[OPEN] A Tale Told By an Idiot

[therevanchist]

Who: Revan and Whoever
What: Misled by the badass title, Revan attempts to read The Sound and the Fury
Where: Philly library
When: Towards the end of the Philly stay
Warnings/Notes: The Sound and the Fury is basically a nonstop parade of awful, so if you want, we can just stick to Revan not knowing what golf is or whatever to avoid dealing with early/mid-20th century race and gender issues and horrid people being horrid to each other.

[Anyone less stubborn would have given up days ago. Revan, on the other hand, is seated at a table in the reference section, surrounded by books pulled from all over the library, none of which seem to have any relationship to each other. A copy of the Concise Oxford, still large enough to brain livestock. A single-volume history of Germany and another one about the state of Mississippi. The official rules of golf. A biography of Thomas Jefferson and a history of Cambridge, England, both pushed off to one side. Harvard Observed: An Illustrated History of the University in the Twentieth Century, published of course by Harvard University Press. Several slim books about Easter, all obviously for children. And so forth.

Directly in front of her, stuffed full of flimsy paper bookmarks printed with the library's hours pilfered from the circulation desk, lies the cause of all the trouble: an unassuming paperback copy of The Sound and the Fury, with all the terrible stock photo cover design a cheap reprint of a classic entails. Revan herself is scribbling something in a spiral-bound notebook with a ballpoint, her surprise at the sheer amount of paper in the city long subsumed by irritation over this maddeningly incomprehensible book she's found.]

Why does it even matter?

Comments

[greyerrant]

{ Loken looks over at Revan and asks. ]

What's wrong? Is the book not to your tastes?

[therevanchist]

[That's an understatement, Loken.]

It's terrible.

[And yet, here she is, not only still reading it but raiding the entire library in an attempt to understand it.]

[greyerrant]

Then why read it? Is there valuable historical, tactical, or cultural data in it?

[ He seems utterly confused by her behavior. ]

[therevanchist]

[Well, it would help her understand Dixon if she realized Mississippi and Missouri are neighbors, but she doesn't know that.]

I should at least be able to understand it.

[Revan: so stubborn she won't give up on a book she hates because that would be admitting defeat. Besides, it's better than thinking about her life.]

How are you feeling?

[Smooth subject change. Good job, Revan.]

[greyerrant]

[ Loken considers the question. He is silent for a long moment, then he admits. ]

I am dying. Slowly and by inches. The wound the black cloaked figures in armor gave me... isn't healing as it should.

[therevanchist]

[Revan hadn't thought about it that deeply, but isn't surprised when Loken lays it out. Simply touching one of the blades had knocked her unconscious and left her in a haze of despair that hadn't abated until they'd found those herbs.

She merely nods, not insulting him with a denial that would simply be wishful thinking.]

The weapons were...tainted. A wound from one of those blades must be more than physical.

[greyerrant]

Yes. Something like this... would have killed my gene-sire, but turned him into a monster instead. I wish it had killed him.

[ He looks at Revan and asks her directly. ]

If I look to be... becoming something else. End it.

[therevanchist]

[Whatever a "gene-sire" is. She assumes Loken means biological father, and it's not worth side-tracking the conversation over, anyway. Not when he's asking her to agree to a mercy killing. But...he's not wrong to worry about the possibility, and she's seen him in a fight. There are only a handful of others in the group who'd have a chance, and of them, she's not sure how many would have the stomach to kill something wearing the face of a friend.

Revan takes a deep breath before nodding.]

If you become a danger to others, I'll take care of it.

[It's not quite what he asked, but Revan is a Jedi. They don't believe anyone is ever beyond the reach of the light. She'll kill him only if she can't cure him.]

[greyerrant]

My thanks. I've had to give that sort of mercy to others before. I know it is distasteful, but I suspected you'd be willing to do it, should it come to that.

[ He smiles, a little sadly. ]

It is my intent to find a more honorable end in the service of the people of this caravan before, if I can.

[therevanchist]

[Revan acknowledges his thanks with another slight nod, hoping she won't have to do anything to merit the gratitude.]

