Phovos watched as the winged Rethan approached with caution. She found it weird that he had wanted to meet in the middle of nowhere, but since she was the one with the deal to make, she thought why not? Was a nice place anyway.
“Hi!”
Elkay didn’t reply. He stopped in his tracks, then glanced around, as if he was being watched by someone other than the curvy, casually-dressed Thanatian standing in front of him. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and only when he was certain everything was clear, Elkay spoke.
“Hello, Phovos.”
Phovos smirked. “I worried you wouldn’t show.”
“Why would I not show up? I set up this meeting. Did not think you would arrive first. It is a force of habit of mine, to check that everything is safe and in order before I speak.”
The Raptor sat down on the ground, where she had laid a purple and white picnic blanket, covered in various Thanatian delicacies. She beckoned Elkay to join her.
“You brought food.”
“Mhm. Best way to have a deal. Not over alcohol though, like Cassids recommend. Bad idea. Food is always a good talking point though, everyone has to eat!” Phovos grinned as she took a bite out of what looked like some sort of jellied sweet, in the shape of a bone.
Elkay slowly walked over, then sat down. Until then, his wings had been tucked away on his back, but now he was somewhere private, he let them loose.
“Why did you do that?” Phovos asked.
“They get in the way and draw too much attention while travelling through town…” Elkay sighed. “That is not what I want. And the main reason I am not happy about your offer.”
“Oh, that!” Phovos’s eyes lit up. “Yes, my offer!”
The Raptor pulled several sheets of paper out from underneath the blanket, then handed them to Elkay to read, only to be surprised just how quickly Elkay would do that.
“This is just an extension of what the letter in your package said.”
“You read fast… But yeah. More detailed.”
Elkay read the notes again, sighing to himself.
“I do not understand why you are making this offer, Raptor. Part of me wants to think that you are using me and my Ksa, for some unknown personal gain. Or perhaps using Arkay to get to me.”
Phovos’s grin faded. “That is not true at all. If I wanted to ‘get’ to you, I can do so whenever I want. And legally there is nothing you can do to stop me as long as you’re within the boundaries of Palaestra.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact,” Phovos tutted. “I own Palaestra. It’s my city, and according to Thanatian and Vriskeran law, I can do as I please with my city. I could have had the exiled Vice General of the Retha arrested and paraded into my arena for my own personal amusement…” She paused for a moment. If Elkay seemed worried, he wasn’t showing it. “… That’s what most Thanatians would do. I’m not most Thanatians. I’m the Raptor and I’m better than that.”
“But you still want me to fight in your arena for your own personal amusement.”
“Oh no. Not just my amusement!” the Raptor beamed. “Everyone’s amusement! There may not be blood in my bloodsports any more, but people still want it. Particularly the wealthy races. The Cassids. The Vohran Queens. The Rethans. The Vrekans. All four of your kind.”
Elkay sighed, tired of Phovos’s monologue. “You want me to fight in your arena because one versus one battles are cheaper and easier to organize than what you have been doing currently.”
“Oooooh!” Phovos’s grin only got bigger and toothier. “You’re smart!”
“That is why I was elected as Vice General of the Retha for five consecutive terms. But what I do not understand is why. You have a huge selection of prime talent sitting on your doorstep. You have the Dessaron all here, willing to fight for you. You have Ksa and Kalsa Warriors. You have bloody Thraki willing to fight for you. Why me?”
Phovos didn’t say anything at first, and instead took a handful of what looked like small sausages. She glanced at Elkay, then looked away.
“I just want to help you.”
“There is clearly more to it than that.”
“Fine…” Phovos chomped through the sausages. “There are multiple reasons. The first is that I hate General Photeianos. I think he’s a stubborn, racist moron. He’s also just cut almost all funding for the Rethan Dessaron teams outside of medical care. So I am very pissed off about that. I can cover the costs for now, but I’ll probably end up losing two of them…”
Elkay shrugged. He hated Photeianos as well, but he had thought that maybe too much was being spent on violent entertainment. “What else?”
“The second is that you’re a great warrior and you’ll be great in the arena. The third… Well…”
“Well?”
Phovos looked up. Her grin had been replaced with a frown. “I feel sorry for you. I pity you.”
Elkay rolled his eyes. He felt… almost insulted by Phovos’s words. “There is no damn need to pity me. With or without your assistance, I will pull through.”
“That’s not what I mean!” Phovos protested. “You and I, we have way too much in common. Unwanted hatchlings who raised themselves, with no known father, born from virgin births, unable to have children of their own, only to be thrown out by the rest of their kind. The only being who helped me build Palaestra was Lokmah. I clawed my way back into being a powerful Thanatian. I see you doing the exact same thing. I. Want. To. Help.”
Elkay remained silent for a moment.
“H-how do you know I can’t have kids?”
“I… I just assumed. I can’t… Virgin birth means I lack vital DNA to produce healthy offspring. If I were to have a child, it would always end in a miscarriage… I assumed, because you’re from a virgin birth… it’d be the same.”
The Rethan sighed, before speaking once more.
“Fine. I will fight for you. But on several conditions.”
“Like what?” Phovos grabbed a pen from her bag and started writing on a spare piece of paper.
“Number one. I need to be completely anonymous. The knowledge that I am fighting in your arena is to be known only by you, myself, my Ksa and your top associates. No one else.”
“I’d drop the Ksa, actually…” Phovos interrupted. “They make you so damn obvious.”
“Alright, fine, not my Ksa. Or your top associates. You and me only.”
“Done. What else?”
Elkay thought to himself. “Hm. I want a cut of all profits made by my fighting. Broadcast fees, ticket sales, merchandise, the works. Five percent, for now. See how that goes.”
“Done.”
“And I want the funds to be able to get proper colouration treatments done. And to design my own armour.”
Phovos blinked. “You don’t want the gold armour?”
“No. It’s beautiful but it is what Photeianos would wear. I am better than that.”
“Fair enough. Consider it done.”
Elkay thought to himself again. “I… can’t think of anything else for now.”
Phovos reached over, her clawed hand extended and open. “I’ll write up a new contract and send it to you. Sound good?”
“Sounds lovely,” Elkay smiled, shaking her hand vigorously. “I can’t wait.”