act15d5

I've given you an answer. I think it's fair you give me one now.

What's your question?

I came here to find someone, but...

Shouldn't there be a village here? Why don't I see anyone else?

A village?

See for yourself, little miss. What looks like a village here to you?

There used to be a few villages around here, mind, but they've all left now. Old noble boy snapped this place up. There'll be construction starting this spring. Building a factory!

...A factory...

Look here, this metal sheet, and this giant thing! Majestic, isn't it? Goes vrrmm!

It's—it's very cool.

But, the factory... Why here? Why not on a nomadic plate?

The old noble boy builds wherever he pleases. It's ours to ask why.

Could you tell me where all those villages here migrated to?

What? Who the hell knows...

Can't have moved far, I'll tell you that. This area's solid, after all, close to the city orbits. You only see refugees with nowhere to go head for the wastes!

Hm...

I understand. Thank you very much.

(...Still within expectations.)

(It's already been close to twenty years. It wouldn't be odd for the child's village to relocate between then and now...)

(I'll only be able to search a little bit of the surrounding area. At least the village's name, and the name of the child are still recorded. If worse comes to worst, I'll enter the city and see what I can do to find them.)

(Hmph. A hurdle this trifling could never stop me!)

Excuse me, is this Tonnerre Village?

It's not? Alright, thank you, sorry to bother you.

Hello, could I ask if anyone knows a girl named Mabel... erm, sorry, she should be a lady of about twenty. Does anyone know her?

I see, then...

Thank you, I'll go somewhere else and see if I can ask.

Sorry for the bother, but is this Tonnerre Village...?

Excuse me...

Iris recalled the words she grew up with—To protect a paradise, a fragile dream, is never an easy thing.

It was only to fulfill a promise, to allow slumberland to last forever in the children's fledgling hearts. They always gave it their utmost, their all.

Dazzling dreamlands far-flung from reality became the gentle croons of nursery rhymes, broken into phrases kept in stories handed down across the land, down across hundreds and thousands of years.

She didn't want to give up.

She couldn't give up.

In fairytales, nothing was ever unachievable.

Within reality, achievement could only ask one's dedication to the task.

(Southwards from this road, and then turn east... pass through the forests here...)

(There's a roadsign here. Mm. I should be going the right way.)

(How many villages is this now? This is already the nomadic city's periphery plate. Look any further in, and I'll be entering the city...)

(Or perhaps, I should head outwards...)

(Never mind. I'd better find somewhere to keep the vehicle safe first.)

Hm? What's that sound?

Daddy, are we going home?

Is my disease all better now? It still hurts... aren't we going to the doctor?

We're going home... we're not going to the hospital, we're going home.

Daddy bought you medicine. We'll go home and take it, and then it won't hurt, Dora.

Huh? Do I have to take really bitter medicine again...? I don't wanna take it! No!

Dora, listen carefully, if you take your medicine your illness will be better. So even if it's bitter, you have to be brave, okay?

But it's so bitter...

Last time, that burnt up paper was really hard to swallow. And then before that, the injecshun really hurt... mummy, can I stop seeing the doctor? I don't wanna get injecshuns, and I don't wanna take more medicine.

Can I go outside and play? I miss my friends at school. Maemae came to ask when I can play with her the day before. I wanna go out and play with her...

(Sob)

Mummy, are you crying...?

Don't cry, mummy! I... I'll take my medicine, and I won't go outside at all! I'll stop complaining!

I'll listen to mummy and daddy. I'll be a good girl. So stop crying, mummy...

Dora, Dora... you're a good girl... why did it have to be you, why did it have to be you!?

My poor girl... oh...

(An ill child...)

This mission's about over now. Give it the stamp for me.

By the way, I brought some fruit from the south for Maemae. Are these the ones she threw a fit about wanting last time?

You even brought something? You really are too kind.

Thank you for these, they're just the ones. Don't spoil her too much, now. Her teeth will fall out if she keeps eating sweet things all day!

The only thing on her mind all day is play. Oh, this morning she insisted to me a fairy took her to stay at a castle last night. I think I've been telling her too many bedtime stories. She's still so silly, even at her age.

She's still little.

She's not little, she's almost about to go to school. Let's see... no issues with the mission. Do I just stamp on here for you?

That'll do.

Certainly. Have this back.

You came back fairly fast this time. What's the city like now?

Much better than I was expecting. Some talking politics in coffee shops, but just talking. Gatherings are peaceful.

Aside from the culture nuts, normal folk like us don't care about the political stuff, after all.

There were some workers making a commotion on the street the day before because their payslips were too low, but nobody got hurt, thankfully.

Sounds like it wasn't much of an incident.

Perhaps.

...Hm?

Who's that girl? She's not a local, is she?

Who? Oh, you mean her... you've got sharp eyes. Out of the blue, she came to this village just about yesterday.

It sounds like she's looking for someone. First she asked the village's name, and that seemed right, and then she started going from house to house, asking.

All she has is a name. Can't be easy finding them.

I don't know how far she's been already, but that craft she came in's been dinged and scraped up to Hell and back. It's parked up by Mr. Eason's right now, waiting for repairs.

The girl doesn't give up, I'll tell you that.

We all want to help her too. Maemae's been helping her since the crack of dawn, running all over to knock and ask, and plenty of the kids with, all raring to go.

She's coming over.

Excuse me.

Can I ask if Maemae's back yet?

Not yet. Don't know where she's run off to.

How's it been going for you? Still haven't found who you're looking for?

Not yet, no.

What kind of person are you looking for?

What kind of person are you?

You look out of place. And all goggled and masked, how suspicious!

Hahahahaha!

Hey.

Ha, haha... she's not wrong, you know. First time I saw you, I was thinking the same thing!

Do I really look that shifty?

The last thing I tell is lies!

Here, Miss, don't wrinkle your brow like that. Tell him about who you're looking for. Ignore him dressing like he's dangerous. He's actually a quite reliable guy.

Really? Er...

Don't your eyes hurt, glaring at each other so hard?

It's fine. I'm used to it.

Never mind. I'm not arguing with you.

And I'm not arguing with a child.