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the graveyard
You wake up in your bed. At first, it might not seem as though anything has changed...until you try to leave the room. You'll quickly discover that while you can phase through the interior walls of the building, you can't open doors, pick up objects, or alter the environment in any way. Worse, the only people who can see and hear you are your fellow ghosts; to everyone else, you may as well be so much empty air.
That said, there are still a few other things you can do besides just observing those who are still alive. You now have the ability to conjure any food, drink, or reasonably small object out of midair, although anything you conjure will go unnoticed by the living inhabitants. More interestingly, there is now an intricate iron door embedded in the wall of the main room that you're sure hadn't been there yesterday. If you open it, you'll find that at long last you've exited the building...and the world outside looks quite familiar.
In fact, it's your world. Though...it might not be exactly how you remember it when you left.
You won't be able to get far in the area before you feel some kind of barrier preventing you from taking another step, but it's enough for you to know that something has Gone Terribly Wrong. Perhaps it's the bombed-out shell of your building, or the monsters screeching nearby, or the corpses of your army scattered on the ground; whatever the situation is, it's clear that you would have been in grave danger had you still been back home. Luckily, your ghostly status is still in effect even here; while there may be danger still lurking about, none of it will be able to affect you.
The building behind you has taken on a translucent, almost insubstantial appearance; only the iron doors remain as solid as ever. You can simply open them again to return to the cat's domain.
(OOC: Here's how this will work! Whenever someone new arrives to the graveyard, the world outside will change to their canon's world. We'll leave the exact location and situation up to you to describe; the only thing that matters is that it should be clear your character would have been in enormous danger had they been around. Everyone in the graveyard will be able to explore the area, which will at maximum be around the size of a large ballroom; you'll be able to see things outside the area, but you won't be able to take another step forward. You can interact with the setting, but you won't be able to affect anything living, and anything that might pose a danger such as bullets will pass right through you.)
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What had she actually managed to accomplish?]
...
Ja. Please...
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I'm sorry, this must be a lot to take in...
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Is there coffee?
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[Coffee wasn't something that she had made before and she hadn't tried to summon anything she couldn't prepare by hand. None the less she concentrates for a moment before another cup appears in her hands and she offers it apologetically]
I hope that's alright.
[It's not. As far as coffee goes, it's pretty bad]
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How are you doing that?
[Austria will take a sip, scrunching up her face in disgust at the taste.]
Blech...
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Maybe you could try making something better, you definitely know more about coffee than I do. I don't know exactly how it works but if you will for something it normally comes to you.
[She looks over to the wakizashi on the floor and goes to pick it up, inspecting it for marks before putting it back in its sheath]
It doesn't seem to work for objects much larger than this though.
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Will for something... [Sure. Why not. She'll hold out her hand and will for a cup of einspänner]
Oh!
[...She could actually get used to this.]
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What is that? Some kind of dessert?
[It wasn't like the coffee she'd seen people pouring in the morning. In fact it has Youmu quite curious]
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Einspänner. It's Viennese coffee; double espresso, stretched with water and topped with whipped cream.
Would you like one? [She'll make another pop into her opposing hand and offer it to Youmu.]
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Thank-you very much.
[It takes her a moment to try and figure out how to drink it but after taking a sip Youmu seems quite surprised by it]
It's very rich, but somehow I was expecting it to be sweeter. Do you drink this a lot in your home?
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You're welcome.
Ja. I have a strong appreciation for good coffee. It's quite central to my culture.
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[Ever since she mentioned home Youmu just felt worse and worse. It was something she definitely had to tell Austria about but she wasn't sure how she would take it]
Listen, I'm really sorry about everything you've been through and I don't mean to make things worse but there's something I need to tell you.
Your home might not be there anymore...
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That didn't exactly pan out.]
What would you know of that though? [She hadn't mentioned those things to anyone publicly.]
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[Mostly because she hadn't seen it for herself at the time, having spent the first few days of her death trying to get through to Yuyuko. Since then she's been wondering if she should have gone back to tell the others]
There's a door in the main room, when I went through it I suddenly realised why we're still trapped here, why we hadn't passed onto the afterlife as usual. Every time someone died the door went to somewhere new, I suspect you might see your home if you were to look through...
1/3
[Austria will calmly set her cup down and get up.]
If you'll excuse me for just a moment, Frau Konpaku?
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Being able to suddenly pass through obstacles is only mildly startling really.] ...!!
3/3
[Austria grabs at the handle, taking a moment to try to straighten herself up before opening the door. Given how Austria doesn't run very quickly to begin with, Youmu's had plenty of time to catch up with her if she'd like.]
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[Youmu hurried after her, afraid that she might have misinterpreted. There was a door, yes and she could see her home as well but the point of telling her was to give her warning. She quickly arrived before Austria had a chance to see what was beyond]
I have to warn you before you go through, what you see might alarm you. I don't know where it came from or why the living can't see it but I believe Sir Meowington wasn't lying when he said we willingly paid a price to come here...
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Regardless, it's my responsibility to know what is going on at home. So if this will show me then it's necessary I look.
You are welcome to join me if you'd like, but I will not be deterred.
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[Youmu will follow her in, curious to see if the state of Austria's world is any different to hers]
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There's small traces of life. She knows her country has not been abandoned, but there's an deniable emptiness she can sense that someone else might not recognize. Her industry has become practically non-existent. Her influence on the world has dwindled to nothing. Her people have grown weak and aged, with no one to inherit her lands or to pass on their culture.
Her country is dying. A slow, gentle death...
She is dying.]
This... can't be.
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You're a little like me, aren't you? Part of your soul exists outside of your body...
This is it, isn't it?
[Youmu couldn't claim to completely understand the concept of national personifications but she tried to make sense of the situation in simple terms. Anxiously she glanced over]
Are you alright, Miss Austria?
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They are it. I exist for them.
Without them, there is no need for me.
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I wonder why this is happening. It seems strange for so many worlds to be in peril like this...
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...What happened to your world?
[Austria reaches out to the woman, but her hands slip straight through.]
...
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