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trialbyselenelion · 2 years ago

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Masters of None (Prologue) - Final Act

(Tw: Discussions of Murder, Suicide, and Capital Punishment. Debates centered on Death.)

“That’s it.” A man said, getting up from his seat quickly.

He was fast, a lean man in a tacky suit and the most ridiculous dye-job I’ve seen yet. Why would anyone want to look like they had a rotten banana peel for hair, seriously?

He was fast, but Deirdre was faster. She practically glided over to him in a second and wrapped her arms around his torso, lifting him up as if he weighed nothing.

“Please take a seat Mr. Hills,” Winona said, still at her podium.

She directed Deirdre to physically take ‘Mr. Hills’ back to where he jolted from. Bernando walked over to the exit to stand guard while Deirdre did as she was instructed. Once he was placed in his audience chair, Deirdre lightly tapped the top of Mr. Hills’ head with her Paddle.

The man yelped and looked at the Executioner with bewilderment, so surprised that he didn’t even take another chance to run once she turned her back and returned to her guard point.

“We may not be able to harm you, as per the law,” Winona spoke up again. “However, that does not mean we do not know how to defuse any volatile situation. Please, listen carefully to what I will say as it will be important for your continued stay here.”

“Get to the murder part!” The patriotically appareled woman called out.

Winona coughed into her fist as a response, before continuing her message.

“I will be honest to you, Selenelion is a strange place.” Winona spoke with a deathly seriousness. “It’s almost ungovernable, it is more of a courtesy that we are allowed in here. At any moment, it may suddenly go back on our agreements to expel you all from itself without warning. This project relies on trust between all parties.”

A hand raised up from the audience.

“Yes Emma?”

“I’m sorry,” a red-haired woman in a girl scout’s uniform began. “But the way you talk about Selenelion, this place, makes it sound alive. Are they actually a person, and I just misunderstood something earlier?”

“No, Selenelion is much more than a piece of land or person.” Winona said. “As you saw with my Signature, things that couldn’t occur back where we’re all from can happen here. Strange abilities, such as the ones you're gifted, and strange landforms, like the ones you’ll see in the forest, can only exist here. It cannot meddle too much, unless for cases of intentional torture which upsets it. However, the agreement on what it can or cannot interfere with left behind a clause in your contracts.”

While Winona spoke, Bernando took his time to walk all the way to the stage after Deirdre took back her spot. He confidently walked up to Winona and both exchanged a knowing nod.

“Please pay attention to the word of Judge Vargas, as he understands the agreement the most.”

Winona took a step back to let Bernando use the podium.

“Hello,” he said with a relaxed but odd voice. “I’ll cut right to the chase, that way you guys can have some time to come to terms with what I'll say. See, when it comes to killing it’s hard to know where to draw the line. Death is already something that was hard to negotiate over, as Selenelion didn’t really understand human mortality and all that.”

“What does that even mean?” A pale young man wearing a cat-shaped beanie asked benignly.

“Trust me, you’d only have more questions if I answered that.” Bernando said, shrugging. “See, killing is already something humans have trouble conceptualizing. If a murder can be justified, should it be punished? What about accidental deaths, from bad luck or a misfire? Is suicide like, murdering yourself? Eventually an agreement was made between our Council Leaders and Selenelion.”

Bernando paused to take in a deep breath, eyes closed as he inhaled and exhaled with renewed purpose. He then opened his eyes and gave the audience a focused look.

“If someone ever dies in Selenelion, the town must come together and discover the truth behind their death. Not only that, but if a culprit exists and is considered ‘guilty’, town majority will decide whether to punish or release them for their actions. This resulted in the creation of The Grimmstown Vote.”

He took a few steps back, clasping his hands together. Once his back touched the curtains behind him, he pulled his hands apart - swinging his arms open as if he was about to give the audience an imaginary hug - and from his palms emerged light.

“Projection!” Bernando shouted, causing the light emitting from his hands to warp and reform.

As if it was a pond rippling from a rock being thrown into it, the white light from his hands slowed its changes until it became a perfect square image. Much like an old school projector, Bernando displayed an entire ‘video’ to the audience, with crisp quality despite being projected on pure air, once again leaving the crowd awestruck over the blatant display of the supernatural.

Behind the projection I saw Winona walking up to Bernando, placing a hand on his shoulder. She whispered something to him, and perhaps this had something to do with how his voice became magnified out of nowhere.

