Moonstone: Scene 12

C Major Con Fantasia

"That's a very bold move Tryst." Dristenven sat back in his chair.
"I know, but you and I both know what that family is capable of."
"I know."
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?"
They both looked at me.
"You're very much like your mother." They both smiled.
How am I supposed to respond to that?
"What I'm offering is that you essentially would have some time to do what your tasks, duties, and obligations would be if I were to purchase you. That way I can 'evaluate' you."
I studied his eyes.
"So in essence you would be preventing my family from doing anything about Kast's offer."
"Yes."
I sat back in my chair, drinking some un-adulterated tea.
"How long would that last?"
"Well, it's essentially up to me how much time I spend evaluating you, but it might be suspicious if I evaluated you for too long."
"Then would you have to purchase me?"
Tryst looked uncomfortable.
"That would not be a possible option."
Hellfire! No one speaks clearly!
"So unless you have another solution between now and before it becomes suspicious, my family will have to act on Kast's offer?"
"Yes."
"Why are you both sure he will make an offer? He HATED me in academy!"
They both looked at each other.
What is it they know that I don't?
"You mean when *your brother* was in academy."
"Yes, of course that's what I meant."
GAH! Darx was avoiding the question.

"Lindir wears off quickly with you."
I knew right then they weren't going to answer me.
"You gave her Lindir?"
"Three full doses."
Tryst stared at me.
"Is it the only choice?"
"Unless you want to be purchased by Kast."
I didn't have to say a word. They both knew my opinion of that option from the look in my eyes.
"Well, to be correct, it's the only choice right now unless you want to be purchased by Kast. I hope to come up with something else during the time you're a guest."
"We should be drinking coffee, not tea."
They both shook their heads at me.
"Look, it's hard to throw away cycles of coffee addiction in a short amount of time."
To be honest, I would have killed for some coffee right then.
Kellan walked into the white room, holding an optrix prism. He did not look happy.
"Dristenven-" He was livid.
"Kellan, get Darkyn. Sober him up if you have to."
"I know where he is." Suddenly, I had lost my voice.
"Has he been drinking again?"
"Yes, heavily."
"Kellan, take Lyte with you. She'll be the only way to convince him to meet us in Khyte's office. We need him right now. And take THAT-" Dristenven pointed at the optrix, "with you."
I followed Kellan out of the white room.
Kellan whipped around and grabbed my shoulders, his violet eyes dilated fully.
"If you cause me any more grief, I will kill you. You are nothing and you will never be anything, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" He was viciously whispering in my face. I thought he was going to snap my ribs. I couldn't get any air out of my lungs. I nodded. He let go and shoved me in front of him.
"Show me where he is Flower."
Still in shock, I started walking down the hallways. Kellan hated me, he *HATED* me. I led him to the hidden library. Darkyn was still passed out on the floor. Kellan glared at me.
"Darkyn! Get up, Dristenven has called for you." Kellan went over to Darkyn and slapped his face. "Wake up! Get up Darkyn!"
"Leave me alone Kellan."
"Darkyn look at this." He put the optrix in front of his face and pushed open his eyes.
"Ah Hellfire. Kellan. I don't want to see that."
Kellan slapped him again and glared at me.
"Darkyn?" I said somewhat quietly. What the hellfire should I say?
"Does she know what that is?"
"Dristenven sent her with me to convince you to go to Khyte's office."
"Ah Hellfire." Darkyn put his hands over his face and pulled his knees up. "Do you have any Naim?"
"Yeah, here." Kellan pulled a couple of tabs from his uniform. Darkyn slapped them on his arm.
"Holy krietsit. Where'd you get that strength?" Darkyn had his eyes wide open.
"Get up, we have the optrix now. Tryst is here."
Darkyn looked at me after he stood up.
"Tea clothes. Krietsit Jarak." He shook his head. The optrix. Kast. Hellfire - that had to be his offer. That's what Darkyn was talking about.
I followed Kellan and Darkyn silently down the hallways to my uncle's office. Drendyn and Dune were waiting outside of the office doors.
