The three flowers

I had to know this.

I wish I wouldn’t have to do this, but Cassandra leaves me ****. “I order you to tell me about your relationship with Ojou-sama.”

And Cassandra began to speak.

“Used to be orphans, Ojou, Feena and me. Lived in the slums of the city and survived by doing petty crime.”

“That haughty, rich girl used to be an orphan?” That was rather hard to believe.

“Pretty wild, huh?” Cassandra showed me a grin. “She was the brain of the group. Always came up with crazy plans to make money. Feena was the face, deceiving our marks, while I was the muscle, relieving them of their valuables. Worked pretty well.”

“You had to fend for yourself? Was there nobody to take care of you? No orphanage or something?”

The huntress sneered. “Sure, got plenty of them in Rasheul. Parents can even drop their unwanted brats off and get a couple of gold coins. More when they are cute.”

I winced. “That can’t be legal.”

Cassandra merely smiled bemused. “The orphanages sell kids to the highest bidder. No question’s asked. The smart ones knew what was up, the dumb ones got adopted. I was one of the smart ones and escaped that hellhole. Guess I was around eight back then?”

“And that was when you ran into Ojou and Feena?”

“More or less”, Cassandra shrugged vaguely. “So next couple of years, we basically did what we had to survive. Wasn’t exactly pretty but a city like this? Plenty of easy marks.”

I expected as much.

Anyways”, she continued. “One time we messed with a not so easy mark. Don-sama, leader of the Sama-Syndicate, biggest mob group in the city.”

That is quite the..uh...target.

“Of course we got caught. I expected the worst, Don decided to surpass my expectations. Turned us into his daughters/whores. His three pretty flowers, he used to call us. Want me to go into details, Daddy?”

I quickly shook my head.

“Thinking about it, that must have been Ojou's aim from the start.” Cassandra laughed before continuing. “The old fuck was a ruthless bastard. But also very cunning. He was fucking us but also groomed us into leadership positions.”

“Wait…” I needed a moment to properly comprehend this. “He groomed you into leadership? Why? Didn't he have any heirs?”

Cassandra chuckled, as if this was merely an amusing memory. “The scumbag was probably responsible for half the cities population. That was the thing though, Don-sama didn’t discriminate. Didn’t matter if trueborn, bastard or adopted, the most able would inherit the Sama name.”

Cassandra’s gaze turned somewhat distant as she watched the river. “The whole fucking family was full of backstabbing, scheming and framing. Siblings murdered each other just to raise slightly higher in the ranks. It was a slaughterhouse. Don encouraged it almost openly. Trimming the weed, he called it.”

I shook my head in utter disbelief. “There is no way any organization can function like this.”

“Oh, where you there?”, Cassandra snapped. “No? Then don’t tell me what the fuck is or isn’t possible.”

“Sorry”, I apologized sheepishly. “And you took part in this...slaughter?”

For some reason, Cassandra now started to grin. “We had two advantages. First of, we were brats. None of our siblings viewed us a threat while they tore each other to pieces. Second. While we made a big show of opposing each other in public, clamoring for Don’s affection like a bunch of horny sluts, the three of us always worked together.” Cassandra laughed. “Ojou played these dumbfucks like a fiddle. Remember the big, burly guy back at the mansion? Deltz?”

I recalled the massive frame.

“That one was one of Don’s trueborn sons. He switched over to our side fairly early on. I was the one who convinced him actually.” With a grin Cassandra opened her mouth and flicked her tongue around rather vulgarly. “Want me to show you how, Daddy?”

I politely declined and Cassandra shrugged.

“So, the weed got trimmed while the three flowers bloomed. Course, it wasn’t as poetic as I make it sound. Took about five years of constant, fucking agony.”

“Is that when you got these scars?”

