You were having a regular day in your life. Well, as regular as they could be considering your life. Perhaps you were hanging out with a friend. Maybe you were out doing an activity or a hobby. Or you could simply be doing nothing, spending the day with rest. You could also be in a dangerous, life-threatening situation if that is what a 'regular' day is to you.

Regardless of what you were doing, your vision suddenly blacks out. As if someone turned all the light in the universe off. You feel your body moving across... something. It was impossible to fathom. You only felt and your eyes only saw a pitch black, darker than the night sky. Your other senses proved useless, you could not smell anything nor hear anything.

Then you hear someone whistle. "Heeeey. Hey, you guys. You're all alright now." An average, male voice called out. "Come on now. Let's not waste any time here."

You open your eyes and the feeling of moving disappears. You find yourselves in some sort of assembly hall. The entire place was lit by lights hanging from the steel ceiling. The walls around you were painted white and there were absolutely no windows. There were only a pair of doors at the very back which, presumably, lead in or out of the hall.

Sitting in the first row of steel chairs along with you were people of varying appearances. You may recognized one or two of them but most likely they were strangers. Strange strangers.

"AHEM!" The voice called out, putting your attentions forward at the stage at the very front. "Ah, good. You're all awake." You all see a strange, perhaps disturbing figure standing on the stage. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your matters but I assure you, this matter trumps all your matters combined."

"So you must be asking, 'Where are we?', 'Who are you?', 'How did we get here?' and other related questions." The figure continued. "Well I am The Entertainer and you are in IDEC HQ, specifically in the Officer Assembly Hall. 'What's IDEC?' you ask? It is the acronym for InterDimensional Enforcer Corps. An organization dedicated to preserving the balance and harmony of the Multiverse. By the way, I'm the guy in charge."

"Now then, do you have any other questions before we head on to the big stuff?"

The question had been met rather swiftly with a resounding yes. At least from the exceptionally pale, rather short girl, who looked all the world like a human... except typically humans did not have seams or visibly jointed limbs. There was a faint clicking sound as she cocked her head to one side, grinning widely. How ever could she say no to something like this? Certainly, perhaps Silvabelle(she would have liked to to see Silvabelle stuck in such a confusing scenario, really...) would have been better suited to something like this... but Goldibanne had no shortage of confidence in herself.

"Haah, so many people~" she declared cheerfully, twirling on her heel with an excited look upon her face eyes, her golden eyes wide with wonder. At no point in her existence had she ever contemplated the existence of other worlds, nor expected she would meet people hailing from them. So, wasn't wonder an appropriate reaction? Of course it was. Even if this was such a serious situation, judging by what she had been told by the girl who had faded away to let the building work. "Goldibanne thinks it's a bit presumptious to assume your matters are more important, but she won't complain~"

Placing her heels together and cocking her head to one side, she clasped her hands behind her back, still smiling cheerfully as she did. Naturally, there was only one appropriate thing to do, now.

"Goldibanne thinks this is a good time for everyone to introduce themselves!"

---

It was a complex dance, in a way. Something that the white-haired girl was used to performing. And yet, no matter how many times she had done the steps, she continued again and again. She was still in training. No matter how accomplished she became, she could always improve. she still hadn't reached Grandfather's level. To truly live up to her family name, she had to keep practicing.

Her katana cut the air, the misty form of her phantom half elegantly whirling through the air as the water fell around her. Roukanken's edge struck a single droplet and parted it. Than another. Than another.

Konpaku Youmu sheathed her blade as the water fell around her. Without pause, she drew Hakuroken. In a single motion, she cut three more droplets of water before they could hit the ground. The wakizashi was sheathed in an instant on her hip. Youmu straightened. The number of droplets had nearly doubled, her blades slicing them through so swiftly that she increased the amount. And yet this wasn't enough. No, if she wanted to reach Grandfather's level, she had to train harder. Placing one hand lightly on Roukanken's hilt, the small girl looked up. Myon followed her gaze. The second bucket was hanging from a thin pole of metal, supported between two wooden struts. Myon shot forward and struck the bucket, flipping the contents and letting the water fall out.

First, to divide it into droplets. Youmu drew Roukanken and swung it upwards, the blade and rushing air parting the falling liquid. In a flash, she had sheathed it again, shutting her eyes.

Then...!

Youmu opened her eyes, and just barely stopped herself from drawing the blade when she realized her surroundings were no longer the gardens of Hakugyokurou. Indeed, if she drew her blade in this moment she likely risked harming someone, as she was surrounded by people. And that weird swirly-headed man... that was...

"Wh... what... is this...? Where... I..."

"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The small apartment that the high-school boy lived in was dead silent--notably so with the extreme lack of a certain blue-haired sister and her kitten. The one who had sent them off elsewhere was, of course, Kamijou Touma, the one person sitting in front of his table and staring at his empty wallet. At this point, it may as well have had a fly buzzing out of it--he was that poor right now. After Kakeru had returned from his disappearance to who-knew-where and with the city still under heavy repair, Leivinia had offered to watch over Index--y'know, just to make sure that something didn't try to up and kidnap her again.

