A strong, healthy aura can be used for many things. Keeping dirt away. Repairing fabric. Clearing up acne.

A normal house can be stocked with resources and do the same thing.

The point is: there's no bathroom.

Neo hasn't even left the house and she's already contemplating murder of the surrounding ecosystem. It's going to be a great day.

Neo opens her umbrella and strides into the rain.

What a waste.

;;;

'What do you mean,' Neo makes sure to regulate her breathing as she signs. It helps her to not skip the steps before throttling the mayor, 'you'll help me after I meet everyone in town?'

There must be something wrong with this man. He doesn't even flinch as the room grows colder every second. All Neo wants to know is where to find someone who can help… renovate the house. If it were her choice it would be destroyed, but the fine print says otherwise. She just wants a bathroom. A fridge. A real bed.

Why is that too much to ask for?

"Once you go say hello to everyone," Hamilton repeats too cheerily for eight in the morning, "I'll help you however I can!"

He dives out of the way. Neo jerks the umbrella point back into hiding, scowling and peeved that a man of his stature is faster than he appears. What happened to the slow waddle?

"Now, now," Hamilton is still smiling, brushing off the dirt. Returns to his desk. "There's no need for violence. It's a simple request. You can do it, right Neopolitan?"

Her body locks. Head bobs without consent. Neo's emotions drop away, a little bit of curiosity creeping in. If that's his semblance, then there is no wonder why he's the only authority figure in town. It normally isn't allowed, but who would call him on it out here?

"Delightful!" Mayor Hamilton claps. Her body isn't stiff from him anymore, but from the implication. Her left eye changes from brown to pink as she ponders if illusions would stop the effect. "Don't forget to visit the church! It's at the top of the hill."

Great, it is a religious town after all. Alters and churches. How many people has the mayor sacrificed to their deity in hopes the land revitalizes? Is the whole town under his control, or someone else's?

Neo's crossing her fingers as she reaches a clothing store – nice to have small mercies – that her afterlife doesn't involve being a good person and dismantling whatever shady business goes on here. She doesn't want to get involved. It's not her job to be a hero. She'd be more likely to immerse in the chaos if these people aren't zealots. However, Neo has other things to sort out, and if Remnant's governments actually paid attention to the small settlements then maybe this wouldn't happen.

No reason not to be bitter now.

"Oh, hello there," comes the elderly voice behind the counter.

Neo stops her assessing glare – and oh, she is judging this place for having a kitchen in plain view of the store – in order to meet the stares of the employees. One of them is shivering – rightfully so when faced with Neo's mere presence – while the other is a sweet older lady with glasses and a head bandana. The tallest person in the room quits her shaking to flinch at the customer's stare. Neo grins, turning to the closest thing to a threat in the room if she was being generous with the label. The only special note about this house is the clothing around has been made to withstand wear and tear. She can feel it, like hitting an active aura.

Someone in this room is making durable clothing with their semblance, a rather illegal thing to do.

Neo's money is on the old lady.

"Oh my, you're a new face," the woman hums, adjusting her glasses to see the newcomer clearly. "Why, I cannot remember the last time we had a visitor to our town. What brings you here?"

Neo signs out her name and, after the woman introduces herself as Shelly, explains the rest of her rather unfortunate twenty-four hours. If anything, it makes the old woman so elated she loses years with her smile. Neo takes a few steps back, her own smirk falling into something more defensive.

"I look forward to hearing about all your accomplishments," Shelly returns to her seat behind the counter, fanning at her face in thought. "It has been such a long time since that farm was in use. If you grow any wool or silk, or even have some spare yarn, I can buy it off you. Oh, but have you named the farm yet?"

Neo slowly shakes her head.

"That mayor, if only his son were back… Ah, what I mean to say is that you will have to speak with the mayor to name your farm. Until you name it, you cannot ship anything. We are rather low on supplies ourselves. Everything we make comes from the farms around here, however the quality has gone down this past year. I do think we have enough for a work outfit, though. Candance, please come over here."

The fidgeting employee yelps, definitely not endearing her to Neo. The young woman with blue hair and hunched shoulders shuffles over, looking a bit homely in her puffing clothes. Neo unfortunately has to look up, and senses a common theme with the young adults in this town. If she had to guess, Candance is probably too thin under all those thick tops.

"This is my granddaughter," Shelly introduces. "You actually remind me a lot of her younger sister – she's away studying – and I'm sure your measurements will be quite close to hers. Candace, would you mind taking Neopolitan's sizes and preferred styles? I'll need them for anything you may order, and an extra work outfit will be handy. Those clothes will be eaten up before the end of the week if you till a field in them."

