••-U -•N •---J •-A --M
..- -. .--- .- --
UNJAM
Published August 16th, 2026 / by ræn
A quick note before we begin
This piece uses morse code. Most people don’t know morse code, so it also uses ruby text to annotate each character and lower its barrier of entry. I’ve done my best to make sure that everything is readable (including to tools like screen readers), but it’s not possible for me to test every possible setup. If you encounter a display error that seems to be unintentional, please let me know.
-•-•-
“...I’ll be going now, then. Please don’t hesitate to call for someone if you need anything.”
Renault slowly shut the door behind him, and only after hearing the autolock engage—firmly separating him from the unidentified man on the other side—did the tension leave his body.
“Any luck?”
Yoder was waiting for him outside.
“He’s...” Renault sighed, “I don’t know. He wasn’t as avoidant as the reports made me expect, but...”
Calling the man withdrawn would still be quite the understatement.
“Mmm...” Yoder hummed pensively, “Well, that is some progress, is it not? Aquileia wasn’t built in a day, so don’t be too hard on yourself.”
The sense of defeat must’ve been showing on his face. What kind of chaplain needed this much reassurance from a colleague?
“I’m not sure what you expected to be different if I spoke to him.”
“It’s a bit difficult to put my finger on it, but...” Yoder paused for a moment, “I get the sense that he’s like you, Renault.”
“In what way?”
Yoder smiled in a way that told Renault that his question wasn’t going to be answered.
“It’ll take some time, but I think you’re the exact person he needs. Sleeping on it might help you approach from a different perspective tomorrow.”
Someone like him?
He found it hard to believe, but... if Yoder insisted...
•••-•
He found himself standing outside the suite again the next morning. 10 am gave the man enough time to fully digest his breakfast but still left enough time for them to talk before lunch... and, of course, it gave Renault plenty of time to build up the nerve to try again.
He knocked on the door.
“I’m going to open the door.”
He waited a few moments to give the man the chance to prepare. There was a mechanism on the inside called a... a swing bar lock, if he recalled correctly, which could be engaged if the occupant didn’t want anyone to enter, but it being disengaged wasn’t a surefire sign that his presence was going to be welcomed.
Renault would’ve preferred to have asked if he could enter instead of just announcing that he would, but late the prior night it had occurred to him that he still wasn’t sure if the man understood what he was saying. The reports said he was from Elibe, but he had no idea how they’d’ve gotten that information with the man in the state he was in. Even if he did understand Renault, he still seemed to be mute; asking permission when he knew he wouldn’t get a reply felt a bit dishonest, like it was something that he was doing to feel better about himself rather than a genuine attempt to respect the man’s space.
Instead, he’d have to settle for announcing his presence and waiting.
Once he felt like enough time had passed for the man to get in to whatever position he preferred, he scanned his ID card on the panel next to the door and opened the door enough to peek in.
“I’m entering the room now, if that’s alright.”
There was still no response. A part of Renault was worried by that, but...
He stepped inside and turned to gently close the door behind him. The distinctive ka-chack of the autolock echoed through the quiet room and after hesitating for a short moment—a moment which Renault hoped the man hadn’t noticed—he turned back towards the rest of the room.
The layout of suite was—to the extent of Renault’s understanding—closer to that of a hotel suite than an apartment. It was more along the lines of a large bedroom—a very large bedroom by Elibe’s standards, actually—with an attached bathroom than it was a fully-equipped living space, but the people that were staying in them weren’t allowed to have access to most of the things one might find in a kitchen yet.
…
Renault frowned.
“Staying in them”? Could he really call it that? They were being confined. It was only temporarily, and it was for reasons that Renault understood and ultimately agreed with, but would the people who weren’t being allowed to leave view it as pleasantly? He certainly hadn’t when it had been his turn to go through it. What were the chances that being locked up in a room had only served to aggravate the man further?
Renault caught himself before he followed that line of thought any further... though the phrase he should now be using was “train of thought”, wasn’t it? He wanted to help this man leave as soon as possible, but letting his mood make him less approachable would only make it that much harder to build rapport and help the man adjust.
As he reigned in his emotions, Renault noted with some concern the untouched breakfast left on top of the desk, then let his eyes lower to the large bundle of blankets and sheets beneath it.
The man had been like this the previous evening, curled up inside a mass of fabric and completely hidden from view, and it definitely created the impression that he wasn’t willing to cooperate. On the other hand, he had barricaded himself in the bathroom when the other social workers assigned to him had made their own attempts, so this was an improvement, no matter how small it seemed.
