-World Disconnect- [Short story OOC comments requested]

[Dante Abigor]

*The folllowing is a short story involving Dante Abigor's adopted daughter Pheria. Please criticize mercilessly so that my soul is rendered incapable of feeling SHAME any further. No seriously honest opinions would be appreciated. & thanks in advance for reading.*

              The young Elezen girl stared blankly at her reflection in the water. Her features were distorted in the face of the water, but her deep green eyes & red hair being the only things clearly defined. Realizing her body was forming still, she stared towards the ground, trying to form her arms and abdomen. With a bit of difficulty she managed to speed up the process, resting momentarily to glance upward to see the scenery of what she already knew to be there: a settlement gone up in flames. She watched emotionlessly as man woman & child ran about franticallly, some in flames, others confused, a few attempting to save their loved ones. "this dream again.." She thought. Knowing before her legs formed completely that they were already numbed-or perhaps broken-underneath a rather heavy burning log, she set about digging at the ground so that she could make some makeshift handles to pull herself loose rather than clawing blindly this time. After a bit of a struggle and the sound of cracking wood, she managed to pull herself free. The result was the same as the last time however. She found the strength in her arms failing her, and had to struggle with each movement to pull her possibly dying body from the death around her. Again she crawled her way towards any exit from the settlement, and again she succeeded, but only barely. On the outskirts of the chaos from which she escaped, she turned over on her back & allowed a moment to rest & congratulate herself. The girl was not sure why, but she was happy. That settlement had been her entire life, and yet she felt happy that she was finally alone. Finally free of it. Taking the time to search her mind for an answer, but found only another question along with a feeling of disatisfaction. "What do I do now that I am free?" The answer to this question never arrived however, as her rest has allowed the flames to spread further. As they consumed her, she couldnt help but grunt at the outrageously cold sensation that washed over her.

 

            "Bonslette you damn lazy wench, wake your arse up afore I come to me' senses & use you for practicin' me' sword arm!" The middle aged Hyur screamed as he threw a bucket of cold water at the young Elezen girls hea, effectively waking her up & drenching her both. "'urry up an get changed ta yer work clothes, we 'ave some o dem e-steemed sorts comin through, & if we are gonna sell your arse for the first time then we ought do it fer high." The man spat on the girls arm as she rose dizzily from both her sleep & having a bucket filled with water thrown directly on her head." "Extra bit o somefin to clean yersef with wench. Gods know anything that comes outta me will be cleaner than anythin that goes in yous from now on hehe.." The man sneered at the girl through flared nostrils & yellowed teeth, walking laughing to himself. 

 

              Bonslette recovered from her stupor & righted herself as the man walked off, inspecting her arms, sighing in annoyance at what she already knew to be true-the water on the ground she was sleeping on had already begun to stick to her skin. Bonslette despised mud on her skin, as it reminded her of how deathly pale her skin was, and her closet desire to have skin as dark as mud. Deciding that it would be unwise to idle after being awoken in such a tame way as opposed to the norm, she quickly disrobed & used her smallclothes to absorb any major dirt from her skin, moving across the room to grab her "uniform" hanging on the wall. Bonslette was born into the life she lead currently. Her mother was apprently the same, and died a few years after childbirth from a cold. Luckily, or perhaps the lack of, Bonslettes first memory wasnt of her mother choking to death on sick, it was of being forced to tend to vegetables on her hands & knees while the sons of her caretaker kicked and prodded & laughed at her. Oddly, Bonslette has never found the constant mistreatment of herself or the other girls around her a burden. She simply accepted it with a lack of interest. The "uniform" she was to wear was more of the same. When the slave girls become twelve years of age, the attractive or exotic ones are taken to the "Pole", a badly lit bar inside of a cave where dirty men payed for watered down swill & grouped & teased and bothered dirty girls who were forced to serve their drinks in a drafty & extremely uncomfortable outfit. Once the girls grew to be attractive enough, their bodies were sold off to anyone with the coin to afford them. This meant that girls unfortunate enough to have their growth spurts early were immediately given to the wolves around as a toy. Bonslette managed to stay unresponsive enough & unattractive enough to garner the attention of any men, but tonight that luck would change. Deemed to be a girl who did not draw in enough coin, the elezen was chosen as one of the girls who would be auctioned off for tonights event-an event intending to sell the girls off for the night for low prices, or forever if the offer was high enough. Accepting the fact that she was to be far more uncomfortable than she has ever been, Bonslette finishes snapping on her uncomfortably tight skirt & walked from the dirty cabin that she shared with the other girls, intent on enduring whatever horros may await her, pushing any ideas of freedom or mud colored skin from her mind.

