I dreamed of a world so far from here that's not on the map

[matchbreaker]

To my Fellows,

What is "good" and what is "evil" is something that can be debated for longer than most of you will ever live, as is the nature of men. These debates are without meaning in my eyes. Despite that man's belief, men are not born to be good or evil, and what flaws they have in personality or character are things that can be overcome through their choices. Both for better and, as we've seen, for worse.

Life is not without suffering, but I should hope that every one of you is loved by someone. Loves someone. Many of you probably know that some of those loved ones are entering into an experience similar to our own. The terror of that is an undeniable sword which hangs above our heads.

Do not isolate yourselves, and hold onto what belief will best inspire you. And if you wish to join us for another one of these gatherings, meet us in the dining hall at 8PM.

Sincerely yours,
Elda Marker

PS: Those who can taste will once more provide food.

[ Well that sure is a lot of words which is being put under your doors, put on the fridge, and generally distributed around. It... uh, sure is a letter? It's in the same impossibly perfect cursive as last week, and is written with an almost angry bravado. Because even if she was vindicated at the end there, she was vindicated by a (by his own admission) evil priest. So. That feels bad.

Anyway, with some effort, the dining hall (which now has a lot of candles at Cabanela's little shrine, even with adding the two more here) is filled with food: Susan's got the booze as usual but also a big pot of mac and cheese. Adelina's done her noble best with some finger sandwiches. Yuri's brought some sweets that Estelle might've made. As for Elda, well, she still basically can't cook, so what she provides instead is:

A few board games including a Settlers of Catan, Sorry, and Candyland knock off. I guess we're playing games. Or at least she's suggesting it, who knew? ]

Comments

[sleepytimegal]

[ Oh, that's... She turns her attention to Adelina. ]

What do you mean?

[bloodbiter]

Ah, well...

[She pauses, trying to think of a good way to explain.]

It is just - it stands to reason that the people in charge here stand to gain something from this situation. As such, it also stands to reason that anyone who ran something like this in the past had to have something to gain from it, correct? Without knowing what they might have stood to gain... It’s difficult to know who might have done this.

[sleepytimegal]

...Huh... I guess since Alena was so adamant about their personal reasons not really mattering I hadn't thought about it like that? But that's making more sense than anything else... Dang. I don't know where to go from there, then.

[bloodbiter]

I don’t know either. There are some personalities that seem more willing to do such a thing, but... I would not want to speculate when so much about our situation remains unknown.

[A small frown.]

It is troubling to know it is one of our number, though.

[sleepytimegal]

I wish...I understood.

[ Ugh. ]

Even Kirei. I wish I understood.

[bloodbiter]

...It does not seem as though it would be difficult to convince him to take part in such an activity, honestly.

[Given that he thrived off of pain and suffering and all.]

[sleepytimegal]

I- I know that... I just wish I understood the rest of him. The...why. I guess that's what he wanted too.

[bloodbiter]

[She pauses, curious despite herself.]

Why does it matter if we understand him? He was... terrible.

[sleepytimegal]

[ There's a pause on Alex's end too. ]

Because...sometimes understanding something can lead to a better outcome. That's what I believe.

[bloodbiter]

[She has to think about that for a moment, to grapple with it.]

It depends upon what kind of understanding you seek, I suppose.

[sleepytimegal]

You don't think reasoning with people like that is possible, do you?

[bloodbiter]

...No, I do not. Not with people like him.

[A small sigh.]

I suppose I wish I did.

[sleepytimegal]

I guess...I get you. But I've reasoned with some...irrational people before, so...I kind of want to keep trying.

[bloodbiter]

I'm glad you've had that kind of experience... That you were able to reason with them.

[And that's sincere, too. She honestly means it.]

But - he said he did not fear even death, nor did he value the lives of others. For someone like that, what could we possibly use as leverage?

[sleepytimegal]

I...don't know. But there has to be something. At least- I don't wanna believe there's nothing. Even after...it's all too late.

[bloodbiter]

...You and I come from very different places, I suppose. I have had the opposite experience.

[sleepytimegal]

That...sounds very sad, Adelina.

[bloodbiter]

[A small shake of her head.]

I didn't mean for it to sound sad. It's simply how it is.

[sleepytimegal]

Yeah, just... I don't know. I think everyone needs a little idealism.

[bloodbiter]

[And then, there's a small laugh, if a bit nervous.]

I don't mean to sound as though I'm without hope, either. To the contrary... I think the future is full of potential.

[sleepytimegal]

I guess we're just...hopeful in different ways.

[bloodbiter]

[A pause.]

Would you tell me about it? The time you were able to convince someone very irrational to work with you?

[sleepytimegal]

[ ...Ah. Well... ]

It was...actually the spirits in the...well, the place I was trapped in back home. I...appealed to what's left of their humanity. Reminded them of their names.

[bloodbiter]

I see.

[Kind of. She can't really claim to understand it very well, but—]

You just have been very persuasive. Then... Did they let you leave?

[sleepytimegal]

[ ....Mmmmmnnn. ]

Well... That's a little trickier. They can't really control that, but...they were nicer, after.