“The Town Vote has three sides.” He said. The image display began by displaying a cartoon image, mostly composed of clip-art like backgrounds and Chibi characters, depicting a witch, a sheep, and a wolf. “These are the Wolves, the Sheep, and The Witch.”

The image rippled again, once it cleared up it displayed a purple humanoid figure with no features, like a pictogram you’d find on a bathroom door. The ‘Person’ was on their back, a red splotch marking their torso. “When a Townsperson dies, the town will hold an investigation to find The Witch - The culprit behind this death or group of deaths.”

Once more the image changed, now displaying the Wolf in a hat Sherlock Holmes would wear, and the sheep.

“All townsfolk besides the Victim and the Town Council will be sorted as either a Wolf or Sheep. Wolves are the investigators, a team of townspeople who are not the Witch/Witches who will use their skills and the equipment we lend them to uncover as much of the truth as possible. The Sheep are made up of every other innocent townie, they will act as both a suspect pool and jury.”

“Black Sheep are a group of Sheep who either witnessed the crime, are related to it, took part in the events leading up to it, or are otherwise persons of interest. White Sheep are townspeople with no connection to the crime, and thus, do not need to be present for the investigation or trial period. Amongst the Black Sheep is The Witch, whose identity is already known to Selenelion.”

As Bernando spoke the images became animated to help elaborate on what everyone was being told.

“After the investigation, which is over once Selenelion decides it is, we will have a trial period. Selenelion will act as a neutral party, while we Council Members will act as translators for it to ensure that the trials go over as smoothly as possible. Selenelion will already know who the culprit is, and exactly how the killing was accomplished. Whether it’s homicide, suicide, or accidental, the truth must be uncovered if you wish the culprit to face any justice.”

The projector now displays the Witch’s pictogram, now with a devilish smirk on its face.

“There will be two votes, one to determine who is The Witch, and another to determine if they deserve a punishment. The punishment is, well, banishment.”

The projector then showed an animated scene of the Witch character being swallowed up by a pitch black hole, falling endlessly in eternal darkness before blinking out of existence.

I felt a shiver go down my spine, despite having no clear idea on what banishment foretold.

“However, Selenelion has decided for itself that some murders can be justified. But only those that are successful.”

You could feel a pin drop with how quiet the crowd got. Trepidation flooded the room as the situation took a turn I’m sure nobody expected.

“If the innocents of the town fail, and the culprit succeeds, the culprit will be granted a reward for evading justice despite everything being stacked against them. Success for the culprit can mean one of three things.”

“First, if an incorrect culprit is chosen for the first vote. Second, if the Innocent Party fails prematurely during the trial or investigation period. Or thirdly, because the town as a united front voted to spare the correctly deduced culprit from any punishment.”

“Projector off.” Bernando said, voice back to normal, and just like that, the light emitting from his hands shrunk down to nothing as if its plug was pulled.

“We’ve written these details down in your personal journals, so you can check them out later for yourself.” Bernando continued. “After all, this stuff’s probably a lot to take in. But thankfully, this is all hypothetical. Selenelion agreed to not hold a trial if any death occurs due to natural causes or old age, anything inevitable ya’ know? Now back to my girl Winona.”

Bernando then left the podium, and Winona retook her place behind the podium.

“Yes, thank you Judge Vargas.” Winona then turned her gaze to the audience. “Now that that has been discussed, please leave this building with two things in mind as I end our town introduction.”

She smiled, much like a worried mother would. “First, please live to your fullest. This town does not exist to be a prison or death pit, it is merely a potential future for all of humankind. None of your signatures were made to cause harm, and the Grimmstown Vote is only a final measure for a worst-case scenario. Secondly, though it may be tempting, please understand that an attempt on someone's life for the slim possibility of winning a reward is foolish. The Wolves will be given any resource they need to uncover the truth, and it’s very unlikely you can convince so many people to release you as an innocent if you are found out as the culprit. The reward is not worth the mark it will leave on your soul.”

A hand then raised up. It was the guy in the trenchcoat, the one a few seats away from me in the same row.

“Yeah, I’d like to know what the reward actually is.” He asked bluntly. “Can’t tease us like that and just not elaborate, I’m curious ‘bout what your town considers a good prize for gettin' away with murder.”

