“There’s an old saying. If humanity could place a rainbow in a zoo, they would.”
Drewitt sits in a dusty old cabin, a glass jar in front of him closed tight. Inside of its walls floats a butterfly trying futilely to escape. “Take this little creature in front of me. Most of Arcadia would call it beautiful, magnificent for its wonderful colors and unique appearance. It exudes wonder, and yet, it must fly free.”
War taps the jar, the butterfly flapping towards the source of noise. “For if you trap something so wonderful, then its allure begins to fade with every flap of its wings. The extravagant colors that made it so unique and exotic slowly turn pale as the life drains from its little body.”
The butterfly lands weakly on the table, hopeless. “What happens when your enjoyment begins to wane and your little pet begins to wither? Do you open its cage and let it roam free? Or do you simply throw away the key, hide it out of sight, and move onto your next attraction without a second thought?”
“The thing about OSW, you know, about Olympus? It ain’t a zoo where the people of Arcadia come to see caged animals dance for their amusement. It’s a stage The performers that draw crowds are free to come and go as they please…” Drewitt grabs the jar, holding it up to his face.
“But you don’t believe in that, do you Klaus? No, you’ve spent your whole life trying to take the oddities of Arcadia so you can shove them into your freak show. Much like the butterfly in this jar, you see them not as people, not as creatures, but as colorful little collectibles to sate your hunger for entertainment. Jackdaw is your latest target, isn’t he? A man who can do nothing but smile?”
The Horseman shakes his head, standing up from his chair and moving to the door of his cabin, pushing it open. “I bet you even find a bit of an interest in me too, don’t you? Ever since my run in with Teddy O’Toole over a year ago, I went from a Pilgrim to a freak, an oddity in Olympus itself.”
Standing on the front porch of his cabin, Drewitt looks out towards the horizon. “I can’t die, I can’t perish, and you know that all too well, don’t you? Put a gun to my head and pull the trigger, all that would happen is I would stand right back up.”
“I’m the rainbow you wish to cage, the anomaly twinkling in your eye. I beg you to try and trap me, Klaus. Try and lock me away in a cage.” Drewitt unscrews the top of the jar, letting the lid fall to the ground as the butterfly flies free.
“But know, unlike the rest of your carnival, I will never wither.”
“My colors will never fade, my battle will never cease.”
“War is untamable, Klaus.”
“And War? War never changes.”