Friendship with Living Redemption

Leonard and Thomas became great friends. Thomas had been living on his own in his small, sparse tent for a while. He had finally gotten the courage to leave his parents and was content, he explained to Leonard in one of their many talks. While Thomas definitely would like to have enough food, everything else was okay. The tent was small but it had all the space he needed. He had no furniture and just a few tools, a mattress, and some bedding, but he had everything he needed to write his plays and be happy. He didn't go to grand places anymore and that was okay as he had a lot of peace being here and hanging out with the less affluent denizens of the town. 

Leonard told Thomas of his own history too. Of his adventures in town trying to build a life, of his adventures galloping away from his old master, across the country. And of course he told him about all the terror and misery of his time in slavery, and the dark horror of the River Maiden's dad. And he told him of all the fantastical things he experienced with the River Maiden and his glorious journey through the river. 

Thomas said he knew the River Maiden, that she helped him leave behind the corrupt side and be who he was and find purity. 

Leonard liked how Thomas talked to him. With a quiet, constant, unquestioning respect that was as strong as stone. Leonard was just another person to him, just another human being, just another pocket of love. He was not something to be used, he was not a pathway to some end, he was not valued for what he did. He was simply valued because he was a human trying his very best to help people. He was simply a friend, to be respected and helped. He was simply seen. 

Hacombe was the happiest out of the three of them. He was able to wander though the meadow and the grass, running and grazing to his hear's content. He was the only one with quite enough food, as Thomas's theatre hadn't taken off yet and Leonard had yet to find work. 

They had the magical bag, but even though they were hungry they knew it wasn't infinite and they didn't want to take too much from it. But even though they were hungry they were respected and that was much better than being a slave. Also, the work they did was uplifting and not degrading, which was a major difference from Leonard's old life. 

Leonard asked Thomas one day, while they were sitting on the untreated wooden floorboards of their dark blue canvas tent, how he got the courage to leave home. Thomas said that at first he was iffy about slavery and materialism but he didn't wanna leave his parents becasue he didn't wanna be who knows how hungry for who knows how long. He got to his parents estate and saw how big it was. How big and towering and ornate their harsh stone mansion was. He'd seen it before but this was the first time he saw it with his eyes open. It was so distant from nature, so far removed from it. It was a wound on nature. He felt a heavy, suffocating poisonous force around that place. And he couldn't get used to all the wealth he was around either, it was so far removed from nature. And what he coudln't get used to most of all was having slaves around. It was such an abomination. It was so corrupt and unkind and disturbing. He realized he couldn't live like this anymore. He was alright if he starved. He was alright if he died. Dieing was preferable to this scheisse. He could feel the threads of corruption in the air. So he packed a couple of things, some money, and left. He'd been living in his tent and trying to start his theatre career ever since. 

Leonard agreed that the wealth of the estates was really far removed from nature and of course slavery was an abomination. They talked about how in contrast their hut seemed so in tune with nature, how it seemed huddled up against nature like a child on it's mother's lap. It didn't seem to be hurting nature. It seemed to be in harmony with it. Small and humble and nestled by the forest. 

They worked in their respective fields for the next few months. Leonard got an apprenticeship as a carpenter. HIs place of work wasn't extravagant. Just a few tools and some wood. He enjoyed it, it was peaceful, he felt respected. He did his best. More people eventually came to see THomas's shows too, and he started earning a steady income from that. 

Most of his stories were subtly anti-slavery, and he made them especially for the young children of slaveowners, who often came by to see his shows. His theatre was pretty simple and in his tent, but children preferred love over a bunch of stuff, like kids do if you let them be free and without pressure. 

The two youths also spent much of their time scouting estates and trying to free any slaves they could. They made instant and warm bonds with all the wonderful slaves they tried to free. The rescue missions were terrifying and exhilarating and filled them with with such a lovely, perfect, sense for purpose. 

But they never went well. Even if they did succeed at freeing someone, and they often didn't, that person would often be found again and returned to their places of torment. Leonard and Thomas knew that something was wrong. This wasn't the mission they were brought together for. They had to know what was going on.