The Drasen Ways, Part Two

Liri could feel the curious stares of the drasen around her.

She guessed it was, at least partly, because she was topless and, well, the drasen did not appear to be as shameless as the ven were, based on the fully clothed citizens Liri had seen on her way here.

Of course, it was also because she looked similar to a human, though one glance at that thing between her legs would let everyone here know she wasn't one. Her light grey skin and brilliant green hair probably should have signaled the same thing to them, but maybe they just assumed she was a particularly weird-looking human.

She couldn't help but feel nervous. Her arms and shoulders felt cold as Arisa stepped forward. The relan glared hard at her.

"You left on your Illian Hunt, failed to bring back a trophy, and instead, brought back a human who you claim to be your lover? Am I understanding this correctly?"

His low, threatening tone was… unkind, to say the least. Liri could tell how resentful he was of Arisa, to the point where she wondered if maybe that clear dislike of her partner would end up being the reason she was beheaded today and not even her looking slightly like a human.

"She's not a human," Arisa quickly corrected.

Out of everything the drasen could have said, it was clear this was not what the relan expected to hear.

"Then what is she?" Telvan asked in turn, almost before Arisa's sentence had even ended.

"She is a ven," Arisa replied. "I had never met one until I met her either, but, you are older than I am, sir. Do you know of them?"

"No. Now, explain to me how this woman is not a human before I put her head on a spike."

Liri was struck by two different parts of that order. First, the open hostility was... a little frightening, but also the fact that this man apparently did not know what a ven was.

Liri had wondered if Arisa was a special case. If, perhaps, there would be someone from her community who knew of her kind. The two guards they'd met let Liri know it wasn't, but now, Liri was slowly becoming certain that none of these people knew what a ven was.

Arisa gave her a subtle glance with a short smile, and Liri could guess what she was trying to suggest to her.

"I-I'll do it myself," Liri muttered, not wanting to have her loincloth flipped up so forcefully again.

As she swallowed her pride and took the small piece of cloth and lifted it. Gradually, like the turning of a dial, one of the relan's brows slowly raised as he stared down at the flesh Liri had revealed.

Silence.

All of the guards, though they did not move, let their stoicism slip for a second, and Liri could see the shock and awe on all their faces.

Clearly, this was the last thing they'd expected.

"There is no human out there like this, is there?" Arisa asked. She sounded strangely proud for some reason. "She is ven. They are different."

"… Be that as it may, 'she', if she can even be referred to as such, is not one of us," Telvan countered. "You have refused the marriage offers of so many different strong, capable men of the tribe, just to accept this woman who none of us has ever seen? Surely, you understand how insulting this is."

What Arisa said next was stated so clearly and quickly that Liri's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Then exile me." The black-lipped woman smirked, lowering her head.

[Wait, what?]

As courageous as it was, Liri was not a supporter of this plan. She needed information, after all.

She'd rather not leave until she had it.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," Arisa responded. She put her hands behind her back then, however, and Liri spotted something.

Arisa squeezed her hands together so tightly, Liri could only assume she was nervous.

[Oh... She's bluffing.]

"But, before you do, I would ask that Liri be allowed to take a look at the archives."

Telvan clicked his tongue, leaning back in his stone chair.

"And why exactly should we allow that?"

"Because, Liri wishes to learn more about our enemies," Arisa stated.

Telvan scoffed, tilting his head.

"A moment ago, you made it clear she was not a human. Now, however, you say that she wishes to learn about them? Is she sympathetic to them?"

"No, she is sympathetic to us," Arisa replied. "She wishes to fight them."

Liri blinked.

Another bluff, but this one was right on the money.

That string of words had the same effect on every drasen in the room that Liri showing off her dick did.

Silence engulfed the hut. A baffled expression appeared on the faces of every warrior here. They looked back and forth between Arisa and Liri, completely stupefied.

As though wanting confirmation that he'd really just heard that, Telvan asked:

"She wants to fight them?"

Disbelief was draped over each individual syllable in that question.

Liri could understand why, having seen the strength humanity possessed in this world. On Earth, there was a saying that "magic" was just misunderstood science. If that saying was to be believed, then the technology humanity had at their disposal may have been enough to make them seem like demons.

Perhaps Arisa saying that Liri wanted to fight humans was akin to some drunk saying he wants to punch God in the face.

"Yes," Arisa said. Once again, Liri saw her squeezing her hands tightly around each other.

"She must be out of her mind, then. And, you would join her in this?" Telvan asked.

"… I would."

It was not said without hesitation, but Arisa still pushed those two words out.

The way she said those words was the quietest Arisa had spoken since the two of them had entered this place. Left so confused he could hardly think, Telvan asked:

"Why?"

"Because she saved my life," Arisa finally let them know. "Allow me to explain."