Information

Ravarus
Legacy Name: Ravarus

The Marsh Archan
Owner: shadaleer

Age: 17 years, 2 months, 1 week

Born: January 5th, 2009

Adopted: 16 years, 1 month, 1 week ago

Adopted: February 6th, 2010

Statistics

• Level: 3
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 1
   
• Books Read: 1
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

UNDER CONSTRUCTION! DO NOT FEAR THE SCARY CODING AND STORY BITS THAT ARE HERE! SOME DAY THEY WILL BE COHERENT!


I hate Steamdancer.
She has never done anything but inflict pain on others. As long as I have known her, she has reveled in causing inconvenience and pain in others' lives.


Especially mine.


I was never given a choice in the matter. When things fell to pieces, I was caught out in the cold, at the very nexus of everything. My city was the first to die. And then, the Anarchists came.
We never had another name for them - we didn't need one. They were the anarchists, creating havoc and causing destruction wherever they went. My parents and younger sister disappeared early in the anarchy. I doubt any of them are dead. I hope they aren't. But when Steamdancer whirled her way into our broken, ravaged home and saw me there, she pulled out that incredible smile of hers and asked, so sweetly I couldn't refuse,

Will you come with me?

And I couldn't refuse. I said yes. I don't remember anything else until I awoke in an old building, still clean, though, with my mouth sewn shut. I couldn't move. I knew somehow that I hadn't moved in a long time. And my hands and back didn't feel... right.
Steamdancer was standing over me, looking down at me with that terrible smile she can also wear, and said

How are you, Ravarus? Do you feel well?
Can you move?
Because you are coming with me, and we move quickly.

* * *

It's been a year or two now, I've stopped keeping track. There's no reason to. Steamdancer keeps track. I haven't had any doubts so far - the few people we've met have been insane, nearly dead, or both; it's more humane for Steamdancer to simply put them out of their misery.
But when we met Mim and Neta and Mel in that abandoned grocery store, I realized that what we were doing was wrong.
Streamdancer whispers in my ear at night, telling me

Ravarus, Mimteh is insane. She is dangerous. She will only hurt herself and the others around her. Wouldn't it be better to remove her? And Mel, I know you care for her. Wouldn't taking her away from this place help her in the long run? For her to be away from danger, isn't that what you want?

And I can only nod my head and agree. It is what I want. I want Mel to be safe, to be away from Mimteh. Because Mimteh is crazy. She sees things that aren't there, hears them too. She threatens them, bargains with them, and eventually she begs for anyone's help in getting rid of them. I've seen her turn on Neta with a knife, I've seen her hold the same knife to Steamdancer's throat, and she's attacked Mel when I'm not there - I've seen Mel's bruises. None of them are safe. None of them.

* *
Sometimes, when everyone else is asleep and it's just me and Mim sitting there awake, staring at wall, neither speaking, I can tell she's fighting something. There are things going through her mind that I don't even want to know about. Once, when Steamdancer and I had just moved into her building, Mim turned to me and asked,

Why did you go with Steamdancer? Did you have a choice? And why won't you speak?

I shook my head in reply to her first question, and pointed to the stitches on my mouth as an answer to the second. She gave a tiny smile.

I could free your mouth, if you want. We have a pair of scissors.

The thought had never struck me. Why hadn't I ever thought of that - scissors! Something so simple, to speak again... it was something I had wished for for so long now. I nodded frantically. Mim laughed. When she wasn't crazy, she was actually pretty nice.

Let me go get them, then. Wait here.

Mim left me sitting there in the hallway as she rummaged through her apartment looking for the scissors Neta had undoubtedly hidden so she couldn't stab him with them. I listened to the soft noises of frustration she made as she searched. I listened to the soft noises the others made as they slept. I waited patiently for Mim to come back.
When she went silent, I knew something was wrong.
I sat in frozen terror, waiting to hear her movement again. When she moved, I would know if I was safe or in terrible danger.

I didn't see her again until the next day.

*

Steamdancer came and sat by me that night, and asked me,

Do you really want to speak again? Do you believe that what you have to say is worth the pain you will feel if those stitches are ripped from your lips? Or do you simply think it is a painless, harmless freedom that our Master has denied you? Because speaking is a painful, painful thing to have to do sometimes. Do you want to have to endure that pain every day?
Because I am only looking out for you, Ravarus. I am looking out for you.

Right, she was looking out for me. She was "looking out for me" when she abducted me. She was "looking out for me" when she tried to abduct Mel and got caught. She was "looking out for me" when she beat me into submission so many times before.

She was looking out for me.

*

It was another night, and Mim and I were sitting in the hall way, facing each other. She was far away, in her own world, unconscious to my presence. I watched her, interested. She seemed to swing between two extremes - one day, she would be manically hyperactive, the next, she would be catatonic. This was one of her catatonic days. I'd seen from Neta that when she got this faraway look in her eyes, you left her like that - she wasn't coming back anytime soon.
But very early in the morning, she seemed to wake up and looked at me, and said,

You creep me out.

