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[IT'S PRETTY DANG STUCK. Don't question it, Jason. Oz has the magic ability to ruin things in impossible ways just by standing next to them for too long. It'll probably take a fair amount of tugging and he might damage the door a bit, but he'll be able to get it open soon enough!

Oz, who sort of scooted over as soon as Jason reappeared with the canister, hovers nearby.]

What do I do?! Should I do anything—?

[ Jason will persevere! Though it will take some effort, so after realizing that, he takes a step back, pulls the pin out of the fire extinguisher, then hands it to Oz. ]

Okay man, as soon as I get the door open to this thing, you just point the nose at it, then pull the trigger. Go crazy, ain't too much in this case.

[ So with that duty passed off, he'll grab the handle with both hands and really give it a good yank to open it. GO OZ. ]

[Oz just stands there holding onto the canister and looking for all the world like Jason probably just made a terrible life decision BUT HE WILL DO HIS BEST!! So as soon as Jason opens the door, he- struggles for a second trying to find the trigger, whoops, BUT WHEN HE DOES

well, first he probably sprays Jason a little, because there's more force behind the extinguisher than he had anticipated. BUT THEN he gets the oven, covering it quickly in foam until he can't see flames anymore.]

Is it out...?

[ That's okay, as long as you don't spray it in his face, he'll be fine... Jason does yell out an obscenity all the same, so Ciel was smarter than he thought to soundproof his dang room, but if nothing else, their efforts aren't in vain. As the "smoke" from the fire extinguisher clears, it leaves on residual smoke from the fire, and a toaster buried in foam. Success!! ]

Ah... Shit, yeah, looks like we go it. Shit...

[ Jason sighs in relief, then brushes off some of the foam that got on him as he steps back. ]

Jesus, how did you get it stuck that bad?

[GOOD because Oz was a little concerned that with his luck, the dang thing would continue smouldering away despite using the extinguisher. IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TOO SURPRISING...

But it looks like the fire is gone and Jason's only marginally splatted with extinguisher foam, so it's a Mission Success.]

Um... I'm not really sure. [IT JUST HAPPENED. A faulty product, maybe, or just Oz's phenomenally terrible luck striking in the kitchen after months of no accidents.]

But thanks for getting it back open!

Well, uh, sorry to break it to you man, but just 'cus I got it open doesn't really mean much.

[ He gives it a meaningful look, since it is pretty much black underneath the foam. ]

Gonna say that one's a loss.

[Whatever was baking inside has become one with the toaster oven... Oz looks on forlornly, sighing.]

I guess I'll just have to buy another one. Still, you stopped it before anything else could catch fire! [AT LEAST THERE'S THAT.]

Yeah, and good thing, too.

[ He sighs, then shakes his head before he points at the canister. The big brother is coming out now... ]

Now, listen, you need to get yourself another one of those, since they're pretty much one use only. And I mean, I didn't end up bad or nothin', but next time, you need to be callin' the fire department before the police, all right?

[NO... HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE but at least it's not a scolding or anything. Scolded by the police... that isn't how he wanted to spend his baking night!!]

Okay! Where do I get them? [...] And what's the fire department? I thought you were just supposed to call the police when you had emergencies...

...Jesus.

[ That bad, huh? He's briefly taken aback by the question, since it's so obvious to him, but after a moment's pause, he explains as best he can. ]

Well, no, not always. Police come to fight the bad guys, but fire isn't really a bad guy or anything. It's just fire. This one was pretty small, so it wasn't no big deal, but if you got a big fire, you gotta have people that are really trained to handle that kind of stuff.

[ He continues his explanation, which includes the number he should call, but after that, he reaches into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, and from there, a small, plain business card. But it's just the contact info they give for every police officer, and this one has Jason's name and contact info on it. ]

Anyway, here. This is all my info, so if you're in trouble, you can call me too. But if it's fire, call them first. [ a beat, then] ...Introducin' myself with a business card feels kinda weird, though, so what's your name? I'm Jason—Jason Stackhouse.

[PLEASE GUIDE HIM, JASON... He is in need of so much help.]

Oh! I didn't know they had a separate group of people who dealt with that... [He just thought it was an all-encompassing thing! Like some sort of Emergency Defense Squad! But this makes sense too, because god knows how they put out their fires where he comes from but they could probably use an entire department dedicated to firefighting.

