Xaren is sitting at his desk, searching through the dossiers of various Peacekeepers, trying to figure out which one to send to Russia when Lily's voice comes in through his intercom.
Sir. He presses the button to send.
"Yes, Lily?"
Head Councilor Ba'althazar is here to see you. Shall I tell him that you're engaged at the moment? Xaren sighs deeply and massages his temples with one hand.
"No. Send him in. I'll deal with him in person."
Very well.
Ba'althazar is a Red dragon, and a very proud and arrogant dragon at that. He strides through the office door imperiously, in human form, wearing a smug look on his face. Before he can even open his mouth to speak, however, Xaren cuts him off. "What do you need it for?" Ba'al stops dead in his tracks, a bemused look replacing the smug smirk he had worn mere seconds ago.
I'm sorry?
"I should hope so. The raise. Why do you need it?" When no immediate response comes, Xaren leans forwards in his chair, steepling his hands together. "I assume that you do, in fact, need the money and you are not here to waste my time? Because you know how much I hate people, be they dragon or human, who waste. My. Time."
Well, I don't have any pressing need for it-
"Then why are you here?"
Well... I... That is to say... Ba'al stammers, caught completely off guard by the bluntness of his superior.
"My answer is no. Good day."
This blatant dismissal proves to be the last straw for the board member. For a moment, he forgets who he's talking to. Now listen here! I am the Head Councilor of the Board of Directors! More importantly, I am a dragon! I will not-
"That's enough, Head Councilor Last I checked, I was the President of this company, and what I say goes. Is that not correct?" Ba'althazar goes pale, the blood draining from his face as he realizes just who he's talking to.
I'm sorry, sir. I forgot-
"Yes, yes. I understand. Tell me, though, why did you want the money?" The question comes out of the blue.
Um... I, uh... Err... I... I don't really know, sir. Instinct, I guess. Xaren scoffs at that.
"'Instinct', he says. I suppose next you'll be asking me to lower the employees' paychecks, saying that they should be honoured to toil away their days as our slaves." Scorn, bitterness, and disappointment drip from every word.
Ba'al seems thoroughly offended by the idea. No, sir, never. I don't believe in that.
Xaren sighs deeply. "I know. You were one of my strongest supporters at first. However, I've recently learned that our so-called 'bloodless' takeover was anything but. Did you know that there were an estimated 43,000 orphans immidiately after the takeover in the Middle East? Double to triple that in Russia, and even more in China." The red dragon's eyes go wide. "It gets better. These 'dragons' did whatever they wanted in the periods of chaos and panic that followed. So now, most of the humans in these places view dragons as overgrown lizards that can fly and manipulate certain elements. Because those dragons gave in to their instincts." Ba'al gets the not-so-subtle hint.
I-I... I just... I didn't know... So many... I didn't know...
"Neither did I, Councilor. Neither did I." Ba'al begins to gather his wits, closing his mouth and letting the enormity sink in. His ruby eyes narrow in thought as he begins to pace back and forth in front of Xarens desk.
Is there anything that we could do to help? Xaren shakes his head sadly.He meets Ba'als' eyes, and the latter sees the righteous fury burning within.
"We may be too late to save them, Ba'althazar, but I swear by my ancestors that we will avenge them."
Curiosity sinks its' claws into Ba'al, and the Red cannot stop himself from asking, How? Xaren simply smiles in answer, and Ba'al knows that he's not going to get any answers. He bows respectfully before spinning on his heel and stalking from the room. A few seconds after the door closes, Xaren leans back into his chair, sighing. He opens the top left drawer of his desk and pulls out a glass and a bottle of Sake. He opens the bottle, pours some into the glass, and knocks it back. It's beginning to look like a long day.