[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FJWU0I5.png[/img]
[color=Red][h1][i][b]Chapter One- 
The Benefits of Making Friends[/b][/i][/h1][/color]
[color=Red]Yeah, I know it's a huge banner, but I think I deserve something special for my first solo post, don't you?[/color]
[color=888888]-Kate[/color][/center]

For Kate Carson, the chance to catch up with old friends was a proposition that she found never failed to provide numerous rewards. Although she very easily could have employed the polychronal reality shard she’d received from Xozooth to ascertain the information she sought, one of the perks of her line of work was the fact that she could travel to interesting places, see interesting sights, and, yes, reunite with acquaintances unseen in several years, if not several decades, acquaintances who could offer an array of valuable services. This particular trip would be no exception, of that, Kate was certain. In fact, it promised to be very rewarding indeed…

Widely considered to be one of the shining jewels of the Pacific Northwest, Seayoto was truly a beautiful city, and from her vantage point on the wooded slope of Mount McNab, Kate was afforded an exceptionally breathtaking view of the costal metropolis. The air was crisp and clear, the sun’s rays providing a pleasant warmth to the diminutive photographer, even as they gleamed off the city’s numerous skyscrapers and sent swarms of sparkles dancing across the waters of Seayoto Bay. Yet, Kate wasn’t here simply to sightsee. She had an important job to do, and after scanning the city’s impressive skyline, the photographer shifted her sights to a far more modest collection of structures. Just a short distance below her, and snugly nestled into the forest foliage, was Seayoto Sanitarium, the place where the subject of today’s covert photo op would be found.

Hailed by many in the mental health community as an exceedingly progressive institution, the sanitarium’s patients were frequently afforded time to get some fresh air and enjoy the mountain scenery from the safety of its park-like courtyard. Sometimes, small games were even arranged. But Kate’s subject adamantly avoided those as she was led outside, choosing instead to curl up on a bench and rapidly look around the courtyard in terror, as if fearing a surprise attack at any moment.

[color=Red][i]Yikes…[/i][/color] Kate gulped. [color=Red][i]Good thing I’m hidden in these bushes…[/i][/color]

After zooming in to confirm that this was, in fact, Megan Vanderbeck, Kate snapped a quick picture of the panicked woman and looked over the new information provided by her camera’s display. As it turned out, the woman had, in fact, been visited by agents of the Queen of Hearts, and although they had found no evidence that she, or her daughter, had any relation to their sovereign’s own missing daughter, the experience had throughly shattered the poor woman’s sanity, something further confirmed by the freakout Mrs. Vanderbeck was now having, after noticing that one of the outdoor games being played was [i]croquet…[/i]

[color=Red]“Well now, what’s [i]this?[/i]”[/color] Kate murmured when she noticed that Megan’s file still had more details to convey, her mouth curling into the beginnings of a smirk. [color=Red]“Looks like the Wonderlanders aren’t quite done here just yet…”[/color]

“NoT dOnE! NoT dOnE!” a cheerfully warped voice sang out. “STiLL tImE fOr FuN! HeE hEe!”

Whirling around, Kate saw that the strange voice’s source was an even stranger being, [url=https://i.imgur.com/Bths8Sg.jpeg]a twisted, sinister-looking fairy.[/url]

“ShE wAs UnKiNd, sO I bRoKe hEr MiNd! BrOkE hEr MiNd! HeE hEe!” the bizarre being continued.

[color=Red]“You’re a sadistic little thing, huh?”[/color] Kate noted, not seeming particularly concerned.

“SaDiStiC tHiNg, yEs, yEs, tHaT’s tRuE!” the dark fairy confirmed with demented glee. “NoW iT’s TiMe tO pLaY WiTh [i]yOu![/i]”

With that, a pack of six wendigos appeared in a swirling of mystic energy, all poised to pounce upon the seemingly defenseless Kate.

[color=Red]“So, you’ve got pets, huh?”[/color] the photographer asked with a smirk as she pulled a golden whistle from her jacket pocket. [color=Red]“Well, [i]I’ve[/i] got some pets of my own…”[/color]

However, before she could summon them, the mountainside was suddenly enveloped in a furious blizzard. The sun disappeared as blasts of arctic air propelled churning clouds and blinding sheets of snow, while the temperature rapidly plummeted.

