In a little alcove, near some soda and ice machines...

    [Bish Guy is getting something from the soda machine. Diet Cola, of course. He opens the can
    and takes a big gulp. He sighs contentedly.]

    Voice: Pretty damn good, huh?

    [Bish Guy looks around. Another man, very pale in appearence, is nearby. He's got a haircut
    not entirely unlike James's from Pokemon, but it looks a lot hipper on him. He's dressed like Larvae
    from Vampire Princess Miyu.]

    Bish Guy: (cheerfully) Well, anything's bound to taste good when you've been wandering around
    a big place like this for awhile!

    Man: (Chuckling) I'm inclined to agree with you on that one.

    Bish Guy: Haven't seen you around before. Is that from Vampire Princess Miyu?

    Man: Why yes, as a matter of fact. I thought it was... appropriate.

    Bish Guy: Heh heh heh. Well, have you been enjoying yourself?

    Man: (slightly ominously) Not as much as I'm going to be...

    Bish Guy: (nervous, but not unphased) Do I detect an invitation?

    Man: Are you giving me one?

    Bish Guy: Only if you really want it!

    Man: (grinning evilly) Then I accept. [He lunges at Bish Guy, pushing him against the
    Coke machine. We zoom out of the area just as Bish Guy screams in terror.]
 

Kirin:

    I was making a million apologies in my head -- to Tom, to Amy, to my boss, to Tenchi
    team, to everyone killed in the explosion.

    Then I realized that if there HAD been an explosion, I wouldn't have had any head to
    apologize WITH.

    Groaning, I opened my eyes. A red-headed woman was kneeling over me, looking concerned.
    When she saw me stir, she seemed to look relieved.
 
    "Oh thank God, you're alright. Geez, you really gave us a scare there for a moment!"
    she said. Something rustled uncomfortably in my mind about that statement, but I pushed it
    aside. She held some fingers in front of my face. I couldn't tell you exactly how many as
    they all seemed blurred together. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked.

    "If you'd stop moving it for a moment, I might be able to tell you," I replied somewhat
    groggily.

    "Hmm..." said a male voice nearby. "Could be a concussion. Maybe we oughta suggest
    that the doctor keep a close eye on him..."

    "No, I'm all right, really. Just let me get my bearings again." I shook my head. That
    seemed to clear things up somewhat. "There. I feel better already. Where's Tom and Amy?"
    "If you're referring to the other two, they're all right. They recovered before you
    did," answered the woman. I noticed she seemed to have an eyepatch over one eye.

    Something suddenly occurred to me. I bolted straight up. "Tera'kon! Where the hell
    is Tera'kon?!" I clutched my head as the room span again.

    "Tera'kon? Haven't heard of THAT anime convention before..." muttered another voice
    nearby.

    "He's gone, Kirin. He must have dashed out while we were out of it." I could hear
    Tom's voice nearby.

    "Dammit..." I muttered.
 
    "I know it's kind of irrelevant, by the way, but..." the guy's voice stopped.
 
    "Buuuut?"

    "But that's a FANTASTIC elf costume you're wearing! How'd you get the ears to stay on
    like that?"

    Something about that statement suddenly slammed home an important detail -- the woman
    had said "Thank GOD", not "thank GODS" as is the normal phrase. I began to put the pieces
    together. 'Tera'kon... used that item... but it WASN'T an explosive. Definitely some kind of
    item... looked kinda oddly shaped... which means..."

    "Oh shit."

    "Something wrong?"

    "Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing at all."

    But there was something wrong. I should have guessed Tera'kon would have some sort
    of magical doo-hickey on his person. It must have been one hell of a doozy too -- high
    Level Nine would have been my guess.

    The only way that people could NOT tell that I was actually an elf was if elves never
    existed. We were in an entirely different dimension.

    Having made this lovely revelation, I decided it couldn't hurt to make out the details
    of the environs. We were in a viewing room, of course, but the lights were on -- presumably,
    this was to help with our immediate first aid. The woman who had been kneeling over me was
    pretty, but not spectacularly so, with auburn hair and slightly long features. She was
    dressed in some sort of futuristic-looking jumpsuit -- I could only assume that it was some
    anime character. Nearby, a group of Japanese people were chattering amongst themselves. Two
    of them looked decidedly pale -- 'vampires,' I thought, then brushed the rather un-PC thought
    aside. Tom and Amy were both sitting on a couple of the seats, but Amy's attention seemed
    to be diverted towards the last guy in the room -- a bespectacled, slightly pudgy young man
    wearing a jean shirt and a backpack. In fact, the whole room almost seemed to revolve around
    this guy. It was strange, really.

