“Kads!”

Cara stood up from her chair and rushed to the door. Cara knew that Kadija was fine, intellectually at least. But seeing her finally in person was the true relief. Cara opened her mouth to speak. The words would not form in her mouth. Instead, a tear fell down her cheek. Kadija felt her heart expand in her chest. She said nothing. Bending over she embraced the smaller woman and lifted her off her feet. They embraced for a long moment before Kadija relented.

Kadija was a truly stunning woman. She cast beautiful figure. Dark red hair enveloped the soft features of her face. Her bright blue eyes were so mesmerizing that Cara felt like she was falling into them when she held eye contact with her. Kadija’s could look statuesque except for that fact she normally wore a goofy smile. Kadija ran her fingers through Cara’s hair.

“I’m just so happy to see you.” Another tear fell as Cara looked up to make eye contact with her dear friend. “You must tell me honestly, are you feeling well?”

“Yes. It was definitely the most unpleasant week of my life, but the worst is definitely over. The doctors tell me they found three times the lethal dose of amanita’s poison in my blood tests. The assassins were clever, they knew that I was 6m tall, so they tripled the standard lethal dose. But not clever enough, since it would be 27 times the lethal does to kill me.” Kadija said.

A well-dressed man walked into the room from the side door cradling an enormous pot of tea. He set it on the table and left. Cara gestured for Kadija to take a cup and sat down herself.

“You had me scared when I saw you. The doctors were hesitant to give you much morphine. You were sprawling and shaking like a demon was inside you.”

“It was terrible trip for sure. I’m not even sure what I dreamed about. I remember numbers flashing from the sky at me but little else.” Kadija paused. “Even if it’s been hard, I’m so happy to be home with you. Six months apart from you was wearing me down.”

A man of Kadija’s height entered the room. He put his hand on her shoulder. Kadija startled but when she saw him, she grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips.

“Yaro!”

“It fills me with such delight to see you with your glow again, Kads. You looked like you had been sucked of life only a few days ago.” Yaro said, before sitting down to join them.

“Of course, you are welcome to stay as long as you need. But I was curious when you think you’ll be ready to return to Ganges?” Cara asked.

“I’m eager to return. I’m worried that my three-week absence may have caused quite the stir.”

“I can make arrangements for us to leave tomorrow. Yaro and I will be accompanying you back, as titans.”

The last word hung in the air. Ever since Cara had appointed Kadija to be the governor of Ganges, she had sought to save them from this fate. Other governors ruled as titans. They loomed over their appointed realms as beings the size of gods. But Kadija wanted Ganges to be a special region. A place for exploration and the implementation of the social revolution that underpinned Cara’s teachings. She had ruled over the realm as a mini taking no tributes. In fact, she had never eaten one of her subjects. At 6m tall she was imposing but could not actually eat anyone. She was trying to have the same sort of presence in among her people that Cara had with the other administrators. Cara was a literal goddess sent from mother Gaia but she was usually the smallest in the room. Her touch was almost always affectionate, her power was her raw intelligence. She didn’t need to be feared.

“You know that’s not how I want to do it.” Kadija said.

“Kads, I know. I think you were really brave to take this on the way you have for so many years. But this has to go beyond you. As much as you may find it distasteful, our regime’s power comes from my size gift. I can’t protect you any other way and I would be shattered to lose you. I also can’t have someone trying to murder one of my governors. There has to be dramatic consequences, less it happens somewhere else. Maybe in a generation or two our methods can relax but not today, unfortunately.” Cara said.

Kadija looked down at the table. She knew that Cara was right. Cara’s other governors ruled a top a strict hierarchy. The sort of sabotage that she had experienced did not happen elsewhere. Still, it hurt her nature to think of the cruelty that being a top this hierarchy, any hierarchy really, means. She looked over to Yaro for sympathy.

“I think when you give it a try, you’ll come to enjoy it. I am sorry this happened to your project but you’re more important than the project.” Yaro said. “And besides, we can remake Springsdale. Teach those bougie bastards a lesson.”

“Springsdale?”

“Yea, we are going to level it in retribution. It’s going to be the seat of your new palace. Heck, we can even put all of the stuff those managerial brats hated over the remains of their district. If you want something good to come of this, there’s no reason your new palace grounds can’t also be a bastion of the commons and home for the vulnerable” Yaro said.

