Babatunde: Would you like to play? It is a fun game and it would help ease the tension with the townspeople. But first, let us get you some new clothes and get to know one another. Then we play T.A.G. Do you accept the terms?
Ricardo: Chief, please reconsider what you are doing—
Kaimana: I accept the game called T.A.G.
A whole uproar of joy and dancing breaks out through the town. I do not know what T.A.G. is, but they are thrilled about it. I glance over at Ricardo — his face tight with anger and confusion. Carlos, on the other hand, looks overjoyed.
Babatunde: Let us get you some new clothes and heal those wounds. We need you in tip-top shape. Oh — Cerberus brothers, you will be participating as well. And Carlos, choose one additional person for the game. Choose wisely.
Carlos: Yes, sir.
Babatunde: Come now, little one. Let us get you sorted.
Kaimana: Yeah — wearing just this shirt is nice but a little drafty.
As I walk away, I can see Ricardo is not happy with the decision. But what could I do? This seemed harmless enough.
The Game is Called T.A.G.
We walk into the mayor's home. The place is enormous — built to match his height and stature perfectly. His secretary leads me to his closet and removes my shirt to take measurements. When she finishes, she tells me to find what I like and she will tailor it to fit.
I walk into the giant closet and browse through clothes that are far too large for me but beautifully made.
Kaimana: These clothes are a bit — big.
Babatunde: They belonged to my late mate. He was a human.
Kaimana: Oh — do tell. I am curious. Who was he?
Babatunde: Before the war, he was an engineer. His name was Mute. I met him as a defector from his community. He was originally sent as a spy — meant to gather information about the village, our strengths and weaknesses, and report back to his superiors. But once he arrived and got to experience life here — baby, we hit it off immediately. We danced at the Star Festival. He was a terrible dancer, but look at me — I slither around. What does that say? I loved his honesty. His purest form of himself. And his scent — heaven. Like peaches and a cold pour of Hades liquor. He was built like a chubby bear, and that adorable long pigtail of his was wonderful to hold. We ate beneath the moonlit sky, looked at the stars, and loved each other fiercely.
When he finally told me who he was and what he had originally come here to do — how he had scouted the village to find weaknesses for his superiors — after spending real time here and seeing how wonderful this place was, he could not go through with it. He found out he was not the only one who had defected from humankind. He did not have the heart anymore. So he became a double agent instead. That one small decision saved many lives.
Tears run down the giant snake man's face. His lost love. His longing. It touches my heart deeply.
I grab a poncho, some nice jeans, and adorable sneakers. The clothes do not fit, but the secretary snaps her fingers and they adjust instantly. Babatunde slithers to the table and asks me to sit for tea. I climb up onto the chair — feet dangling like a child — and take my first sip.
Kaimana: So how do you fit in your own house? I can see how Ricardo grew into his height, but you?
Babatunde: I was not this size yesterday. And I never had the ability to produce that shockwave, or to have visions, or to see auras.
He takes a slow sip of his tea.
Babatunde: My original gift was the ability to pull truth from anyone with two words — Tell me — or by striking my tail down. People used to come to me for interrogations because they knew I would get the truth without ever breaking a sweat. I think that is part of why Mute eventually stopped lying around me. He knew I could see deception and that I despised it. But to answer what you asked — after the night of the festival, while I was sleeping, I heard a voice say time to grow up. I went from fifteen feet to eighteen overnight. Burst straight through my ceiling. I had to ask the gnomes to repair the house.
Kaimana: You mean they rebuilt the entire home just like that?
Babatunde: Oh, heavens yes. It only takes them about two hours depending on what you want. Though the gnome contract states that as payment, they must live in the home for two years.
Kaimana: The people in my world would have abused that system terribly.
Babatunde: If they had tried, the gnomes would have killed them without hesitation — or driven them to madness. Gnomes do not take kindly to trickery or being used without fair compensation. But they are wonderful neighbors. You would not even know they were in the house unless they wanted to be heard. Now — your world. Are there other humans?
Kaimana: We have men and women, different ethnic groups and nationalities. Most skin tones come in many shades — not blues or purples naturally, though it is complicated. We have a wide range of sexualities — asexual, pansexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, non-binary, demisexual, and many more still being understood. We have many animal species that resemble your kind. Some we keep as companions, and some we hunt for food. We have forests and cities and technology — but what we do not have is magic or the supernatural. Those things only exist in our stories, video games, books, and folklore passed down through generations.
Babatunde: I see. So are the humans of your world curious and open-minded like you?
