It All Started With A..

Jenny finally shrugged a bit. "Nah. Don't worry about it. I'll just have to tell mom he went out and didn't just vanish into thin air. Come on, I'll show you something to eat."

The young android headed downstairs where her mother was waiting. The breakfast was already done, consisting of pancakes and side food like sausage and it actually looked edible. She definitely hadn't added her little 'extra' bits she often did with her food when treating it like a new science project.

"Morning young ones. A wonderful day to stretch your minds isn't it?" Nora smiled, noticing Ness was absent. "Ness still sleepy?"

"..Actually, he kinda went out. But don't worry! He's okay. He just does that apparently."

Nora raised a eyebrow, then shrugged. "Pity. He'll miss out but I'll try to save some for him. In the mean time, sit please." She turned to Paula. "I'm interested in knowing a bit more about your world dear. For one, Jenny said the value of your goods is a great deal higher then here."

* *

Buttercup was out and about, the same place Ness was actually. Blossom was at home, as for Bubbles she wasn't sure. She was either at home or on her way to spend time with Jenny. You never knew.

So he plays too huh? This ought to be interesting.

She was simply watching things for now, it wouldn't have been fair to play against normal children so she simply observed in the bleachers. It was then she noticed someone that looked like Ness..if he had gotten beaten down with a ugly stick. His eyes were seemingly sealed shut, long socks to his ankles with a stripped shirt. There was also a older man and a girl in her teens talking to them.

It was only thanks to her enhanced hearing she picked up anything and it was making her frown a bit. None of her business but she'd keep a eye on things..just had a bad feeling.

Why did they look like a strange doppleganger of Ness? And would Ness notice?

Paula took a seat at the table as offered. "Thank you. The prices of things around my world appear relatively high, considering Ness' purchase last night. Apparently, a cheeseburger here is only $4, while it costs $14 in my world. I know the price adjustments likely are not universal, but that's more than a 70% drop!" She hoped clothes were relatively cheaper in this world as well. Wearing the same clothes everyday would be horridly uncomfortable.

"My world is... hm. I'm not sure how to describe it. I used to think it strange before travelling to a few other realms. There's always something stranger on the other side; I assume this world is no different. Moreover, this world has far better scientific progress. For instance, the world's populous is largely human. We lack the technology for synthetic life and have yet to grasp space travel, although we have certainly experienced many visitors. And in that regard, aliens are the only unnatural encounters our world has witnessed. This world has a location dedicated to transportation between other worlds and realms and possesses a much grander population. I think there may be more people in this city alone than the four largest in my home country combined." Paula could feel a great deal of people in New York, too many to count.

"Oh, but sorry for ranting on like that. What was your world like?" She asked Jenny and Ms. Wakeman.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*CRACK!*

Ness sent the ball flying with a resounding swing of his bat. He made sure to hold back quite a bit; these were kids after all. He hoisted the special bat into his backpack and started 'running' toward first base. His pace was significantly slowed and constant, giving the kids a chance to make a play. Ness skidded to a halt at first base, the kids narrowly missing tagging him out. He readied a stance to steal second, and was about to when the pitcher suddenly whirled around and threw the ball to the first baseman. Ness made it back in time, but was impressed by the kid's reaction time. Were some of these kids inhuman? It was possible.

Ness was much more on his guard now, keeping a foot on first while poising to take second. There was a lull in the pitching, which gave Ness time to look around the field to scope out his options/competition. He saw a familiar face in the bleachers. One of the girls from last night. Buttercup, that was it. Easy to remember since the girls were basically color coded. He waved shortly and kept looking about.

It was then, he noticed someone who stood out. He looked... kind of like himself? Ness recalled learning a few dimensional rules from Paula. One explained that there were likely alternate versions of any given person since some dimensions could be closely related, or even parallel. This 'Ness' was tall and extremely musclebound. Their clothes were colored differently, not to mention his seemed too small for him. Like wearing a shirt and pants three sizes too small. Eh, maybe it was just a passing fashion resemblance. He was just too different. Ness' mind snapped back to the game when he heard the batter smash the ball into the sky. He darted for second base.