“There has to be consequences, Kads. With no tributes, I get the sense that leaving some of the old managers in place has left them with the complex. That complex has to be broken. For your safety and for the long-term health of the society you’re trying to build.” Cara said.

The conversation paused as a string of human sized waiters made their way into the room. They set the table and brought out the courses. Lush salad was placed on the table. The main platters carried stacks of sushi. Some filled with vegetables, others fish, others yet filled with tiny, drugged people. Some people sat free on the platters beside the sauces and pickled ginger. The desert was a lemon pudding with tiny folk swimming to keep their heads above the surface. Panic evident in their faces. They were left swimming so that their struggle to breath limited their screams.

“I’m worried that I will lose the credibility that I’ve spent years to create.” Kadija said.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be you doing this. I can wear the blame.” Cara said. She stood up and walked over to Kadija. As she walked she grow from her human height to just slightly taller than Kadija. She wrapped her arms around Kadija’s shoulders and held her. “Besides, who could blame a kitten for following her master’s orders?”

Cara slipped a black collar with white hearts on it around Kadija’s neck. Kadija inhaled as Cara gripped her around the neck. Cara leaned over and placed a few of the sushi on Kadija’s plate.

“Are they fussy?” Kadija send while tentatively gripping her chopsticks.

“These ones are drugged. They shouldn’t cause much a problem to swallow. And the wrapped ones taste best when chewed.” Cara gripped a lone tiny between her chopsticks and teased him around Kadija’s lips. She was shocked by the feeling of the tiny person. He sat on her tongue and she became aware of the moments of her tongue as he shifted with it. She shivered when he felt him stand-up. This one truly had no fear. He took steps like flutters on her tongue and ran his hand along her molar. He put his hand into the groove of her molar. Right where she could bite down and crush it.

“They are harmless but I often find it best to fold them in half before you swallow. Otherwise they might grab at your throat.”

Kadija knocked the tiny many over with her teeth. She rolled him over with her tongue and then rocked him forward. She forced him bend by pressing him against her pallet. She swallowed. He started to squirm and the sensation was amplified against Cara’s hand that was still lightly held over her neck to feel the swallowing. Kadija had to swallow again. The pressure in her throat was great. But eventually the tiny carried on through oesophagus. Cara smiled and returned to her seat.

“Now be a bit more cautious with these ones.” Yaro pointed to the dessert tinies. “They aren’t drugged so they will fight with all of their might to survive. All of their might isn’t very much, but a lucky grab or duck and these guys become a choking hazard. They are delightful to feel fighting down but I’d recommend you give them a few light bites to reduce the risk.”

“That’s because your cheater. The proper form is to suck on them so hard to they’re struggling to breathe first. That way they have their full strength to wiggle in your belly.” Cara said.

“Swallowing so much air invariably makes you burp, Cara.” Yaro said. “A goddess in all of these lands and you can’t even be lady like.”

“Well, I have you to be lady like for me, Yaro.” Cara smiled smugly at him.

As dinner progressed, Kadija avoided eating any of the dishes with tinies in them. She still found the business displeasing. If anything, she liked being the submissive. She loved when Cara was at her normal height but still very much in control. Hurting others like this for fun felt against her nature.

Cara on the other hand loved the feelings of futile struggle against her. It was a dimension of flavour in her food that made everything else so much more delightful.

“I think you’re doing our table guests a disservice.” Cara gestured at the pudding on the table. She looked over to Yaro. “You’d be the luckiest man in the world, if Kads picked you up. There are so many unfortunate ways to go, but to have your whole life extinguished for such beauty – that’s gotta be a dream come true.”

Kadija served herself a few spoonfuls of pudding. A woman landed on her plate and free from being trapped in the pudding she began running for the edge of the plate. Kadija moved her spoon quickly to grab her and put her in her mouth without much hesitation. The woman fought to right herself in Kadija’s mouth. The struggling caused drool to run down her lips. Kadija’s face went red with embarrassment as she wiped her chin. The tiny woman thrashed around trying against all hope to knock out the two front teeth blocking her escape. Kadija rolled her back and remembering what Yaro had advised began to lightly chew on her. She felt crack from the woman and blood began to mix with the pudding.

The tiny woman screamed. Kadija went wild-eyed. She rolled the woman over and the next bite induced a weaker scream before she swallowed. Yaro and Cara could not contain their laughter.

“Don’t worry, it’s easier when you’re titan size.” Yaro said.

“And after a little breaking in, I’m going to make sure those ingrates learn to come running to your every need.” Cara said.