"Welcome back, Deimos! Are you well?"

The human in question stopped momentarily at the entrance of the hospital, raising his eyebrow at the moving monitor. Several months ago, when he had first woken up in the hospital, the sight of the sentient computer had made him panic. Now, it was as normal as the rest of his strange life.

"As well as I can be." He sat down on the bed and tilted his head towards the computer. "Still getting used to everything here, but I learn new things every day. How about you, are you doing well?"

"Oh!" The monitor rose a little, as if surprised by the question. "I- I am good as well! The hospital's number of healed patients has gone up, so I am happy!"

Deimos returned the computer's eager words with a grin. "I'm glad you are doing well!"

Their conversation stopped as the door to the room was opened as Garce walked into the room. He looked up from the screen in his hands, and gave the human a smile. "Alright, ready for your checkup?"

"I am." Deimos answered.

Garce looked towards the computer. "Analyzer, can you pull up the information for Deimos Earthborn? The injury and brain scans, please."

"Yes, sir!" The computer chirped, their screen becoming lit up with the requested information seconds later.

The blue skinned alien glanced at the screen for a moment, and then moved back to Deimos. He went through a few simple procedures, checking where his injuries once more, his heart beat, his temperature, and writing down everything on his screen.

"Everything is looking good, Deimos. Your injuries have all healed without infection, you're still a little underweight but it's much better than when you first arrived here." Garce tapped his screen, and zoomed in on the brain scans. "How is your memory doing?"

Deimos felt his mood diminish with a frown, as he glanced down towards his pale hands. "I… I still don't remember anything." He admitted in a pained tone.

Garce's expression became dismayed. "I see… I expected as much, but I had hoped that something would come back to you."

"I did too, but…" The human shuddered. "The people that did this to me, they have done this many times before, you said that. They've probably gotten very good at erasing memories."

The blue skinned alien frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "I hate those abductors. They hurt so many people and take away memories, all for their own sick experiments. It's disgusting. Nobody should be used like that."

Deimos silently nodded his agreement, and closed his eyes with a sigh. They sat in silence for a moment, both too upset to speak. Then, the human felt his mind wander, suddenly recalling the fight that he'd had with Desler a few days before.

He remembered how he felt during it, the thrill of the fight, the rush of adrenaline as he dodged and weaved in a way he didn't know he was capable of. It was exhilarating and familiar at the same time.

"Well… There was…" He opened his eyes, and looked up. "I got in a fight… I've never been in one before. But during it, I just knew what to do. I knew how to dodge, and move, and throw. It was like I'd always know how to do it… It was like... An instinct?"

Garce eyed him curiously and tilted his head. "An instinct? Interesting..." He repeated thoughtfully as he looked towards the brain scans. "Hm… If that's how you felt, perhaps these instincts could be related to your memories…"

"After all, if you didn't have these memories, then you wouldn't have these instincts." Garce tapped his screen and showed it to Deimos. "But I see no change in activity when we compare the scans from today. Nothing has changed, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless."

He set the screen aside and looked Deimos in the eyes. "It's just my own theory, but perhaps your memories are still there somewhere, buried deep in your mind. It might not be all of them, maybe only a choice few, but they might be there and helping drive these instincts you mentioned."

Deimos listened quietly, and tried not to let his apprehension show on his face.

Garce didn't notice the tension on his face as he gave him a hopeful glance "And, if this theory is true, then maybe your memories surface eventually!"

"Ah… Yeah, maybe." Deimos gave the alien a forced smile.

It made him feel guilty to pretend to be happy towards Garce, especially after the alien's kindness towards him, but the human couldn't find it in him to feel hopeful.

He was scared… Scared of his own memories.

If they did come back, like Garce thought they would, then what would that entail? Who was I? What was I like? Did I have family, friends, or a lover? Or… Or was I alone, and hated? Was I happy, or was I lost?

