Bezzi-ibbi jogged forward to catch up to his friend. He said, “River?”
Jason replied, “Yeah. I want to check on Thirsty. I think she’d rather talk to Henry but he’s…busy.” Jason’s eyes looked haunted. Bezzi-ibbi knew the whole camp was sad, but Jason seemed to be taking Emilia’s death hardest. After Gonzo had found her corpse, Jason had walked off to be by himself for a while. Bezzi-ibbi had to remind himself that Terrans from their homeworld had strange morals about protecting women.
He thought it was odd. Females didn’t need protection, the most obvious reason being that they were largely expendable. In fact, most often on Ludus, males of any importance were kept secure and protected. Women were most often police, soldiers, even adventurers. It was a shame if a woman died violently, but it impacted the community less than if a man perished.
Bezzi-ibbi wondered what would transpire in the future if someone tried to put Henry and Jason in civilized captivity, tried to keep them protected. He grinned, the thought banishing some of his depression from earlier.
His brothers were like forces of nature. He wasn’t sure it would be possible to cage them. At the moment, his brother Jason-ibbi wasn’t looking very sure of himself, though.
When they got near the river, Gonzo, Vitaliya, and Uluula came into view. Jason headed that direction and Bezzi-ibbi followed. Uluula kept working as they arrived. The two Berber spies looked bored.
“Does anyone know where Thirsty went?” asked Jason. “Is anyone keeping an eye on her?”
Uluula smiled at him and said, “I am busy and have not been scanning my surrounding.” True to her words, Uluula kept filling water containers, purifying the water, and stacking the water zappers neatly on the riverbank for the group to pick up with the Battlewagon before leaving the area.
Vitaliya didn’t say anything, just kept acting as a guard. The role was necessary in case an aquatic monster tried to ambush them. However, Gonzo relied, “How should I know? Does it matter?”
Jason paused for a moment before asking, “Do you have a problem?”
Gonzo rolled his eyes and said, “I’ve heard about how Earth is now. I know what the US is like. Gay is cool now, that’s fine, I don’t care. But look, I’m Catholic, and I just had to deal with the corpse of a nice, normal girl who was sent to a strange world against her will and dumped into a situation with monsters, animal people, and mages running around.
“If you are asking if I’d rather the freak was dead instead of her, yes.”
Bezzi-ibbi needed to pause a moment in order to remember what “Catholic” meant. He recalled that it was a subset of Christianity on Terra, one of the major religions. Religion had never interested Bezzi-ibbi much. The Great Creator created the universe and was the universe. The night was Her gift of rest, the day was His blessing to all thinking people. One should try to be kind and avoid or destroy evil. These things were not complicated. The other races made everything far too complex.
Jason replied, “That’s harsh.”
Gonzo crossed his arms. “Yes, it is. And yes, I know that it’s not very Christian of me. I know that Jesus traveled with undesirables and whores. But I have no reason to avoid the issue, and I am not a very nice person, Jason Booth. I have done many things on Ludus that have left me soiled. I am a spy. I’ve had to murder in cold blood. Judging some silly man for wearing a dress is the least of my sins.
“If this were any other kind of mission, I’d tell you what I thought you wanted to hear, or what my cover persona would be thinking…but this is a very unique situation. You are basically my peer. You’ve been drafted into my organization. I am just accompanying you to Berber, so I can truly speak my mind. I thought long and hard about this, and I think it’d be better for our future working relationship if I’m straightforward with you, both good and bad.
“I don’t hate Thirsty or have any ill will towards him, but I couldn’t really give a shit what Mr. Diva is doing right now.”
“I see,” said Jason. “There’s obviously no point in arguing about it. So do you know where Thirsty went or not?”
“He, she, it—whatever—they went that way.” Gonzo gestured upriver and pointedly turned the other direction.
Without another word, Jason began walking towards where Gonzo had indicated. Bezzi-ibbi followed and decided it was a good time to practice his English. He asked, “Can you explain what that was about?”
