Don't lose heart, dear Galowo! We will wait devotedly for your next post. May your recovery be as swift as your writing. *still excited about being name-dropped so dramatically*

Mexi says ehzu! 

-My apologies for missing some days. I went on quite the adventure during that time.-

Realm shivered as they moved down the dark cobblestone road. Foggy shapes rose in the distance--mountains? He had no idea. He only knew that he would much rather be exploring the Chatterbox than following behind this group. The air here was chilly, not like the temperature-moderated halls of his home. But he would enjoy it...he was finally here. He was finally here.

They had plenty of close calls with other CBers, but Kitten held them off with a small stream of small talk, which Realm hadn't expected. She was slightly awkward in conversation to them, but was no doubt familiar with the CBers and unafraid of them.

Suddenly, a large, square-ish shape rose in the distance, wedged between two mountains. Realm's eyes widened, then narrowed as he tried to identify it through the fog. They had passed plenty of structures, both whimsical, medieval, futuristic, magical, and everywhere in between. But this one...it was huge. Realm took a deep breath before tentatively asking the warriors of legend--though their kind seemed happy and carefree--in front of him a question. "...What is that...?" Realm asked slowly. 

Somebody grinned. "That would be our destination."

* * *

As they approached the shape, its features became more and more clear. It was square, with circular towers protruding from the sides. Figures moved about atop the shape, pacing about with assorted objects in their hands. Some appeared to be involved in some sort of construction of battlements atop the...palace? Castle?

An archway protruded from the front of the castle...an archway that they were so close to...so close to the front, so close to the grand entrance...

The bricks of the castle were each made of pads of sticky notes, each in faint pastel colors. Yellow was most common, but pink, blue, and white found a home there too.

A colossal sticky note covered the archway, an intricate drawing of a large, ornate door coated in shapes of brass, drawn in several strange types of ink.

A girl stood in front of the door, a weapon in her hands blazing a steely blue color. Was it made of plasma? Pure light? Realm had no clue. A newsie's cap was pulled down her forehead, shading her eyes and face. Her medium-length brown hair held just the faintest tint of red, and she was dressed in a style fitting for the streets of Brooklyn.

-Congratulations to Brooklyn Newsie for getting Brooklyn's Here stuck in my head, without even doing a thing herself. I will now listen to the entire Newsies (the original Broadway cast, in case anyone was wondering) soundtrack-

The girl leaned against the archway and lifted her wrist, leveling her weapon at them. "Evenin'." She greeted them calmly. The three CBettes in front of Realm exchanged hasty greetings.

"Now what..." She began, lifting her chin. The motion brought her face to the light, revealing startling steel-blue eyes that glinted with a certain hardness...and amusement. "Would three CBers be doing here, smuggling a Glitch, no less?" 

Kitten froze. "He's not a Glitch--h-he's--uhm..." Kitten stammered. The girl sighed and shook her head. "Please." She muttered. Somebody lifted a hand up. "You're not going to, say, tell anyone about the glitch....right?" Somebody asked sheepishly, though she held no embarrassment in her features.

The girl shrugged. "Sorry, but...news spreads fast. I'm not the first to know."

Rosebud took out a slim silver pen from behind her ear and twirled it through the air swiftly between her fingers. "Please, we need to talk to the Sticky Note Queen. The last time a glitch...well, the Chatterbox Rancor inci--"

"Don't talk about that Rancor incident." The girl and Somebody said in unison (Well, sort of. A few words might have varied.). Rosebud flinched. "Sorry....forgot." Rosebud confessed, embarrassed.

The girl shrugged. "In any case...she does want to see you. I'm just here to throw pie at a few certain AEs." The girl swept her gaze towards Rosebud. "Please. For the CB's sake...don't mess up." She tipped her hat towards the three CBettes.

Rosebud nodded, then took a few swift and energetic steps towards the door before stilling herself and lifted her pen towards the sticky-note door. She wrote a single word on it in a fancy, thick cursive. Open.

The sticky note slid upwards, revealing a grand hall made of the same type of sticky-note-bricks from earlier. CBers moved through it, talking, laughing, pantomime sword-fighting, and discussing cake recipes.

At the end of a long, ornate crimson carpet, sat a tall CBette on a throne of golden sticky notes. She was absentmindedly doodling on the arm of the throne, but when she saw Realm, she tilted her head to the side and held a hand up. "Ah, the glitch...I've been expecting you."

Realm--

Psyche! No posts on Sundays, sorry.

The queen observed the group with polite curiosity and wide eyes. 

"You three." She indicated the CBettes with the wave of a hand. "The other CBers wanted to see you....it's about..." She simply nodded her head gravely and bowed in their direction.

"Wait--you've been--expecting me?" Realm stuttered. "Please, I didn't--"

She held up a hand. Sticky notes levitated around it, forming a flower over the palm of her hand before falling to the floor. "...Are you aware of the situation the Chatterbox is currently in?" She asked simply. 

Realm shook his head. "I just got here--I mean--"

The sticky note queen sighed and shook her head. "We never thought it was real." She murmured, "But for Vyolette's sake..." She smiled faintly and straightened up. "My apologies. So, what might your name be?"

"Realm." Realm muttered, feeling absolutely useless here in this hall of busy, excited CBers.

"Realm." She murmured. Sticky notes shot through the air like a flock of birds around her. She simply ignored them. "What a lovely name. Well, Realm...The Chatterbox is on the verge of invasion." She declared, her words holding a certain finality.

"But--I just got here--I mean...what does this have to do with me, Queen of Sticky Notes?" Realm asked slowly. "Please, call me Viola." The queen--well, Viola--said, settling back into her throne, but with remarkable poise. "And...it has everything to do with you, because the Chatterbox is being invaded by glitches."

Uh-oh. What does that mean, "for Vyolette's sake..."?!? Good, or bad?!? AHHH! I need to find out!!! This story is so engrossing!