"They were never given a chance to learn how to use it," he replied, resting his head on his hand. "Think about last night, right? Think about how you felt with that Magyck running through you. Think about how angry you felt and how badly you wanted to kill me. Now, imagine if you suddenly got exposed to that much power after years and years of being stolen from and being taken advantage of. I'm not saying it was right, of course not. But you have to think about it a little. The Natural Races have blood in their past too."
"Okay," she said coldly. "So their revenge wasn't enough the first time? They want to control us all over again?"
"No," he replied sternly. "Do you know what the treaty asks for? How much Magyck the entire human population gets?"
"25%," he said. "Of the Natural Races combined Magyck, they only get access to a fourth of it. You saw the people we walked through last night. You saw how they were starving and suffering. Now think about the Elf Kingdoms. What are the humans missing? Why do they deserve less quality of life than the Natural Races? The Elves and the Fae both benefit from the Mechanical Races' work; they get access to all the technology they make, including the ones that experiment with the Magyck that most humans never even get to see in their lifetimes. Don't you think that's unfair?"
She frowned, considering this. "Isn't there a better way to go about this besides using me as a bargaining tool? What happens if they stop giving their work?"
"Magyck will always beat technology, Cal," he said, shaking his head. "We're better at technology, it's true, but the Mechanical Races are dying in the streets. We don't have enough to help them all. For centuries, the Natural Races have taken and taken and bled the Mechanical Races dry, and we just don't have the lives to do that anymore. They won't survive."
She looked conflicted, but seemed to understand. "..Were you telling me the truth yesterday when you said you just wanted to see how it works? When you said you didn't steal from it?"
"I haven't directly lied to you yet," he replied evenly. "My sole purpose for being there the other day was to get more details about the Ortus, but... we have been siphoning off some Magyck, Calliope. This has been in the works for a while."
She sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. "I'm going to be honest, Ben.. I think using me for the treaty is just going to anger them."
"Probably," he agreed, looking tired. "Probably. But the Mechanical Races are already angry. A war is brewing and it's coming quickly and the Natural Races don't really have a right to be a little irritated at some bargaining." He stood up, dusting off his hands. "But that isn't what I brought you here for. I want to try something with you."
He walked about ten feet away from her and then turned to her. "I want us to work on your Magyck," he said, raising one eyebrow. "You have potential, Calliope. A lot of potential, but you can't... well. You know."
He smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. "I was never being mean to you," he replied playfully. "You just are a person who seems to expect the worst in people."
"You baited me into being your bargaining chip." She huffed. "I doubt any nice thing you said about me was true."