Jason sighed. “It’s really difficult to explain because it’s a cultural thing. Well, actually, you know how some races look down on Mo’hali, and you know how apparently the whole universe looks down on gay, or homosexual men? Basically, in my culture, where I come from, fairly recently a lot of people have recognized that it’s wrong to treat people badly or hate them for being different.
“This is really hard to explain and I know I’m being vague, but some people still don’t like others for their differences, even though they believe it’s morally wrong to feel that way. I think Gonzo is like this. I think he knows he’s wrong, but he’s not willing to change his mind.”
Bezzi-ibbi thought about it and replied, “But Areva and other races send away homosexual men because they compete for resources—males. Most don’t hate homosexual men, they just make other people uncomfortable. Some people fear they’ll sway men to being homosexual. Do Terrans hate homosexual men?”
“Well, I’d be lying if I said everyone doesn’t. However, people can be very complex. Some people dislike groups but are often friends of individuals from that group. Different cultures on Earth are vastly different, too. Like in my country back home, gay people can have positions of power and influence, but in other countries, they can be killed for being homosexual. I mean, either way, Gonzo is acting homophobic.”
Bezzi-ibbi screwed up his nose; the gesture let him feel the point of one of his fangs. He asked, “Phobia means fear, yes? So the word means to be afraid of something? Gonzo doesn’t seem afraid to me.”
Jason eyed him for a moment and said, “You know, you’re really too smart for your own good sometimes. You’re making this even more difficult for me to explain. On Earth, whenever there are two sides to any opinion, there are different degrees of agreeing or disagreeing. This goes for pretty much everything.
“Homosexuals have been fighting for civil rights for a long time now. I don’t know exactly when, but in the past, people who were anti-gay were called homophobic, the idea being that they were just afraid of gay people or weren’t used to them and that was why they didn’t agree with homosexuality. Of course, this wasn’t always true, but the word stuck and now people use it as a general term to mean anti-gay, at least most people do.”
Bezzi-ibbi asked, “Again, gay means homosexual, right?” Jason nodded and Bezzi-ibbi asked, “So are all Catholics anti-gay?”
Jason sighed. “No, not even close. Well, some are. The thought is that since the Bible has passages against gay people, if Christians support gay people, they’re supporting sin. We all sin, but some think that if someone knowingly embraces the sin in their life, they’re rebelling against God.
It’s kind of complex, and more than I can go over in just one conversation. But Catholicism is a major religion. Any large religion has many different schools of thought, and even within smaller sects, there can be individuals with differing beliefs.
“Now, in the past, things were different, but these days, there are differing opinions all over the place, about pretty much everything. The same is true for Christianity. In fact, some churches even allow for gay ministers and preachers now. If you ask ten different Christians what they think about this, you may get ten different answers.”
“Then why did Gonzo say he was Catholic before?”
“You know, Bezzi-ibbi, I’ve never had to explain this before, it’s a difficult subject,” muttered Jason, his frustration bleeding into his voice. “Maybe you should talk to someone else who knows more about it, like maybe Henry.
“You know, speaking of that, if I hadn’t just run
through a crazy dungeon with Keeja yesterday, or just visited with my nonhuman wife while she was using magic to clean water a few minutes ago, I’d say that fantasy-football-player-Henry knowing about drag culture was too weird to be real.”
Jason coughed into his hand and continued, “Anyway, to answer your question, a lot of humans either feel a certain way about a group either because of religion, or they use religion as an excuse to feel that way. A person’s religious beliefs are very real to them. Most people in the world, in my opinion, are trying to be decent people and do what’s right. Unfortunately, belonging to a group, for Humans, can make us dislike other groups and even act violently towards them.
“In fact, there are still some countries on Earth where different types of people can be killed in groups, or legally treated terribly. It even still happens to Christians in some places. In other words, you can be killed for being the wrong religion. Hell, wars have been fought over religion. It’s not the most fun subject to talk about, especially since I consider myself a Christian; Assembly of God, actually.”
“So Christians hate ‘gay’ people?” The word seemed strange to Bezzi-ibbi. He’d thought gay meant happy. Why would Terrans call a group of people “happy” just to hate them? It made no sense.
