🎀 Wisteria 🎀

— No, everything is fine. — By this point in Mirastir's story, they were already sitting on one of the benches in the park. — I can't say that life in Telos appeals to me after your story, but perhaps, if I had been born a man, my perspective on their customs would have changed somewhat. — Mikonia took a drink from her bag and offered it to the storyteller. — Here, have some.

— Oh, uhm. Thank you, — Mirastir accepted the treat without embarrassment, but politely, taking a couple of sips.
— You are absolutely right. The culture there is clearly designed for men, but that is a drawback in every way, because even the Telosians themselves often say... Well, my teacher, at least, said that the ideal is born at the intersection of different things.
— The amphitheater is, by the way, not only the center of life in my polis. Not far away was an interestingly shaped mountain, which was also nicknamed the Amphitheater because of its shape, semicircular and as if with steps. It was visible from the city and firmly entered the local folklore and legends, and became a symbol of the place, emphasizing its focus on civilized leisure. Although I remember the mountain more for another reason, because once my teacher made me survive in its vicinity for several weeks, eating what I could find and washing in wild streams (at least I was washing!). He was, of course, nearby, but he was not a very good survival assistant; Demigos somehow managed to find and eat almost nothing. And how did he manage to stay in shape? Anyway, for everyone, the mountain was a symbol of civilization, but for me, it became a symbol of the wild!
Mirastir paused, indicating that he was now going to talk about other matters.
— It was completely different in Serberia. I was there after my Telosian training, as I heard that there had recently been a commotion in one of the towns because of the appearance of a real Sylvari girl on the streets! Of course, the news was big, for a Sylvari girl to be in broad daylight in a country that was more at war with the Sylvari than any other... So I took the bait.
— Problems because of my beautiful hair started immediately. All the time I was walking around the city, I felt so many hateful glances on me that, if malice were a god, I think it would have been summoned right there, on the street. I was practically an unwelcome guest everywhere, so I could only eat or stay overnight in a few places, and the conditions there were... well, you can imagine. If I hadn't strengthened my body with Demigos' training, I would have definitely gotten a lot of illnesses.
— It was a shock to me that the Arterian country allows itself to practice slavery on a massive scale. And not just of non-humans or anyone who is not quite sane, where it can somehow be justified, but of ordinary people! Yes, they say that slaves have some rights, but all of this, like their aristocracy's supposed honor, art, and etiquette... It's just a facade, just beautiful outer leaves on a rotten cabbage.
— Another problem for me was finding work. The few coins I had were quickly running out, and I couldn't find a Sylvari girl. I did manage to find a potential employer who paid little and offered not the most pleasant job, cleaning stables, but it was something. I met with him to discuss the contract. But the way he looked at me, the way he spoke to me so contemptuously... And the last straw was that this aristocrat started groping his slave right in front of me, can you imagine? He didn't even try to hide it. That's when I told him everything, about respect for women, and about respect for me... I don't remember, maybe there were more than just words.
— When I came to my senses after that, I was in chains, and the guys told me directly — either I'll be cleaning stables for the rest of my life, and for free... Or, well, you're a strong, handsome, well-built guy, maybe you can entertain the public in the arena. I agreed to the second option, what else could I do.
Mirastir told for some time about the gladiatorial fights, with animals and people, listing who he had to fight; the conditions of the gladiators' stay (in general, it turns out that my days passed like years, and years like days, fights-pain-stinky bed, fights-pain-stinky bed); he didn't forget to jokingly compare the coliseum with the Telosian amphitheater inside out. Finally, he noted that even in Serberia there were glimmers of hope, as he had a fan, a kind Arterian, who bought him out when Mirastir got into trouble with refusing to fight, otherwise it would have been very bad...
— That's the story!
I'll probably ask for fact-checking right in the thread again, but I hope everything is okay.