Any of it was possible, and that's what terrified Deimos the most. His memories, cruelly taken from him, belonged to the person he once was. What if he got them back, and he was disappointed or horrified in what he saw? What if there was really nothing waiting for him on Earth?

So many questions about a life he couldn't remember… And he wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to hear the answers. If the Earth never joined the Galactic System, there was a good chance he never would get them…

With all those fears and doubts in mind, Deimos wasn't sure if he wanted to remember.

Next to them, the sentient computer turned its head. "If I may interject, Deimos. It is not much, but there is a plant called Sky Flower which is said to make a delicious tea. According to Iscarmlian folklore, the Sky Flower tea helps ease the mind and jog memories."

Garce frowned slightly, and rolled his eyes. "Analyzer, that's only a myth. It's a good tea, but nobody really believes-"

Deimos quickly waved his hand. "No, it's okay Garce. They are just trying to help." He hopped off the bed, and gave the robot a grin. "Thank you, Analyzer! I will try the tea and update you next time I'm here!"

Garce sent him an odd, amused look before he chuckled and looked at the computer as well. "Yes, thank you, Analyzer. You're a very good helper."

The monitor perked up again. "You're welcome!" He chirped. "I am always happy to help my patients!"

"Well, your check up is done! Everything is looking good so far! I want to see you again in another few weeks to do scans again." Garce picked up the tablet again and looked towards him. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask about?"

Deimos felt another memory from the fight burst forward, of when he had used those strange powers to move the metal crate in front of Desler. How did I do that? Was it a human thing? Or… Or did it come from the people who abducted me? It was another question that he couldn't answer.

That didn't mean he couldn't do anything. He wanted to understand these strange powers, he wanted to learn how to use them properly. He needed to do it on his own, not only to understand the powers but also himself. For that reason, he decided he would figure it out on his own.

"No, there isn't." Deimos's red eyes met Garce's green, and he smiled. "Thank you for asking, though."


"Higher, Deimos, Higher!"

It was several days later, at the large lake in one of Iscarmilas's many parks. It's purple water was clear and sparkling, with many others sitting around the lake or swimming happily.

Deimos sat near the water's edge with his hand raised, a gentle red glow covering it. Hovering above the water's surface was Lozo's toy rocket, floating with the help of the human's powers.

Lozo paced the edge of the water, staring up at the rocket with narrowed yellow eyes, his long green hair trailing on the grass. "No, it needs to be higher!"

"If it's higher, you're not gonna catch it!" Lala called from behind Deimos, too focused on styling the human's hair to look up for more than a second.

Her twin brother crossed his arms and pouted. "I can do it! You'll see! I'll jump super super high and catch it!"

Lozo hurried backwards, crouched, and then took off as fast as he could. He ran to the edge of the shore and then jumped. At the same time, Deimos casually lowered his hand just the slightest bit to make sure the kid would be able to catch it.

As soon as his hands grabbed it, he let the red glow disappear. Lozo and the toy rocket splashed into the purple water, and popped up seconds later. He raised the rocket up with a satisfied grin. "Haha! See, I did catch it, I did!"

Lala stood with a dropped jaw for a moment, and then quickly recovered. She crossed her arms and sent her brother a glare. "You got lucky, it was a lucky catch! I bet you couldn't do it again!"

"Yes I could!" Lozo stubbornly declared, holding out the toy rocket towards the human. "Deimos, can you make it float again?"

Deimos ran his fingers against his temples, his eyelids heavy. "Sorry, Lozo, I think I'm out of energy for now." He gave a tired smile. "Maybe another day, okay?"

He had been getting better at using his powers. Though it had only been a few days, he had managed to learn a little more about them. He had to concentrate on an item to use it, and bigger ones took more energy.

When he first began to practice, he could only lift small objects for a short amount of time. He was getting stronger, but he knew he had to pace himself so he didn't hurt himself.

Even Lozo's (usually very effective) pout didn't manage to change his mind. When the child realized that hadn't worked, he let out a dramatic sigh. "Okay…" He set the toy rocket down on the grass and, with a new burst of energy, sprinted back towards the water and leapt back in.

