Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bell shuffled forward.
“Well,” Avia’s face, the only part that had not been transformed into a star filled sky was set in an almost grimace, “It’s probably not the best I’ve ever had, but it’ll be the fastest way to get to Skia.”
“I don’t like this,” Prue stood defiantly off to one side, arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m going next to last,” Sean attempted to reassure the group from his spot next to Avia, “Since technically Avia will be last.”
“So we’re not going in groups?” Elle stood next to Bell, decidedly more ecstatic looking.
“I don’t think I can handle more than one at a time,” Avia looked around worriedly, “Like, I don’t think my body is big enough for that.”
“So essentially,” Nole finally spoke up from the back of the group, expression set in a deep frown, “The physical limits of space in your body is infinity plus one, and only one?”
“Not exactly,” Avia was definitely grimacing now, “But I guess that’s close enough.”
“Physics,” Bell gave a few breathy laughs, “How does it work?”
“Sometimes nobody knows,” Sean said sagely before moving to the back of the group.
“Well,” Nole moved to the front, “I guess I’m going first.”
He kissed his girlfriend’s cheek before jumping though her space body. Avia’s head shivered a bit.
“Feels funny,” she said in way of explanation, “Who’s gonna be next?”
“He strokes my kitty-cat just like it’s his pet,” Bell sang back while practically skipping into Avia.
“Bell!” Prue chased after her unthinking sister.
“See you on the other side,” Elle patted Sean’s shoulder and slid thorough Avia’s body.
“Avia,” Sean met the space-girl’s eyes, “This was always meant to happen, so stay calm.”
“What happened?” panic rose up in Avia’s voice as she gave her partner in crime a scared look.
“See you again soon!” Sean quickly dove into Avia’s body.
“Wait!” Avia shouted, but it was too late.
Being the only one not transported yet, Avia completely turned herself into space and allowed her consciousness to chase after Sean. After all, since he was the last to go through her, he’d be the easiest to keep track of as he moved from point a to point b almost without any time passing.
Bell flew out of a newly formed tear in space and crashed into Nole’s back. The force of the collision caused the two to fall and land with Bell on Nole. Prue was quick to follow, ending on top of the three person pile. Prue, who didn’t realize her position until a few moments later, was slow to get off her sister, and the team’s Knight of Rage. Bell, however, was quick to scramble off of the Rage player’s back.
Prue, the most observant of the group, took in the sight of their crash landing spot. They were on a grassy hill, if hill could even be used to describe the steep incline below them, with trees everywhere. There were benches in a covered area not far away from their present location. The sky was a pristine blue, and the clouds slowly drifting over head were white and puffy. There were a few vending machines near the benches and off in the distance the sounds of playing children could be heard. A few meters away Prue could see two people, a man and a woman, sitting out on a picnic blanket and getting close to each other. Oh, a couple. Okay then.
“Hey Bell,” Prue took an authoritative tone, “Could you go ask that couple-”
“You don’t have to do anything,” Nole glared at Prue, “In fact Prue should be the one-”
“Don’t you order me around!” Prue glared back.
“It’s fine,” Bell stood quickly, “I’ve got this. I am better at linguistics and we don’t really know where we are.”
The couple had stopped making out while Nole and Prue were fighting, awkwardly gawking at the group of three. Upon seeing Bell rise they quickly pretended that they hadn’t seen anything. It was none of their business if a group of three teens formed a cuddle pile and then one of the girls got tsundere on the male. He was probably a playboy and made a pass at the younger looking girl, making the older one angry. Yeah, that was it. Nothing to look at here folks.
“Um excuse me?” Bell fiddled with her fingers as she spoke to the couple, “I think we got a little lost. Where are we exactly?”
“Gomenasai, eigo wa hanasemasen,” The man said.
Bell groaned a little internally. Japanese men were always much harder to understand because the Japanese ideal of masculinity demanded they muffle and try to make their voices sound deeper than they actually were.
“Ah, sumimasen,” Bell repeated in Japanese, “Watashitachi wa sukoshi ushinawa rete shimatta to omoimasu. Doko ni seikaku ni arimas ka?”
