Charles smiled, as he drove through the gates and up towards the gigantic house. He hadn't been here in years, by the looks of it life had continued to be kind to the Craven family.

Charles was widely recognized as one of the best academic minds of his generation,  a professor at Oxford for physics and math for most of his life, when the Craven Family's daughter had reached tutoring age they had paid him handsomely to ensure she was finely educated in everything he could think of.

The only heir to the Craven's empire, Master Patrick had believed it was critical that his legacy continue on after he retired. He was a shrewd man, and knew that handing his empire to someone who was unqualified would surely see it ruined, so he tasked Charles with educating Clara.

He had been working with her from when she just started becoming a woman, her 12th birthday was when Patrick had decided she needed to take her studying seriously.

Countless hours had been spent lecturing her on economics, the latest mechanical inventions, physics, maths. Sometimes Charles wondered if they should have brought someone else in for the liberal arts. Charles was no philosopher, and despite his genius, he was not the right person to teach the softer skills.

As Clara had reached adulthood, Patrick had taken her under his wing, thanking Charles and paying him handsomely, where after he returned to Oxford.

That had been years ago, and when Charles received a summon from Clara to catch up and play a game of chess he had been very excited.

Parking his car, and ascending the side steps he pressed the bell, and waited at the side door. He barely had to wait a moment before a well dressed man opened it up and ushered him inside.

Stepping into the house, Charles was admittedly distracted as he removed his coat. No matter how many times he entered one of the elite's homes, it was always a sight to see. So much affluence, so much power, so much....everything. He craned his neck, looking up at the paintings, the furniture, a single item of some of these things could probably cover his living expenses until the ends of his days

"Lady Clara will see you in the game room Sir Charles" the butler politely stated, hanging his jacket on a rack, and walking down the hallway gesturing for him to follow.

After several minutes of walking, they arrived at the doorway, and the butler bowed before leaving.  Charles took a breath and walked through the doorway into the cavernous room.

His eyes found her immediately, it was hard not to of course. Charles smiled warmly, Lady Clara had grown into quite the beautiful woman. Dressed in a blue dress that hugged her slim frame perfectly, if he had any complaint it was that her chest was showing a rather uncouth amount of cleavage. But, Charles wasn't really complaining about that either.

She spotted him immediately. 

"Charles!" she shouted, smiling with genuine excitement  as she stood up and walked quickly towards him.

Charles had to steady himself as she ran over, her colossal footsteps shaking the ground as she forgot herself for a moment in her excitement. She stopped, towering over him as she crouched down, beaming the entire time.

Charles had never really worked out why many of the elite were so large. Was it because they were powerful they got to be so big? Or were they so powerful because they were big? Sometimes it was hard to believe there were simply humans of such different scales.

Distracted, he hadn't noticed as Clara had said something, her palm waiting on the floor in front of him.

"oh I am sorry Lady Clara, I must have gotten lost in thought, what did you ask me?" He said politely.

"Charles please, just call me Clara, you've known me for far too long for the formalities. I was asking if I could carry you to the table to save some time?"

Charles nodded, and stepped onto her waiting palm, gently rising back up. He was quickly whisked away to the table with the chess board set up, along with a tall box for him to stand on so he could see all the pieces.

Speaking of the pieces, asking as she set him down, "Clara where are the pieces?"

"Oh, I'll take them out in a moment, don't you worry!" she said with a smile.

Charles nodded, but noted something different behind her eyes that time. Something playful, something mischievous. Reminding him of her younger years when she would try to get out of work with various tales or tricks.

Climbing onto his little pedestal, he looked up to her and said "alright, are you playing black or white today?"

She pondered for a moment, then she smiled. "I will play black, let's see if I have gotten any better since we last played."

He nodded, and she reached over to a large box on the table, opening it up. As she lifted the cover Charles became aware of...murmuring? Voices? He wasn't sure but it suddenly no longer felt like they were alone.

