The Patchworked Short Story Collection

The Proposition

What a perfect day for a little bit of planning. Strewn in the very best of suits and looking somewhat out of place among the mass of young adults swarming around for the lunchtime rush, he held his head high, acting as if he was a king among peasants. In a way, he was—the children here just did not know it. The humans here were oh so ignorant, one would describe it as cute, really. He couldn't help but smirk, eyeing up every potential person as if they were of some value to him. Who knows—they could be. He was so distracted, of course, that he did not notice a little streak of black and blonde cutting him off on the way to his table. "What th—excuse me!" he growled, his eyes flashing in annoyance. Now he focused on the small forms of two young girls, looking rushed in hurried to get to their table. Evidently the women had been, like the man himself, looking at the empty table he was approaching. He had just begun taking off his jacket, shocked at the lack of manners the two held—they were going to snatch away a table from a superior?! Nonsense, there would be punishment...but wait, the two rushed onward. Both of them exchanged glances as they walked, having looked from the table to the man and realizing that he had been getting ready to take it. Ah, so the opposite of rude, interesting.

His eyes followed them, one of them clad in all black, and one of them displaying much brighter fashion. Both of them had long flowing hair that trailed down their backs, and both seemed quite a bit tense and nervous over the fact that they had almost unintentionally stolen his table. Ah yes—respect. Rare to find in this day in age. He could see both of their glows, despite their polar opposite color schemes, their auras remained the same—a mixture of bright blacks, pinks, and blues. And, oddly enough, he could sense a high content of magic held within the both of them, of which he could not sense within the other humans around here. Interesting, very interesting... "Farius," came a gritty, female voice from behind the man. Letting out a sigh, he turned.

"Raegan," the man greeted, giving the slightest of bows to his partner. The woman before him was dressed just as formally; her red hair was pinned back, though a few strands and wisps here and there did fall into her face. One could assume by looking at her stature and structure that she was middle aged and could be a professor here at the university. Those that know her, however, are aware that it is far from the truth. Her mouth was drawn into a thin, grim line as her hawk-like gaze pierced into the man's eyes. Farius had to admit, the woman was intriguing, and how she kept up all of the protections here at the university was admirable.

"The humans here are not yours to toy with," her voice growled... but as the sound hit his ears, he noticed that her lips didn't move. Typical of Raegan to do such a thing, and actually assume that anyone here was remotely paying attention. Farius smirked and crossed his arms, striding along and taking a seat at the table. He was starting to get antsy, unfortunately; this disguise required a lot of power to keep up. Unfortunately this place was in his people's best interests, despite the resistance of protectors like the damn woman in front of him.

Now, it was his turn to respond in mind speak. "Why not let them decide their destiny, Raegan. Recall, not so long ago, that you had just the taste of power as I do right now. They could benefit us both, my dear. Consider me, for once in your dull existence. Because you know how drear it has gotten, do you not. Protecting these humans, some of which could be such useful tools in the greater conflict going on right beneath their noses? What is the purpose?" The man intertwined his fingers and rested his head on his hands now, his stare never wavering from the woman of whom had taken a seat right across from him. Both at the same table of which had almost been stolen moments before by those powerful looking humans.

Raegan meanwhile narrowed her eyes and grunted; to other people walking around, the two middle aged adults would appear to be engaged in a staring contest. Silly how that was far from the case. Letting out a sigh, the woman returned them message, the line of her mouth morphing into a disgusted scowl. "Because you and your damned kin still see these people as tools. You just stated it yourself, Farius. Tools for your greater gain. That attitude has faded from my mind, ever since..." She pauses, now breaking the glare she held on the man and biting her lip. Strong emotion crossed her face, and the tiniest hint of a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

This, of course, caused Farius to laugh. "My dear. They are lesser creatures to us. We had ruled over this world for eons before these odd primates had stumbled into play. Why, they even reject their own rather powerful magic, so that their offspring has very little nowadays! It disgusts me, it really does. Though, as I said, those that do show potential, now they are the ones that could be used for the cause. Think, Raegan. Think. Our rise to power once again could benefit not just you or me. But our entire race."

Raegan considered this—her family had been in a decline lately, hunted almost to extinction by those dreaded rocs. Just thinking about the giant wingspans of the gigantic birds, and the fact that they could eat elephants in just two or three snaps of a beak, got the woman shivering. The war could indeed be ended by dragging in more players to the game. Her legacy could be saved yet... perhaps this is why Farius was here. The man clearly knew what buttons to press. Still... ever since his death, Raegan could not shake the feeling of distaste toward the superiority complex Farius clearly was displaying. No, she could not allow herself to be phased. If she did, she'd be breaking the very promise she made as he lay there giving his last breath. Therefore, her eyes returned to the man before her, and very flatly did she growl, "No."

Farius had a look of shock; she had been so close to coming to a consensus, he could sense it. For a moment, a forked tongue, his forked tongue, slithered from between his lips, tasting the air, before slipping back into his mouth. This caused Raegan to tense and let out an inhuman hiss. Lucky for them both, these actions went unnoticed by passerby. "Well then. It appears I will need to be making more...aggressive action against your so-called safe haven here for them. You cannot protect the powerful forever, my dear." Without another word did the man get to his feet, brushing himself off. Dodging a crowd of students that had almost run into him, Farius briskly walked out of the dining hall. A scowl twisted his lips as he placed his palm on the glass door, swinging it open and ignoring those he had almost whacked. He tuned out the surprised and outraged exclamations as he shoved past the students trying to enter their beloved dining hall, making a vow to himself in his mind.

This place would not be safe for them, not for very long. Raegan had a lot of power, he did accredit her with that. But Farius himself had several tricks up his sleeve to get what he wanted—and trust me. He would most definitely in this case. Guardian or not—the University soon would be a reservoir of tools for his use. Arriving at a point in which no onlookers could possibly take notice, Farius grinned. His clothing began to melt into his body, and his skin started to tint a dark black. His eyes shifted from a boring grey to a bright, glowing amber. All of his teeth sharpened, and his entire body lengthened and grew to monstrous proportions. His nails grew into claws, and bat-like wings ripped from his back. With a final annoyed growl, the dragon thrust himself into the dimming dusky sky, his dark plots already brimming to the top inside of his head.