Peace and Serenity

[strangerpeople]

[Dying hurts doesn't it? Feeling such horrible pain as you realize that you're breathing your last moments. It makes someone wonder about what would be waiting for them in the beyond. Some would say there is an afterlife and it would depend on how you acted that decides where you will stay for the rest of eternity. But is it fluffy clouds and wings or pitchforks and brimstone? Will you remember anything that was once missing?

Not in your case. There's no clouds or fire nor any of your missing memories restored. Ain't that a bitch.

When you come to, you will be lying on a futon and tucked in like you had fallen asleep there all long. You will also notice that your clothes have been replaced with simple cotton shirts and trousers (for both men and women, hey we feel the ladies can wear pants too!) for better movement. But in Vita's case, probably a blessing considering. But something will stick out about yourselves: any wounds you had on you are now gone and healed. The room itself is simple with a couple floor lamps, a floor length mirror, a window, and a dresser but there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary-wait, a window?

Yes, there is one and when you look out of it, it's sunny. Not only that but there are signs of trees and a river flowing around where you are at. So there are two big things that you will now realize: This is most definitely not near the Base

And...you're not alone.]





(OOC: Welcome to Deadland everyone! This is the overall mingle log for Round 3 and due to the nature of it, this will be a bit more relaxing than the game itself. And since the setting is different from the Base, here are the places where your characters will be able to go to:

EXTERIOR:

-The Temple: Your place of residence for the duration. Unlike the Base which is constantly in a strange futuristic setting, this has the feel of a much simpler time.

-Outhouse: Where you can go to the bathroom. There's only one but thankfully it's actually got plumbing. Just a toliet and sink to clean up once you're done with your business.

-Baths: Or rather one bath. Not many folks live here after all. However, the tub is large enough to fit several people and and there is a box where soap and shampoo is stored.

-River: This river seems to be where a lot of folks like to wash up on. It's really weird according to the one who is living here.

-Pink Pond: ...no seriously, there is some weird pond in the back of the temple with a pink colored something. Are you brave enough to take a dip or a taste?

-Vegetable Garden: A large plot of land behind the temple is reserved for growing various vegetables. You have the normal kinds such as eggplants and carrots and celery but then there's smaller trees that grow warm bread and al dente noodles. We are not joking. And they are delicious.


INTERIOR

-Strangers' Room: This is a large room where the Strangers will be sleeping in throughout their stay. There is a dresser large enough for storing things if they wish to do so but it's mainly for extra clothing. The beds here are not bunks but rather the futons they will wake up on. It's easily foldable and there's no set spaces where you are able to sleep. And yes, both men and women will be sharing this room so I hope you kids have some manners and try not to peep on the other like a bad harem anime trope.

-Kitchen: 'Rustic'...is one way to describe it. But hey, at least there's an ice box to keep things frozen, counters to chop things up, tools to do cooking in, a sink with plumbing, and a fire burning stove. Just clean up after your mess, no one wants to disappoint the person living here.

-Hallway Closet: A walk in closet where extra futons, blankets, and towels are stored. Nothing fancy.

-Locked Room: ???

-Pink Bedroom: Someone lives here and would appreciate it that no one snoops through her things.

-Main Hall: A large room that also works for meetings and gatherings. And for fighters, a good place for sparring. There's several wooden poles for training but that seems to be it.

Enjoy your stay, Strangers!)

Comments

[illusionarymelody]

[Well, Vita can understand him being restless. This place may be nicer than the base, but they are still technically trapped here until they can figure out a way home and she's not going to accept going home without freeing the others. She definitely prefers to be outside and does tend to walk along the river a lot because she's trying to figure out what link it may have to the base. If they arrived via the river, there must be a place they came from and even with fast currents, it can't be that far. Yet she's found little to explain where they entered the river.

Well, as she's walking trying to think about what she's missing here she sees Naoya. Well, at least he's one who is likely to care much about what she did beyond her choosing Akira as a target.]

I admit, I'm surprised to see you here.

[crouching_sin]

[He smiles a little bit as he sees her approach. He hadn't disliked Vita, which is more than he can say for some people. He leans back slightly, looking up at her.]

Well, I hadn't exactly planned on showing up. This isn't what usually happens when I die.

[illusionarymelody]

Actually, I'm more surprised that you would be swayed by those incentives. But truly, I'm more interested in knowing about anything the rest of you learned and how the others are holding up since we have no way of knowing what is going on there.

[She remembers their discussion. Naoya did have an enemy to fight, but he was also confident in his skills, but Rosenkreuz said it was a play for power. That doesn't make sense, but she's also not going to press if it's uncomfortable.]

[crouching_sin]

I wasn't, really. It was more the possibility of getting home. I need to stop Kazuya... I suppose many people might not think of my motives as 'good enough', but they're mine.

As for what we've learned... the base is made out of some sort of material that comes from a person. There were brain scans of someone who is likely pregnant, and some sort of talk about a virus, I believe. Rosenkreuz also took a look at the notes.

[illusionarymelody]

Is Kazuya the woman in the picture then? If so then that's not a terrible reason because your motive for killing her is a good one. What confuses me is why wait until now to act if that was the main reason. [Someone wasn't exactly told about what Marie said at the last trial.]

He did mention the virus, but I admit that's far from my area of expertise. He also mentioned the material could explain some of the oddities present, but those same things are also present here. What you both have said only makes it more clear which side we should be on in this war we appear to have been brought into against our wills and we won't be getting home until that's resolved.