Deimos chuckled and shook his head. How does he still have so much energy, we've been here all day! He slumped forward a bit, his ink-black bangs falling into his face. He frowned and sent a puff of air up, only for them to fall back into his eyes once more.

"I need to cut my hair soon…" He muttered aloud.

Lala suddenly remembered what she had been doing before and hurried back over, grabbing her hair ties and Deimos's hair. "You should keep it long, Mister Deimos! If it's longer, I can do more hair styles!"

"Oh yeah? Maybe I will have to, then."

"Yes! You should!" She excitedly exclaimed, before suddenly growing somber. "The only other person who let me do their hair was Papa…"

Deimos stiffened slightly at the mention of their father, and Lozo turned around to face them with an unreadable expression on his face.

The twins didn't speak often about their family or home planet, likely because the knowledge that they couldn't go back was still hard for them to handle.

The adults were careful with what they said, knowing reminders of their lost home was an open wound even two years after they were taken.

But when the twins brought it up on their own, they made sure to listen carefully. After all, they knew more than anyone just what the poor kids were going through.

With that in mind, Deimos forced himself to stay happy, as he looked back towards her. "He has long hair too?"

"Uh-huh! We all do!" Lala started braiding a strand of his hair. "Papa said that long hair is important to our people because it is alive!"

"Alive?" The human echoed curiously.

Lozo, still soaking wet, quickly hurried over to join the conversation. "Yes, alive!" He placed his hands on top of his head. "When you grow up, you get flowers in your hair! They're super pretty, and Papa had tons of them!"

Lala smiled at the memory. "Papa was so pretty…" Her smile slowly turned downwards, and she let out a sad sigh. "I miss him so much… I wish I could see him again…"

Her twin brother's eyes turned saddened as he moved to sit on the grass, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Mister Deimos… Do you think Papa forgot about us?"

Deimos quickly shook his head. "No way! How could he forget about you two? I bet that as soon as Padlantis joins the Galactic System, he'll show up and give you guys a big hug!"

Lozo looked towards the sky fondly. "Papa did give the best hugs… And he made the best food on the whole planet!" He gave a proud expression. "Our home had guests all the time because everyone wanted to have Papa's food!"

"And Papa is super nice!" Lala continued as if they shared thoughts. "He didn't care where you were from on Padlantis. He'd give you a big bowl of soup and a big hug and tell you the coolest stories!"

The human smiled. "He sounds like a wonderful person, you two. I hope I can meet up at home one day."

"Me too." Lozo agreed with the tiniest of smiles.

There was a brief pause between them, none of them entirely sure where to take the conversation now that the topic of their missing homes had been brought up.

Eventually, after she had finished braiding one of his long strands of hair, it was Lala who broke the tension. "Deimos…" She moved to sit next to him, her face conflicted. "Why are the Iscarmilians so mean to us?"

Deimos tensed up again, his throat suddenly dry. Oh no, how was he supposed to explain something like that without making them upset? "Ah, well…" His red eyes glanced up, and he found both Lala and Lozo staring at him expectantly. "Well… That's hard to explain…"

"Why?" Lozo asked, his yellow eyes wide. "I-Is there something wrong with us?"

"No! No, there's nothing wrong with you! There never has been! It's just-" Deimos took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, careful to avoid the finished braid. "Some people… Don't see people who are different, or people from other planets, as people. But that's wrong."

Lala frowned and clenched her fists. "But if that's true… Then why are the Iscarmilians mean to us all the time?"

Deimos sighed. "That's because some people think that just because they were born a certain way, or were born on a certain planet, that makes them better than everyone else… When you think of yourself like that, when you don't see others as being like you, it's easy to be cruel."

He motioned to the twins. "No one is inherently better or worse than anyone else. It doesn't matter if you're Padlantian, Iscarmilian, Human, or any other species. We are all different, and that's a part of life, it's nothing to be afraid of. In the end, we're all people."

