(Untitled)

[soulburden]

He had received a coat when he first came to Milliways. Soon after, Renfield started receiving other things- more clothing (to replace those bloody rags he came in wearing), more paper, pencils in various colours, and some new reading glasses

Comments

[johnnycoolguy]

The extent of Milo's German is 'ja,' 'nein,' 'auf wiedersehen' and 'schadenfreude,' but he's trying to read the spine of the book anyway, because he's nosy.

"Is that the Metamorphosis?"

[soulburden]

The spine of the book is covered by not only the printed text, but scribbles in black ink.

These are Renfield's notes- discernable, really, only to himself.

"Yes. Do you know German? I understand it is in German, but I admit that I have not used German in many years, so my understanding in limited at this juncture."

[johnnycoolguy]

"Oh--no, sorry, I only know a couple words. Never learned."

He drums his fingers on the bartop.

"If it's what I think it is, though, you could probably ask the Bar for a translation?"

[soulburden]

Renfield shakes his head, laughing. "No- I ask for a challenge, and she provides them! I think that a translation should only stunt my learning."

[johnnycoolguy]

"Oh, that's what it's for." Milo kind of wishes he had time to do something like that. It might be fun to try to remember some of his old high-school Latin.

"Well--you could use a dictionary. That wouldn't be cheating."

[soulburden]

Renfield gives that some thought. "I think that Lady Bar gave me a dictionary- one that says that it is written in the year two thousand. I am not sure it can be trusted to be correct, considering."

[johnnycoolguy]

"Why not? Might be a little tough to use it if it doesn't have archaic forms or something, but that would just make it a better challenge, right? And Kafka wrote in the twentieth century."

[soulburden]

Renfield blinks at him. "That is perhaps why I have not heard of this book!" He holds it up jubilantly. "That has to be it, then! I am from the previous century, aye, late, but still, the previous."

[johnnycoolguy]

Milo smacks the bartop. "Well, there ya go."

He kind of likes this guy.

"I'm from 2012, so I can guarantee you with about 95% certainty that that dictionary's accurate. And the book's definitely worth translating."

[soulburden]

"I will take it upon myself to translate it, then! Would you like to help me? You could be my assistant." If Renfield looks pleased, it's because he is.

"I shall play the Doctor, this time- I shall take careful notes and report findings. I have studied him well, so I can imitate his actions exactly."

[johnnycoolguy]

He immediately thinks of Doctor Who, but he doubts that's who Renfield is talking about.

"Well..."

Hey, it'll be something to do whenever he finds himself in the Bar.

"I don't know any German, but I have read the English translation, so sure, I could probably be of some help when you get stuck." He scoots closer to read a few of the margin notes, although he can't decipher them.

"I'm Milo, by the way."

[soulburden]

"I am Raphael Renfield." He offers Milo a hand in greeting. "And you are from America, are you not? Your accent is one I am, in part, familiar with."

He scoots the text closer to Milo for easier reading.

There are pictures in the margins as well. A giant bug, for instance- labeled 'lord of the flies'

[johnnycoolguy]

Milo, never having been much into the horror genre, hasn't read of him, so he pleasantly shakes the hand and reads.

"Yep. From California. The state that had the gold rush?" It's the only thing he can remember California being notable for in the 19th century.

Lord of the Flies--he's confused for a moment, since everything he remembers about that book involved a plane crash.

"Sorry, um--what does this notation here mean?"

[soulburden]

"The maggot is an animal closely related to The Devil- I think that this book provides many symbols that lean that way." He points out another notation. "I can discern that the main character is a man who has become something of a maggot, and I think that means he is facing his demonic yearnings."

[johnnycoolguy]

"Actually--there's a lot of debate over the exact translation of the type of bug he turns into." Milo swings around on the barstool to face him, gesturing excitedly.

"I can never remember exactly what it is, but generally, people agree that it's a dung beetle. So it's about how completely debased he is, because, y'know...dung beetle. He's such a loser as a human, he just lets everyone walk all over him, that he turns into the kind of creature that just wallows in the most disgusting thing people can think of. I think. I mean, that's, like, the surface interpretation. I never thought to read deeper than that, because I was like seventeen when I read it."

[soulburden]

It takes Renfield a moment to process all that. Then it takes him another moment to process the manner of speech Milo uses.

"A dung beetle. In ancient Egypt, dung beetles were revered- sacred." He was a learned young man.

"They were the carriers of the cycles of the sun, if I remember correctly."