bills, bills, bills...

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Sender: Meilin "Mei" Lee
To: All
Subject: $$$ For Warm Fuzzies

So, sending out a quick question to all my homies and newbies.

How much would you pay to hug a gigantic red panda? Use whatever currency you feel comfortable with, just tell me if it's high or low.

I may have a business opportunity in the works.

Comments

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ That... doesn't sound quite healthy, but she doesn't want to diss a potential customer... ]

How about you come hang at my place? I'll send you directions, and we can get all nice and cozy together!

[ibarahime]

Oh, that sounds nice. I'd be happy to do that, if you're willing to have me.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Sure thing! And I could always use more girlfriends to hang out with!

[ She inserts the address here, which is among the tree houses. ]

action

[ibarahime]

[Admittedly, it takes about half an hour before Beauty makes it to Mei's place: she's still new to this strange realm and thus it takes her some time to figure out where she needs to go, alongside trying to not get distracted in reaching her destination.

But thankfully, she makes it in one piece, and after a minute longer of consideration, she carefully dismisses the thorns that normally surround and carry her from place to place. She stands on her own bare feet for once, regarding the door carefully before knocking and calling out. She doesn't want to hurt or scare the panda by having them there, after all.]

Hello...?

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Mei had taken the time to make sure her home was extra clean! Neat and tidy! And hide anything potentially embarrassing...

But what answers the door isn't a panda, but a young girl. ]

Hey there! Are you "Sleeping Beauty"?

[ She giggles and winks. She guesses New Friend will give her actual name soon, right? ]

[ibarahime]

Yes, that's me.

[She nods in response to the name as she yawns, reaching a hand up to rub at one of her eyes.]

I'm not late, am I? I got kind of lost on the way here...

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Oh, don't worry, it gave me time to clean up! Come on inside!

[ She opens the door inside - in fact, it's so neat and clean it's almost devoid of any personality. Bare walls, bare floor... there is a desk stacked with an enormous ton of books, though, along with a cd-player and headphones, though. ]

So how do you like to nap? On the bed, on a couch, or a big ol' pile of blankets on the floor?

[ibarahime]

[For her part, Beauty doesn't even seem to mind too much about the place being rather bare. After all, the most important place in a home is where they sleep. Anything else is just extra baggage.]

Until I found myself here, it had been a while since I had slept in a proper bed. Or on a couch... but that pile of blankets idea sounds cozy too... its so hard to choose...

[itsgunnabe_mei]

How about the blankets thing? That might be fun! I'll start grabbing them!

[ She heads to the closet - inside are various dresses she's worn due to events here... mostly cosplay. For Some Reason. ]

So, my name's Meilin Lee. Everyone calls me Mei. What's your name?

[ibarahime]

[There's a bit of a pause, before she frowns.]

I had a name my parents called me, but... it's been so long, I barely remember what it was anymore.

[She yawns, rubbing one of her eyes sleepily.]

So everyone calls me Sleeping Beauty. Since that's the name my author gave me.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ She stops, and slowly turns around, arms full of blankets.

... WHERE DOES SHE EVEN BEGIN WITH ALL THAT. WHERE. ]

... Um. Hold on. Are you... like... the... the for real Sleeping Beauty?

[ibarahime]

Yes?

[Or at least she is pretty damn sure she is. Its what she remembers about herself, anyway, and thinking too hard about such things just seems too exhausting, and so she won't waste her time doing so right now.]

... Is that really so strange to hear?

[itsgunnabe_mei]

... Yes! Yes it is!

[ Maybe it shouldn't be, compared to all the odd types of people she's met here, but it's still surprising to hear anyway. ]

I... well... I've dressed up as a fairy-tale princess before, but never actually met one!

[ibarahime]

Oh? So I'm the first you've met here...?

[This does lead her to wonder if that means she's the only one from the Library to have ended up in this place.]

[itsgunnabe_mei]

I guess so...

[ She swallows, and then begins laying out all the blankets one by one. ]

That's just... wow... I don't even know what to say! You're the kind of person I wanted to be when I was little... after my mom, anyway.

[ibarahime]

You... wanted to be someone like me?

[That actually gets the tiniest smile out of her. She's never had someone tell her that she was anything like a role model to them before.]

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Unsure if the pillows are enough, she decides to grab all the pillows she has as well. ]

Well, sure! Beautiful, elegant, graceful, and getting a happily ever after with a handsome prince...

[ibarahime]

[Beauty was smiling at first, but then she goes momentarily quiet, tense, at the mention of princes. She can feel the urge to lash out, familiar thorns itching to twist forth, but she forces herself to try to remain calm instead of giving in to the urge. Try to respond as if she was talking to Lammy instead about the subject perhaps, since Mei seems to be young like Lammy too.]

You... don't always have to have a prince just to get a happily ever after. You can still get one, and all those other things, without depending on someone else like that... or at least, that's how I think it should be.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Luckily Mei's back was turned for pillow-fetching, so she missed the expression change, for now... ]

Oh, sure! It's not for everyone, but it is for me! I wanna find true love and romance with a really cute guy... and maybe wind up like my mom and dad! And maybe have a daughter as cute as I am!

[ She giggles a little, half-joking, half-serious. ]

[ibarahime]

That's quite a dream to have.

[Well... if thats what Mei really wants, and its not some desired outcome being forced upon her... then perhaps its okay to let this slide for now.

Getting too emotional about all the ways endings involving love like that can potentially disappoint you is... exhausting, anyway.]

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ With all the blankets and fluffy pillows set up, there's one more thing to do. ]

All right... now, here I go! Prepare yourself!

[ She claps her hands together, concentrates...

POOF!

There's a tiny explosion of red smoke and glitter... and there stands a giant red panda! ]

Ta-da!

[ibarahime]

Oh! So you're Panda-san!

[Beauty was not expecting that at all--she even lifts her hands to clap a little in impressed amazement at seeing Mei turn into a giant panda right before her eyes.]

That's amazing. I've never met someone who could become so soft and fluffy like that before.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ That clap makes her giggle a bit - the same voice is coming out of the Panda. ]

It's kind of a long story, but it's something passed down in my family, blessing from the gods, yadda yadda... but anyway, it IS super fluffy and super soft!

[ Now then, nap time! She moves to flop backwards onto the blanket pile, lightly patting her tum-tum. ]

[ibarahime]

[Beauty carefully approaches Mei where she's lying down now, before slowly reaching a hand out to touch the fur from her Panda form, to feel the soft fluffiness for herself.]

How do you want me to lie down with you for our nap?

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Hey, you're the "customer" - you do this however you like. I, uh... haven't really taken a nap since I was a little kid.

[ She is veryvery soft and soso fluffy. ]