“I’ll be standing over here by the door, if you’d prefer that.”
No response.
“So... I...”
Renault cleared his throat.
“I thought about some things, overnight, and I thought about the things that I was assuming, and I...”
Renault faltered.
Why was he dragging his feet? He needed to get his act together.
“Yesterday I was doing things as by-the-book as I could, but I think today I’ll try to be less... formal?”
That wasn’t the right word.
“I’ll try to do a better job at adapting to your needs, is what I mean. And, so, as I said yesterday, you don’t need to speak to me if you don’t want to, or can’t, or...” Renault trailed off, realizing he didn’t have a third option to populate that list with, “But in order for me to help you we do need to... erm... we do need to be able to communicate. Which is to say, I would like to be getting some... feedback, some feedback to make sure I know that you’re understanding what I’m saying, even if you aren’t replying. Directly replying, at least.”
No response.
He should’ve rehearsed more.
“I’d like to start by establishing a system that might work for that.”
No response.
“So... if you’re able to give me some kind of signal... it could be a noise, or a gesture, or anything else as long as it works for you... doing it once can mean yes, twice can mean no. Does that sound good?”
Renault waited.
The consensus of the people who had been in contact with the man was that he probably wasn’t deaf, but Renault couldn’t rule out the possibility that he didn’t speak the same language, or that perhaps... he had an auditory processing disorder of some kind. The realm of psychology had been, up until his arrival in Tokyo, entirely uncharted territory for Renault, but he had spent most of last night trying to read up on as many things that he could find that might be helpful. There were quite a few possible causes for the man’s behavior, but from what Renault had seen so far, he just was... scared. Far more scared than the other people Renault had worked with, sure, but the man simply seemed to be far too anxious to drop his guard in an unfamiliar environment. It was more understandable than how people usually acted, but it also meant more ground to cover before they could move forward... though he couldn’t really complain, since he hadn’t pursued this job because he thought it would be easy.
The ball of fabric shifted a bit, though Renault didn’t have a very good view from where he was standing. If the man was performing some kind of gesture, he wouldn’t be able to see it, and—
Right as Renault was about to entertain the idea of asking if he could come closer, he heard a single knock on the wall by the desk.
Yes.
“Great,” Renault said, holding back from exclaiming it so he didn’t startle the man, “In that case, is it alright if I ask a few questions to start us off?”
There was a short pause before Renault heard another knock.
Yes.
“Alright. I’m not sure how much the other social workers explained, but would you like me to go over our current situation?”
There was a longer pause.
“…”
Nothing good would come from rushing the man.
One knock.
Yes.
“Good,” Renault nodded, having momentarily forgotten that he wasn’t being watched, “...So, to start with...”
He explained the general situation. They were currently in a city called Tokyo, which had, over the past decade or so, been seeing a growing number of people from other lands suddenly appear out of thin air. After it became clear that people would continue wandering in from parts unknown, the city decided that it was in everyone’s best interests for there to be services that helped these people adjust to life in a new land.
They were currently in the main facility where the city offered those services. The general procedure when someone arrived in Tokyo was for them to be held here for a few days—rarely ever for more than a week or so—as they adjusted to the major changes in their situation, as they learned the basics of living here, and as the officials made sure that it was a good idea to let them out into the world.
“Though that last part is more of a concern with those who are... excessively combat-minded, we’ll say,” Renault added on, not wanting to give the man the impression that he’d be stuck here for a long time, “Most people don’t have to worry about it at all.”
He paused.
“With me so far?”
There was a bit of a delay, though Renault assumed that the man just was taking the time to process all of that.
One knock.
Yes.
“Great. After that you’re free to go if you wish, but our long-term goal is to help everyone be in a position where they are able to support themselves, so we’ll offer plenty of assistance after that. There’s transitionary housing, career guidance, several support groups... there’s quite a bit, but it would make more sense to explain it after we talk about...”
Renault trailed off. Putting emphasis on how different the man’s life was going to be might only serve to agitate him at this stage.
He really should’ve rehearsed more.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
One knock.
Yes.
“I’m sure that’s a lot to take in, but before I go so you can eat your lunch in peace, do you have any immediate needs that need to be addressed? Is the room too hot? Too cold?” Renault’s eyes darted back to the uneaten breakfast, “...Any problems with the food?”
Two knocks, two knocks, two knocks…
No, No, No...
…
Two knocks.