Even though she has a lot of contention about getting things from a cultist, Shelly does make a good point. Neo can keep up illusions to change her outfit and without any enemies or monsters attacking she can keep up her aura indefinitely to keep the clothing from tearing. What she does need is at least a second outfit; something to change into for wash day.

Neo revels in making Candace flinch with her baring teeth smile. The feeble woman doesn't make much noise, doesn't ask the woman to remove her heels, though Neo already knows the drill. Steps onto the stool while the blue haired woman unravels a tape measure.

The shortest woman in the room holds very still and breathes very shallowly. Candace, thankfully, oddly, doesn't touch her. While the measuring isn't a pleasant experience, it's the only one Neo's ever felt to be tolerable. Just enough that Candance gets a pass from more torment today.

Neo signs that she wants an outfit as soon as possible. Shelly pulls out a book with a few designs and, after grimacing at the styles, Neo chooses the casual pink. None of what they can prepare is her usual look, leading her to debate investing in some sketching paper and anything this town has for imports. If this place even has any. With it possibly being her current afterlife, she has not held out for hope for luxury after realizing the lack of bathroom.

In the end, the tailors are a nice surprise; enough that Neo doesn't try any sticky fingers on their loose product as she walks out.

She doesn't expect this day to get any better, but at least she can order a change of clothes.

;;;

Kathy – who reminds Neo far too much of Yang – and her father, Hayden, run the only bar in town. To add salt to the 'I'm likely dead' wound, the bar has practically nothing to offer for food and drinks. Not that Neo was a big drinker to begin with, but she would have loved to start if this really is purgatory. Instead, she drinks the free, nasty leaf-water and tries not to grimace as the father-daughter duo drops hints about their cult and the farmlands not doing so well.

The only kudos she'll give them is that both know sign language. Well… maybe she'll give Hayden a bit more leeway, seeing as he's already a better owner than Junior. For such a rustic look, this place has style.

Blonde is on her own though. The desperation was well disguised as friendliness, but Neo isn't planning on sticking around long enough to trade stories or commiserate with the locals.

With a sway to her steps, Neo flips her umbrella up to rest on her shoulder once more. Heels click clacking as stone turns to wooden pier on route to the next introduction. Her nose crinkles at the intense smell, sharp eyes on the rough waters of the ocean before she enters the Fishery.

How creative.

Ozzie, the owner, adds to the thread of this place is going downhill by explaining the waters are so bad that no ships can come in or out. Neo expertly ignores the hesitation in her stomach, flatlining her emotions just in time as the man offers her some free fish. The woman turns it down with a smile so fake it would shatter with a touch, makes note of his relatives only for if Hamilton tries to make her meet them, and leaves. Shudders as the music throughout the town chimes louder outside.

If she could hate, Neo would say she hates this little idyllic town with their things aren't great anymore problems. Not a single person mentions Grimm or town protections or how they could survive in the middle of nowhere with all these negative emotions-

Don't think about it.

Neo breathes and turns away from the rough ocean. No, she doesn't hate them. A minor dislike, only because she'll be ready to laugh at their fear when everything falls apart. Let the Grimm come and tear away this fantasy. Then they'll learn what real, survival, problems are.

And if this is an afterlife, then Neo will get out or drag people in here with her while trying. She's never been one to suffer alone.

;;;

The doctor's office – that currently doesn't have a doctor – is run by an elderly woman named Irene. The woman doesn't even pretend to hide her religion, going on about a Harvest Goddess Tree like it's something magical. Neo's schooling may not be perfect, but even she knows one tree does not cause all the damage these townies have been mentioning. Maybe if it had time to spread, but a tree shouldn't have effect on all oven fires or the ocean.

Concluding it a waste of time – if she's ever low enough on aura to need a doctor then she's dead anyways – Neo travels up to the last house that supposedly houses someone she hasn't yet met. Her eyebrows shoot at the sign out front with the word Wizard. The woman is pretty sure that's the kind of name in Remnant that awful parents give out. The types of people who look at a semblance and think magic.

Knock tap.

There's no reply, so Neo knocks again. Tries the doorknob and finds it locked. However, when she presses closer to the door, there is some movement going on inside. The bit of anger at being forced to go door-to-door flickers back up. Neo also has a wonderful idea, because if Hamilton can make her do this door-to-door meet-and-greet then he can deal with the fallout. Eyes changing colour, Neo takes a step back, pivots, and then lashes out an aura strengthened foot.

The door swings open, a dent in the solid wood thanks to her heel. A man sitting behind a crystal ball blinks slowly, as if he cannot process what she just did that. Neo strolls in, smug grin and more impressed that he's not freaking out.

"…Who are you…?"

Neo spells out her name and pointedly leaves an apology for the door out of her explanation. To her vaguely impressed wonder, he signs back. Faster with his hands than his words, 'The people here call me Wizard. How did you get here?'

