Room 415, Wednesday Afternoon

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra had returned the last batch of books to the library. She was beginning to run out of novels in her preferred genre, which perhaps made her sadder than she should have necessarily been.

So she had done an experiment today, and now she was hauling in the results: five books, randomly picked off of the shelves, going by covers she didn't recognize. She put them on her desk as she came in, then sank down on the bed with a pleased sigh. At least she would still have plenty to read for this week; after that, she would have to ask Garik to help her find the novels on the line again.

"Computers," she muttered. "Maker."

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[seeks_truth]

"A local fairy tale of some renown?" Cassandra said. "I do not know your stories about unicorns well."

[crimson_sister]

"I know of stories in which they are hunted by using a virgin to trap them," Lucille recalled. "For some reason the stories agree that they like virgins."

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra blinked. "...Why?" she said.

[crimson_sister]

"Women are not expected to be virgins when they marry where you are from?" she asked, then shrugged. "One wonders how the unicorn could tell."

[seeks_truth]

"No," Cassandra said, growing increasingly confused. "I have been told the local culture places entirely too much emphasis on what other people do in private."

[crimson_sister]

"Where I am from we don't talk about it, and as a woman you are not supposed to know, but everybody is quite concerned about how does what with whom," Lucille said. "So perhaps the moral of the story is that if you're a young girl you should remain a virgin so that a unicorn walks up to you and lays its head in your lap. Then your family slays it without even thanking you for the effort."

No, she wasn't impressed with the story or by the sense of morality in her time.

[seeks_truth]

"Why would wildlife possibly care about what a woman does in private?" Cassandra asked, looking something close to aghast. "And if it is such a pure beast, why slay it? This makes no sense."

[crimson_sister]

"It makes no sense to me either," Lucille replied. "Perhaps the retelling offers some kind of explanation."

A little thoughtfully, she added: "So, your world are not concerned at all about things done in private?"

[seeks_truth]

"Not to nearly such an extent," Cassandra replied. "One must not give in to Lust demons, of course, but that is a case of possession. But unless you are the Divine Herself ahahaha most would not see any cause to pay attention to whether you are having relations or who you are having it with. That would be extremely unnecessary at best, and downright offensive at worst."

Was she working up a bit of anger just talking about it? Maybe.

[crimson_sister]

Lucille nodded. "I wish the people in my time were as wise as where you come from."

[seeks_truth]

"There are plenty of matters in which we are rather unwise," Cassandra said, deflating some. "And I am sure the Orlesians love to make a game of such things, but they do so about all things. But this has been rather jarring to me, since coming here."

[crimson_sister]

"Do they talk about it here, though?" Lucille had to ask, because even if the things left unsaid in her own time could be annoying, they weren't that obvious.

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra paused, thought about it, and shrugged. "Outside of the radio, it has not been my experience," she said, "and if they did, I would merely remind them it is not their business."

[crimson_sister]

"Radio?"

Someone had yet to tell her about it.

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra pointed helpfully at the radio receiver sitting on the desk. "This device can receive the voices of anyone who speaks at the radio station," she said. "Every day, the squirrels record our actions and force someone on the island to read about it at the station."

[crimson_sister]

"Squirrels?" That would hardly be the strangest thing here though. "Record our actions? That doesn't seem proper."

[seeks_truth]

"It is not," Cassandra said dryly. "Luckily, I suppose, they are easily bribed."

[crimson_sister]

"With what?" Lucille asked.

[seeks_truth]

"Nuts and alcoholic beverages," Cassandra said.

Then she rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ugh."

[crimson_sister]

Lucille realized she now accepted such information, especially from people she found trustworthy, like Cassandra and Jalian.

She made a face in agreement with Cassandra. "Somehow I wouldn't even be surprised if unicorns appeared here. Although I would honestly prefer if they liked alcohol rather than virgins."

[seeks_truth]

"There are teal deer in the woods," Cassandra supplied wryly. "But I have yet to meet any unicorns, and I doubt I will."

... since she wasn't entirely a virgin anymore, and all that.

[crimson_sister]

Which Lucille could be said to be, although it was probably irrelevant as there were no unicorns.

"One can hope not. Will you read the book, do you think?"

[seeks_truth]

"I believe I will," Cassandra said lightly. "I am curious, now."

[crimson_sister]

Lucille opened the book, looking at the chapters. "Apparently some unicorns are narwhals."

[crimson_sister]

Which Lucille could be said to be, although it was probably irrelevant as there were no unicorns.

"One can hope not. Will you read the book, do you think?"