No.
Renault noted the delay but didn’t comment.
“Alright then. I’ll look into some things and be back a bit after lunch. I think I’ll at least be able get you some things to do while we finish figuring everything out.”
-•-• --•- -••
Over the next day and through many, many yes-or-no questions, Renault learned a bit more about the man. The main takeaway, though, was one that Renault already expected: they needed to find a better way to communicate.
“You know I can’t approve that.”
“This it total... Ugh!”
At the moment, he was trapped in an evening meeting with the other people on the team assigned to the man: two other caseworkers—Yoder and an increasingly aggravated Faye—and the facility’s lead legal advisor and advocate—the ever-steadfast Sheena.
“We’re approaching the limit of what we can do for him with what we have in place right now and it’s the best solution for accommodating his needs.”
“I understand that, Father Renault, but the guidelines we’ve been provided are very clear about when and how to introduce technology to new arrivals. We can’t afford having our budget slashed again. Need I remind you of the audit next week?”
Sheena was completely correct, of course; this facility relied on funding and trust from the locals and stepping out of line would be a quick way to lose both. It was important to help the man, yes, but doing so at the cost of losing the ability to help anyone who came after was far too steep a price for the institution to bear.
That didn’t mean that Renault wanted to be satisfied with this sense of helplessness, but, with the whole team stumped like this, it didn’t seem like they had much of a visible path forward.
“…”
“…”
“...Can we just make this their problem?” Faye grumbled.
“...I’m sorry?”
“Come again?”
“…”
Renault subtly glanced towards Sheena because she hadn’t exclaimed anything and it seemed that, as this stalemate drew the meeting closer to its third hour, she was very rapidly reaching her limit.
“I mean...” Faye hesitated for a moment, not quite cowering beneath Sheena’s glare but clearly regretting how she had chosen to deliver that comment, “They’re the ones who have all these rules, and it’s not that I don’t agree with the reasons, right? It’s all to prevent past accidents from happening again, which is good, but if it’s going to stop us from being able to help people in the present, then the line we can’t cross still needs to be adjusted, which is bad. What he needs is pretty clear, and we just need the people with a better idea of what tools actually exist here to help us find one that works. Surely there’s a middle ground between giving him a laptop and keeping him trapped in the stone ages, right?”
It took Renault a moment to understand the figure of speech she used near the end, but Faye did have a point, and from how Sheena’s expression relaxed slightly it seemed that she at least somewhat agreed.
“Perhaps there’s a similar option that doesn’t include a screen? Maybe even something that’s fully mechanical?” Yoder suggested.
“Hm...” Sheena thought about it, “Father Renault, you said that this patient doesn’t wish to be seen, correct?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, yes. We haven’t been able to get into the specifics, but it’s why I don’t think sign language is the right answer.”
“I see. Let’s go over his file again; I think we might be able to frame it in a way that lights a fire beneath the oversight committee.”
••--••
A bit before lunch the next day, Renault finally received a response from the committee. He poured over the provided documentation over his break and, once he finished putting it all together, brought everything they’d need to the man’s suite.
“Hello?” He knocked on the door, “It’s Renault. Is it alright if I enter?”
There was some shuffling from inside and, after a moment or two, he heard a bell ring exactly once.
Yes.
While coming into work yesterday, Renault had noticed a bell at the desk in the facility’s reception area—the kind that you’d see at the front desk of a hotel in a movie—and it occurred to him that something like it would be a much better way to signal to him than asking the man to keep hitting his hand against a hard surface over and over. While the bell had been there the entire time he had worked here and was something he had taken for granted for just as long, the man seemed to appreciate it and Renault was glad that he had asked to borrow it for a bit.
Renault entered and was greeted by a folding screen stretched across the short hallway that led past the bathroom and into the main room of the suite. It had been given to the man so he didn’t have to hide under the desk just to avoid being seen, and while there wasn’t anything actually stopping Renault from removing it, the fact that the man was using it at all made Renault hopeful that he had established some degree of trust.
“I hope you enjoyed your lunch.”
…
One ring.
Yes.
“That’s good!” Renault tried to sound upbeat without being too forceful about it, “So, as I mentioned yesterday, my colleagues and I did some digging and I believe we’ve found a way to communicate that seems promising. It’s a little complex, though, so it’ll take some time for us to both learn to use it. Is now a good time to go over it?”
A very quick ring.
Yes.