“A, yoyogikoen ni imas,” The man said.
“Arigato gozaimas,” Bell bowed before leaving the couple.
Prue and Nole were rolling around on the grass with their hands practically glued to each others arms. Apparently their fighting had gotten physical at some point. Bell rolled her eyes at the two and announced, “I’m walking down the hill,” before doing just that.
Prue, using all of her leg strength, managed to pin Nole down. From there she quickly ran after her sister. After all, she had no idea where she was and she was certain she couldn’t talk to the locals. Nole was quick to follow, however he tripped on a rock, taking Prue down with him. They then rolled down the hill, running into Bell on their way down; forcing her to join the rolling mess.
“Fuck,” Nole cursed when they reached the bottom, “You okay Bell?”
“Don’t fucking talk to her,” Prue was quick to stand again, “You aren’t allowed to talk to her anymore!”
“Hey,” Bell attempted to get their attention, “Don’t you want to know where we are?”
“Yes!” Nole scrambled closer to the heart player.
“We’re in Tokyo. It’s a park that’s in the Shibuya district. If we head south west we’ll end up at the train station. From there we can find a map of the area,” Bell wiped dirt off her clothing as she stood, “So if either of you know which direction that is it would be incredibly helpful.”
“I know!” Nole leapt to his feet, “Right this way!”
“I wouldn’t trust you to lead me to a well lit dining room, let alone to a train station.”
“Why a train station anyway?” Nole asked when Bell started walking beside him, “I know there’ll probably be a map of the area, but there’s got to be something else.”
“Cops,” Bell’s every step had a bounce in it, “Train stations always have at least twenty cops stationed at random in them. If nothing else we can ask for help getting tickets to a different district.”
“Do any of us have currency?” Nole looked sincerely bothered.
“Well I have a card,” Bell pulled her wallet from a pocket to show him her MRT card, “and we’ll see if I can get you guys tickets. I have probably a thousand in US money on it, so we’ll be good for at least a little while.”
“This sounds like a bad idea,” Prue complained from behind the two conspirators, “Something is bound to go wrong!”
“The worst that can happen,” Bell looked back at her sister, “Is that one of us get’s hit by a car. The second worst is that we sleep in a park tonight. All in all, there are worse things than my current plan.”
“I still don’t like,” Prue sped up a little so that the three could walk in a line, with Bell in the center.
Prue clung to her sister’s hand as they traversed the station, looking for a good place to hang out while they figured out what to do. It was crowded though, and stopping now meant getting swept up in the hustle and bustle of everyone else around them. Bell, even with panicking dead weight attached to one hand, practically danced her way over to a wall near the restrooms. She was sure that no one would bother then there.
“So what now?” Prue asked, a little more calm now that they weren’t in a crowded group.
“Either we take a train elsewhere, or we stay here,” Bell spoke loudly, so she could be heard by her friends over the din, “And I’d prefer if we made this decision quickly.”
“We should stay here,” Nole stood in front of the two girls, occasionally being knocked left by the on coming crowd, “So we’ll be easier to find.”
If we wanted to be found easily we wouldn’t be at the train station,” Prue pointed out, “I wouldn’t be able to find us here.”
“Do you think mirrors are still a no go?” Bell asked out of the blue, “Since this isn’t our universe anymore?”
“I think, “Nole crossed his arms over his chest, “That the real question is if our powers still work. If they do, then obviously the mirror problem still exists. If not though, mirrors shouldn’t be a problem.”
“My, isn’t that a great thing,” Prue jutted a hip out and crossed her arms, “The only way any of us can tell if our powers are working is by standing back and observing the effects.”
“Not for me,” Bell quickly intervened, “I’ll know instantly if something has a soul or not. Call it a sense. I’ll also know instantly if I put a soul in a plant or something else.”
“People are that hard to read?” Nole asked, having never really gotten an explanation of Bell’s god tier abilities.
“Hard isn’t the right word,” Bell’s face scrunched a little as she carefully chose her words, “More like… um… other aspects collide in a person. You have rage guiding ability and passion, you have life since it’s a living thing, you have blood, wind, and even a little space and light. It’s a cacophony of interfering aspects and so it’s hard to get anything from most living beings. Like I said, plants are the exception. For the most part they just have life, and maybe a little light.”