Neo raises an eyebrow. Unsheathes her umbrella tip to swing and point at the door.

He slowly shakes his head, barely elaborating, 'This town.'

'Should I not be here?'

He blinks, watching her with heterochromatic eyes that do not change colours like Neo enjoys doing to hers. By the herbal, scholarly feel of his home – what with the massive telescope on the second floor – his semblance is not an illusion type like most of the frauds Neo's come across. He does have aura. No question about that, what with the change in the air by just being near him. So far, Hamilton's the only other to give off a stab-resistance feeling, and he has nothing on this guy's output.

Finally, he speaks, hands moving as slow as his words, "It is very rare… for people to arrive…"

'What about leave?'

"…No one… leaves."

'Why not?!'

He signs back a quick, 'Time loop.'

Neo can't stop her jaw from dropping. Demands, 'Explain.'

'Time loop,' he says again. 'Reality Marble. Those chained here remember every five-year loop. Those who wander in become part of the town.'

Neo has to lean on her umbrella. Wizard doesn't say anything about the new hole in his floor, watching her carefully. The woman would call him crazy if it didn't give her an excuse to hold off the purgatory theory. The illusion she crafts of herself asks, 'Grimm?'

Wizard's eyes follow the movement, which mean he doesn't see through her semblance like some prosthetics have been known to do. Then… his eye colour is likely all natural. "…What does that mean?"

One of them is crazy, and Neo knows she's been less stable than normal. So, either he's a figment of her purgatory trying to distract her or give her a goal, or he's telling the truth and she's stuck in a reality marble that's been looping since before Grimm existed. Neither option is preferable – both equally as insane – as she shakes her head, 'How do I get out?'

'End the loop.'

Frustrated, she glowers, 'How?'

Wizard does a little shrug, the little bit of energy in him seemingly wilting away back to the uninteresting, uncaring man that had stared too long after she kicked open his door. 'I do not know.'

Neo rolls her eyes, 'Who else is "chained" here?'

'The Witch, the Harvest Goddess, and the Harvest King.'

The multi-coloured, woman waits for a punchline. The silence stretches. 'You are serious?'

He nods, not a hint of what he's feeling reflects in his body language. Meanwhile, Neo's full of disbelief. And realizes that he probably gets that reaction a lot. Thinks he should be grateful she hasn't denounced his sanity and left by now.

Any excuse other than death feels like grasping at straws, but Neo will roll with it just this once. The cult makes a bit more sense now; if she had to exist in a time loop then Neo would make sure she was top of the hierarchy as well. A thought occurs: if she wandered in, then, 'How long until the loop resets?'

'The loop will finish at the end of next year,' Wizard slumps further into his chair. The braid of grey hair slips out from behind his ear as he stares into the crystal ball.

She huffs to get his attention back instead of taking the cue to leave as what it is, 'What's up with the mayor?'

The dull stare doesn't change, "…What do you mean…?"

Neo shakes her head, exasperated. More questions than answers with this man. Normally she'd be all for an interrogation, but years of working her way through Remnant's underground means she knows which fights to pick. This man is not all there in more ways than one; letting loose on him would be counterproductive seeing as he's the only person to give her a non-purgatory theory. However, next time they meet will be a very different story. The woman pulls her umbrella out of the floor and back over her shoulder. Doesn't wave goodbye and slams the door when she leaves.

If he's not crazy, then there's five and a half of this reality's season-months to get out. It would mean settling a bit longer than she'd hope, but it gives Neo a timeframe to wait for Grimm to come and destroy the place while she looks for an exit.

Unfortunately, if she wants even an ounce of cooperation from the body-controlling mayor, it means completing the meet-and-greet first. This will be the only task of his run through to completion, Neo decides, no matter the risk. This whole mission from the mayor is another tactic she's seen before; has even assisted Roman in using. Start with small requests, like meeting the neighbors, and eventually convince the new member that the walls would look great painted in blood.

Without Roman, Neopolitan looks like a free minion for the taking, no matter how much she is not.

Neo stops at the top of the hill, sparing a glance for the scenic collection of buildings. Thinks, I'll find you.

Has to have hope that Roman is alive. Needs something to look forward to besides getting out of here.

With a skip to her step, Neo makes for the church. Her mind wanders back to the vague information from Wizard; part of her wonders what he's held back from saying while other thoughts circle to what he might not know. If he's given up on breaking a time loop, then he's missing a lot.

Wizard didn't seem to think anything was wrong with Hamilton, after all.

;;;

Perry the priest-in-training and Mira the widower seem like downers, which is almost relieving because devoted-to-books and deep depression are not the usual mentalities for those about to commit altar-based ritual sacrifices. Neo refuses to turn her back to either, but since she's also a nonbeliever there's no reason to ever come back.

