Ohm
DarkStar
PrinceAlexus
Majoraa
xVampire3go
k4tsukibakug0
iibread
Kharlee & Endre
“Endre, I am going back home now, close up at time and please come back to make me food...” She said, cowering a bit, her shoulders in a little as she slouched a little as she got off the table. She didn't know what she thought about what had just happened. There may have been things going on, but whether death was the necessary punishment made her doubt the current society. And what if we stopped being in Azura’s favour? She didn't like that. Why did one, two, or three people have more power to destroy the lives of others. That wasn't a society she wanted to be a part of. She didn't want to live in a world where death had no consequences. Where monsters were encouraged to hunt beyond their needs.
There was a balance, some people needed to die. She understood that. For her to consume something needed to die. But there needed to be a balance. There needed to be some karmic record that ticked off how much you could take. That’s why the humans had fallen. That was their greatest folly. But now were they headed to the same thing? Would Endre be in danger just because of what he was rather than his actions? Would she? She made a mental note to summon Azura back, and asking Endre for what rights she had in this world. She went home but didn't sleep. She took the restrictive bandage off and poured some alcohol on it so it would not get infected. She took some wine and then laid back, staring outside the window.
As most of the store was vacated of customers for the day -thanks in large part to Kharlee’s demeanour- closing the shop was not much harder than securing the doors and windows, and turning-out the lights. That, and cleaning-up the remnants of a first-aid kit strewn about the floor; he’d need to replace that.
Walking to Kharlee’s was quiet and uneventful aside from the distinct smell of smoldering hardwood-flooring from the incident his friend related to him. Thankfully they managed to remove the corpses before they stunk-up the streets. But then he remembered her saying they looked like he did… could he be mistaken for a human servant?
Arriving at Kharlee’s inherited… estate, he took off his boots in the foyer, hung-up his hat and met Kharlee in the lounge, sipping wine and sitting by the fireplace as she awaited his arrival.
“It’s expected to be a cold night. I’ll prepare some clam-chowder.” He announced, knowing that although it was seafood, it was cooked and came with potatoes, two things the harpie did not like about her food… sometimes it felt like he was still cooking for a nine year old… Although to her credit, he would make it rhode-island style, rather than the more typical new-england breed.
Kharlee just lived minutes from the shop on a first floor double room studio apartment. It wasn't much of a mansion that she was brought up in, but she did intend on spending her life doing very little, so conservation of her wealth seemed the way to go. Plus this little shithole cost absolutely nothing anyway.
She half groaned in pain when he mentioned clam chowder. It wasn't the worst but she had many other things she preferred to it. She didn't tell him anything though, slowly coming into the kitchen as he cooked, sitting near him as she said, “What happens if we fall out of Azura’s favour? Does she come and end us all?” She asked him intently. She wasn't much of a social person, and didn't like Azura as much as Azura liked her, though she truthfully believed Azura didn't like her at all, and only liked to pretend as she did for some reason.
“What if they decide that half breeds and harpies are just as useless as humans, do we have to become slaves? Would I be sold? My property taken away from me? Deserved to be killed in the streets?” Of course this wasn't against Azura, but she was the only Elder of Enigma she knew. She may have been the only elder there for all Kharlee knew, she wasn't much into things outside her little bubble of a world, and she didn't want monsters in it that she was sure of.
“Look at these.” She said, throwing a magazine near him. It had fireproof shutters and modern methods of fire safety written all over it. “I’ve called them.” She told him, “Someone will be coming soon. Close the shop and make sure it can not be burnt into ashes right in front of my eyes.” She told him as she went back out, dragging her little wheely chair squeakily out of the kitchen with her.
Endre stopped cooking and made it obvious he had considered what may have happened if he ever pulled a joke too far with Azura before answering, “Well, I suppose she’d stop visiting.” He said, only to hear Kharlee go-on about not being particularly fond of Azura’s company… before hitting the subject of non-human slaves…
“I came into your family due to the choices I made before you were born, and not out of my mixed heritage, if that is what you are inferring of my presence.” He explained, not considering the choices he made as being particularly bad or unfortunate, and ignoring the criticisms that his choices were even remotely dictated by his bloodline.
Just as the half-drow was about to stop being defensive, he was assaulted by a magazine that landed harmlessly on the nearby countertop. She made it clear that in this awful turmoil what few things were important to her were safely protected in her private-fortress(es). He nodded, and began glancing over the glossy pages as he finished preparing the chowder.
