o3 ✍ sharpe's confusion ✍ video | backdated to January 26th

[incorrupt]

[ Someone is dressed in clothes that's obviously not his size. His shirt is obviously too big for him and hangs off the side of his shoulder. It's white, and a little dulled and thin from too many washings. The coat he's wearing over the shirt is, on the reverse, a little bit too small for him, the sleeves pulled up tight against his shoulders. The coat is absolutely, completely filthy. It's the kind of coat that you find on a chimney sweep, if chimney sweeps have money to buy coat.

Someone's either thieving from dumpsters or clotheslines or stealing them from beggars. What do you mean, you can buy clothes? Why would you do that when you have free stuff all over the place? Sure, he can pickpocket people, but the easiest targets are in the clinic and he feels bad about stealing from the people who healed him.

Look, just be happy he has a shirt on, okay? He spent like most of the last week half-naked. (He doesn't like charity. Stealing is better than charity, honestly. At least he knows where those things come from.)

The camera spent most of the time stuck onto his shirt before Sharpe tilts it up to his face. Look at his chin! Wait, no, he has it in his face. He stares a little belligerently at the camera for a long moment before he drags a (callused, not very clean hand) through his (sweaty, not very clean) hair. ]

I've got two questions. [ One finger. ] Who knows a man named 'Richard Sharpe'?

[ Two fingers. ]

D'ya think anyone can change their class? Move up the ranks, so ta speak. A rat becoming a gentleman. Summat of that sort.

[ This is important, okay? He knows about his future self (one gets very, very bored on a hospital bed, and he has this tablet thing in his hand), and future Richard Sharpe calls himself a Major. That's puzzling, that's what he is. He doesn't know how he even gets promoted in the first place to Ensign, much less a goddamned Major, commanding entire divisions and maybe even regiments. He's a streetborn rat joining the army to avoid two consecutive murder charges. What the hell? ]

Comments

[incorrupt]

[ He chuckles. ]

World's better when yer born well ta a father who cares 'nough 'bout you ta give you his name and his money, ma'am. [ Dryly. But wait. Waaaaait. ]

How many people do you rule over until you can remember all their names?

[medusalith]

There are less than eighteen hundred of us currently, and if there is a name I do not know, my cousins do.

[incorrupt]

Eighteen hundred only fer a whole country! [ Visibly shocked. ] Why, that's less than a company!

[medusalith]

Less now, after a number of wars.

[incorrupt]

How'd you even have wars wi' such a small number of people?

[medusalith]

Invasions mostly, by the Skrulls before we sent them back into space and destroyed them. The Shi'ar attacked the Kree empire after the Kree had surrendered to us and we were brought into another war.

[incorrupt]

Space?

[medusalith]

Is that so strange?

[incorrupt]

We're still fighting over plain old Earth, ma'am.

[medusalith]

That will never change. Conflict is everywhere it would seem, and even when one would rather avoid it, it finds a way.

[incorrupt]

People are like, ma'am. More willing ta kill each other than anything else.

[medusalith]

So I have noticed. It seems to be humanity's great failing, along with a distrust of those who are not like them.

[incorrupt]

[ He barks a laugh. ]

Aye. Only way ta prove themselves ta be good, eh?

[medusalith]

You fear what you do not know and do not understand - and yet do not take the time to learn otherwise. I have never understood it.

[incorrupt]

[ He cocks his head to the side. ]

Are you talking ta me still, ma'am?

[medusalith]

Humanity in general. [ A dismissive wave of her hair. ] It has always been a struggle with them.

[incorrupt]

You look plenty human ta me. Speak plenty good English too, and that's better than I can say fer some men I know.

[medusalith]

Not all of my kind do. [ A small smile. ] Thank you.

[incorrupt]

Yer welcome, ma'am.