~•Lamb to slaughter•~

08(edited)

"Come. See, this neighborhood used to have the highest crime rate in all the city. There was so much suffering, so much pain..." Harrow explained as they walked.

"Oh how sad" Carlos said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. He really didn't want to be here especially with Harrow.

"Yes" Harrow said smiling at everyone who walked passed, "Good evening. Good evening, everyone."

A violin could be heard playing in the distance making Carlos shiver as he remembered some memories that he'd rather forget.

"It was truly heartbreaking. Now people don't lock their doors at night. They feel safe." Harrow explained, "But you don't want to tell anyone, no. People don't want to hear good news. They'd rather cling to their fear, cling to their pain."

Then a goat could be heard bleating in the distance. "Goat..." Steven spoke softly, pointing to the goat, making Carlos chuckle.

"What? Yes." Harrow chuckled. Then he went over to a girl and started speaking mandarin.

"You all speak Chinese?" Steven asked.

"Mandarin Steven mandarin" Carlos Corrected him.

"We all aspire to learn three languages. So, we teach each other. We share our knowledge." Harrow spoke with a smile. Carlos could hear the glass in harrows shoes as he walked.

Was this his sort of punishment for what he's done. Self punishment. Carlos scoffed as she continued to think.

"You hungry? The food's free. You're a vegan, right?" Harrow asked, acting like he's a therapist.

"Yeah." Steven mumbled

"Yeah, so am I. You might wanna try the lentil soup. I made it this morning. It's Victor's recipe. Gracias, Victor." Harrow said as he walked over to the pan full of lentil soup.

"He's from the Yucatan. He's... No, he's very funny. Here. I know being on the right side of things is important to you. Khonshu always tries to ensnare those with a strong moral conscience." Harrow told Steven.

"You have no conscience." Khonshu roared making steven jump and gasp. As he sat down with Harrow and started eating the lentil soup.

Carlos sat next to Steven. "You don't have to listen to him. He often throws temper tantrums, like a two-year-old. None of the gods respect him. Perhaps that's why he's banished." Harrow told him.

"I only punish those who have already done harm. I am real justice!" Khonshu said angrily.

"What's he saying now? 'I am real justice'?" Harrow mocked, people laughed in the distance.

"Can you hear him?" Steven asked Harrow, Carlos who zoned out lost in his own thoughts.

"Not anymore. I was his former Avatar. Before you. I was the fist of vengeance." Harrow spoke then looking at Carlos.

"Carlos" Harrow said making him snap out of his thoughts.

"I'm not the fist of anything. That's the little American man living inside of me." Steven spoke as he took a spoon full of the soup.

"Oh and that's, uh, that's Marc?" Harrow asked.

"Soup's... Yeah, it's very good. It's ace. Yeah, it's lovely." Steven tried to change the subject.

"Khonshu punishes those who have already walked an evil path. His retribution comes too late. By the time his fist of vengeance arrives, people have already suffered. Ammit knows this too well. She tears evil up from the root, casting her judgment before any evil's done. That's why we must resurrect her." Harrow explained.

"Right. But... Isn't that a bit dodgy? Like, trusting the judgment of a weird crocodile lady?" Steven asked.

"Yeah it is isn't it Steven and plus ammit wouldn't hesitate to kill a baby" Carlos sighed.

"You don't need to doubt her judgment. Ammit will light the path to good by eradicating the choice of evil, which brings us to the scarab." Harrow told them.

"Right scarab, scarab never heard of it and we don't have it" Carlos told Harrow.

"Well, maybe you know someone who does? Maybe Marc?" Harrow asked as he ate the soup.

"Don't you do it. Don't you say her name. Do not give Layla up. Just give me the body." Marc told Steven.

"No, I don't." Steven spoke looking at the soup.

"May I speak with Marc?" Harrow asked looking at Steven.

"Um, uh..." Steven didn't know how to reply but he clearly felt uncomfortable.

"Marc, what has Khonshu promised you? That this is your last mission? Then you'll be free? Trust me when I tell you Khonshu is a liar. There's always one last thing." Harrow said looking at Steven.

"Sorry. If Ammit judges people pre-evil, like, before the fact, then, isn't she judging an innocent person? I mean, a thought can't be evil, can it? I think about killing my boss all the time, but I wouldn't actually do it." Steven asked looking at Carlos then Harrow.

"Steven..." Carlos was going to say something but Steven interrupted him.

"What about a child? Would she kill a child for something they might do in 30 years?" He asked.

"Yes Steven let's see if Harrow here replies proving the comment I made a few minutes ago" Carlos said looking at Harrow.

"I'm glad you mentioned that. Sometimes, the cure is a little taste of the disease. The difference between medicine and poison sometimes is only dosage. Consider a diseased limb. Amputation, horrific and grotesque, is necessary for the larger health." Harrow explained.

"But the child is not a diseased limb. Sorry, is that... Is that what... You're all into that, like, killing children and that? Maybe that's just me, but that's... I kind of draw a line there at child murder." Steven told him.

"Ha I knew it! Child murderer! And he likes to set peoples house on fire!" Carlos yelled and Steven looked at him, confused. .

"Do it Carlos you know you want to... kill him!" Maahes snickered as he looked at Harrow making his hands into a fist.

"Do you know what this is?" Harrow asked Steven ignoring Carlos.

"Yep. It's a cane, yeah." Steven said unamused.

"This is... Ammit's gift to her first Avatar." Harrow told him as him and Carlos stood up, "It contains in it a tiny sliver of her power. I don't wanna use it. I don't."

"Then don't. I can't help you." Steven said shrugging Ashe walked back but he was blocked.

"Yes, you can. I need to know, where is the scarab? Where is the scarab? Where is the scarab?" Harrow repeated As he walked up to Steven.

"No." Is all steven said.

"Where's the scarab?" Harrow asked lifting up the cane.

"I have it." Layla yelled.