exsilium | o2 ✍ sharpe's distractions ✍ video

[ The video opens to a pair of hands. Hands, paper, and a line of tobacco. A cigarette being rolled before the camera is tipped upwards and Sharpe comes into view. He drags a hand through his hair, which is more than slightly wet by the rain. It's obvious after a while that he's outside, sitting below the awning of one of the houses in the Hold. His rifle, leaning against his shoulder, is completely dry.

He takes out a lighter and snaps it on, lighting the homemade cigarette and taking a drag. ]

Convenient things, these. [ Tosses the lighter up, and catches it again. ] Works better than any flint. [ Pause, and he shrugs. ] But I ain't here ta talk 'bout fires.

I'm a soldier and I ain't use ta just waiting 'round here. Even travelling and sightseeing [ he grins at this, because going out to the Outlands was fun but not the kind of sightseeing and travel most gentlemen go for ] gets tiring after a while. [ He leans a bit further back against the wall. ] There any books 'round? [ Beat, then he clarifies, because his accent tends to mark him as illiterate: ] Fer reading, I mean. English'd do, but if there's something in French or Spanish, I ain't going ta say no.

[ He takes a drag of the cigarette contemplatively. ]

Stories'll do as well, if no one's got any books ta read.

[ He makes to switch off the transmission, but then he seems to remember something. Scramble, scramble, oops, ash and burnt paper on the camera, which he brushes away irritatedly. ]

Can someone explain ta me how a man and a woman can share the same house without being married or related ta each other? [ He tips his head ta the side. ] It don't say much for decency or the woman's reputation, no. [ Beaaaaaaaaaaaat. ]

And what's those noises on the thirteen floor of that damned building we've been housed in, eh?

[ This is actually Sharpe's point in making the transmission but he wants books as well. Whatever. Look, it's shut off for real now. ]

a little bit later, 10% (crappily) encrypted to morgana

[ Awkwardly: ] How fares you, milady?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There's a long pause. ]

What d'ya mean like that? [ Squints. ] And I think yer not making sense again.

Women who are stronger than your average men. There's a whole bunch of them from my world. Women who could punch boulders like they're pillows or lift them like they weight even less. [ She doesn't think he'd know what a car or truck is, so boulder example it is. ]

[ Blinks. He rubs at his nose and mouth. ]

Now yer being strange 'bout this. [ He's really trying to not offend her. ] Not even men can do that in me world, and I think the women who can do that are special, aye? With super strength and 'meta', whatever that is.

[ He sighs. ]

That ain't say much 'bout the rest of the women. Me wife can take care of herself plenty, [ Sharpe grins at that - when he was married to Teresa, he used to boast that his wife kills French men for fun, and he's damned proud of her for it ] but that don't mean the rest of the women are stronger than men, or they don't need protection, or they should be treated like a man.

[ For what it's worth, he doesn't mean that they're not equal - he means that men are pieces of shit to each other and why would any woman wants to be treated like a piece of shit. ]

Most of us come from different worlds. What's normal in one can be completely the opposite in another.

Personally, I don't want to be treated like a man. [ Rather, a capable woman because she gets offended quickly if treated like some sort of pitiful victim. ] And it's alright to believe in protecting women, but you can't really insist that they can't care for themselves or that we all need men to look out for us. Maybe in your time, but it's not how it works in my world or many others.

[ Blinks. ]

When did I say that? It ain't that women can't care fer themselves. Sometimes they need help, and it's the duty of a gentleman - or even any bastard wi' a sense of decency in 'im - ta help 'er.

[ Did I mention he's pretty contradictory? I'm so sorry. ]

[ Although it's funny, where would she be now if it weren't for her dad? ]

It's... really hard to explain. I think the library would have books that could explain it better than I can.

You've got some titles or authors?

From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World from the top of my head. There's like four books, but you can start with the first one.

Uh, Marilyn French is the author's name, I believe.

She ain't actually French, is she?

[ Women writing books... @_@ ]

No, she was American. [ Kate has to pause, trying to recall if French is dead or not in her world. She's pretty sure she died not too long ago. ] It's just a surname.

American, eh? [ He quirks his lips up. ]

Aye, I'd read it.

Yeah, she was from New York.

Quite a few of us Americans here, I think.

Are there still slaves over there?

No, not in a long time.

The future did something right 'bout that, at least.

There are a lot of laws about people's freedom and rights in my world and time.

The hell are 'rights'? [ Sorry Kate. Just. Sorry. ]

Legal and ethical principles. [ It gets much more complicated but ehh, baby steps. ]

Like your right to life or your private property.

Private property's easy enough - you get hanged fer stealing. [ Shrugs. ] Right ta life's a bit harder ta think about.

[ See, murder is a crime, but what is 'right to life' when your King has the right to your life in every way, especially when you're a soldier? ]

Everyone's entitled to live their life the way they choose unless it involves harming someone, right?

Unless yer a soldier. [ Beat. ] Or a whore, a starving kid in a workhouse... Even lordlings have plemty they can't do even alone.

o2 ✍ sharpe's distractions ✍ video

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