Granted, it had been a fair while since something had actually threatened Index's life, but with the city as hectic as it was, a bit of time away would do her well. It was like a vacation for her!
...
And a vacation for his budget. Or, well, it would be...

"Well? Do you have any solutions?" the small doll-like figure sitting to the left of his wallet asked the high-schooler, her eyes staring daggers into his soul.

Magic God Othinus. Or, well former Magic God, to be specific. Her power had been brought to near-nothing following that incident in Denmark, and as punishment for her crimes against the world, she was to live alongside Touma in her new 15-cm-sized body.
...
Or something. There was probably a formal document for him to read or something, but there was no reason why he, a 16-year-old high school student, should have to slog through what would likely be an order the size of a small book.

"...Ah, DAMN IIIIIIIIT!" the spiky-haired boy finally shouted out in exasperation before slamming his fists on the table, causing Othinus to bounce into the air for a moment at the force. "All the food in the fridge went bad, all my money disappeared while we were running for our lives, and the local grocery store isn't getting another shipment for a daaaaay!"

"Don't you have any friends you could borrow from?"

"Well, Tsuchimikado's been missing the last few weeks or something, Aogami's been too busy being... Himself, Komoe-sensei has been really busy with restoration efforts around the city..."

"So, in other words, you're--"

"Yeah, I can't get us any food for a day. Sorry 'bout that."

"Thank god Index and that cat aren't here, then, else you'd be the next thing on her menu."

"Don't even joke about that."

With a heavy sigh to match his heavy heart, Touma slipped his wallet back into his pocket. Othinus, noting the change in behavior, took the chance to grab onto Touma's arm and climb her way onto his shoulder.

"Well, if anything, I oughta throw out all that rotten food. No sense keeping it around any longer," Touma said, standing up from his place at the table and, after taking a deep breath, walked over to the fridge and opened it up. Without a moment's hesitation, the high-schooler deftly tossed everything inside into a plastic trash bag and opened the door outside. Compared to the blazing heat of the city just a few days ago, the cool air now was a much-appreciated change of pace.

It didn't take long for him to toss his trash in... Well, the trash, so that was considerably simple to handle. Just as he was making his way back up, though, Touma realized one very bitter fact.

His door locked from the inside automatically, and he had forgotten his keys when he had left.

"What misfortune..." he lamented, cupping his face in his hands for a moment before the little Magic God on his shoulder began to tug at his ear.

"Touma. Head. Up. You've gotten wrapped up in something strange," she said, pulling at his ear a few more times before the boy finally responded. The strange figure in front of him defied most degrees of logic by his face alone, but to Touma it wasn't too strange, at least.

Okay, it was still pretty strange, given how something had actually managed to teleport him with Imagine Breaker's effects still active (as far as he knew), but for the moment it seemed as if it'd be the smart thing to shut up and see what this mess was all about.

Or, well, he would have, if some weird little girl that spoke in the third person (vaguely reminiscent of the Sisters, in fact) asked everyone to introdu-
Wait, were those doll joints?

"...Uh... Right... My name's Kamijou Touma, a high school student at Academy City. This is Othi--wait, hold on, what the heck is going on here?! How--I mean--Wait, what's even going on heeeeere?!"

---

A peaceful day in the Palace of Earth Spirits, tea steeping and a book she had Orin borrow for her from that Suzunaan store in the Human Village--this was a fine way to spend the day, all things considered. No unruly guests, no obnoxious noises--just her, a drink, and silence.

This was Satori's way of spending this fine spring afternoon, and though it was a tad mundane in terms of how to live her life, it was far preferable than the chaos that her pets seemed to love subjecting themselves to day in and day out.

"...I certainly hope my sister is doing well..." the youkai mused as the water she had placed the tea leaves in turned a nice shade of light green. Perfect.

Walking over to the chair and desk she had prepared earlier, though, a strange sense of vertigo caught her, causing the youkai girl to nearly fall to the ground. Instinctively closing her eyes and bracing for a fall, Satori found it quite strange that there was no impact for a good few seconds afterwards... Which, given how falling usually worked, wasn't all too common.

The sudden shift from her dim home to the brightly-lit and mostly-artificial locale (along with the uncomfortable chair she now found herself spontaneously seated on) was by no means pleasant. At all. The strange man in front of them who introduced himself as 'The Entertainer' did no better in soothing her anxiety at the spontaneous teleportation to... Wherever this was. To say nothing of the sudden influx of voices blasting inside her head...

"Rather than an introduction, I would rather not leave my tea to cool... Or anyone to worry about my sudden absence," she responded to the suggestion of one girl to have everyone introduce themselves. "You are aware, then, that we have lives to attend to? Or was this all done on a whim to satisfy your own desires?"

She was honestly less worried about the entire situation and more annoyed than anything else. A pleasant day ruined by bright lights and noise. How vexing.

