He Hated the World and She Just Wanted to be Apart

Back in the days of traders and pirates. Magic and witches. Where the regard for human life depended on how you were born and who you were born to, and just plain luck. There was a man who hated the world and all the people in it. He considered them greedy and without morals. He had seen people sell their own children for a better status, money or favor. Kick there ailing aged parents to the streets to save a few copper pieces. Nobody saw the value of human life it seemed and to be honest he was starting to see no value in it either. He considered how truly cleansing it would be if they could wipe out the evil and start again with the good. But he was a smart man. He knew that no matter what evil would rear its ugly head again and again. Because no matter how many times the earth was reset somebody would ruin it. A single thought, a word said in anger. The evil might not be the same as before but it would be there. So there really was no hope. He figured. So instead he ran a shop in the woods, filled with potions, magic and sweets galore. He sold poisons to women whose husbands were abusive. He sold children healing potions in case their parents were cruel. He had normal potions too. People feared and respected him, good and bad. It was a good life. He had potions for everything he considered ethical and even made and sold candies and pastries to everyone regardless of status. And that’s how he lived. Enjoying his cabin/shop in the woods with his black and white world view. Far away from the evils of the humans.



She on the other hand was a slave. One of the kids whose parents had given her up for something better. She was much older now and she didn’t remember what. She saw the same world as him but chose to see the animals and flowers instead of the Pain and Destruction. Doesn’t mean she didn’t see it. She did and she chose to help in the only way she could, sneaking bits of food or clothing to the outcasts and beggars or to a starving animal. She knew if she was caught she would be punished and a few times she was. She never let the pain dull her mind. In fact sometimes she would dream of being able to leave the house, leave her master and get to try the new things she had always wanted. A garden, sweets, rain and she had always wanted to climb a tree. Maybe even have a pet. She wanted to be hugged. She had seen other people do it and they looked so happy. Unlike what her master did to her, that was not hugging and she had never wanted it. She wanted a life where if she said no maybe someone would listen. A world without bruises, torn clothing and abuse. A world where she could have a pretty dress. She would give anything for that. She had hope and believed that the world could be a better place for everyone. If everyone just helped instead of hurt. Evil may not be able to be wiped out but it could be dampened.

Now he believed that having servants and slaves were normal because that was the world he lived in but he didn’t believe in sex slaves or beating slaves if they did wrong.

He said it was like buying a beautiful clock and then one day it stopped ticking. You don’t smash the clock to bits you find out the problem is and fix it. Just because it’s broken doesn’t mean you throw it away.
He abhorred the people who whipped or raped their servants or slaves inflicting pain on another human was in bad taste. Which is why he had never owned one. He didn’t really want someone around all the time. He didn’t think he could be someone somebody else relied on.

(They can meet one of two ways. He is visiting her master for a potion or food consultation and she messes up something and her master punishes her and it angers him so he steps in OR she finally gets a chances to get away because of a lady she fed and she runs into the woods at night hiding in his shop because they are right behind her.)