paradisalost | -66- Where Have All The Good Times Gone

[there's a big unladylike sneeze-- but luckily not on the journal itself. Don't worry. She at least has the decency to turn her head first.]

...I thought you can't get sick here! What is this... [cough. hack.] ...Isn't this supposed to be some sort of mysterious paradise, with a side of big scary monsters thrown in every once in a while?

Getting sick just doesn't fit any part of that image!

[another sneeze, and some metallic rattling]

This is just stupid. ...And who drew on all the walls?! Did we get another visit by robots who have nothing better to do with their time than sneak in and mess up our stuff? [wait, was that right?] ...Robot-suits, whatever. It's obnoxious. I hope this shit washes off...

And these castle-brand pills are worthless. You'd think a magical wish-granting fairyland would be able to come up with something better than this crap. [sniffle. groan.] ...It's cold in here... [and then the delightful sound of a cleaned and reassembled handgun cocking. Summer colds put someone in the mood to visit the shooting range. Watch out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Faye hasn't even gotten to the part where she considers exactly how surreal this must be on Julia's end. It always takes her a little while to get to that point. She's currently stuck on what this whole thing could mean, and why Spike hasn't said anything about it yet]

Yeah. A lot longer.

[--and another sneeze. hang on while she blows her nose]

[Pleasant. And could that be... some residue of snot showing up on her journal page? Yeah, thanks, Faye.

She'll be sort of unconsciously going through the motions of reaching around for something to wipe it off with. After all, her mind is still clearly on other things.]

How much longer?

[yeah, busying yourself with something 'normal' really does seem to be the name of the game at the moment.]

You don't want to know. [--mostly because Faye doesn't want to think about it]

So... I guess you must kind of know your way around here by now, huh?

[Faye's probably right, actually; for her own good, Julia most likely really doesn't want to know. For all she knows, it could be years. And thus, she'll let that subject drop, focusing her attention on the more mundane things again. Much easier.]

I've been managing.

Run into anyone interesting yet? Make any friends?

[--like, oh I don't know, Spike maybe? Or any of the more monstrous residents; some of her friends tend to cause the newcomers quite a shock]

[She has no idea where you're going with this, Faye. At all. You're the first person she's run into that she knows.]

I've met a few who seemed kind enough.

Really?

[yeah, she sounds a little surprised. Both because Julia really is showing no signs of knowing about Spike, and because... that really doesn't sound like the Paradisa she knows.]

...Huh.

[Honestly, she was just as surprised. When you've been running from the mob for three years, being shot at seems a lot more likely than being on the receiving end of kindness from strangers.]

I guess I was lucky.

[normally, she'd warn against calling anything 'lucky' here, but she just can't find the energy for her usual newcomer spiel. Scaring the new kids for their own good, letting them know what a hellhole they've found themselves in... for some reason just doesn't seem like the thing to say to Julia.

--Not like she can think of something more suitable, of course.]

I guess.

[She picks up on something in that, regardless. If anything, she can be perceptive.]

It seems like you haven't been quite as lucky.

[... Maybe she's fishing. But this place has a whole too-good-to-be-true feeling to it, anyway.]

...Not many people are.

[and then, of course, when does Faye ever pass up an invitation to complain?]

Enjoy it while it lasts.

[That gets a dry, quiet semblance of a laugh out of her.]

I'll try my best.

-66- Where Have All The Good Times Gone

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated

dictated