Philly- Friends
Jun. 24th, 2015 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aaaaaaaagh_skyWho lives by the sword, dies by the sword; but who lives by compassion will one day see compassion shown them. This is how the Friends have survived the years since the seas boiled and the skies fell. Not in theory alone, either, but in practice. There's a reason for the mural painted in the Welcoming Hall, the one of the woman and the hairy yao guai and the one-headed Brahmin; the woman's name was Girolama, who became one of us not long after the War, and I want now to tell you why she's depicted with those animals.
At one time of her life, Girolama lived in a scav-town west of here, one that was trying with all its might to grow its own food and prosper. This was before she learned what it meant to be a Friend, when she still carried a gun and fought her fellow human beings like any other outsider. One day she and a man were standing evening guard against the raiders and slave-takers that roamed the wastes when a great, hairy beast- like a yao guai, but with black hair all over, if you can believe that- suddenly appeared walking up to them. They were both horribly frightened, and her companion ran, because the beast was too big and too tough for his ammunition to do any real harm to. But Girolama had noticed that as the yao guai walked, it limped like it was in terrible pain. And even though Girolama still carried a gun in those days, she still always tried to help anyone in trouble who offered her no harm. So she thought perhaps something might be happening here, and instead of running or shooting, waited to see what was wrong with the animal.
The yao guai came right up to the gate, grumbling and whimpering, and when it was very close Girolama saw that it couldn't even put the least little bit of weight on one paw. It looked at her, and lay down, and put its other paw over its muzzle.
Girolama fearlessly walked up to it and when it offered her no harm, reached for the injured paw. It let her do so. She saw as she took the paw on her lap that it was terribly wounded and festering, and she also saw marks around its neck, like the kind a slave-collar leaves on a human even after it's pried loose. Someone had chained up the yao guai and done it great harm, and somehow it had escaped, but it could not heal on its own. So Girolama took what little she had of medical supplies and bound the injured limb. The wound was rather a bad one, but Girolama kept the yao guai with her and nursed her carefully, giving the creature her own food and subsisting on next to nothing till the yao guai was quite well again.
The yao guai was so grateful, and became so much attached to her kind doctor, that she refused to leave. Now, this was a scav-town and there was very little to spare for anyone, so not one single soul from the highest to the lowest, man or beast, was allowed to lead an idle life. Girolama said she would teach the creature to earn its keep, and so she did. There were two Brahmin in the town, although you wouldn't recognize them; they had red fur above and white fur below, and stubby horns, and only one head each. They were nowhere near so big as the Brahmin are now, but they could still carry any load the scavvers bound on their backs. Girolama taught her yao guai companion to guard and watch over them both when the humans had to sleep. The yao guai and Brahmin became great friends, and no doubt the Brahmin felt much comfort in having such a powerful protector.
But it happened, on one very hot summer's day, that while the Brahmin were at pasture the yao guai fell asleep. Some raiders were passing that way and seeing the Brahmin grazing quietly, and apparently alone, they stole one of them and carried her off. The other, the bull, would not cooperate, but fled to wake the yao guai. She awoke; but when she went after the cow she was not to be seen. In vain the yao guai tried to follow her trail, but the raiders were clever enough to conceal themselves, and she had to go back to the scav-town alone, shuffling in shame with her head held low.
Now, this was a bright yao guai, but like any other, she could not speak. Girolama thought she might have fallen to temptation and attacked the cow, but there was no blood on her muzzle or claws. So she said to spare the yao guai's life, because no one ought to die unless there was clear proof, but she ordered that the yao guai do the Brahmin's work as far as she was able, since she had failed in her duty otherwise.
The yao guai meekly submitted, and allowed the daily loads of scrap metal and baskets of scavenged food to be tied on her back, and carried them safely home. As soon as she was unloaded she would run about for some time, still hoping to find the Brahmin.
One day, as she was hunting about in this fashion, she saw a band of raiders coming down the road. As was usual with them, they'd lashed the spoils of their last battle together to bring somewhere they could be sold; and to the yao guai's great joy, their beast of burden was her lost friend.
She instantly charged the company, who were unprepared for a great black beast and could not get their guns free quickly enough. The raiders scattered, and the yao guai had no difficulty in driving them towards the scav-town, where Girolama met them.
The raiders, much alarmed by anyone who could tame such a monster, confessed their theft, and Girolama forgave them, and was very kind to them; and confused by the fact that no one wanted to kill them, many of them gave up their violent ways and agreed to live like civilized people. The Brahmin, of course, returned to her former owners. And the yao guai was much petted and praised for her goodness and cleverness, and lived with Girolama till the end of her life.
So Girolama realized that it was a good thing to extend kindness to the dangerous, and offer forgiveness to the violent; but it was also a good thing to have powerful guardians. When she left that scav-town and joined us here in Philly, she brought the yao guai with her, and took to rescuing and taming the creatures the ice gangers round up and battle for their bloody amusements. They protected her, and her friends, out of loyalty and thanks for their compassion. To the day she died, she showed love to the most dangerous and violent of creatures, and they showed her love in return in the only ways they knew how. We continue her tradition to this day. We do not fight, and we do harm to no man, but we reach out our hands to the ones who need it most and give them such compassion as we can.