Lozo frowned and scrunched up his nose. "Some of the grown-ups at the shelter say that all the Iscarmilians are mean and evil."

"Well that's wrong too. No group of people is completely good or bad." He tapped his cheek in thought, and then snapped his fingers. "Ah! What about Officer Pezel? He's Iscarmilian, and he's very nice!"

Lala's face brightened at the mention. "He is! He bought me new paints!"

Deimos gave her a grin. "See?" He made a thoughtful noise. "And what about Padlantis? Did you know any mean people there?"

Lozo instantly gasped. "Yes! That mean lady who gave me medicine when I was sick! It tasted bad and she yelled at me because I didn't like it!"

Lala made a noise of understanding. "Oh, I get it! There's nice and mean people everywhere? On every planet?"

The human nodded. "Yes. There's no group that is completely good or bad. Every planet has nice and mean people, that's a part of life too. But it's not up to the Iscarmilians, or anyone else, to decide who you are. It's up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be."

The twins both nodded in unison, and then shared a glance between each other.

"Then how do we prove it?" Lozo asked.

"Huh?" Deimos tilted his head. "Prove what?"

"How do we show them that we're smart, and good, and people?!" Laza exclaimed, her yellow eyes bright and determined. "How do we prove to the people who are mean to us that we should be treated fair?"

Deimos felt his heart squeeze, and he cursed the cruel people who made them ask this question. "Oh, you guys…" He brought them both close, letting each one hold an arm as they hugged. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone, you already deserve to be treated fairly. If people can't see how awesome you are, then they're missing out. All you have to do is be yourselves, and be proud of that. Okay?"

"Okay…" Both twins whispered, their eyes still a little sad but their smiles made him hopeful that they'd take his words to heart.

He glanced around the lake for a moment, and then ducked his head to whisper. "And if anyone, and I mean anyone, tries to make you feel bad or hurt you, you come find me or one of the other grown-ups at the shelter, okay?" His red eyes blazed brightly for a moment. "We'll make sure they learn their lesson."

The twins nodded again, and Deimos gave himself a moment to calm down. "Good. And remember that if you want to talk about this more, or ask more questions, you can always talk to me or the other grown-ups. Don't be afraid to ask questions, okay?" He gave them a smile. "After all, knowledge is one of the most powerful things in the world!"

This time, Lala and Lozo both brightened. Their sadness melted away, at least for now, and they both looked more at ease after the difficult conversation. Deimos was relieved, he hated when the twins looked so upset.

I wish they didn't have to worry about this stuff… He thought as he watched them run back towards the lake. Lala jumped in while Lozo let his toy rocket float on the surface. This is all they should have to do: be children, enjoy their childhood. Not worry about what some self-righteous assholes think about them.

He reached up to the side of his hair, where the braid that Lala had made now sat, and felt a warmth in his heart. Lala, Lozo… I don't know how long it will be until you can go back to your home planet, or if that will ever happen… His red eyes glowed with his determination. But until it does, I'll do my best to make sure you get the happy childhood you deserve.


Deimos smiled as he handed over a few coins to the vendor, already excited to try out the Iscarmilian dessert he had heard so much about.

According to the research he had done on the computer, Sweet Shoots were a fruit that only bloomed once every year. They apparently tasted so good that nobody ever added anything to them, they were perfect on their own.

He had been worried he wouldn't be able to get in line in time to grab one but luckily, with some careful planning and sweet talking one of the vendors, he was able to get one for himself.

As he happily skipped away, he took a bite of the pink, cylindrical fruit. It had a crispy skin, and a soft, gooey inside. When the flavor hit your tongue it was a burst of sweetness, not too much, just the right amount to leave you wanting more. No wonder it was so popular.

