Journal the Seventh

[theabjectauthor]

[morning finds Lemony at his favorite spot in the library - a window seat with a view of the town, where the sun is bright but indirect. there's a small table off to his side, set with tea and some assorted pastries, a neatly constructed breakfast sandwich, and - of course - plenty of napkins. a stack of books sits to his other side, and on top, he's perched his journal. something about the quality of the light and the feeling of the moment almost makes him reach for his handkerchief ... and then he realizes that it is a good sort of melancholy. picking up his pen, he writes:]

To My Fellow Residents,

Over the past few days, I spent my time quietly observing what Paradisa wrought upon us: and while I could say much on the symbolism of age, the origins of the game of Bingo, and the perils of ingesting too many gelatin-based foodstuffs, I will not belabor you all with redundancy, a phrase which here means that many of you are likely discussing such topics amongst yourselves already.

Instead, I would be more interested to know how many of you possess the following traits, value the pursuant virtues, or have proficiency or curiosity in regards to the skills listed below:

☐ Curiosity
☐ Diligence
☐ Intelligence
☐ Courageousness
☐ Enthusiasm
☐ Versatility

☐ Punctuality
☐ Realism
☐ Respect
☐ Good Manners
☐ Integrity
☐ Stewardship

☐ Observation
☐ Codes
☐ Theatre
☐ Fire-fighting
☐ Lion taming
☐ (or really any sort of animal training)
☐ Self-defense
☐ Musicianship
☐ Artistry
☐ Mountaineering
☐ Cartography
☐ Inventing
☐ Rhetoric
☐ Biting
☐ Disguise
☐ Bibliophilia
☐ Herpetology
☐ Philately
☐ List-making

If the thought of placing an emphatic check or 'x' in several of the above boxes makes your fingers itch with anticipation, please speak with me, or come and join me in the library for a continental breakfast. After all, the world is quiet here. I hope to hear from you.

Very Fastidiously Drafted,

Comments

[theabjectauthor]

[you get bonus points for your fashion sense, sir! Lemony looks up from a weathered journal and smiles]. Then first and foremost, sir, I would have you join me for tea, or coffee if you prefer.

[is_mafia]

Tea is perfectly fine, thank you. [He takes that as a gentle invitation and sits down, setting his book to the side.]

[theabjectauthor]

[Lemony cranes his neck only slightly as he serves the tea, trying to look at the book in question] Of course. May I ask what it is you're presently reading?

[is_mafia]

[Giotto laughs and holds up the book so he can see the title. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.] I've been working my way through her books since I got here.

[theabjectauthor]

Oh, that's a fine book. I've always enjoyed her works. Have you gotten to Murder on the Orient Express, yet?

[is_mafia]

Yes, I just finished that one. It was quite a twist. [He didn't expect that all of the suspects had did it...]

[theabjectauthor]

I once heard a very well-executed radio drama of it - it has always been one of my favorites. What other genres do you enjoy?

[he's always said you can tell a lot about someone by the sort of books they read, after all]

[is_mafia]

Mystery, adventure... I never had a chance to really read at home, so I'm starting to give a few books a try here. It helps that this place has books that haven't been written yet in my time.

[theabjectauthor]

Yes, I'm finding the extensiveness of the library to be of great interest, as well. Though I wish they'd stop restocking my books as soon as I can hide them away.

[is_mafia]

...The castle reshelves the books you take? [...Well, that explains where they have been going.]

[theabjectauthor]

... Only, it seems, if you are trying to keep people from reading their woeful contents.

At least, in my case, that is.

[is_mafia]

...their 'woeful contents'? [He's inwardly laughing because Lemony, what.]

[theabjectauthor]

Oh yes. It has been my duty for quite some time now to put the truth surrounding the lives of three beleaguered orphans to paper, in hopes that their antagonists might be brought to justice. They are not pleasant reading, but there are stories which need to be told and facts which need to be revealed, no matter how horrible.

[is_mafia]

[That actually catches Giotto's attention.] I can sympathize with that.

Do people actually read what you write about them? ...Are they safe now?

[theabjectauthor]

They did, where I am from, yes. .... And two of them are here, in the castle, with me. I would not quite say that counts as "safe", but ... at the very least they are not being pursued by the terrible troupe of abhorrent actors who wanted to exploit them prior to their arrival.

[is_mafia]

Well, safer than they would be back home at this point. And they have you to watch over them.

[theabjectauthor]

Precisely. I only hope that I can be a proper guardian, the sort they deserve. [a pause, then, heavily:]

Even if they should not need one in the first place...

[is_mafia]

No child should be orphaned. But sadly, we cannot bring people back from the dead, or change things that have happened in the past.

All we can do is change the future.

[theabjectauthor]

Yes, precisely. That is ... that is what the Volunteers' purpose was originally meant to be. The safeguarding of interesting and useful things from the past, so that they might be of aid in enriching the future.

[is_mafia]

It sounds like a noble goal. [Of course, everything sounds like a noble goal when you first start out. And then it goes dangerously downhill and gets out of hand. Giotto knows this all too well.]

...What happened to them, though?