“Alright! So, I’m going to have to pass two things over to you. The first is a small box and the second is a sheet of paper. There is a button on the box that, when pressed, will cause it to emit a sound. It’ll sound like this...”
Renault fumbled awkwardly with the device, which resembled a small tv remote, for a second before he had a firm enough grip on it to confidently use it.
Beeeeep.
“The sheet of paper explains a code where letters are made by combining short presses and long presses, represented by dots and dashes on the paper. The letter ‘a’, for example, is represented by a short press followed by a long press, like this:”
.-
> Ａ
“As you just heard, the long press is as long as three short presses, and the gap between the presses in a single letter was as long as a short press. When making a full word, the space between letters should be as long as a long press—that is, three short presses—and when making a sentence the space between words should be as long as seven short presses. So, if I wanted to say ‘I ate’, since ‘i’ is two short presses, ‘t’ is one long press, and ‘e’ is one short press, it would sound like this:”
.. / .- - .
> Ｉ ＡＴＥ
“The exact timing doesn’t matter as long as the presses and gaps are distinct enough, and it’ll make much more sense once you try it out, but does that sound good for now?”
…
…
…
…
One ring.
Yes.
“Alright. I’m going to pass these to you. Ready?”
One ring.
Yes.
Renault bent down and slid the paper and the device beneath the screen and stepped back towards the door. It took a few moments for the man to retrieve the paper and the device, and, after a moment, he heard the beeper beep.
Beeeeeeeee-
It seemed like he was testing it first.
-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-
…
-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-
“Is everything alright?”
-ep.
…
... --- .-. .-. -.--
That was... ‘Sorry’ ?
For what?
“Oh, no, no worries. I was just checking in and making sure it hadn’t broken unexpectedly. Sounds like you’ve gotten the hang of it, though.”
-.-- . ...
> ＹＥＳ
He had expected the man to struggle a bit since Elibe had no analogue to this type of code, but he seemed to be having no issues.
“So, is there anything you’d like to start with?”
…
.- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. --- -- ..-. --- .-. - .- -... .-.. . / .... . .-. . ..--..
> ＡＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＣＯＭＦＯＲＴＡＢＬＥ ＨＥＲＥ？
“Mmmm...”
Renault mused over it for a moment.
“For the most part, I’d say? Things are different, but I’d say that a lot of those differences are for the better.”
.. / -- . .- -. - / .. -. / -
> Ｉ ＭＥＡＮＴ ＩＮ Ｔ—
He cut off suddenly.
…
…
…
.... --- .-- / -.. --- . ... / -... --- -..- / .-- --- .-. -.- ..--..
> ＨＯＷ ＤＯＥＳ ＢＯＸ ＷＯＲＫ？
Renault noted that he was changing the subject.
“The one I gave you?”
-.-- . ...
> ＹＥＳ
“It’s a type of ‘machine’. This land specializes in making mechanisms that are empowered by a weakened form of the same energy that lightning is made of. The lights in the room work similarly.”
The government’s various regulations about what they could and could not say to new arrivals included many, many preset answers, and this was the third or fourth one on that list... though usually they’re asked about the lights first. As far as Renault was aware, this was the first person who needed accommodations like the beeper, so he did his best approximation of what he thought would be considered acceptable.
…
-. --- - / -- .- --. .. -.-. ..--..
> ＮＯＴ ＭＡＧＩＣ？
“No. Since this land focused on machines instead, magic is relatively underdeveloped.”
Another stock answer.
…
…
…
.. ... / - .... . .-. . / .- -. -.-- / -- .- --. .. -.-. ..--..
> ＩＳ ＴＨＥＲＥ ＡＮＹ ＭＡＧＩＣ？
“...To be honest, it’s very underdeveloped here. Were you a mage, by any chance?”
To be honest, magic like what Faye could use, which was channeled through one’s own body, worked for a bit but quickly ran dry and magic like what Renault could use, which drew from magic in the environment, didn’t work at all. And, of course, he wasn’t supposed to say any of that within the first week.
…
-. ---
> ＮＯ
…
- .... . / --- .--. .--. --- ... .. - .
> ＴＨＥ ＯＰＰＯＳＩＴＥ
What would be the opposite of a mage? Someone who used their body, like a warrior or a laborer? The man was apparently quite thin, so that didn’t seem likely. An archer or artisan, then?
“...I’m not sure what that would be, if I’m being honest. Is it something you’d like to talk about?”
-. --- - / .--. .- .-. - .. -.-. ..- .-.. .- .-. .-.. -.--
> ＮＯＴ ＰＡＲＴＩＣＵＬＡＲＬＹ
“Alright.”
