Flesh and Bone
Page 5
ANGARA
You’re leaving us?
TALAO
Then how’s these ideas of yer’s goin’ to spread?
FIONN
Through all of you. Once I am confident that each and everyone one of the Pangan Tribe understands non-violence, I will leave you.
Again, the LUMAHAN disagree.
And it will be your duty to spread such concepts to the other tribes. If you can’t get your own species to understand what I’m telling you, then how do you expect non-violence to survive once I am gone?
TALAO
No one listens to me.
FIONN
They will once you learn the benefit of patience and self-confidence.
ANGARA
But we need you.
FIONN
You won’t need me. You’ll miss me, and I’ll miss all of you, too. But this is how it’s done. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can teach other species on other planets the same thing. That’s the way it’s always been. Daco?
DACO
Yes?
FIONN
You can keep the Eye of Peace.
DACO
Really?
FIONN
Yes. If after I leave, you feel as if you’re losing confidence in my species’ philosophies, just look into the Eye, and you will feel much better.
DACO
Thank you. You will always be a friend of Daco’s-eh…my friend.
ANGARA
And mine, too.
TALAO
And mine.
FIONN
And you will always be mine.
RINGOR
Who will go tell the other Lumahan?
FIONN
Anyone can, I suppose.
AGBAYANI
No. They will kill the Pangan.
FIONN
For what reason?
DACO
They’ll think we’re stealing their territory. It’s tradition.
FIONN
Then, what should we do?
AGBAYANI
Someone strong should go.
DACO
I don’t want any killing. Killing kills peace.
ANGARA
But the Lumahan fight. Fighting’s what we do. How do you stop that?
FIONN
I…guess I could lend…my defensive mechanism to one of you as an experiment. I doubt that you’ll find it necessary to kill other Lumahan before they’ll listen to you, which is against non-violence in the first place, but to prove this to you, I’ll allow the one who goes to use my defense mechanism as a means of preservation.
TIGAS
Huh?