Gebura — Episode 3Location: The Library – Floor of LanguageRoland(Servant)What are you up to? Meditation?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland1"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Nothing, just taking a break with my eyes closed.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura1-01"Roland(Servant)I’ll leave the books in the usual spot and be on my way, then.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland2"Roland(Servant)Seems like I shouldn’t be disturbing you.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland3"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Wait.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura2-01"Roland(Servant)Wuh?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland4"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)What district in the Backstreets are you from?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura3"Roland(Servant)District 17. It was a decent place.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland5"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Would you say the part of the Backstreets you grew up in was also hellish?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura4"Roland(Servant)I mean, no matter how horrible a neighborhood may be, people still live there. And anywhere inhabited by people is hell, one way or another.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland6"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Yeah, people will be people in the end. I suppose each corner of the Backstreets has its own woes.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura5"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Throughout my life—lives—I always fought to protect others. Though I rarely ever managed to protect anything flawlessly.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura6"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)…Want a cig?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura7"Roland(Servant)Thanks, but no thanks. I quit smoking long ago.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland7"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Really? Didn’t expect that.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura8"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)…In the part of the Backstreets I was brought up in, the neighborhood would constantly change.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura9"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)I wouldn’t say my neighbors had their hearts in the right place, but some of the adults there were kinda nice to me. Although, they’d usually be gone without a trace or end up rolling around in the street with their limbs chopped off the next morning.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura10-01"Roland(Servant)Sheesh, that’s a rough mess even for the Backstreets… District 23 really did live up to its rep, huh.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland8"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)It was when the turf wars and purges between Syndicates were at their peak.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura11"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Just like what’s happening in Lobotomy Corp’s Nest right now.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura12-01"Roland(Servant)And you managed to survive that. Even adept Fixers would avoid going there.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland9"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)It was the only place I had. I couldn’t even imagine moving to another district where there was less bloodshed.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura13"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)I was just desperately looking for ways to survive in that hell.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura14"Roland(Servant)Compared to District 23… Even The Carnival or those Smiling Faces look like child’s play.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland10"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Yeah. Soon enough, I began to constantly seek ways to protect the people around me in that hellhole.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura15"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)You can tell much about a society from the vocabulary used by its people.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura16"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The language used in the Backstreets is often simple and straightforward.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura17"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)They pick common words found in everyday life. They don’t bother making up special terminology.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura18-01"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)That applies to the things that have become a part of their everyday life. They’re often even more relevant than the original meaning of those words.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura19-01"Roland(Servant)I guess the Five Fingers like the Thumb and the Index, and the Sweepers are prime examples of that.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland11"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)People in the Backstreets strive to gain wealth and power.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura20"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)They can’t afford to pursue anything more than the things to keep themselves alive.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura21"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)You know what’s funny, though?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura22"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Even if one were to have power, that power would only strike down, not up…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura23"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The “victims” in the Backstreets were potential perpetrators who just weren’t strong enough…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura24"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Let me tell you about the story of a kid named Kali, seven years old at that time.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura25"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The first thing the kid remembers was crying alone in the corner of an alleyway, surrounded by blood and guts.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura26"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She didn’t have anyone to call friends. People around her would all disappear sooner or later.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura27"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Most kids her age were either abducted by the Sweepers or treated like their toys.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura28"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The small kid couldn’t do anything but watch in silence.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura29"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)It was by sheer luck that Kali could survive until she was thirteen.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura30"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)To cherish the good fortune she was given, Kali observed and observed. In order to survive through her own effort.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura31"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)So Kali made it to twenty years of age, following strategies of her own.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura32"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)And she finally became a Fixer. There wasn’t much else she could do.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura33"Roland(Servant)You thankfully didn’t join a Syndicate or anything, huh?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland12"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The kid swore that she wouldn’t stoop to their level.