Blessed by Night

"No. You can't argue for the removal of our leaders and then in the next breath say that you want to keep Arias installed as a head of your faction. That is completely unacceptable." Awena said firmly.

As one could see, negotiations were already underway and hoing less than smoothly.

"Arias isn't that bad." Anna defended.

"He's killed an estimated 2,500 people."

Anna almost choked on her quail.

Arias spent so much time frittering around their house and starting nonsensical arguments with her fiancé that she forgot the guy used to be a Bonafide terrorist.

Life was real funny like that.

"Look. I'm aware that he's a little... unsavory in certain circles." Anna began.

"Mostly those involving humanity."

"Yes, that's true, but only when they're being self-serving, bigoted, heinous pieces of shit."

"So he can only work for the betterment of those he sees as morally correct? I'm not arguing with you that things before were picture-perfect because they weren't, but I need you to see just how slippery of a slope this is. Arias is dangerous."

Anna ate her dinner angrily. She hated when people she argued with started making sense.

"You also have to think about any integration. Do you honestly believe that the people in our territories will readily follow a man who was just threatening to murder them all and make them second class citizens less than two years ago? People still don't trust the fucking CIA for god's sake."

"That's because-" Malachi began.

Awena held up her hand. "I know that they have good reason, but that's exactly my point.

If people still aren't over something that happened in the 80s then do you think they'll readily fall under Arias now? After such little time has passed??

This won't be seen as some conspiracy theory that half the population doesn't believe in.

Arias' threats were made publicly. How do you think it'll go when that man asks the unruly American people to follow him?"

The more this dinner progressed, the more Malachi was realizing that he and Anna were a bit outclassed here.

The two of them were young. They had leadership positions, but no real political experience.

Malachi went to school to be a psychologist. Anna, a painter.

Awena was as sharp as a tack and had years of experience in this. Her family was a military one, so it wouldn't be far off to say that she was bred for this conversation.

Malachi was the son of a goddess. A genetic hybrid of an alien species. And a plausible contestant for a cooking competition show in the future.

But he was not a politician. There were just too many things he didn't know.

And rather than remaining prideful and bumbling along into a bad deal, he would've rather done the smart thing, and admit his shortcomings.

He placed his fork down on the edge of his plate.

He looked to his left, and then his right. Awena raised a brow suspiciously.

"…Big table." He finally said.

"Not as quick as you are pretty, huh?"

Malachi ignored her dig. "Seems like you might have the room for a few more faces."

Awena seemed to get his meaning as she leaned back in her chair.

"…If you're fine with a few more dinner guests of my own."

"As long as they meet our criteria."

"I'll assure you that they will."

Malachi and Awena stood up at the same time.

"I need to make a phone call."

"As do I."

They both exited the dining room through separate doors- leaving Anna behind.

She looked at the plates of both her dinner guests and checked the entryways.

"…" Anna plucked the untouched bread off both of their plates.

She glared daggers into the guards along the wall and released just the faintest bit of pressure.

"Keep your damn mouths shut if you know what's good for you."

Even though the men did not take orders from this woman, they couldn't help but find themselves nodding along in fear.

Outside in the hallway, Malachi slipped his phone back into his pocket.

The shadows rose up at his feet and two figures started to take shape.

Before they were even fully formed, two fists sailed out and struck him in the stomach and jaw.

Arias and Morgan appeared in the hallway-each of them smoldering with agitation and resentment.

"Pretty rude greeting , don't you think?" Malachi rubbed his jaw.

Arias: "You're lucky I don't go to your house and crease every one of your sneakers for what you and Anna did!"

"I-I understand that-"

Arias: "AND wash your cast iron pan."

"Too far, bitch!"

Morgan has to step in the middle of the two warring family members and act as a deterrent from violence. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

"That's enough, you two. We can figure out how to get back at Malachi later."

"Hey!"

"For now, just tell us why you've called us here. And why you had us bring all this stuff?" Morgan lifted up a thick folder full of documents.

Malachi swallowed his anger and turned to face Arias with a serious expression.

"I need to know something first. Did you decide to change the world because you wanted to be worshipped, or because you were tired of the way things were?"

Arias stared at Malachi like he'd grown a second head.

"Just answer the question." Mal insisted.

"…I'll let you do that. After everything you've seen from me in the past few months, what is your opinion of me now? What kind of man do I seem like to you?" Arias challenged.

What should have been a simple question felt like a complex mathematical equation.

Malachi knew many versions of Arias.

The murderer. The cult leader. The zealot.

But he also knew the patient man who worked minimum wage jobs so that he never lost touch with the day-to-day life of ordinary people.

The man who cleaned trash in the streets and knew every single employee who worked in his office building by name. He even went jogging in the mornings with some of the old cafeteria ladies.

And Malachi had seen him more than once try to cast aside his prejudices for the greater good of all.

Arias was a monster. That much was true.

But perhaps he was only a symptom of a problem that had grown unchecked for far too long.

It doesn't absolve him from the accountability of his choices.

But it does prove that, if nothing else, he is a testament to the fact that people's motivations are not always what they seem on the surface.

Mal didn't believe Arias hated humanity at all.

In fact he believed that he loved it so much that he would rather do anything other than see it collectively decay any further.

Malachi made up his mind in short order.

He held open the door to the dining hall, and gestured for both men to join him inside.

"Hope neither of you had any plans tonight. I think we might be here a while."