It was another peaceful day at Silver Lake. Lately, her students hadn't done anything noteworthy, like sending love letters or peeking at the girls while they were changing (Ah, the brazenness of youth), so she had been quite bored. Mid term exam was still quite a way either so there wasn't any hustle or bustle among the students. Maybe she should do a surprise exam? But that would be quite cruel to the students, though she had to admit that she loved the surprised looks on their faces.

"Huwaaaaa~" she raised her arms as she stretched while yawning. It was a pretty unladylike thing to do but there wasn't anyone else in the teacher's room so it's okay.

And then, suddenly, someone switched the light switch off.

"Ara~? A power outage?"

Unfortunately, it wasn't something like that all, as then she could feel her body flying through... something without her consent. And then, she heard someone's voice. "Heeeey. Hey, you guys. You're all alright now." An average, male voice called out. "Come on now. Let's not waste any time here." She had no idea who the owner of this voice was. She had never heard of him before.

And when her sight returned, she was no longer in the teachers' room anymore.

"Arara~ where is this?"

She looked around, only to see that she was in some sort of assembly hall. The entire place was lit by lights hanging from the steel ceiling. The walls were painted white and there were absolutely no windows. There were only a pair of doors at the very back which, presumably, lead in or out of the hall.

She noticed that she was sitting in the front row, and that to the left and right of her was a bunch of other people she didn't know. Some of them looked normal enough, but there was one with some sort of white stringless balloon swirling around her and another one who looked like she was a talking, walking doll, judging by her joints.

"Oh my, am I dreaming? Should I pinch my cheeks?" she mumbled to herself while smiling. Even in an odd situation like this she still kept her composure. That steel mask of her was the reason why some of the more troublesome students feared her, as she couldn't be teased at all.

Her attention was then brought to the front of the room, where there was a stage and standing on that stage was an odd-looking man with a swirly round thing as his head. He was the one who possessed the voice, it seemed, as she could tell the similarity right away.

"Ah, good. You're all awake," he said. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your matters but I assure you, this matter trumps all your matters combined."

"So you must be asking, 'Where are we?', 'Who are you?', 'How did we get here?' and other related questions." The figure continued. "Well I am The Entertainer and you are in IDEC HQ, specifically in the Officer Assembly Hall. 'What's IDEC?' you ask? It is the acronym for InterDimensional Enforcer Corps. An organization dedicated to preserving the balance and harmony of the Multiverse. By the way, I'm the guy in charge."

...Yep, she didn't understand a single thing that came out of his mouth... did he even have a mouth? She certainly didn't see one.

"Now then, do you have any other questions before we head on to the big stuff?"

As a teacher, she very well knew the saying that you should ask if you did not understand what the teacher was telling you. So, she decided to raise her hand like a good, model student.

"Anoo~ excuse me, Sir Swirly Head Man, but could you explain again from the very beginning? I'm not sure I caught them all... or if, at all..."

But her question was drowned by the doll-like girl loudly saying that everyone should introduce themselves, followed by a protest with a girl with an eye accessory in front of her chest (youths and their odd fashions).

"Well, if you want my name, then I'm Victoria Luxemberg. Nice to meet you all~" she said while spreading her bright smile to everyone in the room.

It was just another routine day in the life of Emiya Shirou.

Waking up early, training, cooking breakfast, school, cooking dinner, more training, and finally sleep... it was a peaceful cycle, that had been maintained without fail since the end of the Holy Grail War. Needless to say, Shirou was quite happy with the idyllic formula his days had taken on.

Right now, he busied himself in his kitchen, preparing a delicious dinner. The young man didn't allow himself many arrogant thoughts - that he was aware of, anyway - but he had to say, his cooking was pretty darn great. It made Saber happy, and her love of food was matched only by her awesome skill with the sword. So that was quite a measuring stick to match up to.

The ingredients were being prepared this very moment, and Shirou had reached for a pot to his right... only to experience a sudden dizziness as his vision faded. It was only a brief moment, but it shocked the unsuspecting student, who dropped his pot and instinctively grabbed for the counter in front of him. BEfore he knew it, Shirou was... sitting?

Blinking rapidly, Shirou raised his head, finding himself somewhere unfaliliar and... very white. What? That was indeed strange, but not exactly the strangest thing that had happened to him. As for the strangest thing he'd ever seen, the talking swirl was doing a good job supplanting everythihng he had experienced during the grail war.

Dumbfounded, he could only stare in confused shock as the... man? Creature? As Swirl talked about an Idec and the multiverse... Shirou may be an unorthodox magus with little knowledge of the culture, but he got the distinct impression that this far exceeded the knowledge of the Clock Tower and whatever other factions there were.

It was only when others spoke that Shirou, still clad in a cooking apron, fully comprehended he wasn't alone. On either side of him, there was an... interesting mix of individuals. Other magi? Servants? Shirou couldn't place why, buthe felt that no one really fit those labels. The spiky-haired guy definitely has the most approriate reaction, Shirou felt, but he was still reeling from the shock of what was going on. He sat there silently, as if contemplating for several moments, and finally opened his mouth to speak to Swirl directly.