 

         Pheria walked along the hidden path while whistling happily to herself. Adjusting her hood as it began to block her view more than necessary, she went over the information in her head. There was apparently an underground slaver VILLAGE that had been pleasantly tucked away in a corner of La Noscea. The possibilities of interacting with them were simply thrilling. On one hand, she might find some valuable sources of information here on other places of interest that somehow managed to elude her attention. On another,she might find some interesting people to play around with, slave girls to speak to, and possibly some valuables that she can send others to collect later. AND no matter what happened there, she got to destroy something that annoyed her. This village in particular bothered her on a personal level that few other things could. Besides the fact that it managed to stay hidden from her network for so long, it was a place that lacked something that she valued almost as much as she valued entertainment. 

                                                      "Choice"

It was not a settlement of men who cleverly hid their operation for years, snagging women from all of Eorzea to supply their trade, nor was it a post where women simply were stupid or unfortunate enough to be captured & sold off to the whims of men & women with the coin to spend on them. No, it was a place where slavers and slaves were BRED. The men did not choose to become slavers, enjoying the fruits of using women for their own gain, they were BORN & taught nothing else save to be slavers, and aught else be damned. The women did not fall into some terrible scheme, neither were they whisked away in the night or in broad daylight by raiders and misfortune, they were BORN to be nothing more than cattle for coin, knowing nothing else & daring not to question or resist it. It was a place that must, in her opinion, be wiped away so that her comfort would not be disrupted.Finally finding the settlement in question, she was only able to stare in disbelief, mouth open. 

"How on earth did this avoid my network for so long?" she wondered aloud. She found it more than a little disturbing that a place that was supposed to be so very secret looked exactly as described to her. Stomping around the grounds were loud dirty looking men barking obscenities at young women, forcing them to do all manner of labor, which they fearfully did obediently while the younger boys and girls looked on, learning every bit of that behaviour to recycle later, again & again. Pheria snorted in disgust; her hatred for every single one of them prompting her to trace her finger longingly along the rim of her axe folded into itself & tucked away neatly beneath the pocket on her robe. Her emotion was quickly pacified when she remembered her goals however, & continued on towards her objective, opting to move towards the dark cave adorned with a crude sign labeled "The Pole" nailed into the head. "They might as well have posted 'suspicious operation here, welcome!'" she mused jokingly, stopped mid stride as she bumped into a pale girl with red hair, knocking her onto her bottom.

 

 

                Bonslette landed painfully on her behind, wincing at the impact. Realizing she was not instantly struck for running clumsily into one of her caretakers, the girl glanced upward hesitantly. The person that she had run into was not indeed one of her caretakers as she had feared, but rather a slightly tall woman wearing a ragged looking robe, her eyes obscured by the darkness of the hood. She obviously was not one of the girls from the village, a fact that became more apparent as she studied the womans features. Her hair & hood obscured most of her face, but she could tell from the soft shine & the lack of grains that she was clean. Far more shocking to Bonslette however was not the Hyurs cleanliness, which was admittably rare, but rather her skin. It was a soft but solid brown. A brown that not seem pale when placed next to another. A brown that would not seem pale if smeared with mud. Bonslette could not mask the jealousy welling up in her face, swelling her cheeks. This woman had everything she wanted-cleanliness, dark skin, and freedom. And yet she came here. "She only wants to use us as toys" She thought aloud, covering her mouth in horror as the woman stared back at her with a mixture of confusion & curiosity. Bonslette was snapped out of her reverie however as she heard the withering sobs of a younger girl walking by, attempting to regain her composure as she nursed a bruise forming on her arm. Remembering that she must not react at all times, Bonslette quickly fixed her expression to one of stony indifference, bowing in apology before running off to the Pole.

