By the time he had made it back to his home, it had started to rain. Usually, he liked the rain. Iscarmillas had rain that sparkled as it fell, and it matched the purple color of the sky. But after his failure at the library, the sight only served to make him more depressed.

Man, talk about a shitty morning. It's not even noon and today already feels like it's been ruined. He shook his head as he walked towards the elevator and pressed the button.

As he waited, he tried to push away his sadness and put a positive spin on it. I didn't find anything on Earth, but there's always other stuff to read another day, when I have enough Nova to go back. Maybe the other no-contact planets archives have more information… Or maybe I could find an archive on Padlantis for Lala…

He stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. Lala! I'd almost forgotten! He quickly turned back around, leaving the Shelter, and hurrying in the opposite direction of the library. I promised I'd buy one of her drawings! It's raining now, but maybe she's still there!

The red-eyed human hurried down the streets and past the buildings, until he reached the large marketplace near the city's central. It was a large, paved area filled with several stores closer to the city where Iscarmilians sold their goods, and stalls set up in the streets, where many people (often refugees like Deimos) sold their own items.

As he made it to the middle of the stalls, he caught sight of the long green hair and was relieved. Lala was here! He could still get the drawing, and make sure she was able to buy the toy rocket for Lozo.

But as he walked closer, he realized something was wrong. Lala's yellow eyes were wide and fearful, her papers hugged close to her chest as she stared up at a large, Iscarmilian security officer above her.

"Please, mister! I didn't mean to break the rules, I was just making drawings!" Lala whispered in a voice so weak, Deimos almost didn't hear it.

The security officer sneered, showing off yellow teeth. "I didn't ask what you were doing, primitive! I told you that you aren't allowed here, you don't have permission, you can't sell here!"

Deimos, for the second time that day, was shocked by the Iscarmilian's hostility. His red eyes scanned the crowd, but none of the nearby people moved. Some of them were looking away, and others pretended nothing was happening. What?! Why isn't anyone doing anything?!

"I'm sorry!" Lala's eyes started to grow misty with the tears. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"Of course you didn't! Your kind never knows! Nothing but a bunch of leeching primitives! Now get out of here or else!" The man grabbed the small stand and pushed it down, the paints crashing onto the ground and leaking in the puddles below.

Lala made a panicked noise. "My paint!" She moved to reach for the small bottles of colors-

The security officer's hand shot out, grabbed her by her arm and raised it. "What did I just say?!" He threw the child back and she fell, her back crashing into the pavement and the papers in her arms landing on the wet stone, ruined.

That's it! I can't watch this anymore! Deimos sprinted forward and skidded to a stop in between the two, blocking the officer's view of Lala and placing himself in harm's way.

The Iscarmilas officer froze in his footsteps, his stance showing that he had been about to go after Lala again. His blue eyes looked Deimos up and down, and he sneered. "Get out of my way, primitive!"

"Why should I?!" Deimos snapped back.

"She broke the law! She didn't have a permit!"

"Lala is a child! How the hell was she supposed to know?!"

The officer scoffed. "Excuses! This is why we shouldn't let your kind stay on our planet! You don't care about the rules, you expect everyone else to take care of you! You're all disgusting, useless, freeloaders!"

Deimos growled as the man started forward again in an attempt to get around him, and quickly held his arms out and slid to block him again. He felt his heart pounding against his chest as he looked up at the man's imposing figure, but for some reason he wasn't intimidated by the man's possible strength. "Leave her alone!"

"Move, NOW!" The man snarled. "Or I'll arrest you too!"

The human didn't move, and instead let a smirk climb up his face. "Do it then! I'm sure Pezel and the other officers would love to hear that you arrested me because I was protecting her from your temper? Tell me, sir, who is the child here?"

His jaw clenched, he growled, and his fists squeezed tight. That was the only warning Deimos got before the large fist flew forward, slamming into his face. He stumbled backwards and crashed on the ground, his vision spinning.

"No! Deimos!" Lala's terrified voice cried.

The sound of her fear shook off his daze, and he threw his legs forward to gracefully land on his feet. He glared at the officer, and quickly looked behind him. "Stay out of the way, Lala! I won't let him hurt you!"

The sound of a wet footstep made Deimos turn again, just as a fist flew towards him once more. SUddenly, there was a feeling deep within his chest, an instinct that urged him to listen. As the Officer swung, Deimos found himself smoothly dodging the attack with a quick side step.

