Duel 03 [Written; Filtered to Friends of Jane Crocker]

[princelyspirit]

So. Did anyone else get a letter from Jane Crocker in the last couple of days?

Comments

[fantasies]

[He stares at this page for a while before he says anything.]

I hope she's right. About... keeping us, even if she doesn't remember.

dictated

[princelyspirit]

...I hope so, too. And you know, it kind of makes sense, in a way. Even if you can't remember something - or someone - memories still have a way of sticking around, and showing up when you least expect it. Like... have you ever met someone that felt familiar, like someone you've known all your life, even though you've never met before? Or been in a place that you could have sworn you visited, even if it's your first time there?

[fantasies]

... Yeah. Yeah, like magic.

[He means that both figuratively and literally.

There's a hopeful upswing in his voice.]

In my world, magic is always kind of... there, even after the spell is finished. This place could be like that, maybe. Maybe the magic works the same here.

[He'd really really like that.]

[princelyspirit]

I don't know much about magic, so I can't really say. But, if the magic here is anything close to the stuff you have back home... well, then it sounds like we're all going to be with her for a very long time.

[fantasies]

I bet that's how it is. Good magic always comes through in the end.

[And if he wants it enough it's easier to pretend that it might actually be true.

A beat. He doesn't know her, but going by the mutual friend, she has to be a good person, too.]

My name's Henry.

[princelyspirit]

My name's Utena, Utena Tenjou. It's nice to meet you, Henry - and hey, maybe you can tell me a little more about magic, sometime.

[bronwe]

We were supposed to bake together.

[princelyspirit]

I'm sorry to hear that. She was supposed to do a lot of-

[The sentence stops, and Utena scribbles it out before she can finish]

I think all of us expected her to stick around longer. I should be happy that she's back home, but there were so many things I wanted to do with her. But, I guess all of her friends probably feel that way, too.

[bronwe]

I thought we would have too much time here, but it proved me wrong.

Do you think she will be happy at home? I wish I had asked her more about it.

[princelyspirit]

[Hesitates]

To be honest? I'm not sure - I didn't ask her too many questions, either. But, she did tell me a little bit about it, and it sounded like she really did love her home. Her family, her friends, everything. So, even if she's unhappy, I think she'll still find a way to be happy, somehow.

[bronwe]

Family and friends will make her happy.

[ Though somehow it's sad to think that she wouldn't miss them at all. ]

Perhaps we could bake in her honor. For the townsfolk.

[princelyspirit]

You know, that sounds like the kind of thing she'd enjoy. I was just talking to someone else about her, and how she always made sure that everyone was taken care of. I can't really think of a better way to honor her than that.

[heliotroping]

...

Yeah..

Dictated

[princelyspirit]

So, I definitely wasn't the only one.

[Sighs, and runs her hand through her hair]

But it's strange, isn't it? Having to be prepared for something like... this.

Dictated

[heliotroping]

You have to lose everyone eventually.

Dictated

[princelyspirit]

...I know that.

[Her voice is dull and harsh, and she pauses, as if she catches herself. When she speaks again, she returns to her calm, if somewhat melancholy, tone]

But...that's not what I meant. I meant, more like how she had letters prepared for everyone.

Dictated

[heliotroping]

...

She was always thinking of others...

Dictated

[princelyspirit]

...yeah. Yeah, she was. Like... do you remember, back during that last expedition? I went into the kitchen, and she just had armfuls of these granola bars she made for everyone. And not just for us, but for the people in town, too. It was like she couldn't stand to see anyone go hungry.

Filter forever

[whichwayyoulean]

...Yeah, I got one. [His tone is more resigned than sad, he'd expected this to happen eventually]

Dictated; also filtered forever and ever

[princelyspirit]

And what did yours say? I'm guessing it's the same as mine - keep digging into the castle's dirt, don't give up, all of that stuff.

[whichwayyoulean]

[There's silence for a moment, because that was not his letter at all. She'd tried to remind him to try to be a better person, that she thought he already was one]

...Pretty much, yeah.

[princelyspirit]

So, I guess that's what she told everybody, then. It makes sense, though. I mean, she always loved mysteries, so she'd probably hate it if we gave up on the castle's secrets.

[whichwayyoulean]

She'd be mad as heck if she ever came back and found out we did nothing while she was away.

[hard_talker]

Yeah, I did.

[princelyspirit]

And what do you think about it? The whole thing about investigating the castle, I mean?