Endless Sky ~New Beginning~

Chapter Three

OStar woke up with a yawn, half expecting Estella to be standing by her bed again, but the princess was not around.
She lay there for a moment, thinking over the recent events. Was it all real? Did that all really happen? It felt like OStar had just walked into a new life, completely forgetting her past one. In fact, that's exactly what had happened.
She sighed and rolled out of bed, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. OStar thought about where the small cat was, if she was even awake.
Heading to the door and placing her paw on the handle, she stopped.
She had no idea where to go.
"Where was the main room again?" OStar screwed up her eyes as she tried to build up a map in her head.
She had no success.
"I guess I can ask someone for help..." OStar thought as she opened the door and looked left down the hall. She wondered which door led to the small grey and blue cat's room, or even if her room was in this hallway.
Slowly OStar started moving, stopping beside each door and guessing who could be on the other side, if anyone.
Halfway to the end of the hallway she glanced at a door which suddenly swung open.
Avaro, in bright pink and blue pajamas, stood there. Surprise flashed in his eyes when he spotted OStar.
"Oh, sorry for waking you," OStar apologized instantly, stepping backwards.
"Nah it's fine, I was just heading out. I didn't even know you would be awake. Usually I'm the first one up," Avaro replied with a friendly smile before walking off, closing his door in the process. "Come on, you can get lost here alone. Wait a few months before exploring so you can get used to the place"
OStar hesitated, realizing he wasn't going to wait for her to answer, and quickly followed before he vanished around the corner. It was another hallway that continued on both ends, making OStar glad Avaro had awakened before she made the wrong turn and got lost.
"What do you guys do here?" She asked, trying to squash down her nervousness.
"Things. Like going out someplace in OCTown or asking Estella to take us to some fun room here in this mansion. Sometimes we even leave this universe to meet Mystic and the others."
"Mystic? Others?" OStar questioned.
"Yeah, we happen to know some people from a different universe. I met Mystic shortly after I got here, and she later took me to her place where there are a lot more cats. Trust me." Avaro said, still walking.
"So Mystic is a cat?" OStar assumed, wondering how many other creatures are out there that she may meet if she stays here.
The hallway opened up to a massive, and familiar, room. "Anyways, remember this is where the main room is. You can chill out here for now until someone shows up. I would love to stay but I have to raid the kitchen for snacks before Roxxan stops me." Avaro said with a malicious chuckle, leaving OStar alone in the massive room that she remembered having passed by on the way to the kitchen. Roxxan had told her what it was when she was guiding OStar back to her room. Now that she was no longer heading anywhere, OStar took time to take a good look at the place.
This room was twice as big as the dining room, making her wonder if the building were magic somehow, making it appear much larger on the inside than on the outside.
Inside the main room was a large, curved sofa centered around a round table. Against the walls were shelves, desks, frames, and many other unique items set up in a fancy, decorative way. A large bookcase caught OStar's eye and she realized she had never read any of the books in her room.
"This place must have all kinds of different books," She thought, making her way to the case.
Being careful not to shake something and knock it over, OStar managed to slip out a few books, disappointment flooding over her.
Each book she pulled out was in a completely different language, some looking like scribbles, others looking like small pictures. Only one or two even had letters she could recognize.
"Can Roxxan can read these. Or someone else..." OStar wondered, opening one of the books and staring at the odd language.
Suddenly it hit her like a train.
"Rual! He said he can read and speak any language he has seen or heard!" She remembered, her eyes lighting up.
And as if her thoughts summoned him, Rual spoke up from behind OStar.
"Seems like you found my books" he laughed, making her jump.
"Oh! Sorry, I was just looking, I can't actually... Read these..." OStar replied, closing the books and attempting to put them back, fumbling constantly.
"Well they're not really my books," Rual said, sitting down next to OStar and lifting an old thick book out of her paws, stopping her from putting it back.
"Estella has a library of abandoned books that she never reads, so she lets anyone take whatever they want. I happen to be interested in legends and myths, whether true or false, in this universe or elsewhere."
"What does that one say?" OStar asked, tilting her head at the old book in Rual's three-fingered hands.
"I haven't gotten around to reading this one yet, but based on what I can tell, it's supposed to have legends from many different universes jam packed into one book. Others usually have one or two stories from a single universe," He answered, "I am saving it for later, after I read some others," he then placed the ancient book back down to grab a smaller book.
"This one tells a story about a kid made from an actual planet. It's quite interesting and makes me wonder if there's an actual universe with someone like that in it." Rual grinned at OStar's fascinated expression.
"How many universes are there?" She meowed.
"Oh, I have no idea. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions. Too many to count. Lucerne knows more about the multiverse than I do. I just know a lot of possibly real or fake stories." He shrugged and started putting the books back into the shelves himself, moving some that OStar had put in the wrong place. "Maybe I can tell you one sometime, starting with the legend from my own home."
"You have legends of your own?" OStar exclaimed.
"Of course I do, a lot of other people do also. Charlotte has even told me some legends of people that believed in gods that controlled the wind and water... Or are those myths...?" Rual replied, looking thoughtful. "Ah well, you get the point," he added with a small chuckle.
"Oh, what's your legend about?"
"It's about Raul, if you haven't guessed already. I was named after him because I looked like him."
"How so?" OStar questioned as her ear twitched at the noise of someone leaving a room, but she ignored it.