What does spark some interest is orange-hair-and-apron looking forlornly out at the ocean. Hearing the click clack of her heels, the pity party turns into a grimace when the person locks eyes on Neo's much too cheery smile. "Who are you?"

Her signing draws forth some irritation. "What are you doing?"

Neo rolls her eyes. Illusions pulling a paper out and – after double checking it says what she wants; illusionary writing can be so finicky when there's too much – shows the young man.

"Oh." He sighs, giving her another glance before leaning against the guardrail. "I'm Chase." Then he casts his head to the side like he's some kind of downtrodden protagonist as his hair ruffles in the breeze. Explains he's the bar's cook, but that all of the town's problems apply to him. No fire to cook, no ingredients, no customers. Neo mocks him behind his back. When he turns around, she's the picture of innocent. "Good luck with the ranch. Sounds like a lot of work…"

Neo gives him a cheeky salute and saunters off, rolling her eyes again because here she thought Perry and Mira were bad. Strange how Kathy's upbeat personality hasn't rubbed off on Chase if he has to work with her.

She wonders if Chase has tried to leave, or if something is stopping him. Questions for next time as, with the Church area done, she should have finished the meet-and-greet.

…At least until she does a doubletake and realizes there's a photography store right next to the mayor's office. Neo could have sworn that wasn't there before.

Maybe it's an illusion. Neo gets ember-like flicks of curiosity, strutting into the most modern looking room in this town. It's not saying much, but these cameras are more familiar than phones.

Even though he cannot sign, the kind man behind the counter wins back the points of her opinion of him by handing over a camera for free. Simon also hands over a book on how to use it and recommends spots throughout the town. It's the closest she's been to technology all day, Neo can't help but cradle the items. Allows herself to splurge and get a strap so she can carry it around.

Unfortunately, the good mood doesn't last the moment she finds the mayor outside the store. "Well now, have you met everyone?"

Neo presses her lips into a line and signs out the names of the people's she met. She determinedly doesn't twitch as a cold-water feeling washes over her by the end of it. When he's satisfied, Hamilton holds out a toolbox and requests she give it to someone named Bo. "You will likely come across him on your way to the carpenters. They live up the mountain, just follow the path behind your house!"

Neo huffs a sharp breath through her nose, resolute to walk away from the new mission. This is how they get you. Hamilton doesn't give her the chance, practically throwing the box into her middle and hurrying back into his building. Once she's regained balance, Neo holds the thing away from her with disgust. At least I can use it. No way am I handing this over now.

"Oh," comes the sweet, elderly voice of Shelly. Neo debates the merit of getting out of the situation before the woman can make it over, but the older person is carrying something pink that catches her eye. "Is that Bo's toolbox? You are very kind dear, delivering that to him."

Neo makes a face, both at being called kind and losing the plausible deniability of keeping the tools. She'll probably nick a few anyways, but the only way to keep the whole thing and upset Hamilton would be by murdering Shelly. It's not her worst idea but it would leave Neo with one less tolerable person in this town. And maybe start a massacre.

"Here, you can put it in this rucksack. It is not the best – with better materials I could upgrade it – but it will allow you to carry a few things around without any burden. I made this for Candance's sister, but the dear wanted to make her own. Candance doesn't need it, so it's been collecting dust for years."

Neo blinks, taken a bit aback at how the toolbox fits right in without the little pack changing size. She points a few times between the bag and Shelly, trying to get across the question.

The woman giggles, "Oh yes, it's all my handywork."

Illegal semblance usage, Neo decides the woman doesn't need to die then. Secures the rucksack around her waist and shows off for the seamstress. Shelly makes the appropriate compliments and hobbles off with a friendly wave that Neo just barely remembers to return. If all the products are like this, then the tailor's is officially her new favourite place in town.

Then Neo remembers she must follow through with running an errand, and her shoulders slump. Her stomach growls and the town music loops back to the start again. And she still doesn't have a bathroom.

All-in-all, Neo thinks she does a pretty good job holding back her temper when she meets Bo – probably the youngest person seen yet in this place – at a broken bridge. With the only way to the upper half of the town accessible after passing a roaring river, Neo's inner risk-vs-reward debate gets derailed when – after handing over most of the toolbox – Bo tries to blackmail her into fixing the bridge faster if she delivers him a strawberry. Any pretense of a friendly stranger illusion drops as she turns heel-toe to deadpan at him. Bo seems to understand he did something wrong but doesn't take it back.

Neo exaggerates a deep breath. Plants her umbrella tip into the ground, and then picks the guy up.

Yeets him over river.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! A really big thank you to The Bonkers and sittingonaplanet for reviewing! The support truly means a lot!

I hope everyone is well and has a great day! Please take care