You might get the chance. I doubt our pursuers have given up, and we're no better armed than we were before.

[Unless something changes, she doesn't like their odds.]

[greyerrant]

Perhaps we should ambush them and turn the odds around. A few snares, an elevated position, and we could end a few of them and give the children a chance to get clear.

[therevanchist]

[Revan gets a pensive look. She doesn't hate the idea, but there are practical concerns.]

If anyone gets too far away, they'll be teleported back to the main group. We could leave a token force, but the rest wouldn't be able to get much distance without pulling the rearguard after them.

[She grins.]

Great way to stage a retreat if you time it right.

[greyerrant]

Like a teleportation attack in reverse. It has promise.

[ He grins back, already considering the tactical options of such a strike, and how best to coordinate it. ]

[therevanchist]

[Revan taps her fingers on the table.]

If we're serious about this, I want to bring in Arturia and Brainiac.

[Arturia's an experienced general. Brainy's a prickly jerk, but he's smart.]

[greyerrant]

Agreed on Arturia. I haven't met Brainiac.

[ He looks at Revan expectantly. Damn PC charisma. ]

[therevanchist]

[Having someone instantly defer to her just seems normal. and Revan falls into the commander role without noticing.]

If we need to improvise weapons, he's our man. Touchy, but a genius.

[greyerrant]

I'm familiar with the type. I'll step lightly around him and let him do his work.

That still leaves the question of basic equipment and weapons, though. I think Arturia has the only sword I've seen on our side, thus far.

[therevanchist]

Sariatu and Shuichi both have swords, and there might be others I don't know about. Dixon's shield works as a weapon, but he's in terrible shape. [Does she mean the injury or the fact he's a heavy smoker who doesn't exercise? Yes.] Shuichi is...barely more than a child, really, and not willing to use his.

[So, she's agreeing with Loken.]

My own weapons don't work.

[Still pissed about the lightsabers? Still pissed about the lightsabers.]

I don't know how long we'll be able to hold an enemy we can't hurt. I'm not willing to spend lives to achieve nothing.

[Don't mind her, just instinctively assuming it's her call to make.]

[greyerrant]

Even a moment's more time is worth a life, as long as we can gain it. and it isn't like I have long anyway, I suspect.

[ He frowns more deeply when she mentions her weapons doesn't work and says. [

What sort of weapons did you use?

[therevanchist]

Lightsabers, but hang on.

[Revan holds up a hand to forestall the shop talk that she really would like to do, because lightsabers, but this is important.]

You don't know what influence they'll be able to exert over you. Maybe you wouldn't be going to your death.

[The implication being he'd be going to something worse. The dark side is tricky like that, bro.]

[greyerrant]

You think they could bend me to their will?

[ Loken isn't sure if he's worried or insulted. He's always remained loyal to humanity's cause. ]

[therevanchist]

[He doesn't get to arrange a mercy kill with someone and then be insulted when she starts talking worst-case scenarios.]

Just touching one of the blades knocked me out. Back home, I'd have been able to shrug it off. Something about this place is weakening people.

[A tactful way of driving home her point, just ignore all the people who gained powers, please.]

So yes, I think it's possible.

[greyerrant]

A good point. If I had my abilities from home I'd have made that entire hilltop a charnel house.

Or even just my boltgun, really. That would have been enough, let alone my war plate or chainsword.

[therevanchist]

[She snorts. It's almost a laugh, but too tired for that.]

I'd have made short work of that mess, too. Even a working saber would have changed the odds.

[Revan shifts around in her seat to let her reach under her robe to the small of her back where she's moved her useless sabers. If they were still on her hips, she might try to draw them by accident.

Emitter safely pointed away from Loken, she flicks the power switch, and once again nothing happens.

Sigh.]

We're not really ranged fighters.

[Except for all those times you throw your saber or deflect a blaster bolt into the person who fired it or sweep people ten meters away off their feet with the Force, Revan.]

[greyerrant]

What is that? Looks like a lasweapon, or a digital laser? Maybe a torch of some sort?

[ Loken blinks a few times at the lightsaber then says. ]

No. You're holding it like a hilt. Is that a power sword without any actual metal on the blade?