Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

A Dangan Fairy Tale: Himipunzel (4)

     Clinging tightly to her braid, Himipunzel slid down with fear as she gained speed and the ground became increasingly nearer each second. She stopped herself right before she reached the ground, then gently lowered herself onto it, still clinging to her braid.

   "Welp, now that you're down here, we can go, now," Kichi said. "Just yank your hair repeatedly until the loop part falls from the peg." Himipunzel, however, didn't do what he said; she just stood there tightlipped and with wide eyes that stared straight ahead of her into the woods.

   "I can't believe I just left," she whispered to herself. "Now there's no going back."

   "Oh, come on! It was probably boring in there, anyways," Kichi said. "You'll find that it's a lot more fun being out here! Now, c'mon, let's go." He tugged on Himipunzel's braid until her hair fell from the peg. "'Kay, now we can go!" He grabbed Himipunzel's hand and led her into Four Season's Forest. Himipunzel looked around her at the bright, green leaves of the trees that glowed in the sunlight.

   "Um...Tenkodil told me that there are sections of the Four Seasons Forest that contain all of the seasons. Is that true? I just can't imagine that all seasons would be contained in one forest," she said.

  "Yup, this part is called the Emerald Woods! In other words, this is the summer part of the forest," Kichi explained. "It got its name from the green leaves that shine in the sunlight, just like an emerald would."

   "Oh, I see," Himipunzel breathed as she soaked in the scenery around her. Everything seemed so colorful, from the pink, yellow, and purple flowers to the bright, blue babbling brook. "Kichi?" Himipunzel asked shyly. 

   "Uh-huuuh?" Kichi asked.

   "Well, you called me 'Punz' before I left the tower," Himipunzel said, her cheeks turning pink.

   "Is that a problem?" Kichi asked.

  "Well, no, I was just wondering why you called me that," Himipunzel said. "My sister calls me "Himipunz-aroo' sometimes, and I haven't heard of any other nickname for me besides that one."

   "Well, first of all, I called you that because it's in your name, and secondly, you only just discovered what puns and jokes are, so it makes it even more fitting," Kichi explained. 

  "You told me about jokes, but I've never heard of puns," Himipunzel said. "What are those?"

   "Well, they're jokes, but a special kind," Kichi explained. "Like, when you say something that sounds the same as something else, but it has a different meaning...it's kinda hard to explain, so I'll show you." Kichi looked up at the trees until he found what he was looking for. "A-ha!" He climbed the tree and found some bananas. He picked one off and jumped back down.

   "Okay, so see this banana here?" he asked. Himipunzel nodded. "Would you find this banana disgusting, or...'a-peeling?'" he asked as he peeled the banana. It took a few seconds for Himipunzel to register the pun before her face lit up.