What Side Didn’t Know Vol.2 – A3,C3. Fissure

“Huh?”  Why does he look he’s watching something tiresome?  What’s with that lackluster response?

… Dangit.

It’s recovery time, I must sell this now!  I’ve made a mistake, but I can’t back out! “W-well, you seem unhappy with your married life…”

“Yes… That’s true…”

“S-so, I’ll do whatever you want… as your wife…”  It’s better than being eaten.

“Let’s pretend, just for a moment… that you weren’t a… giant, house sized dragon.  I have seven newborn children to care for.  Would you take care of them by yourself?”  He chose his words carefully while occasionally glancing at those named Lilia and Dubhe.  They both look a bit dumbstruck.

“Well, I can shed my dragon form?”  Honestly, I don’t want to… But I understand if he isn’t interested in it’s grandiose, beautiful, graceful, wonderful, powerful, grandiose… form.

He isn’t letting that solve the problem, however.  “Uh, we can enslav-”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Wait!”  It’s the hume female who has been silent this whole time.  “I’m a slave though!”

The hume Tristain looks at Dubhe with what seems to be a reproachful gaze.  She responds: “You. Weren’t. Here. We needed someone who knew hume children, and she was a gift from the queen.  We couldn’t refuse without it being insulting to the queen.”

He sighs and looks back to the hume female.  “Will you work for us for a bit, until we find a permanent home?  We… No, I, will make it worth your while, and then you will be free to do as you wish.  I need to resolve this chaos first though…”

“I’m a slave… so… sure?”  She looks very confused. I am confused as well.  Uh, so, no slaves?

“So, what will you do about my seven children?”  He’s got a bit of an arrogant smirk now. That burns.  I would like to eat him now, just to get rid of that.

“Uh, take care of them?”  I mean… What the hell am I supposed to do about them?  Maybe if I’m vague, I can get away with selling them off or something…

“And their mothers?”

“…”  He’s playing me.  I’m done. Not going to bite.  He has no intention of accepting.

The bearfolk Dubhe speaks up.  “Does this mean… you’ll take us back?”

“I don’t get where you came up with the idea that I ‘threw you out’ or wanted to ‘break up.’  I was voicing my discontentment… People complain so that others can understand and change… If they want to.  I mean, I really was hoping you’d want to. Well, that hasn’t ever gone well in the past, so I’m really not sure what I was expecting.  Honestly, this whole thing is probably my fault for not being clear…” He pauses for a moment, clearly in thought, his eyes closed. He then open his eyes, breathes in heavily, and turns to Dubhe and Lillia.  “Dubhe, Lillia, I want you to listen to my requests occasionally, and do what I ask sometimes. Also, I would enjoy having a more physical relationship. Dubhe, sparring was really fun. We should do that more.”

Dubhe looks to Lillia… Who smiles.  It seems like that wasn’t the response she was looking for, as Dubhe frowns, and looks back at Tristain.  Her response: “We reject that… All of it.”

It honestly feels frigid around this fire right now.  Dragonfolk are very sensitive to rune activations, and I can say very certainly that Dubhe is activating her racial body shield unconsciously, Lillia is activating her racial growth mechanism at full capacity, and this hume male Tristain is exuding raw power from his white runes.  I can’t tell what they do though? Odd.

The hume male takes a deep breath and speaks again.  “I don’t understand, can you explain?”

O-oh, that’s quite some restraint.  As he stands right now, he’s easily a match for the dryad.  The bearfolk doesn’t even matter. To calmly respond when he could probably just force his will, this isn’t a normal hume.  He doesn’t act like any of his brethren I’ve met before. Well, they can’t be compared anyways… None of the ones I’ve met are alive.

“We showed our love… by bringing this dragonfolk, as food… Do you not see how much we have gone through for you?  We came here to the library, where we would need to face the queen… who killed our previous baby children. And her husband…”

There is more silence.  I find it odd, but the dryad isn’t aiming for the hume male.  It looks like she is amassing herself under everyone except the bearfolk named Dubhe.  The only reason I can think of for that is to protect them. Isn’t she worried for herself?  Is this a competition, and she’s intentionally leaving Dubhe out so she’ll be the only one standing?  I can’t fathom her actions.

“But I never asked for that.”  He’s clearly frowning. “Don’t tell me what love is to me, just because you know what love is to you.  I didn’t ask for those sacrifices.”

“You may be right.  But it’s what we gave.  We will raise the children, we will stay around you to do so… You are the father, and we need you to help feed them… But we cannot love you if our love can’t reach you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We are too.”

Author’s Note: Thanks for the support!  I am in your care! Erm… Poor Dubhe? Not sure who gets off worse here. Meanwhile, Lillia is just smiling like a fool. /throws papers in the air

Editor: DungeonPalmz