Meryll (Holiday)/Stories
While engrossed in writing her next great manuscript, Meryll receives a request from the Guild to pass out presents-as Santa! While doing so, a distraught kid becomes upset about his favorite character's fate until Meryll helps out with her drawing skills. Other kids notice this and quickly line up, leaving Meryll neck-deep in overtime!
Meryll: Wh-what is with this outfit?!
Meryll: There's no way I can go out in this! I'm a huge introvert, this would be way out of character for me!
Alk: Hmm... I don't think anyone will recognize you! You really should give it a try-it looks great on you!
Stella: You look so cute.
Meryll: Erm? Y-you're not pulling my leg, are you? Hehe...
Meryll: Wait-YOU ARE, AREN'T YOU?! Why do I have to go out in this outfit?!
Pur Lilie: It was a request, of course! You'll be passing out presents to all of the kids and... Wait, didn't we go over this last week?
Meryll: Erm? L-last...week?
Meryll: That does sound familiar... But I was busy pouring my heart and soul into my manuscript! I probably wasn't even paying attention to you!
Pur Lilie: A promise is a promise! Anyway, we need to get going! Those presents aren't going to hand themselves out! Let's go!
Meryll: Eek? Wait just a minute! Give me at least some time to prepare!
Meryll: H-happy holidays! Come get your presents... Hehehehe...
Alk: Erm... Meryll, could you try to act more cheery? And maybe lose the creepy laugh? You'll scare the kids.
Meryll: No way! That's just who I am! Ugh, this "shy girl has to learn to be more open" trope is so overused!
Light: What exactly does she mean by that? What is a "trope"?
Alk: That's a rabbit hole you don't want to go down, Light. Anyway, her Santa impression could really use some work, don't you think?
Meryll: H-haaappy holidays!
Meryll: And for you... Since you were such a good boy... you get a picture book!
Meryll: Wait, is this the newest entry in the "Wandering Knight" series?! I LOVED this one!
Light: A tale about a knight, huh! Now that sounds intriguing.
Meryll: You've read it too?! The tension between the knight and dragon's fiery love and their need to kill each other had me SHAKING!
Little Boy: I don't like that. I want something else.
Alk: Oh no, really? Sorry about that, looks like there was a mistake...
Meryll: Erm, how about this. Could you tell me what you wanted?
Little Boy: ...A happy ending
Little Boy: The knight loses in that one! So I want a different one!
Meryll: Ah... That's what you meant...
Alk: Is it one of those endings that's a real downer?
Meryll: Not... exactly? It kind of leaves off a cliffhanger. But there's a lot of foreshadowing suggesting the knight will be resurrected, and-
Little Boy: But I asked Santa to make the knight WIN! It's not fair!
Meryll: Hmm, let's see what we can do...
Meryll: How about this? Our daring knight comes back to life-and realizes he was in love with the dragon all along!
Little Boy: Wow! The knight is back! Are you an author too, Santa?
Meryll: A-absolutely not! I-I'm just a stickler for making fans' fantasies a reality!
Little Boy: Ooh, then after that... The knight should become friends with the adventurer he met in the beginning!
Meryll: Now THAT'S a plot development! He could be all cocky at the start, like "Hmph, it's not like I wanted to save you or anything," but then he'll start to open up!
Meryll: Which sets up a love triang-I mean, rivalry with the squire! "Sir, surely I am the only companion you need on this journey..."
Meryll: Oh my gosh! I need to stop myself before this scene gets any juicier!
Little Boy: Thank you, Santa!
Meryll: The pleasure is mine! You have a very bright future as a writer ahead of you, young man!
Little Girl: Me next, Santa! Can you write a new chapter of "Sailor Sun" for me? Please?
Meryll: Wait, what?
Children: I'm next after her!
Meryll: W-wait just a minute there! P-please form a line! A line!
Alk: The end of the line starts here!
Meryll: *pant*
Meryll: Light... How long is this going to last?
Light: It should only be a while longer! The line is beginning to thin out. Somewhat.
Meryll: What?! We should definitely be done by now! We're getting into overtime territory!
Light: ...Keep up the great work, Meryll!
Meryll: BWAAAH! What kind of a shady operation are you running here?!
