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“When we went to the world for today, Zeta- that's Shantil, she prefers to go by her last name- had told us that it was going to be a ‘supernatural thriller’, which now I think means ‘scary magic’, essentially. With ghosts. It was… It was a uh…. I forget what it was called, but it was- we started out in this room covered in posters, an’ then this train showed up, which is like this big machine used to transport a buncha people at once, an’ then suddenly we were on it, like I blinked and then suddenly Voltage was in my face tryna shake me, so I guess I- well, Mask, too, he went to her after I responded, so I guess something happened to us an’ we blacked out? But when we woke up, we were on the train, which I didn’t learn was even called a train ‘til later, but-”

“Anyway, there were a buncha different rooms in the train, an’ each of ‘em were themed to a ghost that had died on it- like one was pink an’ the ghost- Nikola? I think? Was like magically writin’ all over the walls an’ stuff, and there was another one that was a yellow maze, an’ another had this paper sculpture in it, an’ one- well, we went into it once, an’ it was all black an’ had what I guess was the last one in it- but it wasn’t a human ghost anymore. It was this black monster thing with red eyes an’ it kept popping up an’ chasin’ us all over the train as we teleported from room to room. It didn’t start once we got in the room, though, it was goin’ way before we ever found it. Voltage had had a run-in with it before he woke me an’ Mask up, so we were running pretty much from the start of it.”

“We had to figure out a buncha clues and get everyone’s name so we could- right, yeah, yeah, because it um- the monster thing would take memories. It’d completely wiped the other ghosts on the train, they couldn’t even remember their names, we had to like. Give ‘em back to ‘em. An’ then when we figured out the last name- or- really, that the last name left had to be the name of the monster, because it was a human once too- we were able to team up with one of the ghosts- the purple one, I… I don’t remember what her name was, but she knew spells an’ stuff, an’ we were able to team up with her an’ get rid of the monster- and…”

“Um.”

“I- I wasn’t thinking, it was stupid, she’d said she could summon it or whatever so I thought it’d appear in the circle, the- the magic circle thing, an’ didn’t think about it coming through one of the doors, an’-”

“I’d- so- it-”

There’s a long breath in, and a long breath out.

“I put myself on the other side of ‘em, b’cause they were gonna try to hold it off if it didn’t work, and honestly I can’t do magic, I don’t have magic, so I thought I’d put myself where I could do what I’d done last time we ran into it there an’ just be ready to throw my dagger at it an’ run so I could distract it for ‘em, an’-”

“I mean, I- I guess I did- be a distraction, I just- didn’t think it’d come from behind me, is all. Don’t even know what it took, just that it took something, an’ it’s driving me nuts. I feel like I remember everything, but that’s just ‘cause I don’t know what I’m missing, and I know I’m missing something.”

“I think I’m gonna go home tonight. See if I can figure it out. An’… Honestly, I’ve… kinda been avoiding goin’ back, b’cause like- What do I even say to them? Would they believe me? I-I mean, I guess Kale an’ Kid have prob’ly dealt with weirder things, considering – the- god- thing- an’ they both just kinda seem- weirdly knowledgeable about a lotta things, honestly- but Tab would- …Or, well, no, I- I guess she might, since she had like- talked about dimensions and stuff. So. Mm. But they’re gonna be so- I don’t think they’d want me to go back. But I dunno if I even wanna come back after that. If- if there’s stuff like that here, then- am- I’m still gonna remember them after a couple months, right? Years? How long is- I mean, the other party’s been here for twenty an’ they’re still goin’ strong, so- it- it could be a while, right? If stuff like that is here, that could- that could really change a person that drastically- would- would I still be the same?Or- if that was just a- a one-time thing, like… I mean, it- it prob’ly was. It was just in that- world, or- whatever.”

A sigh.

“Or maybe I just- won’t say anything ‘til I know what to say, an’ just… be home. That… sounds kinda nice, actually. I- I think I’ll do that. I’ll just be home. An’ if they ask, I’ll just- figure it out, I guess.”

The whirring slows, and then stops.

---------------------------------------

Aron blinked, and realized she was- she was in her room. Her room- and Tab’s, of course. Sitting at the desk, blueprints laid out- though the wings were still strapped to her back. She stood and took them off, as well as her bag, and put them in their corner where she usually stored them. Didn’t make sense for her to be wearing them while she was just looking over the blueprints, and the longer she could last without questions asked, the better. She just knew they’d not be happy with her running off by herself- though she was with a group so she wasn’t exactly by herself- and not want her to be in the extra danger that she was clearly putting herself in. She’d lost a memory, after all, and the back of her neck still hurt from where the thing grabbed her like that. She didn’t know if it’d left a mark- oh gods, she hoped it didn’t. She’d noticed a bruise around Voltage’s neck… was that from his run-in? Did she have one, too?

She reached up and lightly touched her neck, then less lightly as she realized that yeah, while it still hurt, it didn’t feel bruised. Maybe because she’d been dropped so quickly. Her sigh of relief let her hand and shoulders fall back down.

She looked around the room.

Right-!

She looked around the room.

[My bed] [.91m] [Tab’s bed] [.92m] [Black oak door] [1.22m] [Retractable paraglider wings] [.61m] [Note: A gift from Something Owner, whatever that means]

Good. It did work, it was just- something weird with the universe, she guessed.

But it did seem that she was the only one here currently, and she was antsy about it. Aron needed to see someone- anyone would do, just- after that, and not knowing what she forgot- gods, she hoped she still remembered who all her friends-

There was a knock at the door.

"Aron?"

She whirled to face it, and had to force herself to not rush to the door and to not rip it open- after all, her coming to the door to answer would be an oddity in and of itself, considering who'd called out to her, but she couldn't not, not now.

She opened the door to see Kid.