All eyes turned towards him, but he stood his ground as if nobody else existed in the room but the person he was questioning.

Winona in turn, simply frowned.

“A wish, anything within Selenelion’s capabilities.” Winona said ominously. “A single wish, nothing more. Thank you for your time, our meeting has concluded.”

Without another word, Winona turned her back from us and disappeared behind the stage’s curtains.

I heard the rolling of a pair of skate’s wheels and saw the other members of the council, including Chenzira, leave through the front exit.

With everything that just happened, things simply turned quiet. How does someone even react to this situation?

Not only were we supposedly kidnapped with consent, but superpowers and living towns (If that was even what Winona was implying?) also existed. Winona mentioned these all being part of a project, something about Paradise being regained, but it sounds more like we were all led into a brand-new type of hell.

Some people got up from their seats and left without a word, or even any sign that they were disturbed by what had happened. That eventually inspired the more skittish and shaken members to dash right after them.

Anywhere else must’ve felt like a better alternative to just staying in the Town Hall.

It trickled down to only a few people remaining, mostly those in my row and a few others who seem to have taken the news semi-decently. Or maybe they were all still processing it and would run out in hysteria once they caught up to what happened.

“Hey kid, you’re stickin’ 'round?” The man in the trench coat asked me. He stayed in his seat, leaning back with his arms propping up the back of his head.

I made an odd noise. “Huh?”

“Someone has to stay behind and tell Sleepin’ Beauty everythin'.” He said, his eyes darting over to the red head in our row who was still sleeping.

Wait…

“What the?!” I blurted out. “Have they been sleeping through the whole thing?!”

“Yep.” The man in the trench coat and the girl in the cloak said in unison.

“Fucker’s been asleep through the whole thing, hah!” The lady in the Liberty Crown shouted from a far away row. “Can’t blame ‘em, shit got boring ‘till the murder part.”

“How could you say that?” The Girl Scout, Emma, from earlier shouted from her own seat. She had previously been deep in thought before hearing the commotion.

“I have a feeling you cannot make her feel ashamed,” a dark-skinned man wearing a toga-like outfit stated, approaching the area I sat in. He never spoke during the speech, but kept a pensive look throughout, brow furrowing whenever a bombshell was dropped.

“Hah!” The woman in question responded. “Let’s be honest, it doesn’t fucking matter why we’re here if there’s only one thing we gotta do to get out.”

“You seriously don’t mean that do you?” Emma asked, looking disturbed. “I mean, we don’t even know if this wish business is actually real or not…”

“Sure it’s real, you saw the shit those fuckers did in front of your damn face right?” The unabashed woman replied. “We were brought here to kill each other, and more importantly, get away with it. No ifs, ands, or buts. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna get caught off guard by a bunch of knobs wearing whatever. Watch, I’ll win, or my name isn’t Gigi Wesson!”

“...Gigi Wesson, that’s your name?” The man in the trenchcoat asked.

“Yep!”

“Right, I get it now.” He said contemplatively. “Famous bank robber Gigi Wesson, Most Wanted person alive without a bodycount in the thousands?”

“Sheesh, you’d think nobody ever snatched those old papers before the tightwads in Washington got hit by me!” Gigi laughed. “Yep, guess you’re a cop or somethin’ huh? Looking to get that big fat reward?”

“Private Investigator actually.” He said. “Eddy Visconti, P.I.; and I’m not sure I have any reward to claim if we’re not even in America. Or Earth for that matter.”

He held up a journal he pulled out from his trench coat's pocket, on it in gold lettering, much like my own, was his name. Followed immediately by the words “Town Private Eye” under it.

“Hah, so you’re not even a real pig?” Gigi exclaimed. “You’re just the greasy tofu alternative or some shit? Least my stupid title sounds cool, Check it!”

She then pulled out her own Journal, and from it I could see the words “Town Larcenist” written under her name.

“Larcenist?” I asked out loud.

“Special way of saying ‘thief’.” The girl in the cloak explained.

“...Thief?” Someone muttered sluggishly.

I looked over to the person who slept through the whole meeting (Seriously, how did they accomplish that with all the commotion?) now stirring, blinking wearily.

They lazily surveyed the room before settling on a spot on the ceiling to keep their eyes on.

“Welcome to the wakin' world kid,” Eddy spoke to little avail, the now awake sleeper taking several seconds to even turn their head towards the P.I.

