FSE

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Ghost had an armed escort up to what he assumed was one of the top floors in the overwhelmingly tall structure, and on this floor there was only a single door made of gold and silver in addition to the diamond inlay, “Ah, our final guest has arrived!” An older looking dragon woman shouted.”

The rich girl from the mall was there, as was an older male dragon, three other male dragons about the same age as the girl, Mirabelle, and her husband. Ghost wasn't sure what to make of him, he was five feet tall tops, frail, and looked as though he held evil in his eyes, “Don't be shy human, we're all friends here. Come, have a seat, you must be famished.”

The armed escort left and Ghost was ushered into a dining room that could have easily housed two full families comfortably. Rich candlelight augmented by glowing crystals lit up the area perfectly, showing off the precious metals and rare woods used to furnish the room. Ghost took his seat which happened to be somewhat isolated from the other chairs. He took a moment to notice that Mirabelle was wearing her tight armor still, but now had medals pinned to the chestplate, “Human, Ghost is it? I do hope you enjoy your meal tonight.” The rich girl even sounded like a sheltered brat to Ghost.

The mother smiled, “Servants? I believe a nice wine is in order, and the first course.” She turned her attention to Ghost, “Please, if you would be so kind, tell us a little about your life on this planet. I am most curious.”

He looked to Mirabelle, who didn't take her eyes off of the table. That was a sign for him to be brutally honest, “After I graduated from college, my parents kicked me out of the house, accused me of stealing their valuables, and called the police on me. The rest of my family disowned me for some reason, but as a result I was living on the streets. On a good week I ate only day-old food. Most of the time I had to dig through trash, eat what I could find on bushes, and even cook a few rats to satisfy my hunger. I was sick for most of my time, I was robbed whenever I found money, propositioned to make easy money by assholes, and beaten no less than three times a week for being homeless. I survived frostbite and heat exhaustion without treatment and I've probably killed five people for food with my hands.”

“Well then...” The father took a sip of blue wine, “That's quite a life you've led. You're educated, correct? Could you not find work?” This struck a nerve with two of his sons, but they kept quiet.

“Who would hire someone without a home, without a way to groom themselves, without clean clothes, without any real history to their name?” Mirabelle could tell Ghost was irritated as she cleared her throat, “Life isn't fair, got it?”

“Owain, I heard you were in charge of funding the Lamprey. Any updates on progress?”

Owain chuckled, “Forgive me, I forgot that we have TWO honored guests. Yes, the Lamprey is nearly complete and funding is on track. No unexpected costs or issues, plus the pilots are perfectly trained.”

Mirabelle took a bite of the tiny portion of brown paste, “I would hope that you are correct. Sea exploration is one of the more significant goals of our leaders. If we cannot map out three of this planets oceans in a month it would look quite bad on your part.”

From some private conversations, Ghost learned that shame was a very important of the dragon culture. If the right person determined that your act was sufficiently shameful, you could very well be stripped of all property, money, and even your title. Your family would be required to give up 20% of their money to the government. It was harsh, but it had been the law for centuries and a way of keeping only the most upstanding citizens around while shoving the unwanted aside.

“You, human.” One of the male siblings, a twin now that Ghost took another look, tried to get his attention, “I have a lot of trouble believing someone as weak as you could kill anyone.”

“Agreed, you look like a storyteller, not a fighter.”

“Rino, Pino, silence!”

The twins stood up, “Come on, show us a trick! Roll over or sit down or something, like a good boy.”

“Yeah, do a flip, slave!”

The father slammed his fists onto the table, “Enough you two!” Rino and Pino looked as though all they did was go to the gym. They were certainly muscular, but they only worked on show muscles, not practical muscles, “I will not have you embarrass our family like this!”

The two started to walk around the table, “Embarrass? You must be joking.” Ghost stood up from his chair and took a step back.

“There are billions of these humans, we can just get another one. Maybe a politician, or someone that knows what really makes the world spin.”

Without warning, Rino hit Ghost in the back of the head with a fist, knocking him to the floor. Ghost tried to stand up but Pino stepped onto his neck, “Pathetic.” Ghost looked around, feeling his heart rate increase. Mirabelle wasn't even looking, although the other diners and servants were in shock.

They wanted to kill him. They wanted him to die right here. It was their sick pleasure. He was just property. He was nothing more than a bug. A waste of space. A waste of food. A waste of air. The thoughts continued until they boiled in his head and he roared out, “Look, the softskin is upset, awen't you wittle human.” The twins laughed to each other.

This wasn't the first time Ghost was pinned down, but this time weapons were more readily available. With a mighty burst, he spun out from under Pino's foot and jumped to his feet. Before they could fully react he grabbed his chair by the back and smashed it on Pino's face. This wouldn't have been a major assault had the chair been made of cheap material, but the wood itself was over fifty pounds and the precious metals added another five easy. Pino dropped like a rock.

Ghost tackled Rino into the wall and held a splintered and sharp fragment of chair to his throat and pressed, “Enough.” Mirabelle's calm voice caused Ghost to pause.

“Thank you Grand Inquisitor, thank you!” The mother was in tears.

“Yes, now get this animal away from our civilized friends.” Mirabelle's husband said in disgust.