And we make very, very sure that everyone knows this, so nobody starts anything they're not prepared to have end in claws and blood.
At one time of her life, Girolama lived in a scav-town west of here, one that was trying with all its might to grow its own food and prosper. This was before she learned what it meant to be a Friend, when she still carried a gun and fought her fellow human beings like any other outsider. One day she and a man were standing evening guard against the raiders and slave-takers that roamed the wastes when a great, hairy beast- like a yao guai, but with black hair all over, if you can believe that- suddenly appeared walking up to them. They were both horribly frightened, and her companion ran, because the beast was too big and too tough for his ammunition to do any real harm to. But Girolama had noticed that as the yao guai walked, it limped like it was in terrible pain. And even though Girolama still carried a gun in those days, she still always tried to help anyone in trouble who offered her no harm. So she thought perhaps something might be happening here, and instead of running or shooting, waited to see what was wrong with the animal.
The yao guai came right up to the gate, grumbling and whimpering, and when it was very close Girolama saw that it couldn't even put the least little bit of weight on one paw. It looked at her, and lay down, and put its other paw over its muzzle.
Girolama fearlessly walked up to it and when it offered her no harm, reached for the injured paw. It let her do so. She saw as she took the paw on her lap that it was terribly wounded and festering, and she also saw marks around its neck, like the kind a slave-collar leaves on a human even after it's pried loose. Someone had chained up the yao guai and done it great harm, and somehow it had escaped, but it could not heal on its own. So Girolama took what little she had of medical supplies and bound the injured limb. The wound was rather a bad one, but Girolama kept the yao guai with her and nursed her carefully, giving the creature her own food and subsisting on next to nothing till the yao guai was quite well again.
The yao guai was so grateful, and became so much attached to her kind doctor, that she refused to leave. Now, this was a scav-town and there was very little to spare for anyone, so not one single soul from the highest to the lowest, man or beast, was allowed to lead an idle life. Girolama said she would teach the creature to earn its keep, and so she did. There were two Brahmin in the town, although you wouldn't recognize them; they had red fur above and white fur below, and stubby horns, and only one head each. They were nowhere near so big as the Brahmin are now, but they could still carry any load the scavvers bound on their backs. Girolama taught her yao guai companion to guard and watch over them both when the humans had to sleep. The yao guai and Brahmin became great friends, and no doubt the Brahmin felt much comfort in having such a powerful protector.
But it happened, on one very hot summer's day, that while the Brahmin were at pasture the yao guai fell asleep. Some raiders were passing that way and seeing the Brahmin grazing quietly, and apparently alone, they stole one of them and carried her off. The other, the bull, would not cooperate, but fled to wake the yao guai. She awoke; but when she went after the cow she was not to be seen. In vain the yao guai tried to follow her trail, but the raiders were clever enough to conceal themselves, and she had to go back to the scav-town alone, shuffling in shame with her head held low.
Now, this was a bright yao guai, but like any other, she could not speak. Girolama thought she might have fallen to temptation and attacked the cow, but there was no blood on her muzzle or claws. So she said to spare the yao guai's life, because no one ought to die unless there was clear proof, but she ordered that the yao guai do the Brahmin's work as far as she was able, since she had failed in her duty otherwise.
The yao guai meekly submitted, and allowed the daily loads of scrap metal and baskets of scavenged food to be tied on her back, and carried them safely home. As soon as she was unloaded she would run about for some time, still hoping to find the Brahmin.
One day, as she was hunting about in this fashion, she saw a band of raiders coming down the road. As was usual with them, they'd lashed the spoils of their last battle together to bring somewhere they could be sold; and to the yao guai's great joy, their beast of burden was her lost friend.
She instantly charged the company, who were unprepared for a great black beast and could not get their guns free quickly enough. The raiders scattered, and the yao guai had no difficulty in driving them towards the scav-town, where Girolama met them.
The raiders, much alarmed by anyone who could tame such a monster, confessed their theft, and Girolama forgave them, and was very kind to them; and confused by the fact that no one wanted to kill them, many of them gave up their violent ways and agreed to live like civilized people. The Brahmin, of course, returned to her former owners. And the yao guai was much petted and praised for her goodness and cleverness, and lived with Girolama till the end of her life.
So Girolama realized that it was a good thing to extend kindness to the dangerous, and offer forgiveness to the violent; but it was also a good thing to have powerful guardians. When she left that scav-town and joined us here in Philly, she brought the yao guai with her, and took to rescuing and taming the creatures the ice gangers round up and battle for their bloody amusements. They protected her, and her friends, out of loyalty and thanks for their compassion. To the day she died, she showed love to the most dangerous and violent of creatures, and they showed her love in return in the only ways they knew how. We continue her tradition to this day. We do not fight, and we do harm to no man, but we reach out our hands to the ones who need it most and give them such compassion as we can.
And we make very, very sure that everyone knows this, so nobody starts anything they're not prepared to have end in claws and blood.