**Oz: Mailbag Revival of Legends!!**

Cia
Mercia
Irving

Mercia checks, double-checks, and triple-checks the door's lock, as well as the makeshift barricade she made for anyone who has a key.  The windows are covered.  Any suspicious cracks are plugged.  Anywhere a camera could be hidden is blocked.  She checks the room for anyone hiding - visible like, infrared, ultraviolet, everything she can think of.

And then she transforms.

The aether here is so, so irritatingly thin.  Even with all her different souls converting different forms... it's not enough.  She grabs an apple from the tray of food she'd had delivered, and takes a bite.  She grimaces as she forces herself to go through the slow, tedious process of chewing, swallowing, biting again...  As she eats, she glares at the bed.  The thought of having to sleep is such an imposition.  So vulnerable.  So much lost time.  After the painfully protracted process of eating, she lets out an annoyed sigh.  She turns down the bed, tosses aside her clothing, and climbs in.  She closes her eyes.

And a large crowd erupts in cheers.  With a brilliant flash, the effeminate, human form behind the thin curtain explodes into an amalgamation of feathers and eyeballs.  The monstrous, angelic figure wraps itself in its own wings as it rises into the air, then sinks back down again.  This place, the aether... feels like poison.  Mercia struggles to keep her form together.

"Welcome back, everyone, and give a warm welcome to our fourth guest, the mysterious angel who loves bullying kids and may or may not be trying to save her world - Mercia!"  Anna starts clapping, then ducks to avoid the incoming attack.  "Now, now.  I'm sure you want to get out of here as soon as you can - and the quickest way is to cooperate with us.  Just answer a few questions and off you go!"

Mercia stares at her with a dozen eyes from different parts of her body - and another eye is fixed on each member of the audience.  "And why should I do that?"

"Because I know you aren't going to be able to maintain that form for long here, and I assume you'd prefer to have a nice costume to change into instead of being stuck out here naked."

"...What kind of costume?" Mercia asks, voice dripping with venom.

"Well, that's for our audience to decide!  They're also the ones who'll be sending in the questions, so look forward to it.  You hear that, everyone?  Oh, but don't bother asking silly questions like what her real name is or how many souls she's collected.  Get those questions and requests in by Monday night!"

The curtains spread apart to find a small pool set up at the end of a wooden platform.  Anna, dressed in a cherry red swimsuit, is sitting on the edge and letting her legs dangle in the water.

A geyser erupts from the pool, spraying water all around as it spins violently.  As the spray dissipates, a tall, humanoid figure appears.  It twirls before gracefully landing on the edge of the fake docks.  It appears to be a woman dressed in a short, white sundress, but her skin is as black as night but dotted with small points of light that shimmer, shine, and slowly shift.  Her hair glows and alternates between silver and gold.  A wide-brimmed sunhat hides most of her face besides a pair a deep blue lips, and she casually twirls a parasol in one hand.  She uses the other to remove a pair of lacy, white sandals, setting them to the side as she takes a seat next to Anna.

"Hello, Mercia.  That's a nice look for you!  Doesn't it feel better not hiding behind those big old feathers all the time?"

"I'll kill you."

"I'm sure you would if you could!  So, ready to answer some questions?"

Mercia attempts to bash Anna over the head with her parasol, only for it to bounce harmlessly off her head.  "Fine.  Let's get it over with."

"Don't forget your phone!" Anna reminds her.  "I'm tired of explaining everything to everyone, so I just gave her a way to look things up herself.  Now, without further ado,"

Why Male Boo models?

Mercia rolls her eyes.  "I'm so glad to see you aren't just wasting my time."

Carpets drapes match?

Mercia flips her hair.  "Yes."

First thoughts of the holy emperor? Esdeath? The Gallahand?

"The holy emperor... I am undecided about. He did not much impress me in our first meeting, but I suspect he may be holding back.  Esdeath seems competent enough.  Courageous, if nothing else.  The Gallahad...  I could find use for him among my own ranks."

Thoughts on your fellow Outlander Dr. Eggman? Metal Sonic?

"He seems fine.  Unstable, but competent enough to balance this out.  Short-sighted, perhaps, but under my command he could prove a useful pawn.  I've no use for this Metal Sonic."

Dr. Eggman did talk about something called a Chaos Emerald. Apparently its a very powerful gem that carries an almost unlimited amount of power and can even give your very thoughts power.  Does this sound like something you can use on your mission whatever it is?

"It sounds similar to my Soul.  I would prefer to stick with tools I am familiar with rather than introducing an unknown element."

Would you want to escape an island you washed up on? Even if it meant that everyone you came to care about on the island is erased from existence.

You will eventually meet these Outlanders as soon as a certain someone gets off his lazy ass and gets them to the palace. Here are the outlanders that will be brought in by one of the generals.

