A man chooses, a slave obeys

"That isn't what I asked though," Kee reminded him in the same gentle tone, going about her work doggedly through the conversation. "Don't think about whether you should or shouldn't have right now - it's already done and you can't undo that. But think about why you did it. Why did you choose to act against him?" She had her own suspicions for the reason, involving the Creator, but she didn't want to tell him about it lest he think he was manipulated into disobeying his master.

"More importantly, would you make the same choice? Do you agree with your own reasons for it?" The last spider was placed carefully in the hole, leaving just enough space to scatter a thin layer of dirt. She planned to make a cairn on top, however, to mark their burial of the spiders. There weren't as many rocks in the area as she'd have liked, but luckily the grave wasn't huge.

It was easy to get the dirt over the spiders, but before she could start collecting stones, she felt she ought to try to soothe him. Her shape returned to the humanoid sort, though it did not rid her of the dirt on her face and back. "All right." She moved to the shrine and sat down before it, watching him pace without trying to stop him. "Well, he wanted to capture me, certainly. Plus he wanted some of the spiders, and I don't even want to imagine what else. To rob the forest of any resources hidden in the purified areas? Clean water and meat are scarce in the Citadel, I understand. When you stepped up against him, you kept me from joining you as one of his slaves. Do you regret it?"

"The consequences are frightening, but that doesn't make what you did wrong. I don't expect his retaliation to be easy to deal with, but... he doesn't strike me as a merciful man, Tyarnach. Who's to say that even if you obeyed, even if I had cooperated, things would have been different? He is the soul of greed, the only 'mercy' he shows you is when you give him everything he wants. That isn't true mercy, it's just good business." Dusting off her hands, she went to him and knelt down, touching his horns.

"Forgive me if it sounds cruel, but I think for the first time in this life that you recall, you made a choice on your own, without his influence. Are you not more clearheaded? You don't seem worried about returning because it's his will - you seem only worried about the punishment he'll inflict on all of us. I know it may not seem like it now, but it's a good thing. It may mean you've broken free of his grasp on you."

"Why do you feel you need him, though? He's a cruel person, that much was seen today. Why do you want someone like that, or anybody else, telling you what you should be doing? He would only use you as a tool." Kee didn't fight to try to hang on to him, though she wished she could offer him some sort of comfort or reassurance. It was simple to soothe a frightened rabbit with a touch, but easing the existential doubts of a sentient creature was beyond her wheelhouse. "Why do you want to live in his shadow, as an extension of his cruelty and greed? You can be so much better than that - you've already proven you are by what you did here."

"Life isn't always meant to be easy. You're sacrificing your right to freedom and choice for the chance to avoid the struggle of having to choose - but that just means you're not as prepared when the inevitability comes. The day you have to choose between your beliefs or blind obedience. I know you don't feel like it, but today you proved that you are more than a beast or slave. It takes a strong person to stand up for something they believe in, and even more strength to stand up against someone whose presence is so strong in their life." Kee couldn't help but touch the top of his head in a brief, gentle manner.

"You don't have to be alone, Tyarnach. Nor do you have to go back to him. I realize it must be difficult, but meaningful as he is, he's also toxic. You could stay with me," She offered tentatively. "I won't leave you alone, and you'll meet all sorts of others. You could figure out what kind of person you'd like to be outside of his influence."

Kee withdrew her hand and regarded him patiently. Yes, the words stung, but they weren't unexpected. She didn't consider herself a suitable replacement for Cyburn, only wanted to ensure he knew he would not have to be alone. "You must have believed in some level that he was making the wrong choice, or else you wouldn't have done anything about it. But if you truly believe you would have been better off obeying, then take me captive and deliver me to him. That was his true intention for you, correct? If you would rather be given some kind of... false love and reassurance as a means of placating you, if you would rather live with your every decision made for you, then by all means, you should drag me off to be his captive too."

Although she was speaking kindly, there was a firmness in her tone to suggest she did not have patience for his refusal to admit he had made his choice for a reason. "Slaves don't make choices, they just obey. Which are you?"

"Because I wanted to spare their lives by not fighting. It didn't work, but I had hoped that if I gave in without fighting him, he'd leave them alone. The forest was going to lose me either way - I'm not strong enough to fight him off single-handedly. But once he showed his true colors, there was nothing to do except pray." Despite the fact he had insisted he was a slave, she didn't try to follow him with her gaze. Her back was exposed and remained that way as she fixed her attention on the trees and folded her hands.

"The forest might revert to corruption without my magic to sustain things in this state, but if he had left the spiders alive, then there was a chance that in my absence they could slow the process while I was gone. Devouring the corruption, keeping the area safer, giving things a chance to last while I looked for an escape. I called out for the Creator's help because I was desperate. If I hadn't, I don't know that you'd have realized your own capacity for making decisions."