Stella's Stellar Saga

"I'm so lost..." Stella laments to no one in particular. She had already spent hours wandering the port town. Pretty sure she'd passed that large garbage pile that strangely looks like a sad lizard clown about three times already. True, she wasn't looking for any place in particular, but at this point in time she had hoped for something cool to be around here.

She eventually found a small park area and took a spot at one of the benches to rest. "Ow, my feet are killing me. And I still haven't found any place to eat yet," her stomach growled at the thought of food. "For a port town, you'd think they would have more to do around here, what with all the touristy types wandering about."

Stella sank into the bench some more, debating whether to rest her tired tootsies some more, or to find some food before her stomach starts eating the rest of her insides in retaliation for the lack of nutrients.

"Hmm, I wonder if there's a confectionery around here. I could go for some sweets, like cake! Or a doughnut, maybe some sugar cookies..." She closed her eyes and imagined all of the yummy sweets she could be eating, humming to herself in bliss. She hadn't had any sweets since before she left home, and her stomach was craving some sugary goodness. So much so that she started hallucinating a bub-chi that was made of cookies. And they were standing right in front of her, looking at the shop board in front of them.

Wait, what?

She rubbed at her eyes, getting some of that boat lag out of her head and looked back to where she had dazed off. Sure enough, right there was a bub-chi that looked just like a cookie!

She couldn't believe her eyes. Is she imagining this? Some cruel trick her stomach is playing on her, making her think that there really was a cookie-chi right in front of her, ripe for the tasting? They're made of chocolate chip too, even better. She felt herself starting to drool at the thought of what they tasted like, such sweet chocolatey decadence. The other bub-chi must of heard her somehow, because they turned to look at her weirdly, before turning back and briskly walking away.

"H-hey! Hey wait!" she called back to them, grabbing her things and chasing after them. They didn't respond, and instead started walking faster in hopes of getting away from her. But no one's a match for the solar-flare personified, and just as quickly she ran in front of them and stopped in her tracks.

"Hey!"

Their eyes widened, "Uh, h-hello..."

"You look like a cookie!"

"Uh, yes, I know that?" they looked at her in confusion.

"..."

"..."

Silence. "S-so, is there, something I can help you with?"

More silence from the one in front of them, just staring. This was getting unnerving, they thought as they looked around, wondering if this was some sort of prank. "Uh-"

"Do you know where I can get some sweets around here?" she finally blurted out, startling the other chi.

"Uh, th-there's a bakery near the east side, they sell cakes, I think?"

"Oh sweet, I love cakes!" she said with a hop, "Especially the ones with the melted chocolate in the middle! They're so gooey and delicious I could eat a dozen of them no sweat."

The chocolate-chi just nodded, wondering if she really needed anymore sugar in her diet. Another pause, "...So, anything else?"

She scrunches her nose, before asking, "What's your name?"

"Uh, It's Kuko."

"Why do you look like a cookie?"

"I don't know, why do you look like a devil?"

"I do not! My hair just naturally points up like this it's completely normal!" she emphasized her point by pushing her hands against her head, the spikes bouncing back into place each time she did, refusing to stay down.

Kuko nodded slowly, unsure of what to say to that.

"Do you know how to get to the capital from here?"

"What?"

"The capital! Aclestus! How do I get there from here, do you know?"

"Well, yeah. You can take a train at the train station straight to the capital. Most travelers take the scenic route though to see more of the country.

Stella stared blankly at them, "A what now?"

He tilted his head, "A train? You know, a-a train..."

Another pause, "Yeah, yeah. I know what a train is," she mimicked a conductor pulling on their whistle, "choo choo and all that lovely stuff."

"Yeah... that lovely stuff."

"Is that the only way to the capital?"

"Yes?"

She glared at him, not liking the answer, "No other way? Just a train?"

He thought for a moment, "Well, you could take a boat there, but it's much more expensive and takes longer as well."

Stella furrowed her brow, "No, no that won't work. Boats take too long and I don't wanna wait that long."

"...Okay?"

She lets out a sigh, her attitude seeming to deflate, "So there's really no other way besides a train? No traveling mounts or anything else?"

