Step into the parlor

Keen · Feb 8, 2019

Things escalated too quickly. Sprinkles could hardly register what was going on, and when he did, he realized that Natsuki yelled at Tieragoran, and now he was talking back. She'd rather let the people here hurt her? People who might have powers to force her to stay alive during whatever torture they inflicted on her? Whatever happened at home may have been bad, but it couldn't be anything compared to what abuse here might be like.

Sprinkles' stomach twisted and turn when Tieragoran finished with his response. That didn't feel right either. None of this felt right. "Stop it... please," he said weakly, wanting anything to get back to a nice conversation. "If Natsuki wants to reject her purpose... I think that's... fine..." Sprinkles didn't sound entirely convinced, but the other side felt worse to agree with. "I don't know why people would get angry at her, and Natsuki is good at something. She's a great artist, and that does give her value in a lot of things. In her previous life and now."

Goblin · Feb 8, 2019

The more Tier went on talking about purpose, how all of what they had been made for was entirely deliberate, Natsuki began to visibly freeze up. The anger that had fueled her outburst and gotten her to get up in Tieragoran's space was slipping, replaced by a creeping and unmistakable sense of dread. Why did he know so much about them? Worse yet, if he really did know what he was implying to know, how could he possibly be okay with it?

Before she could force herself to retort again, Sprinkles spoke up, and his discomfort was clear as day. Natsuki frowned at him, feeling awful for having contributed to things getting so out of hand. She was taken aback just a little at her friend supporting her so adamantly, managing only to give him a look with an expression of distinct gratitude before turning back to Tier one more time. "...I don't...want to have to ask this. I'll admit that I'm a little scared to, even." She inhaled slowly, tail swishing faster and faster. "How do you know so much about us?"

Romi · Feb 8, 2019

Really? That was the question Natuski asked after all that leadup? They looked so frightened, a shrinking violet coming to realize what danger they were in.

"I'm a bit disappointed, honestly," Tier said, straightening up with a sigh. "Maybe my expectations were too high. I assumed you already knew, and that we were having this conversation with that understanding, but apparently not."

Tier made a sweeping motion with his hand, his flair for the dramatic raising, and then he answered.

"People will inevitably get angry when they realize someone let a sheep in with the wolves. That's what this island is--wolves. Predators and monsters and users, and none of the NEK0 are anything of the sort. You were made to be consumed, largely in a metaphorical manner. Made to be designed for the consumption by ordinary humans. Everything about your being plays into that. Rejecting your purpose is being greedy. It's accepting the gifts you were given--your ability to learn so quickly, your endurance--but spitting in the face of your limitations. I bet you want to be stronger? To do away with your vulnerabilities? You want to be better than humans, than the things that made you. But did it ever occur to you why you were gifted with the ability to learn so quickly?"

Alright, so he hadn't quite answered, and he'd leaned forward ever so slightly, tilted at the waist, waiting for one of them to ask.

Like a cat watching a mouse.

Keen · Feb 8, 2019

Largely in a metaphorical manner. Everything else Tieragoran said felt small compared to that. Sprinkles muttered that line a few times to himself. Did humans eat their NEK0s? Humans could be savage, but... why that? Why would you eat your pet?

"We were gifted with the ability to learn so quickly so we could be better pets. We could cater to almost any desire we were asked to at the best of our abilities." It was a robotic answer, but accurate.

"And... not everyone here is a predator. Some are just like humans, and if I mention my previous life, people act like it's bad, and..."

Sprinkles stopped. His head was starting to hurt. There were too many thoughts going through his mind, and some outright contradicted each other. He ended up slinking back, his ears lowering and his tail swinging stiffly and lowly. If he couldn't give a good response to questions, he shouldn't be talking. He didn't want to think about this anymore.

Goblin · Feb 9, 2019

Each passing moment, the discomfort and dread that had been building since she first noticed Tier in the community center grew, looming over the entire encounter like a smothering blanket. She didn't like the way that he had disregarded her question, just pressing forward as if he knew every last detail. Obviously he wasn't one of them, so the choices as to his identity were quite slim, all things considered. She took another step back from him, glancing back to Sprinkles as he mumbled under his breath.

