Prologue - The Red Sea Witch
"Oh? A banquet?" A very small girl clad all in red blinked down at the invitation she held in her hands, before glancing up at where Princess Mikotsu sat on her throne. The raspy-voiced, often silent princess nodded at her silently, her single red eye holding some amusement in them as her witch smiled. Wadanohara had been getting increasingly bored for a while now, skipping her way through the castle halls and visiting her old shark familiar friend. The
Blue Sea variety of her shark familiars, that was. Even now Samekichi sat, mute and broken, within the dark and filthy dungeons. The Red Sea denizens took their turns tormenting, torturing and mocking the broken man, but it was Wadanohara who could get the most reactions out of him. And Princess Mikotsu was happy to let one of her most powerful subjects do as she pleased. Unfortunately, it looked like the petite witch was still prone to boredom despite all the little toys -
people - that she had at her disposal.
Wadanohara's red eyes caught a small requirement, a delicate brow arching slightly. "A costume," she echoed the words, before letting out a light giggle. "Just what has my dear Ambassador gotten himself into this time? Princess Mikotsu, thank you for informing me of this." With a graceful bow, the girl spun on her feet lightly. Her doll-shoes tapped softly on the floor of the palace hall, Wadanohara falling into a light skip. "Two separate invitations, though?" She mused to herself as she left the Princess' area.
More often than not, it often fell to Sal, the Ambassador of the Red Sea, to work on any otherworldly events. He represented their world, the Red Sea. A sea that was filled with death and decay, its denizens all having fallen to various degrees of depravity. Everyone reveled in the worst of sins, The Red Sea was a place full of violence. But in their own way, everyone loved this ruined sea. There was a certain freedom in having escaped your lot in life, your fate. Hadn't Sal told her that? Wadanohara loved this sea. Perhaps she loved it even more than she had ever loved the old sea, the blue sea which still sometimes lurked in the blue depths of Samekichi's eyes. Red. It was all...
So, so,
beautiful.
"Sal is in for a pleasant surprise~" She had reached the portal, an imposing red gate. The gate where she had once stood, facing the choice between saving the sea - or her old shark familiar. It was funny, looking back on how so much had been put upon her shoulders. The fate of the sea and its inhabitants. Their happiness. Their ruin. All on her. Bah, such responsibilities, didn't they feel any shame on relying on her?
Oh, isn't this nostalgic? Ah, how many centuries has it been? "And my dress is enough of a costume." To be honest, she couldn't care less about following that rule. Wearing her short red dress and her hat, her legs clad in black socks reaching just below her knees, Wadanohara thought she looked just fine for a 'costume' party like this. She particularly loved the red eyes that blinked and peeked out from under her hat. That was always a nice touch.
And so, pushing the gate open, Wadanohara left for the so-called birthday party.
She emerged in the hall, tilting her head curiously as she saw the choice in decor. Cobwebs, strange eyes in the darkness. They were trying to make her feel like someone was watching her, and her grin was happy, her white teeth bared. As if that was ever going to work on her. The darkness didn't disturb her at all. But... "Hmmm, not enough red," she mumbled with some disappointment, but perked up again as she made her way down the hall. The witch could sense her dear old familiar's presence somewhere in this hotel, now all it took was to find him. Spotting the small penguins at the sides of the hall eventually, her eyes lit up in interest.
Approaching them, Wadanohara felt the urge to coo over how cute they looked. "I wonder if I can get a new pet," she mused aloud to herself, tapping a finger to the corner of her lip as she waited for them to find her name in the checklist. "The others in the dungeon are proving to be so boring." And this was the perfect opportunity to find new p- friends, right? Maybe a new friend or two would liven up her days. Even if she didn't get them to come with her, though, this was a good way to watch her dear friend work. He was one of her sources of entertainment. Slapping and stepping on him was just... Therapeutic. He even let it happen, stating he enjoyed anything from his dear Wadanohara, so it was a win-win situation.
"Oh my, isn't this nice," she commented upon seeing the banquet room, eyes lighting up at seeing all the people that milled about. People from different worlds than hers, surely with their own stories to tell. But her eyes scanned the large area, seeking out a white dolphin. He always liked to use his friendly-looking form to keep suspicion off of him, after all. Making her way to the main table, the witch covered her mouth with one hand and giggled. "It's nice to meet you all~" She stated with a sweet smile, blinking cheerfully at the ones who met her eyes. "I hope we all have fun today!" She certainly intended to.
