I had... a dream of the Chorus speaking. They were telling a story. It was about the Dramaturge, and the way they were cast down from paradise, and for what.
But, um... also, about magic they made. Three spells...
[Thankfully, he's very good at remembering lines, all things considered. Even half asleep, he can recite, cautiously:]
""A spell to hide his planet of refuge from the eyes of Father, and Paradise...""
""A spell to destroy Paradise, and Father, who resides within it...""
""... And, because Paradise is, itself, the Sun... a spell that would convert the lives lost in the following heat death of the universe into the price necessary for a mass resurrection spell.""
Well. We were not nearly as alarmed by that letter as we should have been. [And she was already quite alarmed by it, though she left the dormitory before even chancing to read it that morning.]
[He tends to have an optimistic cast towards things, but this time... he just sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.]
I think so, yes. There's more.
[Uh oh.]
The Chorus said that because Father hunted down the Dramaturge's children to near-extinction, the spell would only revive those with the souls of, er... the original angels, and Mikaela.
So anyone who didn't get a soul of one of the original angels wouldn't come back.
The children they lost, and the child that's most important to them.
[This really is an uh-oh situation, but at least part of this sounds like something Cantarella might be able to piece together. Tsukasa, too, sounds like he might already have his own understanding beginning to build.]
We do seem to be the kindling for a great furnace, aren't we? Was there anything else said, Tsukasa?
Does it surprise you? [Curious, but not judgmental.] I think it was our very first night here that we heard them say they appreciate sacrifice. Just because they said it was under certain circumstances, they never told us what those circumstances were.
[Sika Madu is nice to them, as friendly, essentially, as they are to the half-real animals in the petting zoo. Her feelings on the matter are complicated, but her feelings on what Tsukasa's been given to carry around are more urgent.]
What's your take on this, then, dear? We can start from there.
I suppose... I wanted to believe that wouldn't be the case. But...
[It appears it is.
A slow breath in, and he sighs. Right. His take. Get it together, Tsukasa.]
We're... fuel for this hidden resurrection spell, right? That's part of the reason for this whole mess. But... um, how do we know who has an angel's soul and who doesn't?
Since they reached out to you, I'd see if you can find any of our little rabbits who are running around in the shadows. [Hopefully, he knows what she means...though Tsukasa might need a little more directness, and that's understandable. Cantarella waits to make sure.] These things are hard for them to discuss directly.
For now, I'm not sure we can say concretely, especially given the indifference towards us. Be that as it may, it's possible...we are none of us their children.
Would it matter if we were? [Could Tsukasa stand the exchange, if he was guaranteed survival?]
[He thinks he understands, anyway--he's slowly getting a bit more proficient at understanding Cantarella.
And, of course, as she may have expected, he's shaking his head before she's even finished asking her question.]
No, I... don't like this. I don't like anything about it. All of this about sacrifices and exchanges and one person being somehow more important than someone else... it's wrong.
[Even if she wasn't trying to circumnavigate the chance of something said too directly being caught, Cantarella is also trying to match the tone of story to story. They are still part of the allegory until they can break free of it...and she does very much want to dismantle it with the tools available to her.
Things are easier to reveal at the end, anyway, when the entire story comes together and all of the clues have been pieced in place.]
I think to fully unpack everything you've been told, we should think of it the way one of those shadow rabbits presented it to me. Directly, this time, so I know it came from his heart. According to him, Sika Madu has "always told the truth, but what they mean and what we believe do not align."
From all that I've gathered, the real meaning of the "story" was lost long ago... It's just getting to the end that's come to matter.
[There are things that have been difficult to piece together, even if the information itself was fairly straightforward. It's like remembering a dream, much like he is, a hazy narrative that might not even exist and cannot be pieced together.]
But I should like to hear the thoughts of someone who's used to writing and reading such stories, nonetheless. What do you make of it, Tsukasa?
[He's quiet for a moment as he thinks that over, brows drawn together.]
What matters is who the author is. If we knew that, we'd know what the intent of the ending is.
The Dramaturge is just the editor. Ultimately, the script is written by the writer behind it. Is it Father? [If that's the case, they're in Trouble.] Are we supposed to be writing it?
[If that's the case, they really need to know that too, don't they?]
I do not think Father cares. Normally, I'd be the first to suggest that you're the only ones who should write your own stories. But a story has an ending, something tidy, and life...does not. Perhaps that's why it's such a struggle for the Dramaturge to fully reach the ending.
[She frowns.]
They're the one who's trying to reach the ending, after all. And all they care about is their children.
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[Cantarella relaxes a little, folding her bowl under one arm.]
This is an easy task, so there’s no bother at all.
[She doesn’t invite him to start speaking explicitly…if only because it seems unnecessary. She’s already given him the floor.]
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[Wait, how does he answer that... he's so thrown for a moment.