“Is this…home?” They asked slowly. “Is this…the market?”

“Huh?” Emma looked concerned. “Are you okay? Do you need medical attention or something?”

“Hospital…bad.” They said in response, looking at the seat next to her rather than the actual person questioning them.

“What, did Mophead get a concussion or something?” Gigi asked. “You, what’s-your-name, With the sash - you got a badge in nursing?”

“My name is Emma Maas, and it's first aid." She responded, pulling up the part of her sash that held the appropriate badge. "It's a completely different thing from nursing, I'm just a Girl Scout Leader. The Town's only one apparently."

"Only one?" The girl in the cloak questioned.

"Yeah, I sorta just asked the guy in the poncho about the whole title thing when he came to pick me up." Emma elaborated. "Apparently, every title is one of a kind, regardless of skill set.I’m the best Girl Scout Leader here, so even if anyone else in this place had that job they wouldn’t be the Town GSL.”

“I guess that makes sense, one of those badges of yours is for archery right?” The red hooded girl asked.

“Yeah.” Emma answered.

“I’m the Town Archer, so I guess I’m better at it than you?” She said, pulling her own journal out of her cloak. On it was the name Ivy Sampson, and it indeed described her as the Town Archer.

“What is this fucking show and tell?” Gigi asked nobody in particular.

“Show…and tell?” The drowsy person from earlier said, looking at everyone making noise over books.

That’s probably why they took their own journal out, though they held it backwards.

“Turn it around kid.” Eddy instructed them, and they listened.

Now that I could read the cover, I could see that their name was Angel Ramos and their title was Town…Stockbroker.

“No fuckin’ way.” Gigi said, narrowing her eyes behind her sunglasses.

“Wait Angel are you serious-”

“Un-Hell.” Angel said, interrupting Emma.

“Sorry, Angel, are you really a Stockbroker?”

“Stocks…good.” They drawled out. “Bull good. Bear bad. Market good. Crash bad.”

“Well, I’d feel left out if I didn’t introduce myself either.” The man dressed like a Greek emperor said, chuckling as he took out his journal. “Name’s Odias Megalos, I am blessed to be your Town Philosopher. But feel free to call me Oz.”

“Sure, oh great and powerful one, weren’t we just talking about murder a while ago before firecrotch derailed the conversation?” Gigi spat. “What’s with this stupid ass sharing sesh-”

“My name’s PJ by the way.” I said quickly.

'Mostly because I got the feeling that Gigi would intrude upon me if I tried to introduce myself after her spiel.' I thought.

“Hi...” Angel responded.

“Wh-okay I’m out of here.” Gigi said defeated, she promptly got up from her seat and left the town hall.

“Finally.” Emma muttered.

“We cannot ignore the fact that she’s correct.” Ivy said seriously. “It’s dangerous to let our guards down just because of how…strange, everything is.”

Oz agreed. “It is quite the conundrum. There is too much detail placed in the construction of the clause, as they call it. After all, while the subject could be brought up naturally, how it would lead to such a conclusion as Winona retold us boggles the mind. Especially in terms of there being a reward.”

“And a wish at that,” I suddenly joined the conversation. I flinched as eyes turned towards me, but relaxed as I realized that everyone was just interested in what I had to say.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for the literal superpowers in full display I would’ve thought they were just fucking with us.” Eddy said. “But that shit Winona pulled, quieting us, I actually felt that.”

“It was like I was drowning, but not, at the same time.” Emma quietly agreed.

“It would be one thing if they actually encouraged us to kill each other, but it’s weird how much they’re pushing the idea that we don’t need to.” I said, scratching the back of my head. “I mean, we apparently all agreed to coming here and just forgot. They probably said that so we wouldn’t want to leave, but then the wish threw everything out to the wayside.”

Eddy jumped onto my train of thought. “With a wish, in theory, anyone who wanted to leave this place would just need to kill someone to get out. I mean, they said it’s not as easy it sounds, so maybe they’re just hoping that it’d be too daunting of a task for anyone to take on.”

“Alas, we come to the true problem at hand.” Oz commented. “Humans are contradictory creatures, tell them not to do something too much and they’ll do it just to prove it to themselves. It’s very likely that there are some amongst our fellow prisoners that have never considered harming another human being before this day, but now the seeds have been planted in their mind with a built-in motive as well.”

