A little while later after they'd returned to the house, the countries went into the living room while the girls returned to their room upstairs. It had been agreed that they would continue to share a room until they felt more at home here and they didn't want to get in the way of any important conversations the countries might be having. Now back in the guest bedroom, they sat on their beds from the night before and faced each other to talk.

"Well today has certainly been eventful so far," Sam started. "We woke up in Britain's house, he's taking us shopping tomorrow, and we're now acquainted with the Axis powers."

Reagan laughed. "And Corytha got a welcome hug from Italy."

Corytha sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "More like a death grip, I thought he wasn't going to let go!"

"I don't think he was until Germany stepped in," Sam snorted. "But c'mon, it wasn't that bad."

The blonde smiled a bit in reply. "He's perky, I'll give him that. Still not good with the whole 'touchy' thing though, you know."

At this, Sam's expression faltered. A brief hint of sorrow passed through her eyes.

"I know…"

Reagan broke in, hoping to lighten the subject rather than let it drift down a dark road. "Anyway, how cool is this?" she beamed. "I mean it was shocking at first, but now I'm kind of excited. Meeting them was awesome alone! What if we get to meet all of the countries?"

Sam beamed instantly, her eyes growing wide with her own enthusiasm. Corytha wished she could share fully in the joy, though a part of her was still wary of the whole situation in general. Still, it would be neat to meet her favorite characters…

"I want to meet everyone!" the redhead announced. "I want to talk to Russia, America, Prussia, the Nordics-"

"Ooh, the Nordics. They would be fun to hang out with I think," Reagan grinned. "Didn't you have a crush on Denmark or something, Cori?"

"I-I, um," Corytha rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, I did, but…"

"I think his enthusiasm would be a bit much for her. Maybe Norway or Finland would work better," Sam mused, glancing towards the ceiling.

"Work better?! It's not like we'll end up in any relationships in six months, Sam. It doesn't matter!" she protested.

Sam shrugged and held her hands up defensively. "Hey, we can dream, can't we? Anyway Reagan you should be happy, considering you like England."

Reagan flushed instantly, glancing quickly to the door and flailing her hands.

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "He could be right outside the door!"

The redhead laughed. "Fine, fine."

"I know you guys are excited and all, but is it really a good idea to meet everyone? I mean what if you get all attached to them and then England finds a spell that will send us back? Maybe we should keep a low profile…"

"Corytha, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We aren't going to spend it hiding out in this house," Sam replied.

"She's right, I mean it might be sad the day we leave, but think about the awesome memories we'll have that we met actual anime characters!" Reagan added.

Just by meeting a few of the countries, the girls had come to feel more grounded in this world. It seemed to open their eyes in a way nothing else could, and by talking to them they'd realized how painfully real it felt to be here now. They'd returned to their normal selves within a few simple hours. To say they were relieved with the outcome would be an understatement.

Moments later, someone knocked on the door to their bedroom.

"Who is it?" Sam called out.

"Ciao, it's me~!" Italy's voice rang out from beyond. The girls glanced between one another.

"Come in?"

He opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"They started talking about something downstairs, but Germany told me to go entertain myself elsewhere, whatever that means," the Italian explained quickly.

"We were just talking about today. You can join us if you want," Reagan offered with a smile.

"Okay, great!" he replied, plopping down on the open space beside Sam.

After a few minutes, the curious Italian began asking more questions about the girls themselves.

"So you guys are from America, right?"

"Yep, good 'ole United States," Sam confirmed. "Colorado, more specifically. By the Rocky Mountains."

"That's cool. Are you in school? You all seem pretty young," he commented.

"Yeah, we're supposed to start college soon," Reagan replied.

"I always wondered what going to college felt like… By the way, what were the three of you doing before Britain's spell brought you here?"

"We were just watching tv," Sam said with a shrug. "We live together in the same house."

"Wow, really?"

"Yep! My grandparents paid the house off for us so we could live there for college. Me and Sam are going to the same university; Corytha was just going to take online classes, so we figured it would work well for the three of us."