Kaimana: Hell no. If they came here, some greedy fool would have done the exact same thing your world's humans tried to do — start a war or colonize your land. In my world, humans fight other humans over classism, racism, and discrimination. They want love and peace but decide the way to achieve it is to step on each other's throats. It is pretty sad. Though I would not say all humans are like that — there is a small group who attend conventions dressed as dragons, elves, and werewolves who would absolutely love it here. What I am saying is my world has both good and bad humans. You just need to be careful. I am sorry if that is confusing — it is just hard to put into words unless you are there to feel the energy for yourself.
Babatunde: Not at all. I find this conversation deeply valuable.
I take another sip of tea and ask what has been sitting on my mind.
Kaimana: So — how did the humans die out? You said there was a war. Was the human population already small?
Babatunde: Oh no — humans were abundant across this planet. But when the war began, they built a technology designed to wipe every supernatural being off the face of this world. Mute told me the machine was called Vanish. It was built to kill every one of us. But Mute refused to let it move forward.
Kaimana: Let me guess — he destroyed the machine. And himself with it.
Babatunde grips the table. Deep scratch marks form under his claws. His tail swings back and forth as his anger reaches a boil. He slaps his cup aside.
Babatunde: How could he be so foolish? He should not have had to destroy the machine — he was the one who built it. He could have dismantled it. Why did he have to take his entire race with him? I would have fought by his side. I would have.
Kaimana: I think he did it because what the humans were planning was too monstrous to allow — even by half measures. You are going to erase an entire group of people who shared their resources, their traditions, their hearts — for what? Fear? Self-loathing? And if he had simply dismantled the machine, someone else would have rebuilt it. He knew that. So he took himself off the board. Not because he did not value life — but because he valued yours more.
Babatunde tightens his grip around Kaimana's body and hurls the table aside with one arm. He brings Kaimana's face close to his, then slowly runs his tongue across his cheek.
Babatunde: You know nothing of what he said on his last day.
Kaimana: You are right. I was not there. I can only theorize. But I would have done the same thing if it meant protecting the people I loved. In my world, history repeats the same horrors over and over again. I will not stand and watch people die because of someone else's insecurity and pettiness. If it is my time to go, I will run toward it — because death is a silent dance, performed alone. I learned that from a game I play called Distyle. And I believe Mute felt exactly the same way. He did it so that you could rebuild. So that you could live and love again.
Babatunde: Then tell me, human from another world — why are you here?
He attempts to pull the truth from Kaimana. His voice is deep and soothing — but Kaimana resists.
Babatunde: The more you resist, the more it will hurt. Keep resisting and you will not survive it. Tell me why you are here. TELL ME.
Kaimana fights harder. His nose begins to bleed. His head feels like it is caving in.
Babatunde: I will give you credit — you have a remarkably strong will. But I do love a challenge. So again — TELL M—
Babatunde is thrown into his bar. Kaimana gasps for air and looks up to find the secretary standing in front of him.
Babatunde: Melissa — what did you—
Melissa: I apologize. But the ratings have been soaring and I cannot have you exit stage right on my actor.
Babatunde raises his hands in reverence.
Babatunde: Praise to the ratings. I am sorry. I thought perhaps I could piece together the vision through Kaimana's truth.
Kaimana: What visions?
Babatunde: My visions come to me like scattered puzzle pieces — out of sync, sometimes blurred. I saw a figure, but not who you truly are or why you came. I thought perhaps he was withholding something. But I have my answer now. Forgive me, Broadcaster.
Melissa: It is alright. Just remember — my eyes are everywhere. And the Broadcaster will reveal everything once the prologue has ended.
Melissa returns to her normal composure and tends to her mayor.
Kaimana: What is Melissa exactly? She appears human but—
Babatunde: She is an automaton — built by Mute as a gift. Our daughter, in a sense. I could have given us children if he had wanted to.
Kaimana: How? Are you not—
Babatunde: All of Gaia's children are unisex. If we wish to have children, we can alter the structure of our bodies to carry and bring life whenever we choose. Though we can only bring one child into existence every two to three years, so we are very careful about who we choose as a partner for that journey.
Kaimana: Oh wow. That is remarkable.
Babatunde: Yes — we never got the chance. But this was his gift to me. I found her under the bed in an enormous coffin I had no idea was there. But I am so glad I did. She makes it feel like he is still right here beside me. Oh — we have been talking so long it is already nighttime. Do not worry about the damage — the gnomes will fix everything. And let me heal those wounds of yours. I apologize for losing my composure.
Kaimana: Do not worry about it. I am used to men getting a little primal around me. I seem to bring out some kind of instinct in people.
Babatunde: HAHA — you certainly do. Well then — are you ready for T.A.G.?
Kaimana: I do not exactly have a choice, so let us go.
Babatunde: That is exactly what I wanted to hear.