“Am I going to die?” Angel asked as if they were a student who’s turn it was to read, completely unperturbed by the conversation.

“...Probably.” Ivy responded bluntly.

“Of course not, don’t say that!” Emma said, trying to avoid upsetting the unphased stockbroker.

“Oh…did I do something wrong?” Angel asked.

“Nah, but I feel like it’ll take a while to explain the basic gist of what’s goin’ on.” Eddy said. “Heck, I’m still not too sure about some of what happened today. Or maybe I just don’t wanna think about it for too long.”

“It is a lot to take in.” Emma lamented. “But we shouldn’t fall into despair over it, I mean, there has to be some way out of this place, right?”

“Maybe, not everything the ‘Council’ said has to be the truth.” Ivy contributed. “But if they were telling the truth, the problem is that we’re nowhere near our home planet, let alone wherever you guys live.”

“Yes, if we are in a new realm - say a planet or dimension - it would be difficult to leave without technology or magical prowess we have not seen yet.” Oz said, pouting. “We very well could be trapped here, and must simply comply with a peaceful existence in this town until our final days.”

“Can we?” I asked anxiously. “I mean, I don’t want to stay here forever. A lot of people probably don’t.”

“Which is why we need to be united on this,” Emma suddenly said. “I mean, maybe if we all join together we can find a way around it, right?”

“If you can even get anyone to buddy up, not like we’re working with a democracy here.” Ivy rebutted. “Our Council was elected by someone else, and working together means working with our Town Larcenist, remember?”

“Maybe she can see some reason?” Oz suggested.

“You saw her just now, I don’t think someone on the run would like to stay imprisoned anywhere, let alone on another world.” Ivy said. “Our best bet is to get everyone together besides her, and even then, we have a slim chance of figuring out how to escape.”

‘If there even is one.’ I couldn’t help but think.

“Escape…Shares in danger?” Angel asked/muttered.

“...Can someone explain to him what’s going on?” Ivy asked offhandedly.

Oz raised his hand. “I’ll do my best, though I’m afraid I can only retell what has been spoken.”

“I’m checkin' out the town.” Eddy said, getting up from his seat.

“Really?” Emma asked.

“No reason not to, I’m thinkin’ we’ll be here for a while.” Eddy offered that as his explanation. “The town’s pretty big, so it’s probably best if we see how our needs are gettin' met. I mean, I spotted restaurants and the like, they gotta have some staff, right?”

“I was already exploring the town, but Taro eventually caught up to me and dragged me over here.” Ivy stated. “I’d like to finish surveying the place on my own.”

They then both stepped into the aisle to make their way out of the building.

“I think I’ll go check out the town too.” I said, looking over to the other three in the building.

Oz was focused on his explanation to Angel, who barely reacted outside of the occasional raising of their eyelids.

“I think I’ll stay here; I have something to check out myself.” Emma said esoterically.

“Really?” I asked.

“Nothing too much, but I was curious about how the stage works.” She replied.

I nodded before making my way over to the exit.

As I reach the double doors, the events earlier today finally hit me.

Holy Shit. What the hell did I just get into?

Hell, did I even get myself into this? Not like I can remember anything.

And I mean anything, after this constant string of info bombs, I slowly began to realize that something’s been wrong long before I left that motel room.

Besides my name, I had no idea who I was.

Heck, PJ Talbot just sounded familiar enough to possibly be my name. I was just called that and immediately accepted it. Chenzira could’ve given me someone else’s journal, but I guess it’s my now.

Well PJ Talbot, it’s not like you can lay claim on a name. Let’s try you out, and maybe I can BS my way through this mess.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the double doors, leaving the Town Hall into a brand-new world.

Paradise Regained?

Hell Uncovered?

Or something else entirely?

All I knew was that this was Grimmstown, Selenelion; and I’m just a visitor.

For how long? Probably until the day I die. Hopefully not because someone wanted some vague ‘wish,’ but who knows.

Definitely not me.

And probably nobody else.

If only I knew what would await us in just a few weeks...

Prologue End

Grimmstown, Population of: 33

#selenelion prologue #selenelion story #plot post #art post

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trialbyselenelion · 2 years ago

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Masters of None (Prologue) - Act 2

Several voices rang out, though admittedly there were less detractors than I expected. I mean, I didn’t get up either despite not liking what I was told, but I thought there’d be some more push back from the others.