Deimos turned into an alleyway to take a shortcut as he finished off the last of the Sweet Shoot. They were still in season for a while, he could probably manage to get a few more. They were delicious enough that he'd be willing to spend the money, maybe Lala and Lozo would like to try them-

His thoughts were suddenly cut off as a blinding pain hit him in the face, followed by a burst of hot pain. He yelped and stumbled forward, crashing onto the hard ground below.

"Tch…" He gritted his teeth at the pain. "What… Who…?"

The sound of footsteps made him flinch, as he quickly turned his head towards the source. He regretted it seconds later as his head throbbed in pain, but he forced himself to keep looking.

Walking towards him were four iscarmilian officers, all of them still in their uniforms with cocky smirks on their face and anger in their eyes.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little primitive who thinks he's too important to follow rules." The nearest one with a scar on his lip said.

The skinny one next to him sneered. "You're annoying, you know? You run like a coward to Pezel, and get Desler fired. For what?"

Deimos frowned, about to retort when the third's foot slammed into his stomach. He gasped and coughed, curling further into himself.

"You think we give a shit, primitive?" The third hissed. "You should have learned your place like the others, then we wouldn't have to do this."

"But, we have to." The last of them said with a sadistic smirk. "A primitive like you has to learn the hard way."

The fourth kicked straight in the face, while the man with the lip scar stomped on his ankle. They attacked him with fury, spitting insults and aiming for any sensitive areas the human couldn't protect.

These were Desler's friends, weren't they? They had to be, why else would they have ambushed him for no reason? Did they really hate 'primitives' that much? If Pezel found out-

But then Deimos realized that's exactly why they were brave. Pezel isn't here… And as long as someone with a sound mind wasn't there to stop them, they could spit their hateful beliefs and do foolish actions without fear of repercussions.

Fuck! He yelped as another foot slammed onto his wrist, it hurt so bad. How was he supposed to get away? Should he call for help? But that would make them angrier, and would anyone even answer his cries?

No, nobody would. Nobody helped when Lala was being harassed at the marketplace, so why would he expect anyone to help him now? He had to escape on his own, he had to wait for a chance.

For what felt like hours, the human lied there and took the beating. He wrapped his arms around his neck, his stomach, curled his legs up, and tried to not give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. It hurt so bad, they knew exactly how to make it hurt, but he had to hold out.

Finally, finally they began to slow down as they ran low on energy. With a few half-hearted kicks, Deimos saw his opening. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking past the blood as he forced a surprised look on his face.

"Pezel!" He called in a relieved tone. "Over here!"

Instantly the four men jolted and whipped around, searching for their superior officer. But there was nobody where Deimos was looking.

Go! Go! Go! Deimos screamed at himself as he forced himself to his feet, his vision suddenly swimming as he nearly fell over again. He hit the alleyway wall, and then forced himself forward again.

"Hey! He's trying to run!"

"Grab him, Nail!"

"Oi, you bastard!"

A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, and Deimos felt a burst of panic run through him, his eyes glowing a bright red. As he was forced to turn, a burst of power ran through him as he threw his hand out and yelled,"NO!"

As his hand cut through the air, a blast of red burst from it, crashing into the guard with the lip scar. He screeched as he was thrown back, tumbling down the alleyway before he didn't get up. His body seemed to single where it was hit, and the twitching he did was the only sign he was still alive.

The other three officers were frozen in terror as they stared at their friend.

"How did he…"

"What was that?"

"No way…"

Deimos's glow quickly faded with his shock. He stared at the unconscious man on the ground in disbelief. I did that? But my powers… I didn't know I could… He cut himself off as he turned and took off. Ahh! Who cares! Run, run while you can!

He stumbled and crashed to the ground before quickly righting himself and taking off again. He felt woozy, like he always did when he overexerted himself, but he knew he had to keep running. Now that he has done… Whatever that was… He couldn't let them get their hands on him!

"He's running again!"

"That fucker!"

"COME BACK HERE!"

The human scrambled as fast as he could through the different alleyways, skidded around corners, leapt over any items in his path. He had to get away, as fast as he could! But how long would they chase him!? Where could he hide that they wouldn't find him?

