Dream's waiting at the same meeting room where they once decided on terms of probation.

And so is Tommy.

"Hello Tubbo."

"Hello."

"You wanted to meet?"

"I did, yes. I'm under the impression you killed my secretary of defense, yesterday. That's something to meet about, I would say."

"Hm. To be fair, he did attack me first."

"Really. Well. I'm gonna be honest, Jingyan told me that you were the first to attack with lethal intent. So I hope you understand if I don't entirely believe you."

Jingyan is not going to say anything, because Tubbo seems to have this handled and Dream is not wrong.

"Okay. Hm. I, I see how that would be difficult. Well, Tommy, you were there, right? You can tell us who attacked first."

"...Jingyan did. It was--c'mon, guys, it was self-defense. Dream didn't want to fight."

"Okay. That's good to know! Honestly, Dream, this is why having a meeting is a good idea. But you still killed Jingyan without trying to deescalate the situation, is that correct?"

"That's true."

"Okay! And I hope you can understand that, you killing the secretary of defense... I'll be honest, Dream, it kinda looks like an act of war."

"I wouldn't say that. I can, mm, I understand why you would think that. But that wasn't my intent."

"Here's my proposal. Tommy was exiled for griefing George's house, right? Griefing isn't supposed to be allowed, and George was, he was important to the Greater Dream SMP. I respect that, you know. But now you went and killed someone important to L'Manberg. We could try to work out what you think fair consequences are, but I'm gonna be honest, I don't really have an interest in punishing you. So instead I was thinking, mutual forgiveness. You forgive everything Tommy did, we forgive everything you did. Turn over a new leaf."

"Interesting. Well, it's not my crime to forgive. George is the one who was targeted."

"Right, but you were the one who prosecuted it."

"That's fair. I, I don't know that I'm willing to let Tommy go back yet. You have a good point, but I don't see how ending the exile would solve anything. I mean, I don't know that it would make the server more peaceful, to let him do whatever he wants before he's learned not to cause problems. Especially if he knows that L'Manberg will just bail him out if he ever, you know, experiences consequences, I think that would undo a lot of the progress we've made."

"I'll--I'd be so good, I promise--I haven't been, I haven't been stealing or griefing, you can check, there's nothing in my inventory, Dream, you have to believe me--"

"Tommy. The server's been better without you! That's why nobody visits you. We're trying to change that, but you have to work with me, right? You have to be willing to change."

"You sound like a fuckin' AA manual, mate. The first step is admitting you have a problem."

Dream laughs with Tommy, leaning over to ruffle his hair. "Yeah. It's, like, a 12-step process."

"--That is not why people haven't seen him, and you know that, Dream."

Shrug. "I'm just being honest. But Tommy can make up his own mind."