Jason’s expression looked pained. “You basically just asked me the same question as you did before. The answer is not necessarily. I sure don’t, although I’d be lying if I said Thirsty doesn’t confuse me. The actual teachings of Christianity are to love everyone, that only God has the right to judge any other person. You know, Catholics are a sect of Christianity, that is why Gonzo said some of the things he said earlier. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, these are all huge religions. Each religion has a large spread of beliefs and differing morality among even billions of people. Different sects can interpret their holy books in different ways. Wars have been fought over this, too.
“In fact, in some of the same countries that gay people can be killed for no reason other than being gay, Christians can be too.”
Bezzi-ibbi was trying hard to understand Jason-ibbi’s words. “Catholicism is a sect of Christianity, and has its own sects…with people who may disagree with the sect they’re in?” Bezzi-ibbi was baffled. Terrans were truly insane. “So if both groups of people, gays and Christians or other religious people, can be bullied, even bullied together by some other group, why do they dislike each other? Or are people mistreated all over your world depending on where they are and what group they’re in?”
Jason pressed his palms into his eyes before answering, “This is a very depressing conversation. Probably the latter. Some places on my world are bad to be a certain race. There’s probably at least one place somewhere on Earth where any person would be in danger if they visited. Some countries or areas discriminate on skin color, religion, family, wealth, sexual orientation, age, or even gender.”
Bezzi-ibbi’s eyes grew wide. “Gender? You mean men are even mistreated for being men?”
“Well, some might agree with you, but I was actually talking about women. Throughout human history, females haven’t always been treated very well.”
After hearing what Jason said, Bezzi-ibbi’s first reaction was disbelief. His second was to scoff and feel superior. He’d heard stories of Terrans his whole life, how they were brutal, and primitive. Jason’s words seemed to reinforce that.
However, the Jaguar Clan heir took a mental step back and thought critically. If he was brutally honest with himself, Mo’hali weren’t that different. There was definitely a hierarchy of sorts. When the Jaguar Clan had applicants to become an indentured Hero, putting their life on the line for a job, knowing they would probably die in the process, it was never a Jaguar Clan member doing so.
The applicant was usually a lesser race Mo’hali from a poor family, sometimes even idril, adrift, Clan-less.
Bezzi-ibbi though about how to say what was on his mind in English. Then he slowly pronounced, “On Ludus, mouse Mo’hali are usually lower than other Clans. Jaguar Clan is higher ranked than Rabbit Clan.”
“Ah, so you might understand, then,” said Jason.
“No, because most Mo’hali Clans on Ludus are new, only Clans by decision.” Bezzi-ibbi paused again to remember some of his lesser-used English vocabulary. “What is the word? Planet. Before Ludus, most Mo’hali stayed on their own planet. The Jaguar race had many clans on a world. So few of us are on Ludus, and our power is so weak, that we organized Clans by sub race.”
“And some Clans are looked down on or considered more worthy than others?” Jason’s eyes widened and he said, “Yet you probably grew up loving and respecting your mother, Kinwe-na-ibbi. I bet you’ve had confrontations with other Mo’hali.”
“Yes,” said Bezzi-ibbi. He felt uncomfortable. Even thinking about others talking badly about his mother, Kinwe-na-ibbi, made him feel angry and ashamed all at once. He didn’t want to elaborate.
The topic hadn’t really ever come up before; he hadn’t had to explain it. Mo’hali just all knew and understood the politics on Ludus. “Feline Mo’hali and canine races are above most other races. Which Clans are at the top changes, but the Tiger Clan and Leopard Clan are strongest right now. The Tiger Clan deals with mercenaries and weapons. Leopard Clan is known for magic vehicles and tools.
“These are high Mo’hali. Low Mo’hali are lower. Dog, Mouse, and Fox Clans are lower.”
Jason looked confused. “High, low, what do you mean?”
Bezzi-izzi was exasperated. How could he explain such a thing to a Terran? “Breeding is important. Long ago, to survive on Ludus, more civilized, smarter Mo’hali had ownership of the main branch Clans. The shaggy Mo’hali, people closer to the ancestor animals, they got their own Clans too, and they are below the main Clans.”