She nodded. “One of Don’s cunt daughters used to whip me. Pretty high ranking one, too. Was how the cunt got off. Felt fucking amazing when I finally got her exiled. Anyways, once the time was right we joined our forces in public and the rest of the family either submitted or got crushed. Of course Don-sama was still the one in charge. Going against him was not smart. Besides, he continued to groom us for leadership and time was on our side. Believe it or not, we where actually kinda happy. At least I was. In hindsight though, it was very obvious.”

I had a feeling I know where this was going.

“One day, Don-sama took all of us aside separately. He was already an old fuck when he first got us and at this point he was a walking corpse. It was finally time to choose a successor.”

“And he choose Ojou-sama”, I surmised.

“Heh”, Cassandra scoffed. “He gave each of us the option to claim the title of successor. The first to do so would inherit it. The other two would get executed on the spot.”

“I see.”

“No you don't.” Cassandra shook her head, her voice taking on a somber tone. “First to spoke up that day...was me. I don't remember what justification my mind came up with back then, but I do remember the shock in Ojou's and Feena's eyes. And Don-samas laughter.”

“See, Ojou? See?”, he screeched with that nasty, fucking laugh of his. “True friends do not exist! Trust in them will only lead to betrayal!”

Cassandra laughed as she stared in the flowing river.

“Told you the old bastard was cunning. He had already chosen Ojou as his successor. Her intelligence and political finesse was far above the rest. A true fucking prodigy. The only issue with her was that she wasn't ruthless enough. So, he created this betrayal to get rid of her weakness.”

“But you are not dead.”

“Nothing gets by you, eh? Don-sama decided to leave my fate up to Ojou. She didn't kill me, merely stripped me of all my possessions and tossed me naked to the streets. Feena fared a bit better, but the damage was done. Ojou could never trust anyone again.”

“Is this why you became a slaver?”

“I guess?”, the huntress shrugged. “It was an easy enough way to make money. And I already betrayed my best friends. What’s a few strangers more?”

“Cassandra...”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but there is no deep psychological reasoning behind my profession. I'm just a piece of shit. Always was.”

I remained silent.

“See? Told you, you would regret it. I bet you where expecting some sob story, so you could justify my actions. Well too bad, some people are just born evil.”

I stared in the slaver’s face for a rather long time.

Then I chuckled.

Cassandra gave me an incredulous look. “Your...laughing?”

“Well...” I took a deep breath. “I'm sorry, it's just, you are a bit of a moron.”

“Oi”, the huntress narrowed her eyes. “Just because I’m evil doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

“Sorry, but you are.”

“Fuck you!”, Cassandra spat.

In contrast, I calmly smiled. “Think about it. You base your entire personality around a split second decision you where manipulated into by a deranged psychopath.”

“Don't downplay this you...you...I was willing to sacrifice my friends!”

“For your own safety. That makes you a coward, not evil.”

That did not please Cassandra. Seems like I hit a nerve there. “I am many things”, she growled. “But I am no coward.”

“Then why didn’t you apologize?”

For a brief moment it looked like Cassandra had even trouble to comprehend the word. “Are you fucking insane? How the fuck could they possibly forgive me for what I did?”

“Who said anything about forgiveness? This is about you accepting responsibility.” I nodded. “As I was saying. A coward.”

“Stop calling me that!”, Cassandra roared enraged. Wow, looks like I genuinely managed to upset her. “I didn’t apologize because I don’t give a fuck about them! You have seen with your own god damn eyes how I treated Feena! Isn’t it fucking obvious?”

For a brief moment I contemplating confronting her with the truth right here and now. But I decided against it. I’m not the one who needed to be convinced.

As such, I merely shrugged. “Suit yourself. Regardless of fool or coward, what you did as a slaver definitely counts as evil and I will make you take responsibility for it.”

It took a few seconds, but then Cassandra recovered in her usual manner. “No surprise there. Maybe I should hope that you lose tomorrow instead, Daddy. Take my chances with snakedick.”

I chuckled again and stood up. “Lets go back, I believe I still need to give you an ass fucking?”