About twenty or so people made their protests clear, but less than half of them got up from their seats. Their voices overlapped each other though, so I couldn’t really make out what anyone was saying.

Winona, back straight while staring down the crowd, silenced everyone by bringing both her hands together in a resounding clap. In a manga or cartoon this would be signaled by a visual cue, such as a shockwave, going over the crowd to emphasize how much attention an action can get with enough power behind it. In this case, I could actually see the effect in front of me.

It moved like a literal wave, rippling outwards, pushing past all the dust particles in the building to reach every corner of the room. All conversation died, and the stomping of feet caught everyone’s attention. I looked towards the five people standing in the aisles, all five of them now stood at attention. It was difficult to take such strangely dressed people so seriously, but their stony faces notified everyone that Winona had something to say, and we had to listen.

“You may attempt to cause a ruckus, but you will not be able to do so for the time being.” She began explaining, “This is due to my Signature, which you will understand better once you hear the first announcement to completion. Save your breath, you may ask questions at the end of my speech.”

A few people shakily sat back down, but those still standing tried to voice their opinion. No sound came out of their mouths, however, as if they'd been muted. I couldn’t read their lips, but from their expressions I think they’ve also realized this.

Honestly, how would you react if someone blatantly used a superpower on you?

I looked back at the only visible exit, the double doors I entered through, and saw the rollerblader skating up to them. She stationed herself in front of those doors and pulled out an item from behind her, much like Chenzira did with the journal. It was a heavily worn wooden paddle, the kind found in college fraternity houses.

I was unfortunately aware of what those things were used for, so I understood the cost for trying to leave early as the red-head tapped her palm with her paddle’s jagged edge.

Looking at her, I also now realize that I have yet to see her eyes. No matter how much light shined on her, the area above her nose was cloaked in shadows. Alongside that, there were black streaks of what might’ve been mascara running down her face from her unseen eyes.

I turned back to Winona, who was surveying the crowd with a frustrated look.

I followed her gaze, seeing a lot of my fellow ‘citizens’ with calculating or anxious expressions. Fight or Flight, the most basic options for anyone without a clue on how to respond to a new and strange predicament.

“I know you may be tempted to make a run for it, or yell at the top of your lungs.” She looked pointedly at a large woman dressed as a Nun when she said that. “But for now, please listen to what I have to say. I will explain everything to the best of my ability. I would hate to have anyone restrained, which I will allow if the situation calls for it.”

I looked over to the giant Nun and saw a man sitting next to her, a robed guy with an off-putting haircut, who placed his hand on her shoulder - instantly calming her.

Others in the audience settled down, or at least surrendered to the insanity. Once everyone was back in their seats, Winona began again.

“I will restate myself,” she said. “My name is Winona, and I am the Town Mayor. As of today, as citizens of Grimmstown, your wellbeing is now in my hands.”

“You have all been selected beforehand to participate in the Paradise Regained Project, an experiment in immigration to secure human development for Millenniums to come.” Winona stated. “Selenelion was recently discovered as of this century, but today marks only the first day of your current settlement on its land. You have been chosen by a select number of investors and engineers tied to this project, and though you may not remember doing so, you have all signed legal confirmation of your participation in this lifelong event. You have all agreed to, and will comply with, a contract that states you will live on Selenelion for the foreseeable future.”

No attempts were made to interrupt Winona this time, but not because there was nobody against what she was saying. It was clear that even those who were calm in the beginning felt taken aback by what Winona stated. What she had implied was that: not only were they no longer anywhere near their original homes, but that they will remain in this strange place forever until the day they die.

Some, like the girl in face paint or a teen in an oversized jacket, remained amused at the current situation. I didn’t know if they just didn’t believe Winona, or were truly unperturbed by the bombshell dropped on them.

I was glued to my seat, overcome by the strangeness of the situation.

Specifically, the fact that I wasn’t as concerned about this as I knew I should’ve been.

After all, this woman I’ve never met before just told me that I agreed to live and die in some place, only discovered recently mind you, and just forgot about it. That is suspicious as hell.

Winona sensed the concern plaguing her citizens and spoke accordingly. “Do not fear, your relatives and other loved ones were notified of your departure. Several Non-Disclosure Agreements were put forth to ensure you would all comply with the decision. You are neither missing, nor held against your will under the laws you abide by. Understand that you will all have a one-of-a-kind experience, because you are the first settlers on a brand-new frontier for all of humankind!”