"...Sir, is this matter really this urgent? I was making dinner, and Saber doesn't like it when the meal's late."

Few things in the world were more damaging to his pride, than a disappointed look from the blonde Servant, after all.

His first thoughts were of his family. Not just Taniel but of Vlora and Olem. Those under his command that relied on him, and he on them. But really there was nothing that could be done at the moment. Wherever he was, he was far away and it was likely that most in the room were in the same situation. He couldn't recall even the last thing he did. There was a war, the Kez were invading and something had happened to his son.

Things were chaotic, with multiple people talking. So he sat quietly, rifle across his lap. At least he had his rifle and some powder charges. Tamas reached out with his senses but couldn't find any other powder in the room. Nobody in the room looked to have anything in common, nothing that he could see. As a last option he resorted to following the lead of the others in the room.

"Field Marshal Tams of the Adran Army. You've already explained who you are and where we are. But why are we here?"

There were a few moments where the blue-haired girl could not understand where she was. One moment, she had been on a cart travelling towards the capital, and the next... She was here. So many people, some dressed unusually or looking highly unusual, surrounded her... One insidious thought filled her mind. Was this the doing of the Witch Cult? Actions came before thought, and in quick succession she had raised her flail, the chain rattling loudly as the enormous spiked ball at the tip swung from side to side. Clutching the weapon, Rem prepared herself. If this was an attack, even if she couldn't understand what happened, she would fight as hard as she could to slay as much of the cult as was at all possible.

And yet... as she had a moment to think, she realized she did not detect that terrible smell, the scent of the Witch. Indeed, it was absolutely and totally absent. For a few moments, the blue-haired girl stood silently. What did this mean? What had happened? Was Subaru okay? Was her sister okay? Where was everyone else? A myriad of concerns played through the maid's mind as she tried to understand what had occurred. Was there something she had somehow forgotten?

The explanation from the faceless thing didn't help to clarify what was going on whatsoever. At the very least she thought she could rule out the Witch Cult, but...

Why had she been taken away? What if something happened? What if...

Gripping her flail tightly, yet to put it away, Rem's next question was more to the point, lacking the politeness of a maid... for the moment.

"What is the meaning of this?"

-@VitaVitaAR (GLD)-

"Well aren't you a bubbly one?" The Entertainer let out a laugh. "But I suppose you could be taking this a lot worse."

"A sentient doll huh?" He remarked as he observed you. Though it appeared he observed you. The Entertainer didn't have eyes for you to follow after all. "It doesn't look like you need a puppeteer to control you suggesting a form of independence." He continued to make assumptions. "Goldibanne was it? We'll talk later."

-@VitaVitaAR (YMU)-

"Wh... what... is this...? Where... I..."

"Oh dear. You look like you need a glass of water, Miss Konpaku." The Entertainer remarked at your confusion, jumping off the stage and approaching you. "Here, the ultimate cool beverage." Suddenly in his hand was a glass of clear water with two ice cubes floating on it. "Or do you prefer tea? You are from Gensokyo after all." With a slight rotate, the water instantly turned into tea. "Or do you prefer a carbonated drink? Have you tried one of those yet?" With another rotate of his hand, the liquid turned into a black color.

"Well anyway, I'm actually pretty glad you're here. It's always nice to have someone reliable." He remarked as he shoved the glass into your hand, its liquid returning into water. "It's a shame Yuyuko didn't get included but I hope you'll be fine with that."

-@PKMNB0Y (TMA)-

"...Uh... Right... My name's Kamijou Touma, a high school student at Academy City. This is Othi--wait, hold on, what the heck is going on here?! How--I mean--Wait, what's even going on heeeeere?!"

"...I suppose that's the normalest way to react to this kind of situation." The Entertainer said.

He then strode over from the white-haired girl and over to you. "But don't you worry, Tommy. I'll get us all up to speed in a moment, okay? Okay!" The Entertainer clapped once before noticing something on you. "Hmm, I didn't know you were a fan of dolls."

-@PKMNB0Y (STRI)-

"Rather than an introduction, I would rather not leave my tea to cool... Or anyone to worry about my sudden absence, You are aware, then, that we have lives to attend to? Or was this all done on a whim to satisfy your own desires?"

"Oh don't be such a buzzkill, Pinky." The Entertainer replied, whiny in tone. "Here in IDEC, you can have all the tea you want."

"Although, you do bring up a good point." He cupped his chin, or what you assumed is his chin. "Huh, I guess I'm going to have to get creative with that." He let out a hearty laugh. "But anyway, you just sit tight Miss Komeiji. I'm going to begin the brief soon."

-@Hammerman-

"Anoo~ excuse me, Sir Swirly Head Man, but could you explain again from the very beginning? I'm not sure I caught them all... or if, at all..."

"'Swirly Head Man'?" The Entertainer burst into laughter in front of the boy named Touma. "Well, no complaints there."

