Iz: "Do you-...do you think Zo is pretty?"

Rrukksa: “Pretty? Iz, Zo is beautiful, radiant, gorgeous especially up there on the stage and in her favorite activity, karaoke. She has a beautiful voice too singing on stage. But what you have to remember, Iz is that the Irilitok are pretty because they were bred that way.”

Iz: “Bred?”

Rrukksa: “Long ago during the Long Night, the Irilitok people were enslaved for more than a thousand years. In that time, Humaniti bred them like beasts for traits they found desirable, beautiful, pleasurable, controllable, obedient. In trade, the Irilitok were put to work, and work they did. They worked so well that they learned the ropes, learned what they had lost. The Irilitok became shrewd bankers, masterful financiers, making credits grow and investing in their own people when no one was looking. In time, Iz the Irilitok were so numerable and wealthy on so many worlds that the Humans had to accept them in integration into their society. To this day, the Irilitok enjoy the most compatibility with Humaniti long after they were emancipated and treated as equal citizens. So yes, the Irilitok are beautiful. But remember that they were made that way. Next time you want to compliment or congratulate Zo, Iz tell her how you admired her skill, or were inspired by her quick thinking, or that you envy her stealth. You will win a friend for life.”

A MegaTraveller character. Pencils, ink, markers, paint program.