"Hmm, you definitely have more spine than the envoys you sent. This is a pleasant change. So speak then, Dragon. " said Torin.
"It is my understanding that you have refused our offer again? I am here to reassure you and hopefully convince you otherwise. "
Torin shook his head.
"I believe I have made my concerns clear."
"I have heard it from my envoys, but I wish to hear it from you, and hopefully lay your concerns to rest." Said Storm.
"It's about the 'required workload' part." Stated Torin.
"Surely you understand the need to contribute to the well-being of a settlement?"
Storm gestured to the camp around them.
"Surely you couldn't have built all this without the hard work of your people?"
"There's a difference, Dragon. All this was built of their own free will. They wanted to build a proper nation and home for our kind here.
Your contract would force them to build 'your' home! Whether they wanted to or not.
What guarantee do I have that we won't be exploited?" Asked Torin.
"Many peoples are currently living in my settlement, and all are treated fairly.
Nogitsune, Kitsune, Dragon, Elves, Dwarves, Gnolls, Griffin, Fairy.
All are treated as equals. " Explained Storm.
"Are they really? Can you truly say that the Gnolls have the same voice as the dwarves in your settlement? Or the Elves?
Do you listen to their feedback with the same interest as the Dwarves?" Asked Torin.
Storm considered the question.
Wolf was the Gnoll representative on his council and Julian represented the elves.
But he rarely met with them to consult about planning for the settlement.
Storm at the time thought that they did not have much to contribute with the planning.
And so spent more time consulting with his other advisors.
Is Torin right though? Has he given them enough of a voice in the future of their settlement?
Or has he unintentionally pushed them aside and have just been exploiting them this whole time?
Storm couldn't even say what their opinions of the settlement was because he'd never asked their representatives.
His doubts rendered him mute, forcing Leyocan to answer.
"I have recently taken up residence in his settlement with his people and I can say that we have all been welcomed by it's denizens.
My people are beast-kin, just like you are.
We know the hardships our kind faces with others.
And yet there is none of that in this settlement that Storm has built for us.
If you have concerns, then we invite you to come see what we have built with your own eyes.
I'm certain that it will lay your concerns to rest and we can move forward together. " said Leyocan.
Torin leaned back in his throne as he considered his offer.
After a moment, he nodded his head.
"That is something that I can agree to.
A tour of your civilization and a chance to speak to it's citizens!
It would help to lay my concerns to rest, and could help to foster the trust our agreement would require.
I will discuss this with my counselors and notify you about the time that we will find appropriate for both of us." Explained Torin.
Storm and Leyocan nodded their heads and turned around to leave.
Once they were out of earshot, Leyocan spoke up again.
"Sorry that we couldn't get a complete agreement out of him but it's a start at least." Said Leyocan.
"....."
"Storm?"
The sudden call shook him out of his daze.
"Sorry Leyocan... I wasn't paying attention. " Explained Storm.
"What's wrong? You've been in a daze ever since you met with Torin?" Asked Leyocan.
I can't help but wonder if Torin was right about me? Have I unintentionally been exploiting the beastkin races and elves that have been residing in Sanctuary?" Asked Storm.
Leyocan was silent for a moment as he considered how best to answer him.
"I'm not the best person to ask as I've only been staying in your settlement for a short time. You've treated them better than most people.
But I have noticed that you don't really consult with Wolf and Julian when we are discussing plans for the settlement. " said Leyocan.
"It's never troubled me before, but after what Torin said, I can't help but realize how it would look to someone else. " Explained Storm.
"In your defense, there's not a whole lot they have to contribute on that front, Gnolls are not the best builders.
And Elves live to close to nature, they don't understand 'building' a settlement like most of us." Added Leyocan.
"So do the fairies, and yet I'm consulting with Kalipso all the time. Even if they don't have anything to contribute, I should still give them a voice in the matter.
Sanctuary is as much their home as it is ours. I don't even meet with them to find out if their people have any grievances.
And if even I don't give them the proper respect, then why should the others?" Explained Storm.
"Does that bother you?" Asked Leyocan.
Storm sighed.
"Before I was reunited with Aurora, I did some things I'm not proud of.
I didn't care about the fates of anyone other than those who fought with me and even then they were more of a resource.
Aurora helped me to see what I was becoming and I thought I had shaken off those habits. But it seemed like I haven't been able to do so completely yet.
Leyocan paused for a moment before he spoke again.
"You are at least noticing what you are doing wrong, and you've acknowledged it.
That's the first step on the path of change."
"Does this thing happen often with beast-kin?" Asked Storm.
"I realize why you are asking, Nogitsune are beast-kin as well after all. But we are not the best people to ask.
We spend most of our lives in human settlements, and always undercover.
We actually live relatively normal lives.
But most beast-kin isn't as fortunate.
Nature didn't create us, we came into being due to the meddling of mages, and so we are outcasts in both societies.
Storm nodded.
He knew the stories of how the Beast-kin were made.
Humans attempted to create a race of perfect slaves, using sorcery they tried to combine human flexibility and animal traits.
Using human prisoners in the experiment, they created the first of the beast-kin races.
They wee never satisfied with the results, and the ancient beast-kin eventually rebelled and escaped to form their own societies.
Magical races like elves and dwarves looked down on them, thinking them primitive brutes only good for manual labor.
Other mistrusted them because of their human origin.
Now that mistreatment was coming back to bite them. Storm would need to convince Torin that he was different.
"Pssstt!!! Dragon!!!" Whispered an unknown voice.