Both men seemed to freeze for a second, shocked by the smooth avoidance. Then, the officer only seemed to grow more angry. He let out a loud, enraged sound and then charged forward again.

He swung, and Deimos let his instincts guide him once more. He jumped back, slid across the smooth pavement, and ducked every hit that came his way. As the one-sided attacks continued to miss, his opponent only seemed to grow more angry.

"You little brat!" The officer yelled.

Deimos panted as he took several steps back. "Who is the one throwing a tantrum here, sir?" The last word was spat in the most mocking tone that he could muster.

The officer's blue eyes twitched, and he suddenly ran to the side, aiming for something other than the human. He grabbed the small table that Lala had been holding her paint on, and threw it with all his might.

The human cried out and stumbled back, but his wet shoes made him slip and fall. His back hit the ground as the table flew across his vision, crashing past where he had fallen. Deimos quickly sat up, and yelped as he saw the officer charging forward with a fury.

He brought his hand up in a panic, whether to shield himself or surrender, he would never know, because something else happened instead. A red glow suddenly appeared around his hands, and he felt a rush of power through him. His hand moved without him, aiming for some metal crates stacked nearby.

The same red glow shone around the crate before it lurched forward, crashing mere inches in front of the running officer. He threw himself backwards, his own feet slipping as he crashed onto his backside and stared at the crate in shock.

Deimos let out a shocked gasp of air as he stared at the crate, and then looked down at his shaking hands. Did… Did I do that?!

The bewildered Deimos pushed himself to his feet. The world spun, and he stumbled sideways. Before he could fall back to the ground, he crashed into one of the stalls nearby. He felt so exhausted, like all his energy had been used up. Was it because of that glow? I don't understand… How did that happen?!

He didn't get a chance as the sound of panicked bystanders made him quickly whip back around. His heart seized as he realized the officer had finally had enough. He wasn't charging or throwing punches, he had pulled out his blaster, and he was aiming it right at Deimos!

No! Deimos stumbled and threw himself below the stall just as the blast hit the pole of the stall. The weak metal quickly corroded, sending the fabric awning crashing over the top.

There were a few more blasts as people panicked and ran, followed by the sound of unhurried footsteps. Shit! He's coming for me! The blood rushed in his ears as he tried to think. Could I use that glow again? I don't know how, I can't figure it out in time! I need to do something else! His eyes scanned the area around him in a panic. I need… I need…

A glint of metal caught his eye, there was a beautifully crafted beneath the stall. He could use that, he didn't know why but he knew he could. He lunged forward and grabbed the knife, then jumped to his feet. As soon as he caught sight of the imposing figure, he let his mind take over, and he threw.

The knife flew through their air with a whistle, landing blade first in the man's arm. He screeched in pain and dropped the blaster, it clattered to the ground like a useless hunk of metal as the officer clutched at the weapon. With a hiss of pain, he ripped the knife out and tossed it aside.

"Gr… You…" The man wheezed as his blue eyes focused on Deimos, with a hatred so furious that his eyes seemed to blaze. He dropped his injured arm as he turned towards the human, and prepared to change. "You are SO FUCKING DEAD!"

"What is going on here?!"

The two combatants stopped and turned towards the commanding voice. As soon as he saw the thin, graceful figure and the accompanying officers, Deimos felt his heart soar in relief. "Officer Pezel!"

Pezel's sharp gaze glanced between the two, and the human noticed that when his eyes rested on the officer, a glimmer of annoyance appeared. Hmm.. What could that mean?

"Sir!" The officer made a quick, one armed salute over his chest. "Thank the stars you arrived! I was just attempting to apprehend this prim- This offworlder! He was attacking people in the marketplace!"

Deimos's eyes widened. "That's a lie!" He stumbled around the stall and glanced pleadingly at Pezel. "He grabbed Lala and threw her to the ground! He said she couldn't sell because she didn't have a permit, he wanted to arrest her for it! She's just a child, Pezel, she didn't know! It's not right!"

"You still attacked an officer!" The injured, imposing man yelled.

The human spun around, his red eyes glowing brightly with his anger. "You threw Lala to the ground, and then you attacked me first! Of course I fought back, you were trying to kill me! You shot at me!"

Pezel's frown deepened as his gaze landed on the blaster on the ground, and the damaged stall nearby. "Is this true, Desler? Did you shoot your blaster at an unarmed civilian, amongst a group of unarmed people?"

