One mansion stood out from the rest and it was to this we were led followed along by our ever present gawking crowd of onlookers. I started up the stairs taking in the women arrayed along the railing up ahead of me decked out in the fine trappings of southern belles, only these southern belles weren't white.
They whispered feverishly among themselves and some even giggled behind their lace embroidered fans. I felt myself the subject of intense scrutiny and a lot of admiring interest.
I wasn't interested, but I had manners when I wanted them and I bowed slightly in passing before I was ushered into the expansive mansion decked out in opulence.
There were more important looking men of this little colony on the underside of the world inside. Questions were abuzz as they flew about the expansive foyer in hushed masculine undertones. Our guide cleared a way through the crowd before coming to a stop before a wide spiral staircase.
He turned to me and pointedly addressed me only, "If you would come with me, while your crew waits here." He said smoothly, but I read between the lines.
He might as well as said, "While your low class slaves wait here for you."
I was about to object, when I caught Matt's slight negative shake of the head. He was right. Best to fly low for the moment. I started for the stairs alone.
"And leave your weapon behind as well." The guide said in an ingratiating manner.
I found the man contemptible, but I stuck to the plan. Deliberately I turned and handed my pistol to Matt, whose eyes twinkled with repressed glee.
Symbolically I was handing my weapon to a slave in the eyes of all those around me, which gained us an aggravated murmur of dissension from them. I turned back to the guide to see his fake smile had hardened at the edges.
I smiled coldly at him and gestured to the stairs beyond him, "Shall we?" I invited and stiffly he turned and started climbing even as I took inventory of where I had knives stashed on my person should the occasion arise that I might need to use them. I also had a boot pistol.
When I reached the lofty second-floor I glanced back to see my little multicolored crew surrounded by a crowd of disapproving and even menacing black people. I'd never been so disappointed in a group of people my own color before as I was now.
To think such an inconsequential thing as skin pigmentation and differing ethnic backgrounds could divide humanity so!
Would there ever be a day when unity would be achieved or would there always be this infighting and innate hatred of differing physiological differences?