If humans draw such cruelty out of our midst, if their presence alone degrades our civility so easily, even now, then their war on us has not yet ended. Tria had said that in all her speeches. It was also in the treatise that made the ban on bormen purchasing humans official.
Yu believed it. He generally took her word for it, in all matters human. As long as they behaved, the humans of today, be they kept in the habitat or privately owned, should be treated no worse than any other beast of burden.
The humans of today. That was the crucial distinction.
The habitats were not punishment. They were protection. They were created because no one should ever suffer from humans again. Humans must be kept apart from the world. They must never again be mistaken for people.
This was why Yu had to say something.
Yes, he had to act like a sensible guard. He had to be involved, and to show concern for the selder.
“She’s a human,” Yu said it into the room.
The words hung in the air for several seconds, before Bubs made a low, noncommittal sound. No words followed. Yu could not tell whether he had heard or was too absorbed in his work. Then, however, Bubs got off his stool, grabbed the tray with the chunks of clothing and stuffing, and placed it onto the adjacent bed. Yu believed that this meant he was finally done with the human, but then Bubs got another, empty tray, and placed it right where the first one had sat. He then gathered two more scissors, different in size but both with odd handles that had some sort of spring between them. He put them on the tray, pushed his stool further to the foot end of the human’s bed, got back on and then started cutting into the boot. It was tough work and he moved meticulously slow. By now, the leg and ancle were stabilised with towels all around. Everything was bruised and bloody and horribly swollen. Whatever this was, it would take a while.
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