One of them is a fat but muscular Italian man and he is wearing Yellow and Purple. Brief summary is that he's your stereotypical Mercenary for hire.

One of them is a Humanoid Bean like person. Great with inventions and gadgets. Doesn't really have a handel on the English language. Also is known for having the Fury.

Another Outlander is a Yellow Mouse like creature that's dressed up as a scientist. She can launch electricity from her cheeks and she is very intelligent. She's also a gifted inventor and mechanic. But she can be a bit bossy and she a bit full of herself. Gets along really well with the humanoid bean. Also she will follow most of his orders w/o question for the most part.

The other is a Humanoid ghost like creature. He can travel in the shadows and has access to something called Mega Evolution making his ghost like powers even more powerful. The thing is he's kinda of a loose canon and well a bit of a goof ball. Gets along really well with the humanoid bean also. Also listens to the humanoid bean and is willing to take orders from him.

Finally the last Outlander to be introduced will be a humanoid like fox. She can in a sense the presences of others. Also she may not be able to read minds she can read intentions and auras of others. Also she can use among other things fire and physic abilities. Has a bit of a mom issue and can get very protective of the Italian man they arrived with. Also isn't afraid to speak her mind. As mentioned very protective of the Fat muscular Italian man and will follow his orders without fail. Has a respect for the humanoid bean creature and gets along well enough with the mouse and ghost shadow creature.


Out of all this info given to you here are some questions.

First thoughts on these outlanders you will eventually meet?

"I will make my decisions after I have met them properly and not before."

Cutest? Ugliest?

Mercia stares blankly.  "Such things are irrelevant."

Are they better and worse then the minions you have in your home world?

"My minions are quite effective."

Congrats out of all the present Outlanders including Dr. Eggman one of them agrees with your mission. They even agree to come back to your world after everything is said and done in Oz. The thing is you don't know which of the Outlanders it is could be either one of the six.

Which one do you hope wants to help you?

"I would find the most use from Dr. Eggman."

Which one do you absolutely dread?

"The 'bean' creature would irritate me to no end.  Back in my world, I would not hesitate to strike him down."

By some freak accident, you, June, Yancy, Meridia, Catie, Morgan, and Corva (Anna magics knowledge of who those are into Mercia's head offscreen) have been captured by pirates. You managed to smuggle a lockpick into your mouth, and the lynchpin to your escape relies on you orally transferring the lockpick into the mouth of one of the previously-mentioned women. Assuming they would all make equally better use of the lockpick than you would on your own, who do you kiss?

"If those are my options, I would prefer to rely on myself, suboptimal or no.  If such a thing would be absolutely useless, then I suppose it would depend on whether or not I can expect them to retrieve their gear.  If so, this 'Yancy' seems to provide the most options.  If not, I suppose Corva would be comparatively useful.

Who's your Soulcalibur main?

Mercia sighs as she pokes at her phone. After a few minutes, she shrugs. "This... Sophita looks fine."

Is eating a soul morally equivalent to eating babies?

"Absolutely not. Carrying a soul is a massive responsibility.  Only those prepared to fight and lead and die should take it up."

Who are your S-support candidates in Oz?

"S-support?"  Mercia absently pokes at her phone, then narrows her eyes - dozens of them at once.  "I no longer have an interest in things such as camaraderie or romance."

What's your opinion on plague doctor fashion?

"I have no opinion.  I dislike wearing all human clothing equally.  So far as appearance, I suppose it is at least moderately functional, if inefficient."

You get to have fifteen minutes of teatime with the Ephesian emperor. What sorts of things would you discuss?

"Barring anything actually useful to surviving this world?  His ruling methodology."

What is your ideal form of swimwear?

"None.  If I must, then I suppose a sarong style skirt."

You know Morgan is in Oz right now right. Well that's only kinda of true. You see this is a different Morgan then the one your use to. Let's just say alternate universe. Even though she is almost an exact copy of the Morgan your use to.  Anyways any thoughts, comments, anything you wanted to tell her.  Actually how do you feel about Morgan wanting to harm herself due to killing a guardian? Proud of yourself?

"I am acutely aware of the harm I am doing.  I do not take any pleasure from it, but it is necessary if our world is to survive."

You run into Levi again the person who stole what was rightfully yours. What do you do when you see him?

"Kill him immediately.  Were it not for that bastard's betrayal, I would be one soul closer to my goal.  If I had not given in to foolish sentimentality and a sense of honor, had I not upheld my end of the bargain, I could have claimed two souls that day..."

Anna laughs nervously.  "Well, on that note of child murder, let's uh... let's cut while we do a little costume change and clean up the stage.  Just look at all the water you splashed everywhere, Mercia!"

Mercia responds by kicking water up at Anna's face.

