Fic: Progress
Title: Progress
Author: roh_wyn
Word Count: 1926
Rating: PG
Characters: Djaq, Will, Allan
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Notes: Written for rh_intercomm. Partially inspired by The Science of Falling Apart, posted at RH2006 by Scarlettwoman.
Summary: Will and Djaq discuss progress and evil.
Will would never have seen her do it, if he had not been distracted by Allan’s words and cast his eyes in her direction. It was obvious she’d never meant for him-or anyone else-to see, but Will had seen Djaq put her hand gingerly into the fire and draw out Lambert’s ledger.
His first instinct was to accost her with this knowledge, and throw the ledger back into the fire, this time making sure she could not retrieve it. But he had expected Djaq to take the ledger, and somewhere deep down, Will knew she would have resisted his attempts to stop her and somehow taken it anyway. This way, they were both spared the anger and regret that came from being disappointed by a friend.
One night, while Djaq was away at Knighton Hall with Robin, Will considered simply taking the ledger and throwing it away. She would look for it, but the outlaws frequently lost things in the forest, and this would be no different. She would mourn its loss for a while, but eventually, she would forget about it and move on. Nobody would be any the wiser.
But in the end, he couldn’t really bring himself to do it. To rummage around in Djaq’s rucksack or in the tiny chest where she kept her things would be bad enough-a gross violation of her privacy. But to take something she deemed important and dispose it like it was a piece of rubbish was far worse, a betrayal of the sort Will could not even contemplate.
Later, he took to watching her closely instead, seeing what-if anything-she actually did with the ledger. To his surprise, she did almost nothing. Djaq ate, slept and took walks in the forest, just as she always had. There were no suspicious late-night activities, nor too much time spent hiding in the camp. This left Will confused and at a loss to explain her actions. If she had never meant to do anything with the ledger, why on earth had Djaq even taken it in the first place?
Finally, as a last resort, he decided to try the direct approach. He would simply ask her why she had taken it, and what she intended to do with it. And because she was Djaq, she would tell him, without deception or cover. Resolved to get the matter out into the open, Will began to follow her out of the cave that made up the gang’s temporary quarters.
They were nearly a hundred yards away before she wheeled on him, an odd look on her face. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Er, um…where are you going?”
She raised an eyebrow, and to his relief, she seemed more amused than annoyed. “I am going to the river. For a quick wash.” She put her hands on her hips and challenged him. “Are you joining me?”
Will wished the ground would open up and swallow him. He cast his eyes downward, suddenly very interested in the caked mud on his boots. “I…I just wanted to talk to you for a bit.”
Djaq seemed mollified by this. “Fine. You can come with me to the clearing near Locksley. I go there first, to pick some herbs for Much. We can talk on the way.”
Will nodded, and padded off behind her, pleased his efforts to get to the bottom of the black powder problem were bearing fruit. But now that she was actually walking next to him, he was at a loss for words, unsure how to broach the topic.
“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” She gave him a sidelong glance, still looking rather amused. “I ask because you have barely said two words to me these past few weeks.”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s not…like I haven’t wanted to talk to you. I just haven’t been able to.”
The amused look slipped from her face, and when Djaq looked at him again, there was sadness in her eyes. “We are friends, are we not, Will Scarlett? You are always able to speak to me, no matter what.”
“I know.”
He could not bring himself to speak the things that were on his mind, so he let the quiet take over. For her part, Djaq seemed content with that, and they walked through the forest, in silence that was normal, if not entirely companionable.
They were almost to the clearing, when Djaq spoke again. “Is this about Lambert’s ledger?”
Faced with his opening, Will cringed momentarily. He did not want to accuse her of anything, nor hurt her feelings in any way. But his need to know why she had kept it-intentionally, and over Robin’s wishes-when she knew the ledger had great potential for evil, outweighed other considerations. He took his courage in his hands, and spoke.
“Yes. I want to know why you took the ledger, after Robin decided to get rid of it.”
“Oh, Will.”
“I’m not trying to be mean about it. I don’t even think I’m angry-not anymore. But I need to know.”
“Why? What does it matter what I took? You take Gisborne’s firewood all the time, and I never ask you about it, do I?”
Will scoffed. “Well, that’s not really the same thing, is it?”
“Isn’t it?” She sighed. “Robin knows I have it, you know.”
“What?” Will was incredulous.
Djaq shrugged. “I think he saw me take it that night. But it does not matter if he did. I told him later that I had it.”
“And he’s letting you keep it?”
Djaq squirmed, obviously uncomfortable. “Not exactly. He let me keep the ledger, but he does not know I’ve been making powder-“
Will’s voice boomed out over the clearing. “WHAT?!”
