Title: Learning
Author: the random monkey
Date: 2-2-04
Author's notes: Yes, I know this took forever, and I'm sorry to disappoint my diehard fans (all three of you). I just had a tough time writing this chapter, because I didn't plan in advance where I would go from the last chapter. Luckily, I know how the rest of the story is going to go, so we shouldn't have this problem again.
Thank you to NeoNaoNeo and Bloodshy Testament (and Black Waltz Three) for help with this fic. And, now, I shall sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Water dissolvng, and water removing!
There is water at the bottom of the ocean!
Into the water, carry the water.
Water dissolving, and water removing.
-Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The birds were pulling on him again. They were all grabbing his left arm, and they were trying to carry him away. He could hear them talking:
"They got some way they can take 'em apart and use the parts for new ones."
"How do I know they're not programmed not to drink piss?"
"You seen how this one's been looking all over? He got screwed up, probably from gettin' his hand hacked off."
"No!" he cried. He began thrashing around, trying to pull his arm from their grips.
The birds exploded, forming two big, round pools of light. They were Mr. 286's eyes. The mage looked down at him kindly, rubbing his chest reassuringly.
He calmed down, and smiled back, but the image quickly melted before him. He frowned. He couldn't remember seeing anyone melt before. It took him a moment to figure out the reason why: his eyes were made of fire. He looked around, and saw another mage, who looked back at him, and they both exploded.
286 hadn't known what to do. There was obviously something wrong with Mr. 314, but he didn't look injured. The only thing wrong with him, as far as 286 could tell, was that the stump where Mr. 314's left hand had been was covered with oozing white stuff. At a loss for anything else to do, he had wiped the stuff off and left Mr. 314 to sleep.
When he had looked later, the white stuff was back. 286 had thought about what to do for a moment, and decided to cover Mr. 314's wound. After tearing off the heavy gold decoration at the bottom of his jacket, 286 had torn off a strip of cloth and tied it to 314's arm. He had checked underneath it every so often, wiping off the white stuff that still found a way to get onto the wound, but noticing that there was a little less each time.
Sometimes Mr. 314 seemed really scared when 286 tried to check the bandage. He would pull his arm away and start screaming things that didn't make any sense. 286 would hold him, stroke his cheek or rub his chest, and wait until the mage calmed.
It frustrated him, that this was all he could do, but it was better than not being able to do anything...
That wasn't good, he thought. I didn't like that at all. But this is nice. He was floating facedown in a river, watching the fish swim beneath him. He waved to the fish, who waved back.
Someone pulled him out of the water, and he sat on the shore. Someone thrust something wet in his face. "You! Drink this."
He had learned his lesson. He slurped up the liquid without a pause.
"Good mage! We won't recycle you!" they said.
He smiled at them, then stood and joined the line. They waited until the command was given, then all walked calmly off the cliff.
It had taken 286 the better part of a day to figure out how to get water to his friends. He had tried to make a container out of clay like he had seen Mr. 287 make, but they all fell apart. He tried carrying the water in his hands, but it all dripped out by the time he got back to the shelter. Frustrated, he had sat by the water, idly dipping his hands in it, when he had noticed the fabric of his coat turned darker and got heavier when it got wet.
He had lifted it up and examined it closely. The water seemed stuck in the fabric, and only dripped slowly from one spot. Excited, he had torn another strip off of his jacket and dunked it in the water.
The water behaved the same way, dripping out of the cloth, but slowly enough that he could get it back to the shelter.
And that was how he made sure his friends got, if not enough, at least some water. They both began sucking automatically at the wet cloth when he put it to their lips; all he had to do was make the trip to the tiny brook over and over to re-wet the cloths.
He was flying again, in the warp bubble, down, down toward the city. The instructions rang in his ears.
"The Mission is to attack the city. The Objective is to destroy. Default command for the Objective is Kill. Move out!"
He landed in the city, and ran around, casting Fire spells at anything that moved. Boom! A person blew up. Blam! Another one fell. Mr. 286 ran out in front of him and stood.
He shrugged. "This is what we do."
He blew up Mr. 286.
The most difficult part was taking care of 287.
286 still couldn't talk, and was starting to give up hope of ever doing so, and couldn't give commands to 287. Some stuff he could get his former friend to do; if 286 shoved a piece of food into 287's mouth, he would chew and swallow it; if 286 tugged long and hard enough on 287's arm, 287 would get up and follow him. 286 had to walk him through every action: drinking, sleeping, relieving himself. 287 was completely helpless.
Sometimes, 286 even wondered why he kept doing it. 287 might never wake up again, after all, and he was taking up food and water, as well as a lot of 286's energy.
But every time he thought of this, he thought of how the two had met, how Mr. 287 had devoted his energy to helping a half-dead mage he didn't even know. And then 286 knew it was worth it.
He looked down at 286's charred body. It scared him; it looked too much like himself.
He frowned, turning away and starting to look at everyone else. They all looked too much like himself. They all were himself, he realized.
The birds flew up and sat down by his feet. "Some of 'em get screwed up; they won't follow orders. "
"What do they do with them? The screwed-up ones, I mean?"
"Send 'em back to Dali and recycle 'em, or something."
He frowned again. "I don't like you," he said. He raised his hand and cast a Firaga spell at them, and watched as they blew up.
He walked back to the shelter and sat up, then laid back down again, tired. He looked over at Mr. 286. The other mage, looking very confused, rushed over to 314, helping the mage sit up again.
314 smiled at Mr. 286. "Can I have some water, please?" he asked.