He'll listen to the explanation attentively though, nodding along and then reaching out to take the business card when it's offered. It's looked over briefly and then tucked into his shirt pocket.

AND THEN THE EXPLANATION IS OVER and it's time to make another friend aw yeah.]

I'll do that, I promise - and my name's Oz! ["And I don't normally set things on fire".] Have you been on the police force here for a while?

Yeah, nice to meet you, Oz.

[ Jason nods approvingly with a warm, friendly smile himself. In his mind, he's definitely thinking that he's going to have to look out for this kid, since he needs Help, but little does he know he needs GFantasy levels of Help. ]

But yeah, ever since I got here, pretty much. Been uh... Shit, two months, I guess? [ He looks incredulous for a moment, but then shakes his head as he realizes: ] Oh, uh, sorry about the language.

You, too! [POOR, POOR JASON. May he rest in peace after he's done being bowled over by the GFantasy Train of Pain.

Oz is well used to cursing by now, at lest, so he shakes his head.]

It's fine! [HE'S USED TO IT and at least Jason doesn't act like a cranky old man while he's swearing, so it works out. More importantly:] But two months? I guess you've been here longer than I have if you've been working there that long.

[CONGRATS, JASON.]

Yeah, probably so. Me and my friends, we've been here longer than most people, I think?

[ He reaches up to rub the back of his neck a bit sheepishly, since that's not the happiest thing to think about, since Mary had just left, but he's leaving figuring that out to Naoi. He wasn't a detective, so figuring out where Mary went... That was better for Naoi. But all the same, Jason gives Oz a smile. ]

You don't live alone here, do you? I mean, not that I'm judgin', but just makin' sure you're safe. [ you did just set your kitchen on fire ]

Ah! Were you part of the group with the burgers?

[Oz has heard many a tale... But he doesn't linger on it for very long either, being as sensitive as he is to the atmosphere, though he just figures Jason probably isn't entirely pleased about being stuck here for so long. Shaking his head!]

Thanks for worrying, but I don't live alone, so it's okay. Grandpa sleeps in that room over there, and Zara and Gil spend a lot of time here, too. We'll be fine! [BUT WILL THEY REALLY.]

Edited 2015-01-29 02:47 (UTC)

[ THE BURGERS... Jason grimaces, but he nods. ]

Ah... Yeah, I was. [ naoi ]

But anyways, that don't matter. It's good your grandpa is here, yeah. I lived with my Gran, er, my grandma, that is, before I came here. [ But that's a slip, so he adds after a beat and a sheepish look. ]

...Well, no, that ain't quite right. Back at home, I mean, since I was in another place before here, but the point is, that's good. He doesn't need any help around the house, does he? [ because jason is here to help actual grandpas... not the rest of my roster ]

[LOOK.......

But Oz just nods along at that, blissfully unaware!]

Mm, nope, we can handle things around here pretty well. It's really nice of you to offer, though. [AND HE SMILES like a stupid sunflower because he really is happy that Jason's being so kind and accommodating... it touches him a lot okay...

But after a second of hesitation:] There seem to be a few people who came here from a place that wasn't their home, I think. That was the case for me, too.

[ He nods in understanding, even seeming a little glad at that stupid sunflower smile... As the conversation shifts, it is to something uncomfortable, so he just waves a hand dismissively, then steps forward with his towel to start helping clean up now that the smoldering ruins are cooler. ]

Yeah? Well, hope it was better than mine, then. [ He laughs, trying to play it off, but he does break eye contact as he starts to clean. ]

I've heard of some places that aren't so bad, but place I was at before this? Real messed up. So even if this is some Matrix shit, tell you what, I'm sure glad to be here instead.

[ He realizes that this towel isn't going to do the job though, so he steps back. ]

Got any more of these? I'll at least help you clean up before I head back.

Edited 2015-01-29 07:28 (UTC)

[The stupid sunflower smile starts to fade a little as Jason continues talking, tragically. At least eye contact is broken so it probably won't be quite as obvious, but Oz is definitely mulling that over, only to be startled out of his thoughts by the request.]

Ah— yeah, just a second!

[AND OFF HE ZOOMS, turning on his heel to go back to the closet and get more towels. He comes back with an armful, passing some off and keeping some for himself. Almost immediately, he gets started on mopping up the extinguisher foam and burtn... everything.

