Day 590,

I assume it’s the next day anyway.  Lights in here haven’t changed all night.   Heading up the stairs as soon as Lin and Cass finish breakfast.  They actually seem a little better now that we’re inside, although not by much.  The mechanical and electronic alienness of our environs is surely off putting enough for them without any need for “tower fear”.

Truthfully, I don't even think I saw anything like this in my past life outside of works of fiction, but at least I have those memories of stories for some tremulously grounding reference.  That and the irrational outsider urge for exploration egging me on just as surely as the western siren’s song urged me to run wild.

We’ll all need to watch one another to make sure we don’t lose ourselves here.

We found the second message from Maiko’s mother.  It seems Maiko was born here, in that room.  I refuse to use any other word for it lest I imply that she’s any less of a person. 

I’m keeping this entry short for the same reason as last night’s. I’ll write a more thorough summary once we’re back outside.  Unless Maiko changes her mind we’ll be leaving in the morning.  We’ve spent little enough time here that we can afford to make the journey to visit Iole afterward.  I don’t think any of us are ready to go home right now anyway.  Not after this.  

Oh Maiko… I can hardly imagine what she’s going through right now.