"That's actually kind of cool. I've met other people from different realms but almost each place is different. Even with a computer in my head, this stuff can fly over my head at times." Jenny said to her friend.

"How fascinating." Nora seemed to be already taking small little notes. She was a woman of science after all; she never stopped working. "Ah. As for our world, its very hard to explain. There's a large variety of races here, aliens, demons, angels and even people like my daughter here but not quite. There's also a large amount of humans with special powers or skills. Some are born with it, and others have to train with it. 'Ki' for instance is energy of the body. If utilized properly it can give the user incredible physical prowness and health. The strongest of which are called the 'Z-Fighters' which protect this world."

"There's also magic. Though it is merely a category dear..and a fascinating one. Now contray to what some would say, most is not inherently evil per say. Some can be but its rather obvious. However, its a complicated catergory." Nora sipped some of her orange juice. "To protect this world and its stablity, a organization dubbed 'Nobus' was formed. It's like a enhanced hybrid of the police and miltary. Employment usually consist of other superhumans and those with special equipment or training."

*  *

While Ness and Buttercup were doing their own things, 'Nestor' continued to talk with the two people 'Matt' and 'Alene' in question.

"So you see Nestor we would be interested in you attending our school. Free board, food and other equipment and we could teach you about your other abilities. What says you?" The gentleman offered.

Nestor looked at him then shook his head turning around. "No thanks, I'll pass. Besides your group sounds like a cult."

Alene was normally mellow but she had her buttons. "..Excuse me?"

Matt frowned but tried to defuse the situation. "Let it be Alene."

Nestor nodded. "Yeah, a cult. For the weak and no mind. Listen to grandpa, its not worth fighting over words and hurt feelings."

However, the fight lasted a short time and Nestor had gotten the best of it.


"I win. Just like I knew I would. Now you two people go back to your own business and leave me alone." Nestor said matter of factly, adjusting his backpack.

Paula listened intently, comparing the status of the two worlds. "I see. That's actually very amazing, and a relief to hear. In our world the only defenders to speak of were... well, my friends and myself. In terms of self and global defense, the human population was average at best. As I stated before, the use of PK is a rarely seen ability. The technique was taken from aliens a few generations before the current time. Defending the world against every incoming threat became a chore in itself. Don't misunderstand, we didn't mind helping others. It just made maintaining a normal life impossible. It's nice to know there are plenty of capable fighters and even an advanced global defense organization in this world." She felt at ease here, but worried for her own world. Jeff and Poo were still there, and they're perfectly capable of handling what may come their way. Jeff was a genius and Poo's strength was nearly comparable to Ness'. She could only hope they could hold the fort until Ness' and her return.

"The vast range of energies, abilities and races here is understandable, but no less impressive. Jumping from a world with only a handful of races and energies to one with a culmination of peoples from many realms will be an exhilarating experience!" For however long she would be here, Paula intended to enjoy her stay on this Earth. "But that's this world. I was also interested in the world you two came from. You stated neither you or your friends were originally from this Earth last night. Right, Jenny?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ness' full attention was torn from the game as the fighting broke out. The other kids playing had stopped, visibly intimidated by the scuffle. Ness didn't know why the two were fighting; he didn't care in the slightest. What did matter was they were too close to civilians and bystanders. One wayward attack and someone else might get hurt. Ness motioned for the kids to get away before he moved.

In an instant he was between Nestor and Alia, his hands held up in a universal signal to 'stop'. If they intended to continue, he would at least hold them off until the area was completely cleared.

Jenny nodded to that. "That's right. In the world we came from, there was super heroes and things trying to destroy the earth. I was one of them; the kids at school didn't like me much. They thought I was a 'freak' so I only had a few friends."