Natsuki couldn't argue with the answer that he had given, really, although the immediacy with which Sprinkles responded was a bit disconcerting. She frowned deeply at her friend, his body language. She wanted to be brave and defiant like she had been before, more than anything, but when she spoke again, none of the punch that she had when she initially snapped at him was there. "We deserve to know who you are. Y...you're playing games, and I don't like it."

Romi · Feb 9, 2019

Natsuki was turning into a scared little mouse, wasn't she? Shrinking back. That was a bad idea. You never inched away from a predator like that. It showed weakness. He supposed she was lucky he had his instincts under control, wasn't she?

"Playing games? If I was playing games, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. It would have been painfully easy for me to hide myself here." Natsuki, even now, had no idea who he was.

"But as I was saying before Natsuki interrupted me..." Tier paused, his eyes flipping over to give Sprinkles his focus. "It's because you're products. Your masters would like you well enough with or without the ability to learn quickly. The whole reason you even have that ability is so that we don't have to waste the majority of your lifespan educating you up to the point where you can be sold. Post-training education is just an added bonus. Everything about you can be put into terms of how it makes you a better product.

"Not everyone here is a predator, but everyone here is a consumer. Except you."

Keen · Feb 9, 2019

Sprinkles wasn't really sure what to say to that, but standing there with his mouth agape made him look stupid. He needed to say something. Anything to not look foolish.

"People... eat us? And... what do you mean about wasting our lifespan? We're like humans. It shouldn't be so bad for us to spend a long time learning. It may be tiring, and we'll be older when we get out, but I don't... I don't understand..." He rubbed the side of his head. He was probably making himself sound dumber by talking.

Goblin · Feb 9, 2019

Through everything that Tieragoran said, as wrong and messed up as it sounded, nothing stood out to her more than one word. We. Natsuki hadn't wanted to believe that this man was actually affiliated with the people who had made her, she wanted to cling to the hope that there was any other way that he had learned about them. However, denial can only last so long before it crumbles entirely.

Natsuki stared at Sprinkles while he spoke, the literal way that he framed it putting it all in perspective. Tier had kept saying it, over and over. Consume. The horror she felt washing over her in that moment of realization was palpable, trembling now as she looked back at Tier. She backed up with shaky and uneven steps, breathing faster and harder, until she eventually stumbled backwards. "...Y-you...you're not him. I don't believe you, they wouldn't let him be here!" The panic in her eyes was evident, quivering and frozen in place on the ground.

Romi · Feb 9, 2019

"It's times like these," Tier said with a sigh, "that I wish I'd kept my human shape charm. I hated it, really. I hated pretending to be something I wasn't. Really awful. Felt all... compressed. Tossed it out the moment I hit the island. Didn't need it anymore."

He'd considered burning it, but been advised against it.

Tier let out a sigh, making no move to approach the poor, terrified Natsuki, and shook his head before turning his attention once more to Sprinkles.

"Oh dear. No one told you, did they?"

Keen · Feb 9, 2019

Without thinking, Sprinkles searched for Natsuki's arm. Noticing she dropped to the floor, he lowered himself and held her. Partially to keep Natsuki from backing up again and potentially running away, partially because he needed to hold something real. Something that could remind him that this wasn't a... No, this was some kind of nightmare. That's why everything doesn't make sense and is so messed up. Just that thought managed to make Sprinkles relax a little and give Tieragoran a blank, if a bit tense, look.

"No, I wasn't, but I don't think it matters. Most of what your saying sounds reasonable... Maybe a bit extreme, but reasonable. The eating us part? No, that's not real, and I'm not going to let you tell me it is. And don't speak to me like you're giving me pity. If you really felt bad, you wouldn't be messing with us like this."

Search

Step into the parlor

Keen

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Romi

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Goblin

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Keen

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