-.. --- / -. . .-- / .- .-. .-. .. ...- .- .-.. ... / ..- ... ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / ... . . -- / .- -. --. .-. -.-- ..--..
> ＤＯ ＮＥＷ ＡＲＲＩＶＡＬＳ ＵＳＵＡＬＬＹ ＳＥＥＭ ＡＮＧＲＹ？
The answer to the question would be yes, at least for the first few days, but...
“I can’t speak about other people we’ve had here, but—”
.- .-. . / - .... . -.-- / ..- -. ..- ... ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / .. .-. .-. .. - .- -... .-.. . ..--.. / -- --- .-. . / - .... .- -. / .-- --- ..- .-.. -.. / ... . . -- / ..- -. -.. . .-. ... - .- -. -.. .- -... .-.. . / ..- -. -.. . .-. / - .... . / -.-. .. .-. -.-. ..- -- ... - .- -. -.-. . ... ..--..
> ＡＲＥ ＴＨＥＹ ＵＮＵＳＵＡＬＬＹ ＩＲＲＩＴＡＢＬＥ？ ＭＯＲＥ ＴＨＡＮ ＷＯＵＬＤ ＳＥＥＭ ＵＮＤＥＲＳＴＡＮＤＡＢＬＥ ＵＮＤＥＲ ＴＨＥ ＣＩＲＣＵＭＳＴＡＮＣＥＳ？
“I’m sorry, but there are confidentiality concerns—”
-.. --- / - .... . -.-- ... .- -.-- / - .... .- - - .... . .- .. .-. / ..-. . . .-.. ... - .... .. -.-. -.- ..--..
> ＤＯ ＴＨＥＹＳＡＹ ＴＨＡＴＴＨＥＡＩＲ ＦＥＥＬＳＴＨＩＣＫ？
“I—”
. . .-. .. . .--. .-. .. -.-. -.- .-.. -.-- -.. .. ... - --- .-. - .-.. .--. -.. ..- -. ... .-- .-.. ..-. --. ..--..
> ＥＥＲＩＥＰＲＩＣＫＬＹＤＩＳＴＯＲＴＬＰＤＵＮＳＷＬＦＧ？
His tempo continued to ramp up and Renault was struggling to keep up.
-..- --- .... .- .-- ..-. ...- .... --. ..- .. .-. --- .... .- -... ----- .--- -.....- ----. ...-.. .---.-.....
> ＸＯＨＡＷＦＶＨＧＵＩＲＯＨＡＢ０Ｊ[huh?]９[wait][waitwaitwait]
“Wait!” Renault raised his voice and immediately regretted it. Yelling at a patient? What kind of chaplain did that? “Stop for just a moment, please. I’m sorry, I just can’t go that fast. Can we try that again, but slower?”
... --- .-. .-. -.--
> ＳＯＲＲＹ
“No, no,” Renault shook his head, “If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. It’s my fault for not taking more time to study this code first.”
…
“Anyway. As you were saying...?”
…
-.. --- . ... / - --- -.- -.-- --- / .-.. .- -.-. -.- / .- - -- --- ... .--. .... . .-. .. -.-. / -- .- --. .. -.-. ..--..
> ＤＯＥＳ ＴＯＫＹＯ ＬＡＣＫ ＡＴＭＯＳＰＨＥＲＩＣ ＭＡＧＩＣ？
His pace was steadier and slower now, almost mechanical in its rhythm. The fervor from moments before was gone, replaced with a sterile question that was direct, to the point, and somehow on the mark.
It seemed like the man had some suspicions about... something? Some difference that existed between Elibe and Tokyo that was connected to why magic didn’t work here. Renault had no idea why or how he would know that... especially if he wasn’t a mage, and especially if he had only been here for a few days, but... if he already knew these things, it defeated the point of trying to hide them... right?
“Before I answer that question, can I ask why you might think that?”
Renault paused for half a moment.
“I guess putting it that way already tells you that the answer is ‘yes’, doesn’t it?”
The man didn’t reply.
“It sounds like you already know a lot about what’s going on, so, er, I suppose there’s not much harm in explaining.”
If he already had half the facts, he’d know when Renault was hiding something, so it’d be better to take the chance to build rapport rather than blindly follow procedure.
“Where to start... Well, as you said, most people who wander in to Tokyo are... a bit irritable.”
