“The Legends can be tied into just about any story you can think of.”
“Bullshit.” He nodded once when Miller cleared his throat and rumpled the paper in his hand, a clear reprimand that Kona should shut the hell up.
Keira lowered her voice so low that Kona had to lean next to her to hear her. “There’s an old theory that dictates only seven archetypes, or seven basic plots, exist in the world. I’d add that if there are only seven, then there are billion variations of those stories.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Keira leaned against her chair, pulled her hands away from the keyboard so she could give Kona her full attention. He gave her the same stare he’d been wearing for a days now, like he wasn’t quite sure what to think about her, but she had gotten through their meetings by not wondering what that expression meant.
“The Legends started as folk tales, parables and lessons on what you should and shouldn’t do. For the most part they are morality tales. Where do you think that sort of morality comes from?” Keira felt like a teacher, feeding bits of knowledge to a first grader. Kona was smart, she knew that, but literature and grammar weren’t exactly topics of choice for the mathematically minded linebacker. Kona had quoted figures and tallies to her when they discussed how much money someone would lose if they’d bet against CPU in a game like his brain was a calculator. He could tick off statistic after statistic and the tackling efficiency of every linebacker in the NFL for the past twenty years. But he just didn’t care enough to be interested in the Legends or Shakespeare, or Chaucer or any of the other poets and scribes she’d asked him if he’d read during their meetings.
Kona frowned, shifted his eyes to his hands and then back at Keira’s face. “God?”
She nodded, offering him a quick smile. “When you’re talking about the Legends, then yes. So we have a system of Legends that cover pretty much the gambit of morality; lying, stealing, cheating, killing and the consequences of all those things. You can pretty much use any story as an example and relate it back to the Legends.”
Kona didn’t miss a beat. “Die Hard.” His smile wavered and he looked around the room, Keira guessed to make sure no one was listening. “I watched those movies with my tutu kane.” When Keira squinted, confused, Kona clarified, his voice dropping an octave. “My grandfather. He’s the only dad Luka and I ever really had and we’d all sit around watching those movies as kids on summer breaks when Mom was off doing research shit.” Kona looked over Keira’s head, at her chin, but not in her eyes as though giving Keira that small bit of information had surprised him.
Keira smiled and she liked Kona, just then, with his voice soft, with his eyes relaxed when he spoke about his grandfather. Typical, though, that he’d choose a ‘splosion’ film, that’s what she’d always called those gun-tottin’ ass kicking movies Leann loved to make her sit through. She wasn’t surprised that one of them was the first example Kona chose. “Okay. Well, Bruce Willis is a cop trying to get his wife away from terrorists.” When Kona only stared at her, seeming a bit more interested than he had a few minutes before, she continued. “He’s Arthur, on a quest. He’s searching for someone, like Arthur searched for the grail and along the way he has obstacles to overcome. Same as Bruce. The way the Legends unfold are what Joseph Campbell called ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ For the most part, every book, comic or movie is a hero’s journey.”
“Joseph Who?”
Keira tried not to sigh too loudly. They were getting along and she had to admit she didn’t hate his company as much as she thought she would. But damn, this guy was lazy as hell. “Kona, have you read anything this semester? It’s on our syllabus.” She pointed at the syllabus sticking out of his binder.
Kona took a quick glance down at his binder and then returned his attention to Keira. “I have ADD, Keira. It’s a little hard for me to focus on the material.” He shrugged, brushing off the revelation.
She nodded, offering Kona a grin that he seemed to like, telling her with his eyes that he was grateful that she didn’t pry.
“Campbell had a theory, several, actually, but his Hero Theory is classic, though he was a bit of a pig.” When Kona frowned at her, curious, she smiled. “He thought only men could be heroes.”
“Bullshit. I mean, hello, Sarah Conner?” he said, smile widening with Keira’s laugh. “You’d make a good teacher. You got the bossy, know-it-all tone perfected.” She punched his shoulder and his laughter rang in her ears.