"Sounds like fun! Maybe you can visit some of us and have a lot of fun before you go home! It could be one heck of a summer~"

"I like the way you think," Sam grinned.

"Would you want to come visit my country?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"Absolutely!"

Both Sam and Reagan had said this in unison, causing Italy to get excited while Corytha smiled softly to herself. While she was a bit cautious about everything, she figured the experience could be quite fun. And what better way to explore a country than by the country himself?

Just then, the doors opened again and the others came into the room, surprised to find the four of them talking on the beds. Italy was the first to speak up, not thinking much of the intrusion, it seemed.

"Hey there guys! Guess what? The girls said they would like to travel! Can they come with me for a little while? It would be so much fun! Of course you can come too if you want to~!"

Germany sighed. Even though he was used to Italy's random ideas and fast speaking, it still made him feel tired for some reason.

"Maybe later, Italy. But they still have to settle here first," he replied.

Britain nodded, crossing his arms. "It wouldn't be good for them to travel right now, they don't even have clothes or any personal supplies."

"Ooh, I forgot…" the Italian seemed to deflate at the realization he couldn't have them over right at that moment.

Reagan and Sam gave Britain pleading expressions, waiting for the unanswered half of the question. He rolled his eyes.

"Once they have what they need though, I suppose if they want to travel there's no point in making them stay here… might as well try to have some fun while they're stuck," he added. The girls and Italy all perked up and inwardly cheered at the victory.

"Anyway we came up here to see if you all would like to go out for dinner," Japan spoke up, getting back to the original reason they'd come upstairs at all.

They hadn't noticed how late it had gotten, but it was already well past four. The tour must have been longer than they thought. Or perhaps they'd talked downstairs longer than they thought? Either way, they were hungry, seeing as the only thing they'd eaten was cereal this morning. Not the most filling thing in the universe, although to Corytha it was honestly all she needed.

Sam's stomach growled shortly after his statement, causing her to rub the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Food would be nice," she replied. A few of them laughed.

"Let's get going then, there's a good pub downtown and it fills up fast around this time," Britain advised, turning to leave the room. They all followed him downstairs and headed into town.

It was a pretty short trip. Within minutes they'd gotten to the pub, gone inside and had been seated at a long table near the back of the place. The girls were told to get whatever they wanted, so Sam and Reagan both set out to find the best thing they could on the menu while Corytha had somehow already decided on something to get. Once everyone had gotten what they'd ordered, conversation slowed down at first until Japan eyed Corytha's almost empty plate. The near silent blonde had only ordered a salad and settled for coke, but was drinking it at a snail's pace to avoid getting a refill. It was odd, considering everyone else had gotten more of a meal, and none of them were over halfway done.

"Corytha are you sure that's enough? You must be hungry," he said, glancing at the empty plate in front of her. Britain looked over and recoiled in surprise.

"You're finished already?" he exclaimed. She blushed fiercely and looked down.

"S-S-Sorry, I didn't mean to wolf it down," she replied, honestly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about that, you should get something else if you're that hungry," Germany advised. He'd noticed how thin her form seemed a little while ago and wondered if she ever ate enough.

"I-I'm fine, really…"

"Yeah, she really doesn't eat too much. She'll be fine," Sam intervened as she took another bite of meat. Corytha mentally thanked her friend for coming to the rescue. After that they let it drop, though even the waiter was shocked to return and find her finished.

Once finished with dinner for that evening they went back to Britain's house and returned to the living room where they were starting to say their goodbyes for the time being. There would be another meeting next week with the countries, so they decided a brief introduction would be made at the end about the girls and their stay just so everyone was aware. Before they left Italy had something else to ask.

"Hey you guys," he said, turning to the girls, "Do any of you have a number? I want to be able to talk to you even when I'm not here! That would be fun, right~?"

Reagan smiled a bit and pulled out her cell phone. "Sure, if you want. Here it is."

The two exchanged numbers before Sam decided to do the same, but Corytha's phone had been left back in their world. Within no time they had already started texting just to verify. Germany rolled his eyes when they seemed to continue.

"Stop texting already, you're standing right there!"

