state of undress. The cover of the bed hid only one leg, like a particularly negligent sarong, with the rest of Heidi just hanging out. “I'm hungry,” she stated.

“I can't believe you can even think about food right now,” Belle groaned. But even as she said it, her stomach gave a rumble. She gave the rubbing hand a swat on the wrist, her cheeks reddening before she returned to her search. “Ugh. Where are my panties?”

“Over there,” Heidi offered, hooking one arm over her head and pointing with both index fingers towards a curiously adorned table lamp across the room. “We played horseshoes!” she answered Belle's confused look.

“We did?” Belle mumbled, rubbing her face, feeling the heat rising still. “Honestly, I don't … really remember very much.”

“Lightweight,” Heidi teased.

“Zip it,” Belle grunted, crawling over Heidi and sliding off the bed to go and retrieve her discarded garment. “Come on – let's get some breakfast.”

The hotel didn't offer room service, but that didn't stop Heidi from asking. Repeatedly. As if her continued insistence could reshape reality to what she wanted. And … Well, as a Prime, perhaps that wasn't so out of the realm of possibility. But Prime or not, the food remained steadfastly stationary, and it was up to them to hunt it down. They followed their noses to a communal dining area – finding dry sausage and hour-old pancakes awaiting them. Giving the cooked foods the side-eye, Belle sighed and opted to drain some cereal out of a supplied box of Ninj-O's instead, drowning the oats and colorful shuriken and kunai shaped marshmallows in milk and finding a seat in the darkest corner she could manage.

Heidi wasn't as picky. When she joined her, her plate was stacked with eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon – and topped with marshmallow shapes.

Belle was aghast. What monster, she thought, picked out the marshmallows? That just meant the next person would get a bowl of all cereal!

Heidi stuck out her tongue at Belle's disapproving look, and tucked in. Silently, Belle did the same.

“You're going to go to that karate class today, right?” Heidi asked around a mouthful of pancake.

“It's not a karate class, it's a dojo. I think,” Belle mumbled. “But yeah. That's-... urf-... that's the plan...” She squinted and shielded her eyes as the glare from the sun momentarily shone off the hall's opening and closing door. “I'm gonna go by myself, I think.”

Heidi's pigtails drooped. “What?” she whined. “But why?”

Belle felt guilty as Heidi's amber eyes appeared to shimmer. “It's just ... the guy seemed pretty serious, and you're … Well ...” She trailed off.

Heidi's brows narrowed, then relaxed. She swallowed her mouthful of pancake. “Okay,” she hummed. “I wanted to see more of the city, anyway! We only got to see at a bit of it last night.”

Belle sighed in relief. “Just try not to get into any more fights with random strangers, okay?”

“No promises!”

[Harry Potter]

Heidi is walking through a back alley Mokugare with an uncharacteristically somber expression. The alley is thick on either side with bamboo, occasionally with openings into stores, bars, or homes. Her wide eyes are peeking through each opening, a clear sign of a tourist.

Finally Heidi appears to find what she is looking for, and steps through an opening into a dark and empty bar.

She jiggles over to the only occupied table, and sits across from a familiar young Ewok with light brown fur, the same Ewok she had met last night.

The Ewok is drinking, and staring at the wall.

A thick silence is stretching between them.

“The Force is strong in you,” he says after a while. Heidi smiles politely.

“But,” he continues. “I fear you do not have the temperament to be a Jedi.” Heidi smiles politely.

“Still,” he says. “You should be trained by a Jedi Master, if nothing else than because you would be terrifying if you turned to the Dark Side.” Heidi smiles politely.

The Ewok sighs. “Will you not train?”

Heidi giggles. “I already did that,” she says confidently.

“No, you need REAL training, from a REAL Jedi,” the Ewok says, getting frustrated. “You are dangerous, Heidi. You cannot wander through the Omniverse aimlessly, you can cause great devastation.”

“I’m not aimless,” Heidi says quietly, her eyes downcast.

The Ewok cocks his head at the sulky Prime. “You will never enter Coruscant,” he says finally.

The silence returns.

“Your place is here,” The Ewok says simply. “Your fight, is here. Your training is here.”

Heidi makes a perky noise that the Ewok interprets as dismissal. “Who’s going to train me, you? Let me guess; late night sessions in your apartment?”

The Ewok shakes his fuzzy head. “Of course not, you hairless wookie. I have not been granted the rank of master. But I will take you to someone who can.”

Heidi chews her gum loudly. “But what about-”

“I don’t know your friend,” the Ewok interrupts. “Play the message.”

Heidi fumbles with her ridiculous pink cellphone, and dials a number. She puts the phone on speaker, and Luci’s ringback tone is played.

Fuck the police, fuck fuck the police
Fuck the police, fuck fuck the police

After a moment, it goes to voicemail.

“Hey it’s Luci, President of the Coruscant T5 Westside Knife Ear Warriors, wanted street terrorist and organized crime boss. I can’t be reached now, as I am probably committing violent acts of treason against the Empire or murdering its sovereign citizens due to their ties to rival street gangs. Leave a message under the full understanding that it will be intercepted. And if you’re calling about the couch from Omni-list, it’s still here, go behind the alley at the corner of 3rd and Asimov and ask for Roach. Thanks.”

The Ewok nods solemnly.

“It sounds like she’s dead,” he says, leaning back in his booth as Heidi glares.

“You don’t know her,” squeaks Heidi defiantly. The Ewok fixes her with a glassy stare.

“I was there the night they came,” he says softly. “I’ve seen their weapons. Trust me, she’s dead.”

A longer silence.

“But if she isn’t,” the Ewok says as he puts down his tankard. “If there’s anyone in Coruscant still fighting the Orcs, then she’ll want to know that their weapons are coming from the Tangled Green.”

***

Heidi has made a deal, and it hurts.

She is sitting upside-down on the bed in the hotel room, watching the sunlight streaming through the window, her pigtails hanging off the bed. To be precise, she is staring directly at the sun. After a few forlorn sighs, she sits up and bounces off the bed.

The room is heartbreakingly silent. Heidi reaches over to the bedside table and snatche s a crackling ball of blue energy from the table. It hurts her fingers, but not much. Not so much that tears would spring to her eyes, but they do. After a moment, her eyes narrow, and she sets the glowing orb down upon a scroll covered in bright pink handwriting.

***