Clara looked back at him, grinning as she reached her hands over, grabbing both sides of the box as she tilted it to dump its contents onto the board.

Charles could tell she was up to something, but still was not prepared when 30 something men fell out onto the board. Dressed in matching outfits, the men seemed like they had been plucked off the streets. 

Dressed poorly, some with shoes in very poor condition, Charles had no doubt that this was a collection of some of the beggars or poor people off the streets of the city.

While he would never say it to them, the economics of the moment were doing no favors for people born into little, while the elite, such as the Cravens continued to prosper on the backs of the poor.

There was no doubt that the factories, mills and everything the Cravens had built provided jobs, and money and purpose to countless individuals, but by keeping the pay so low, they had trapped many people in this cycle.

He had hoped that Clara would be able to help change some of that, but he was doubting that in this moment watching her treat the people before them as toys.

"Alright everyone, you remember the rules. Two full meals and a whole week pay for this. You know your roles, line up!"

Spurring them into action the men began running across the board, counting spaces and choosing one to stand in. Charles smirked, noting Clara had outfitted them all with an overcoat clearly displaying the symbol of what piece they represented.

A moment later the board was formed, 2 sides of 16 men a piece staring nervously at each other across the gap, Men wearing white coats on his side, and black on hers.

"Ready when you are Charles" she said with a giggle, clearly enjoying this little scenario she had put together.

Not wasting a minute Charles leaned forward and started the game, calling out his first move.

It was several turns later, each posturing for their ideal starts. Charles grinned slightly, noting her attempted plays. She was good, but it was clear she hadn't studied Chess much since he taught her.

He had given her one one of the most common openers, a pawn to E4, wondering which defense she would take. She was trying to use the Benoni defense, aggressively capturing the middle as black, but she had forgotten the order,moving a knight before the pawn, and her bishop one space too short.

He could feel her staring down at him sometimes, he suspected that she was more focused on watching him work more than the game itself. 

As they continued making their moves, she told him about her work with the company, learning after her father she had become a shrewd business woman, and it sounded like she had already successfully completed several merges. Convincing other companies to sell out and enter the fold seemed to be a strong suit of hers.

Charles smiled a knowing grin, much of his lessons were shining through, and it was encouraging to see and hear his time had not been wasted.

Then like fireworks setting off after a long fuse the capturing began. A piece here, a knight there, a bishop, then a rook, the middle of the board had become a deathtrap for both sides, men walking  towards their respective capturers.

Each of them now had a small lineup of men, 6 on Charle's side, and 4 on Clara's. Charles was squinting, her confidence even as she lost was making him nervous. 

Was he missing something? He had evaluated it every which way, and couldn't see how this could be a trap. Maybe she just didn't care that much about winning? Their games had always been playful, she was competitive, but rarely with him. Regardless, she seemed unconcerned.

Her calm broke as she captured one of Charle's rooks. A calculated trade on his part, but the man representing the rook wasn't moving off the board.

The bishop piece was trying to point and tell him where to go, but he seemed uninterested. 

"When do I get my food?" he asked, a harsher town than Charles would ever use to be a member of high society.

Clara's eyes narrowed, " get off the board, and as I told you before you will be fed and paid at the end of your job"

"I'm hungry now, and this is taking forever. Can't your fancy schmancy butler bring us something? Being around you boring rich folk is making me hungry"

His rebellious comments had stirred something amongst the board, murmuring, the thinking faces, some rubbed their empty bellies, clearly he wasn't the only one thinking of food.

Clara leaned forward, bringing her face closer to the tiny man. Her scowl was evident, Clara was not an angry person, but from Charle's experience it was always better to be on her good side. 

If not for Master Patrick's reinforcement, disciplining Clara would have been impossible. Just as much her personality and attitude as her colossal size. Charles was fortunate he never found himself clashing severely with her.

"If you don't listen, you don't get anything you runt" She said sharply, lowering herself closer, her breath shaking the man's hair. 