“Think about it as your average dog,” Prue spoke up for her sister, “They get confused when presented with too many scents.”
“Yeah, but unlike a dog I don’t pick up anything,” Bell rolled her eyes at her sister, “The dog picks up everything.”
“Oh,” Nole looked surprised, “That’s interesting.”
“I suppose we’ll head outside then?” Prue asked, “Since it’s not like you can give anything in the station a soul.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,” Bell grinned wily at her sister, “I can actually give anything a soul if my powers are working right. This building, the train, even the piece of litter in the corner over there.”
“And that’s how we gained our mirror problem!” Nole suddenly realized, “Oh My God!”
“Sorry,” Bell rubbed her shoulder uncomfortably, “I didn’t mean for any of that mess to happen. This mess? It’s still ongoing, but not our current problem…”
“Leave it,” Prue growled at Nole, whose face started turning red, “Or I’ll make you leave it!”
“Prue,” Bell whined, “Stop it. Just be nice, please!”
“No,” Nole quirked an eyebrow at Prue, “She obviously has an issue with me. What is it Prudence? Can’t handle the fact that I’m better than you and you know it?”
“Stop it,” Bell stood between the two and placed a hand on either shoulder, “We’re stuck in a country that only I speak the language of. I need you two to not fight, thank you!”
“I’ll get you that litter,” Nole acquiesced and stumbled toward the indicated trash.
“You should have let me at him,” Prue glowered at her sister, “It would have been amazing.”
“Yeah,” Bell nodded, “But we also would have been kicked out of the station for fighting. I’d rather be in a sheltered inside than in the un-sheltered outside.”
“Good point,” Prue leaned back against the tiled wall of the train station.
“I got it!” Nole was knocked into the wall next to Bell by a passerby.
“I’m going to be going into my head-space now,” Bell warned her two companions, “And I really do need you two to not fight. I’ve got to make sure that if this works the soul is only temporary. Drag me out if there’s an emergency.”
“It won’t have life though,” Nole argued, “So it won’t have a reason to linger.”
“It didn’t use to have life either,” Prue added, “So it won’t go zombie.”
“I have moral conniptions about it though!” Bell glared at the two, “You wouldn’t like it if you suddenly gained animation and then had it taken away.”
“But it doesn’t have muscles or a heart,” the blood player raised a brow at her sister, “How will it move?”
“It’s paper,” Bell stated bluntly, “It’ll find a way.”
Prue threw her hands up and once again leaned against the tile wall. Nole did the same between the two sisters. Bell closed her eyes and relaxed all of her muscles expect for the one’s keeping her standing, and the one’s holding the paper.
“So,” Nole attempted to fill in the awkward silence, “How about the game.”
“Which part?” Prue asked, “Tearing pages, babysitting, dying, or our current predicament?”
“Baby sitting?” Nole asked, “I thought only Bell helped with the exobiology!”
“Nope,” Prue left her perch at the wall to better face Nole, “I helped too.”
“Well,” Nole did the same, “There were seventeen babies. It’s not like that’s a preschool or anything.”
“Actually there were only twelve,” Prue quirked a brow, “And they were our biological parents.”
“So you made… what exactly,” Nole competed for highest raised eyebrow, “My Mama and my sperm donor?”
“Her best friend actually,” Prue gave Nole a confused look, “Chad.”
“Uncle Chad?” Nole returned the look, “But Mama and Mom never really talked about him. He died before Mama was pregnant with me at any rate.”
“His sperm wasn’t dead.”
“Oh,” Nole sounded winded and fell back against the station wall, “Oh.”
“Ano, sumimasen,” A youngish lady addressed Prue, “Kirei dayo!”
“I’m sorry,” Prue genuinely looked upset, “I don’t speak Japanese.”
“Ano,” the woman took a moment to think, “My English very bad. I think you look nice. Very pretty.”