 

      

 

                       Bonslette quickly realized what a mistake believing she could endure the horrors in store for her was. Shortly after arrival, the girl was put in line on stage and displayed in front of the most terrifying group of patrons she had ever seen. Barely managing to keep her stoic face, she flinched as they threw drink on her to make her skin wet, payed coin to "sample her" some groping her in various places, others placing their mouths on hers, or snaking their filthy tongues across her body, arms chained to a series of poles on stage, the girls on auction could do nothing to resist, though none tried. After hours of bidding and groping and other terrors, the night finally began to settle. Thinking she might have actually survived the worst of it, her beliefs were promptly and neatly annihilated as a snaggle toothed caretaker grabbed her by the arm with a young Miqo'te girl, banging on the poles with a half filled mug to sign that he was to make an announcement. "fiends an honable patrins, we mus be makin a serious announcement. Ye see, these two dont bring in enough o' you gil payers to bother keepin no mo', so we needs to sell em off to a.....desiring 'ome. Theys be pristine & mostly clean, wif minimal lashes an......they be virgins." The man paused to bask in the lustful groans emanating around the room. "Ye see, theys be a great deal, an cause we value yer busniss so much, we's makin it a two fer one deal! Biddin starts at five 'undred gil! All pay upfront if ye please!"

 

                         Bonslette could only stare in disbelieving confusion as the roars across the room quickly raised the bid for the girls. Even more amazing was how quickly it died back down as the expense became more than men could pocket.Suddenly the room fell quiet as a rather large man announced a large bid for the girls-2000 gil. Accepting that her new fate was to be subjected to the torments of this suspcious looking man, her downcast gaze was interrupted by a small brown hand rising into the air. "2200 gil." the woman said chirpingly, standing on her tiptoes. Annoyed at the renewed opposition, the large man raised his bid. "2700 gil!" he bellowed, adding a bang on a table with his fist for emphasis as men around him soundied off in congratulation. Eyes twinkling from the proposition of so much money, the caretaker in charge immediately screamed "SOLD!" with cries of jubilation thundering throughout the cave as everyone sounded there approval. As the man took to the stage to grab is prize, the woman shurgged her arms and raised her voice again. "5000 gil." she said.

 

                 At this point there was no applause or sounds of jubilation. No happy jeers or even the sounds of spilled drink hitting the floor. Every head simply turned to stare at the strange hooded woman offering a small fortune on a pair of slaves. She smiled sweetly at the caretaker holding a swollen pouch of medium size, and began walking towards the stage as the large man fumed, turning red from embarrassment & fury. "Bitch, he said that the sale was MADE already!" he screamed, drawing his sword & bringing it downward towards her head. Bonslette deeply envied this woman, but she knew what fate was about to befall he. Finding she did not want to see it, she closed her eyes and waited for the sound of the sickening blow. Instead of hearing the sick contact of sword into skull however, she only heard the clatter of a blade hitting the ground. Opening her eyes she found she couldnt understand what she was seeing. The woman looked exactly the same as before, but the mans sword arm bent into an impossible angle, the fingers curled backwards in a painful ark, popping loudly as he twitched, seemingly unable to voice his pain. Looking to her Miqo'te neighbor for an explanation, all she saw was an expression of bewildered terror at the sight of the woman, forcing Bonslette to feel even more unease than the sight of the man who was about to become her owner made her. "If you dont mind," said the woman sweetly, "Id like to check the merchandise for myself. If they truly be virgins, then I will gladly pay for the both of them, seperately. For the same price. If they are not however, I will only pay half the price, and only once. deal?" The woman smiled sweetly and tilted her head in inquiry while the snaggle tooth caretaker could only nod in response. He too was clearly terrified by whatever it is Bonsette did not see her do. This made her feel as if everything around her were simply just the prelude to the end of her life, every smile & nod the woman gave as she walked happily down the dirty corridor crafted by men ill suited to making them, leading them to the back rooms and leaving them alone at her request, the woman watching as he walked away happily.

