"Princess," he says sharply, a uh nasty warning in his throat. If he hadn't just hit him a couple hours ago, he'd be tempted to again right now. His fist closes, but he stays sitting, teeth grit, his whole body tense.
"Do not discount their personhood in front of me," he clarifies that little spike of anger, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Once again, the more he hears about the Protector, the more he truly loathes the man. But that's not important for now.
"What she's told me is that there was something living in the center of the planet. When it started to wake up, her and the Protector noticed and... decided, I guess, that it was dangerous." He's still not entirely clear what they saw then that is not so certain for her now. She talks about a solution, as if allowing the child to fully awaken won't immediately kill them all anymore. He shakes his head slightly, continuing after a moment.
"They tried to seal the thing inside the planet and it went wrong. They broke it into twenty-seven pieces," he pauses to count out on his own fingers, "The monsters, the animals, the Wizard, the Protector and the child. Because of the way the spell broke, they have to play this... drama out every year, and at the end of it, the ones who survive go to a... a space, a dream space? They vote whether to continue the spell or not."
He pauses here, making sure he's got all the details he's been told for sure. "The Protector has killed all the other votes up until this year so it's always continued. This year is the last year. She says the child will force it to end one way or the other now that they're awake. She says she has a way for us to survive if we trust her." He sighs softly, clearing his throat after all those words. He thinks Luka will likely reject that last bit, that bit about having to trust her, but he can only say what he's learned at this point.
"I don't know how much of that he's told you already. But I think he's going to try to hurt the child, and if he does, I worry they won't show us any mercy at the end."
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"Do not discount their personhood in front of me," he clarifies that little spike of anger, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Once again, the more he hears about the Protector, the more he truly loathes the man. But that's not important for now.
"What she's told me is that there was something living in the center of the planet. When it started to wake up, her and the Protector noticed and... decided, I guess, that it was dangerous." He's still not entirely clear what they saw then that is not so certain for her now. She talks about a solution, as if allowing the child to fully awaken won't immediately kill them all anymore. He shakes his head slightly, continuing after a moment.
"They tried to seal the thing inside the planet and it went wrong. They broke it into twenty-seven pieces," he pauses to count out on his own fingers, "The monsters, the animals, the Wizard, the Protector and the child. Because of the way the spell broke, they have to play this... drama out every year, and at the end of it, the ones who survive go to a... a space, a dream space? They vote whether to continue the spell or not."
He pauses here, making sure he's got all the details he's been told for sure. "The Protector has killed all the other votes up until this year so it's always continued. This year is the last year. She says the child will force it to end one way or the other now that they're awake. She says she has a way for us to survive if we trust her." He sighs softly, clearing his throat after all those words. He thinks Luka will likely reject that last bit, that bit about having to trust her, but he can only say what he's learned at this point.
"I don't know how much of that he's told you already. But I think he's going to try to hurt the child, and if he does, I worry they won't show us any mercy at the end."