paradisa | 046 ♕ [voice]

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046 ♕ [voice]

[Felix]

If I were to ask you about a mysterious indecipherable journal from a certain ruined castle, would that ring any bells?

[First Gens]

Yeah, I know, breaking radio silence, always suspicious. But I think it's clear that you're at least out there trying to listen in, so I figured it's worth a shot. If you want to go ahead and assume this is some kind of zombie-hive-mind induced trick, well, I can't make you answer. But you've gotta admit, it'd be kind of strange for a castle zombie to be asking about this.

We've all gotten new journals. It's been months ago, now. And it's a little bit unnerving, when we've been running on the same system since "our" group arrived here. But it got a few of us to thinking - did this happen before? Is that why we don't have any history on the fact that you all used to even live here? If that's the case, it seems like the castle was trying to cover its tracks, or start fresh after you left... but then why would it do that to us, when we haven't gone anywhere and a bunch of us still remember and can pass that info on? Were we coming too close to something? If so, I don't know why it let all us oldtimers keep our original journals. [Wryly] Of course, we could all wake up tomorrow and find they've gone the way of the dinosaurs too, I suppose, and maybe I'm jinxing it big time by even bringing the point up, but still.

I just want to know if there's a history of this happening. Maybe it can help us understand. And as long as some of us are still asking questions, doubting and not just taking things in stride, maybe we can keep that part of ourselves that you all seem afraid we're destined to lose.

That's not the only thing. And I already get the feeling that you're not about to get all share time on this topic, but the fact is that when some of our people took an expedition to the ruins of the castle in the north, there were traps there that seemed completely undisturbed. Have any of you even tried approaching Libet before? Or do you stay away from it for the same reasons you avoid Paradisa?

Whatever spark of life might have once belonged to the castle is long gone, apparently. I'll be publishing a report on our findings soon. As a show of good faith, I'm not going to try to filter that information away from any of you, in case you honestly don't know anymore than we do. Hiding clues about this place that's trapped all of us isn't doing either of us good. I'm getting really tired of the whole cloak and dagger routine.

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[A couple days later, have a woman who sounds like she's in her thirties or so, with an accent out of the Southern states. ]

I get the impression you folk are getting mighty frustrated –– not that I blame you.

[She'd almost forgotten, after a few days with no response. Still, she takes a deep breath before responding, her heart beat quickening as she moves to close the door to her room and sit back down with the journal.]

It's Lois. Lois Lane. Seems a little more 'friendly' than calling each other 'woman', anyways.

[An intake of breath and a tiny sigh] And I have to commend you on your really mild word choice. "Frustrated" doesn't begin to cover it.

Reno Browne. Pleased to meet you, Lois.

[She makes a sound just off her breath -- quiet, halfway between exasperated and amused.]

It's hard to wait. Especially so when you don't know what you might be waiting for. A couple months back, I told the Doctor and York that I'd get around to sending you folk a letter, to properly explain what's been going on out here, but I just haven't gotten to it, yet. I owe you an apology for that, even if it doesn't mean much.

I thought that might be you. [The smile is audible in her voice.] Don't take this the wrong way, but with the accent - I didn't figure there were too many cowgirls riding around out on that range.

... And the Doctor and York never mentioned it. Or if they did, I might have missed the memo.

Can I ask what made you decide to open up at all? I mean, I know you have people here you actually know and have come to care about - at least in terms of their well-being. But you've suffered for that before too, haven't you? Reaching out to us?

Not too many, no. Paradisa's always favoured Americans, but never Southerners. Funny how that works out.

[She pauses.]

How much d'you know about me, then? Just so I'm not runnin' over the stories you've already heard.

I know that you lived in the castle for awhile, and read the note that you left, though no one was certain where you were going. I've also read the message you sent in the journal where you were ordered not to speak to us anymore. And your holiday greeting to us, where you said you hadn't seen the journal in awhile, so our assumption was that it'd been taken from you... or that you'd been watched carefully after talking to us before.

I spoke with Roy about you a little - he's the one who told me that you were with the larger group of nomadic first genners. I consider Roy a friend, so I trusted his word on your being someone who actually cared about us.

And I know that you've had contact with York at times, but that he's put a lot into protecting you, even from the consequences of dealing with the rest of us. There are some things he won't tell me, because he sees them as between the two of you. But he's another guy whose opinion I trust.

As for much about you as a person: well, I'm hoping maybe you can fill in some of those gaps.

Mm. That was the right assumption to make. And York and I are good friends... I intend to contact him and Jr. before I write any long letters. I owe them that much for all my long silences.

[She's quiet for a moment, and then she speaks again.]

Before, during or after Paradisa?

Before might be the best way to really understand where you're coming from.

[laugh]

No one has asked that yet.

I grew up in Nevada. Born in 1921 –– my granddaddy was an attorney who took the family from Connecticut to Nevada, and my daddy took up his business. Mama was a rancher's daughter. I took after her more than I took after him. I took over the ranch when I was twenty-one, and ran it myself until Paradisa took me.

Was it just you on the ranch?

Had a bunch of ranchhands and stableboys –– can't run a ranch without 'em. There were other ranchers around the area, too, and we always got together to help each other out. Lash LaRue, Whip Wilson. We always met up with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at least a couple times a year. Running a ranch was hard, honest work, but you get by with friends.

It sounds a lot different than growing up on crowded military bases, at least. But I've had some experience with farm living too. Definitely the most honest people I've ever met.

[Laugh]

Most definitely. Most days, you could leave your door and walk for miles without seeing another human soul.

Country life isn't for us all, but for the folk that enjoy it, there's no other option.