The meat market

I'm living in this place for a while now. Crammed together in a enclosure with other Lepin. Somehow they still didn't sell me after all these years.
They probably just don't keep track of our ages. To them it doesn't make a difference anyway.

Not sure if it's just because of the time, or if I'm somehow special, but I understand the situation I'm in.
But I can't even talk myself, so maybe I'm not that special. At least I tried to communicate to them, while they just seem to be idiots. I wonder if they feel the same about me.

So all of us lepin are just created and raised to be sold as food to lupin. And whenever one of my friends leaves, they seem like they don't know what will happen to them.
Maybe not all of them are eaten. I've heard some of them talk about how they want to use them as slaves for simple, but hard tasks. Or for their own pleasure. Or to make them their love partner.

They don't know. And no matter how often I tried to tell them, they just won't realize. They are too stupid.

At first this didn't seem too bad.
But the more I thought about it and the more I heard the buyers talk, the more I hated the idea of being eaten.

Soon I figured some ways to avoid being bought for even longer.
The ones who were taken often had something special about them.
Sometimes they just looked especially cute. Or they were pretty chubby. Or they were just the first lepin the buyers saw.
Some lepin just ran toward the buyers when they saw them, hoping to be finally taken outside.
And some visitors even liked to take the ones who seemed scared and tried to hide in some corner.
Just standing unsuspiciously somewhere in the middle of the enclosure, maybe somewhat hidden behind somebody, only slightly ducking seems like a good strategy to me. So far it worked.

Once I also heard that if I ate a lepin myself, I might become a lupin, too.
I thought this would be the only way to leave this place and see the world that the people were talking about all the time.
A world where lepin are eaten, but where also a lot of other exciting things are possible.
I could walk around freely. I could choose my friends myself. I could talk to people, and they would understand me.
But whatever I did, I couldn't bring myself to eat one of my friends.
Even if I knew they would die soon, I just couldn't do it myself.

But now I'm glad about it.
Recently I found out that lepin will just die one day. Not because they are eaten, but just after a specific time.
Probably a much longer time than I've been living already. And still a longer time than what I could ever imagine to stay alive in a place like this. But knowing I would have to die one day, no matter what I do, is something I just don't want to live with.

And today it seems like all the waiting might have been worth it.
A group of lepin is trying to buy some of us.
I immediately get closer to the fence and try to look as cute as possible. No other customer is currently around.
So if they buy somebody, they might choose me more likely.

In the meantime, I listen eagerly to their conversation.

I'm sorry.
We usually don't sell to lepin.
You have to send your owner if you have one.

Hey, why don't we just take them?
They seem smart. We can sell them for a much higher price.
They should be worth three or four, maybe even five food lepin.
Or even better, let's eat them ourselves! They also look delicious.

The supervisor already grabs one of them.

Hey, you idiot. Don't!
What if they already belong to somebody?
Do you know how long you have to work to earn the value of just one of them?
If the owner finds out what you did, this might really get expensive.
And don't forget about the fines.

Yeah, but how likely is it that they really belong to somebody?

It doesn't matter.
Besides that, our company doesn't support the hunt of free lepin.

They just say this, so we can sell more of these food lepin.
It's only the two of us right now.
Nobody will find out.

I already know about it. Do you really trust me to stay quiet?

We know each other for years already.
We're friends, aren't we?

Yes, we are.
So you should know that I also support the freedom of lepin in case they really don't belong to somebody.
The reason I joined a lepin farming company is because I believe we shouldn't eat conscious lepin.
I know I won't make a change, but I want to live in a future, where we only eat food lepin.
These lepin specifically produced as food don't understand what happens to them. They are more like fruits, right?

Hey, what are you talking about?
Will you let me buy some of them now, or not?

What do you even have to offer?
Are you going to pay with your friends?

The supervisor laughs.

You said one of us would be worth around five food lepin, right?

The supervisor realizes his mistake.

No, usually only two or three.

Even I as a lepin bought food lepin at a better price before.
But I can make you an offer you can't decline.
I'll offer myself, but then I want even more lepin than five.

But...
Is this even possible?

No, that's okay.
If it's really a free lepin, it can do whatever it wants.
And if it wants to give up its freedom, there's nothing I can do.
But I still can't give you more than three.

No, don't!
You're our leader. You saved us!
You can't just leave us.
We should have to sacrifice ourselves for you if anything.
I already expected this.

Yeah, you are the leader.
What would we do without you?

Don't worry. You know our plan.
I've lost all my friends before.
I used them to buy food lepin or fruits. And in the end I was alone for a very long time.
I don't want to repeat this again. I don't want to sacrifice my new friends just for food.
Just stick to our plan and I'll be happy.
I'm sure you'll be fine.

So do you accept the deal?

No, I'm worth more.
I'm already a few hundred years old.
And I'm pretty smart.
There are people who would give three of their own children away to get somebody like me.

But you can't prove it.
So I can't use this as an argument to increase your price.
But you actually seem smart.
I would give you five. Somebody as smart as you will be fun.

Sounds like you won't just eat me.
But if you give me one more, I'll be willing to do everything you want. I promise.

I don't care about that.
It will be five. Else you can leave again.

The lepin looks around.
It seems to be worried for every single one of us.
Then it focuses on me and I look directly into its eyes.
Are they really going to free me?

Okay, deal!

The vendor laughs happily.
I'm sure he will do disgusting things to that lepin.
He has been talking about such stuff with his friends.

But before, I want to decide which lepin we get myself.

Sure, that's the least I can do to you.
As if I care about that.

The lepin points at me and some other random lepin.
And soon the vendor takes me and a few other lepin out of the enclosure.
This is so exciting. I can't remember being outside of this enclosure. Maybe I was once in a while for a short time, but I only vaguely remember that.

Here you are!

The lepin inspects us five.

Are you happy with them?
Last chance to choose somebody else!

Hopefully it won't change its mind...

No, they're completely fine.
I'll take them!

I'm happy, and so are the other lepin, even if they probably don't really understand what's happening.

So now it's time for you to fulfill your part of your deal.

The vendor grabs the lepin himself.

So bring them outside, okay?

Sure, I'll lead them outside.

The supervisor walks ahead and all the group of lepin follow him.
I also follow them with my friends.

And take good care of our new lepin!

Of coures we will. Don't worry!

Soon we reach the exit door of this place. A door I wanted to use for so long, but also a door I was scared to use because of the implications.
I never thought I would leave this place so happily. I thought I'd be about to be eaten. But no, I won't be eaten. At least not that soon.

After leaving the building completely, we're outside on a huge green area.
I'm not sure how to describe this place. I didn't learn the words for this.

But the remaining group of lepin cares for us very well.
They check our bodies and check them for injuries.

Don't worry. We'll take care of you.
You'll get cleaned and then we'll teach you things.
Nothing bad will happen to you.
But maybe you have to learn some harsh truths.
For now, we'll just take you home, so you can relax.

It hugs each of us one at a time.
Then they continue walking.
I'm very excited where we'll go now.
But I'm confident I'll like it there.