"To answer your question..." He then walked over to you. "First! I'm The Entertainer. I love entertainment, whether I make it or consume it. I love it best when both happens at the same time. Second, you are in IDEC. InterDimensional Enforcer Corps. We're like the multiverse's police."

"Third of all..." He began observing you. "Classy dress reminiscent of Victorian times. Human in shape with no discernible special features. No special items or equipment visible either unless it is disguised as part of the dress or hidden." He said out loud his observations. "Victoria Luxemberg. We should talk more. But not right now."

-@RolePlayerRoxas-

"...Sir, is this matter really this urgent? I was making dinner, and Saber doesn't like it when the meal's late."

"Well, well, well! Shirou Emiya!" The Entertainer loudly announced your name as if you were an old friend. "Not sure what time you are from though. Are you at the part where you can make swords out of nowhere? Is the Grail War over?"

"Anyway, don't you worry about your Saber. I'll think of something to keep Her Highness busy while you go do heroic stuff." He answered you. "I admit I'd rather have Saber in your place but hey, I'd like to see what you can do. Plus, less damage control when crap gets real."

-@TheFake-

"Field Marshal Tams of the Adran Army. You've already explained who you are and where we are. But why are we here?"

"Straight to the point, aren't we General?" The Entertainer remarked. "I was guessing you were from the American Civil War but I don't recall any Americans being named Tamas nor do I hear of any 'Adran' in the USA. An alternate USA maybe."

"To answer your question, General..." He walked over to you. "Just be patient, everybody here's going to find out why we're all here. So just sit tight, okay?" He explained. "You know, I'd kill for facial hair like that. Obviously not anymore considering my current state."

-@VitaVitaAR (REM)-

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Whoa, whoa! Chill, chill!" The Entertainer hurried over to you, his hands raised towards you. "You're not in any danger. Well, you will be if you don't put down that nasty flail of yours."

"Come on now. Whoever your enemy is, we're not them, okay? Are we cool?" He then tilted his head to one side. "Heeey, I know you. You're that maid everyone was talking about. I have no idea who you are though." He said. "What I do know is that you're pretty reasonable, I hope. So let's calm down and let good ol' Swirly Face explain what's happening, okay?"

Victoria smiled hearing Mr. Swirly Man's explanation. Not a smile of understanding, mind you, but more of a smile of confusion. The Entertainer? InterDimensional Enforcer Corps? Multiversal police? She didn't understand at all.

Well, at least now she knew what to call him.

She looked around to the other people he answered. First there was the girl with a white balloon-like thing swirling around her. In closer inspection, it seemed to be a spirit rather than some material object. Perhaps she was another mythological creature just like herself. She panicked until Mr. Swirly Head Man calmed her down by giving her something to drink. It seemed he was already familiar with her.

Hmm, she could certainly sip a nice cup of tea right now.

Next up was some boy who looked perfectly ordinary. Nothing special she could see out of him. Even his face was average.

Next one was the girl with the eye accessory. She looked at Mr. Swirly Head Man in skepticism and suspicion. She supposed it would be the logical thing to do, given the current situation.

After that, the redhead boy. Once again, it was someone Mr. Swirly Head Man seemed to know. She had no idea what they were talking about with the Holy Grail War and Saber. She just assumed it was something that existed at the boy's world.

Next one was the middle-aged man who looked like a soldier. Or maybe he was really a soldier, as Mr. Swirly Head Man said he was a general serving in the American Civil War. She was a teacher so she knew her history, and she could vouch for Mr. Swirly Head Man's speculation of his world having an alternate United States of America.

And then there was the blue-haired maid girl. She was already ready with her flail, being even more paranoid than the eye girl. Luckily, Mr. Swirly Head Man managed to defuse the situation before it escalated into violence.

...Thinking about it, maybe she should start referring to Mr. Swirly Head Man as his actual name, The Announcer. Mr. Swirly Head Man was quite a handful phrase to say over and over again.

"Talk later?" Goldibanne asked, cocking her head slightly to one side with a click, "I guess I'll look forward to it, En~ter~tain~er-san~ It better be worth pulling Goldibanne away from Ayame-sama."

She let out a giggle, one that seemed slightly more sinister then it should have by any rights, before glancing around at her surroundings. So many interesting people... Of course, the living doll's ultimate and above all goal was her return to Ayame, but at the moment she might as well try personally introducing herself to a few of the people around. There was no harm in doing such a thing, and whatever the Entertainer wanted, well... If it wasn't satisfactory, it paid to know who everyone was so they could band together and dole out a little justice before leaving.

As such, Goldibanne bent slowly backwards, taking a position rather similar to ballet. It didn't look unnatural, unless you realized that her current pose, one leg in the air, would likely require a lack of a spinal column. Just behind her was a spikey-haired boy with some kind of tiny girl with him. A fairy? If this was another reality, fairies weren't exactly out of the question... to be truthful, they weren't out of the question back home, either.

