❖ 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.

[permanon text]

[fionnuisce]

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

[text]

[invisible_friendship]

Just gotta keep pulling through, right?

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]

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]

[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.

[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.

[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.

[fionnuisce]

I try not to think about the probability of certain people leaving, myself. It's not an idea that's worth dwelling on.

[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?

[textytext]

[seventhsong]

I have the impression it was the expected thing of all young men of the era. But through it he met a woman he holds now in great esteem, so perhaps it wasn't terrible after all.

So far all I have been privileged to enjoy is his music. You may be able to locate him on the floor where instruments play themselves, now and again, if you wish to meet him for yourself and hear what he is capable of.

[This may be a terrible idea. Lorelei's idea of good versus bad sound is basically nonexistent; all sound is good. Anyone else might bleed from the ears.]

[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?

[fonlines]

Simply one worth working past, if needed.

But I do understand your first sentiment.

[fionnuisce]

What makes you believe it's something that can be worked past in all cases?

[texting 1 2 3 texting]

[fonlines]

I suppose if he's happy now...

I think I may know of it. It's in the lower half of the Tower, right? I don't tend to wander the floors often, but I don't think it could hurt to stop by once in a while.

[ Does he have any actual intention of doing so, though? Who knows. Probably not. ]

[fonlines]

Did I imply that? I apologize, I didn't mean such. Some things are indeed too strong to simply work past in such a shallow manner, I agree.

But for lesser hurts, sometimes all that's needed is to talk about it.

[this is a text of the emergency texting system]

[seventhsong]

He seems to be. This place has given him a new lease to do as he wishes as well as his long-lost and more recently found beloved friends. Perhaps what is prison to one is paradise to another.

A pity you don't wander the floors often! There's so much to see and do.

[fionnuisce]

It's fine. I wasn't trying to come off as confrontational, that was a legitimate question.

And I'm not implying I know anyone that's left recently, either. Luckily, that's not yet the case.

[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.

[let me text you the song of my people]

[fonlines]

Ah, I'm sure there is. It's just a little inconvenient when one is lesser equipped to handle the dangers of certain floors. Not all of us were expected to go into militaristic pursuits, I'm afraid.

But please, don't let me stop you. Friends long-lost? You don't mean to say that lady he admires is here too?

[What is a man? A miserable pile of texts!]

[seventhsong]

This is true. But surely there are people who would be willing to provide you an escort if you wished to do a little exploring!

She is, yes. Isn't it something? Even time has no control over the fates of those in this place. Today, a hundred years from now, a thousand years past, it's all the same 'here' and all the same 'now'. Anything could happen!

[fonlines]

Luckily so. And ideally it'll stay that way, we can hope.

Ah, pardon. I mentioned before that I've been gone for a while; that is, I'm unaware of anything that might have transpired here. Has something greater than normal happened for you to be so suspicious?

[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. ]