He forgets to give another thank you though, since he's trying to mentally sort out what he wants to say next.]

The places that I've heard... Some of them, at least - I'm not sure that I would have wanted to be there, either. [Especially the one that was drafting people in for a war.] But I guess we're in the same situation, since this place doesn't seem so bad to me, either. Not yet, anyway.

Edited 2015-01-29 08:43 (UTC)

[ So here they are with towels, mopping up all the extinguisher foam... What a day. Not that Jason minds, since hey, he got to do something today, which is exciting enough for him, even if it's something simple like this. He nods in agreement and laughs a little. ]

Yeah, I ain't exactly itchin' to go anywhere but home. Every place I've heard of sounds just as weird.

[ the jamjar gods have a rude sense of humor ]

If you don't mind me askin', what was the place you were at before here like? Not every day I run into someone else that's done this before.

[BONDING ACTIVITY NUMBER 1. They'll look back on this and laugh someday. Oz is laughing now, actually, but it's a little less light than what's typical for him.]

I hope you can get home soon, in that case! [AH, COMPLICATED TOPICS. The next one sure isn't any better.]

I don't mind. [And he doesn't, at least!! He's not really reticent about his experiences, however traumatic they may have been. It's still much more difficult for him to talk about his home world than about DreamLand.]

—But it wasn't a very good place. A bunch of us woke up in an amusement park without being able to remember how we got there. It was abandoned and kind of run down, but everything still worked and there were canned foods in the kitchen and things like that. I learned how to make oatmeal there! [A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT.

But he pauses for a second after that, since the next part is obviously much more weighted.] We didn't know it at the time, but whoever brought us there had put something into our heads. [His hand raises, touching his temple. There would be a pretty nasty scar there, but it's faded somewhat, aided by the warped body he inhabits.] ...So some of us ended up thinking that the entire thing was a game, and that they needed to "wake up" everyone else by killing them.

Edited 2015-01-29 18:42 (UTC)

[ Jason listens as he cleans up, and at first, it just sounds weird, like the rest of the places that Jason has heard of. All the weird bullshit that people go through become here, it's definitely something. An abandoned amusement park is definitely a new one, and he laughs when Oz said he learned to make oatmeal, but as he continues, Jason's face turns more serious. The idea of putting someone into peoples' heads is bad enough, and he looks towards Oz as he gestures towards his head. But at the last part, he pulls back, regarding him more serious. ]

...Wait, a game? No shit?

[ There's definitely recognition in his tone, which is why he looks concerned. It doesn't sound like that camp in the details, but the idea of it being a game where you're killing people, that's unfortunately familiar. ]

[Oz catches the tone of recognition, pulling back a little from the toaster oven himself to look at Jason a little more carefully.]

Mm— Well, that's what they were told it was. In the end, no one really died, but it wasn't a "game". Calling it that... [He shakes his head, and the look on his face is one of clear, if not brief, disapproval.]

Toying with lives like that is never a game.

You're right. It ain't.

[ Jason says it with an almost chilly tone, but it's not surprising why, at least. He tosses the towel between his hands as a thoughtful gesture, but ends up just sighing heavily. He doesn't like talking about this, since it is how he died, but for someone that gets it, he figures it won't be so bad. ]

Ours wasn't Six Flags or nothin'. It was a summer camp, like you'd go to for football camp or somethin'. It's like you said, though. There was a group of people killin' everyone, but it ended up bein' because they were possessed. They didn't really know nothin' about it, I don't think.

[ There's a small flicker of something, maybe guilt, but he raises his shoulders into a shrug again. ]

I was the only one that could find out if they were the bad guys or not, though.

[Ah. Oz is well aware, of course, that there are plenty of worlds out there that aren't exactly pleasant. To hear of one so similar to the experience he had is almost a little frightening, though. Not only does he feel a deep empathy for Jason before he even mentions his role, but it tells Oz that there are multiple places like his own out there. It had just been speculation before, but now it's confirmed. That sure doesn't sit well with him...

But before he can speak to it, Jason goes into a little more detail, and Oz's eyes widen in something akin to shock.]

Wait— you were the cop? Did you have a partner?

[Considering he was one of two, and that wasn't even counting the detective. He doesn't know how close their similarities are, but it's enough that he has to ask.]

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