Tommy sat in the booth across from Fundy. The fox boy was smiling widely while lifting his drink into the air, leaping to his feet every time he heard a song he liked. Tommy watched with a mostly neutral expression, hand clasping around his cold glass while condensation dripped off his fingers. The restaurant smelled like fried food and sweat as music screamed in the spaces where a conversation wasn't filling the silence. Neon lights buzzed to life all around them, the illumination casting odd shadows on the faces of the bar's patrons that made them seem inhuman. Fundy gave Tommy a smile as he darted into the building, searching for the bathroom while weaving between the excitable crowd. Tommy took a long sip of his coke. When he placed the glass back on the napkin, someone was standing at the end of his table.

"I didn't mean I wanted to go to a crowded bar when I said that I wanted to get closer to you," The girl said, pushing a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. She was smiling at Tommy, her hand trailing the end of the table. She walked the length of it until her opposite grabbed the seat of the booth on the other side of the table from Tommy. She turned towards him, tilting her head to the seat. "Mind if I sit here?"

"I don't give a fuck what you do," Tommy muttered as he kept his eyes trained on the crowd, searching for the waitress with his food or Fundy to return from the bathroom. The girl huffed out a laugh as she slid into the seat. The pale green light of a neon sign overtook the side of her face. She was staring at Tommy, putting her chin into her hand as she leaned forwards slightly. Tommy didn't bat an eye as he took another sip of his drink. When she didn't say anything, Tommy allowed his eyes to flick over to her. "Well? What the fuck do you want?"

A waitress stepped up to the table. She dropped a napkin with a drink being placed on top it for the girl. The waitress went back into the crowd to serve other patrons. The girl let her index finger trail the rim of her glass. She frowned at Tommy with a childish pout. "Why do I need to want something? I'm simply here for our first date, Tempest."

Tommy reached out to grab the girl's wrist. Instead of feeling skin, his fingers went through her flesh. If anyone were to look, it would appear that Tommy's fist had become the girl's wrist. Tommy pulled his hand away with a snarl on his lips. The girl hummed as she flexed her fingers. Neither were shocked at the response they both expected. Tommy looked back at the crowd. "I know you want to fucking talk because you can't do shit to me. So, on with it, bitch."

"I know where I want to start. I want you to pretend that we aren't in this awful smelling bar. How about a four-star restaurant? Five-star, if you like me that much. I'm wearing a beautiful green dress, and you're in a stylish tuxedo with a tie that's tied properly," The girl said, looking around with fantastical wonder as she imagined her own wonderland. Tommy raised an eyebrow. He could act like it was wherever the girl wanted, but his nose would tell him of the lie before he could really believe it.

"Three star cafe. We're in casual clothes. That's what I'll give you," Tommy said with a snort. He wouldn't do what the girl asked just because she wanted it, but Tommy was sticking around for the possible information that might slip from her lips about Las Nevadas. The girl laughed at him, eyes closing as she reimagined the room that the two of them were in. It wasn't a bar filled with people, bad smells, mediocre food, and terribly placed light fixtures. It was a nearly empty, homely cafe that smelled of delicious pastries and old books that was illuminated gold by a setting sun. Tommy nearly snorted at the romantic place he first thought about.

"That's a better first date than this," The girl said with an amused tone. She sighed happily as she lifted the drink to her lips. Tommy raised an eyebrow. It must have been an impressive visualize power to create the illusion that the girl was drinking an object from the establishment where she physically wasn't. The girl looked at Tommy with a sad smile. "I suppose it would be foolish to ask if you would join us. You've made it clear that you don't stand for our goals. After what happened with Shroud, I wouldn't blame you if you hated us, as well."

"I'm pissed at what happened to Shroud, but it's too early to throw around words like 'hate'. It's true that I won't join you, though. I can see reason in your goal, but I can't stand back and watch it happen. I'll do what I need to in order to defeat you," Tommy shrugged. He took another sip of his drink, raising his hand in the air when he was finished. A waitress came over with a pitcher of coke that she poured into Tommy's glass. She reassured Tommy that his food was almost ready before disappearing. Tommy looked at the girl once the waitress was out of earshot. "Since you know that I won't join you, why are you here?"

"I told you that I was here for our date. I like you, Tempest. I'm not sure how much yet, so I'll get back to you about a romantic confession," The girl laughed with a wink from the eye that was covered by the neon light. When her eye opened, the neon shifted to a blue color. "What I'm here to do is to understand. I want to know why you disagree with us. What about a perfect world is so unappealing? I ask because like it or not, we will create the new El Rapids, and you will be part of it. I want to make sure that you get the life that you've always wanted."

"You're creating a utopia, aren't you?" Tommy said with a half-smile, his eyebrow raising. When the girl nodded, Tommy let his expression drop into the one of a dead man. "What you're making is a fucking dystopia. I can tell you several reasons why your plan won't work. Why, no matter what choices you make for people, they will never be happy."

