He's getting sick of this

[antinouswild]

Dear Mun,

I am getting tired of people calling me 'boy' or making reference to the fact that they seem to think that I am 'pretty.'

Both are irritating me.

Please do something about that.

I don't care if you think that they are in your control or not.

Comments

[alwaysbewolves]

It is not blindness. [It's hard not to be hit personally by that last remark] I'm not mad. Not by a long shot.

And bread is there. For those willing to work for it the law provides. You think I don't have any understanding of the common man? Boy?

[antinouswild]

Yes, I do think that for you have proven it to be true. If you think that all men willing to work have a job and bread, then you are indeed a blind fool, a spy, and an enemy of France.

[alwaysbewolves]

What precisely do you imagine France to be! [You are pushing it boy] Do you imagine her to be some dirty strumpet, some worthless whore like those you consort with on a regular basis? Do you believe her to be some Madame who dolls out her favors to her sons? Is she your mother?

[He's practically growling.] You clearly know nothing of suffering if that is how you feel.

[antinouswild]

[Enjolras smirks, amused and triumphant.]

My mother? Yes.

She is indeed my mother, and I will defend her as such. It is she that bore me and her children are my brothers. And I watch them die for want of doctors, heat, even food.

No more.

I have watched them tread upon by people like YOU, who would like such things to continue to protect the oh-so-comfortable few who pay your salary to keep them comfortable.

You are no better than a dog on a chain who bites for scraps.

[alwaysbewolves]

...Better a dog on a chain then a gutter rat. [And that is what he truly believes] Better a servant then a useless scrambling thing.

[antinouswild]

Where you see rats, I see women and children and desperate, hungry men. That is the difference between you and I; I am not blind to Paris' children. I do not deny people their humanity because they do not dress in respectable clothes and sit in warm clean homes.

The way things are now, only a few can.

But I suppose the ones who can't, to you, are just rats.

That's why you think that all men who want to work can find jobs and bread. When they can't, you stop seeing them as men.

[alwaysbewolves]

Because they can if they are willing to do so! Because there is no limit to what anyone can accomplish with the will!

[He thuds his hands against the table] You know nothing of true suffering and sacrifice, otherwise you would not be so quick to say that others experience it so regularly!

[antinouswild]

One need only open one's door and walk through the streets of Paris to see suffering. One need only look into the eyes of the hungry to know that will is not enough.

Not only are they limited, they are being crushed. You truly are blind.

You are ignorant and a fool. You speak of suffering? What would you know? You've never wanted for food or warmth.

[alwaysbewolves]

[oh not true. not true] You know nothing of me.

and in the end I have not wanted because I understand it is better to serve justice.

[antinouswild]

You do not serve justice. If you served justice you would be beside me and mine. No, you do not, you obstruct justice.

I know you are blind to the problems that exist in France today. I know that you are a spy.

What else do I need to know?

[alwaysbewolves]

[He considers ignoring all of this, but he wants to make a point. A point to this beardless boy. Some last ditch effort at redemption or at least at understanding his own accomplishments.

His hands fold behind him as he considers the room before raising an eyebrow and pacing, less a man and more a coiled beast.]

My mother - [He had no memory of the woman. No memory of her, no charm, no nothing] Was a gypsy. Arrested, for the crime of vagrancy, stealing - from the people who had come to see her... [His expression twists] performances.

My father was an oarhand on a turkish galley. He jumped ship and fled. [More pacing] They met in sin and degredation and I was given a chance to be better then they were and their crimes.

[He shakes his head] So what you must know, is that I am in the same place. A place lower, in fact then you - who are so...proud.

[antinouswild]

[Enjolras listens. It even seems his expression softens some. He remains quiet and thoughtful for a moment after Javert is finished talking. When Enjolras resumes speaking his tone is somewhat subdued. At least, it is compared to what it was before.]

Then you should know, better than most, that it is not simply a matter of will. Many desire to do what you did, and are just as willing to work and want nothing more than to live honest lives. But, circumstances make it impossible.

Not everyone has your good fortune.

[alwaysbewolves]

...It is a choice between working against society and working for society. I made that choice early on.

[antinouswild]

And I suppose everyone who is poor and suffering has chosen to work against society. That's an awful lot of people making the same choice.

And everyone who chooses to work with society can be wealthy and free.

Do you really believe it is that simple? Are you that naive? That's a child's logic. That's what nursemaids tell their charges to comfort them when they are frightened by the pain and suffering that goes on beneath the nursery window.