"Hi there~" Goldibanne greeted him, holding her position, "Goldibanne's name is Goldibanne~ Your little fairy is rather cute~"

---

Youmu watched for a few moments, confused, as the swirly-headed man offered her different beverages before finally handing her a glass of water. She hadn't the foggiest idea what was going on, and to reflect her confused expression her phantom half wavered beside her, drifting from side to side as the girl attempted to understand what was happening. He had mentioned Yuyuko-sama... so was this Gensokyo? But she'd never seen any sort of yokai that had a head replaced by swirling, spiraling mist. Why did he know Yuyuko-sama's name, and speak about her in such a familiar fashion as if he had known of her for so long? She knew for certain Yuyuko-sama had never met someone like this before. And yet they were not within Gensokyo. Of course, many people knew of her mistress in Genosokyo, but... none of these people looked like anyone who came from there.

She shifted on her feet awkwardly. There were so many... so many unusual people like she had never seen before. Though she did think she caught a glimpse of the pink-haired satori, at least someone she recognized if nothing else.

"... Yuyuko-sama..."

Regardless of the circumstances, Youmu had to return to Yuyuko-sama's side. This unquestionable duty was paramount above all else, and therefore all she needed was to know what she had to do in order to return.

"... All I need is to return to Yuyuko-sama's side."

---

Rem lowered her flail slightly. It was not due to the fact that she entirely trusted the situation, it was more due to the fact that she didn't understand what was happening. The maid that everyone was talking about? Why did this swirly faced person speak about her like that? She was simply a maid, and certainly not as noteworthy as her sister... The blue-haired girl averted her eyes slightly. She didn't know how to feel about the idea of people talking about her. Who was doing it...? Why were they doing it...? It wasn't something that Rem could understand at the moment.

All she wanted to do right now was return. The concern she had already been feeling for Subaru, and for her sister, had only magnified now that she had been taken to some strange, unfamiliar face surrounded by such strange, unfamiliar people. Her weapon was lowered, but not put away. Rem was still prepared to fight at a moment's notice.

Unable to figure out what to do next, Rem hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to do something simple.

"My name is Rem, please return me."

Shirou could only feel himself tense up as the spiral-headed thing spoke to everyone like they were on familiar terms. He couldn't really speak for anyone else, but Shirou didn't get the feeling that anyone in this room had even half a clue what this guy was. However, the way he spoke to Shirou put him on guard a little.

For a start, this thing knew his name, and of the grail war. Amongst magi, he understood that the war wasn't exactly secret, but beyond that, how many could know of it? More specifically, of Shirou himself? He may have survived the war, but ultimately, the 'winner' would be Rin, wouldn't it? Saber was contracted to the twintailed girl by the war's end, and still was, in fact.

Perhaps more worrying for the young student, was how Swirl implied knowledge not only of Saber's true identity, but... Archer's, too? Shirou may have misunderstood what exactly the creature meant in regards to the 'time' he came from, but it didn't really change the fact he knew way too many details for Shirou's liking. It was hard to trust a faceless creature that pulled several strangers into a weird room without warning and put on such a friendly show.

Still... Shirou couldn't sense anything malevolent about him. He wasn't going to lower his guard just yet, but he didn't get a sense of impending danger, and without Saber's protection, he really couldn't afford to make any stupid mistakes. For now, he'd just need to hear this guy out.

...It annoyed Shirou that he couldn't help agreeing Saber would have been the better pick, however.

With the complete lack of any actual answers, Touma stared speechless as the man walked by. Demeaning nickname aside (seriously, what the heck was up with that?!), the fact that he referred to Othinus as a doll was something he had half a mind to correct.

"O-oi! Hold on, that answered nothing! And besides, Othinus isn't a doll, she's a-"

Before he could finish that sentence, though, the small Magic God grabbed the high schooler's ear and pulled it down with all her might, causing him to flounder about for a moment before she began to speak.

"Say nothing about my status as a Magic God right now, depowered though I am--this isn't the same world we're used to. It's nothing similar to the power I had after rewriting the world, from what I can gather, so assume this is an entirely different scenario. In other words, think before you speak, or you might drag us into further trouble," she hissed into the boy's ear before the doll from earlier called out to him.

...

While striking a particularly impossible pose. Touma stared for a moment in confusion before remembering that the thing in front of them was, in fact, probably a living doll or something.

She looked so real, though. Creepy.

"...Ah... Nice to meet you... Goldibanne?" he half-responded, half-asked as Othinus decided to take the reins with her own introduction.

"You're not wrong to refer to me as a 'fairy', but I would prefer you use a slightly less demeaning moniker when referring to me, if you'd please," she followed, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat down on Touma's shoulder. "Oh, and if you are a magical construct like I suspect, I'd recommend you not touch this boy's right hand. Trust me. Don't do it."

Touma thought about commenting again, but with Othinus currently glaring daggers at him again, decided against the idea. Maybe it was better to let her take the reins for now.

---

"So... Abduction and bribery it is, then?" the youkai responded to the so-called 'Entertainer', letting out a sigh before crossing her arms and looking around the crowd. The half-ghost garderner from Hakugyokuro seemed to have also been dragged into this mess, so she could at least take solace in the fact that there was at least one semi-familiar face among the crowd of unknowns.