“Not you.” She told him from the other room, looking at some birds flying about. “Not only you.” She corrected herself. “Your situation and mine are different, you are no slave, you are family, you know that. You’ve known that for years.” She told him, not much paying attention to his silly jokes. “You haven’t seen her blood-hound. He wouldn't mind hurting me or hurting you. Or just for his amusement hurting everything.” She just said, sighing as she remembered him.
“I do not feel safe anymore.” She said softly. “I don't feel Enigma is safe anymore.” She just said, looking around. “Endre. Why are they killing the humans? What is the resistance?”
Endre sighed, “Because the resistance wants us either back in hiding, or dead. Not so much a resistance as a bunch of people that think things were better back when the humans were to blame.” He replied, frustrated by the idea of so many humans not realizing they had their chance and blew it, right in front of their own god.
“I’m not saying we’re without faults.” He admitted as he came-out with Kharlee’s bowl of chowder and set it in front of his hungry little harpie, “We’ve just been given our chance. Now we just need to make the best of it and prove we can do better. If we leave Enigma now, the resistance wins.” Endre explained, highlighting his thoughts on being driven-out by the mounting violence in the streets.
Kharlee attacked the food immediately, looking at him as he spoke, a lot of food going all around the place. Self healing took a lot of energy, and she didn't usually use her powers at all. She frowned at what he said, done with the meal soon and then wiping her face down with a tissue. She slipped back and then stretched, her eyes mellowing down to a much darker shade of blue, almost black.
“I think the humans got this way because of the killing. And the Gods do not care what we as individuals do, it’s what we achieve all together. Do the humans need to die?” She told him, “Does Azura want humans to die?” She asked, her eyes widening for a second, “Why would she want anyone to die?” She just couldn't imagine it.
“I just wish people didn't have to die. Why. What is the point of that. The Gods have always been mad. You know it’s true.” She said, looking at him, not sure she ever believed the Gods cared about her.
Endre placed a blanket in Kharlee’s lap for the night as she suggested that her views contrasted sharply against their close friend Azura.
“We both know that the slavery was not a punishment we chose for the humans, and we’ve already made many reforms to give them nearly as many freedoms as ourselves. Yet despite this peace-offering, there are some who wish to bite the hands that feed them.” He replied sternly, trying his best to keep his patience as one friend talked ill of another mutual friend behind their back.
He turned to leave to his own room, only offering a few parting words so Kharlee wouldn’t have the final-say in this discussion, not tonight: “The rebels are being hunted-down because despite everything we do for them, they still wish to kill us. All of us. Half-breeds included.”
“Endre, I am going back home now, close up at time and please come back to make me food...” She said, cowering a bit, her shoulders in a little as she slouched a little as she got off the table. She didn't know what she thought about what had just happened. There may have been things going on, but whether death was the necessary punishment made her doubt the current society. And what if we stopped being in Azura’s favour? She didn't like that. Why did one, two, or three people have more power to destroy the lives of others. That wasn't a society she wanted to be a part of. She didn't want to live in a world where death had no consequences. Where monsters were encouraged to hunt beyond their needs.
There was a balance, some people needed to die. She understood that. For her to consume something needed to die. But there needed to be a balance. There needed to be some karmic record that ticked off how much you could take. That’s why the humans had fallen. That was their greatest folly. But now were they headed to the same thing? Would Endre be in danger just because of what he was rather than his actions? Would she? She made a mental note to summon Azura back, and asking Endre for what rights she had in this world. She went home but didn't sleep. She took the restrictive bandage off and poured some alcohol on it so it would not get infected. She took some wine and then laid back, staring outside the window.
As most of the store was vacated of customers for the day -thanks in large part to Kharlee’s demeanour- closing the shop was not much harder than securing the doors and windows, and turning-out the lights. That, and cleaning-up the remnants of a first-aid kit strewn about the floor; he’d need to replace that.
Walking to Kharlee’s was quiet and uneventful aside from the distinct smell of smoldering hardwood-flooring from the incident his friend related to him. Thankfully they managed to remove the corpses before they stunk-up the streets. But then he remembered her saying they looked like he did… could he be mistaken for a human servant?
Arriving at Kharlee’s inherited… estate, he took off his boots in the foyer, hung-up his hat and met Kharlee in the lounge, sipping wine and sitting by the fireplace as she awaited his arrival.
“It’s expected to be a cold night. I’ll prepare some clam-chowder.” He announced, knowing that although it was seafood, it was cooked and came with potatoes, two things the harpie did not like about her food… sometimes it felt like he was still cooking for a nine year old… Although to her credit, he would make it rhode-island style, rather than the more typical new-england breed.
Kharlee just lived minutes from the shop on a first floor double room studio apartment. It wasn't much of a mansion that she was brought up in, but she did intend on spending her life doing very little, so conservation of her wealth seemed the way to go. Plus this little shithole cost absolutely nothing anyway.