"Dristenven said to only let Darkyn in right now." Drendyn stopped Kellan.
"Oh Right."
Darkyn looked at me again and went through the doors.
Kellan glared at me, as if to warn me again. I moved closer to Drendyn and Dune. Dune had a strange look on his face as he looked from me to Kellan. I signaled in Drendyn's hand that I thought that they were arranging for Tryst to evaluate me. He signaled that was why Kellan was out here with the optrix - Dristenven couldn't 'know' about the offer until after Tryst's guest offer was accepted.
"What about Darkyn?"
"Darkyn's needed because Khyte isn't here - and he's the oldest of Khyte's sons. Darkyn and Dristenven will both need to accept the offer."
"I pulled down texts from the Energy nation today."
Drendyn turned and looked at me. He wasn't angry, but he seemed disturbed. Kellan was glowering at the optrix. Did he hate me because of Aenin? That was my mother, not me. Dristenven's comment about my being just like my mother haunted me.
Darkyn poked his head out of the doors, "Lyte could you come in here?"
I was a bit stunned, but I walked into the office and Darkyn shut the door after me.
"Lyte, Darkyn and I have accepted the guest offer of intention from Arcson Tryst Suiryoku. He will be holding your ownership papers during the evaluation phase."
I have ownership papers? Grrr.
Darx handed Tryst an optrix prism.
"You will need to pack and be ready to leave by Second Ultralight, I will have a transport awaiting you. Also, you will need to wear a new band I will provide for you as well."
I nodded to Tryst.
Darkyn opened the doors and motioned for the rest of my brothers to join us.
"Everyone, I'd like to announce that Darkyn and I have accepted Tryst's guest offer of intent toward our Flower." Darx sounded tired.
"Oh Dristenven, we have just received this optrix prism from the Maki family." Kellan was desperately trying to maintain an even tone.
"Oh well, since they are such a good family we should view what they have sent us." Darx sounded like he was drinking rotten tea.
Kellan handed the optrix to Darx and he set it into the touch connector.
Kast appeared in front of us.
"Greetings Khial family, I trust you are well. As you know, I had the exciting opportunity to have tea with your delightful daughter, the Flower Water Lotus. After carefully reviewing her breeding and genetics, I have prepared an offer to purchase her." He paused and smiled. My stomach dropped.
"Here is what I'm offering to the Khial family - I'm offering the inheritance of my family to be Arkh. When the current Charge steps down, the head of the Khial family will become Arkh. All of my family's land, technology, and wealth will be yours. This is quite a generous offer, you must agree, but I'm not finished. I am also making an offer to the individuals of the valiant Air nation. I am offering my uncle Karius, who masterminded the Massacre of Snoellite, to be tried and prosecuted to the full extent of Air's laws for his and Kallus' crimes. Finally, I am making an offer to the Flower, herself. Flower Water Lotus, I am offering you the opportunity to start the rebuilding process of the Energy race. I have, in my sole possession, many genetic samples from individuals from Dryft." He presented genetic vials to us. "As you can see, this is a very complex offer that must be extensively considered. Please notify me when you will have a decision. I thank you again for your time." Kast disappeared.
Darx dropped down into his ergochair. Darkyn had his head down over his knees with his his hands over his face. Kellan had both fists clenched. Dune just stared at me. Drendyn had his eyes shut and Tryst had his fingers over his mouth and his thumb under his chin.
"Holy Krietsit Hellfire." Darkyn leaned his head back in his ergochair.
"I say we just give her to the murderer and be done with it. We get rid of her and him and the entire problem. If he kills her, so what, and if she kills him, she'll be executed. Problem SOLVED."
"KELLAN!"
"What Drendyn? She's not worth any of this! Neither her nor her weed mother! I'm tired of everyone dancing around the fact that HER WEED MOTHER KILLED HER ENTIRE RACE AND SO MANY INNOCENT OTHERS THROUGH HER WEED ACTIONS! I WILL NOT STAND BY AND WATCH HER WEED DAUGHTER FOLLOW IN HER FOOTSTEPS!" Kellan lunged at me. He had his hands around my throat before Dune, Drendyn, Tryst, and Darkyn could pull him off. I couldn't breathe and was choking.