..- -. -.. . .-. ... - .- -. - . -- . -. - .-.-.-
> ＵＮＤＥＲＳＴＡＮＴＥＭＥＮＴ．
Renault chuckled weakly.
“Well... I do try my best to be understanding of their circumstances, having been in their situation myself once. Even without the...”
Renault paused, remembering that he didn’t know if the people researching it had settled on a term for it yet.
“The ‘magic deficiency... syndrome’...? There’s no standard name for it yet, I believe. Even without that, it’s like falling overboard and washing up in a distant land, isn’t it? Anyone’s bound to be confused and upset and disoriented and... well... it can be a bit problematic when someone with a sharp weapon appears out of the middle of nowhere like that.”
…
“I wasn’t lying when I said this facility helped wanderers get used to life in Tokyo, but... it’s a bit of an open secret that its main purpose is to hold them in an isolated and controlled environment as they acclimate in a much more physical sense. The government has been understanding—”
For the most part.
“—but they also have an obligation to protect their citizens, so this was the compromise that we were able to settle on. From the perspective of wanderers like us, we spend some time away from everyone else so if we do lash out because of the ‘magic deficiency’ or because of being ‘shipwrecked’, the harm we can cause is limited and the consequences of any harm are lessened since everyone working here... ‘gets it’, so to speak.”
…
Was there anything he was forgetting? Yoder was the one who usually handed ‘The Explanation’, so Renault was out of his element... not that he had much of one in the first place.
“Oh, um! I should also explain that, erm, that was the reason why I had to... step around saying certain things. The government wants us to ease wanderers in to life here to lessen the culture shock and that does, unfortunately, mean they have rules about when to disclose some information.”
…
“If I’m being honest, I’m really not supposed to have told you any of this yet. I think most of the restrictions do make sense, like not immediately telling mages that they have to leave their life’s work behind, but...”
.- .--. .--. .-. . -.-. .. .- - . / .. - .-.-.- / .-- --- -. .----. - / ... -. .. - -.-. .... .-.-.-
> ＡＰＰＲＥＣＩＡＴＥ ＩＴ． ＷＯＮ’Ｔ ＳＮＩＴＣＨ．
“...If it ends up putting you in a tough spot, you don’t have to do that. Giving the people in charge reason to believe that you’re... problematic isn’t a price worth paying just to save me from a demotion that I’ll bounce back from in half a year.”
…
--.- ..- . ... - .. --- -.
> ＱＵＥＳＴＩＯＮ
“I’ll do my best to answer.”
There were still a few things that he felt would be better left for later, but they could cross that bridge if it came to it.
.- -.-. -.-. .-.. .. -- .- - . ..--..
> ＡＣＣＬＩＭＡＴＥ？
It took Renault half a moment to locate where that was in what he just said.
“Oh, yes, of course. So, as I mentioned a few days ago, usually when people first come here, they are...”
Renault paused, then sighed.
“I’d usually try to mince my words here, but there’s not much point in trying to beat around the bush at this point. We confine them. Temporarily, of course, as they adjust to the... lack of magic and whatever else might make it difficult or dangerous for them to be out there in the world, but it’s still confinement. For most people this process takes a few days, but it can be hard to tell where the ‘magic deficiency’ ends and the experience of being... far from home, let’s say, begins, so we usually keep people fully confined for around a week.”
Renault noted that he really needed to look up if they named the condition yet.
“We’d need to talk a little bit more, of course, but I think you’re probably... fine? I think you’ll be able to leave your room and walk around the campus and... actually do things pretty soon.”
.. - / .-- . .- .-. ... / --- ..-. ..-. ..--..
> ＩＴ ＷＥＡＲＳ ＯＦＦ？
“I’m sorry?”
- .... . / -.. . ..-. .. -.-. .. . -. -.-. -.-- ..--..
> ＴＨＥ ＤＥＦＩＣＩＥＮＣＹ？
“Oh, yes. It does. It sounded like you were familiar with it, so I didn’t go into much detail, but... well, I’m not an expert, bu—”
.- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.- .. -.. -.. .. -. --. / -- .
> ＡＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＫＩＤＤＩＮＧ ＭＥ
“...uh?”
The beeps came in rapidly—barely slow enough for Renault to parse—and ended just as quickly.
“Is... something wrong?”
Renault did his best to not let his nervousness bleed into his speech and was met with silence.
…
.... --- .-- / -.-. .-.. --- ... . / .- .-. . / .-- . / - --- / --- - .... . .-. / .--. . --- .--. .-.. . ..--..