[color=Red][i]Or, y’know, that works, too.[/i][/color]

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Servant of Wonderland!”[/color] a cold voice called out, even as [url=https://i.imgur.com/PHzo8Si.jpeg]a pale figure in a white kimono[/url] emerged from the swirling snowstorm. [color=LightSteelBlue]“You are not welcome here. Dismiss your beasts and get off my mountain at once, or I shall remove you by force.”[/color]  

“HeE hEe!” the dark fairy giggled in its deranged voice. “PeTs iMmUne tO iCe aNd sNoW! YOu’Re tHe oNe wHo’s gOnNa gO!”

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Oh, I don’t plan to harm them,”[/color] the frosty young woman clarified. [color=LightSteelBlue]“I plan to [i]control[/i] them…”[/color]

With that, the six wendigos spun to face the deformed fairy, who barely had time to utter a startled cry before they pounced upon the small creature and began savagely tearing it limb from limb. Once they had finished with their butchery, they dissolved into snowy mist, the blizzard following suit shortly thereafter.

[color=Red]“Thanks, Sarah,”[/color] Kate told the icy maiden as the pair exchanged a friendly fist bump. [color=Red]“That was some trick,”[/color] she added with a chuckle as Sarah helped her up.

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Well, as guardian of this mountain, all monsters on it are bound to obey my commands,”[/color] Sarah replied. [color=LightSteelBlue]“And that goes double for ice-based creatures, like those wendigos. But, really, I should be the one thanking [i]you[/i],”[/color] she added. [color=LightSteelBlue]“I’ve known there was a dark presence on this mountain for a long time, but I could never get it to reveal itself. Luckily, you turned out to be the perfect bait,”[/color] she quipped, giving the photographer a playful grin.

[color=Red]“Glad I could help, though I think I’m owed a small favor for putting myself in danger like that,”[/color] Kate noted with a smirk.

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Oh, come on! You could have handled those things easy!”[/color] Sarah shot back. [color=LightSteelBlue]“Me stepping in was just a formality! Y’know, basic ‘Guardian of the Mountain’ stuff! But fine, if you’re gonna make such a big deal out of it, how about I treat you to lunch? Michiko’s parents own the best teriyaki place in the city, and [i]I[/i] get a best friend’s discount!”[/color]

[color=Red]“Sounds great,”[/color] Kate declared with a thumbs up as they began their trek down the mountain. 

[color=LightSteelBlue]“I just hope we don’t run into Michi there…”[/color] Sarah sighed. [color=LightSteelBlue]“She’s gonna be so pissed when she finds out she missed the chance to fight wendigos. Seriously, though,”[/color] the ice maiden added. [color=LightSteelBlue]“I’m just thankful we’ve given that poor lady a chance to mend her broken mind. Those Wonderlanders sure are dicks, huh?”[/color]

[color=Red]“Yup,”[/color] the photographer agreed. [color=Red]“But I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them bothering Mrs. Vanderbeck any more, not after what you pulled back there,”[/color] she added with a chuckle.

[color=LightSteelBlue]“So, what’s next?”[/color] Sarah asked. [color=LightSteelBlue]“I mean, it doesn’t sound like this lead really amounted to much.”[/color]

[color=Red]“To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting it to,”[/color] Kate conceded. [color=Red]“Basically this was just a chance to confirm a suspicion and catch up with an old friend. After this, things get a bit more interesting,”[/color] she added. [color=Red]“My next stop is checking in on the parents of the girl the Queen of Hearts is currently convinced is her long-lost daughter. They seem like a pair of total normies, but after what just happened, and considering their daughter’s a paranoid portal witch who works for one of the more influential horrors, well, let’s just say I’m not gonna be taking any chances.”[/color]

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Wow… You really get into some high-level shit, huh?”[/color] Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

[color=Red]“You know it,”[/color] Kate confirmed with a smug smirk. [color=Red]“But the bigger the job, the bigger the payoff,”[/color] she added, twirling her golden whistle between her fingers.

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Guess I should count myself lucky that I can get away with just offering you a free lunch,”[/color] Sarah observed with a wry smile as they continued their decent towards the city below.

[color=Red]“Oh, that’s just the [i]first[/i] half,”[/color] Kate corrected with a raised finger.

[color=LightSteelBlue]“What’s the second half?”[/color] Sarah asked dubiously.

[color=Red]“You’ll find out after we finish lunch,”[/color] Kate told her. [color=Red]“But don’t worry, it’s nothing the Guardian of Mount McNab can’t handle!”[/color]

[color=LightSteelBlue]“Thanks for the vote of confidence…”[/color] Sarah muttered.

Yes, Kate reflected, it truly was a rewarding experience indeed to catch up wth old friends…