Jason asked, “So Mo’hali have their own issues too, huh? So what about the Heroes that volunteer to work for the larger Clans like yours? Are they all from poor families or less affluent Mo’hali Clans?”
Bezzi-ibbi had been dreading that question, but he’d known it was probably coming. He opened his mouth to respond, but then they rounded a bend in the river, went over a hill, and saw Thirsty.
Almost immediately, Bezzi-ibbi saw text scroll over his left eye:
Dashawn David Givens, Terran, Canadian
Dolos Orb, Enchanting, Elemental Focus
First Rank
Jason had obviously gotten the, what did he call it? He’d gotten the LEDF. The tall, sandy-haired Terran man muttered, “Now that is interesting.”
* * *
Jason marveled at how much Thirsty Zha Zha’s appearance had changed. Before, he’d been a drag queen with long hair, distinct makeup, and glamorous fashion. Now he was a tall, dark-skinned man with short hair and big, calm eyes. The long hair had apparently been a wig.
Thirsty wore dark-colored skinny jeans, yellow sneakers, a cream-colored t-shirt, and a yellow handkerchief around his neck. The t-shirt had a recognizable half-white, half-red ball and the text “Balling” underneath. He wasn’t in drag anymore, but Jason thought Thirsty might still have been wearing light makeup, maybe mascara.
Jason didn’t know what to say, and he felt awkward as Bezzi-ibbi stared at Thirsty, while Thirsty stared right back at the Jaguar Clan heir. Neither the tall man nor the boy seemed upset, but Jason felt like they were playing a game to see which of them could make Jason more uncomfortable…and they were both winning.
He wanted to fill the silence somehow or he was going to just teleport away on nerves. He said, “So you had another outfit, huh?”
Thirsty answered, “Yes, I always keep a change of clothes in case I end up crashing somewhere after a show. It’s a lucky thing, too, since I sure as hell wouldn’t wanna be walking around a freaky wilderness in heels. I am really not enjoying this new change in my life. I think I liked puberty more than this.
“I’m used to being the freakiest thing around, honey. This is not my scene.”
Jason wasn’t sure how t
o respond to that. The little group started heading back to camp. After a brief silence, Jason asked, “So your name is Dashawn, right?”
Thirsty abruptly stopped and Jason came to a halt too. After a few breaths, Thirsty began walking again. “Look, I know you’re all elves or wizards or whatever the fuck, and I’ve accepted that. However, I am not cool with you reading my mind. Get out of my head. Stop that shit. Bzzzz!”
“Wait, what?” Jason stammered. “No, I am…I didn’t…”
“Also, you do know that there’s a little cat-looking boy here with us, right? He’s kind of cute in a weird, freaky way. I’m not just imagining him, am I? Every time I think he’s real, I notice again how well dressed he is and how adorable he looks. There is no way any kid, human or otherwise, can exist on this ratchet-ass world and still have fashion sense that good.
“I’ll admit, I’ve done acid before exactly once in my life, but the last twenty-four hours have that experience beat hands down. Still, I gotta admit that I wanna ask this figment of my imagination who his tailor is. That is one fierce-ass outfit.”
Bezzi-ibbi rolled his eyes and said, “Everyone can see your name. You are orb-Bonded.”
Thirsty missed a step. “The little animal boy just talked. Did you see the little bastard talk? Do you think he’d tell me where he got that vest? Also, is his hand covered in metal? It’s very Michael of him; you should tell him that if he’s real.”
Bezzi-ibbi sighed and muttered, “Terrans.” Then he gave a sidelong wink at Jason before smiling broadly at Thirsty, his grin putting his entire mouth full of sharp teeth and prominent fangs on display. Thirsty gulped, and Bezzi-ibbi chuckled. The boy said, “We will talk again soon.” Bezzi-ibbi grinned again, less widely this time, and jogged ahead.
As the Jaguar Clan heir rapidly left them behind, Jason had no idea what had just happened. Mo’hali sure can be strange, he thought.
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