"Un, name?" Myr asked, dumbfounding him. The way she said it was as if she was asking if he had made a reservation.

"Umm.. Arthras..." he was so confused he sounded like he was unsure what his name was. But then he tried to snap back into character. "I've already given my t.i.tle, so who are you?"

"I'm your father's debtor!!" Myr shouted.

"What did you!.. hmm?" He thought an insult coming and he was just going to retaliate before the words actually registered in his mind. He wondered what she meant when she said that, was it supposed to humiliate him?

Just as he wanted to ask she cleared it up for him with her next words.

"Anjat!! Your son is here! If you don't deal with him you better prepare the money you borrowed by tomorrow or I'll break your tail!" She screamed.

Instantly cold sweat ran down his back. Why did that name sound so familiar.

"What!! That idiot finally came to visit?" A voice shouted back from behind the group of old veterans. Then the men parted to give way to a disheveled old man who looked eerily similar to the commander, just much older and wrinkled.

"Eh Arthras, finally remembered your own father huh?" He spoke, followed by a smack, he hit the top of his head, "What took you so long!? What!? Did you think I was dead!?"

"No father I.. I've just been busy..." the commander held his head down.

Smack!

"What busy!? You think I don't know my own son? When you were already 5 we still couldn't even get you potty trained, now you want to tell me you're so 'busy' with something." His subordinates were all dumbfounded and didn't know if they should step up to defend their boss or pretend they didn't hear anything.

"Father I really am busy these days I..." he tried to explain already quivering in embarra.s.sment.

Smack!

"If you're so busy as you say, why are you here? Don't you have something better to do?" He interrupted.

"Actually if you haven't gotten with the program you old coot. Your SON here wants to take Sola away." Myr clarified for he drunk old man.

Anjat instantly turned to his son. "Is this true?" His eyes became red. "It isn't enough that you don't even take my grandkids to visit me..."

Smack!

"Now you want to take away the little joy this old man has..."

Smack!!

"Why did I have an unfilial son like you..."

Smack!!!

After each and every time he berated his son, Anjat would give him a good smack in the head like he was playing wack-mole.

The poor commander could only try to block and retreat with his arms as the palms landed on him. "I tell you I'm might be an old man but don't think I can't discipline you anymore. If I have to I will take a rod and smack you right now!!" Anjat screamed as his son stumbled out the door.

His subordinates still inside wondering what just happened. Their backing had come in and yet he'd been treated like a complete child.

"What are you looking at! Haven't caused enough trouble get out here!!" The commander shouted at them snapping them out of their daze, "can't even do your job right, watch how I punish the lot of you later!"

They looked at each other thinking, "Can you not punish us, aren't you just venting? Why not take it up with your dad instead?" Of course, they did not dare say it out loud.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

"So are you going to take me in?"

"Of course not, that would be the last thing on my mind..."

"Really? I remember you putting it so eloquently at Jyaha's funeral, and a little bird told me that some of your men already went after the little one and you even gave up your own aid."

"Please don't mock me... Guru, I already now you disapprove of my actions these past few weeks, but I don't have a choice." Eyisha spoke, she needed to show that she could stand up and take the reign on this to all the council members but there was no way she would send a team of officers to take Guru in, there were too many bodies already.

"Disapprove isn't really the word I would use, more dissapointed." He replied without even looking at her, focusing on brewing some tea as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "There was always a choice, it might've been harder, maybe even impossible, but a choice nonetheless."

"And what would you have me do? Give control to those animals? Who knows what they would've done to the people." She spoke with a hint of distress.

"In that case, what have you done for the people so far? You gave them food?... No he did, he put that power right into your lap and all you needed to do was take it and pa.s.s it to the people." Guru held he cap for a moment, a tremble running through his finger as he tried to control and not break it with his strength. "You did nothing, once you gained that you started joining the power plays and schemes of those same animals you spoke off, so don't talk to me about the people, were the people in your mind when you sent your killers after him? Was it for the people when you decided to put a target on his back for the people to watch, while the lot of you hypocrites stumble around figuring what to do about the disease."

"There's a high chance that he..." a hand was so close to slapping her cheek.

Pulling it back Guru sighed. "Only you know the real reason, you don't have to explain it to me."