“It is not that complicated. It is easy to make, with just things I can find in the forest. I wait until after Much is done with the day’s meal and-“
Will shakes his head in shock. Her enthusiasm for making things, her unending quest for knowledge, was something he admired greatly about Djaq. But in this case, he could not understand her interest in making something so vile. He was certain the woman before him was not the one he knew and liked so well.
“How could you do it, Djaq? Black powder is…it’s evil!”
Until then, Djaq had been contrite, almost sad. But now she turned to face him, eyes blazing in defiance.
“Do not speak to me this way, Will. Like I do not know the difference between good and evil!
“Black powder is just a thing. It cannot be evil, not by itself.”
Her determination annoyed Will, spurred him on to say thing he would never have otherwise said. “It can be wielded by people who are evil. It can be used to destroy good. Isn’t that enough?”
She threw her hands up in exasperation, and let out a groan. “You are not hearing me. Black powder is not evil, Will. It is only…a tool.
“You heard Lambert. Its uses are not all evil. It could be used for many good things-“
“But it’s also used for terrible things! To maim and kill…Lambert died to keep black powder from being made for just that reason!”
“No, Will. He died bringing it to the world’s attention.” Her voice was different now, neither angry nor defiant, only pleading. “Don’t you see, Will? The ledger was the work of Lambert’s life. Would you have it die with him?
“The ledger is knowledge, and you cannot simply destroy knowledge. It is progress, a sign of man’s ability to shape the world around him, using only his hands and his wit! It is a great thing-“
Will held up a hand to stifle the rest of her words. “No, Djaq. It takes no wit to use black powder. It can destroy entire towns, just like that. You call it progress, I call it destruction.”
“No, Will, try and-“
He shook his head and walked away, certain he would never understand Djaq, and nearly as certain he never wanted to speak to her again.
--
A week later
Will rummaged around under his bedroll, and then began to turn over other peoples’ things, frantically searching for something. Allan watched in amusement for a few minutes, before Will’s scrambling began to annoy him.
“Not being funny, but if you’re trying to clean up around here, you’re going about it the wrong way.”
Will glared at him in response and continued to search, this time inside Allan’s bag.
Allan yanked the bag away from Will, indignant. “Oi, don’t be messing around with my stuff. What’s your problem anyway?”
“I can’t find my hatchet!”
Allan was nonplussed. “What? Your little axe thingie?”
Will nodded, his expression going from annoyed to angry in the space of a second. “Are you just going to ask questions, or are you going to help me find it?”
Allan clapped Will on the shoulder. “Alright, calm down. I’ll help you look for it.” He shifted a few things with his feet, making a half-hearted attempt at searching. “You sure you didn’t drop it somewhere?”
Will hissed. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s not a ha’penny. I can’t just drop it somewhere and not even notice, yeah?”
Allan shrugged. He couldn’t quite understand why Will was having such a fit. The hatchet was big enough. If it was still around, and not actually lost, it would turn up eventually. “We should ask Djaq. Maybe she knows.”
He watched as Will’s face clouded at the mention of Djaq’s name. Something was going on there. Allan could have sworn the two had not spoken to each other in days. He had no idea why, but he was going to find out, before his curiosity got the better of him. “Yeah, that’s it. Let’s go ask Djaq.”
“Let’s go ask me what?” Djaq said, her expression calm, but her voice cheerful and with a mischievous edge.
“Master carpenter here’s lost his precious hatchet, and now he’s turning the forest over, looking for it.”
“Oh,” said Djaq simply. “Well, it is no surprise he cannot find it.” She grinned at Allan. “I threw it in the stream yesterday.”
Allan gaped at her, and Will had apparently decided to give up not speaking to her. “What?” they said, in unison.
“Yes. It seemed like an evil thing, and I did not want it here at the camp.”
Will opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it again and started shuffling his feet.
Allan was confused. “Not tryin’ to be rude or anything, Djaq, but have you gone mad? Since when is a hatchet evil?”
She adopted her most serious expression, but Allan could see her eyes dancing. “Well, usually it is only a tool, and a very useful one. But sometimes, it is used as a weapon. To maim others. Even kill them.”
Allan was still confused, and threw up his hands in defeat. “I’ll never understand her,” he said in Will’s direction and was about to add to that, when he caught Will’s expression. He was staring straight at Djaq, a small smile at the corner of his mouth. For her part, Djaq looked triumphant, like she had won a great victory at Will’s expense. Her smile was enough to light up the entire forest.
Allan decided he would never understand either of them, and as he walked away, he decided they were welcome to each other, these two crazy people.
