(TATB) Ch 21: Ones Reason, Ones Cause!

Sitting inside the plastic container, I tried to keep my breathing steady. It wasn't claustrophobic, not exactly—it was just the knowledge of where I was and what was happening that made it feel like the walls were pressing in. Skylar's makeshift transportation wasn't uncomfortable or anything, and I had to admit she handled it with care. The container barely moved as she carried it, which was impressive considering the sheer speed we had to be moving at.

But that didn't stop my nerves.

The semi-transparent plastic blurred my view of the outside world, but I could see enough to tell it was all a blur. Every second we moved, I knew we were covering distances that would take hours for me to cross on foot. Brobs truly were... something else. I had always known that. Living under their shadows, you couldn't not know it. But being held by one? Even indirectly? That was a whole different kind of humbling.

Skylar's voice broke through my thoughts, loud and echoing despite her clear attempts to sound soft and gentle. "Okay, Victor," she said, "I'm setting the container down now. I'll tilt it a little so you can walk out."

I swallowed hard, gripping the floor—the wall?—of the container as the movement slowed and then stopped. "O-okay," I managed to stutter, my voice feeling embarrassingly small.

The world tilted. My stomach dropped, and I scrambled to keep myself upright, sliding down the smooth surface until my feet hit solid ground. I hesitated for a moment, staring at the edge where the container opened up to the outside world. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and climbed out.

And then I stopped.

The table beneath me was massive—flat, hard, and stretching out far enough to feel like an empty plain. But it wasn't just the table that had my attention. No, it was the towering shapes scattered around it, objects that loomed like oversized monuments. A coffee mug sat to my right, easily the size of a building. A notebook lay open nearby, its pages looking like they could double as sails for a ship. Everything around me screamed one thing: I don't belong here.

Then came the rumble.

I turned sharply, and there she was. Skylar.

Sitting down, she was still impossibly massive. Her presence dominated my entire field of view. Her legs were tucked beneath the table, and her upper body loomed high above, her face an enormous yet somehow soft and curious focal point. She rested her elbows on the table, her head propped up by both hands as she leaned in closer to me.

"So," she said with a slight smile, her voice warm but unavoidably booming. "Shall we talk?"

I swallowed hard again, forcing myself not to take a step back. What would that even accomplish? Instead, I straightened my back as much as I could, doing my best to look confident—even though I probably looked like a twig trying to stand up to a hurricane.

"Y-yeah," I said finally, my voice barely loud enough for me to hear, let alone her. I cleared my throat, gathering what little composure I had left. "Let's talk."

Her smile widened slightly, and her hands shifted, one of them moving to rest on the table near me. Even her fingers were gigantic. It was hard to focus on anything else when they were so close, but I forced myself to look up, meeting her eyes—well, sort of. I could only hold her gaze for a second before looking away again.

"You don't have to be so nervous," Skylar said, her tone light. "I don't bite. Sydney already confirmed that."

I blinked, caught off guard by her joke, and I couldn't help but let out a small, awkward laugh. "I... I'm not nervous."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced but amused. "Right. Not nervous at all."

My cheeks flushed. "Okay, maybe a little. This is just... a lot to take in."

"That's fair," she said, nodding. "It's a lot for me too, you know. Talking to someone so tiny—it's not something I ever imagined I'd be doing. But I want to do this right. So take your time."

Her sincerity caught me off guard. I'd expected something else—maybe more arrogance or condescension. Instead, she sounded... genuine. And that made it harder for me to hold onto my nerves.

I nodded slowly. "Thanks. I'll... try."

Skylar leaned back slightly, giving me a bit more space. "So, Victor. You're the town's representative now, huh? How's that going?"

I let out a breath, finally feeling like I could talk without tripping over my own words. "It's... unexpected. I didn't exactly volunteer for the role."

She tilted her head, curious. "No? Then why'd they pick you?"

"That's a good question," I said with a dry laugh. "Sydney seems to think I'm some kind of natural leader. I'm not sure I agree with him, but... here I am."

Skylar smiled again, softer this time. "Maybe he sees something you don't."

"Maybe," I admitted. "Or maybe he's just stubborn."

Her laugh filled the space around me, warm and almost comforting despite its sheer volume. "He does seem like the determined type."

I couldn't help but smile a little. "That's one way to put it."

The conversation felt a little easier now, the weight of the moment lifting just enough for me to breathe. Still, I couldn't shake the awe of standing here, talking to someone who could crush me without even noticing if she wanted to. It was surreal. Terrifying. And, somehow, not as bad as I'd expected.

Skylar tilted her head again, her gaze curious. "So, what do you want for the town, Victor? What's your vision?"

I hesitated, not because I didn't have an answer, but because I wasn't sure how to put it into words. Finally, I looked up at her again, meeting her gaze.

"I just want us to have a chance," I said quietly. "A chance to build something real. Something safe. A place where we don't have to keep running, where we don't have to live in fear of... everything."

Skylar's expression softened, and she nodded slowly. "That's a good goal. And I'll do whatever I can to help you make it happen."

Her words settled over me like a warm blanket, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe—just maybe—we could actually pull this off.

Skylar's question hung in the air like a weight I wasn't sure I could carry. "So," I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady, "why are you doing all of this for us? Helping us create a city, a life... Why would you care?"

Skylar's expression softened, and for a moment, she looked more human than giant. She leaned back slightly, her massive form still looming over me but less oppressive somehow. "Why wouldn't I care?" she said softly, but when I didn't answer, she sighed, looking out the window. "You have to understand, Victor, I've spent my entire life surrounded by Brobs who look at Lillis like... pests. Tools, at best. Contempt doesn't even begin to cover it."

She paused, her eyes narrowing as she seemed to get lost in her thoughts. "And after everything your people have done for us—after everything we owe you."

That caught me off guard. "What do you mean?"

Skylar looked back at me, her expression serious now. "It's because of Lilliputian technology that Brobs even came this far as a society. You're the ones who developed the advancements that made our world what it is. Medicine, engineering, even communication—so much of it started with you. And how did we repay you?" Her voice turned bitter, almost angry. "By taking your lands, your resources. By leaving you with scraps and calling it generosity."

I didn't know what to say to that. I'd never heard a Brob admit something like that before. Hell, I wasn't sure most of them even knew it.

Skylar's voice softened again, but the weight of her words didn't. "And let's not forget whose fault the Hundred Year War really was."

That hit me like a punch to the gut. "The Hundred Year War," I murmured, my gaze falling to the table.

Skylar's eyes drifted back to the window, her expression far away. "The Five Warriors," she said, almost too softly for me to hear.

My head snapped up, and I stared at her in surprise. "You know about the Five Warriors?"

She nodded, her gaze still distant. "They're proof that Lilliputians are so much stronger than people think. They were heroes, Victor. They brought us Brobs to our knees."

Heroes.

The word echoed in my mind, sharp and grating. It made my stomach twist, my fists clench. Skylar looked down at me, a faint smile on her face. "It's in honor of those brave soldiers, and because of my admiration for the Lilliputian people, that I want to help you. You deserve a chance to live, to thrive. Just like anyone else."

Her words were kind, almost reverent, but they didn't sit right with me. They churned in my chest like a storm I couldn't hold back.

"They weren't heroes," I said quietly, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Skylar blinked, leaning closer. "I'm sorry, Victor. What did you say?"

I looked up at her, my jaw tightening. "The Five Warriors weren't heroes." My voice was firmer now, the storm in my chest spilling out. "All they were... were murderers."