> ＨＯＷ ＣＬＯＳＥ ＡＲＥ ＷＥ ＴＯ ＯＴＨＥＲ ＰＥＯＰＬＥ？
The man had a talent for ignoring Renault’s questions, but...
“We’re in a city. A part that’s a bit less crowded, but once you leave the campus it’s still pretty densely populated.”
Far more densely populated than he probably expected, but right now seemed like the worst time to bring out that fun little fact.
.- -. -.. / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / ... ..- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.. --- -. .----. - / ..-. . . .-.. / .- -. -.-- - .... .. -. --. / ... .. -- .. .-.. .- .-. / .- .-. --- ..- -. -.. / -- . ..--.. / .- -. -.. / -. --- -... --- -.. -.-- / . .-.. ... . / -.. --- . ... ..--..
> ＡＮＤ ＹＯＵ’ＲＥ ＳＵＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＤＯＮ’Ｔ ＦＥＥＬ ＡＮＹＴＨＩＮＧ ＳＩＭＩＬＡＲ ＡＲＯＵＮＤ ＭＥ？ ＡＮＤ ＮＯＢＯＤＹ ＥＬＳＥ ＤＯＥＳ？
“Do I...?”
What was he talking about?
“What?! No! Of course not!” Renault caught himself raising his voice again and hastily reigned himself in, “I have no idea why you might think that...”
…
But he must have had a reason to think that, didn’t he?
“...Are you okay?”
The man knew what magic deficiency syndrome did to a person, and it seemed like... he thought that he might inflict it upon people around him? It sounded distantly familiar, like something he had overheard in a conversation he had been half-listening to a century ago, but right the faint hint of the memory of that tale from long ago began to echo and as the shadow of an idea came into view, the man spoke again.
.. .----. -- / ..-. .. -. . .-.-.-
> Ｉ’Ｍ ＦＩＮＥ．
Well, he hadn’t exactly spoken, but... what he said made Renault feel somewhat optimistic... assuming it was true, of course. There was clearly something else going on—something that he knew he should be concerned about, and something that made him think that the man was very much not fine—but now was clearly the wrong time to try to find out more. There was no need to press the man during their first real conversation, especially since he now had the ability to communicate his needs; if he believed Renault could help, surely he’d let him know…?
.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / ..-. .. -. . .-.-.-
> Ｉ ＷＩＬＬ ＢＥ ＦＩＮＥ．
“That’s... good.”
Renault was somewhat reassured by the man’s reiteration, and even moreso by the shift to the future tense, though that quickly shifted to a sense of embarrassment and shame once he remembered that it was supposed to be the other way around.
“And even if you end up, erm, not being fine, I’ll always be in your corner. That’s what we’re all here for.”
…
…
…
- .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.-
> ＴＨＡＮＫ ＹＯＵ．
•••-•-
Afterword
It was only then that Renault awkwardly realized he still hadn’t learned the man’s name.
This was written for Fire Emblem: Modern Pulse, an ongoing collaborative fan event that centers around Fire Emblem characters appearing in modern-day Tokyo. While the focus of the event seems to mostly center around modern fashion, the FAQ made the mistake of explicitly condoning creating something based off of a, and I quote, “[Certain Very Specific Idea]”, giving me carte blanche to force people to think about Kishuna.
Kidding, kidding.
That’s not why I started this and it’s only the fourth or fifth reason why I finished it. ;)
As a fashion-challenged writer, I found myself thinking ‘how would this work?’ What would it be like if Fire Emblem characters started falling out of the sky in Tokyo? That question was a bit too broad for me to actually write something about, but eventually I landed on something more specific: “Whose life would be improved the most by being relocated to Tokyo?”
With someone like Faye, a generous reading of how she is written means that she’d probably be a lot happier: her fixation on Alm is the result of a pretty normal childhood crush being twisted into an unhealthy obsession by a traumatic childhood event (being attacked by Slayde), and she’d certainly have access to better psychiatric care in Tokyo. It’s obviously going to be a bit more complex than just going to Tokyo and being #cured, but I don’t really think it’s too hard to connect the dots from who she is there to who she is here. (She’s also not… exceptionally miserable, so, while her life would be better, it’s hard to say that it comes anywhere close to being improved the most.)
The ways that Kishuna’s life would improve aren’t quite as easy to explain, though a large part of that is because everything we know about him inferred from his actions (of which there are very few, none of which are ever explained) and from what other people say about what a magic seal is (which also requires us to assume that they know what they’re talking about).