"That's because they didn't see the wonderful young lady I see now." Nora said proudly.

The young woman rubbed the back of her head blushing. "Ah..geez mom. Anyway..it wasn't as nearly as advanced here. There also wasn't as many races but overall, I like it here better. I just fit in more. But when you get home, don't forget to visit if you can. I'm sure something could be set up so you can come back and forth as you want."

*  *

Nestor was about to leave when he noticed someone who looked strangely like him, but scrawny. "Stop? I already stopped." He jerked a thumb to Alene. "Miss head strong here." He said making quoutation marks with his hands on 'Head strong'. "Can't handle anyone insutling her school. So she attacked me and I defended myself. Simple as that." He nodded.

"Only because you kept goading me." Alene mumbled, still pissed she had lost.

"I didn't 'goad' you. I was telling you like it is. Your school is for the weak and no mind and I didn't want to join it. So you and granpa could get lost." He said.

Alene was about to speak, anger flaring when Matt stopped her. "Let it be, Alene. We're done here. Let's go home."

"..Now I remember you. I'd know your ugly pompous ass from anywhere up close. Why the hell are you here Burger? What's wrong? Macdonalds fire you but you got stuck with the shirt and pants?"  It was was Buttercup and she looked none to happy.

"Ohoho. If it isn't green." Nestor crossed his arms. "And that's none of your business. Me and myself over here are going to have a A and B conversation, so you can C your way out. Grown business be about." He turned to Ness. "Who are you?"

Paula smiled. "Then this world may yet have more perks to discover. And facilitating free travel would be nice. I'm sure Jeff and Poo would love to see this world. If two-way travel is allowed, I'll definitely be sure to come back." Paula tried to think of another world-relevant topic when the doorbell rang. Not just once, but three times in quick succession. A chipper voice could be heard from behind the door.

"Je~nny! Dr. Wa~keman! Lemme in, lemme in! You're hogging our new friends!!" Bubbles vivaciously called from the doorstep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ness... was at a loss for words. Was this guy serious? Prior to that morning, he hadn't known anyone above the age of ten who spoke like that. If that was how this guy regarded total strangers, Ness could understand how having an extended conversation with him would be... exhausting. It was this estimation that led Ness to completely ignore the abrasive stranger. He gave Buttercup a confused look, pointing toward Nestor. She seemed to know him from somewhere. This guy couldn't be for real, right?

Jenny instantly perked up, opening the door and giving Bubbles a hug before releasing there. "Hey there! You came just in time. Have a seat."

"You're always welcome dear. I'm afraid Ness has went out to explore so we'll see him later." Nora said, wandering what the young man was up too. It wasn't as if he was going to get into trouble right this instant.

Unfortunately someone named Murphy thought otherwise.

* *

Buttercup scoffed. "He's nobody important. This asshat was here earlier a month ago, ran into him. Almost cleaned his clock but dad was there and didn't want me talking with my fist, yada, yada. He was calling Jenny things because of what she was."

Nestor frowned. "I just say the truth. Nothing more nothing less. She is what she is. And can you even talk? Never mind, don't answer that. I can hear you mentally thinking outloud about me. That goes for the lookalike to." He adjusted his pack looking at Ness. "So again, who are you? And why you hanging around the girl scouts and I'm guessing, their calculator Jenny."

"Five seconds and I'm going to beat your face down away from here."

"Hi, hi~! Good morning, Jenny!" Bubbles returned Jenny's hug. "Good morning, Dr. Wakeman. Good morning, Paula. That's too bad Ness went out, I wanted to talk to him too! Oh, well. Paula, did you rest okay?" She skipped on inside and took a seat at the table. Paula was starting to accept that she would always be like this.

"Good morning, Bubbles. And yes, I'm alright. Was there something you wanted to as me or Ness?" She responded.

