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Draco's been around, keeping a low profile to avoid Blodwen as much as possible. Certainly not taking any chances with his Animagus form for the time being. He hoped his ruddier skin, white-blond hair, and Persian styled wizard robes would be enough to hide him some. The dagger was sheathed, and stuck in his mint colored sash, along with his purse, and a bag with potion ingredients. He was seeing about transfiguring some of the Bar's silverware into more daggers or other possible weapons in a booth toward the Back Door, out of sight of most of the Bar. Though he still had a fair view for observing as well.

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Scruffy, yes. Mangey, no. The Ranger takes good care of her.

"She is one of the last of her kind in my universe," he says as he pulls off a section of orange and squishes it so that her toothless jaws can manage to get at the sweet juice. Cai's eager lips and tongue work at his hand to get every last drop. "And, through a great misfortune, orphaned. Seeing that I am Bound with her in this place, it falls to me to play mother."

"The last? But horses are so common."

His smile is sad.

"In your time," he says. "I fear that...well, I haven't told you exactly how far ahead my time is from your equivalent year, have I?"

A sigh.

"Many times many years...centuries. Neglect followed by urgent attempts at revival. Bottleneck after bottleneck until an entire species teeters on the brink."

Cai finishes cleaning his fingers and reaches toward the orange. The Ranger quickly pulls off another piece for her.

"Our race has a great deal to answer for, I fear."

"I vaguely recall it being in the future...but centuries?"

"Hundreds upon hundreds of centuries," he says, scratching around Cai's ears with his free hand. "A lot of time to learn...and commit greater mistakes in the process."

"Aren't you supposed to be wise and all-knowing?" Draco sneered mockingly.

The Ranger throws back his head and laughs. There may be a hint of mockery in it, but it is turned inward.

"Valen's Name, no! More experienced, yes. More knowledgible, definitely. But not all-knowing and infallible."

One corner of his mouth quirks in a self-depricating smile. "And we've learned all too well the danger of thinking yourself that way."

"Then what's the point of being around that long, and still failing?"

"Failing?" he asks. "Hmmm...I suppose if you took a completely uncharitable view, you could consider it failing. But, then you would have to call each stumble and fall a baby makes as she learns to walk a failure."

Cai has had enough of oranges and is looking around curiously again. She turns toward Draco and cocks her ears. He didn't like her around him before, but she's considering trying again.

"But the point, Kenaz," the Ranger continues, "is what you learn from those 'failures'. Even if it's only to avoid that particular action to prevent pain in the future. And to warn others less experienced to do the same. The point is to make things a better - even just a little better - than they were before. As a wise man once wrote, 'It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.'"

A chuckle.

"'What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.'"

Draco seemed sullen at that. Tried so hard to get what he wanted, and there was nothing but mistakes.

"Why? Why bother if nothing really changes?"

"But they do change," he Ranger says. "Sometimes not in an obvious fashion. Often not in the way we expect. They might be undone by the actions of others or the whims of fate, but it is possible for even one person to make a real difference in the world."

He leans forward slightly. "To know that one thing, that it is possible for you to make a difference, is a great source of hope and a tremendous responsibility."

Cai makes another cautious step toward the young wizard. She's not shoving her nose into his robes again...but she would like to.

Draco was ignoring the filly at the moment as he listened.

"What if that difference means stopping the one who wants you dead?" He's been thinking about it ever since he heard what his father was ordered to do.

A grim light comes to the Ranger's eyes.

"Well, although it is good to die in a manner that has meaning," he says. "Your life is far to valueable to simply discard to no purpose. So, yes, I would say stopping someone who desires your demise is generally a good goal. Particularly if that one is eyeing the demise of others as well."

He looks off into the distance for a moment. "'We live for the One and we die for the One, but we do not die foolishly.' Who has marked you for death, Kenaz?"

He has a suspicion...an image seen in Draco's mind during the healing stirs in his memory.

Draco scoffed at that bitterly, "Can't imagine any good death. And who else? The Dark Lord wants me dead."

He slunked down in his seat some, his grey eyes directed toward the table.

"" And his mother might not be spared either.

"Well, if one is going to have a death," the Ranger says, only half-jokingly, "one might as well put it to good use."

He ponders this new bit of information. All that he's seen of Draco has pointed to a demanding parent who viewed offspring as an ego-extension more than an independant individual. But, of course, there are seeds of good...of redeemption...mixed into even the darkest soul.
The news that the father refuses to kill his son even at the cost of his life shows some hope for the man, whoever he is.