The pristine conditions of the big city began to fade into more weathered, crumbling ones as they went further and further from where their encounter began.

Deimos's lungs started to scream at him to stop as he glanced behind him. Somewhere along the way, the skinny one had fallen behind. Now only the second one and the fourth followed him, but they were gaining quickly.

Do something, idiot! His mind screamed as his red eyes scanned around him. He glanced upwards ahead of him and gasped. An old, rickety sign hung from rusty chains above. That! I can use that!

He reached into his pocket, grabbing one of the switchblades he kept on him, and threw it with all his strength. As the white line flew through the air, he used the last bit of his speed to skid past the sign just as it fell.

There was a crumbling sound, a crash, and cries of surprise but he didn't stop to see if his plan had worked. He was barely able to keep himself from tripping over his own feet, he needed to hide now!

Deimos turned a corner, and suddenly the floor was no longer there. He tumbled down a steep hill, sending spikes of pain through his injuries, before flopping face first onto the dusty ground. He groaned and pushed himself upwards, his red eyes landing on a figure nearby.

It was a green coloured alien with short, spiky hair, bright blue eyes, large, floppy ears and a prehensile tail behind them. They stared at Deimos with a surprised expression, and for a moment neither of them dared to move.

"Where did that monster go?!"

That voice, it was the officers! Deimos jumped back to his feet, and opened his mouth to ask, pleading for the alien to hide him. But before he could even get a word in, the claw-like hand pointed towards the nearby building, a shoddily built warehouse.

"Thank you!" Deimos whispered in a hushed tone before he hurried to the entrance of the building, and ducked inside just as the footsteps of the two officers made it to the edge of the pit.

"You there, scrapper!" The second officer yelled, making Deimos flinch. "Have you seen a primitive running through here? He has freaky red eyes, and is too dangerous to leave out on the streets!"

Bastards… He sneered inwardly. How dare they say that, when they were the ones that jumped him. He stayed in his hiding spot, though, holding his breath as he dared to hope that the green alien was a friend. Please don't rat me out, please don't rat me out-

Suddenly, he heard a new voice scoff. "You think I have the time to look out for something like that?!" The scratchy voice, which Deimos realized belonged to the green alien, demanded. "I don't get paid enough for this job, don't expect me to do yours too!"

"Why you little-"

There was a rustle of fabric. "Dune, don't! They're second class. If they squealed, we'd get in trouble. Let's just find the others and go back."

The second officer, whose name was apparently Dune, made a growling noise before he gave up and sighed. "Fine. We'll let the little monster live for now. But he'd better have learned his lesson."

"If he doesn't, we'll make sure he does, and pay for what he did to Nail." The fourth ominously replied as they walked away, their footsteps becoming more and more distant until they faded away.

Deimos finally let go of the breath he had been holding, and slumped against the back wall in relief. "Thank the stars it's over…"

He slowly forced himself up, using the wall to steady himself. By the time the room stopped spinning, the green alien had made their way into the front of the warehouse.

"T-thank you." He was forced out of his exhausted lungs. "Really, I appreciate the help."

"I was there that day."

Deimos jolted at the scratchy voice and looked at the green alien again, tilting his head in confusion. "Pardon?"

"At the marketplace. I was there." They answered. "When you helped that little girl. And I must say, I was impressed."

"I-Impressed?" Deimos repeated incredulously.

They placed their hands on their hips and nodded, their tail whipping around behind them. "You have to be either extremely brave or extremely stupid to stand up to an Iscarmilian officer like that, especially one like Desler. Dunno which one you are, but you did kick his ass, that was fun to watch."

The backhanded compliment made the human scoff. "Yeah, well no one else was doing anything other than standing there like nothing was happening."

"That's because they're smart enough to stay out of it." Their ears lowered and their eyes darkened. "They know nothing good will come of doing that."