"Hm, well I don't believe so. It's much too far to take a mount, and too dangerous to take a cart there. Most bub-chi are fine with the boat or the train."

Silence fell between the two, Stella deep in thought and Kuko deep in despair. "Hm, well I guess that settles it," Stella mumbled to herself.

"I-it does?"

"Yep!" she chirped, before turning on her heel and quickly walking away, "I gotta find me some good shoes to wear if I'm going to be doing all that walking. I wonder if it'll be really muddy on the way there. Now how much food can I fit in my backpack I wonder..."

"Wait," Kuko stammered, "What!?" He started to chase after her, "Wait, wait, wait, are you planning on walking all the way to the capital??"

"Yup", Stella responded, matter-of-factly, "Just got to get me some supplies and some new clothes and I'll be all set!"

Kuko was beyond confused now. First this brightly colored bub-chi chased after them to talk about food, then the capital and now she's going to walk halfway across the continent. Is she out of her mind?? "Why not just take the train! It's much faster and much safer, and you don't have to worry about getting lost!"

 She just waved them off, "Nah"

"Nah?"

"Yeah, nah!"

Kuko was speechless. Did this bub-chi have a death wish?!

"B-but what's wrong with taking the train? Is it too expensive? The ticket's aren't that much, I'm sure you could find a way to get the money."

She brushed off their worry as she looked at the shops around her, "Nope, just don't feel like it is all."

"You, don't feel like it?"

"Nope! No interest whatsoever no thank you!", she looked at the display window of a little boutique she found, "Do you think these backpacks are rainproof? Does it even rain in this country? I know there's a desert around here right?"

Okay, now they knew she was out of her mind. She planned to travel, by herself, across a country she doesn't know, to a place she apparently has never been to? Benzel save me.

"Listen," they grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face them, "Please listen to me. You cannot travel to Acletus by yourself! You'll die! Or even worse, get killed!!"

She pulled their hand off of her, "Oh I'm sure it won't be that bad, our ancestors did the same thing decades ago!" With a hand wave and a chuckle she went into the store. Kuko followed her in and stared in awe as she picked up a backpack to examine it. This one was plain, but it had a lot of pockets which she liked.

"Y-yeah, but our ancestors also learned that that was a very bad idea and built way so we wouldn't have to do it anymore!"

Darn, one of the pockets is ripped. She picks up the one next to it. Not as big but the straps looks more durable. "Well, I get what you're saying, but I'm sure things aren't as bad as they used to be. There's a lot more settlements around, and I'm sure there's some old path between each one for me to travel through," Ooooh, there's a blue bag over there, score! "Besides, With it'll be a like an old time adventure! Camping out in the woods, hunting for food, lotsa hiking. It'll be fun!"

They couldn't understand this chi. No matter how much they tried, it just wasn't working, "You're really planning on doing this aren't you?"

"Well of course!", she said as she walked up to the counter to purchase the bag, "Like I said, it'll be an adventure!"

All they could do was sigh at this point. There was no breaking through this thick wall of skull in front of them. Stella soon skipped out of the shop with her new bag in tow, and one of the chocolate bars she found at the counter. Kuko followed her out, watching her ramble on to herself about what she needed to pack, and how much and what kind of food she should bring and do you think there's any wild cocoa beans out there? "So you're really going to do it. Walk to Acletus I mean?"

"Of course! It'll be the adventure of a lifetime!" she emphasized her point by doing a dramatic pose and pointing towards the sky. "I've spent my whole life doing blah, well it's about time I do something amazing! And Upita darn it I'm going to do it, or my name isn't Stella Novella!!", another pose as she throws a fist in the air before running down the street laughing to herself.

All they could do was sigh to themselves. This had to be, by far the strangest moment in their entire life. They still weren't convinced this wasn't just some elaborate prank pulled by their friends or whoever, but they didn't care anymore. Kuko just wanted to go home, crawl into bed and hope by some means this was just a weird fever dream they had. Head in hands they turned to start home when they heard her voice calling.

"Heeeey! Hey Kuko, do you know where I can get some cute clothes around here?"

"..."

Please let this be a fever dream.