Milliways' guide for first-time patrons

[herr_bookman]

Autor's been a bit busy recently. He posts his Milliways' Guide for First-time Patrons up on the bulletin board, spreading out the maps.

He also posts the following note:

Attention: I, Autor, am writing this guide for first-time patrons, and require help finishing it. If you see anything missing, please let me know either via note or in person. I'll be sitting by the bulletin board until I finish a pot of tea.

The boy acquires his libation and seats himself at the table nearest the board to wait.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

"Better than you yourself would wish to?" Teja says.

[herr_bookman]

"Absolutely," Autor says, frowning fiercely. The boy adjusts his glasses. "He wouldn't leave me alone, so I didn't have much of a choice in the matter."

[ostro_goth]

"How would he force you to use his first name, though?" Teja asks.

[herr_bookman]

Autor stares at his shoes, ashamed. "I allowed him in. I allowed him to get closer to me than I wanted," he murmurs. "Like I said, it was a mistake."

[ostro_goth]

"Was it your mistake, or did he bend your mind to his will, as surely as Orpheus would with his music?" Teja says.

[herr_bookman]

Autor shakes his head. "No, it... It was my mistake," the boy says. "I don't believe Dr. Lecter has those kinds of powers. If he did, he'd be even more terrifying."

[ostro_goth]

"If you ever feel that he might exert such will over you, after all, then come straight to me," Teja says. "He still used his skills, if they are not powers as such, upon one that I count as a man of my comitatus; I take an extremely dim view of that."

[herr_bookman]

"I will. Thank you, Teja," the boy says, inclining his head.

"Ah, do you mean Javert?" Autor asks, wondering if he's wading in too deeply by the asking. "What did he do?"

[ostro_goth]

"Something similar, it seems, to what 'Hannibal' did to you," Teja says. "Now, had that been magic, he would be -- as the moderns say -- toast."

Teja doesn't do threats, and this isn't one. Teja delivers, and as soon as he can, he will, in this case.

[herr_bookman]

That's a rather evasive answer, but Autor's not about to challenge the resentful blacksmith. If he wants Dr. Lecter to go down in flames, who is Autor to stop him?

"Ah, imposed his will upon him in such a manner as to make him question himself?" Autor mutters. "Indeed, he's not magical, merely mortal like the rest, but he's a connoisseur of pain."

[ostro_goth]

"To bring that about, he must be something else than a mere man," Teja says. "Or one that has lost or discarded his humanity to style himself into shape-shifter or blood-drinker of his own invention."

[herr_bookman]

"A psychic vampire?" Autor says, furrowing his brow. "Possibly. Though I really think Hanni--Dr. Lecter is just a regular monster, and not so much a supernatural one. His powers are along the lines of persuasion and fear-inducing rather than truly bending the mind to his will."

[ostro_goth]

"But where is the line drawn, between that which is natural but skilful, and not attainable to all else, and that which is magic?" Teja sighs.

It's a rhetorical question, but one that bothers him.

[herr_bookman]

"Magic isn't everything," Autor says, sipping his tea. "What Dr. Lecter does can still be considered violence, just on a psychic scale."

[ostro_goth]

"Words are never violence," Teja says, "or we would be swamped with moronic complaints. But if he abuses a power that goes beyond the ken of those known as baseline humans, then he does break a rule."

[herr_bookman]

"They can certainly make one feel awful, or incite more physical violence," Autor says, thinking of his altercation with Noriko. "But as you like. I still don't believe Dr. Lecter has any magic of his own, nor does he need it. He wouldn't use it even if he had it, so that he can skirt by the rules and, 'not harm his chances at this place.'"

[ostro_goth]

"Violence is violence," Teja says. "Damaging force used upon another. We are far out on the limb by including magic and super-powered mind control, as it is."

[herr_bookman]

"We are," Autor admits, wondering where this conversation is headed. "Though mind-control can certainly be included as a form of violence, as an invasion of privacy, and subjugation of someone else's will."

[ostro_goth]

"Indeed," Teja says, "and so we are counting it, when done by magic or powers."

[herr_bookman]

"Thankfully, Dr. Lecter doesn't have such," Autor says, furrowing his brow. "As that would be terrifying."

[ostro_goth]

"Even more than he already is," Teja says.

Pause.

"As we would not solve that now, I think there is no more that I may help you with."

[herr_bookman]

"Agreed," Autor says, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you for your help on the guide, and take care."

[ostro_goth]

"Thank you for doing this," Teja says, nods to him briefly, and then leaves.-