"Kinda. I figured Dr. Wakeman would ask you stuff about your world and I wanted to listen in. Also, Ness didn't say anything last night and I wanted to get him to talk." Bubbles said nonchalantly.

"Oh. You don't have to worry about that. He's not shy, Ness is just... quiet." As far back as Paula could remember, she rarely heard him speak.

"The quiet type? Hm..." Bubbles thought to herself, already scheming up different ways to get Ness to speak...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ness furrowed his brow. So he was one of those people, huh? This guy was sounding more and more like an intolerant schoolyard bully. Well, whatever. They saved his life and seemed like good people. Ness would hang out with whomever he pleased. And right now, he didn't feel like hanging around this punk. He held up a hand toward Buttercup, prompting her to calm down. Ness gave Nestor a disapproving head-shake and started heading back toward the baseball diamond with a shrug. Why associate yourself with that kind of person if you could avoid it?

"I'm surprised Blossom didn't come with Bubbles." Nora commented. "She usually comes with you when you visit Jenny."

Jenny shrugged. "She might be at the orphanage at this time. Or just at home. If the first then its definitely a place we could visit later. Pass the time anyway. Anyway, we could go find Ness when you're done Paula."

* *

Nestor..was getting pissed by being ignored.

He didn't like it.

"Hey! Just wait a damned minute."

Buttercup sighed a bit, calming down slightly after Ness' action to keep her temper under lock. "Look, Nestor. 'Ness' has other things to do. More important things. Go skip rocks or bash your head against them. You'll either go into a coma or hit something and have a personality change. Either way would be better."

Nestor paused. "Seriously? You're another version of me?" He shook his head. No way this little runt could be a version of him. "That does it. I challenge you to a 'duel' Ness where we don't have to worry about colleral damage. Unless you're too much of a pussy to face me."

"She might have left by now." Bubbles said, thinking back. "When I left this morning, Buttercup was already gone. I guess we're all out. But, ooh! It'll be fun to get everyone together and hang out today!" She looked to Paula.

"Sure! That sounds fun. I'm finished, so we can leave anytime. It'll be great to see what the city is like and relax a little." Paula stood from her seat. "Thank you for breakfast, Dr. Wakeman."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That was all Ness needed. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. In spite of his disposition a few moments ago, something fiercely burned in his eyes. If a duel was what he wanted, that's what he'd get. Besides, judging by Buttercup's reaction to him he had this coming.

Ness crossed his arms, his attention was grabbed. Any time. Any place.

"Not a problem dear." Nora said warmly.

Jenny finished in no time and stood. "We'll, I'll follow you Paula since you seem to be able to track him down better. Lead the way."

* *

Buttercup hadn't really seen Ness in action, but she got the feeling Nestor was going to get genuinely wrecked. Which worked for her just fine.

Nestor nodded. "I see you have some spine. Okay then, I know just the place." He pointed to a building, it looked somewhat like a gym. "Right there? It's a training area. We could use it without anything in our way. I'll see you there." He shifted his backpack and headed in that direction.

The lone powerpuff girl grunted. "Asshole like normal. So you're going to beat him down? Good. I'm going to watch." It was then she began to pick up the something in the distance with her enhanced vision; it looked like Jenny and the others.

Paula led the way, taking the abridged route Ness traveled earlier. Bubbles walked alongside Jenny. "How do you know where Ness is? Can you track people psychic-ly or something?" That wasn't really a word, but Paula understood the question's nature.

"Not exactly. I can communicate telepathically. I just merely asked Ness where he was." She answered.

"Does that mean you can read minds??" Bubbles covered her ears, blushing slightly. She knew what Paula meant; Bubbles was just being silly.

Paula giggled and humored her. "No. I have to focus on a specific person to talk to them. Even then, they would be aware of my 'presence'. I can also talk to multiple people at once and allow them to speak to each other. Think of it like a mental cellphone with multiple calling."

