The Last Man

"Miss Aya…!"

The humanoid shook, and turned to see who it was approaching her in the garden. It was the Volkregian, Razer.

How dare he approach her now after what he did. If someone wasn't better than him or wasn't deemed worthy enough to speak to him, he would disregard them in a matter of seconds. He was indeed wealthy, but was that any reason to coldly shun others? After what she learned, she couldn't hate him more than she did now.

"Mr. Razer, of all the nerve, you're brave enough to show your face here-!"

He began to speak, cutting her off.

"I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer, these past months have been a torment. I came to Oa with the single object of seeing you, I had to see you...! I have fought against my better judgment, my tribe's expectations, the situation of your programing by species and circumstance. You're an incredible artificial life form brought to life, Aya, you have more heart than anyone I know. I am willing to put aside what my people expect of me... and ask you to end my agony."

"I don't understand..."

"I love you."

Her optics blinked. The statement he just said wasn't consistent with his past actions, what with his coldness and lack of empathy. Now he dared to come to her family's property and said that he loved her?

"Most ardently," he continued, breathing. "Please do me the honor of accepting my hand."

Aya breathed. She didn't know if she should slap both sides of his face for his boldness or completely shut down in front of him. Repressing her fist from forming, she looked into Razer's eyes.

"Sir, I appreciate the struggle you have been through, and I am very sorry to have caused you pain. Believe me, it was unconsciously done, though... I cannot accept you."

There was a long silence. From the look on Razer's face, he was still digesting her refusal. He then began to speak.

"Is this your reply?"

Aya swallowed. "Yes, sir."

She, a wife to someone as arrogant as him? She'd rather shut herself down than be with the likes of him. Just, how in the galaxy could someone like him have feelings for her?

"Are you... are you laughing at me?"

"No."

"Are you rejecting me?"

Aya swallowed. "Does my rejection even surprise you? You've given me nothing but disdain, ever since the start of our relationship, and now you say you love me?"

"Might I ask why, with so little… endeavor at civility, I am thus repulsed?"

"And I might as well enquirer why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgment."

"No, believe me, I've been…!"

"If I was uncivil, then that is some excuse. But I have other reasons, you know I have."

"What reasons?"

"The nicest thing you've ever said about me was that I was decent enough," breathed Aya. "When you look at me, it's like I don't deserve your respect. You have a check list for what makes an accomplish woman! What you did to Carol disgusts me to no end, it's a wonder I can even look at you..."

Razer breathed, eyes darting to the ground. "What about Carol?"

"Do you think anything might tempt me to accept the hand of the man who has ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of my sister? You took the heart of my sister, the kindest soul in the galaxy and tore it in half. Do you deny it, Mr. Razer? That you separated a young couple who loved each other, exposing Hal Jordan for caprice and my sister to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind?"

"I do not deny it."

This man seriously had a lot of nerve today. It was either bravery or stupidity that brought him here today to speak to her.

Aya breathed, her disgust for this Volkregian growing further by the minute. "How could you do it? Does causing pain to those of us of a lower social standing give you joy?"

"No-! ... no, I simply doubted the long term faith of the relationship. I watched her interact with other males. While Hal was away, she was being very friendly."

Aya gritted her dentures. "It's called being polite and courteous, unlike some people should know."

"And what about the party that was held at his estate? While he was entertaining guest, she spoke with other men, I saw it with my own eyes. It was then obvious he loved her more than she ever could, and she never felt that way about him. From there on, I only saw their interaction was out of kindness and nothing more."

Aya's head turned, hand on her forehead. Carol's feelings for Hal were never sincere or genuine? He had to be joking.

"Carol loves Hal more than she can say. I've heard her cry in her room when she thinks no one's listening!"

She remembered holding a sobbing Carol in her arms. Her big sister, a tall tower, a female titan of power crumbling in front of her... It was worse than when mother cried.

"I was protecting Hal, we've been close friends for a long time."

"Protecting him, or protecting his wealth?" How much more damage could this man do to hurt her and her family? "Did you really think Carol's feelings were based on Hal's fortune?"

His eyes seemed to look deeply into hers. "It was made perfectly clear that it would be an advantageous marriage for her."

"By Carol?"

"No, but by your family."

"My family?" Her brow crunched in disbelief.

His eyes closed, forehead wrinkled. "It was the lack of propriety shown by your mother, your younger sisters, and even on occasion, your father!"

The faintest of pins dropping could have echoed in the garden. A mere second felt like hours, the cawing of crows boomed through her audios. She wanted this man out of her garden and off of her property now.

"Forgive me, that was out of line..." breathed Razer, ashamed. "You and Carol, I must exclude from this. I never thought of you that way..."

Aya breathed. There was one more thing she had to clear out of the air before they estranged each other from ever talking again for good.

"And what about Byth Rok?"

The Volkregian's eyes narrowed immediately as she spoke the Thanagarian's name. "Byth Rok?"

"What excuse can you give for your behavior toward him?"

He was cold and prudish ever since day one when she met him, though what he did to Byth set her circuits on overload. Razer took away his fortune, just because his father favored someone that wasn't his own son? It seemed someone was still a child.

"You take an eager interest in that Thanagarian's concerns," he began.

"He told me of his misfortunes."

"Oh, yes his misfortunes have been great indeed…" a lack of sincerity was detected in his voice.

How much more of an avarice person could he be? Had he no compassion inside his little heart? Did he even have a heart?

Her circuits just about fried her board. "You ruined his chances, and yet you treat him with sarcasm..."

"So this is your opinion of me?" began Razer. "Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honest and the scruples about our relationship. Do you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?"

"And those are the words of a gentleman…" breathed Aya.

She went in closer so the Volkregian could hear every last word she said. He had crossed the line so many times. It was about time someone showed his place.

"From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of other made me realize that you are the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry! I never thought I could be repulsed by you further..."

Once the words left her mouth and her brow cleared, her insides felt lighter. For a moment, she didn't seem... angry as she was before she said those words. If she hated this man with the passion of Hathor's suns, why couldn't she smite him further?

Razer broke the silence.

"Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time…"

All she could see was his back turned to her, walking away until it disappeared from the garden.

Emotions were always a complex notion for Aya. She had little experience with them, ever since father made her and constructed her, though everyone in the family did said she was making excellent progress. She tried with negative, heavy emotions, though after Mr. Razer left... nothing, not anybody made her feel this heavy before.