Negotiation

Crisis backed off, and Milly stayed seated in the bed. There were several seconds of stunned silence.

"Beth... what are you doing?" Crisis asked cautiously.

"I'm asking you to LISTEN TO ME for once! Rose isn't food, understand! She's a person! You don't kill her, you don't let your friends kill her. Or I'll let go!"

"Beth, this isn't the right way to do this-"

"It's the ONLY way to do this! I'm out of options here! You're threatening to KILL someone! And now, so am I."

"It's not 'someone'," cut in Milly. "It's just a neko. You shouldn't be mean to them, sure, but at the end of the day, they're food."

“She has a name.” There was barely contained rage in Beth’s voice. “She had a family, a people, Crisis, until you killed them all. And now all she can do is wait to die horribly at your hands. Milly, you don’t know what that’s like, but Crisis knows what that’s like. I know what that’s like.”

The words stung more than Crisis cared to admit, even to herself. That horrible dream forced itself into her memory yet again.

“T- that’s different. That sorcerer was human, humans aren’t supposed to eat nagas like me!”

“It was different, all right,” Beth agreed. “What he did wasn’t right, but at least he had a reason. You killed his family! Rose has done nothing to you! Her tribe did nothing to you! You killed them just because you were hungry!”

“It’s the natural order-”

“If the natural order ends with people burning alive in stomach acid, then I REJECT the natural order! I want to follow something better! I know it feels right to you, I know your friends all think it’s right, but you were a human for years. Surely you can remember how INSANE this is from that perspective, from my perspective!”

“I’m just trying to get back to my old way of life! Can’t you understand? They’re my natural prey!”

“And if some naga came in here and ate me, would that be the natural order? Nagas eat humans, after all. That’s just the way it is.” Beth spat the words.

“You know I wouldn’t let that happen!”

“Wouldn’t you? If we had met in Felarya instead of on Earth, you would have done it yourself!”

“No. No! I would’ve talked to you, gotten to know you-”

“Really? How do you think I would act? I wouldn’t have thought to do anything other than to beg for my life, just like all your other prey. You didn’t spare them. Besides, even though you do know me, you ate me anyway, because you couldn’t even be bothered to LOOK at me first, let alone talk to me!”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Crisis flinched as the horrible melted face flashed before her mind’s eye again. Had that been in the wizard’s stomach, or hers? She supposed it could have been either.

“Why are we talking about something that never happened?” she deflected.

“Because none of the people you’ve actually digested can speak up for themselves! Maybe some of them could’ve been your friends! And even if not, they don’t deserve to be eaten! No one does! Not because they’re humans, nekos, tomthumbs, and especially not because you just don’t like them! Frankly, I don’t even like Rose, but I’m still risking my life for her, because she doesn’t deserve this!”

“It’s not about what people deserve. It’s about how the world is.”

“Maybe the world should be better. You have the power to make it a little better! Nobody deserves this!”

Beth looked down at the man lying dead on the floor. “You left the door open. I bet the thought that he might jump never even entered your mind. Do you know why he jumped?”

“He must have been crazy! He must have wanted to die!”

“No, Crisis. He wasn’t crazy, and he didn’t want to die. But he felt he had no choice! He’d lost all hope. He figured he was going to die either way. So he chose to die in a second, smashed against the ground, rather than slowly scream and melt in a stomach!”

She looked over at Milly. “His instincts must have been screaming at him to stop, but he did it anyway, because he was that afraid of what you were going to do to him. Had already done to his friends, too, I bet.”

Milly’s face didn’t change. “Don’t look at me. I was as courteous as I could have been. If he wanted to reject the natural order, that’s his fault, not mine.”

Horror showed plainly on Crisis’ face, despite the objection.

“Beth… you… you shouldn’t think like that! You’ll go insane!”

“I’m just observing. You people are the ones causing these horrible things. Think about it! If you were in a situation that was that hopeless, don’t tell me the thought wouldn’t cross your mind!” Crisis gasped and covered her mouth as she remembered the horrible smell, her burning skin…

“But… I can’t change that, Beth! You’re asking me to think about this world… my home… in this horrible way! I can’t think like that! I’m just living the way I know how!” Tears began leaking from her eyes.

“I’m not asking you to fix the world. I just want you to change yourself. That’s all you can do. You don’t have to think about it all the time. Just don’t make it worse! Because when you eat people, the world does get worse, whether you think about it or not. Now please, please, let Rose go!”

“Only if you promise never to do this again!” begged Crisis through tears. Beth knew she wouldn’t get a better chance than this. “I promise. Now let. Her. Go.”

Crisis didn’t want to let Rose go, not when it meant abandoning the idea of returning to normalcy. But she couldn’t bear the thought of Beth falling, smashing her head against the floor, her face falling off-”

Crisis put Rose down on the table. Beth breathed a sigh of relief.

“Can I please take you down from there now?” asked Crisis.

“Yes, please. Thanks.” breathed Beth.

Crisis rushed over, took her out of the cage, and placed her on the table besides Rose. She gave Beth one more horrified look, and fled from the house. Milly pointed at Rose. “I’m going after her. DON’T eat any of my Alsumis, or you’ll pay.” Rose shivered and nodded. With that, Milly went out after Crisis, glaring daggers at Beth before slamming the door.

When Milly was gone, Rose’s composure finally broke. She collapsed to the table, sobbing. “Why did you do that?” she asked, confusion and desperation in her voice. “You didn’t have to do that!”