Bubbles beamed. "Wo~w, that's so cool! And super convenient; not needing to charge a battery or look for better signal. You and Jenny can do so much stuff..." Paula laughed at this. Bubbles was a little strange, but pretty energetic. Spotting one of her sisters up ahead, Bubbles waved and called out. "Buttercup! Ness!" Ness turned, noticing their approach. "Hiya! We're getting everyone together so we can hang out today. So let's go find Blossom!"

Ness smiled, but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. He had a prior engagement to attend to before going with them. Paula picked up on his hesitance. "Did something happen?" She asked Buttercup.

Buttecup nodded. "You bet something happened. We encountered a jackass from earlier that calls himself Nestor."

"Nestor? The guy with goofy striped shirt and rolled up socks? What did that creep do this time?" Jenny's demanour had soured a little at mentioning the young boys presence. The history obviously wasn't that good. Buttercup then went to explain what happened and it did little to improve Jenny's mode. "Great. He hasn't changed at all. And I'm going with you."

"As if you have to ask. Of course I'm going." Buttercup turned back to where Nestor had went. "Up to you guys if you're going to tag along or not or just wait. I'm not missing a bully get humbled." Buttercup was already walking towards the place.

* *

When, and if the group found themselves at the building Nestor was doing some slight stretches as he waited for Ness to show up. There was a large but sealed off area for fighting/training with a huge mat. It was also closed off into another room but it was obvious what it was for. Nestor had taken off his shirt(god knows why) and some girls were making eyes at him(again, god knows why)

"He's so hot."

"I like their eyes, they're so expressive and deep looking."

"..They're closed. Not that you'd notice.."

Bubbles shuddered a little bit, recalling the name. "That guy's a big meanie! Usually, bad people act the way they do because of some reason. He's just a jerky bully!" The disdain for Nestor was felt by all. "You shouldn't fight people just because, but maybe I can look the other way." Fighting wasn't something Bubbles enjoyed on a recreational level. That was more Buttercup's cup of tea. However, she REALLY didn't like Nestor.

Paula sighed at the situation. "Ness, we've been here for a little more than half a day. You were in the hospital just last night and you've managed to get into a fight already? And you wonder why your mother worries about you so much." Ness scratched his cheek, thinking back. He was probably going to have some explaining to do after they returned home. Disappearing without even calling was usually a bad idea in his household. Well, there was no point in dwelling on it now. He shrugged. "I guess we don't have a choice, anyway. There's no way you'll back down. Let's just hurry up and watch you win so we can all hang out!" She followed Ness and Buttercup toward the gym.

Inside, Ness approached the sealed off area with his new-found friend in tow. Paula stood off to the side with the others, merely watching for now. She was interested to see what this 'creep' that set everyone off was like. Bubbles stood between her and Jenny, ready to act as a cheerleader of sorts. Ness stood on the mat's opposite end, ready to start any time. Did he really need to take his shirt off? Whatever.

When they got there Buttercup crossed her arms and took a seat, she was so looking forward to this. She normally liked watching a good fight, but now there was another reason to enjoy this more then normal. Jenny didn't really even like watching fighting but like some others, she had her own stakes in this whole little match.

A young man came to the center. "Okay. You know the rules when starting any kind of sparring or duel. It ends when one person yeilds, unable to continue or says stop." There was 'normal' street fighting and then there was something else for superhumans that was put into effect some time ago. "Begin when ready." They then moved back off to the side merely watching.

Nestor looked back at Ness. "Let's end this quick." He focused on his opponent, gathering PK energy. "PK Thunder."

A large massive bolt of lighting came jetting at Ness at a high speed. He was pretty confident the shrimp would fold in a attack or two. He wanted to go easy on the guy.

Paula watched from the sideline as the match began. She hadn't known about these rules, but they were good in practice. In their world, she had to stop Ness and Poo from tearing up the place whenever they sparred. Bubbles sat, anticipating seeing Ness fight. She wanted to see Paula's powers as well, but she didn't want to rush either of them. Right now she just wanted to see a bully get his.

