Re: 10th Aniversary Witching Hour!

[[NPC] Naru]

Naru is fine. She got plenty of sleep and is ready to take on the day. Only problem is it's half past 9 PM. Naru won't be getting any sleep for the next sixteen hours or so. Her internal clock is proper screwed now. This is all Grim's fault. Everything is Grim's fault, even when it isn't.

Speaking of Grim, when Naru woke up the first thing she noticed was the weather around the park. Grim did say the weather could change. Naru gave him a quick text telling him "the park looks like a snowglobe from here."

Good to know. Get some rest if you're still tired.

Naru is of course not even close to tired. She hangs up and stares out the window, where she notices Asami and the TV's reflection.

Glancing behind her, Naru can tell it's some black and white period piece movie about mobsters. It's not the kind of thing Asami would watch, or at least, not the kind of thing she'd enjoy watching.

Whoa hey, you're up.

You're not suppose to sit that close to the screen. You could hurt your eyes that way.

I didn't want to wake you up.

Don't worry, you wouldn't have...
...Did you carry me back here?

Young, not fluffy Bugsy helped.

...I'm guessing you know about the other me, right?

Huh?... Oh. Oh! Oh yeah. She looked really sad.

Should I go check on her?

Umm... I dunno, maybe?... if she's not asleep. Bugsy called and said everyone was staying in that big mansion in the park.

Yeah that's probably a good idea. I know it's late, but can I visit the park?

...Yes? We're the only ones who can, remember?

That's not wh-

...
Alright... I'll... I'll be leaving now...

Kay, good luck.

Naru steps out into the hotel hallway. Moment later Naru gets a call, but it's not from Grim. It's from Drossel.

Hey senpai, what's up?

[[NPC] Drossel]

Hey Naru. I know it's pretty late, but do you have your uncle's contact info?

Huh? What for?

He kinda left in a hurry, and I could really use a map of the mansion we're staying at. A digital copy would be really useful since I could email it to everyone's pda's. I've already mapped out the first floor and a bit of the second on pen and paper, but there's suppose to be a few basement floors as well that I can't get to.

...Wait, what? What mansion is this? ...and why is Uncle Bugsy with you? He's suppose to be in Little City.

He is. We all are.

What are you-

UUuuuuuuhhhhnnnnn not you too.

Sorry.
Mr. Travis said you passed out fighting your future self. Are you okay?

Yeah. I was just really tired is all. Didn't get any sleep last night and thought, "eff it I'm going to bed." How's my future self doing?

She went to bed an hour ago I think.

Did she ever explain what's going on in the park?

...Um...

...yes.

Oh good. Sorry about that. If I had any more control over the situation I would help-

Oh no, no it's no trouble at all! We were all on vacation anyway.

Wait, who's all with you?

Mizuki-sensei, Cilla, North, and Milan... though Milan isn't from the future, he was summoned to the mansion a few hours ago.
Oh, and Zarath's here too. He said his dad was taking some culinary training in Little City. He should be in a hotel near the park.

I never realized I'd miss so much from passing out. Anyway, you could probably download a map from the park's website. I'll send you a link if you're busy.

Thanks Miss Naru, I really appreciate it. Anyway, sorry for bothering you so late. Take care!

Drossel hangs up.

[[NPC] Naru]

Naru lets out a frustrated groan as she rubs her fingers against her forehead. With her sleep schedule proper screwed she'll be spending the next few days trying to get it fixed again.

Naru heads to the first floor to see if she can get some breakfast/dinner somewhere, and maybe check on her old guild friends who have found themselves in Central Park as well. Naru finds a nearby vending machine in the hotel foyer and looks for something to drink.

No. No. No. No. Out of order. Sold Out. Out of order. No. No. Sold Out.

Want me to buy you something?

No it's fine I've got-

Ai?!

[[NPC] Ai]

Sup homie.

What are- Oh of course, figures you'd be here with time travel involved.

Pshaw~ As if I'd pass up an opportunity to hang with my best gal!

Well you're in luck. With my sleep schedule turned on its head we can hit the town all night. That or we could stay up watching old anime, whichever you prefer.

Wait, I just told my mom I'd be heading out to central park, so we should probably head there first.

Actually, Naru... the reason I came to visit is because I... Well, I need your help... It's an emergency.

No rush tho.