Nole gave the woman a confused look, but Prue was able to pick up on what the young woman was trying to say immediately, “I think you look pretty too. I like your dress.”
The woman was indeed wearing a nice dress. It had an umpire waistline and little ruffles over the breast area. The bottom portion was black and clung to her curves nicely. The top potion was white with a black floral design. With it she wore a grey belt and grey flats. Paired with her jet black hair that had been meticulously curled she looked rather stunning.
The lady blushed very hard and stuttered out, “My… n-name is-s Yoko Honda, and I’m a college freshman.”
“I’m Prue,” She held a hand out to the girl, “I’ll be a college freshman at the end of summer. I’ll be studying History. What are you majoring in?”
The girl shuffled her feet a bit, “I’m an art student. My area of focus is drawing.”
“Oh wow,” Prue grinned at the girl, “That’s so cool. I couldn’t draw a stick figure with a ruler, but I’ve always liked art.”
“A-ah,” Yoko make a surprised noise, “Maybe you’d like to come by my apartment and see it some time?”
And then, like a truck full of bricks, it hit Prue. The woman was trying to flirt with her. Granted, it was subtle flirting, but that’s what it was. Prue wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Honestly she was flattered more than anything. School and TV taught her that she was too pasty to be pretty, her freckles too much like blemishes, and her body just this side too pudgy to be considered attractive.
Still, she knew that getting involved would not be a good idea. She had a game to finish for crying out loud. Besides, this wasn’t technically her universe. It just wouldn’t be fair for anyone.
Oh, but the girl was just her type. Small, in every sense of the word. Clearly creative and talented if she’d been telling the truth about her art. Wealthy if going to an art school as a female indicated nothing else. Dedicated, Prue was sure. And God those eyes. So dark, Prue felt as though she were being drawn into pools of dark chocolate; rich, sweet, and so inciting. Yummy.
But no, Yoko was just so tiny. Prue wasn’t against small people, but at a height of 5′9, dating a girl who looked to barely be five foot exactly would be awkward wouldn’t it? And she reminded her so much of Bell. Quiet, sweet, and most likely optimistic. It’d be like dating her sister. Pseudo incest was not an option.
Oh but surely she’d be a little different. Already Prue could tell Yoko was better at dressing herself than Bell. Yoko also struck her as ditzier and less confident than Bell. Yoko would never take the initiative to document everything about the game and everyone’s roles in it. But then, Bell had only intended on making a FAQ walk-though, not an entire encyclopedia.
“Clearly you have better things to do,” Yoko interrupted Prue’s introspection, “That’s why you were standing here with your friends for the last ten minutes.”
And there goes the pseudo incest. Bell was about as sarcastic as a good Don Bluth movie. And Prue’s favorite movie was the Secret of Nimh. Bluth took himself too seriously to write satire. Way too seriously sometimes.
“Sumimasen,” Nole spoke perfectly while putting a hand on both Bell’s and Prue’s shoulders, “watachi tachi ikunekereba narimasen.”
“Ch-chotto!” Yoko cried after the group of three, Prue struggling the whole way.
As soon as they were outside, Prue turned on Nole.
“What the hell was that? I was talking to her dick weed! What, you got a problem with the Pyrite O’ Hickville being bi? And since when have you been able to speak any Japanese? Last I checked, you could barely speak English you hood rat!”
“I didn’t do anything!” Bell had an odd look on her face, “Bell was the godsend who pulled us away!”
Was that… anger? Why was Bell pissed? She hadn’t even…
“Bell?” Prue gave Nole a worried look.
“Please don’t hate me!” Nole cried, “I panicked, okay. I didn’t mean to cock block you!”
Bell (Nole) started laughing, “Never curse again. Holly hell Bell, that was hilarious! Hahahaha!”
“What happened Bell?” Prue took a calm tone, making both Nole and Bell wince.
“Well… um,” Nole’s body started playing with its fingers, “I guess I accidentally body swapped.”
“Am I allowed to go to the bathroom?” Bell’s body asked, “Since I’m not technically me, and it’s your body, and I’d be touching naughty bits, and-”
“Calm down!” apparently Nole’s body could silence a stampede of elephants. God damn.
