o1; audio

[crimsoncrow]

—ere we go. Hello? If anyone can hear this I've got a question that's been rolling around in the ol' noggin for the last week or so if you don't mind humoring an old man, uh. I know this might be a sensitive topic to some people and I don't intend to pry if it is, but I'm curious...

_{[ There's a brief pause as if the speaker is hesitating out of nerves, but he's taking a moment or three to put the right words together. ]}

These crimes that we've all — I'm assuming it's all of us — have been accused of. Is... anyone actually guilty of them? I can't exactly argue 'bout mine when it's true on my end, but we can't all be "criminals" here, can we? What even determines that? 'Cause I promise you that where I'm from, something like... I dunno, stealing food for example is a matter of survival versus an actual crime but the more I listen to the folks who live here...

_{[ A shuffle, followed by a slow exhale. It's still so weird after the life he's lived. Eventually he'll Get It, but not today. Nope. Stars. Can't do it. ]}

Sorry. I'm, eh... I was raised in a world completely different than this one. Having the freedom to actually talk about this sort of thing is pretty new, 'specially in a place that looks like this. Speaking of, I've got one more question for whoever might be listening:

What does it mean to you? Freedom. There's no wrong answer so don't worry 'bout that.

Comments

[menancia]

Menancia, too, is well on its way, though not quite so far along as it might have been, had I been more attentive.

[Many of the people there still sing his praises, and it does not sit right with him. They do not know the truth of the matter, do not know what initially drove him to make the choices he had— they only knew that it had made their lives better, for a time.

It wasn't enough. On the surface, his efforts may have appeared successful, but they simply were not enough.]

There are Renans, too, who are resistant to the idea. Resentful of any who might support such change. Unlike the Dahnans, however, I have little sympathy for my countrymen. People are not a resource, nor are they meant to be property.