Instead, she took a sip of wine, “As I see it, you invited him to have a proper dinner and welcome him to our grand home, and yet your sons, still highly regarded in high society, brutally attacks and tried to kill him.” She took another sip, “Your guest, while still overwhelmed, broke free and could have easily killed both of your sons. This is... very shameful. I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut about this.”

“Honey, please reconsider. This savage-”

“This guide was attacked by a noble family. This is the height of shame. Worse still it happened so soon after we sat down to eat. If I didn't know better, I would say this was planned out.”

That's when the nervous talking began, both the mother and father struggled to talk over each other while looking for a way out while Rino was begging for his life. Mirabelle's husband was furious, and if the rumors were true she was not going to be left alone tonight, “So do I kill him now or are you all going to ramble like fools?!” Ghost shouted over the confusion.

Mirabelle set down her fork ever so gently and wiped her lips with a cloth napkin, “I have a proposal to make all of this go away, if you would listen. I propose that you push for Ghost's citizenship. He has already proven his worth to me, and you don't seem to have other options here. A kindness to cancel out the shame, if you will.”

“Fine, fine! Just call him off!” The father was wiping away the sweat from his brow, “I'll put in the call first thing tomorrow morning.”

Ghost pulled out the chunk of wood which had already penetrated the scales, “I'll see myself out.”

“You may all continue, I have to discuss matters with him.” Mirabelle stood up and slowly followed Ghost out of the room and into the elevator, “I apologize for my inaction.”

“I expected nothing less from you bastards. Ready to slit my throat at a moment's notice.”

Mirabelle hit a button that led them to an unknown location, “If I would have foreseen what occurred, I would have stopped it. My indecision allowed for you to become injured, and I accept full blame for that.” The doors opened.

The sky was dark and cloudless, a hint of glow could still be seen on the horizon. A glass dome covered the massive floor which appeared to be the very top of the structure. Chairs and benches were accompanied by bizarre plants. Only then did something concern Ghost, and it took him several seconds to react. There were no clouds not because it was a clear night, “We're... above the... clouds...”

“Yes, we are. This area is closed off at night, only I have permission. Please take a seat.” Ghost couldn't help feel as though this was going to be his end. Isolated from everyone else and with no witnesses. It's where he would kill someone if he was in that business. Still, he had no logical ground to argue, so he took a seat on the far side of a bench, “What happened tonight was a travesty, but some good will come from it. You are soon to be a full citizen. You can roam most floors, even leave for certain periods of time. I just...”

There was a long pause there. Mirabelle had seen something that most likely related to Ghost's current occupation, “Spit it out.”

“Some... guides... either end up as servants by choice or refuse to find meaningful work and must become beggars again. I can't help but feel you have more potential than that. When your duty as a guide is complete, I would like to offer you a job as my... I don't know. Assistant, or some other title meaning the same. You have been honest with me and haven't held back. I'm not used to that.”

“A step up from a servant then?”

“No! Not at all! You would be helping me make decisions, patrolling, things of that nature. Although... I haven't filled you in on the events of the world lately.”

Ghost didn't care, but apparently something big must have changed, “Why do I have to tell you to continue? I don't have any say here.”

“You do around me at least, but I digress. The invasion is over, save for a few remote areas fighting back. From what we have learned, they have always been problem areas. The general public has accepted our kind as we have put no ban on their beliefs or ways of life. Governments have been taken over and our law is being enforced, which once again very few have any real problems following when you consider that each country retains its sovereign rights. Most of what you humans consider common sense is the same as what we think. Our currency is starting to drip out and is highly valued, the conversion rate in this area is mind boggling. The first of the money was paid out to the families of the fallen. That's the gist of it.”

“Means nothing to me. I never really existed in their world and I'd probably be considered a traitor.” Nobody knew who he was except two perverts and a bar that would occasionally give him scraps out of pity, “I have no desire to continue living there.”

Mirabelle looked up at the stars, “Still, it must be some comfort knowing that you have a home to return to. My... or rather, our ancestors home, was destroyed long ago from our own actions. We had the technology to prevent the catastrophe, but our greatest minds focused on intergalactic travel and the towers. You should be curious as to why we invaded?”

Ghost thought only for a moment, “Let's see, resources and common biology.”

“Almost perfect. We also seek to help planets prevent similar catastrophes in the future, and this planet may eventually experience one. Plate tectonics play a major role, but I'm afraid I don't know enough to say more.” She adjusted on the bench and relaxed her body, “I joined the military to prevent everything I could, and through my training I have earned a proper title. This planet is to be my home now, so I wish to protect it.”

“So who's protecting you?” She flinched, “I appreciate your... concern for the planet, and the job offer. I know deep down that you had nothing to do with the attack tonight.” Ghost exhaled sharply, apologetic speeches were foreign to him, “Listen... I'll pay you back somehow. I don't know how, and I can't tell you when, but I will. I don't like being in debt.”

Mirabelle smiled, “You are in no debt of mine.”

“That's not how the world works. Everything puts you in debt, and you remain that way until the debt is paid in full.” Ghost's stomach rumbled, “So I will pay.”

“Come, let us go to the mall and get something to eat. I didn't expect anything they served to be filling. I will pay.” She stood up and offered her hand, “Come on, the longer we wait the hungrier we'll be.”

Ghost felt reluctant to do so, but eventually he took Mirabelle's hand.