Prologue

[faentasy]

PROLOGUE

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The clink of glasses, the clatter of utensils upon plates and the soft murmur of conversation flows smoothly in the warmly lit dining hall. It's a dinner party, a rather vivacious one at that, with the food flowing freely. Savory and sweet, regional specialties, refined and rustic, there's something for everyone. Omurice, chiffon cake, kimchi, sizzling porterhouse steaks—it might be more apt to call it a buffet than anything else.

Do buffets usually serve such a unique smorgasbord of food? And actually, weren't you doing something else? A free meal is usually a good thing but is anything truly free? Who are these people around you? And where exactly are you?

Whatever thoughts are racing through your mind, they're abruptly cut off by a note, high pitched G-sharp from a woodwind. All your senses return to you, though they won't tell you much. Maybe not all of them actually, if you're used to feats of heroic strength or manipulating reality or numerous other abilities. There is one clue at least, a heavy weighted paper beneath your plate, an embossed note rather than a list of courses.

"Enjoy yourselves. I'll come see you when you've had your fill. And don't try to dine and dash, huh? There's something I have—something I can do for you, after all. Besides, you've already agreed to the terms anyway!"

Welcome to your Fairy Tale.

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bakery!

[sempiternel]

Perhaps the tab is kept with magic! How very clever!

[incompletely]

...How would that even work?

[sempiternel]

[ Magic talk? Yes, please! ]

I've never done it myself, but I imagine it would take a layered spell. Something to note who enters the store, then note what items they select, and possibly even do the calculations. The owner would then bill the clients at a later point in time.

Or! Perhaps, they're just out at lunch and have forgotten to put up a sign. Haha!

[incompletely]

...It's probably the latter.

[ He's slowly starting to realize that there might be something going on here with different worlds, dimensions, etc. It's making his head hurt. ]

You're telling me you've seen actual magic like that before?

[sempiternel]

Not this specific example, no, but I've seen similar things. I've done similar spells! Cleaning spells are quite complex if you think about it.

[incompletely]

[ After her little explanation, Tenn lets out a quiet sigh and closes his eyes. ]

Sorry, we don't have things like real magic where I'm from, so it's hard to wrap my head around this.

[ It's kind of surreal, tbh. ]

I'll take your word for it, though. It's not the strangest thing I've heard of here.

[sempiternel]

Are you sure? Everyone has a little magic in them. Lady Melissa, the greatest person I know, only had as much magic as an ant.

[incompletely]

Very sure. If you want to talk metaphorically, though, some people might argue that idols have a bit of magic in them.

[ Not biased or anything like that, nope. ]

[sempiternel]

Idols? Like... gods?

[incompletely]

[ ....okay, that gets him to laugh. He chuckles a little before he waves his hand around a little. ]

Nothing like that, though I guess some people would argue we're up there, somehow. Idols are performers; we specialize in singing and dancing on stage, usually. Sorry, I should have assumed you didn't know what those were.

[sempiternel]

What a grand profession! To think that you could move people so wholly that they'd liken you to gods!

[incompletely]

Haha, despite all of that, we really are just ordinary people. Don't be mistaken about that.

[ Sometimes...fan culture is so much... ]

What profession do you have, then? I'm curious. You seem very familiar with actual magic.

[sempiternel]

But it is wonderful to make people happy, isn't it? Is that not why you do it - to spread joy and wonder?

[ A profession? Hm. ]

I'm a student of magic, yes! A sorcerer in training. At the moment I'm specializing in healing magic and spacial magic. So nothing as grand as what you do, unfortunately.

[incompletely]

It is. I wouldn't be an idol if I didn't enjoy doing that.

[ Ah, finally...someone who gets it. He smiles at her, but what she says gets her to raise an eyebrow. ]

Well, I think that's grand in its own right. Like I said, actual magic like that doesn't exist in my world. I'm sure people would marvel at you if they ever saw anything like that.

[sempiternel]

I suppose so. But without magic, I'm something of a lost lamb. I would not say that's the case with you. Performers can dazzle anywhere, can they not?

[incompletely]

Hmm. I guess you're right about that. Do you have any interests outside of magic, though?

Maybe you're not as lost as you think you are.

[sempiternel]

[ She looks down at her feet. ]

I've - um - never really gotten to explore other hobbies.

[ After all there was a plot to follow, and between four love interests and her family, there was never enough time to just be Yuri. ]

[incompletely]

Ah, that's okay. You sound like you must've been busy, then.

[ Poor Yuri. Sounds like she's had a pretty rough life... ]

[sempiternel]

Well, who knows? Maybe I will finally find something soon. What kind of hobbies do idols normally take up?

[incompletely]

I like going to amusement parks when I can. Reading, also.

I can understand not having a whole lot of free time, though. Idols also have really busy scshedules.

[sempiternel]

[ She brightens up when he mentions reading. Yes, reading is love, reading is life! ]

I've heard traveling performers often start quite young. Is it the same where you're from?

[incompletely]

Yeah. There's a lot of extensive training involved since idols have to dance and sing at the same time. It's a lot easier said than done.

[ Especially since choreography these days can be really intense and tiring. ]

What kinds of traveling performers are you referring to?

[sempiternel]

Why, gypsies and the like. Beautiful and mysterious people. I've always admired their freedom, but it must be hard to constantly be on the move, to be sure.