i_speak_softly | Sixty-Fifth Theory [Video]

[The video feed clicks on, and Don looks thoughtfully at the camera for a moment before speaking.]

Another Christmas in Luceti.

[His tone is direct, just stating a fact, but somewhere behind it is a note of melancholy.]

This is my third. All of them have been in this house. All of them have been with different people.

[He slides back from the journal, revealing a corner of his winter room. He's been gradually moving into it over the past week, and has more or less taken up residence now.]

I've seen a lot of people come and go. There probably aren't many left who remember when Luceti didn't have electricity.

[He picks up some small bit of tech and squints at it.]

When I arrived here, the drafts were just starting. There were no missions. The Battle Dome didn't exist. We didn't have a farm and there was a desert where the ocean is now.

[He carefully threads a length of wire through a hole in the tech part.]

The buildings were shorter. Some of the stores and restaurants weren't open. [A pause.] I think I'm forgetting things...

[The wire slides through, and he knots the loose ends to form a loop.]

Does anyone remember other things that have changed? Or, does anyone want a history lesson? I'll be here all day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sure they'll speak up if they feel a need to. [The stay in Luceti can be a touchy issue for some and Yuan's not about to nominate others for possible questioning.]

[Don's thought process was more "support group" than "questioning", but okay.]

Were there fewer people when you arrived here? I don't remember the village population being much smaller when I came.

Yes, there were fewer. It was always hard to tell just how many there were, but as the population grew, so did the village itself.

Almost makes you wonder whether the Malnosso are trying to make our stay more comfortable.

[There would seem to be a strategic opportunity here, along the lines of "get enough people in Luceti and the barrier will break!", but Don can't see any realistic application of the idea.]

Considering the amount of resources this village used to have, there's no doubt things have become more comfortable over time. Kidnappings for individual experimentation have dropped as well.

[Back in the day, there could be up to ten people kidnapped at a time and the results would be far more gruesome. More physical harm, less Shift effects.]

That's true.

[He hadn't particularly noticed, but now that you mention it there have been fewer kidnappings.]

Things were changing even before 'Catherine' took over as the head of the Malnosso. I wouldn't be surprised if there was already internal strife before the first of us were brought to Luceti's enclosure.

How long has it been since the first people arrived here? About six years?

Five full years. We started the sixth a few months ago, I believe.

That's right. Does anyone know how long people outside the village have been here?

If an exact number was ever given, I'm not aware of it. Still, there's a good chance that not even the Malnosso know this for certain.

We probably shouldn't be talking about this over the journals. Thanks for the lesson, though.

[Sharing information about what they don't know over the journals isn't entirely harmful. It's when they delve into what they do know that things are better off unsaid. Still, he can see they're slowly heading in that direction.]

... Hm. You're welcome.