Setting Camp

Lohikaarmi lights a branch on fire, and I toss it into the pile of sticks I swiftly put together.

Astra walks over, still working on her piece of bread. "Whatcha guys doing?" She asks.

"Trying to start a campfire," I say.

"Ain't looking good," Astra says and points to the fire.

She is right. I didn't have time to put any fire starter down, and the flame is rapidly dying. Only that one stick is burning.

I look over, and Faye is done feeding the horse and petting it right now. Oh well, I guess I won't have time to try it again, back to the old-school rubbing method, I suppose. I glance around for any dry grass I can use.

Faye walks backs toward us and sees the glowing piece of wood.

"Are we starting a fire?" She asks.

"Yeah, trying to, at least," I say.

Faye's smile spreads. "Ah, you should have asked me."

"No, it's fine, I know how to start a fire"

"I don't doubt that, but I have a better way," she says.

"A better way?"

"Yeah."

Faye sits down beside the pile of sticks and crosses her legs. Her ragged clothes are doing a rather poor job of covering her body in that position. Much of her thighs are exposed, revealing all the way into a place that I didn't rest my eyes for long enough to see.

She puts her hand together and closes her eyes. Is she praying? For what? Firestarters? As expected, a white glow comes out of her hands, and WHOOMPH! The sticks ignite and become ablaze, dropping a red tint over the almost completely dark woods.

Faye opens her eyes.

"Ta-da!" She says with jazz hands.

"Oh," Astra says, "not only can you heal, but you can also start fires. I wonder what blessing your mother had."

"He-he, it's nothing." Faye chuckles and scratches the back of her head.

It's nice and warm now, not that it wasn't always warm, but as the sun goes down, I can feel the temperature following it. I sit down beside Faye and the fire.

"Bring us some food, Lohikaarmi," I say.

"Yes, Master," she says.

"Wait, let me do it. Sit down, Lohikaarmi, you can rest." Faye stands up.

Lohikaarmi looks at Faye and back at me, her eyes showing that she doesn't know what to do.

"Let Faye if she wants to," I say.

Lohikaarmi nods and takes a seat on the ground next to me.

Astra's face suddenly lights up with an idea from behind Lohikaarmi. She jumps onto Lohikaarmi's back and sits on her shoulders.

"Dragon rider!" Astra yells while gripping onto Lohikaarmi's horns.

She turns her head and looks at the bratty Goddess, but Lohikaarmi doesn't show a care and lets her stay on her shoulders like that.

"I can't believe you…" I mutter.

Faye comes back with a loaf of bread and chuckles at what Astra is doing. She sits back down and rips a piece for each of us.

"If you don't mind me asking," Faye says, "what are you guys' plans?"

"We haven't really thought much through, yet. I am hoping arriving in the Holy Capital will give us some more clues," I say.

"Yeah? I guess I'm in the same boat, too," Faye says.

"Well, I do know that outdated class systems that enable discrimination have to go, so we share somewhat of a common goal."

"Outdated?" Faye asks.

"It's just… I mean… like, we shouldn't have something like that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. It's good to know that you guys are on us elves' side, too."

I nod.

The embers dance up into the night sky, disappearing beneath the stars.

"Why are elves discriminated against in the first place?" I ask.

"That's a good question," Faye says, "I have wondered that for a while, too. We elves are more physically apt than humans. We live longer. We are better farmers, hunters, miners, loggers, and everything than humans. N-No offense."

"None taken."

"But, there is one thing that we elves are not as good at, and that is praying. I have read up some books on this topic, as well, and I think the humans see us as less of a loved race by the Goddess, which is why we can't pray, but then Astra told me about the Blessed Beasts, who are blessed humans, so now, I don't understand on what basis the humans are discriminating against." Faye says.

A lot to unpack there. Cisca's Master's degree in sociology can probably come into handy right about now, but I think I can figure it out. On Earth, race was merely a social construct, therefore, there was never a basis for discrimination, and yet it went on for such a long time.

It's pretty obvious in this case, because elves, as a race, is not a social construct. They are real and have actual biological differences. So, the humans probably oppress them either out of fear or to exploit them. They are indeed much better laborers than humans, especially with the added bonus that they have such long lifespans. There's no worry that they will chase their pipe dreams in the big city, allowing them to be more easily manipulated.

Elves are likely only being discriminated against purely for the benefit of humans. It's almost as if they don't have a set of morals to follow.

I say, partially directing this at Astra, "You know, I wonder why, that even though there is an omnipotent Goddess, she doesn't bother to fix unjust like this."

Astra notices that this conversation has now dragged her into it. She looks over.

Faye asks, "Well, what's there for the Goddess to do?"

"Is there an oracle in Terradivina?" I ask.

"An oracle?

"Like, someone who can communicate with the Goddess."

"Oh, Her Holiness the Pope, yeah, she can receive signs and messages from the Heavens," Faye says.

"Then, why doesn't the Goddess just beam down a message and tell the Pope that discriminating against elves is wrong?"

"I…" Faye chokes on her words.

"Well," Astra says, "maybe the Goddess wants them to solve their own problems."

"But this is such a big problem that can be fixed so easily. Can't the Goddess just interfere for a little bit? Like what she did for the saints?" I ask.

"No, the Goddess can't make huge interferences like that, probably," Astra says.

"So it's true that the Goddess loves elves less."

"No, of course not. The Goddess loves those who love her and themselves. It doesn't matter what race they are."

"Then why has the Goddess made it harder for the elves to love her?"

"Please," Faye cuts off our little proxy argument, "it's not at all a fault of the Goddess, because if it is, then there's nothing we can do to change it, and also, the Goddess is the most gentle and loving, She would never do something like this."