They giggled and put their phones away. That's when Britain furrowed his eyebrows in wonder.

"I wonder if your phones can still contact numbers back in your world," he thought aloud.

"Oh, they can," Sam said nonchalantly. He looked at her in surprise.

"I called my grandmother this morning," Reagan explained. "I had to tell her we'd be gone for a while."

"I see… does she know where you are?"

"I tried to explain it to her, so I think she knows. Alternate universe and all."

"Wait what, really?!"

"Strange that your grandmother would go along with something like that, it seems to me most people would find it farfetched," Japan said.

"Me and my grandma used to talk about this kind of thing all the time," the strawberry blonde waved a hand in dismissal. "About the idea of other worlds and stuff."

"Ve~ that's pretty cool!"

Shortly after, the group finally left to head back home. It was getting late, so Britain told them to sleep well and proceeded to his bedroom. They returned to their own room and plopped down on one bed in a circle, talking as they usually did when it was just the three of them.

"You know, I think I'm gonna like hanging out here for a little while!" Sam grinned.

"I agree, it should be an interesting change of pace," Reagan laughed, receiving another text from Italy. "You know, if we can call our world, maybe when we get back we can still text them, too!"

Sam snorted. "Do they have plans for texting over dimensions?"

The girls laughed and talked about the day and what clothes they might find when they went shopping tomorrow. Most of the talking was between Reagan and Sam, though Corytha chipped in every once in a while.

"Is he still texting you?" Sam asked, peering over Reagan's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's asking about what we're doing tomorrow."

"Oh?"
"He wants us to send pictures so he can see what we get," she laughed, trying to talk and text at the same time.

Sam shook her head and sighed. Then her own screen lit up and she snorted.

"Guess we'll have some reporting to do tomorrow."

Reagan smiled softly, inwardly happy that they had at least one friend here already. Of course it made sense who that first friend was, given Italy's personality. She considered the others to be her friends too but knew they wouldn't all return the title, most likely. Suddenly while replying to Italy she received another message and blinked, seeing it coming from an unknown sender.

"Um, I just got a text from 'Unknown?'"

Sam looked over from her screen while Corytha cocked an eyebrow, observing everything since she didn't have a phone of her own.

"What does it say?"

"Uh… it says, 'Hello. Italy gave me your number, I hope that's alright?'"

"I guess it's one of the countries then."

Reagan: "It's fine, but may I ask who this is? (: "

Unknown: "Oh, my apologies. It's Japan."

Reagan: "Hey Japan! :D I guess Germany is driving then, haha."

Japan: "How did you figure that?"

Reagan: "Well you guys just left like twenty minutes ago, & I'm texting Italy."

Japan: "Fair point. /"

Reagan beamed. "I now have Japan texting me too~" she sang slightly in victory. Sam pouted.

"So he wanted your number but not mine?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure someone else will get your number," she teased.

Sam's eyes narrowed and a mischievous smile spread across her face. "I demand a challenge."

"Huh?"

"We will compete to see who can get more countries to text them!" she announced. "Whoever has the most by the end of our visit, wins."

Corytha's expression dropped, eyelids drooping. Of course Sam would turn it into a contest. One that she couldn't even be a part of, not that she would have willingly gotten involved.

"You're on I guess, but don't be surprised when I win!" Reagan beamed, trying to act sly.

"I think I'm going to sleep now, you guys," Corytha murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"Alright. Goodnight!"

While she went to sleep and they turned off the lights, she could hear her friends giggling in the other bed. Light upon the ceiling told her they were still texting and probably would for a little while. Gradually she forced herself to just close her eyes and go to sleep.

When the next morning rolled around, all three of them were up bright and early, quite excited to get out and see some of the world they were now in. They were happy to be getting some clothes and other things for their stay, but mostly they wanted to see something new since none of them had ever left the USA in their lives. Britain- or Arthur as he asked them to call him while in public- brought them into the part of town with the most frequented clothing stores for convenience's sake.

"Alright, you girls should get at least a week's worth of clothes. We'll see where we're at afterwards and if it's not too much you can get more," he instructed as they approached the first stop. Reagan looked at him and pulled the white envelope from her pocket.

