Katsuko froze open-mouthed at the bus' door, and the undeniable dragon behind her gave her a light push.

"It is rude, and improper, to block Moreover," he said.

"Sorry." She answered before leaping to the ground and getting out of the way. The dragon passed by, and his golden scales became one more of the sights screaming for Katsuko's attention.

The town looked relatively normal... for the first three seconds. Then one realized that the buildings were giant turtle shells, some with plants decorating their windows and doors, some with ivy climbing on their sides, some with more than one floor, the shells stacked on top of the other. The streets were roads of grayish stones, circular, like buried moons. Pretty bronze streetlights shaped like regular turtles dotted the place, still off. Beyond the town, a mountain range covered in dark woods and with snow like powdered sugar on its peak rose towards the chilly, blue sky of winter.

And the people? Over there, a squirrel with an apron talked to a man with a beard made of water, swimming fish included, in a silver cloak. In front of her, a woman with eyes that could only be described as chameleon-like spoke inside a phone cabin, gesturing wildly. Incredible creatures, whether alone or in groups, walked around. Those who saw Katsuko gave her looks full of curiosity before continuing on their way.

She was trembling. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. If it turned out that everything after she jumped onto that bus filled with horned women, and a man with purple-red hair, and driven by a different man with a dog's head was all a lie, she didn't know what she would do with herself.

"Excuse me, young lady. Do you happen to be human?" Asked an elderly voice.

A lady with pale and wrinkled skin, like old parchment, silver-blue hair and iridescent insect wings protruding from her lower back was standing next to her. She wore a navy suit and had a golden pin with the letters OTG in it.

Katsuko blinked. Finding words seemed suddenly hard. Her mouth opened and let out a simple, squeaky, "Yes."

"It's been a while since we had one of you come over. I'm Talulla, Moreover's sole remaining Otherworld Traveler Guide. They don't want to get rid of me since the incident, and I don't want to retire yet, so I'll answer any questions you might have about the town, or this world at large." The winged woman explained. She said it slowly, but Katsuko's brain was still offline, and she had to blink a couple more times to actually ask anything.

"Am I really in another world?" She felt the immediate need to slap herself. Of course, she was. The woman - Talulla - just said that, "I mean... how is this world called?"

Talulla smiled, "A curious question. What did you call the only realm you've known before? We simply refer to it as this world, but we have the term Otherworld to call the one you came from, if that helps."

"Oh." Katsuko rubbed her left arm. It didn't calm her nerves, but she was practically buzzing and needed to release energy someway that wouldn't make her look out of her mind, "Well, um, is there an adventurer's guild?"

The old woman's smile was swapped with a slight frown, "Adventurer? I'm so sorry, honey, you won't be accepted. You need to be an adult to even be taken in as an apprenticeship. And besides, adventures aren't what humans expect. They're uncomfortable things full of blood, and these days adventurers only look for quests so they can smash them before they grow to epic proportions. You wouldn't go on a worldwide journey, even if you were allowed as a member of the guild."

The girl felt herself wilt like a plant, "Oh." She repeated, "What am I supposed to do then? I don't want to go back to... to..." Her voice died before she could say 'home'. It would have been a lie if she called it that anyway.

"Don't worry, we have a program for these situations." Tallula clasped her hands behind her back. Her stance was professional and elegant, "Follow me."

________________________________________________

The streets of the town of Moreover weren't busy or loud. It was the kind of peace interrupted only by festivities or something new and shiny to its populace. That didn't stop Katsuko from moving her neck around wildly, trying to catch every strange view, every wonderfully non-human person. It had the unfortunate side effect of making her rather self-conscious. Her guide did say she was the first human in a while. Still, she kept looking.

Tallula kept talking during the walk, explaining stuff Katsuko listened to and answered, barely aware of doing it. At least she presented herself to the woman properly, instead of high-pitched questions.

"Here we-" Began the elderly voice, right before the girl met the back of the guide face-first. For an older woman, Talulla was a surprisingly unmovable object. 

Katsuko rubbed her nose, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

The woman gestured to the building in front of them. It was composed of two shells, the lower one larger than the one on top, (one would think that was obvious, but they had come across some turtle-buildings built the opposite way). Its windows were arched and a vase with an orange rose bush rested on the entrance, next to a pair of large dark wood doors with golden knobs shaped like curled snakes. The doors had a sign in elaborate letters: LEMON & HONEY'S BATH-AND-TEA HOUSE.

