This is a little something I just whipped up, now that I've got Peggy watching a certain anime with me. As far as I'm concerned right now, this is complete as it is. Enjoy.
I woke up in unusual comfort. Before I even opened my eyes I
noted that I was laying on something soft, with my head (devoid
of helmet) pillowed at just the right angle. I definitely
approved, though I did have a bit of concern for the whereabouts
of my helmet.
Wherever I was, it was bright, as light shone through my still-
closed eyelids. Around me I heard motion -- four people, I
thought, trying to be quiet and not entirely succeeding. Oh,
well, might as well get the waking up and introductions thing
done.
I opened my eyes.
And found myself all but nose-to-nose with one of the prettiest
Japanese schoolgirls I've ever encountered. Shoulder-length
mahogany hair held back with a yellow ribbon; huge, expressive
golden-brown eyes; perfect complexion. With her face filling my
field of view, I could see little else, but I did manage to make
out what looked like it might be a classic seifuku-type collar
somewhere below her chin.
"He's awake!" she shrieked, fifteen centimeters from my face. I
did my best not to flinch, helped no doubt by the fact that even
in a shriek she seemed to have a pleasant, melodious voice.
"Um. Yes," I responded. "I am." I propped myself up on my
elbows, and from there levered myself up into a sitting position.
"Suzumiya!" a male voice -- world-weary and somewhat shellshocked
in tone -- snapped, and then the girl was yanked out of my face.
When my eyes refocused, I saw that a young Japanese fellow,
clearly high school age, had one hand clamped in a death grip on
her collar, and was pulling her back away from me even as she
struggled to get loose. He had the stunned and helpless air of a
cynic who'd just had his certainly that the world was a nasty
place yanked out from under him.
A quick glance around the room revealed the others. *Five*, not
four -- a bespectacled girl with short hair was sitting in a
corner and reading so quietly she might as well have been a
statue. The other two I'd heard were, like the rest, apparently
Japanese high school students. One was another young man, with
longer hair than the first, and a smile that verged on a smirk.
That left yet another pretty girl who somehow mixed voluptuous
and cute in equal parts, with long, long light brown hair; when
she caught me looking at her, her lower lip began to quiver and
she looked like she was about to burst into tears.
I quickly tore my gaze from her and brought it back to the first
girl, who was already demanding that "Kyon" release her. He
sighed and unclenched his hand, and "Suzumiya" almost fell
forward onto her face, just barely catching herself in time to
drop to her knees next to me.
"Hiiiii!" she announced in a voice that was just a bit louder
than it really needed to be. "We're the SOS-dan! We saw you
come out of a hole in the air and fall over! So we parked your
motorcycle in the bike rack and brought you back to our club
room! Are you an alien, a time traveller, or an esper?"
She said all that with one breath and a huge, manic grin.
I reached up and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Um. In order:
one, unless you've heard of Warriors Alpha I suppose I am, sort
of; two, that depends on what year it is, and three, no, I'm a
mage. And a mutant."
Her grin grew wider over a three-count, and then she shot to
her feet and pumped a fist into the air.
"JACKPOT!" she shouted.
I switched to rubbing my temples. I just *knew* I was going to
regret coming to this world.
DRUNKARD'S WALK, STEPLET:
THE MELANCHOLY OF DOUGLAS SANGNOIR
by Robert M. Schroeck
-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.
I woke up in unusual comfort. Before I even opened my eyes I
noted that I was laying on something soft, with my head (devoid
of helmet) pillowed at just the right angle. I definitely
approved, though I did have a bit of concern for the whereabouts
of my helmet.
Wherever I was, it was bright, as light shone through my still-
closed eyelids. Around me I heard motion -- four people, I
thought, trying to be quiet and not entirely succeeding. Oh,
well, might as well get the waking up and introductions thing
done.
I opened my eyes.
And found myself all but nose-to-nose with one of the prettiest
Japanese schoolgirls I've ever encountered. Shoulder-length
mahogany hair held back with a yellow ribbon; huge, expressive
golden-brown eyes; perfect complexion. With her face filling my
field of view, I could see little else, but I did manage to make
out what looked like it might be a classic seifuku-type collar
somewhere below her chin.
"He's awake!" she shrieked, fifteen centimeters from my face. I
did my best not to flinch, helped no doubt by the fact that even
in a shriek she seemed to have a pleasant, melodious voice.
"Um. Yes," I responded. "I am." I propped myself up on my
elbows, and from there levered myself up into a sitting position.
"Suzumiya!" a male voice -- world-weary and somewhat shellshocked
in tone -- snapped, and then the girl was yanked out of my face.
When my eyes refocused, I saw that a young Japanese fellow,
clearly high school age, had one hand clamped in a death grip on
her collar, and was pulling her back away from me even as she
struggled to get loose. He had the stunned and helpless air of a
cynic who'd just had his certainly that the world was a nasty
place yanked out from under him.
A quick glance around the room revealed the others. *Five*, not
four -- a bespectacled girl with short hair was sitting in a
corner and reading so quietly she might as well have been a
statue. The other two I'd heard were, like the rest, apparently
Japanese high school students. One was another young man, with
longer hair than the first, and a smile that verged on a smirk.
That left yet another pretty girl who somehow mixed voluptuous
and cute in equal parts, with long, long light brown hair; when
she caught me looking at her, her lower lip began to quiver and
she looked like she was about to burst into tears.
I quickly tore my gaze from her and brought it back to the first
girl, who was already demanding that "Kyon" release her. He
sighed and unclenched his hand, and "Suzumiya" almost fell
forward onto her face, just barely catching herself in time to
drop to her knees next to me.
"Hiiiii!" she announced in a voice that was just a bit louder
than it really needed to be. "We're the SOS-dan! We saw you
come out of a hole in the air and fall over! So we parked your
motorcycle in the bike rack and brought you back to our club
room! Are you an alien, a time traveller, or an esper?"
She said all that with one breath and a huge, manic grin.
I reached up and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Um. In order:
one, unless you've heard of Warriors Alpha I suppose I am, sort
of; two, that depends on what year it is, and three, no, I'm a
mage. And a mutant."
Her grin grew wider over a three-count, and then she shot to
her feet and pumped a fist into the air.
"JACKPOT!" she shouted.
I switched to rubbing my temples. I just *knew* I was going to
regret coming to this world.
DRUNKARD'S WALK, STEPLET:
THE MELANCHOLY OF DOUGLAS SANGNOIR
by Robert M. Schroeck
-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.