"Well we have some money of our own, we can convert it and pay for it ourselves," she reasoned. He shook his head with a small smile.

"Don't worry about that. If it weren't for me you wouldn't even have a need to buy more clothes, so it's my responsibility to handle these things."

She sighed a bit but thanked him and put the envelope away, pleasantly surprised by the way he was approaching this. She could see his point, although it seemed unfair that he had to waste his money on three teenage girls. It wasn't exactly his plan for them to come here either. But she knew she wouldn't win any arguments over the subject, so she let it drop.

They walked into the store whereupon Sam and Reagan dispersed quickly to explore the rows of clothing. Corytha stood dumbfounded by the entrance for a moment next to Arthur, unsure where to even begin. He glanced at her and waited for her to do something, though she didn't seem like she was going to move anytime soon.

"Yo Cori! Get over here!'

"C-Coming!" she called hesitantly, finally scooting off into the store. He smiled a bit and decided to wait by the front until they were finished.

After Sam and Reagan had found several things they liked, Reagan and Arthur sat on the chairs outside the dressing room while Sam dragged Corytha around the store. The blonde was reluctant to get half the things she saw, the other half being what Sam noticed her paying some attention to. She would grab the item and shove it into her friend's hands to try on. It took a little over fifteen minutes to finally get her into the dressing room to try them on.

The store had similar clothing to what they may find in the US, so it wasn't surprising when Corytha came out in light blue jeans and a white top with white sandals. The top had angel wing sleeves and fitted closely near her torso but remained loose up top, giving it a flowy appeal. With her silver pendent resting over the fabric, she looked nearly picture perfect as she stood there holding her arms.

"W-Well? Does it look alright?" she asked, looking over at her friends. Their jaws had dropped momentarily.

"You're getting that," Reagan said instantly. She looked at Sam. "She's getting that."

"Yes, yes she is."

Corytha laughed a bit at their reactions. It had been like this whenever they'd gone shopping before, after she'd moved in with Reagan. It brought back good memories. She felt it was their way of boosting her self esteem. It usually worked. Before she could return to her room, Sam stopped her.

"Hold on, let me get a pic," she said, straightening her phone and snapping a picture of Corytha looking slightly surprised.

"W-What? Why?" she asked, watching as her friend seemed to be sending her picture somewhere.

"Italy wanted to see what we got, remember? You don't have a phone, so I'm reporting for you," she replied matter-of-factly. The blonde blinked but shook her head and returned to the room to try on the next set.

Eventually they got their clothes and left for the next store. Things had started off pretty productive, they'd each bought two outfits from the first store. At this rate they'd be set before dinner. After stopping by two more places, Sam received a reply and snorted with laughter, stopping them in their tracks.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The redhead, unable to speak at the moment, shoved her phone forward for them to read.

Sam: "here's something Cori got"

Italy: "Wow! Ah she looks so cute! Germany told me to stop showing him pictures but I have to show him this one! :D :D"

Corytha's face flushed slightly. "Did you really have to send him that picture? I look like I just spotted something odd."

"Corytha that's the expression you wear most of the time…"

She stared back for a moment then sighed and turned around, walking ahead of them all for once. The worst part is, she knew her friend was probably right.

Finally they reached the last store and collected a few more shirts and pants, though Corytha and Reagan both found a dress or two they liked. Since they'd managed to hit a few sales, Arthur let them get some extras as promised. He also let Corytha keep a tan fedora Sam had insisted she get, since it made her 'look classy.' The remainder of their time in town was spent getting things like shampoo, toothbrushes and other personal items, though he just gave the girls money and waited for them outside while they got these things. He refused to be present when they had to buy certain things so it was the easiest solution available. When they returned, they gave him any leftover cash and followed him to a local place to eat dinner.

While sitting at the table with all their bags stashed near their feet, Reagan piped up after they placed their orders.

"Thank you so much for everything, Arthur. We really appreciate it," she admitted, still feeling a bit guilty he'd paid for all of these things.