“Area of interest numero uno,” Bell-In-Nole started, “If you make my body pee or defecate itself I’m going to punch your body in the calf. Numero dos, it’s going to take a moment, but I can switch us back. Numero tres, you okay Prue?”
“Yeah,” Prue gave a chuckle bordering on hysterical, “Just peachy. My sister’s stuck inside the body of a dude I hate. Just your average day for the Parker sisters.”
“As much as I can appreciate your panicking,” Nole-In-Bell (stop laughing) interrupted, “It’s way too crowded here. Let’s go back to the park, find a secluded area, and chill the fuck out.”
“Or maybe we should find a secluded place closer to the station,” Bell-In-Nole argued, “Prue do you think you can manage a walk back to the park without getting run over?”
“I think the real question,” Prue’s tone was the exact opposite of composed, “ is if you two can. I saw that wobble when you pulled me away Bell, and I don’t image Nole can do much better.”
“Fuck you -”
“Don’t curse. Just stop it!” Prue glared at Nole-In-Bell, “Bell never curses. Be respectful butt munch!”
“Butt munch?” Noel gave her an unimpressed look.
“Please don’t fight,” Bell in Nole looked upset, “Let’s just see if we can do the walking thing.”
Bell took one unsteady step forward before widening her stance. She pulled her shoulders back and took a much more confident step. She jogged in place for a few moments.
“I must say Nole,” Bell stretched her hands above her head, “You have a firm grasp on how your body moves.”
Nole attempted to take a step, and instantly fell flat on his ass. Getting up was difficult to watch. He attempted first to jump up, but promptly over balanced and landed on hands and knees. He then attempted to push himself up, but once again he over balanced and fell on his surely bruised buttocks. Bell had to stand behind him, an lift from the armpit. Once stable Bell held onto Nole’s hand as he attempted to walk.
“Jeeze Bell,” Nole stumbled, “How the fuck do you walk?”
“You’re not rolling your hips enough,” Prue commented idly, “Relax.”
“She’s just being a brat,” Bell glared at her sister, “Your knees are too stiff. Dance, not march.”
“I don’t get it!” Nole almost fell again, “How am I supposed to dance and walk?”
“Imagine each step is a leap,” Bell attempted to explain, “A bunch of small leaps equals walking.”
Nole had a bewildered look on his face, but none the less attempted to follow Bell’s advice. At first he attempted to lengthen his stride. This was unsuccessful and resulted in a couple passing school girls to giggle as Nole-In-Bell tumbled head first into Bell-In-Nole’s chest. The second attempt resulted in a slow bounce like movement. Nole found this to be surprisingly stable, and continued with the motion.
The group of three quickly left the bustling train station, every once in a while Nole-In-Bell stumbled along the way.
“So now what?” Prue asked when they got to a quiet park bench.
“Now,” Bell-In-Nole sat, “I have to switch us back.”
“So be quiet,” Nole scolded, “Or I’ll be stuck in the wrong body forever.”
“Don’t-”
“Both of you need to stop it,” Bell-In-Nole glared at the two, “You’re acting like two-year-olds. Stop it or I’ll make you stop!”
Both Prue and Nole wisely chose to stop talking, since clearly Bell was not in the mood to deal with their jejune antics. After sitting in silence for a few moments Bell’[s body made a half chocked gasp sound.
“Let’s never do that again,” Bell’s voice was once again her own, loud, hyper with the current excitement, yet soothing when calmed down.
“There you guys are!” Avia popped in out of nowhere, “You’ve been surprisingly hard to track!”
Nole bounded up to his girlfriend to kiss her cheek, “I missed you.”
“It’s only been 30 minutes,” Prue crossed her arms and jutted a hip out.
“Be nice,” Bell hissed through her teeth and elbowed her sister.
“Let’s get going!” a blushing Avia quickly turned into space again.
One at a time the three stepped through Avia’s body to land on Skia. It would not be until much later, after they failed negotiations and were huddled together on Sean’s planet, that Bell would experiment with her new power. For now, she was just glad to be home (as much as the inside of ‘Wind’ can be called home).