--
Author: roh_wyn
Word Count: 1926
Rating: PG
Characters: Djaq, Will, Allan
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Notes: Written for rh_intercomm. Partially inspired by The Science of Falling Apart, posted at RH2006 by Scarlettwoman.
Summary: Will and Djaq discuss progress and evil.
Will would never have seen her do it, if he had not been distracted by Allan’s words and cast his eyes in her direction. It was obvious she’d never meant for him-or anyone else-to see, but Will had seen Djaq put her hand gingerly into the fire and draw out Lambert’s ledger.
His first instinct was to accost her with this knowledge, and throw the ledger back into the fire, this time making sure she could not retrieve it. But he had expected Djaq to take the ledger, and somewhere deep down, Will knew she would have resisted his attempts to stop her and somehow taken it anyway. This way, they were both spared the anger and regret that came from being disappointed by a friend.
One night, while Djaq was away at Knighton Hall with Robin, Will considered simply taking the ledger and throwing it away. She would look for it, but the outlaws frequently lost things in the forest, and this would be no different. She would mourn its loss for a while, but eventually, she would forget about it and move on. Nobody would be any the wiser.
But in the end, he couldn’t really bring himself to do it. To rummage around in Djaq’s rucksack or in the tiny chest where she kept her things would be bad enough-a gross violation of her privacy. But to take something she deemed important and dispose it like it was a piece of rubbish was far worse, a betrayal of the sort Will could not even contemplate.
Later, he took to watching her closely instead, seeing what-if anything-she actually did with the ledger. To his surprise, she did almost nothing. Djaq ate, slept and took walks in the forest, just as she always had. There were no suspicious late-night activities, nor too much time spent hiding in the camp. This left Will confused and at a loss to explain her actions. If she had never meant to do anything with the ledger, why on earth had Djaq even taken it in the first place?
Finally, as a last resort, he decided to try the direct approach. He would simply ask her why she had taken it, and what she intended to do with it. And because she was Djaq, she would tell him, without deception or cover. Resolved to get the matter out into the open, Will began to follow her out of the cave that made up the gang’s temporary quarters.
They were nearly a hundred yards away before she wheeled on him, an odd look on her face. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Er, um…where are you going?”
She raised an eyebrow, and to his relief, she seemed more amused than annoyed. “I am going to the river. For a quick wash.” She put her hands on her hips and challenged him. “Are you joining me?”
Will wished the ground would open up and swallow him. He cast his eyes downward, suddenly very interested in the caked mud on his boots. “I…I just wanted to talk to you for a bit.”
Djaq seemed mollified by this. “Fine. You can come with me to the clearing near Locksley. I go there first, to pick some herbs for Much. We can talk on the way.”
Will nodded, and padded off behind her, pleased his efforts to get to the bottom of the black powder problem were bearing fruit. But now that she was actually walking next to him, he was at a loss for words, unsure how to broach the topic.
“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” She gave him a sidelong glance, still looking rather amused. “I ask because you have barely said two words to me these past few weeks.”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s not…like I haven’t wanted to talk to you. I just haven’t been able to.”
The amused look slipped from her face, and when Djaq looked at him again, there was sadness in her eyes. “We are friends, are we not, Will Scarlett? You are always able to speak to me, no matter what.”
“I know.”
He could not bring himself to speak the things that were on his mind, so he let the quiet take over. For her part, Djaq seemed content with that, and they walked through the forest, in silence that was normal, if not entirely companionable.
They were almost to the clearing, when Djaq spoke again. “Is this about Lambert’s ledger?”
Faced with his opening, Will cringed momentarily. He did not want to accuse her of anything, nor hurt her feelings in any way. But his need to know why she had kept it-intentionally, and over Robin’s wishes-when she knew the ledger had great potential for evil, outweighed other considerations. He took his courage in his hands, and spoke.
“Yes. I want to know why you took the ledger, after Robin decided to get rid of it.”
“Oh, Will.”
“I’m not trying to be mean about it. I don’t even think I’m angry-not anymore. But I need to know.”
“Why? What does it matter what I took? You take Gisborne’s firewood all the time, and I never ask you about it, do I?”
Will scoffed. “Well, that’s not really the same thing, is it?”
“Isn’t it?” She sighed. “Robin knows I have it, you know.”
“What?” Will was incredulous.
Djaq shrugged. “I think he saw me take it that night. But it does not matter if he did. I told him later that I had it.”
“And he’s letting you keep it?”
Djaq squirmed, obviously uncomfortable. “Not exactly. He let me keep the ledger, but he does not know I’ve been making powder-“
Will’s voice boomed out over the clearing. “WHAT?!”