An... emergency?

[[NPC] Zarath]

Zarath walks downstairs with another Ai following him.

Ummm... Ai? There's another you here.

There sure is. Heeeeyyyyy!

Oh not now I'm busy!

Hey Naru. You helping Ai with the emergency as well?

Y-Yeah. What are you doing here?

I'm staying here with my dad... and also helping out with the weird time activity around Central Park.

Isn't it a bit late to go out?

No worries. I'm actually from twelve hours in the future. Got a good night sleep and had Ai take me back here to help you.

Oh well aren't you lucky.

[[NPC] Ai]

Hey, I can take over from here. Go nab Zarath a dozen or so hours from now and bring him back here.

Later! I wanna hang with Naru!

You'll get to hang with her in, like, a minute when you're me, now get moving!

I got all the time in the world! I'll go get Zarath when I'm good and ready!

Look we can't both be here it'll just get confusing which one of us is talking.

It doesn't matter we're probably minutes apart from each other.

Why do you have to be so difficult?!

[[NPC] Ai]

Hey, what's going on?

Oh hey Naru.

A... Another one...

Hey hey hey hey! Don't just time travel wherever you feel like! You'll only make things even more convoluted! Go play with Naru in the Battle Verge some two years ago or something!

O-Oh... S-Sorry... I didn't know we had a system set up...

[[NPC] Ai]

future me im thirsty buy me something from the vending machine!!!!!!!!!!!

No!

Go Away!

Nooo, don't fight you guys.

Look I'll buy you a drink. What do you want?

Don't encourage her! She can't keep piggybacking off her future selves forever!

Yeah I can.

Here, you can have this.

All-Nighter Coffee

The go-to coffee brand for procrastinating university students. It taste like shit because you feel like shit.

.....Eeeeeeeeuuuugggghhh.

Sorry, This machine didn't have anything else.

Allriiiiiight... Thanks, Naaaaaaruuuuuuu~

Young Ai smiles at Naru, pulls out a rectangular device in her pocket and teleports away.

I should go too. Bye,

The third Ai Presses a button on her wristwatch and vanishes as well.

Great, now go grab Zarath, we don't got all night.

Ugh, fine.
Catch you later Naru.

The first Ai Naru met also fiddles with her watch and vanishes. Only one Ai remains.

[[NPC] Zarath]

You know all that commotion could have been avoided if you were just friendlier with your alternate selves.

No you don't get it. I can't be in the same place with my past/future self or I risk crossing my own timeline.

Explain.

It's like... time travel's a lot harder to work with than you think, even if it's just messing about with past/future versions of you. The technology just isn't perfected yet. Grim and my time traveling partner have been trying to work out the bugs for years but there's still... "glitches in the software" we call it. For instance, there's a bug where if I physically touch another version of me we both get quantum locked and have to wait around for someone to pry us apart. My time machine here has a tracking device because of such a problem. If nobody can find me it's because I and myself were stuck together for an untold amount of time.

Wait, but I literally fought a future version of myself this morning. Wouldn't we have also gotten quantum locked?

You don't have a time machine, so no. The anomaly that pulled your future self here is... I guess more refined? Grim wants me to study it so we can improve our Zeitgeist Technology and work out the kinks.

I'm not saying you should go handing out high-fives to yourself, just be friendlier.

But they're all so... so... cringy.

All I'm saying is a lot of this kind of thing seems like it's being self-inflicted.

Look, it doesn't matter anymore. It's not like it's another person she's dealing with.

I just don't want her causing all this animosity towards herself, alright? North said it's bad for your mental health or something.

If I try to get along with my future selves would that make you happy?

What about your past selves?

Yeah, no.

But that just means a future version of you won't want to get along. It solves nothing.

Alright, alright, I'll tolerate my past selves too.

Thank you.

What was that emergency you were talking about earlier? I feel like we forgot all about that.

[[NPC] Ai]

I didn't forget. We're just not on a clock is all.

So what's the issue?

Black Naru.

Black Naru? What's she doing-

Oh no.

What? What is it?

Me and future you were fighting her yesterd- earlier this afternoon. She disappeared before we could finish the fight. Future you said she used some kind of watch to take her to the Gemini World. Apparently she found a way to freely move between our world and hers.

And that's the problem. Thanks to that, she got out.

Wh-What?!