Though she spoked energetically, her citizens did not match her enthusiasm. If it weren’t for the fact that Winona had magically silenced everyone, you would be able to hear the mutterings of several people calling hooey on what she said.

“Your needs will be met, and neither you or those close to you will have to pay a single cent for food, shelter, and any other basic amenity you would need to live a long, fulfilling life.” Winona continued. “And, we have a wonderful governing body to ensure any complication that may arise will be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.”

Winona motioned to one of the men in the aisles, someone dressed like a historically accurate cowboy - sombrero and all - with dark blue hair.

“Pato Hernandez-Torres, our Town Sheriff.” Winona said, introducing the man. “And who can forget his loyal Deputy Chico.”

Something then stirred from under Pato’s sombrero, he removed it and bowed. Perfectly balanced on top of his head was an actual live chicken, a masked one at that, comically too big to have ever naturally fit under that hat. The bird had Krueger-like claws over its talons, hopefully more for show than action.

Chico the chicken fluttered off Pato’s head and landed on his arm, on which he wore a thick leather glove so that Chico could really dig his fortified talons into.

“These two will handle most situations, especially those involving physical violence.” Winona said. “Please do not confuse them for the police, for they are much more efficient than that. Next, I would like to introduce another man of the law, our Town Judge - Bernando Vargas!”

She then motioned to a tanned man with very large hair, and with its green color it made his head look like a piece of broccoli. He wore a red polo shirt and white shorts, alongside sweatbands on his wrists and around his head, like he was ready for a game of tennis or badminton. Outside of the numerous band-aids covering every inch of exposed skin, the only other thing of note was the fact that he obviously wrote “Hunk Alert” on his shirt with black marker.

I mean, I wouldn’t not consider it; but come on man, show some humility.

“Judge Vargas will assist in legal discussions that require more time than usual; he can turn a weeks' worth of discussion into a day-long session at his best.” Winona said, before turning her attention to a man with dual-dyed hair. “As for non-legal negotiations, such as for resources and trade, we have our Town Banker, Taro Asakawa, for that.”

Mr. Asakawa was a man who wanted the left side of his body to stand out next to his right side, with the only things of note on his right half being an eye tattoo and blue dye job. The left side of his body was decorated with jagged tattoos. Random patterns, arrows, and smears painted all over that abruptly cut off before they reach the other side. He even took the extra step of dying the left half of his hair yellow.

“As I introduce our next council member, please keep an open mind as I tell you her role.” Winona spoke cautiously. “Sometimes, the toughest choices must be made by someone who’s judgment will not be clouded by resentment or pity. It is necessary to have Devil’s Advocates, alongside a Devil or two as well. Understand that though her profession is one of death, she will not harm anyone without the approval of at least four other council members. Deirdre Upton, as Town Executioner, is our ruthless arm against greater evils.”

Deirdre, the girl armed with a paddle, grinned as she bowed.

A lot of people stood up at this point, regardless of the silence placed upon them, upset despite Winona vouching for the apparent Executioner. Deirdre seemed to only relish in this negative reaction.

“And last, but certainly not least, is our Town Safekeeper Chenzira Israel!” Winona continued despite the wordless protests in front of her. “Our record keeper, and head of both Human Relations and Human Resources. Not to mention, the glue that holds this town together.”

Chenzira shrunk into herself with mild embarrassment as the metaphorical spotlight was placed on her. It was actually really cute.

“Yes, we might not be what you expect of an elected party of government officials.” Winona said, continuing to ignore the people still hung up on the Town having its own personal executioner. “Do not be afraid, for we were all selected to place the entire town’s needs above our own. It is our own personal vow to value every life here and foster a safe and joyous community. Believe us, almost no crime can be committed here under the Town’s watch.”

I looked over to Chenzira again as Winona spoke, she was no longer looking directly at the Mayor and chose to hone in on her shoes instead.

“We also understand that you are all very agitated, and may fear that some harm may fall upon you.” Winona continued. “Which is why we provided you all with your own special form of self-defense. Signatures, much like the one I used before.”

Now that caught people’s attention. Eyes went up over the implication that everyone had abilities like Winona, this must be what every powerless main character in a fantasy story must feel when a random stranger tells them they’re the chosen one.

