Chloe nervously looked about for Sara, who was still off with Dayton, as her eyes darted uncomfortably down to Jordan. She didn’t mind him, but she was never obsessed with him like Ellie, and she often didn’t let Ellie drag her along into her escapades like Sara was prone to. But she knew Sara had always struggled to tell Ellie no.
While she knew she would have to get used to Jordan being around, she wasn’t comfortable around Littles. A miniaturized person was quite literally standing in her hand. This wasn’t normal, and she didn’t understand how anyone could think it could be. It was all too bizarre. She could feel the tiny weight of Jordan. Everything about it told her this should be a toy. Something like an action figure or a doll. However, she knew better. If she planned to have a real go at having a life with Sara. She knew Jordan was going to be a part of it.
Chloe’s family was very pro little rights, and they skewed progressive. They were all about programs to help the little’s. It was the only thing she and Sara argued about, as Sara’s family was very conservative. She understood that Sara wasn’t anti-little rights as that would have been a dealbreaker for her. But she was very much in the middle. She viewed them as equal but different and thought they should have different rights and rules governing them. Because they had different needs and requirements. Chloe understood her point, but when she looked at someone like Jordan, she saw him as someone like her, only smaller.
“So did you roll a character for this dragons and dungeons thing Steph and Sara do?” Chloe asked, trying not to make this any more awkward than it was. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous holding Jordan, but she couldn’t help it.
“The what? I think you mean Dungeons and Dragons. I don’t know much about it. What do you mean to roll a character?”
“I don’t know. Sara and Steph tried to explain it to me. It seemed like a video game before video games. Sara’s always been a bit of a nerd, as I’m sure you know. She loves her anime and games. They have a session after this. I guess she didn’t tell you.”
“No, I’m just along for the ride, as they say. I thought you all were into the same stuff,” Jordan said, sitting down in Chloe’s hand, trying to get more comfortable. He could tell she was not experienced in holding little people.
“No, I mean, I do play some video games, but I don’t really do the other types of gaming like Sara. I’m more of a sports person than sitting and playing that magic card game or doing something like this fantasy roleplaying game. But I try to keep an open mind as it’s important to her. It’s what you do for the people you love. She doesn’t care much for the hockey games I drag her to, so I guess it all balances out.”
“Can I ask you something? I’m a little ignorant about all this. I shouldn’t have believed all those conspiracy stories, but that’s water under the bridge now. But when I was with Dayton, she had said something about people training people like me with commands. Something she read on a wiki for underbreds.” Jordan asked, knowing that if anyone was going to be able to tell him, it was Chloe.
“It’s something that some people do. It’s more common overseas. You break the will and spirit of the tiny person. You starve them until their hunger claws and try to fight its way up from the pit of their stomach. The thin lining of their stomach fights to hold the hunger in, to deprive it of eating them from the inside out. People do it slowly, giving the little just enough liquid to make it to the next day. It starts out just a bottle cap of water, then 3/4ths down to a half, and finally just a quarter, then eventually nothing. Leaving the little having to drink the water, they pissed out of their bodies, and whatever sweat perspires off themselves. Before long, when your body has no liquid to expel, your lips have split open, and your tongue is rough, so rough it could cut sandpaper. That is when they come. That is when you see the light of their salvation and hope, but that salvation, that hopes comes with a heavy price. As the devil taught them well. He taught them to come bearing gifts only when they cannot refuse. As it’s a lie that you cannot break someone. Everyone talks of ideals and morals and that they would die before this and before that. However, when those devils in sheep’s clothing come bearing gifts. When you stood on moral grounds weeks ago, when they told you to sit, you refused. Now you beg, speak, roll over, and do any other demeaning command as they come and exchange food and water for your obedience. Like anyone, the little obeys and comply because they want food and water. The fear of falling back into the state keeps them obedient until soon they have been broken and rebuilt, and that is all they know. That is not the only way, though. There are other methods to break someone.”
Jordan gulped as he listened to Chloe explain the practice. It was horrifying. He couldn’t believe people did that. That people could do something so horrid to another person.
“How do you know about it?” Jordan asked.
“Before it got bad my Parents and I would go overseas to help people and we heard the stories at first and then we saw broken people. The little people were like slaves to the giants. It was the sickest thing I had ever seen. I saw one girl who was about my age she had little people made into a leather belt. Their arms were slid through tiny arm holes and strapped in on the backside of the belt. As this teen walked about while men and women of all ages screamed and cried. They were nothing but a sign of fashion and power. That was the last time we went overseas. So when I told you the other day you were lucky to have a guardian like Sara I meant it. The things people do overseas can be sickening and cruel.”
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