The Inspection

[acciomod]

On the whole, the weather had been temperamental lately. One minute, it was absolutely bucketing it down, and the next, it was bright sunshine. The amount of rain had turned the ground into a muddy mess, but at least the tents provided perfectly adequate shelter, and a gazebo had been erected over the community dining table to protect everyone from the elements.

Despite the temperamental weather, however, it had been fairly warm throughout the past two weeks, so the chill in the air during dinner that evening was particularly noticeable, even before the dark, hooded figure by the Ministry's representative's desk had been seen.

Nervously, the Ministry representative approached the table.

"I'm afraid we have a visitor," he said, addressing everyone at the table and hoping that anyone not there could hear him. "This is a Dementor, one of the Guards at Azkaban. It's a high security prison. He's just here to, well, ensure that a certain escaped criminal isn't hiding amongst you.

"I don't expect he'll be here for more than an half an hour, so do try not to worry too much. They can make people rather, well... uncomfortable."

Bowing his head slightly, he left the Outsiders to their meal.

[And so, a Dementor is lurking around the camp, just in case one of the Outsiders is secretly Sirius Black. They're known to sap the happiness out of the environment, and - in cases where there are true horrors in someone's past - cause traumatic memories to resurface.

The chilly, depressed feeling can be lifted by the deliciousness of chocolate, though the Outsiders will need to discover this on their own. Good thing there's dessert.]

Comments

[urnotafraid]

[ Everyone has their addictions, although Sho's was getting a little empty here. He sighs as he lights up, blowing smoke a little with his words. ]

Some people are scared, others feel the wrongness. [ Cold wet rain. He loved the rainy season in Mallepa because Kei could come outside during the daytime, but rain in his adult life meant someone was dead. ]

He got outta a world of hell and brought it with him.

[fierybluebird]

[Marco's got no problem with it, if anything he's more tempted to ask for one, but not if the guy's getting low.]

Isn't that always the way.

[Not a question, no matter how it's phrased as such. He doesn't even want to think about what Ace went through in prison, only to spend the last few hours at Marineford. And Blackbeard... Blackbeard, that bastard purposely freed horrors from that hell-hole. Fucking figures.]

[Marco's shivering again though he doesn't even seem aware of it.]

[urnotafraid]

And they expect us to actually enjoy this?

[ Rolls his eyes and takes another puff glancing over at the new guy. A little young, but hey, everyone was looking young around this table. He had to be one of the oldest people here, which just depressed him. What was with people dragging kids into these kinds of things? ]

Wanna smoke?

[fierybluebird]

[Small grin and holds out a hand.]

Desperately, thank you.

I don't think we're supposed to enjoy it, eh. Just survive. Seems like they're taken as much off guard by this as we are. [Honestly, he's just glad he's not getting caught himself and thrown into prison. That would suck.]

[urnotafraid]

[ He tosses the pack at him. There was one left and eh, might as well let someone else have it. They might need it in this place. ]

Still don't mean that they couldn't be a little less inclined in thinking we're the bad guys. Or are harboring one.

[fierybluebird]

Thanks! [Pockets the last one and lights up, making a mental note to get this guy a thank you pack in return for the future.]

Eh, I'm just glad they didn't decide we must all be criminals for invading their world and try to put us in prison with lots of those things, eh? That or they realized we'd fight back harder and it would be more work to cover up. But still, eh?

[Ah sweet nicotine, he's starting to relax already. Even if he can't shake loose the feelings and memories of Impel Down.]

[urnotafraid]

Any time. [ He usually just used the smokes as props any more. His wife had put her foot down about him smoking, especially after their daughter was born. ]

True, they could of, but I get the feeling that none of them like those things. As if they aren't sure if it really is under control or if it is just amusing itself until it feels like eating us all.

[fierybluebird]

What, seriously? Guess that Azkaban place has more in common with Impel Down than I realized.

[urnotafraid]

It's just a feeling. I mean, did you see the way that guy acted before that creature waltz on in here? It's like the creature is playing with all of us.

[fierybluebird]

Eh... he seemed affected by it himself though, eh?

[urnotafraid]

He probably is. [ He drew in smoke, watching the people around the table, watching the Ministry official, watching the gray shadow moving from face to face. ]

Thing is, if you have a prison for people like these magical people, why employ something you're scared of yourself to guard them? If you're scared, you're also just as much as a prisoner as those you wish to contain.

[fierybluebird]

[Thinks that over for a bit, still comparing it to Impel Down, the pirate prison hell from his own world.]

Maybe the criminals scare them more.

[urnotafraid]

How many criminals do you think they got that deserve being attacked by that?

[fierybluebird]

[A bitter laugh.] That requires siding with justice for me to think like that, and that's not something I can do, eh.

[urnotafraid]

I'm the upright man; I gotta look at things from other viewpoints 'sides my own. From what I can figure, this isn't a rational kind of thing to do.

[fierybluebird]

Well, it's clearly emotional. People don't do rational things out of fear.

[Mind you, Marco himself is aware that he's still feeling terrified of black and darkness and those things just a bit right now.]

[urnotafraid]

They fixed me up with a potion. [ Even if it took him a bit to actually use it. ] I think that they can handle their criminals without using those things. It might have been convenient, but all they're doing is creating a bigger problem.

[fierybluebird]

Because they want to punish too. In my world, they just made the prison 5 layers of hell. To punish pirates for being born. [Puffing on that cigarette now.]

What would you have them use instead here?

[urnotafraid]

That's not punishing. That's setting them out to the slaughter. What's the use in punishing if it takes away all your will for finding happiness?

Something that makes sense.

[fierybluebird]

[Shrugs.] That is a punishment. Plenty of people would consider death nearly kinder. After all, what the point of living if you have no reason to be alive.

[Wry grin.] Just because you can't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to them.

[urnotafraid]

What's the point of providing them with anything the moment one of those starts sucking on them? They wouldn't even need containment if the person is too gone to know anything but despair.

They're still a bunch of fools.

[fierybluebird]

[A shrug.] People in despair can still find a way to pull together for freedom, eh? How else did that Sirius Black guy escape otherwise?

Mah, have you ever known any government to be otherwise?

[urnotafraid]

And maybe he didn't get away.

No.

[fierybluebird]

What, you think it's all some excuse to let those things on the loose?

[urnotafraid]

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen it done.