If Charles didn't know better he would think Clara was trying to seduce him. Her cleavage on full display now, as her bust loomed over the table. 

She was attractive certainly, but their age gap made it easy for Charles to remove lewder thoughts from his mind. She was like a daughter to him, and could never see himself in any capacity like that with her.

He was however a man, so he enjoyed and took in the sight of the canyon between the hills in front of him.

A squeak caught his attention, as she leaned forward her breasts seemed to have settled on top of the lineup of captured men, one slower man seemed to be getting squished by the weight on top of him.

"Ahem, um Clara," Charles said, trying to politely grab her attention. Clara's eyes shot to him, softening slightly, but still felt like piercing daggers. "What?"

Charles, unsure how to say this, merely pointed down towards her chest. "You are uhm, on top of some of your pieces" he blurted out, finally finding some words. He blushed, it felt improper to point at her bosom, but he was also unsure how else to make sure she was aware.

She smirked a knowing smirk. "I'll move in a moment." she said, turning her attention to the Rook that refused to move.

"Last chance" she said, her mouth practically in front of the man's face. Charles had never witnessed this before, it was clear she was using her size to try and dominate the man, and the man was either too dumb or too bold to listen.

"I told you, give me some food, and I'll get off your dumb board" he replied, seemingly quite smug.

With a speed and ferocity that shook Charles a bit, Clara leaned back up, her hand snatching down as she pulled the man off the board. Dropping him in front of her, with a quick snap of her fingers and a brief shout she snapped the man, and tossed him to the side, rolling off to the side of the board.

"I will not repeat myself" she said firmly, leaning back and resuming her position. As her chest let up the man struggled to stand, the one most trapped seemed to be staying down. Charles couldn't tell if he was dead, unconscious or maybe hurt.

He was about to open his mouth and say something, before Clara said "Now where were we? I believe it is your turn Charles".

It was obvious she didn't care about any of the men, and Charles was not convinced anything positive would come of mentioning it. Charles didn't feel bad for the men, after all a lifetime of living in the middle class had left him little room for generosity or empathy, poor people died all the time, and while he would never wish for it, or cause it himself he had become toughened against it all the same.

"uhm, yes' ' he stuttered, getting his focus back to the game. Having fallen for his trap, Clara lost a bishop, and a knight for that rook. It was dawning on her that she had lost, he could see it.

 She remained calm, and she didn't have any outward signs, but he knew her long enough, it was in her eyes.

The game only lasted another couple of minutes, before with a sigh, Clara reached down and jabbed at her king, knocking him off his feet as the common gesture of surrender.

"your mind remains as sharp as ever Charles, clearly I should have practiced more before inviting you over." She said, smiling at him.

"You did well Clara, the shrewd master is in there, you just need a bit more practice" Charles responded warmly.

"You suck. I spent most of this game sitting here doing nothing" one of her pieces shouted.

Another one of the men piggy backed on the sentiment, "You said if we won we'd get 3 meals, so now just because you lost we get less? What sort of bullshit is that?"

"Yeah! we were promised a feast! one of the pieces in front of Charles shouted. The crowd of men was murmuring, with increasing agitation.

Clara's eyes grew darker again as she looked down, and plucked one of the men up, lifting him to her face. He continued shouting at her, blaming her for his poverty and demanding food.

"Oh, I am afraid there is no food for people with that shitty attitude" she said with a smirk.

Like one may try to toss a chip or fry into their mouth, Clara did with that man. Her aim was true and he landed audibly onto her tongue, before her lips quickly closed and she swallowed.

Charles was a bit shaken, he had never witnessed this from Clara before, or heard of any of the larger folks eating smaller ones. Rumors or stories sure, but never any factual ones, just small tales poor people told to dehumanize the larger elite.

"Do you know what my father told me the other day?" Clara asked Charles, as she looked down and plucked up another of the men.