Needless to say, I had no idea how to respond. So I just stared at her. She stared back.

Do you find that strange?

Yes. I found that very strange. No one had ever told me that, although no one else had ever really been alive long enough to tell me such.

I found the scissors. I could go get them now for you. Would you like me to? Because I'm feeling very sane right now, and I'd like to hear you speak.

I nodded yes. Mim gave a friendly smile, and stood to go back into her apartment.
Steamdancer stepped from our apartment door.

You will do no such thing,

Steamdancer hissed. Mim stared at her stupidly. Then she frowned.

And how do you plan to stop me, Steamdancer? Are you going to kill me? I've got a pretty good idea of the things you tell Ravarus about late at night. I know I'm insane, but that is no reason to kill me. You just enjoy 'disposing' of people your beloved 'Master' wouldn't like. Tell me, who is this 'Master'? Is he real, or is he all in your head? Are you crazy like me?

Mim had a wicked smile on her face. Steamdancer looked irritated. She crossed her arms over her chest as she thought for a moment, then began to flail them as she spoke, furious.

I am not crazy like you! My Master is the most powerful being that exist here! He will destroy you how he sees fit!

Steamdancer's hand were clenched at her sides as she finished. She was furious, and looked ready to tear Mim limb form limb. Mim seemed to just ignore this, as if Steamdancer's words were the only thing that mattered. The wheels were turning in Mim's head.

Then why hasn't he yet? Is it because he's all in your head? Because believe be, I've had plenty of experience with those scary people, at least the ones in my head.

My Master exists everywhere! My Master is The Virus!

Mimteh was visibly surprised. For a moment, she didn't budge. Then, she turned on her heel and strode into her apartment, leaving the door open as an invitation to whoever would follow, Come in if you dare. Steamdancer dared.





All I remember hearing was the scream. I don't think either of them spoke at all. But I can guess what happened:
Mim grabbed the scissors.
Steamdancer followed her through the door.
Mim stabbed Steamdancer with the scissors.
Steamdancer screamed.
Steamdancer ran.
Mim followed her.

*

I followed Mim up the stairs, to where I could hear Steamdancer screaming her own bloody murder. Mim was standing over her, fire dancing in her eyes, teeth bared in a primeval snarl. There was a pool of blood on the floor, and Steamdancer clutched her shoulder. She stared up at Mim with terror in her eyes.

Ravarus! Ravarus! Help me! Get her away from me! She's going to kill me!

She screeched. I looked between the two. I could hear all of Steamdancers insidious words swirling through my head:Mim's crazy.
She'll kill you.
She'll kill us all.
She'll kill Mel.
She doesn't have a soul left.
She doesn't have a conscience.
She doesn't care.

Mim looked up at me. She did look crazed. But she also looked terrified. She looked exhausted. She looked noble, somehow, even through the blood and the grime. She was protecting us. She didn't say a word.






But I understood every word she said.

I didn't stop her as she drove the scissors downward. Everything felt as if it were moving in slow motion. I didn't stop her as she stabbed Steamdancer for the second time, this time in the stomach. I didn't stop her.

Because I was free.

*

Never before had I considered the power that Steamdancer held over me. I had always obeyed her, because the only alternative was be beaten until I did it anyway. So I had always obeyed. But now, seeing Mim do something so openly defiant and violent to another person, I realized that I didn't have to obey Steamdancer. The only control Steamdancer had was the control I gave her.

So I watched as Mim bent down
squatted next to Steamdancer's head
and whispered,

You are not my master. I do not obey you. I am my master, and I will do as I wish. Where is your mater to save you now? Will he be here to bring you back when you die? Or will he simply watch in amusement as your body becomes dust?

Mim stood up, and walked away, scissors still clutched tightly in her hand. She didn't look at me as she passed, only stared straight ahead. There was a determined look on her face. She was halfway down the stairs when she turned and looked back at me.

I can help you speak again, but I doubt you want me to cut the stitches with a bloody pair of scissors. I'll wash them off. Come on, we can free you in my apartment.

And so I followed.

* *

Mimteh cut the stitches from my lips deftly. She smiled as she did. She set the scissors down and looked at me when she finished.

Can you speak?

she asked. I opened my mouth, and tried to make a noise, but nothing would come out. I tried again. I got a faint squeak.
We stood there for the next hour, and I relearned how to speak.
Mel and Neta joined us - they had been awakened by Steamdancer's scream - and encouraged me. Mel didn't speak, but she smiled at me, and like I had understood Mim as she attacked Steamdancer, I could understand the words that Mel couldn't say. Neta offered suggestions.
After a while, I could almost speak . I could choke out two or three words at a time, and though I was no poet, I could speak well enough to be understood. Mel hugged me, and Neta clapped me on the back. Mim disappeared up the stairs.



I decided to stay.

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