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura34"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Kali the Fixer’s life got on a stable track some time after she started working. The work fit her well, thanks to the environment she grew up in.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura35"Roland(Servant)Oh, I was the same, too.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland13"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She thought she could now protect her neighbors living in the same apartment, given that she had some power being a Fixer.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura36"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)The streets Kali was living in were still quite dangerous.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura37"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)And she thought she ought to return the favor to Mr. Sean next door and Ms. Goose upstairs, her neighbors who she was indebted to.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura38"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Those two would often give food and drink to Kali ever since she was a child.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura39"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)They were two of the only people she’d known for a long time; they were like family to her.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura40-01"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Out of gratitude, she gave them some of the money she earned.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura41"Roland(Servant)That’s nice of her.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland14"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)You know how they repaid Kali for all the money she gave them for more than a month?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura42"Roland(Servant)I guess it wasn’t anything good, judging from the flow of your story.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland15"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)They conspired with other residents of the apartment and broke into Kali’s house while she was asleep, binding her hands and feet while looking for a safe.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura43"Roland(Servant)Oh, I see what they were up to. They must’ve thought Kali was keeping much more money in her stash.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland16"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Yep. They really did try to rob her.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura44"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Kali couldn’t believe it. Not because she found herself bound when she woke up.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura45"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)It was because she saw filthy lumps of greed crawling around right before her eyes.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura46-01"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Just a day before, they used to be her friendly neighbors.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura47"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)They understood the agony of loss better than anyone.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura48"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Kali only hoped that the money she gave them would be used in meaningful ways…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura49"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She just wanted to protect them with her newfound strength…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura50"Roland(Servant)Stereotypical people, weren’t they.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland17"Roland(Servant)I’m sure Kali didn’t just let them get away with it like a fool, yeah?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland18"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She didn’t. Kali was stronger than they thought.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura51"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She could forcefully snap the ropes binding her at any moment, but she chose to wait.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura52"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)She wanted to believe all of this was just a misunderstanding or a prank.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura53"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)But the repulsive words they spat out so casually…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura54"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Talking about how this was their opportunity to use her money to move to a different place…Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura55"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)It was neither a dream nor a misunderstanding, but a cold truth.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura56"Roland(Servant)So, did those sonnovabitches get what was coming to ‘em? Man, it’s upsetting just hearing this story.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland19"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)You’re right. She killed all of them. And Kali burst into tears, covered in the blood of her neighbors.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura57"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Kali’s neighbors who she had been protecting from violence were no different from the others in that they would resort to violence themselves once they had power.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura58"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)This savage cycle wouldn’t stop no matter who she tried to protect.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura59"Roland(Servant)Yeah. Sometimes, I feel like there’s no point in having any sympathy.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland20"Roland(Servant)I also struggled a lot thinking about what’s right and wrong during my early days as a Fixer.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland21"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)What kind of Fixer were you?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura60"Roland(Servant)…A neat and sensible Fixer who rationally handled his work, so to speak.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland22"Roland(Servant)I held up a decent reputation.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland23"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)And then you plummeted to Grade 9 all of a sudden?Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura61"Roland(Servant)That I did. Anything can happen in life. I mean, the legendary Kali is now standing in front of me, too.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland24"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)Huff… That’s true.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura62"Roland(Servant)To be frank, there was a time when I went batshit insane and ran amok. Didn’t care about the consequences at all.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland25"Roland(Servant)I made a lot of enemies back then.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland26"Roland(Servant)The sensation I felt still reverberates in my head sometimes.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland27"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)You also went through a lot, huh. I can see it in your eyes.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura63"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)I wouldn’t say I’m exactly the same being as Kali anymore, but she still rests within me.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura64"Roland(Servant)Seems like it. You’re upright and honest, unlike most Fixers I’ve seen.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland28"Gebura(Patron Librarian - Language)I’ve talked too much. I’ma go get some sleep.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Gebura65"Roland(Servant)Sleep tight, Kali.Audio: "ch8_Gebura_ep3_Roland29"
