third. backdated to 4/july.

[eaglet]

[Connor has been perched in his window for some time, carefully observing all these noisy explosions down in the city. He has no idea what's going on, but nobody seems to be panicking, so...

Eventually, he opens up his journal to dictate.]

What is the purpose of these explosions? Does anyone know? Is this normal?

Comments

[secondchances]

[This is a weird conversation...]

It's an American holiday, the 4th of July. It's about stuff that happened in 1776, but we generally eat a lot and have fireworks to celebrate independence from Britain every year.

[eaglet]

[Whoa there!!!] I did not know you were not a British subject. Americans have been independent from Britain since then?

[secondchances]

[Steph laughs. What a cutie :') ]

Yeah. There was a whole Revolutionary War and everything.

[eaglet]

[He has to think about that for a second. 1776 is only six years away. Could the spirit have been guiding him toward helping the Americans gain independence? Was that the key to saving his people?

Still, he doesn't want to know too much about how his mission plays out and the circumstances around it. It seems too dangerous to tempt fate.]

Then are these fireworks symbolic of war?

[secondchances]

In retrospect, I guess so--though I think most of the war happened after the Declaration was signed.

[eaglet]

What year are you from, Stephanie? [He can never remember because it just sounds so far-flung into the future, but he wants to know how long America has been independent for her...]

[secondchances]

2009. [Or around there... comics.] Pretty crazy, isn't it?

[eaglet]

[He makes a quiet, affirmative noise.] Our times must be very different.

[secondchances]

Very. It's kinda cool, though, being able to get along despite all that time between us.

[eaglet]

I have even met people from different worlds. This place is strange, to pull so many people with so many differences.

[secondchances]

It never stops being strange, even when you think you're used to it. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

[eaglet]

Even though it is strange, it is easier to relate to others from different times and places than I would have thought.

[Then again, it wasn't so difficult to get to know Achilles, either.]

Perhaps that is the true lesson we are meant to take away.

[secondchances]

Paradisa makes us all have at least one thing in common. Hard to not get along when we're all in the same boat.

[eaglet]

Is it a bad thing to want us to get along with one another?

[secondchances]

Not at all. I've made some of the best friends I've ever had, here. [Paradisa can be shitty, but so can Gotham.]

[eaglet]

Then I wonder what the god of this place wants from us, truly. If it is only to understand each other, there is no need to give us such hardships as well.

[secondchances]

Beats me. Maybe it's just to see how long we can endure the hardships.

[eaglet]

What if it is because it thinks we are not grateful enough for the gifts it has given us?

[secondchances]

How would we show that we are?

[eaglet]

I think that is the difficult part.

[secondchances]

This is the part where people go crazy and start painting castles forever and building monuments to buildings.

[eaglet]

[HE DOESN'T GET THAT REFERENCE.]

Oh?

[secondchances]

... don't mind me, I say stuff like that a lot.

[eaglet]

[hmmmm] If you say so.