"I think I speak for many of us when I say that we all have friends or relatives that we would like to return to, and if you think that offering to 'find excuses' to placate them will work, then aren't you effectively attempting to blackmail us into cooperation? I would assume that you don't have the sheer force to physically force our hands, because in that case you wouldn't need all of us here and would be able to handle the problem yourself. I shall ask once more, for formalities' sake: let us return home and return to our lives, because as of right now barely anyone seems to be interested in your problems--especially since you made such a show of not telling us," she spoke, staring at the man as she did so.

There was no contractual obligation to work towards such a thing, anyhow.

To call him a mere General was a grave insult and Tamas would have called the individual out in any other circumstance. The Field Marshal had commanded the massed armies of an entire nation. But this was not the time or place. The 'answer' he had gotten was unhelpful. Nobody else seemed to be getting much better. It was like talking to a politician.

Seeing that he had failed to sense any powder on any of these individuals, he instead opened his third eye to search for signs of sorcery. What he found was that the room was awash in it. Nearly everyone glowed in his sight. He closed it and looked around again.

Some individuals seemed to be getting rather upset about things. A younger Tamas might have been one to join them. For now he fished a powder charge out of his uniform pocket and held it in his closed fist.

Goldibanne swiveled her body, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the boy even as she straightened. The motion was so smooth it looked perfectly natural, making it easy to forget it, too, required a body without bones to perform. Standing more normally, Goldibanne looked more endearing then unnatural-Or so she hoped. The short brunette doll would much rather be seen as cute then disturbing, unless she wanted to seriously mess with someone.

"So you'd rather not be called a fairy?" she commented, cocking her head to one side as she did, "Goldibanne will remember that the cute little fairy doesn't want to be called what she is, then~"

The living doll let out a giggle, before eyeing the boy's right hand. Don't touch it? Why? It was a stupid thing to lie about, so there was no reason to doubt the warning. But... why was it a warning? Oh well. Placing her hands on her skirt and crossing her feet, Goldibanne curtsied to give herself a more formal introduction.

"Goldibanne is Goldibanne, yes," she elaborated, due to the boy's questioning, "Goldibanne is also a living doll, so thank you for the warning."

She placed a hand on her cheek.

"Ayame-sama would be so upset if anything happened to me~ Oh, but neither of you have told Goldibanne your names. Care to share? Or will Goldibanne have to guess?"

@PKMNB0Y

Yoko merely just woke up and sunk in the exposition given to her. She could still feel the pain from the bomb that she saved Kaito from. She then gave a frown. Kaito... Would he end up becoming the king she always wanted? A shame... A shame that she's so far from him now.

Her eyes wandered to the blue haired maid who pretty much said the one thing she was thinking. "Please return me." But, she didn't ask that. She knew full well she couldn't have survived her wounds. Perhaps it was better that she was dead. She eyeballed the others, though her eyes lingered on the ginger. The swirly headed man preferred someone over him, but is rather interested to see what he could do.

Yoko approached him.

"If we're stuck together, we might as well introduce ourselves. Yoko Minato." She said.

Meanwhile, a man in a hoodie looks around confused. He's pushing a shopping cart, full of cartons of eggs, protein supplements, and various kinds of pork products. Though obviously nervous, his priorities seem a little skewed- since as soon as his stomach growls, he immediately tears open one of the cartons and cracks one egg after another into his mouth.

Karkit stood up, her right hand on her hip.

"Look, Entertainer, jerk, or whatever the hell your name is," she shouted, "I was in the middle of some very important leaderly stuff when you brought me to wherever the hell we are now." She was obviously irritated-- however, she was even more irritated at this scenario than she was on a regular basis.

"I don't have time to deal with things that 'trump my current business' when my entire business is SAVING THE ENTIRE MULTIVERSE." At that she crossed her arms in front of her chest, jutting her hip out to the side, a deep furrow between her eyebrows. "I really kinda need to get back to doing that if people want to, you know, LIVE and stuff like that." She hasn't even noticed that she hasn't been cursing like she normally does.

"I do have to say I am curious at what could trump the FATE OF THE UNIVERSE, but whatever," she sighed. "My team needs me as their leader, or they'll probably start killing each other."

Date Unknown: Location Also Unknown
Well this has been an interesting few weeks, to say the least! Britain was hit by a freak snowstorm in December, and I ended up staying over to help provide aid. Tiring work, I must admit, but it was worth it! I even got to meet up with Lena Oxton (who you probably know better as the former Overwatch agent, Tracer), and she is quite possibly the friendliest young woman I've ever met! Maybe a little too much, really, since I admit I was getting a little flustered...

Well, after that I headed back home to Lijiang to celebrate the new year, and not long afterwards I heard reports of a new Omnic hero emerging in Numbani. What made this more incredible, though, was that she had apparently been built by an eleven year old girl! A-Mei-zing! (Sorry about the pun). I just had to see her myself, but as I was packing my things (I needed to pick out something more suitable for Numbani; my usual clothes aren't really suited for Africa after all!) I felt dizzy for a moment and... Well...