"What THE HELLFIRE IS THE MATTER WITH YOU KELLAN?" Darx slapped Kellan. It took Drendyn and Tryst to hold him down on the ground.
"SHE IS A WEED! STOP PROTECTING HER! SHE IS A WEED!!"
Darx summoned the medics into the office. They came running in and slapped some tabs on Kellan's neck, which made him calm down quickly.
"Put him in the room where he can't hurt himself again, until this episode passes." Darx rubbed his forehead. The medics carried the incapacitated Kellan out of the office.
Darkyn was an alcoholic.
Kellan had psychopathic episodes.
What had happened to Dune, Dristenven, and even Drendyn? I was disturbed by the toll that one individual's actions could have on so many.
"Anyone want anything to drink?" Darkyn was helping himself to my uncle's bottles of Nirvaise.
"There's another thing I have to tell you while we are almost all here. Khyte may not be returning to us. During his time in Jazirys speaking with the senate and the Arkh, he has fallen very, very ill. We may be called sometime soon to go see him before he returns to the stars. Whatever happens, do *not* mention the offer from Kast. I do not believe he will be able to handle it."
This was all just too much for me.
"Why don't you just accept Kast's offer?" My voice sounded two pitches higher than I was used to.
They all stared at me in disbelief.
"My dear Lyte, it is very noble of you to offer yourself in exchange for our peace. What you're not seeing however, is what Kast is really planning. Kast is cruelly intelligent, as I said. Whatever fantastic gifts he has offered pales in comparison to whatever cruel vengence he actually has planned."
Could he really be that evil? I mean, I hate him, but that's because he was mean to me.
"Like your mother, you have perfect genetic material. You have been perfectly hybridized. Your DNA does not mutate when your cells reproduce. If a correctly developed foreign substance were created and then introducted into your system, you would then propagate that foreign substance without any DNA degradation. *YOU* could be a perfect replication unit - which is something that cannot be done with a machine. You see?"
Uhhhh. I had a difficult time re-wrapping my brain around the scientific concepts. I was so out of practice. Finally, I saw through the glaze covering my thoughts and really imagined what it was possible to do with my genetics.
"This is the same dilemma that your mother recognized."
I sunk. I understood why Kellan had gone psychotic and why Darkyn had drank so much earlier. Now I was angry and paranoid.
"Well, we've at least given ourselves some time to work out a more permanent solution." Darx stood up from the ergochair. "We have a busy schedule ahead of us my family, so I suggest we get some rest. Lyte will be leaving us at Second Ultralight, and you all have Academy as well. Please just rest for now. We have to be strong. I will make the announcements shortly after Lyte has left." Darx started ushering us out of the office.
I went back to my anti-foofoo Flower room. What do I pack? What would I need? I was angrier than ever. This would all be so much better if I just had control of my own life! I'm not a piece of property! I live and I breathe! How can someone else own me? How can someone else own anything about me? I started trashing my room.
I needed some fresh oxygen. I needed to breathe uncirculated air.
I put on a long cloak and snuck out of my room. I quitly crept through the hallway and out the side doors. The gate silently melted out of my way.
I went walking in the streets of Asa. My collarbone was itching fiercely, and was hot to the touch. Stupid rash! Quite by accident I came to the streets that I hated so much.
I saw that sign. The sign that cost me my entire life. I picked up a handful of rocks and threw them at the sign. I picked up more and more and more and kept throwing them. I picked up bigger rocks and threw them at the sign until I broke it. The illuminated sign fell onto the street. I ran over to it and jumped on it. I jumped and jumped and jumped until there was nothing left of the the delicate crystal structure. My feet were bloody and my slippers were tattered to rags. I didn't care. That sign was in too many pieces to count. I started running through the streets. The sign was gone! I was running and jumping and dancing through the streets. You destroy my life sign, I DESTROY YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I laughed like mad, running and dancing like I was crazy.