In the silence in the wake of Bae\u2019s last statement, everyone becomes aware of a steady tapping coming from the door. Following the sound to its source, you are surprised to find Vic Vic standing in the pub doorway tapping his umbrella against the jamb to remove rainwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dProfessor,\u201d says Aileen, \u201chow long have you been standing there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dOh, long enough, long enough,\u201d Vic Vic mutters. He paces forward steadily, swinging his umbrella, until he reaches the table with Sparrar and Bae. First he addresses Sparrar. \u201cPedestals,\u201d he begins. \u201cPedestals are not the most comfortable space to occupy. Certainly, they raise one above the crowds, but they are most often employed as a device for displaying treasures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dAnd right enough, Bae is a treasure,\u201d says Sparrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vic Vic waves the objection aside. \u201cAileen here is a treasure, Adrian is a treasure. I am willing to believe that brushed up sufficiently, you too could be a treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adrian raises a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dYes, dear boy!\u201d says Vic Vic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWhile I would never suggest that I am in any way orthodox,\u201d there is a sigh of laughter from the goth crowd at Adrian\u2019s statement, \u201cwhat you say brings to mind Origen\u2019s theory of apocatastasis, wherein all creatures, even Satan himself, shall be in the end redeemed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vic Vic nods. \u201cIt\u2019s a fair analogy, but perhaps my thesis is a little more radical. I am not here to condemn Sparrar as a criminal, but rather to educate and hopefully enlighten, or at the very least make him see what pain he is causing Bae.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a murmur of approval across the room. Jinge wanders back in baffled. \u201cDid I miss something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dPlease take a seat, Jinge,\u201d says Vic Vic. He addresses the pub once again. \u201cLet us consider the example of Jinge here. No, no, don\u2019t laugh! Because I happen to know that behind this simple exterior lies the soul of a poet. Jinge and Adrian have more in common than might meet the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was exactly Bae\u2019s motive,\u201d you speak up, uncertain of the attention at first. \u201cShe intended to prove to herself, and indeed to me, that Sparrar was not the thug that I believed,\u201d I nod towards Sparrar, \u201cno offense meant!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNone taken!\u201d Sparrar mutters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dAnd you think I was naive to believe that?\u201d says Bae. \u201cMaybe I was, and maybe I was too quick to get defensive when I found that his carapace was far harder to crack than I had hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWhat\u2019s a carapace?\u201d whispers Sparrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dIt\u2019s like a shell,\u201d says Jinge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dAt the risk of\u2026 lecturing all of you,\u201d says Vic Vic, \u201cI will plead with all of you young people assembled here: you goths in the pool room, you casuals flirting with the ravers, you punks trying to imagine a better world. Please try to see the best in each other, and if you can\u2019t manage that, please try to give each other some space. Other than when you\u2019re at the bar of course. It\u2019s a free for all moshpit over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the silence in the wake of Bae\u2019s last statement, everyone becomes aware of a steady tapping coming from the door. Following the sound to its source, you are surprised to find Vic Vic standing in the pub doorway tapping his umbrella against the jamb to remove rainwater. \u201dProfessor,\u201d says Aileen, \u201chow long have you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-818","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=818"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":973,"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/818\/revisions\/973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iotacism.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Sparrar shakes his head and walks out of the pub. The conversations start up again across the rooms, and Aileen reassumes her rightful place at the bar.
Vic Vic is approaching, holding a piece of paper in his hand. (goto 100<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"