"It's not trouble at all," he smiled. "Like I said, it's the least I can do for bringing you here in the first place."

"Still, it's not like you planned on the spell bringing us here, so it's not technically your fault. We could have at least helped to pay for some of this," she sighed, revealing her thoughts from before. Sam inwardly rolled her eyes, though she respected her friend highly for thinking in this way. She was sometimes more mature than both her and Corytha put together and was always putting others ahead of herself. Even in strange times like this, she was still thinking of others.

Arthur's smile only grew as he shook his head.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't take charge of my own mistakes?"

Reagan simply smiled but let it drop.

"I'm actually not surprised though," Sam changed the direction of the conversation. "I mean what we saw here wasn't all that different from what we see in America, at least clothing wise. On the outside though, it's definitely different."

"Yeah, it's really cool!" Reagan went on, her face lighting up again with excitement. "There's some really neat architecture around here!"

"Have you girls ever been outside of America?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Nope!" Sam said, popping the 'p.' "We're new at this whole tourist thing."

Reagan laughed. "So any dumb questions we might have, sorry."

He chuckled. "That's alright. Do you have anything to ask me?"

The two girls glanced between one another before firing off a few basic questions that he answered with ease. The conversation drifted into the more cultural side for a while and continued even while they ate their meals. To him, it was refreshing for someone to be so inquisitive about these things. As they continued to express interest, he couldn't help but think of an idea, though he was unsure of what they might say.

"Say, are there any places you'd like to visit while you're here?" he asked, glancing between the three of them.

Reagan was the first to grin. "I would like to see the parliament building and Big Ben! The architecture is amazing. Ooh, and the Eye of London."

"It would be cool to see the Tower of London," Sam added.

Corytha rubbed the back of her head and sweatdropped.

"C'mon Cori, I know you have a destination in mind," Reagan prompted, giving her a knowing look.

She sighed. "W-Well I want to see Stonehenge, but I'm not sure how far that is from here."

"Not a problem," Arthur said, closing his eyes triumphantly since they actually did have things they wanted to see here. "It's a little under two hours, not bad at all for a day trip. If you girls want, we can hang around the house tomorrow and then do some touring over the next few days."

"That would be awesome! But… are you sure you aren't busy? I mean you do run this whole place basically," Sam said, growing confused.

"Not to worry, I have plenty of help with all that," he waved a hand in dismissal. "And besides, I could use a bit of a break myself."

Sam pumped a fist triumphantly. "Then adventure it is!"

Reagan and Corytha laughed at their friend's display.

Some time later when they'd all returned to the house, they set out to trash all of the tags and throw their clothing into the wash so they'd be able to wear fresh clothes starting tomorrow. They all had three sets of pajamas as well. Their budget for clothes had been far greater than they were expecting in the end. One by one each of them took a shower, glad to finally feel fresh after nearly three days without either a shower or being able to brush their teeth. It was a much welcomed relief, to say the least.

Corytha was the last to wrap things up in the bathroom upstairs and come back down wearing her icy blue pajamas that had a solid top and striped long bottoms. When she entered the living room, Sam waved her over and she sat between the redhead and Reagan while Arthur sat on a recliner nearby. He'd made hot tea for everyone, so she took a sip from her mug and instantly warmed on the inside, smiling with delight. She was a sucker for warm drinks.

Arthur glanced over at her arrival and smiled briefly at her expression from the tea before remembering something.

"Oh! Corytha, I have something for you," he said, rushing off to retrieve something. He returned with a small bag in his hands and passed it to her. "I got this while the three of you went off before."

The blonde curiously accepted the bag and rummaged through it, her eyes widening when she saw what it was. Her fingers carefully pulled out an iphone. It was space grey in color and was the same generation as Reagan's. She glanced between the phone and Arthur, unable to say anything for a few moments.

"I noticed yesterday that you didn't have a phone. While you're here it would be good to be able to contact your friends or any of us in case of emergencies, though I should hope there wouldn't be one."