"Well, based on the legend, he was purple with a yellow underbelly, like me, just minus the blue marks," Rual explained as he put the last book away.
"Hey am I missing something?" A head popped up between the two as Charlotte joined in on the conversation. "You're not planning on talking about your legends for the next three hours, are you?" She added.
"Not unless OStar is willing to listen," Rual simply replied.
Charlotte quickly turned to the white cat, "If I were you, I'd wait till tonight to listen because you'll find yourself getting really tired of his boring voice."
"It's not boring!" Rual protested.
"I don't think it's boring," OStar put in.
Charlotte shrugged, giving Rual an innocent smile.
"Whatever floats your boat then," She continued, backing off to sit down on the curved sofa.
"What do you guys usually do here?" OStar asked, giving a questioning glance to the teen.
"Whatever we want, technically, as long as it isn't wrong or dangerous. We can explore the rooms inside this mansion, leave and see what OCTown has to offer, play some games..." Charlotte replied, leaning back with her hands behind her head.
"Why is this place called OCTown?"
"Don't you ask a lot of questions, well anyways, that's because this place is for everyone. And everyone can be his own character here, I guess. That means even evil people can be here, but that's only cause there's a force field that weakens deadly magic and lessens urges to kill," Charlotte answered with a yawn.
"She's very relaxed, maybe to keep from scaring me?" OStar flicked one of her tails, a question flying out of her mouth before she had a chance to think it through.
"What's up with those fabric parts? Were you born with them?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Immediately OStar regretted asking as Charlotte sat up, her face growing cold as she frowned, looking down at her bear paw.
"Uhh, maybe we can talk more about legends instead," Rual nervously offered before Charlotte could answer. "It's much more interesting."
OStar flattened her ears in shame.
"It's always been a bad idea to carelessly ask sensitive questions, yet here I am..." She thought, glancing at Charlotte.
OStar expected the teen to look at her with anger, but Charlotte wasn't even facing the two now. The cold glare had faded into an emotionless stare, but OStar could still see the hidden pain in Charlotte's eye as she stared down at her bear paw.
"I-I'm sorry," Ostar stammered, shuffling her paws in guilt.
Charlotte raised her hand to silence OStar.
"It's fine. I'm fine. What were you saying Rual?" She said, turning to her friend.
Rual shifted his eyes to OStar, then back to Charlotte. "Legends?" He replied.
Charlotte's smile slowly returned, "Oh right, legends. Yeah, save them for later. Nighttime is always a great mood-setter for legends and stories and it's even better if they are told sitting around a fire."
Rual nodded in agreement and nudged OStar, "I remember about a month ago Estella gathered us all in a camping room specifically for me to speak of some legends."
"Yeah, and I ended up falling asleep halfway through," Charlotte added with a small laugh.
OStar blinked, still uncomfortable from her own insensitive question and Charlotte's reaction.
A small realization poked at her brain.
"This is OCTown. Full of creatures from many different universes... Each one of these people here must have their own story, their own origin, their own secrets..."
OStar looked down at her paws, her brow furrowing.
"I must have secrets too... What have I done my whole life?"
She pondered the question for a long moment before being roused by Afina's small voice.
"Why am I always late to wake up?" She yowled, jumping up onto the sofa.
"Hey, Lucerne, Roxxan, and Estella are still asleep so you're not late," Rual pointed out.
Afina stared at him with wide blue eyes before sitting down with a humph.
"I guess you're right, but still," she flicked her tail and then beamed at OStar. "You seem to be settling well! A lot faster than I thought, too!"
OStar laughed a bit, not knowing what else to say.
"Uh oh, here comes the po po," she heard Avaro say loudly before she saw him fleeing back to his room, his arms full of snacks.
The four of them watched as Roxxan ran after him, her eyes a blaze.
"IF YOU WANTED SNACKS, YOU COULD'VE JUST ASKED!" She yelled, making Charlotte snicker.
"I wonder how Lucerne was able to put up with him for so many years," Afina mewed.
"I have no idea," Roxxan replied with narrowed eyes. "Whatever, if he wants to get fat then let him. I won't be the one to shove his round ass off the bed every morning. I'll be the one shoving him down a hill."
Charlotte burst out in laughter and OStar herself had to keep from letting out her own giggles as she pictured Avaro, as a ball, rolling down a hill while Roxxan watched from the top.
"I KNOW YOU'RE MAKING FUN OF ME AND I CAN DO THE SA-!" Avaro called out from his room, abruptly being cut off.
"Sounds like Lucerne is awake," Roxxan chuckled with a smirk, looking over at OStar and the others.
"I can make something for you all to eat if you keep Avaro from pulling off any pranks or stunts. He just likes to act all 'funny' when someone new shows up," she meowed before heading back to the kitchen.
OStar watched the robot leave, thoughts bubbling in her mind.
"If I really am going to stay here, I might as well learn how to be friends with these people." She instantly reflected back to Charlotte and instinctively looked over at the teen.
Charlotte caught OStar's eye and blinked.
"You need something?" She asked.
"Oh! No, no, I'm just looking around, still getting used to everything," OStar replied.
Charlotte shrugged and returned to the conversation Afina and Rual were having.
"I should be careful with what I ask... I don't want people hating me already..."
She felt something stir in her chest.
"But that doesn't mean I'll watch a potential friend suffer. I'll earn her trust, everyone's trust. If they're going to help me, I want to help them."