"I can certainly see why you contemplate this Dark Lord's downfall," he says. "And, although one person can make a difference, allies do help matters. Is there anyone who would stand with your familiy against him?"

He somehow doubts it...the Malfoys seem to have a "me first and last" attitude. Not condusive to making allies that will stick with you in the dark times.

At first, Draco stared at him like he was insane.

But then at the rest of it, he snorted, "That's a laugh. There's plenty who hate him, but they're the same who hate us. They'd never believe us. There's no one." He's still hoping to somehow buy some leverage with those who are close to the fence who might be flexible, but it was a long shot at best.

"Perhaps I am a hopeless romantic," the Ranger says dryly. "But I cannot believe that it is impossible for you to perhaps turn those that hate you into allies...and perhaps even friends eventually."

He gives Draco a measuring look, then stands. "If you will keep an eye on Cai for a moment, I think Bar can provide something you may find...educational."

As the Ranger moves off, the filly wickers a little and steps closer to the boy.

"Right. Going to be best mates with the Gryffindors, and have happy tea parties with Potter, Weasley and that Mud...muggle-born know-it-all Granger. That's never going to happen!" Draco snorted, and yelled after him derishively.

Cai takes that as an invitation to step up and sniff his sleeve. The garment smells just as interesting as his hands.

But, before she can start tasting, the Ranger returns with a book in his hand.

"Well, if two men of races who were at war with each other for generations, one of whom decimated the other's homeworld through his actions, could become allies and friends, I think bridging the gap between you and those people may be within your capabilities."

He places the book on the table. The cover is plain with simple lettering.

The author's name is written almost minisculely in the bottom corner - Vir Cotto

Draco blinked at that, and then noticed the filly eyeing his sleeve.

"I told you to get away!" He yelled at her angrily.

He huffed, and then picked up the book.

"This was that one with the snake features?" Well, that's how he remembered the sight of G'Kar.

He opened the book to peer at it some.

The book is printed in English. However, the font is unusual. It somehow gives the impression of being handwritten instead of printed. It falls open to the forward.

The human Abraham Lincoln once said "I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend." How wise a saying this is, and how often disregarded. Most choose the path of destroying enemies by killing them, disgracing them or trying to render them powerless. It is the simpler path, and, in the end, a futile one. For in trying to destroy your enemy in this way, you shatter your soul, wound innocents around you and, more often than not, create even more enemies.

Rare is the being who is willing to take the risk by choosing the path of victory by reconcilliation. It is a hard path. A long and painful one path. But it is the one that gives life instead of death. Hope instead of despair.

Here lies the story of two such beings. They did not start this path willingly - the Universe thrust them onto it. But it was their choice to continue the path. Lando and G'kar - children of races steeped in hatred for each other, each with a thousand cherished grievences to be avenged. Fate forced them to become allies of convenience, but they chose the path that led to cooperation, respect and finally a friendship that defied their pasts.

It was my honor to know these two. They were not perfect. Valen bear witness, I have suffered from their actions as well as being blessed by them and all the galaxy with me. But, when all is said and done, they were honorable. And I was honored to have known them. Emperor Cotto has undertaken the difficult task of telling their story.

He has done well.

~Delenn

"Maybe they can. But for myself? No. It's not going to happen. I don't like them, and they don't like me. End of argument," Draco remarked, and then went back to reading.

Potter had his chance to be friends, and he turned him down. Well, fine, let the Dark Lord have him, if they take each other out. So much the better all around really.

"Don't be so quick to judge," the Ranger says. "Londo and G'kar were far beyond simply not liking each other at the beginning. In fact each of them tried to kill the other several times."

Cai wanders back to him works her neck under his arm. He scratches her absently.

"Read it. I think you'll find it interesting at least. Vir Cotto had to investigate a great deal of the history of the Narn-Centauri conflict. There is a fair amount of detail of the military actions, government intrigues, resistance cabals and secret operations involved. That as well may be useful to you in the time to come."

Draco did glance up with interest on that part.

He then admitted, "Been reading up on military history of late. Including that of muggles."

He added, "No wonder we wanted to stay away from them. What they can do vs. what we can do."

"They possess tools," he says. "Ones that are vastly different from yours, but can accomplish much the same things. Remember my parable about the rich man, the poor man and their houses? It is just as applicable to muggles as to wizards. They do not hold a monopoly on evil any more than you do."