"Th-Thank you so much," she stuttered, still in shock. "B-But you didn't have to get something this fancy, I-I mean they cost a lot, and-"

"I pulled some strings," he admitted with a shrug. "The phone didn't cost me a thing, but I did have to pay for a plan. You've got unlimited call and text for a year right now."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I-I don't know what to say… th-thank you, really, I…"

"Well c'mon girl, start that thing up and let me put in your number!" Sam said, bumping her friend lightly in the shoulder. Beginning to grin, she eagerly turned it on and set everything up, even applying nature backgrounds to her lock and home screens. Reagan scooted over to add her to her contacts while Sam did the same. After they all exchanged numbers with Arthur, they returned to watching television while Corytha explored the app store. Even back in their world, her phone had been a simple flip phone with a small texting plan and no apps, so she was curious about what she may find.

The news had grown dull sometime after nine, so Arthur said goodnight before heading upstairs. Meanwhile the girls returned to their room and laid down on their beds, each of them on their phones for different reasons. Reagan was texting, Sam was fighting on Clash of Clans and Corytha had downloaded a Pet Hotel maker.

Feliciano: "How was your day? :D"

Reagan: "It was really fun! ^^ Arthur's going to show us around his place soon."

Feliciano: "Yay~ Are you excited?"

Reagan: "Definitely. I've never been outside the US before. Just walking around today was amazing. We're gonna see the parliament building, the Eye, Stonehenge… we've got a lot to see."

Feliciano: "There will be a lot to show you here too~ Save some excitement for my place too, okay? :D ;D"

Reagan: "XD Absolutely."

Reagan: "Oh, and Corytha got a phone today. I don't know if you wanted her number or not."

Feliciano: "Yea yea~! Please :)"

"Hey Corytha, can I give Italy your number?" Reagan asked, text at the ready since she figured it would be fine.
"I guess so," the blonde replied, distracted by her current task of grooming dogs and cats. Suddenly the question caught up with her and she paused, growing slightly worried. I'm not sure, maybe that's not such a good idea…

"U-Um, actually," she started to murmur. But it was too late, Reagan had sent the text. She glanced over to Corytha curiously.

"What was that?"
"Nothing," she sighed, realizing the damage had already been done. Surely enough, moments later, she heard a ping and looked down to see a message just disappearing from her screen. She gulped lightly and opened up her messages.

Feliciano: "Hey Cori~! :D Reagan gave me your number so I could talk to you!"

Corytha: "Hi Feliciano (="

Feliciano: "You can call me Feli if you want to c:"

Corytha: "Haha, alright. Hello Feli :P"

Feliciano: "So what are you up to, bella?"

Corytha: "Nothing much, we're just hanging out before bed."

Feliciano: "Ah, okay. Did you have fun shopping today?"

Corytha: "Yeah, it was fun. I don't usually shop much."

Feliciano: "You looked great in everything though! :D"

Corytha: "Thanks /"

Corytha: "I think I'm going to get some sleep soon, I'm pretty tired."

Feliciano: "Okie dokie, goodnight Cori~! :D Hugs for you! \(^-^)/ See?"

Corytha: "Goodnight Feli! \(^-^)/"

Feliciano: "Ciao~!"

By the end of the brief conversation, she had a small smile plastered to her face. It had been a while since she'd texted anyone, really. The way he texted was admittedly uplifting, too. Despite the fact he'd startled her yesterday with a hug, reading his messages left her feeling oddly happy.

"I'm gonna hit the hay," Sam piped up, turning off her phone and sliding under the covers with a yawn. "It's been one heck of a day, but we get to be lazy tomorrow at least."

"Yep, and then we've got some sights to see!" Reagan said as she followed Sam's lead and got under the covers. Corytha did the same, rereading her messages from Italy for a moment before setting it on the bedside stand.

Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

AN: Sorry for so many page breaks! On the original documents I was able to change text colors to make it easier to read in between texting and regular writing. Guess I'll have to edit this later perhaps, unless it's not too big of an issue. Also be prepared for editing of some of these earlier chapters in the future because it's been a while and my writing style has changed a bit over time, but most of it will probably be left alone for reflection's sake, as this is my first fanfiction. (: