2024-07-19 - Casual Misandry

It wasn’t often that this mind came to visit. Xlyoth recognized it, but did not know it. She listened to his thoughts with rapt attention, wanting to know what he thought and how he was.

She heard the compliments he bestowed on her and the Others. Large, strong. Mother said nice things about them, but they were about them, and Yuakajth’s words were the same words, but they were about him. He had made them be big and strong. How many would be leader-bronzes and leader-browns? Was that important? How many would be green? Xlyoth misliked how he thought of greens. She couldn’t grasp what it meant, but it felt slimy and made Xlyoth not want to be green. How long until she knew?

She decided she didn’t like this him. Everything he thought was actually about himself. HIS eggs. HIS catch. His Protoges. HIS win. She didn’t want to be HIS. Everything his thoughts touched was gross.

Issrodeth had said it better - the choice was to shore up weaknesses, to make the Weyr stronger. It wasn’t about HIM, it was about the whole of them. All of them. He was a weak link, and they would have to work harder because of him.