paradisabeyond | Winchester/Fairfield Expedition

[You saw the towns some time ago, but it still took a good couple hours of treading past the farmland around it before you actually reached it. They have a distinctly "old western" type of feel to them, with their dusty, unpaved dirt roads and the collection of buildings-- most of them obviously wooden-- sitting side-by-side along either side of the road.

More observant residents may notice that the nearer they come to the town, the more people that look up and notice, and subsequently hurry off or head inside. And even if you didn't notice it as you closed in, it sure becomes apparent once you step under the archway of the town; there's no one around. The tumbleweed that rolls by almost seems to be mocking the residents.

Another thing that becomes apparent is the state of the town. Besides having gone eerily quiet, some of the buildings have been wrecked. There are gouges in the wood, where it hasn't been punched through or torn apart. Rails are broken, and a few of them even have damaged or missing doors.

Are they too late?]

DR. BREWER | HEATH | RECONSTRUCTION

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I understand, especially if yours set that virus on you deliberately. I mean, mine's kind of an asshole too, but it never did anything quite like that.

Maybe Paradisa wants to keep you all at least marginally content. After all, the last set of people it had left, it makes sense it would want to try and make you stay, save losing any more people.

Now there's a thought. Do you have any idea why the last group of people left?

Whenever I've tried to ask hem about it, they've been very hedgy about it. They're really not trustworthy of anyone outside of their immediate group, so getting any information from them is tricky at best.

I don't think anything catastrophic happened, not like Draconis. But perhaps they learned something about this place the rest of us don't know yet.

Now that would make sense--the learning something, I mean. They were talking about the Allegory of the Cave, if you remember that from your philosophy class. [Because you have to take one of those to be a doctor, right? York wouldn't have known jack about it if it wasn't for having an AI in his head.

But it sounds like whatever this ~great secret~ is, Brewer and his friends don't know. Which is a little disappointing, but really not all the surprising.]

The part about how they really don't trust anyone, though. I thought that was just us castle-bound people. You too?

I understand the concept. And yes, it would make sense, these castles are living beings, steeped in more mystery than any of us really understand. It would well be that finding something out about them is irreversible. Much like the person leaving the cave.

They're not fans of us, after all, we escaped a place full of disease. Maybe they're worried we still have it, and can spread it to them.

See, while on the one hand I can see why they'd think that--but the whole idea of the allegory is that we can't live in the cave our whole lives. Knowledge frees us, not enslaves us. Right now all they're doing is using that knowledge as a power against the rest of us, and it's damn annoying.

[And he snorts a little.] Yeah, well, did you know Reno was the first person who told us to go to Lastlook? Which led us straight to the virus, of course. Kind of a dick move if you ask me.

When really, we're all in the same boat and should be helping each other. I doubt any of us will solve this place's riddles if we're fighting amongst ourselves.

...She did that? [He sounds surprised] But... I was certain she knew about it. I never expected her to do anything like that. She was always one of the more decent ones out there.

Right? The more we can work together, the faster we'll figure this all out.

[He grimaces - he'd always got that impression, too.] Well, she said that it was probably her favorite place to go. And I admit, it was really pretty. But not exactly a place I'd recommend to newbies without a warning.

It is a beautiful place. Perhaps she didn't realise that was the exact location of the virus? It's always a possibility.

Maybe. [But he sounds doubtful.]

Anyway. What's done is done, and at least we know better now.

That you do. I'm just sorry you haven't had much luck without outsiders.

[York snorts; that's a bit of an understatement.]

Yeah, well. Seems like they all hate us without ever giving a reason why, so. Good to knwo you aren't all like that.

There's a lot of distrust out here. Probably comes from living in various castles that try to make our lives miserable. I can't say I agree with their actions, but it's easy to understand what would make them that way.

[York snorts a little, but he supposes he can understand that.]

See, I always had the opinion that if we gave up, we were letting the castle win. Not giving people a chance seems like giving up in my book, so--I'm just glad you're different.

We didn't let our castle win, we escaped, so it didn't get us all. Unfortunately the victory still feels very hollow.

[Still, he'll smile] I'm glad we can give you all that much.

Oh, I didn't mean you guys. You aren't giving up at all, or you'd still be there. [And probably dead.]

But still. Anything we can do to help, let us know.

And that wouldn't have ended well. [Stupid crazy ass castle]

Thank you, and likewise.

Sure. Any time.

Winchester/Fairfield Expedition - The Town of Fairfield

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