Anna frowns, then responds by shoving Mercia off the edge and into the water.  She starts to laugh, but gets cut off by the force of Mercia grabbing her wrist and dragging her down with her.  The two splash around, locked in combat as the curtains close.

When the curtains rise for the final time, a large staircase has been added to the center stage.  Mercia appears at the top, taking a few hesitant steps in bright red heels, clutching the hem over an bright, sleeveless, ankle-length, white dress with golden trim.  It cuts deep in the back, revealing more of dark skin.  Her other hand holds a bright crown in place on her head.  A scarlet bow on the breast glows brightly.  She stumbles partway down, then grows a pair of wings on her back to help herself stay balanced.  As she reaches the bottom, she does a quick spin on one foot to show off her costume, ending with a small curtsy with a fierce snarl.

Anna slides down the banister, hopping off just before reaching the bottom.  "Everyone, welcome back to the newly crowned Princess Mercia's last round of questions!"

"And then I get to go home, right?" Mercia asks through grit teeth.

"Of course, of course.  Unless you want to stay longer?"

"Hm.  That might give me enough time to figure out how to kill you..."

"First question!"

Favorite food?

"I can not stand the sensation of eating. If I am forced, then most fruits are at least palatable. Given a choice, pears."

Least favorite food?

"Anything... creamy. Pudding, mashed potatoes... cream..." Mercia covers her mouth and gags.

Favorite Color?

"Silver."

Dogs or Cats?

"Dogs."

Favorite Breed of Dog?

"Saint Bernard."

Biggest Pet peeve?

"Liars."

"This is usually talking about something... smaller, like a particular annoying habit."

"Fine. People biting their nails."

Biggest guilty pleasure?

"Biting my nails."

Anna looks closer. "You don't... have fingernails."

"Oh, you caught me. Perhaps my biggest guilty pleasure is being sarcastic towards annoying redheads."

Greatest strength?

"I like to consider myself well-rounded, but I suppose my ability to command."

Biggest weakness?

"I have no weaknesses. Ah, no. I take that back. I'm far, far too kind."

Greatest secret well besides the obvious spoiler related stuff?

"This isn't my natural hair color," Mercia says as it continues to slowly shift between different colors.

Are you a relative of Big Bird?

"I am not."

No, I mean the one from Lobotomy Corporation

Mercia looks at her phone. "'Big Bird’s most noticeable features are its numerous eyes spread across its whole body,' hm? I suppose that does rather sound like me." She reads for a bit more. "I admit there are some rather... uncanny parallels."

If you can learn or invent any kind of magical spell, what would be it's effects?

"Well, I am working on this little something that should save the otherword. It would be nice if I could get that working. Just need a few more Souls, I think."

I seem to notice a bald spot on one of your wings. Have you considered doing a comb over?

Mercia pauses, briefly forming eyes on her wings and shifting them to observe each other from several angles. "Such a thing would impact my balance. Hypothetically, I would just focus aether to the affected area and regrow it."

If you could recruit one Outlander to come back to your world and live there, who would it be? (assuming they're okay with it)

"I don't particularly need any of them, but I could find some use for this Egg-person's inventions."

If you could bring somebody from your world to come to Oz to assist you, who would it be?

"None of them. They're all already stuck trying to carry on our task in my absence. They don't need further difficulty."

Favorite animal?

"This may come as a surprise, but humans. I find you creatures... amusing. The same way you humans are so easily amused by small creatures doing stupid things."

Least favorite animal?

"Also humans. And bugs. Not much of a distinction, really."

Paper or Plastic?

"Plastic."

Rock, Paper, or Scissors?

"What sort of question is that? The answer is so painfully obvious. Scissors, of course."

Greatest influence in your life?

"That is none of your-"

Anna interrupts. "Actually, it's best you don't answer this one. Moving on!"

What is your preferred choice of liquor?

"I don't drink. Anything."

Oh no! You have become visually impaired! How many contact lenses do you buy for yourself?

"My sight is magical. If it were somehow impaired, contact lenses would not be useful."

Can you close off your feelings so you don't get crippled by the moral ambiguity of your violent actions?

"Easily."

"Annnnnd that's it!  You're all done!"

"So send me back to my world."

"Oh, did you think I was sending you back to your world?  Nnnnnope!"

"You-"

Anna signals someone offstage, and Mercia disappears in a flash.  "Yep, that's that!  Now then, let's get those votes for our next guest!"

---

Mercia rolls over in her bed, suddenly snapping wide awake.  She carefully scans every corner of the room, but no signs of any intruders.  Still, something feels wrong...  She spends a few minutes lying awake before fatigue finally forces her to sleep once more.

1) Morgan
2) Bowser
3) Jasper

Galahad
Tai
Sterling