[crouching_sin]

No, no. She's the one who turned him to her side. As for why wait... well. There's a transport coming for Marie, and the ones who will be allowed on are the ones who get away with murder.

... I wish I had more time. There should have been something I could have figured out. Some sort of way to get through the security system, some sort of formula I missed... there should be some sort of reasoning that draws all of this together.

[illusionarymelody]

But that was known from the start. Even the rules mentioned it. Is there some reason you needed to do it now when the past two weeks you could wait?

[crouching_sin]

Well... she did say that our worlds were in danger. So I assumed that the worlds that were spared would be the ones we choose to go to.

Or at least, that it had a better chance of that happening. I don't trust her to hold any sort of promise.

[illusionarymelody]

I don't either. As far as we've learned here, the only threat seems to be one they have caused and dealing with them will eliminate it. I definitely don't trust Marie to hold any sort of promise, but then I tried to kill only because of her threat, not her promise. Her kind usually will make good on threats if they are truly capable of it.

[crouching_sin]

Of course. I'm not entirely sure that she is, but I can understand the sentiment. Unfortunately for her threat there's not really anyone she could have threatened on my end... heh. In any case...

[Something slightly different.]

Have you been all right here?

[illusionarymelody]

Yes, it's a very pleasant place that is the exact opposite of the base. I'd say the only terrible thing is worrying about how everyone is doing and being stuck here with a pervert who humiliated me. At least we're not alone together and he is trying to behave.

[crouching_sin]

[He snorts a little.]

He did cover you up, apparently. And I changed in the women's bathroom after my kill.

... Though it helps that I've been women in previous lives.

[illusionarymelody]

Strangely, I was most upset hearing that Jonathan thought I'd been sexually assaulted. I knew he was already going to be upset for failing to protect me and for the fact that I didn't let on what I was planning when we last spoke. Is he doing all right? Well, as all right as anyone can be after losing people they care about? He's the one I worry about the most.

[crouching_sin]

... He's... as well as he can be, under the circumstances. We had a fight and made up, somewhat - or at least, I explained myself and he seemed to accept it. He seemed quite broken up as the votes were going on.

[illusionarymelody]

[And that also tells her that her letter probably was found and given to him. Good, she expected her butler roommate to find them. And somehow she's not surprised that he grew to even like someone as cold as Naoya.]

Sounds like about the best I can expect for any of them. It sounds like it must have been hard on you as well.

[crouching_sin]

... It's... hm. Definitely one of the more unusual situations I've been in. The God of my world has cursed me to reincarnate with memories intact, so I've been doing things over and over again for over five thousand years. At least this was new.

[The 'hard on him' part, though...]

I'm not the sort of person that gets attached easily. But Jonathan and Akira... they both remind me of my brother from my first life in different ways.

[illusionarymelody]

[And really, she has heard plenty of things, but in her world it's more a curse of immortality that is an issue than reincarnation, but who can truly know when all they have is the Church's teachings and those may not as true as people think they are. But then C told her a few things about his world and she just decided to not ask much because it was all so confusing. Still she can at least understand that five thousand years is a long time.]

Five thousand years? I cannot even fathom that much time. I wouldn't even be able to say if people existed in my world that long ago. We barely even know what things were like at the time of the Great Collapse which was about 1200 years ago. The only thing I can understand is not getting attached. I tried to prevent it as well. Attachments tend to get in the way of duty and only serve to cause pain in a situation like that. Yet I let two people find a way past the walls I built as well. One is from home and currently dead. The other is Jonathan and I'm the one who caused him pain. I think I agree with your earlier sentiment, if only we'd had more time and been able to find a better way.

[crouching_sin]

Interesting... there's no archeological evidence, even? How strange...

... Part of the issue is the fact that no one at home would really believe me, even if I told them. I'm... hm. Mentioned in a religious text, and even if people believe in that being a literally true text, the story wasn't written down correctly. And even so, people still would be unlikely to believe me.

Where have you investigated in this place? I'd like to start on that, but I also don't want to re-tread things if there's no need.

[illusionarymelody]

None, even ruins from that time period are rare. Truly, I'd not be surprised if it's like with your story being written incorrectly and someone actually destroyed those records after the Great Collapse. But I'm sure we can discuss our religions more in depth later.

As far as what we've investigated, we've checked most areas. I admit I haven't looked at the kitchen beyond what is needed for chores. There's a locked room in the temple that we cannot access. I've checked the main hall and the main thing of interest is the painting. The man in it is someone from another universe who fought against the Red Army in the past. I also checked out the river and could find nothing to show how we got here. Just piles of trash all over. Be careful if you want to swim, the current is swift, but with an anchor you can stand in it just fine.

[crouching_sin]

... Hm. I might have to check out these trash piles - they might have something useful. But the locked room... in what way is it locked?

[He will absolutely lockpick if he gets a chance to.]

[illusionarymelody]

Doesn't seem to be magical. I imagine it wouldn't be a complex lock either. However, I do not wish to risk offending our hostess. Akira and I even kept quiet about what we did because I felt it best for her to not know that truth.

[crouching_sin]

Hm. So no telling her about the murder... heh. Well, I will if she doesn't ask directly. Have you asked her what's in the room, at least?

[illusionarymelody]

I haven't had a chance and truly I don't want to risk upsetting someone who has been nothing but kind to us unless I have to.

[crouching_sin]

I suppose. Well, we'll figure it out eventually. Perhaps it will unlock once more people show up.

[illusionarymelody]

That's possible. She did mention someone she knew had gone to the base as well. It just feels so wrong to wish the others would join us even if we aren't really dead.