Maazi the Beaten II
You make your decision after some careful consideration. “Who is master, Maazi? Why aren’t you with them? I don’t know a lot about this whole djinn and master thing, but, I would expect that you’d be with your master until they’d used up their three wishes.”
Maazi regards you for a beat before answering. “Usually, I suppose so,” he rolls his eyes at saying this, “although it also depends on the djinn in question. Whereas some are tolerable of your ilk, I personally prefer my solitude rather than having to be stuck with a human for too long. Your kind is irksome to me, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.”
You don’t say anything in response. Neither does Moirine.
Maazi glances between the two of you, then snorts. “As far as who and where my Master is, they aren’t in this Shard. You’ve gathered that much, I would assume, hm?”
“Aye,” Moirine says. “So where are they, then?”
“Do you actually want to know?” Maazi replies, lifting a single eyebrow. “Besides, what do I get out of this if I tell you? I’m certainly not fazed by your paltry threats, and I don’t fear whatever comes my way after this little ‘chat’ has ended. I may have no authority here, but you lack authority, too, selkie.” He sneers. “I may as well create something out of thin air that sounds sincere, then send you off while I slink back into my lamp.”
Moirine twitches. You can feel the irritation growing inside of her.
You, on the other hand, try from a different angle. “Are you trying to protect them?”
Maazi’s raised eyebrow lowers as he glances back at you. “Pardon?”
“Your master,” you say. “Are you acting like you hate all of us humans, but in reality you’re fond of the one you’re serving? Is that why you’re not giving us a name or telling us anything about them?” You blink as something pops into your mind. “Actually… is that why you’re still granting wishes for them even though they’re not around?”
“How dare you!” Maazi bellows, his voice causing the floor to quake just like it did from Moirine’s outburst. “How dare you even think to insinuate I have even a shred of ‘fondness’ for one of your wretched kind, mortal!” His chest swells, and his eyes glow violently. “You insult me by even causing me to speak such a repulsive thing, dreg!”
“So why are you against telling us?” you ask. You aren’t even acting condescending or smug in your question; you’re legitimately wondering what the deal is, and the way Maazi is reacting isn’t doing anything to disparage your gut feelings on the subject.
Maazi appears utterly incensed. You definitely struck a nerve inside the genie.
“They’re right,” Moirine says; she sounded less like she was holding back her anger now and more like she’d suddenly caught onto something, because her confidence had returned. “You’re acting like a petulant little infant right now, and it’s making you look less like a djinn and more like a spoiled human brat.” She smirked at him. “I mean, you’re literally throwing a temper tantrum over every little thing. It’s quite sad, really.”
Maazi remains deathly quiet at first. His previously unreadable expression is now one of unspoken rage, and you can almost hear the violent things he wants to do from a mere glimpse of his yellow, glowing eyes. And yet, he deflates again after a long, tense bout of silence. His anger evaporates into thin air, and this time around, as his shoulders slump and his furious glower fades, you somehow feel he’s fully resigned himself now.
“What’s the use anymore?” Maazi mutters, and his tone has broken from a confident, if livid one, to an almost… defeated one. His whole demeanor has changed within literal seconds, in fact, and he proceeds to flop down onto the floor. “I can do nothing but puff myself up and pretend as if I’m still the djinn I used to be. But I’m not. I’ve been reduced to a hollow joke compared to what I once was. Damnation upon this wretched realm…”
You and Moirine share a look. You’re both equally confused.
“Uh…” you say.
Maazi sighs. “You’re right. There, I’ve said it. You have the vocalized proof that I, once a powerful and fearsome djinn capable of toying with the minds of any foolish mortal in his vicinity, have…” He groaned. “I… have somehow grown… something akin to this horrid thing mortals possess called emotions!” He made a noise of disgust. “To even say such a thing is a disgrace to the djinn I used to be,” Maazi adds. “What a shame I am…”
…that… didn’t go the way I expected it to, you think.
Holy shit, tell me about it, Fia says. You’d almost forgotten she was still there with you.
Maazi’s head droops abysmally. “You won’t understand the sheer agony speaking these words brings me. Why, I would be ridiculed by many among my kind if any of them heard me speak such folly aloud.” He shakes his head. “And yet, I have been bested by a selkie and a human, after centuries of always being a step ahead of those around me! I have been fooled and had my hand revealed… thus, I have no pride left to cling onto.”
“What in the everloving fuck are you going on about, djinn?” Moirine asks.
Maazi sighs once more. “What does it SOUND like, selkie?! I am beaten, and I am not used to feeling this level of shame!” He looks up at the two of you finally. “I’ve been reduced to this pitiful dreck because I have allowed myself to grow soft, and I hate it.”
“Wha…?” you say. You’re very, very lost.
“Can you explain yourself, you whiny bitch?” Moirine asks.
Maazi grunts. “Over the past few centuries, I have found myself losing more and more of the mentality I once held, and it’s primarily because of this damnable Shard that I’ve been placed in for eons. I’ve been stuck in my lamp, forced to listen to the constant prattling of the humans who pass me by, both their external words and their internal ones. And worse, I’ve been forced to feel their ‘emotions,’ too, which drains me so.”
“Wait… what?” Moirine says. “Djinn can’t read thoughts, let alone sense…”
“Yes, I am aware!” Maazi says, clearly exasperated. “Yet for some unspeakable reason, I’ve gained this abominable power thanks to this Shard! From the moment I was brought here centuries ago in the past, I have had the utmost displeasure of experiencing mortal emotions and thoughts, day in and day out! Every woe in their lives, every pain, every single negative thing… I couldn’t escape them, and I still can’t to this very day. They’ve worn me down and now, I can’t escape these… these FEELINGS that linger within me!”
He hangs his head once more, looking almost comically defeated, and you are honestly gobsmacked; you didn’t expect this from what you’d been told about djinn, especially given how he acted previously when he turned you into a selkie in the first place.
You glance at Moirine. Um, Moirine… is this… is this normal?
No, Moirine replies. Her lips purse, a mix of confusion and bewilderment written all over her face as she stares at the djinn. This… This is… anything but normal, pup.
Maybe he’s just acting? And this is all just to throw us for a loop? you ask.
Moirine shakes her head. Believe me when I say this, pup: there is absolutely no bloody chance that a djinn, even the friendliest of djinn, would ever willingly act this way. No djinn would ever lower themselves to this degree by crumpling to the ground and admitting to being bested so… dramatically, even for a ruse. It’s not feasible; djinn are too proud as a whole, and this display is completely against what they stand for.
You run a hand through your hair. …jeez. So… he’s being honest, then?
This makes no stinking sense, Fia says. If he’s not acting, which I highly doubt as Moirine said, then he’s telling the truth. But how such a thing could happen to a djinn of all beings is beyond me – they’re normally too powerful to be affected by lesser magics.
You furrow your brow. You don’t grasp all of this fully, yet you try to consider what could be behind it even so. Only one thing comes to your mind, and although you still don’t know much about them, you can’t help but pose the question. Could it be… the yaksha?
That… Moirine looks beyond confounded at the prospect and gawks at you with wide eyes, as if such a thing never once entered her mind. That might be so, but…
Let’s focus on the task at hand, Fia says. We need to learn more about his master.
Aye, Moirine says. C’mon, pup, we have to get him to tell us, since that’s the only way we’ll figure out what’s going on. Do you want to press him to spill about who they are so we can get our answers or would you like me to? I don’t mind either way; let me know.
You nod slowly and look to Maazi, your mind racing; what do you want to do?
Written by Hollowpages on 17 February 2022
