❖ 3rd || [text]

[fonlines]

Hello, Tower. I've been away for a while, so I apologize for that. I'm not here to speak about myself, however.

People come and go here as a fact of life. [ Had this been delivered verbally, this statement would have been entirely matter-of-fact. ]

Rather than dwell on that...

I would like to hear of them. Those who are here, those who aren't. Those who've arrived recently and those who've left.

Whatever you'd like to say.

If you please.

Comments

[text]

[seventhsong]

[It takes a while to actually type a reply. Text is difficult when it's not fonic script.]

There is a man in this Tower. He spent a life in service of the military, though his inclinations lay in different directions. Upon his death, he returned as another sort of being altogether. For him, the Tower is not only a prison but a place to finally reach what he's always wished, without the constraints of cultural expectation.

He is interesting beyond measure. You should meet him.

[text]

[fonlines]

That's very interesting indeed. He sounds very driven.

What were his inclinations then, that he could so achieve his desires [ in a place like this ] here as another being?

[text text]

[seventhsong]

He seems to be, yes. Not even death stopped his ambitions. It's admirable, don't you think?

He favors the arts. Music, painting, sculpture! The works of the hands in ways that don't involve living by the sword.

[teeeext]

[fonlines]

My. It must have been... not a burden, but perhaps a little frustrating, that his society ordained that he go into the military instead.

But I do think being able to defeat death is something worth awe. Have you seen any of his works here?

[permanon text]

[fionnuisce]

That's unusually friendly, compared to the general pissed-off attitude of most people here.

[text]

[fonlines]

Is it really? Well, anger has its place too. I'm afraid it doesn't serve me very well at this moment, though.

[fionnuisce]

It doesn't do much at all, if I think about it.

But why the interest in everyone? Odds are you might not even meet half the people you hear about in this crowded mess of a place.

[fonlines]

There are those who can wield it, but few who can do it well.

Perhaps not. That doesn't mean it hurts to hear about them. How others are faring, or how they've been faring... I can only hope no one's been left alone by those who've returned to their worlds, but that's naive.

[text]

[invisible_friendship]

Just gotta keep pulling through, right?

[text]

[fonlines]

Yes. It's better than unnecessarily dwelling on things that neither they nor we have any control over, isn't it?

If nothing else, perhaps we can respect them in this way.

[text]

[invisible_friendship]

There have been a lot of leaves.

[Now that it was mentioned. He's not sure who was left that he still knew.]

[permatext]

[fonlines]

Is the overall population of the Tower less now than it was before?

audio

[monstrueux]

I can tell you about Jeanne. Jeanne d'Arc, the Holy Virgin. She was born a simple peasant girl in France, but then, the angels came to speak to her. God chose her! To save France from the cruel English who had overtaken our nation, oppressing the people, stealing our land and our wealth, and suppressing our native character. Jeanne followed her voices, and they brought her to the king himself, the rightful king of France. A beautiful girl dressed as a boy, she appeared before us all, and we saw the radiance of Heaven in her eyes. We were moved. Jeanne led us into battle! She gave heart to our armies and she liberated cities! Though she was only a poor girl with no education, no rank and no influence. She saw the king crowned.

But she was captured by the English, and her countrymen abandoned her! They did not come to save her. She was tried as a witch and then burned. She died in terrible suffering amidst the flames. Her cries rose up to heaven and went unanswered! God and man and the English murdered her!

[text]

[fonlines]

[ It takes a relatively long moment for him to respond, having to try to work his way through the unfamiliar terms. He thinks he has the general meaning of it, in the end.

Spoken to and chosen by a God, was she? Seeing things that others didn't... Was she this "France's" Yulia? ]

That's awful. That she would be betrayed by both those who led her to that place and those that she herself led to such victories...

Were you close to her?

[perma audio]

[monstrueux]

Yes, it is terrible. It was a great tragedy. I could not save her. There was nothing I could do.

I was, I fought by her side and I loved her dearly!

[wary text for the foreseeable future]

[fonlines]

I see. So you speak of her now to preserve her memory and legacy in spite of the injustice she met...

Are there others, or is it you alone?

[Text]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[It takes a moment for veronica to start typing. She has to think hard on how to write out her thoughts.]

There were two girls, both of them fighters. One of them met a girl when she first arrived here and helped her out, while the other got assistance from the girl when she arrived.

Both are gone now. And the girl doesn't know if that's a good thing or not. But still, she must keep going, soldiering on as she always did. Though she grows tired of it all, of ending up alone.

[text]

[fonlines]

[ ...He doesn't even need to lie. ]

It depends. There are some who would see this place, cruel as it is, as freedom, a haven from their old lives. Opportunities to meet people they never would have, opportunities to meet people they never would have again.

There are some who would like nothing more than to leave, even if only to their dead worlds.

The girl who knew them would be in a better position to judge than I.

[ But he does need to hide how unexpectedly affected he is by the words on the screen, even if only slightly.

How strange. ]

[text]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

It

It is difficult for the girl to judge.

Her home was so nice to be in, but there were many problems. Lots of battle to be fought, lots of pain.

Here, it's almost the same, but she's found nice people to fight beside.

Either way though, she is alone. Without family, or without home.

[Text]

[alephbet]

Once there was an angel.

This angel served a cruel and wicked God, who wished for every one of His creations to obey His decrees exactly and would destroy them if they did not. This angel rebelled against the cruel God, and was cast down for it, and became a great demon.

This demon has lived for a very long time. In world after world, he has fought against the God, seeking to allow demons and humans to choose their own fates and rise up on their own merits. He fights against the tyranny and stagnation that the God would impose, who allows no change and no growth, only His rule.

This demon is my friend. We have done great things together, and for a while he was here and I was glad that he was alive.

He is on a destroyed world now. I know that will not break him.

[Text]

[fonlines]

[ It takes Ion a while to organize his thoughts, and in the end he can't well put to words the things he wants to ask or say, so. So, his response is simple. ]

That's a nice story.

Would you say he succeeded?

[Text]

[alephbet]

I don't think he's ever finished. But he succeeds enough.

text

[warriorscribe]

I have two men to speak of, though only "men" in that they are both male, neither are human. The first is a man I knew on the world I was on before finding my way to this one. He was a delightful companion, warm and friendly, and ever playful. It was for him that I fought there, and he is still the first of the reasons I fight here.

The other is a man who is here. Perhaps you have seen him, he dresses all in black. He has been there to help me for as long as I can remember. His sense of humor requires some acclimation, but he is a good person, and I would certainly have gone mad long ago without him. I couldn't bear to part with him.

I count myself lucky to have such wonderful people in my life, and I will do all I can to keep them in it.

text

[fonlines]

And you'd fight on for both of them still if they were removed from your life, correct?

Regardless, I am glad to hear of this, I think. It does mean that despite the way of things here, people still... well. Maybe it's in fact because of the way of things here, but if people can still have such conviction then perhaps we will see things happen eventually.

text

[warriorscribe]

Exactly. We all have something to fight for, even if it is only our safety from Ruana.

I do not doubt this fact will see us through.