Ness started focusing PK of his own. He watched the lightning come as he drew his bat. With a swift swing, the lightning bolt bounced off his bad and ricocheted back at Nestor. At this point Ness released a pulse aimed at temporarily stunning Nestor. PK Paralyze! He thought as the numbing current shot through his opponent. Ness stood at the ready, his bat resting on his shoulder. There was no way an alternate himself would be done with just that.

Bubbles shot up from her seated position. "Whoo-hoo! Goooooooooo, Ness!" Suddenly, she was holding a pair of pompoms.

"Wh... Bubbles? Where did you get those...?" Paula pointed at them.

Bubbles blinked at her and smiled warmly. "Oh, right! Duh! In our world, these are called 'pompoms'. We can get you some later at the mall!" She continued to cheer. Paula was at a loss for words.

Nestor had covered himself into a strange bubble-like barrier that absorbed the energy of his PK Thunder attack. It also seemed to interfere with Nestor's' PK Paraylze attack..to an extent. The problem one, Nestor was much more powerful so the shield crumbled not too long. It did serve its purpose of preventing the paraylze from taking a hold, but it surprised the hell out of Nestor his shield had been broken so easily.

Okay. So not a Total wimp.

"If that's how you wanna play, let's go wild! PK Fire!" After those words, a massive a small spark of fire started, before erupting into a massive colomun of fire later.

As Nestor pressed the attack, he decided to end this quickly. He focused the PK energies within himself, something akin to a PK-Aura came around him with electricity bands sparking in and out. His overall power increased; for a short time but he was confident he could end it before then. The place was fireproof, so he wasn't too worried about it and he could control the intensity of the flames. It would hurt but wouldn't cause any permanent damage to Ness.

Ness started focusing another attack as the inferno barreled toward him. Paula had expected him to create an opening through the flames and attack that way. She was taken aback when Ness charged the fire and flew straight through it! He filled the area behind Nestor with a flood of PK. In an instant, Ness emerged from the flame and swung his bat at Nestor's midriff, aiming to knock him back into the energy. Soon after, he would detonate the condensed energy in a powerful PK Rockin'.

Paula sighed at Ness' reckless style. At the very least, he didn't seem too hurt by the flames. Bubbles leaned forward, worried about him simply jumping into fire.

"The hell..?!"

Nestor had been expecting his 'counterpart' to block the fire or something, not go straight through it and come towards him for melee. As such, it pretty much took him off guard and he was hit; promptly sent the opposite way on contact in the direction Ness had picked for his opponent: right into his trap.

PK Rockin'!! The condensed energy erupted violently, unleashing a shock wave that shook the room. The area of damage was centered upon Nestor, so as to avoid a third party injury. The burst of PK would feel like taking the pressure of an exploding bomb, minus the fiery expulsion. It was far more than enough to send Nestor rocketing back into the opposite wall at a high speed. Ness assumed the wall would hold, but didn't hold back his attack. He was sure Nestor would survive with that aura up.

Ness landed and skidded to a halt. He brushed an idle lick of flame from his shirt, waiting to see if Nestor could get back up.

When the dust and such settled Nestor was still standing but beaten and battered. His eyes were oddly still closed despite the fact he had two black eyes due to the force of the blast and being in the epic center of it all. He was on his back at first before slowly getting up, using his bat as a make shift cane.

"You think I'd go down that easy little bitch? I'm the number one.." He didn't finish his sentence, taking two steps before falling flat on his face on the mat. The referee announced Ness as the winner before Nestor's fangirls came rushing to help him.

"Oh no! That brute wrecked his face!"

"How could you?!"

"He sort of asked for the duel.."

Buttercup uncrossed her arms. "Tch..what a freaking waste of time. It didn't even last thirty minutes."

"No kidding." Jenny mumbled, trying to ignore the annoying fangirls.

