oo1. This is me in Grade 9 [action/open]

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Lost Junpei is lost. The school deal he can handle. The dorms deal he can handle. Even the giant inexplicably floating island-sorta-thing he can handle. But he's not all that great with directions, and he's pretty sure he's been past this corridor about six times already. He doesn't want to ask the creepy guys in robes with turkey platters over their faces--they don't look very hospitable--but he's starting to wonder if he's ever going to find his dorm room. A217... A217...

Crap.

These books are getting heavy. He really wishes he had his stupid purple backpack right about now.

Hefting the books, Junpei turns down yet ANOTHER corridor, hoping perhaps to find a big helpful YOU ARE HERE sign.]

[Perhaps he'll find [Bad username or site: witchesreign title=you @ livejournal.com] instead? 8D]

Comments

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Creepies indeed. What the hell is with the plates on their faces? How can they even SEE through those?? Turning his attention back to Minato, Junpei reaches into his pocket to retrieve his schedule, looking a bit more optimistic suddenly.]

So what classes are you in?

[Despite everything, it kind of IS like the first day of school all over again, and even if it's school and school is kinda lame, it's still exciting in that light. He's got a couple classes with Akihiko and Ryoji, and hopes to maintain the trend.]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

[Retrieves his own schedule (https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoUK8_fwt3JGdDRydmxTd2VNamhEbVkwZzdvM3Bua3c&hl=en&authkey=CK2GwMUN#gid=0) from his pocket.]

Looks like we'll be sharing two classes, huh? [He recalls Minako is taking Magic 101 too, and realizes he should let Junpei know about his alternate first.] That reminds me, there's something you should know first about one of our classmates. It's nothing bad, but it might save some awkwardness.

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

Eh? Awkwardness? [Junpei's having a hard time imagining Minato being awkward about ANYTHING.] Uh... kay? What's going on? Is someone like horrifically deformed or something? [No, wait, that would be bad AND awkward. He'd said it wasn't bad. Hm.]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

..what? Of course not. [He meant more awkwardness on Minako's side] It's just... you remember how some tv shows or video games deal with alternate realities?

[He's getting to the point. There's a REASON why he usually leaves the talking to others, after all.]

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, of course. I mean, most video games are set in some kind of different world, or like an alternate dimension or something. Hell, this kinda counts as an alternate dimension, right? [He makes a face.] Wh... what are you getting at? [There's MORE weird?]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

Kinda, but that's not exactly what I meant.

One of our classmates comes from a... well, it's not so much an alternate world as it's a parallel one. You know, like our world, only with some small differences - some people we know don't exist on her world, while others do.

I'm telling you this so you don't get freaked out if she starts treating you like an old friend.

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Long pause goes here, during which Junpei just STARES at Minato, waiting for him to yell 'psych! Gotcha!' and shove him in the shoulder. Then Junpei might actually have to give the title of Believe it or Don't over to his best friend, but he supposed in the long run perhaps that was an acceptable loss. This was a pretty damn good story.

But the grin and the 'psych!' never happened. In fact, Minato seemed completely serious. (Not that he didn't usually tend to seem pretty serious, but this was a little different.) Okay, three more seconds.

3... 2... 1.]

... Wait, what? You mean, there's... like some chick who knows me, and I don't know her. [Blink. What the hell?] I have like a twin in some alternate dimension? And this chick in one of our classes in this alternate universe military sorceress-school knows my magical alternate universe twin. [One more pause, and then Junpei wags a finger at him and cranes his neck like he's looking for something.]

Okay, okay, you got me, dude. That was pretty good. Now where's the hidden camera?

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

That sounds about right, yeah.

[Blinks at Junpei's final reaction. What is that all about?] I don't think Garden uses hidden cameras.

[Another pause, as Jack Frost explains, with a few 'hee'-ing and 'ho'-ing, what Junpei meant.]

I'm not psyching you out, either.

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Another moment of staring goes here, and Junpei finally comes to the conclusion that Minato is being completely serious about this.]

Uh... okay, wow. That's pretty... [Nuts? Bizarre? Insane?] interesting. [All things considered, it's not really a BAD thing; Junpei had spent most of his life wishing he had real friends, and now he had several that he wouldn't have traded for anything on earth. Learning that he had more in some parallel world wasn't bad news, it was just WEIRD. He lifts a hand to adjust his cap, then gives Minato a mildly perplexed look.] So ah... what's she like? I mean, I guess if all you guys were surprised by her then she'll be expecting me to not necessarily know who she is, but that kinda sucks for her. I'd feel bad running into her and just not knowing her at all.

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

It is, yeah.

Well, she has short, brown hair with barrets, red eyes, and a friendly disposition - meaning, she likes to make friends with people. You'll know who she is when you see her.

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

I'll keep that in mind, then. [He shakes his head, chuckling a little.] Man, that's just kind of unreal. Wonder what my other-world twin was like? Heh, think he was the same kind'a guy?

[Pfft. As if Junpei is capable of being anything but Junpei.]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

You could always ask her, but I really doubt you'd be all that different. [chuckles slightly] Though your twin'd probably have only dragged Akihiko-senpai into your ah, 'extraofficial operations'.

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Junpei cracks up laughing.] Well yeah, it'd be pretty awkward to bring a girl on Operation Babe Hunt. [He supposes he'll just cross this bridge when he comes to it--that's usually how he does things.]

Anyway, what dorm are you in? I'm lookin' for A217.

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm on A115. Your dorm would be almost at the same place mine is, but on the second floor. Think I could help you find it?

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

I think you probably could, O Fearless Leader. [He chuckles and stoops to pick up his books.] I've always kinda sucked at geography anyway. Lead the way!

[This won't be so bad. Akihiko and Ryoji are good friends, but Minato is his bro, and even if they don't always see eye to eye, Junpei's pretty sure that so long as Minato's around, they'll manage somehow.]