Meryll intrigues Stella with talks of a "show and tell" for authors, and the group ends up joining in on the action. At the meet, Meryll is overwhelmed with embarrassment as her fellow authors reveal illustrations inspired by her. In the midst of all this, another book falls out of a bag and the owner quickly tries to hide it, raising Meryll's suspeicions.
Meryll: Phew... That should be the last of it for today!
Light: Looks like someone's in a good mood! Did you have fun too?
Meryll: N-no way! It was nothing... really! I'm just looking forward to today's meetup with my fellow writers...
Meryll: It's a show and tell of out finds from the last expo... Hehe.
Meryll: What is an "expo"?
Meryll: ok
Meryll: I-its... ummm. How should I put it? A gathering? A gathering for... books... I mean for authors! Up-and-coming ones, maninly.
Stella: I would like to read some of these books.
Meryll: R-really?!
Friendly Writer: Hehe, of course you can join! Everyone is welcome here-the more, the merrier!
Stella: Thank you.
Lively Writer: By the way, Meryll! Is this the outfit I keep hearing about around town? It really does look cute on you!
Old-Fashion Writer: Rumor has it Meryll decided to give up penning romance novels and is hoping to star in one instead! She's certainly turning more heads than ever before, hehe.
Meryll: E-excuse me! I'm doing nothing of the sort. I'm only wearing this outfit for a job, I'll have you know!
Meryll: M-moving on! Let's get taking about those findings!
Lively Writer: Hehehe... As you wish. Take a look at this beauty!
Meryll: Ooh, this one is mostly illustrations, huh? Hmm, I've never seen this character before... Is she an adventurer?
Meryll: Wow, she's so cute... but with a pushy, flirty aura! This is some seriously good stuff-
Meryll: Wait a second... IS THAT ME?!
Meryll: What is the meaning of this?! Is this character based on me?!
Alk: Now that you mention it...
Meryll: It is, isn't it? What the heck is this?! A-are they making fun of me?!
Old-Fashion Writer: Well, you and that outfit have been the talk of the town, so a bit of real-world inspiration may have seeped through...
Meryll: I haven't been wearing this for THAT long! How did they draw all this so fast?!
Light: Hmmm, now that I'm looking at it closer, I do see the resemblance.
Stella: It's cute. Do you have any others?
Friendly Writer: We do! Here's another one.
Meryll: Another one?! How?!
Stella: Why is Meryll wearing less clothing in this one?
Meryll: BWAAAH?! I-I would never wear such a thing! And what's with that dialogue?! It's so VULGAR!
Stella: But it's definitely you.
Meryll: No, no no! Th-there's no way I'm THIS cute! That doesn't even look like anything I would wear!
Light: Haha. I have a good idea how you must be feeling right now, Meryll.
Light: Long ago, my adventurers also became the subject of songs and art. Fame is not an easy thing to navigate.
Meryll: Being sung about and having compromising pictures drawn of you aren't even remotely the same thing!
Meryll: And I can't believe that this person didn't even consult with me about this! The nerve!
Meryll: They clearly don't understand industry etiquette! How amateurish...
Meryll: But then again... I do like this design here...
Meryll: I suppose I have to give them credit... the book is superb!
Meryll: Event though its depiction of me is... less than accurate.
Light: This picture shows you writing stories for children! "Fanfan pusher Meryll corrupting the youth." Huh. Not sure what this means, exactly...
Meryll: P-put that down that right now!
Friendly Writer: So which is it? If it's really bothering you, we could always throw in a compliant.
Meryll: ...No, We don't have to go that far.
Alk: What do you mean?
Meryll: I'm not the sort of person to talk ill of another's work...
Meryll: I don't know what other people would do... but I think I'll let this one slide...
Meryll: In the end, it's all about fun, isn't it? I can understand where they're coming from.
Stella: Is this one also Meryll?
Old-Fashion Writer: ...Wait, no, not that one! Th-this is...
Alk: S-Stella! Let's try reading this book instead!
Stella: Why?
Lively Writer: Th-that's right! Don't bother with boring stuff like that! This entry in the "Wandering Knight" Series is WAY more interesting!
Meryll: ...What's the genre of that other one?
Old-Fashion Writer: Uh... perhaps some things are best left unsaid...
Meryll: I want to know... but I also don't. ...Or maybe I do?