She half groaned in pain when he mentioned clam chowder. It wasn't the worst but she had many other things she preferred to it. She didn't tell him anything though, slowly coming into the kitchen as he cooked, sitting near him as she said, “What happens if we fall out of Azura’s favour? Does she come and end us all?” She asked him intently. She wasn't much of a social person, and didn't like Azura as much as Azura liked her, though she truthfully believed Azura didn't like her at all, and only liked to pretend as she did for some reason.
“What if they decide that half breeds and harpies are just as useless as humans, do we have to become slaves? Would I be sold? My property taken away from me? Deserved to be killed in the streets?” Of course this wasn't against Azura, but she was the only Elder of Enigma she knew. She may have been the only elder there for all Kharlee knew, she wasn't much into things outside her little bubble of a world, and she didn't want monsters in it that she was sure of.
“Look at these.” She said, throwing a magazine near him. It had fireproof shutters and modern methods of fire safety written all over it. “I’ve called them.” She told him, “Someone will be coming soon. Close the shop and make sure it can not be burnt into ashes right in front of my eyes.” She told him as she went back out, dragging her little wheely chair squeakily out of the kitchen with her.
Endre stopped cooking and made it obvious he had considered what may have happened if he ever pulled a joke too far with Azura before answering, “Well, I suppose she’d stop visiting.” He said, only to hear Kharlee go-on about not being particularly fond of Azura’s company… before hitting the subject of non-human slaves…
“I came into your family due to the choices I made before you were born, and not out of my mixed heritage, if that is what you are inferring of my presence.” He explained, not considering the choices he made as being particularly bad or unfortunate, and ignoring the criticisms that his choices were even remotely dictated by his bloodline.
Just as the half-drow was about to stop being defensive, he was assaulted by a magazine that landed harmlessly on the nearby countertop. She made it clear that in this awful turmoil what few things were important to her were safely protected in her private-fortress(es). He nodded, and began glancing over the glossy pages as he finished preparing the chowder.
“Not you.” She told him from the other room, looking at some birds flying about. “Not only you.” She corrected herself. “Your situation and mine are different, you are no slave, you are family, you know that. You’ve known that for years.” She told him, not much paying attention to his silly jokes. “You haven’t seen her blood-hound. He wouldn't mind hurting me or hurting you. Or just for his amusement hurting everything.” She just said, sighing as she remembered him.
“I do not feel safe anymore.” She said softly. “I don't feel Enigma is safe anymore.” She just said, looking around. “Endre. Why are they killing the humans? What is the resistance?”
Endre sighed, “Because the resistance wants us either back in hiding, or dead. Not so much a resistance as a bunch of people that think things were better back when the humans were to blame.” He replied, frustrated by the idea of so many humans not realizing they had their chance and blew it, right in front of their own god.
“I’m not saying we’re without faults.” He admitted as he came-out with Kharlee’s bowl of chowder and set it in front of his hungry little harpie, “We’ve just been given our chance. Now we just need to make the best of it and prove we can do better. If we leave Enigma now, the resistance wins.” Endre explained, highlighting his thoughts on being driven-out by the mounting violence in the streets.
Kharlee attacked the food immediately, looking at him as he spoke, a lot of food going all around the place. Self healing took a lot of energy, and she didn't usually use her powers at all. She frowned at what he said, done with the meal soon and then wiping her face down with a tissue. She slipped back and then stretched, her eyes mellowing down to a much darker shade of blue, almost black.
“I think the humans got this way because of the killing. And the Gods do not care what we as individuals do, it’s what we achieve all together. Do the humans need to die?” She told him, “Does Azura want humans to die?” She asked, her eyes widening for a second, “Why would she want anyone to die?” She just couldn't imagine it.
“I just wish people didn't have to die. Why. What is the point of that. The Gods have always been mad. You know it’s true.” She said, looking at him, not sure she ever believed the Gods cared about her.
Endre placed a blanket in Kharlee’s lap for the night as she suggested that her views contrasted sharply against their close friend Azura.
“We both know that the slavery was not a punishment we chose for the humans, and we’ve already made many reforms to give them nearly as many freedoms as ourselves. Yet despite this peace-offering, there are some who wish to bite the hands that feed them.” He replied sternly, trying his best to keep his patience as one friend talked ill of another mutual friend behind their back.
He turned to leave to his own room, only offering a few parting words so Kharlee wouldn’t have the final-say in this discussion, not tonight: “The rebels are being hunted-down because despite everything we do for them, they still wish to kill us. All of us. Half-breeds included.”