"Anyway, we can go. Leave the chump here with his cult before I end up doing something reckless." Buttercup finished.

Ness slipped his bat back into his pack. He was considering asking Paula to patch Nestor up a bit, but he'd probably be fine with the swarm taking care of it. Besides, if this world had rules on duels they probably had post-fight regulations on healing and such. He'll be fine. Hopefully, he'll mellow out a bit. It'd be nice to have a better behaved alternate persona. Ness returned to the girls, ready to leave. Paula raised her hand and focused a weak PK Lifeup to heal Ness a bit. "Good job, but no more jumping through fire. Boys can be so crazy sometimes." Ness smiled and shrugged.

"I'm glad you won too, but I've had enough of fighting. Let's hurry up and find Blossom!" She turned toward the door and pointed theatrically, striking a valliant pose. "To the orphanage!"

Jenny couldn't help but be amused by Bubble's over the top attitude, but that's why she loved her. "To the orphanage!" Jenny echoed to Bubbles in agreement.

Buttercup just shrugged, not comfortable with being too open. She was too cool for that. "Eh...yeah?"

* *

It wasn't too long before the group did get to the orphanage, since it wasn't overwhelmingly far away from where the "fight" had taken place. The place was called Evening Dawn though no one could be quite sure what the name meant, or if there was even some deep meaning to the name.

Jenny was the first to knock on the door and a few moments, a old woman opened the door. She looked human, except for the wolf ears and tail. "Jenny? I didn't expect to see you today. I take it you're here for Blossom?"

The android nodded. "Yep. Plus just introducing everyone to Masako, and the people here. Is Blossom in?"

"Indeed she is. Come in all of you." She stepped aside for everyone to come in, noting the new guest. "I'm Nina. It's nice to meet you two."

"I believe that would go to me as well.." A soft but deep voice came from the side as a elegant-looking woman came from seemingly nowhere. She had fair skin, red eyes and dog ears along with a kimono. "I am Lady Masako, but please just just call me Masako. Welcome to my humble home."

Ness nodded respectively to Nina and Masako, taking note of their bodily differences. It was certainly new to him, but knowing this world was at the epicenter of many they came as no surprise. If only Jeff were here... Paula greeted the two women accordingly, as did Bubbles. She had been here before, mainly to play with the children, so she knew the two already.

Paula examined the building as they entered. "This is a very nice and well kept building. Is this a new orphanage?" She asked. Ness caught a glimpse of children playing outside in the back. A large group of them were jumping in and out of a jump-rope game. Kids of different sizes, ethnicity and race. Some of the latter were more obvious than others, but it was a nice meld of groups. He could hear the children singing along to their game.

Two little chili peppers in the pot
How many ser~vings have you got?
One for the doctor
Two for the nurse
Three for the lady with the alligator purse!

There were kids jumping in and out of the line with each verse. It seemed like a fun little game. He was about to stop paying attention when he heard a familiar voice come from the group.

Three little chili peppers in the pot
How many ser~vings have you got?
One for the puppy dog
Two for the cat
Three for the monkey in the polka dot hat!

Ness looked around at the group standing before Nina and Masako. When did Bubbles get outside??

Masako seemed a bit amused, noticing Bubbles had ran off. "Bubbles has never been known for holding still for long. But its not like we would have her any other way.." She turned to Paula and nodded. "Actually, it isn't. I've been running this building for about a hundred odd years now. I just do a extremely good job with maintance. This is my home, and I will take care of it and its children to the best of my ability. Until they're adopted or moved on of course." That meant Masako was at least a hundred years old..but she didn't look it at all.

"So what did you come here for?" Nina asked curiously to Paula and Ness.

"They're new friends of ours, we're showing them around." Jenny said. "They come from another world."

This made Nina curious. "Ah, realm travelers. I hope things aren't too strange for you."

Masako was about to comment when Blossom stepped in, a few children tagging along. "Hey guys." She greeted, smiling.