"uhm, no Clara what was that?" He asked, his eyes following the man in her clutches.

"Father says that the new mechanical devices at the mills reduce how many workers we need by almost 80%" As if it was completely casual, she threw him into her mouth, and swallowed again, her hands already reaching for more.

Down below, chaos was starting to seep into the crowd. Some only increased their chanting or shouting. Others were frozen, watching the spectacle before them, after all how many people could say they've watched their peers be eaten as a snack. Others were starting to run.

"That is an advancement indeed, but what will you do with all of the workers then? Are there new roles to put them into?" Charles asked, increasingly a bit unsettled by the scene unfolding in front of him.

Clara tossed two more into her mouth, biting down on one this time, her face's reaction suggesting something she regretted. "Eugh, they taste awful. I will have to remember to make sure they bathe first..." she muttered to herself before answering Charles.

"That is quite the question isn't it, we will need to find something for sure! Some new....roles...or purposes they could serve" Slurping one out of her hand, Clara playfully tilted her hand back, dumping several into her mouth.

her mouth still full, she murmured to Charles, "Do you remember what you taught me about an economy with a large non-contributing population?" She asked, swishing the men in her mouth around as she spoke. In between her words Charles could make out screams.

"uhm yes, it would be a drain of resources, and slow down the overall growth and velocity of advancement" he answered as if taking a quiz.

"Exactly" she said, swallowing loudly. She continued, "The future of our cities will depend on finding a new place and purpose for people, otherwise, we the doers, risk being brought down  by those who do nothing".

Charles nodded, her logic wasn't....unsound, but it was also extremely cold.

"What do you propose though? You can't just get rid of all of the unemployed people. Do you want to deport them? Maybe we can find some new lines of work?" Charles asked, genuinely confused, and a bit concerned where she was going with this.

"I mean.....we COULD '' she said, emphatically stressing the word could as she ate one more. 

She was interrupted,

"You monster, you can't just do this. You can't just treat us like this!" one of the men shouted.

"you see, that is why you have found yourself in this predicament. I can do whatever I want to, and do you know why?" She asked, smirking down at him.

The man gulped, clearly unprepared for her to actually respond to him. He took a step back as she leaned down over him.

"You are poor. You are worthless. Your existence and value is determined by your betters. Right now? You seem about as helpful to me as a chip, or a peanut" she said.

Her tongue snaked out, chasing the man as he sprinted across the board. He didn't get far before he was pressed into the chess board and carried back into her wet mouth.

Clara savored this one. Charles of course had no experience with what people tasted like, but he couldn't imagine it was the taste of the man that she was enjoying. Clara was on a power trip, and holding that man captive in her mouth seemed to be quite the feeling.

Grabbing the box, she used her arms to sweep up the remaining tinies all over the table, throwing them roughly back into the box before slamming the cover shut.

"Now Charles. My father would like me to take charge on building the future of the company, while he focuses on what he knows. I invited you here to let you know, I would be honored if you would join me."

She paused before continuing, " you and me think alike. You see the same problems, and I suspect in time, we will see the same solutions. You have always impressed me with your intellect and creativity. I am confident together we can find a way to....bring value to the masses"

She winked at him as she said this. Charles wasn't sure what to say.

"May I take a day to consider Clara?" he asked calmly, stepping down from his pedestal.

"of course, please let me know by the end of the week if I need to find someone else. I would be....disappointed, but understanding of course".

With that, she picked him up, not asking this time, and walked him to the front door of the house, gently placing him at the door, so he could retrieve his jacket.

"Let me know Charles, together we could do great things," she said to him.

"Oh and William?" she said down to the butler.

"yes madam Clara?" The butler responded quickly.

"Please tell the staff to bring some washing wipes up to my chambers, I will be in need of them later, I fear my floor may have gotten....dirty" she said, as she ascended the stairs without looking back, cradling the box in her hands.

Charles walked back to his car and drove home, pondering what he should do next.

(Fin)