Author: the random monkey
Date: 2-2-04
Author's notes: Yes, I know this took forever, and I'm sorry to disappoint my diehard fans (all three of you). I just had a tough time writing this chapter, because I didn't plan in advance where I would go from the last chapter. Luckily, I know how the rest of the story is going to go, so we shouldn't have this problem again.
Thank you to NeoNaoNeo and Bloodshy Testament (and Black Waltz Three) for help with this fic. And, now, I shall sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Water dissolvng, and water removing!
There is water at the bottom of the ocean!
Into the water, carry the water.
Water dissolving, and water removing.
-Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The birds were pulling on him again. They were all grabbing his left arm, and they were trying to carry him away. He could hear them talking:
"They got some way they can take 'em apart and use the parts for new ones."
"How do I know they're not programmed not to drink piss?"
"You seen how this one's been looking all over? He got screwed up, probably from gettin' his hand hacked off."
"No!" he cried. He began thrashing around, trying to pull his arm from their grips.
The birds exploded, forming two big, round pools of light. They were Mr. 286's eyes. The mage looked down at him kindly, rubbing his chest reassuringly.
He calmed down, and smiled back, but the image quickly melted before him. He frowned. He couldn't remember seeing anyone melt before. It took him a moment to figure out the reason why: his eyes were made of fire. He looked around, and saw another mage, who looked back at him, and they both exploded.
286 hadn't known what to do. There was obviously something wrong with Mr. 314, but he didn't look injured. The only thing wrong with him, as far as 286 could tell, was that the stump where Mr. 314's left hand had been was covered with oozing white stuff. At a loss for anything else to do, he had wiped the stuff off and left Mr. 314 to sleep.
When he had looked later, the white stuff was back. 286 had thought about what to do for a moment, and decided to cover Mr. 314's wound. After tearing off the heavy gold decoration at the bottom of his jacket, 286 had torn off a strip of cloth and tied it to 314's arm. He had checked underneath it every so often, wiping off the white stuff that still found a way to get onto the wound, but noticing that there was a little less each time.
Sometimes Mr. 314 seemed really scared when 286 tried to check the bandage. He would pull his arm away and start screaming things that didn't make any sense. 286 would hold him, stroke his cheek or rub his chest, and wait until the mage calmed.
It frustrated him, that this was all he could do, but it was better than not being able to do anything...
That wasn't good, he thought. I didn't like that at all. But this is nice. He was floating facedown in a river, watching the fish swim beneath him. He waved to the fish, who waved back.
Someone pulled him out of the water, and he sat on the shore. Someone thrust something wet in his face. "You! Drink this."
He had learned his lesson. He slurped up the liquid without a pause.
"Good mage! We won't recycle you!" they said.
He smiled at them, then stood and joined the line. They waited until the command was given, then all walked calmly off the cliff.
It had taken 286 the better part of a day to figure out how to get water to his friends. He had tried to make a container out of clay like he had seen Mr. 287 make, but they all fell apart. He tried carrying the water in his hands, but it all dripped out by the time he got back to the shelter. Frustrated, he had sat by the water, idly dipping his hands in it, when he had noticed the fabric of his coat turned darker and got heavier when it got wet.
He had lifted it up and examined it closely. The water seemed stuck in the fabric, and only dripped slowly from one spot. Excited, he had torn another strip off of his jacket and dunked it in the water.
The water behaved the same way, dripping out of the cloth, but slowly enough that he could get it back to the shelter.
And that was how he made sure his friends got, if not enough, at least some water. They both began sucking automatically at the wet cloth when he put it to their lips; all he had to do was make the trip to the tiny brook over and over to re-wet the cloths.
He was flying again, in the warp bubble, down, down toward the city. The instructions rang in his ears.
"The Mission is to attack the city. The Objective is to destroy. Default command for the Objective is Kill. Move out!"
He landed in the city, and ran around, casting Fire spells at anything that moved. Boom! A person blew up. Blam! Another one fell. Mr. 286 ran out in front of him and stood.
He shrugged. "This is what we do."
He blew up Mr. 286.
The most difficult part was taking care of 287.
286 still couldn't talk, and was starting to give up hope of ever doing so, and couldn't give commands to 287. Some stuff he could get his former friend to do; if 286 shoved a piece of food into 287's mouth, he would chew and swallow it; if 286 tugged long and hard enough on 287's arm, 287 would get up and follow him. 286 had to walk him through every action: drinking, sleeping, relieving himself. 287 was completely helpless.
Sometimes, 286 even wondered why he kept doing it. 287 might never wake up again, after all, and he was taking up food and water, as well as a lot of 286's energy.
But every time he thought of this, he thought of how the two had met, how Mr. 287 had devoted his energy to helping a half-dead mage he didn't even know. And then 286 knew it was worth it.
He looked down at 286's charred body. It scared him; it looked too much like himself.
He frowned, turning away and starting to look at everyone else. They all looked too much like himself. They all were himself, he realized.
The birds flew up and sat down by his feet. "Some of 'em get screwed up; they won't follow orders. "
"What do they do with them? The screwed-up ones, I mean?"
"Send 'em back to Dali and recycle 'em, or something."
He frowned again. "I don't like you," he said. He raised his hand and cast a Firaga spell at them, and watched as they blew up.
He walked back to the shelter and sat up, then laid back down again, tired. He looked over at Mr. 286. The other mage, looking very confused, rushed over to 314, helping the mage sit up again.
314 smiled at Mr. 286. "Can I have some water, please?" he asked.