The primary issue in Kishuna’s life is that he’s a magic seal. Being a morph is manageable (Sonia was in the Black Fang for about a decade without being found out) and that means that being cast out by Nergal is a difficult but survivable situation (it might require some luck, but it’s not much different than what happens to Camus or Dart), but it’s very hard to work around the fact that your body always emits a field that makes people mad (and often mad at you).
I twist the knife here by positing that this is something that people could’ve gotten used to, but from there the logic behind this premise is fairly simple.
Elibe is a world with magic. When exposed to whatever magic-sealing mechanism a magic seal emits, Elibeans start feeling irritable and uncomfortable. If those feelings are caused by losing access to their magic and not as a side effect of the effect that is sealing it, then they would feel that way regardless of how their magic is sealed. We live in a world without magic. Therefore, Elibeans would feel irritable and uncomfortable when coming to our world. Furthermore, being a magic seal would do nothing while in our world, as there is no magic to be sealed. Therefore, if the effects of having lost your magic eventually wear off, Kishuna would be able to live a normal life here because the default state everyone lives in is one that his presence does not alter.
From there we can loop back around to the larger question: how would this work? Putting aside the premise of ‘there’s no magic’ and ‘no magic makes you big mad’ (which exist here for narrative reasons), what would it be like if someone in full plate armor appeared out of thin air in Tokyo while holding a sharp object?
It would be a problem, right? It’s not as socially acceptable to walk around with a sword as it used to be, and the government would view it as a public security issue that must be addressed. I think it’d take a while to actually get to the point where they figure out a good system that treats everyone with the dignity that they deserve (and this takes place 10 years or so after it started happening so we can skip directly to that part), but once they do figure it all out it’d probably look something like what Renault describes. Make sure they know that they need to leave their sword at home and help them assimilate into society so they can get jobs and support themselves and not need you to expend resources taking care of them anymore.
The dividing lines in this piece are morse code prosigns and each bears some degree of relevance to the section that follows them.
-.-.-
> ＡＴＴＥＮＴＩＯＮ
ATTENTION is used to indicate the start of a new message.
...-.
> ＶＥＲＩＦＩＥＤ
VERIFIED is used to indicate that a message has been received.
-.-. --.- -..
> ＣＱＤ
CQD was a distress signal that was obsoleted 120 years ago by the much more well-known SOS, though both are a bit dramatic for the amount of help that Renault needed here.
..--..
> ＳＡＹ ＡＧＡＩＮ？
The meaning of SAY AGAIN? changes based on where it is used. When used on its own without a preceeding or following message like it was here, it is a request to repeat what was just said.
...-.-
> ＯＵＴ
OUT is used at the end of a transmission.
Partway through this piece, Kishuna starts pressing the beeper a bit too fast and a bit too irregularly, creating encoding errors that Renault was unable to adjust to. While you could go back and decode it yourself, I don’t expect most people to want to solve that puzzle. What he was trying to say was:
-.. --- / - .... . -.-- / ... .- -.-- / - .... .- - / - .... . / .- .. .-. / ..-. . . .-.. ... / - .... .. -.-. -.- ..--..
> Ｄｏ ｔｈｅｙ ｓａｙ ｔｈａｔ ｔｈｅ ａｉｒ ｆｅｅｌｓ ｔｈｉｃｋ？
. . .-. .. . ..--.. / .--. .-. .. -.-. -.- .-.. -.-- ..--.. / -.. .. ... - --- .-. - . -.. / .- -. -.. / ..- -. ... . - - .-.. .. -. --. ..--..
> Ｅｅｒｉｅ？ Ｐｒｉｃｋｌｙ？ Ｄｉｓｔｏｒｔｅｄ ａｎｄ ｕｎｓｅｔｔｌｉｎｇ？
-.. --- / - .... . -.-- / ..-. . . .-.. / ..- -. . .- ... -.-- ..--.. / - .... .- - / ... --- -- . --- -. . .----. ... / - --- / -... .-.. .- -- . ..--.. / - .... .- -
> Ｄｏ ｔｈｅｙ ｆｅｅｌ ｕｎｅａｓｙ？ Ｔｈａｔ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ’ｓ ｔｏ ｂｌａｍｅ？ Ｔｈａｔ
All of these are things someone in FE7 says about what being around a magic seal does to you. Thank you for joining me in imagining Kishuna no longer having to live that life.