 

 

            Pheria was beside herself from the direction that things had gone in for her. Previously disgusted with everyone and everything in the area, she happened upon a very interesting little flower to smell or pluck as she saw fit. As she removed her hood, revealing that she had been wearing black goggles the entire time, she addressed the girls sitting together on the bed, beside herself with giddiness. "Soooo...." she inquired, "How are you two tonight? Are you going to prove interesting?" Immediately quivering in response, the Miqo'te girl began to disrobe shakily, eager not to provoke any undue wrath while the young elezen beside her simply stared back, a mixture of fear & curiousity slightly etched into her face. "Please," said Pheria cheerily, "There will be plenty of time to take off your clothes later. I simply want to talk my dear sweetlings." Upon hearing this the miqo'te cocked her ears backin disbelief & blushed heavily, unsure of what to do. "I simply have a question for you both. Do you have any love for this place? Do you want to stay here?" Pheria studied their reactions, finding the elezen girls subtle reactions to her words as a instrument being plucked lovingly on every chord exhilirating. "Why do you care about us?" questioned the elezen girl bitterly, "We are just slaves that you purchased." At this Pheria cocked her head slightly & dropped the pouch on the floor, which immediately burst open onto the floor, spilling gold & suspicious round balls upon it. "Far be it from me to take anyones choice from them. I cannot buy you with coins, but I can offer it to you, should you want it for what it really is." At this the Miqo'te girl sprang from the dirty matress & ran to Pheria, embracing her as if she were a guardian angel. "W-who are you m-m-miss?" the girl inquired, at which Pheria looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "My name is Lani." she replied. "My name is P'Lami!" The Miqo'te girl said, grinning. "Ooooh, the snake eh? Im going to like you." Pheria grinned back, ignoring the girls confused expression. "My name is-" The elezen girl started, but was cut off by a raised hand & voice from Pheria. "YOU have not decided what you want yet. If you want the freedom that I can provide, then come with me, and that will be that. If you would grasp it yourself, then simply use those balls strewn about the floor. It would be my tools of course, but I would gladly give them to you to help your cause." The Elezen girl looked thoughtful for but a moment, then opened her mouth to reply.

 

 

                   Bonsette opened her eyes, her nose buried in the dirt. Using her arms to prop herself up, she opened opened her eyes wide in suprise. Everywhere around her was fire, like from her dreams. Men women children animals buildings grass-everything seemed to be swallowed in flames. Choking slightly on the smoke, she realized that most of her energy was gone, and that her right leg was throbbing as she had never felt before. As she turned shakily to face it, she clearly saw why. Through her leg was a large amount of splintered wood, and from the knee down it was twisted like the roots of an old tree. Directly across from her right arm lay a familiar man. The hyur caretaker that spat on her this morning. Struggling to remember what lead to this sudden stream of events an enticing thought raced through her mind: Freedom! "Freedom is so close, all I must do is take it!" She thought. Summoning strength from within, Bonsette began a slow & painful crawl through her burning home. Having to continuously force herself to carry on, almost giving in time & again from the intense pain, Bonsette slowly made her way to safety, resorting to patting out fire with mud caked on her hands from dirt & spit-a desperate yet effective tactic. After what seemed like years, she finally made her was to a tree outside of the settlement, finding that because of all the blood she had lost she had no more strength to crawl, using what little strength she had left to roll herself onto her back & stare at the sky, listening intently to the symphony of crackling wood & screams in the distance. Bonsette had finally won her freedom from her world that she so longlingly craved, but even as she realized this, she felt an intense sense of disatisfaction that she couldnt quite place. "Ah, its because even though I am free, I am still going to die..." She said aloud. Just as she realized this, tears began to well in her eyes from frustration, but were interrupted by an apple dangling above her face. Glancing upward she saw the form of P'lami in front of the setting sun, with the strange robed Lani behind her, holding what appeared to be both a jug of water & first aid supplies, as well as a cart. As she wordlessly approached her & kneeled beside her head, she smiled brightly. "So you took your freedom did you?" She said while looking her over. Bonsette found she couldnt reply beyond a groan of pride, a small smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "I see," replied Lani, still smiling while pushing her goggles up, revealing brilliant sapphire colored eyes. 

 

        "So..." She said, her expression turning serious, "How would you like to become one of mine?"

 

 

                                                                                                                           -World Disconnect- End