"The lower floor is the owners' business. They live in the upper floor. You'll stay with them, but I'll come visit frequently and if you're uncomfortable, we can search another place for you."

So she was going to be staying with people? If teenagers weren't allowed to be adventurers, they probably wouldn't leave them live alone either. It made sense, but it still made something Katsuko knew well clog her throat. She was used to living with people she didn't know well. She was also used to the things those people didn't say but thought about her.

You take up space.

You are here as a guest, not family.

You aren't one of us.

Katsuko tried to cheer herself up. It could be different. It had to be different, right? She wasn't on Earth anymore. Before she could notice, she had lowered her chin until she was looking at the tips of her shoes.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Talulla.

"Y-yes!" She responded, far too quickly, "I'm sure it will be fine!"

The guide didn't look very convinced. After a moment of the most piercing, questioning eyes Katsuko had ever seen, the elderly woman seemed to decide she could continue. She approached the doors and the human girl followed close by.

Once opened, the doors let out warmth from the insides, like an exhaled breath. Despite her tension, Katsuko moved into the room, fully willing. It was a cold day, after all. A bell rang as they stepped in. They were welcomed by a room that was dimly lit, the kind of illumination made to be lulling. There was an elegant counter ahead, the same shade of brown as the entrance doors and the smaller door to its left side, with buttery candles on top, and a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid along some leaves that were equally blue. In a corner, a little fountain shaped like a gargoyle spewed water into a ceramic vase with water lilies. The place smelled light and fresh, like grass after rain.

Wait, where was all the water being poured going? The vase was filled to the brim. 

"How odd," commented Talulla, pulling the girl's attention back to her, "Normally there's someone at the counter."

As if called by that comment, the door next to said counter opened to reveal a girl. 

She looked to be the same age as Katsuko, no more than fourteen. Her hair was off-white, the little light in the room turning it a pale wheat color. Her eyes were golden-brown like honey behind the frames of a pair of glasses, and she had bushy eyebrows. A fur cloak hung from her shoulders to her thighs. But the more notable thing about her were the furry wolf ears in the place of human ones, the soft deer antlers that grew from beneath her bangs, and the fluffy tail trailing behind her. 

Katsuko mentally slapped away the want to touch the tail.

The girl wore a soft smile that vanished when she laid eyes on Tallula, "Miss Grace." She said. It took the girl an embarrassing moment to realize she was talking about the guide.

Tallula Grace waved her hands in front of her face, "I know, I know. Don't worry, Edelweiss. I'm just here to tell your bosses they are finally going to take in someone from the Otherworld Traveler Program." She gestured to Katsuko, who tried to pry her eyes away from the girl's adorable ears.

Edelweiss the wolf girl studied her. She was still serious when she said, "You are... a human."

"Um, yeah!" Katsuko attempted to sound self-assured, "I am, like, really human! Nice to meet you!" She chuckled, more out of awkwardness than humor.

Edelweiss said nothing for a little while, which she spent staring at Katsuko. Then, she sighed, "They won't be back for an hour or so. Still, I'll have to ask you to leave." She directed the latter to Tallula.

The old lady rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." When Edelweiss grimaced, the guide relented, "I understand, but I can't leave Katsuko alone."

"I'll watch over her. It's being a slow day."

"I guess I could do that. That said, are you okay with me going, Katsuko? Mmh? Katsuko?"

Get a grip, get a grip, petting wolf girls you don't know is probably a bad idea socially, don't do it-

"Katsuko!" She almost jumped from the shout and the clap Tallula gave in her face.

"Yes! Totally fine!" She answered, finally, in the same kind of squeak as when she first met the guide.

"Fine, but have this," The woman pulled out a pamphlet and handed it to the human. "The Otherworld Traveler's office is marked in this map. If you ever need anything, just go there and ask for me, or call me. Using a Clockwork Nightingale is not too different from using those phones you have." With steady steps, Talulla moved to open the doors. Before closing them, she looked at Katsuko once more, "Welcome to our world, young lady. I hope you have a great time, however long it is."