68 - Social Constructs

Theo desperately wished that Sparrow was here to help walk him through this. How was he supposed to tell Francis that not only was there a way for him to help, but that he just had to join him? How was he even supposed to explain the whole thing with Libera? What would Sparrow do?

His time to ruminate was cut off, as Eva leaned in to see Francis in interface.

Francis wiped his face roughly with the back of his hand, before going over to look at the fuss.

“What’s that? That looks like a face. It looks almost like…oh.” His face flicked between the interface and Theo, who was still holding it, face frozen.

Theo cleared his throat. “You remember how you said you just want the world to be a better place? Well, here’s your chance.” He hoped the stretched smile on his face looked confident instead of terrified.

---

“So, there’s a prophecy from the Founders, to uplift Union City, and change the world for the better? And you’re saying I can change the world?” Francis summarised, still sceptical (in his defence, it was quite a lot, and Theo hadn’t explained things as clearly as he’d have liked).

Theo nodded, with a grimace. “I know, I know. But it’s true. I don’t know how much Kev- Mercy of Death has told you, but that’s where the herbs came from. One of the chests was hidden here, in The Woods.” Francis stared at Theo with wide eyes, before turning his attention over to Eva.

She nodded.

Francis rubbed his eyes, blinking slowly. “Okay. Punch me.”

“Wha-“

Before Theo could register what exactly Francis had said, Eva had reached over and slugged him in the chest hard enough to send him sprawling onto his back. “Eva!”

She shrugged as she glanced at Theo with an innocent look on her face. “He did ask.”

Theo shook his head, before rushing over to Francis to see if he had been injured. “Are you okay?”

Francis chuckled to himself, a manic determination in his eyes. “I’ve either gone mad, or this is really happening.” He shook his head. “Either way, I’m in.”

Francis slowly got up, rolling his shoulders. “So, what’s the plan?”

Theo froze again. “Uh.”

---

Theo was savouring the flavour of good beer as he slowly sipped from his mug. Was it a bit much to use Tome of Memories to immortalise that taste as something he could always return to? Yes.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Did he care? No.

He let out a contented sigh, as Francis quietly sipped some water next to him. Theo was still wrestling with how he had accidentally recruited someone, and he still had no idea what to do or how to do it, but didn’t let that spoil the atmosphere.

The Guild of Magic was pretty full, being a Fesday night and all. Many warriors and adventurers were resting, and the coin they’d accumulated over the week was returning to the local economy as they got more drunk than humanly possible (well, more drunk than anyone without internal magic would be able to manage).

The festivities were raucous, as more patrons kept trickling in. Some were celebrating, in high spirits as they toasted to their successes. Others dragged their feet, tired and exhausted and aching for a drink. Either way, they congregated here, making Theo almost miss what Francis said amongst all the noise.

“Do you ever think about vegetables?” Theo paused, beer halfway to his mouth, uncertain where this was going (or why Francis even thought about this).

“Not really, no. When I eat them, I guess.” Theo took a deep drink. Francis continued, to Theo’s confusion.

“Have you ever considered what a vegetable even is?” This time, Theo didn’t pause, instead ringing the beer to his lips as fast as he could manage without spilling a drop.

He put down his now-empty drink, as Francis politely waited for him to answer. “They’re something we eat. Don’t keep well, but good for us, for some reason.” He shrugged, signalling to Eva.

“But do you know what makes something a vegetable? Or, what makes something a fruit?” Theo paused, mostly trying to figure out what exactly Francis was trying to get at.

“Not really.” Theo nodded in thanks as Eva slid a beer over to him. “Is it important?” He wished he could bluff like Sparrow did (or at least, that Thelonious’ class had touched on this topic, whatever it is, briefly).

Francis hesitated, shaking his head. “That will take too long to explain. Let me get straight to it. Vegetables are a social construct.” Theo cocked his head to the side, trying to politely listen (while having not the slightest idea where he was going with this).

Francis took a long sip of water, before smiling. “I’ve never been able to sway people with my words, which is of course why I never considered becoming a bard.” He paused, reflecting.

“Something like vegetables, a part of our daily lives, are only vegetables because one day someone decided they were. They are not like fruit, which are categorised based on if they bear seeds.” Theo filed that away (in the “most likely useless” part of his brain).

“What that means, is that the only thing that makes a vegetable a vegetable is that we believe it to be so.” Francis looked at Theo like he’d just said something profound, while Theo just blinked slowly.

“So…” Theo trailed off.

“So, this isn’t about vegetables. The society we have built relies on many of those understandings. There are a lot of things that could change about Union City. There is enough food and land to comfortably feed and shelter everyone, but instead the nobles take so much of what we have.” Theo thought of the mansions in the inner districts, and how much wealth was on display in their walls, and the state of the outskirts.

“With The Woods and so many Natureborn such as myself, we could make it so that nobody ever goes hungry in Union City ever again. And some will say that there will always be the rich and the poor, but we can also endeavour to ensure that the poor are still looked after.”

Francis rubbed his neck. “I guess all I was trying to say is that we treat so many parts of the world we live in as fact, instead of something that can be changed.”

Theo thought he understood (vegetables aside).

He took a deep breath, doing his best to channel Sparrow. “I know you said you weren’t the most persuasive with words, but you convinced me. Let’s make that dream a reality, shall we?” Theo wasn’t exactly sure how to go about doing that, but he hoped that wasn’t something Francis could notice.

At the very least, it was something to work on, an actual objective other than ‘make Union City better’.

Francis reached his hand out, and Theo pulled him into a hug.