I know it sounds like something out of an old movie, but I seem to have been whisked away into another universe! It's all so fascinating! Everyone looks so strange, but they seem friendly enough. Here's hoping we can all get along and work together!
- 美

---

Mei sighed in contentment as she finished typing her journal. Sure, most other people wouldn't immediately start typing up a blog entry upon being transported to another world, but Mei was different. Mei was a scientist, after all, and no matter how strange or bizarre things might be, her fascination and curiosity would usually override any feelings of fear or disorientation.

"Um... Nihao!" Waving a hand clad in a thick glove, Mei bowed her head to the assembled crowd. "My name is Mei-ling Zhou, but everyone just calls me Mei! Pleased to meet you all!"

-EVERYONE-

"Okay everyone! Let's all put our introductions and our... uncouth requests to go back home aside for a bit and let's all find out why we all are here." The Entertainer declared.

He leaped back into the stage. "Before we get to our problem, we need some context..." With a snap of his fingers, the white wall behind The Entertainer shifted into a panorama of what could be the night sky. Little stars and majestic nebulas (if you knew what those were) painted the black void while round planets dotting the space. "We all live in, for lack of a better term, the Multiverse." He stretched his arms wide. "You know, multiple universes and alternate dimensions. I'm sure you've encountered these terms unless you actively avoid works of entertainment and literature."

"Some universes are completely different from each other. For example, Kamijou Touma over there does not live in the same universe as... Rem. Right, now I remember her name." He pointed to the referred people. "Meanwhile, some universes are either exactly the same as each other or different by just a little bit. It's mostly the latter though. Like Youmu and Komeiji over there. They know each other but it's possible they come from different universes." Once again, he pointed to the given subjects.

"If that's clear, let's move on to the next topic..." The Entertainer then snapped his fingers once more and the panorama behind him shifted into large letters comprising of 'I', 'D', 'E' and 'C'. The font was gray and metallic in color. "IDEC or InterDimensional Enforcer Corps is the organization I founded so that I can protect the harmony of the Multiverse much more efficiently. I'm not going to delve further about IDEC or else you'd all be dead from old age before we'd finish. For now, just think of us as the defenders of the Multiverse, mostly against itself. If you would really like to know more though, you are free to consult me in your free time."

"A branch of IDEC are the Agents..." The Entertainer continued. "These guys are our most elite operatives. They handle the most dangerous jobs the IDEC must do. Like assassinating gods or infiltrating the armies of conquerors and destroy it from within. Or they could simply be doing the more simpler IDEC jobs, just in an extremely hostile environment."

"And therein lies our problem." With a snap of fingers, the wall returned to its original white color. "A group of Agents, a particularly skilled bunch, decided to go rogue because somebody apparently got bored with balance and harmony and wants to find out what would happen if the Multiverse becomes chaotic." The Entertainer began to stroll across the stage. "Now, this is a problem for IDEC because, you know, they're Agents. And because they're Agents, they know IDEC. They know its moves, its tactics, its protocols."

"And that! That's why you all are here." He stopped his pacing. "These rogue Agents may know IDEC but they don't know you. That's why you all are more effective in tracking and fighting these idiots, among other reasons."

"Now you're asking, 'What's this got to do with us?' or 'What's in it for us?'. Well first, these rogue Agents are already fighting IDEC and that means they're fighting across the Multiverse which means that the poor locals of some particular universes get caught in the crossfire, which may include yours. In fact if the fighting continues, your worlds will be involved in this likely destructive war." He paused for a bit to let the information to sink in. "And since they're idiots not held down by IDEC's rules, they could be rallying... the 'special' people and these 'special' people are likely to be deployed into your worlds and cause havoc you probably don't know how to handle. There's also the possibility of them rallying your friends and family to their cause."

"Secondly... well, that's a simple one." The Entertainer held up one finger. "For doing this, I'll grant you one wish. Any wish you want. I'll make it happen." After putting his finger down, he continued. "Within reason of course. We don't want your wishes backfiring now, do we? That's just the worst thing, isn't it?"

"But..." The Entertainer sighed. "If none of these are enough for you to spur you into saving the Multiverse, you are free to walk away." He declared. "We live in a free Multiverse after all. I will not force you to fight. Well, it's more like I can't force you to fight. Again, free Multiverse." He began pacing across the stage once more. "You are free to turn a blind eye to this conflict and return home but just remember, it will not be blind to you."

"So people, what's the verdict?"

"Saving the multiverse huh? Sounds familiar," Karkit grumbled. "But seriously- a wish with almost no limits? I'm kinda interested in that. I'm also interested in everybody, y'know, not dying. Just gonna say now though, if they somehow get the human's Jack on their side, we're all pretty much screwed." She sat down and crossed her arms again.

"In other words, in case it wasn't clear, I'm in for it."