Well, I guess we’d be the chosen Thirty-Three. Thirty-Nine if every Council Member had a ‘Signature’ like Winona too.

“Signatures are abilities given to you based on your Town Role, you may ask your personal journals what that entails whenever you see fit.” Winona elaborated. “Town Roles are exactly what they sound like, every member of our community will need to take part to foster prosperity and companionship. So to assist those with no experience, or those looking for a familiar routine, we have assigned you roles that best suit your abilities and character. Many of these roles may very well be your occupation before you moved here. Perhaps it’s a specific talent, or just a hobby that can help brighten up everyone’s day.”

“In a few seconds I will use my Signature, Front Woman, to release you from my Mute.” Winona said with excitement. “Then we can begin questioning, and I implore you all to raise your hands. I will try to address any and all citizens who want more answers, but I cannot promise that I have all the knowledge you may believe I hold."

With another shock-wave backed clap, sound returned to the new citizens of Selenelion.

Hands shot up, a sea of extremities that would’ve obscured even Winona if she wasn’t on an elevated platform.

“Yes…” Winona paused, surveying the hands to pick one out of the crowd. “Maximillian! What is your question?”

Maximilian, who was the man who calmed down the Nun, stood up. He kept a serene smile as he spoke, looking at Winona with all of his attention.

“Yes I do have, I do believe I have one.” He said nonchalantly. “I believe that the main question is over my gap in memory. I don’t see you as a liar, I truly don’t, but I must admit that I am worried over not remembering any contract being signed or how I awoke in a strange bed far different from the one I slept in last night.”

“Hm, yes of course.” Winona nodded. “During the move to Selenelion it was determined that the journey would be difficult if your bodies were not fully protected. When you were moved here, you were put into suspended animation to ensure that you’d be perfectly secure within your traveling chambers. However, the procedure that placed you all in this superior sleep comes with a side effect similar to some tranquilizers. Specifically, a loss in memory that may vary in length between each person.”

“And I should assume that we all agreed to this procedure, with the side effects in mind?” Max, because Maximillian is a mouthful, asked.

“Of course, feel free to request your contract from either Judge Vargas, Chenzira, or Taro. They have access to the contracts you all signed and can deliver copies to your room personally.”

Max nodded before speaking again. “Then may I ask a follow-up question.” (I guess we're moving on from the Suspended Animation part)

“Yes.” Winona answered.

“Is there truly, with the contract in mind, no way to return home.” Max asked with a serious face.

People began muttering, some even whispering amongst each other. This was the moment everyone was waiting for, but as I took a glance towards some of the Council Members, I realized that they almost looked uncertain over the question.

Or maybe even…uncomfortable with it.

Except Deirdre, she was ecstatic over Mac's question.

“Yes.” Winona answered with a frown. There was a hollow look in her eyes, as she stared above us all to some far back part of the ceiling.

Max took a pause over her reaction. “May I ask how?”

Everyone looked at our supposed Mayor.

“Crime was factored into the creation of this project, and we’ve prepared for all situations.” Winona said, almost robotically. “We have studied you all for potential hazards, and placed safety measures for the worst crimes imaginable. Especially if we ever planned to include animals, children, or other vulnerable citizens in the near future.”

Silence rang throughout the Town Hall. I mean, it wasn’t something anyone likes thinking about. Truly ‘deviant’ stuff, specific crimes that I almost don’t want to think out loud about.

“We have reached the conclusion that that some types of behavior require our full attention, even if it may overstep a boundary we placed on ourselves as to not directly meddle in your lives.” Winona continued with a serious glare. “However, we disagreed over a specific crime and its consequences.”

“What crime?” A blonde man in a letterman jacket asked with a shout.

“Murder.” Winona replied. “The act of killing another citizen.”

Winona almost didn’t need her magic or whatever, everyone was quiet. Rapt in what she was saying, even if they didn’t want to believe what they were hearing.

All except for one.

The woman in face paint, with the ridiculous 4th of July-ready costume.

I looked over to where she sat and saw her leaning forward with renewed interest. Her feet now planted on the ground, because now she gave a shit about what was being said.

“Now we’re getting interesting.” She chuckled, and suddenly, I realized that something bad was going to happen.

Something very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very bad.

#plot post #selenelion prologue #selenelion story #art post

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