Dreamland (round 3)

[foundationmods]

[A strange house of some sort sits in the pitch black nothingness that exists around it. For those just now wandering in, they will be drawn to the building, finding it lit up in a way that it should not be. It's as if the whole area- house, yard, fence, and giant sakura tree- all give off their own light, and the newly-arrived are drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

Inside the boundary of the yard, the familiar faces of those who have passed on already will greet them. Depending on who is asked, they might give an accurate explanation. But even if they don't, one thing is clear: you don't want to leave this place. The area outside feels Dangerous, and it is probably best to stay put.

Fortunately, the house is built in an old style, and there are many rooms to explore. One room on the second floor seems locked, but the rest are open to explore as desired. The standard rooms are easy to find: kitchen, a W.C. and a bathroom, a sitting room of some sort, and a couple bedrooms (with plenty of futons for the dead to use). There are also several tatami mat rooms with nothing in them currently, but it seems like there might be some use for those rooms.

Around the house, perches for birds can be found. No birds are on them currently, though.

Sometimes Watanuki can be found in the house, but most of the time the dead will be left to their own devices. The question is, what will they do here?]

Comments

[foundationmods]

Oh no, lots of people actually died. But it wasn't really on purpose, you know? Some of it was accidents, and sometimes people killed in self-defense and stuff. So it doesn't really seem fair to blame them for that, you know? It's not like they wanted to hurt anyone.

[excavated]

[ hm, bad ]

. . . Self-defense? What exactly happened to elicit that?

[ He does agree that self-defense does mean that it isn't entirely fair to blame them for that.

Although since Karen's here, he might as well glance at her to see if she has an Opinion on this. ]

[sotoshini]

Murder is murder. If you want to dress it up to ease the guilt or utilize some rule or law that's up to you.

[ He is here and listening even though his eyes are closed most of the time. ]

Justifications are relative. But if you want help, details matter.

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Karen is still not sure how much she wants to talk to a stranger about unjust murder accusations, but this has gone in a Direction, and also Natsuno's comment sounds like a good reason to immediately say something else.]

Are any of the other people involved associate with the same company--the victims, the judge...?

[foundationmods]

[Yeah uh. Good idea Karen. ]

Oh! Yeah, it's all in-house. Secret organization and all.

Are those two gonna be ok? Is there some bad blood that's gotta be fought out?

[oceanicbutterfly]

He [gestures to Natsuno] didn't want to be here, and it's his [hi Syaoran] fault they're here anyway.

[Technicalities make the best cover stories.]

So, to summarize, this secret organization has a group in it that's unpopular. Another group is accusing them of being dangerous, and planning to put on a "trial" as an excuse to get rid of them.

[hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm]

[foundationmods]

[He looks to Natsuno. Then to Syaoran. Then back to Natsuno. ]

That's rough, buddy. Guess you're not 'friends or family' then.

[And right back to Karen he goes!]

That's about It! Titi thinks we might have to be sneaky and rescue them, but I think we would be like, a better lawyer for them? Except I'm not really a lawyer. And it sucks! We need a plan, but there's not much time to make one. We only have the time we have now because a bunch of people went AWOL and they're like 'What the fuck we need to find them.'

[excavated]

Wait. [ . . . ] You said 'a bunch of people went AWOL', right? How many?

[foundationmods]

I dunno, like...more than 20? I don't know exact numbers. But a couple of them are super-powerful, which is why people are screaming over it.

[chaoscontrol]

[HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHing so loud from the mansion you actually might be able to hear him]

[excavated]

[ Filing this information for later as he just looks at John Doe and then glances at Karen. He. He thinks he has a vague idea of what's happening here but at the same time he's kind of clueless. ] I see. But none of us are lawyers either. . . at least, I don't think so. [ SOMEONE CORRECT HIM IF HE'S WRONG SO HE CAN EAT SHIT ] But I do think that depending on the circumstances of the crime, that should be taken into account as well. Since you stated that there were accidents involved. I don't think people should be punished due to an accident. Self-defense makes more sense for some sort of punishment, but if they're really out for blood [ he's taking this literally ] that wouldn't really make them any better than the person that killed out of self defense. But that's my personal opinion, anyway. Would it be possible to argue for their circumstances. . . ? Or would that not matter? Admittedly, I don't think I'm overly familiar with the justice system where you're from, so things might vary there.

[foundationmods]

I don't think that would matter much. They're already mad. Plus, the guy who's running the 'trial'? Hes nuts, AND he's smart. He's going to be the biggest obstacle for sure.

So...maybe that's why I'm here? It's gonna take a miracle, and that might mean a wish.

[oceanicbutterfly]

...the missing people. They might be the solution.

[ARE WE THE CAVALRY? WAS IT US ALL ALONG]

[excavated]

. . . [ He might agree somewhat with what Karen's saying here, but he'll add some input as well. ] Perhaps. Of course, none of us here are the owner of the shop, so it's possible that none of us can grant that wish-- but we can do what we can. And normally a wish would also come with a price, too. But I think we should leave any wishes as a last resort to the problem. [ Especially since they don't own the place. And even more so because Kimihiro had a chat with him about wishes. ]

[foundationmods]

Maybe. But I can't exactly bring in a bunch of people on this, especially when I don't know who they are or if they'll help.

I can pay for a wish though! I pretty much just save up my paychecks, so I have a ton in savings. Unless it's like, trading favors or something. Because I have a tiny bit of magic, but it's not that impressive. Or helpful.

[excavated]

[ Best not to make too many assumptions here because what if they're wrong? But he doesn't want to potentially out them in the off chance that all of them would get into trouble for it. Not just the group of them here in Kimihiro's dreams, but the rest of the others that are still alive... ] Well, the cost of the wish depends on what the wish is as well. It's essentially an equivalent exchange. It can't be too much, or too little. And we might not be able to grant it. [ "Might" being the key word here. He's not a wish granter, he can't do this!! ] What kind of magic do you have exactly though, if I might ask?

[foundationmods]

So it's an equal cost kinda thing? That makes sense. Can't overcharge, or else your customers won't come back.

And I can show you my powers! But I need a volunteer to help me.

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Karen raises her hand.]

[foundationmods]

And the lovely lady volunteers!

['John' jumps to his feet, and he makes a big show of inviting Karen 'up on stage'. ]

Now As you can see, I have nothing up my sleeves. As my assistant, can you confirm that for the audience?

[oceanicbutterfly]

All right.

[So this is a thing, then. Karen... feels his sleeve?]

[foundationmods]

[It's a t-shirt sleeve. So yes, there's nothing there except his noodley arm. ]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[what a dork]

Nothing but a shoulder.

[foundationmods]

The lady confirms it!

[He is 100% a dork.

He will also take a few seconds to move his hand around in some grand, sweeping gestures, until he finally does one last twist and he's holding a dove . ]

Ta-daaaa!

[And then he blows a breath towards the dove, and Syaoran and Natsuno are showered in bright pink glitter. But where did the glitter come from? And where did the dove go? Hmm.]

[excavated]

[ THE TRUE PUNISHMENT WAS THE GLITTERBOMB HE GOT ALONG THE WAY........ ]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Just giggling at you both.]