“It is not that complicated. It is easy to make, with just things I can find in the forest. I wait until after Much is done with the day’s meal and-“
Will shakes his head in shock. Her enthusiasm for making things, her unending quest for knowledge, was something he admired greatly about Djaq. But in this case, he could not understand her interest in making something so vile. He was certain the woman before him was not the one he knew and liked so well.
“How could you do it, Djaq? Black powder is…it’s evil!”
Until then, Djaq had been contrite, almost sad. But now she turned to face him, eyes blazing in defiance.
“Do not speak to me this way, Will. Like I do not know the difference between good and evil!
“Black powder is just a thing. It cannot be evil, not by itself.”
Her determination annoyed Will, spurred him on to say thing he would never have otherwise said. “It can be wielded by people who are evil. It can be used to destroy good. Isn’t that enough?”
She threw her hands up in exasperation, and let out a groan. “You are not hearing me. Black powder is not evil, Will. It is only…a tool.
“You heard Lambert. Its uses are not all evil. It could be used for many good things-“
“But it’s also used for terrible things! To maim and kill…Lambert died to keep black powder from being made for just that reason!”
“No, Will. He died bringing it to the world’s attention.” Her voice was different now, neither angry nor defiant, only pleading. “Don’t you see, Will? The ledger was the work of Lambert’s life. Would you have it die with him?
“The ledger is knowledge, and you cannot simply destroy knowledge. It is progress, a sign of man’s ability to shape the world around him, using only his hands and his wit! It is a great thing-“
Will held up a hand to stifle the rest of her words. “No, Djaq. It takes no wit to use black powder. It can destroy entire towns, just like that. You call it progress, I call it destruction.”
“No, Will, try and-“
He shook his head and walked away, certain he would never understand Djaq, and nearly as certain he never wanted to speak to her again.
--
A week later
Will rummaged around under his bedroll, and then began to turn over other peoples’ things, frantically searching for something. Allan watched in amusement for a few minutes, before Will’s scrambling began to annoy him.
“Not being funny, but if you’re trying to clean up around here, you’re going about it the wrong way.”
Will glared at him in response and continued to search, this time inside Allan’s bag.
Allan yanked the bag away from Will, indignant. “Oi, don’t be messing around with my stuff. What’s your problem anyway?”
“I can’t find my hatchet!”
Allan was nonplussed. “What? Your little axe thingie?”
Will nodded, his expression going from annoyed to angry in the space of a second. “Are you just going to ask questions, or are you going to help me find it?”
Allan clapped Will on the shoulder. “Alright, calm down. I’ll help you look for it.” He shifted a few things with his feet, making a half-hearted attempt at searching. “You sure you didn’t drop it somewhere?”
Will hissed. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s not a ha’penny. I can’t just drop it somewhere and not even notice, yeah?”
Allan shrugged. He couldn’t quite understand why Will was having such a fit. The hatchet was big enough. If it was still around, and not actually lost, it would turn up eventually. “We should ask Djaq. Maybe she knows.”
He watched as Will’s face clouded at the mention of Djaq’s name. Something was going on there. Allan could have sworn the two had not spoken to each other in days. He had no idea why, but he was going to find out, before his curiosity got the better of him. “Yeah, that’s it. Let’s go ask Djaq.”
“Let’s go ask me what?” Djaq said, her expression calm, but her voice cheerful and with a mischievous edge.
“Master carpenter here’s lost his precious hatchet, and now he’s turning the forest over, looking for it.”
“Oh,” said Djaq simply. “Well, it is no surprise he cannot find it.” She grinned at Allan. “I threw it in the stream yesterday.”
Allan gaped at her, and Will had apparently decided to give up not speaking to her. “What?” they said, in unison.
“Yes. It seemed like an evil thing, and I did not want it here at the camp.”
Will opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it again and started shuffling his feet.
Allan was confused. “Not tryin’ to be rude or anything, Djaq, but have you gone mad? Since when is a hatchet evil?”
She adopted her most serious expression, but Allan could see her eyes dancing. “Well, usually it is only a tool, and a very useful one. But sometimes, it is used as a weapon. To maim others. Even kill them.”
Allan was still confused, and threw up his hands in defeat. “I’ll never understand her,” he said in Will’s direction and was about to add to that, when he caught Will’s expression. He was staring straight at Djaq, a small smile at the corner of his mouth. For her part, Djaq looked triumphant, like she had won a great victory at Will’s expense. Her smile was enough to light up the entire forest.
Allan decided he would never understand either of them, and as he walked away, he decided they were welcome to each other, these two crazy people.
--