Desler's blue eyes narrowed as he released a short growl, before cutting himself off. He sent a hateful glare towards Deimos, and then sighed. "Yes, sir. He speaks the truth…" He ground out, seemingly understanding that he was in trouble either way.

His superior officer sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You foolish-" He cut himself off, and turned to the officers behind him. "Take Desler to the station, I will remain here and deal with the aftermath. Do not let him leave until I have spoken to him personally."

The two officers made a cross armed salute using both hands, and then moved towards their companion. Desler's frown grew worse, but he didn't fight them as they took him away.

Once the officer had been taken out of view, Deimos finally let himself relax, his eyes returned to their normal gentle glow, and he sighed in relief. Thank the stars that it's over…

"You must be more careful, Deimos Earthborn."

Blinking his red eyes, he turned back towards Pezel. The Iscarmilian was staring towards the blaster, and then towards the damaged paper and paints.

"W-what do you mean?"

Pezel sighed. "You were lucky I was the one who came to break up this fight. If it had been one of Desler's friends, you and the child would have been arrested without mercy."

Deimos's eyes widened and frowned. "What? They'd just get away with that?" He placed his hands on his hips and frowned. "Weren't you the one who told me that I would not be discriminated against? That's all that's happened today, and nobody helped when he was harassing Lala!"

The thin man looked ashamed. "I know, but I meant what I said. Most Iscarmilians are more than happy to welcome refugees and offworlders into our society-"

"Most." Deimos spat hatefully.

"-But, there are some who still despise this system. Despite how long it's been, I am afraid there are still some hateful people like Desler out there." He turned to Deimos and dipped his head. "I did not expect you to have to face it so soon, so I did not mention it. I am truly sorry…"

Deimos knelt down by the shattered paint glasses, searching for ones that hadn't broken. "Don't apologize for their behavior, just do something about it."

"I am trying, believe me, I am." Pezel softly said. "But there is only so much I can do, I am only a Galactic Officer. I'm no politician, I can't change the law or sway people's opinion. But I can get him fired, I will make sure he learns there are consequences for his actions."

Pezel knelt down to the ground, picking up the shiny switchblade, and wiping off the blood. "But there are many others like Desler out there, who will be hateful no matter what I try. Do not let them win, don't let them get to you."

He walked towards the human and held out the switchblade. "Keep it, it seems you know how to use it." He patted his pocket. "Don't worry, I will pay the stall owner the price."

Deimos hesitated for a moment as he stared at the silver blade. He had picked it up and thrown it so easily before, it had felt natural. Strange… Why does a simple switchblade feel so familiar?

After a few seconds his pale hand reached out, taking the hilt in his hand and bringing the weapon close. He twirled it in his fingers, and then nodded. "Thank you, Pezel. I'll take good care of it."

Pezel nodded back, and turned his head towards the mess. "Oh, and thank you."

"Eh? For what?"

The Iscarmilian gave a wide, satisfied grin. "For giving me an excuse to finally fire Desler."

With a wave of his hand, Pezel departed to go speak to witnesses. Deimos watched him go and shook his head in amusement.

"Well…" He looked down at the switchblade in his hand. "At least today wasn't a complete loss." The human spun the blade again, and then shoved it in his pocket.

"D-Deimos?"

The little voice made him quickly turn, his red eyes landing on the sight of Lala. The little girl's yellow eyes scanned the abandoned marketplace nervously, before she looked back towards him. "Is- Is it safe now?"

The human softened. "Yes, little one. It's safe now."

Her bottom lip quivered, and then she burst forward. She collided with Deimos, and quickly wrapped her arms around him as she began to sob. "I-I was so scared! I- I thought he was gonna hurt you a-a-and…" Her voice trailed off as her tears took over.

Deimos moved to hunch over the girl slightly, shielding her from the downpour. "It's alright, Lala. He's gone now, he can't hurt either of us. Everything is okay."

Lala sniffled and shook her head. "Not everything…" She glanced towards the mess. "My paint and paper… How will I buy Lozo the rocket now?"

"Don't worry, I'll help pay for it." Deimos found that his answer came instantly, he didn't even have to think about it.

"R-really?" Lala looked towards him hopefully. "You'd really help me pay?"

Deimos gave her a smile. "Of course! Don't worry about the Nova price, Lala. You can just make me one of your pretty drawings in exchange, I still need one after all."

The little girl sniffled, and wiped her face free of tears. Though her eyes were still misty, his promise had made her smile wide. "I'll make it the most beautiful, amazing drawing ever! I promise!"