"And I'll disprove each of your explanations. I'll show you that one of us is correct while the other is undoubtedly wrong," The girl said. She raised a hand across the table, waiting for Tommy's reaction. She smirked at him with the glint of a malicious victor appearing in her eyes. "What do you say to this proposal, Tempest?"

"Game on, Beauty," Tommy responded. He pretended to shake the technological phantoms hand. When their hands went back to their respective areas, Tommy tapped against his drink with his finger, watching the drops of condensation flick off onto the table. "Let's establish what you're fucking doing. You're stealing the pieces to an ancient artifact in order to stabilize a reality warping superpower that way you can rewrite L'Manberg and everyone in it. You'll turn it into El Rapids. Supposedly, everyone in this new El Rapids will have their dream jobs, be finically secure, and have their friends and family with them. In your eyes, everyone, from the criminals to the prostitutes to the orphans to the politicians, everyone will he happy."

"That's the idea. We're trying to do right by everyone. I don't think any of us have asked for anything outrageous, either. Mine is obviously the worse. I asked to be rewritten as an actress. Totem and Rose will open a national park. Mamacita wants to adopt a kid or two. I don't know what Pato Sueño wants, but I can't judge whatever selfish desire he has since he's the one doing all this for us," Beauty shrugged her shoulders. It was more like they were establishing the rules than playing the game Beauty had set up for them.

"What if two people want the same thing? What if two people can't be happy unless they have the same girl? Hmmm?" Tommy asked. Beauty had an almost disgusted smile on her face as she stared at Tommy's condescending stare. Beauty didn't like how the question was phrased, but it was a valid sentiment otherwise.

"We set them up with who they truly love. That means they might end of in a polyamorous relationship, or one of them will be romantically involved with someone new," Beauty waved her hand at the words. "We have a contingency plan for almost everything. If we have a violent, ill-tempered individual that won't be happy unless he's murdering, we'll have him placed in a hospital where the nurses and doctors are more than happy to be there helping. If an overwhelming amount of people want the same job, we'll expand that industry while making other industries smaller. If someone is unable to have a family, we'll find a way to cure their sickness, allow them to adopt, or whatever the reason is they can't have that family. We'll make the adoption process take a lot less time. We'll find people who can truly do something for the wards of the state. We're realigning society that way everyone is able to receive the help they need."

"What about memories? I'm assuming everything before the shift will disappear, but will it be replaced with happy childhoods? Will you simply omit the atrocities of their past?" Tommy asked. He wasn't proving a point yet. He was just asking more questions about the rules of the new reality that Pato Sueño would make. Beauty was almost convinced that she was swaying him over instead of listening to him contradict her.

"New memories. Better ones. No more drunk, abusive, or drug addicted siblings, parents, family, friends. No more bullies or rapists or people who say you can't get anywhere. No more life threatening diseases or accidents. We can't bring back the dead, but we can erase the memories of watching people get gruesomely killed," Beauty explained with a subdued smile. Even if she was trying to stay positive, talking about the horrible pasts that some people had made Beauty uneasy.

"Why are you spitting on people like that?" Tommy raised an eyebrow. Beauty blanched for a second, eyes widening. Tommy was staring at her with angry eyes. The neon light began glowing red over his face, making his eyes darker in the shadows. "Why are you telling these people that their suffering was better off not happening? That every bad day they managed to survive was pointless? That every drop of blood, tear shed, and sweat that ran down their dirtied faces was fucking stupid? Why are you allowed to do that?"

"You make us sound derogatory. We aren't doing any of that. We're giving people what they want in life," Beauty explained with a shake of her head. She hadn't expected Tommy's flush of anger, but she was quick to respond without showing she was affected. Beauty was told to expect the unexpected from one Tempest/Tommy Kraken Danger Careful Innit and his many aliases.

"What you are doing is taking away everyone's chances to grow. You're taking away the painful moments that people lived through to get where they are now. Every goal that they have set, and work hard to accomplish is suddenly given to them. You can't force people to be happy. You can't give them everything that they want. That's how parents end up spoiled brats," Tommy shook his head. "I know you don't believe me. You probably never will. But I can't follow what you're saying, either. So, this is a crossroads where we decide how stubborn we are. Better make your choice fast. Fundy is coming back."

Beauty hummed with no real worry in her expression. She tightened fingers into a fist before dropping off a piece of coal that had a light smoke coming off of it from cold air. She slid it over to Tommy. "I like you a little more now. If you ever need a favor, just break that piece of coal. I'll do one thing for you... one thing only. To that end, au revoir, Tempest." Beauty lifted a green marble-sized pearl that she crushed in her palm. Beauty disappeared before Tommy's eyes as Fundy slid back into his seat. The waitress came over to them with their food, setting it on the table.

Fundy looked at the drink on the napkin that was frozen solid. "Where did this come from?"