    Another guy came dashing in. This guy had features which were half rugged and half
    rounded; not exactly a pretty boy, but hardly Robert Redford. He was followed by a woman
    with a medical kit.

    "Alexis, I got the doctor, and -- oh, I see it wasn't really necessary..."

    "No no, that's all right, Greyforce. I think the guy might be a little concussed at
    any rate."

    "I'll be the judge of that," said the doctor and, taking an item out of the medical
    case, she shown a light in my eyes. "Hmm... well, the pupils SEEM normal. I'd say he was just
    a little bewildered, but other than that, he's fine." She put the light back in her case.

    "What about the other two?"

    "They seemed all right to me, although I really think you'd be able to tell far better
    than I could," said the guy in the Canada cap. I detected an air of intent in his voice.

    The woman blushed and checked out my companions. "They're both fine. Just take it
    easy a bit and there shouldn't be any troubles."

    The Canada guy walked up to the doctor. "You're really good at this, you know that?"
 
    The doctor giggled. "Well, I try. Say, you're that Kintaro Amano fellow, aren't you?"
    "Why yes, yes I am," the guy replied.

    "Um, hello, I may be TOTALLY off the mark here, but don't you think the doctor has OTHER
    emergencies to take care of?" I pointed out bluntly.

    Amano seemed annoyed, but the doctor, blushing slightly, said, "Oh! My goodness, you're
    right. What was I thinking... I'm sorry, Mr. Amano, but can we talk more later? Preferably
    in private..." she added suggestively. I rolled my eyes.

    "No prob, babe, just give me the time and the place."

    She whispered something in his ear that seemed to please him, then took off, giving a
    small wave and a blown kiss as she departed. I blinked. Was I the only one that seemed to
    see through this guy like a pane glass window?

    "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but there are places to go, people to see!" said Amano
    cheerfully. "Oh, and about you..." He looked at the elder Japanese woman.

    She winked and said something in Japanese. Something pretty strong, apparently, judging
    by the blush spreading over the younger girl's face and the widening of the boy's eyes. Amano
    winked and, with a "Jya matene!" left the viewing room. Something really disturbed me about
    that. The red-head (Alexis) and the other guy (Greyforce, I believe) took off soon after.

    "Quite the looker, I'd say," said Amy off to my left.
 
    "Um, well, I wouldn't say that..." I began.
    "Oh come on, Kirin, you don't find him at all fascinating?" asked Tom. "The guy really
    seems to know what he's doing."

    "Tom, I admit the guy seems pretty smart, and granted he seems to be quite the ladies
    man, but... well..."

    "Well what?"
 
    "Well, I don't think he's THAT fantastic!"

    The room suddenly seemed to feel stifling as everybody stared at me.
 
    "Kirin, you don't feel ANYTHING towards that guy? He's so charismatic!" said Tom.

    "Yeah, and drop dead gorgeous to boot," sighed Amy.

    "Maybe you oughta open your eyes a bit, pal!" growled the older Japanese woman.

    "He just looks like an ordinary otaku to me..."

    "Oh brother. Come on, you two, we'd better get a move on." The three Japanese
    people left.

    Amy and Tom began to get up as well. "Hold on a sec, you two! We can't just go
    wandering around!" I exclaimed.

    "Why not?" asked Amy coldly.
 
    "Because, well, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!" I replied.
 
    "Explanation, please?" Tom asked.
 
    "I think that thing that Tera'kon threw down... I think we're in another dimension,
    guys," I answered.

    They stared at me for a minute. Then they laughed. "Okay, Kirin, what's your basis for
    THIS particular crazy hypothesis?"

    "Well, the woman said 'Oh my God' instead of 'Oh my Gods...'"

    "So? Maybe she's a monotheist!  We DO have them you know."

    "Well, what about the fact that they didn't realize I was a real elf?"

    "That was the intention of the costume, Kirin. Look I'd like to argue this all day, but
    I think we really ought to start looking for Tera'kon again. Join us when you're feeling all
    right again," replied Amy, and both left the viewing room.

    I shouldn't have expected any less of a response regarding the dimension theory, but I
    was still in shock about their reaction towards my dismissal of Amano. What did everybody see
    in the guy? He didn't seem to stand out for me.

    'Perhaps,' I thought, 'The answer to this puzzle lies in ME. Think: the Daiagen's Lobe
    prevents hypnotic effects right? Well, maybe this Amano guy gives off something like that.
    Something magical...' To test this hypothesis, I took out my mana detector and checked for
    signs of magic. Besides the residual level nine magic (which was to be expected and only
    confirmed my suspicions; I made a mental note to show Tom later), there was nothing else.

    'Odd. Then perhaps it's something he doesn't realize he has...'

Coming up!

-- The plot thickens!
-- And Freon gets into a nasty situation...