And then he shakes his head. Focus, Tsukasa!]
Rather, I had a really, really strange dream last night, and, I... felt as though you could help me make sense of it.
[Cantarella, in the time he's spent getting to know her here, has been reliable and competent and wise.
If anyone could, it'd be her.]
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[She sighs and extends her free hand to him.]
But that also ensures I have a little experience separating the wheat from the chaff. Why don't you tell me all about it?
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No, Tsukasa, focus.]
... Right! Thank you very much!
I had... a dream of the Chorus speaking. They were telling a story. It was about the Dramaturge, and the way they were cast down from paradise, and for what.
But, um... also, about magic they made. Three spells...
[Thankfully, he's very good at remembering lines, all things considered. Even half asleep, he can recite, cautiously:]
""A spell to hide his planet of refuge from the eyes of Father, and Paradise...""
""A spell to destroy Paradise, and Father, who resides within it...""
""... And, because Paradise is, itself, the Sun... a spell that would convert the lives lost in the following heat death of the universe into the price necessary for a mass resurrection spell.""
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She looks to the "sky."]
Well. We were not nearly as alarmed by that letter as we should have been. [And she was already quite alarmed by it, though she left the dormitory before even chancing to read it that morning.]
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I think so, yes. There's more.
[Uh oh.]
The Chorus said that because Father hunted down the Dramaturge's children to near-extinction, the spell would only revive those with the souls of, er... the original angels, and Mikaela.
So anyone who didn't get a soul of one of the original angels wouldn't come back.
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[This really is an uh-oh situation, but at least part of this sounds like something Cantarella might be able to piece together. Tsukasa, too, sounds like he might already have his own understanding beginning to build.]
We do seem to be the kindling for a great furnace, aren't we? Was there anything else said, Tsukasa?
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[He frowns a little, eyes closing, hand pressed to his chest.]
But--this one line just keeps revolving in my head. The way that they said, ""But Sika Madu decided this was an acceptable price.""
That some people wouldn't come back... but it was accepted nonetheless. I can't stop thinking about it.
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[Sika Madu is nice to them, as friendly, essentially, as they are to the half-real animals in the petting zoo. Her feelings on the matter are complicated, but her feelings on what Tsukasa's been given to carry around are more urgent.]
What's your take on this, then, dear? We can start from there.
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[If it surprises him or not.]
I suppose... I wanted to believe that wouldn't be the case. But...
[It appears it is.
A slow breath in, and he sighs. Right. His take. Get it together, Tsukasa.]
We're... fuel for this hidden resurrection spell, right? That's part of the reason for this whole mess. But... um, how do we know who has an angel's soul and who doesn't?
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For now, I'm not sure we can say concretely, especially given the indifference towards us. Be that as it may, it's possible...we are none of us their children.
Would it matter if we were? [Could Tsukasa stand the exchange, if he was guaranteed survival?]
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[He thinks he understands, anyway--he's slowly getting a bit more proficient at understanding Cantarella.
And, of course, as she may have expected, he's shaking his head before she's even finished asking her question.]
No, I... don't like this. I don't like anything about it. All of this about sacrifices and exchanges and one person being somehow more important than someone else... it's wrong.
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Things are easier to reveal at the end, anyway, when the entire story comes together and all of the clues have been pieced in place.]
I think to fully unpack everything you've been told, we should think of it the way one of those shadow rabbits presented it to me. Directly, this time, so I know it came from his heart. According to him, Sika Madu has "always told the truth, but what they mean and what we believe do not align."
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[That gives him a lot to think about, at least. He tilts his head to one side, and then the other, like a confused dog trying to figure it out.]
Then... what we need to do is figure out where our understanding and theirs differs, right?
Like... if this is supposed to be a show, and they are the Dramaturge, then what script are they editing? What is the story supposed to actually be?
[If he thinks of it in those terms, it starts to make more sense to him.]
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[There are things that have been difficult to piece together, even if the information itself was fairly straightforward. It's like remembering a dream, much like he is, a hazy narrative that might not even exist and cannot be pieced together.]
But I should like to hear the thoughts of someone who's used to writing and reading such stories, nonetheless. What do you make of it, Tsukasa?
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[He's quiet for a moment as he thinks that over, brows drawn together.]
What matters is who the author is. If we knew that, we'd know what the intent of the ending is.
The Dramaturge is just the editor. Ultimately, the script is written by the writer behind it. Is it Father? [If that's the case, they're in Trouble.] Are we supposed to be writing it?
[If that's the case, they really need to know that too, don't they?]
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[She frowns.]
They're the one who's trying to reach the ending, after all. And all they care about is their children.
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[He tilts his head, brow furrowed.]
Well... it's not wonder they've done this over and over and over again. I suppose that's thematically appropriate for a production as well.
[They happen over and over again.]
Still, the curtain call has to happen eventually.