Deimos glared at them. "How do you expect their ways to change if you never stand up and do something about it? Nothing will get better if you just sit there and let them walk all over you."

"Heh, yeah right." They shook their head. "You're too naive."

"You're too pessimistic."

"Says the kid who looks like he just got the shit kicked out of him."

Deimos turned his nose upward. "I gave as good as I got."

The green alien snorted. "I saw those officers, they looked like shit. I believe you on that." They moved to a trunk in the warehouse, and pulled out a medics kit. "C'mere, I'll patch you up."

Sitting in a warehouse in the middle of a scrapyard, Deimos let the stranger wrap his wounds, bandage a nasty cut above his eye, and check his bruises. Neither of them said anything the entire time, content to let the green alien work.

Once they had finished, they clicked the kit shut and made a satisfied noise. "You're probably good to leave now, it's been long enough that they've probably moved on. But I'd still take the back way if I were you."

"I will." Deimos said as he walked towards the exit, his steps a little steadier. "Thanks for all your help."

The alien's ears twitched and they smiled. As they turned around they waved their clawed hands. "See you around, human."

Deimos suddenly had an idea. He glanced back towards the large scrapyard, and then returned his gaze to the alien. "Hey, need an extra pair of hands around here?"

The green alien stopped and turned to face the human with a look of surprise. "Seriously?"

"I've been looking for a job for a while. Not a lot of places in the city want to hire someone that's on those officers' bad side." He turned to them and smirked. "So what better place to work than the exact place I hid from them?"

"Hmph…" The alien smirked. "Fine. I'll take you up on your offer. But don't expect a good wage. I can't afford that. But feel free to take anything from the scrap piles that you like to make up for that."

"Sounds like a fair trade." Deimos said as he held out his hand. "My name is Deimos by the way. If we're going to be working together, you might as well know it."

The green alien stared at his hand for a long second, as if contemplating if hiring him was the right decision. In the end, they seemed to decide it was, as they reached out and shook the human's hand. "The name's Hifuld."

"Well, then it's a pleasure to meet you, Hifuld."

The green alien smirked. "You won't be saying that after your first shift."

Deimos scoffed and waved his hand. "Oh please. I got jumped by four Galactic Officers today. A manual labor job sounds much more fun than that."

Hifuld gave him an odd glance for a long, awkward moment. It seemed like they were analyzing the human, trying to find out what they wanted to say next. Eventually, they sighed and closed their eyes.

"Listen, kid… I've lived here too long to think anything will change. People like Desler are always the ones with the power, it's always been hopeless to try-"

The human frowned, and opened his mouth to argue, only to be cut off instantly.

"-But… If anyone were going to have the guts to do it. It'd probably be a stubborn punk like you."

Deimos raised his eyebrows in surprise, unsure of how to respond. "O-oh I- Well… Thanks…" He muttered, a tint of pink on his cheeks.

Hifuld smirked, and let go of his hand. "I'll see you in three days for your first shift. Don't get jumped again before then."

The human chuckled as he moved back towards the exit of the scrapyard, raised his hand, and waved. "I make no promises~!" He sang in a cheery voice.

As he headed back towards the Shelter, taking the back way to avoid any unwanted encounters, he marveled on what had just occurred. Hifuld was an odd sort, but they reminded him of the Sweet Shoot he'd had earlier in the day: A hard exterior with a sweet center.

I wonder… He thought to himself as he walked by the shattered sign, taking the chance to find his knife nearby. Was Hifuld right? Is it really hopeless to try?

Considering what had just happened to him not even an hour earlier, part of him was inclined to believe it. But then he thought of his friends in the Shelter, how nobody defended Lala when Desler singled her out, and the small, hopeful words that Hifuld had said to him before he left.

I'm just one simple human. There's no way I can change the minds of all the Iscarmilians who think of us in the same way that Desler does… He knew that for a fact. But, I'm not alone. Pezel, Belos, Garce, Lala, Lozo, Franklin, Hifuld. We all hope for change, a better future. We're few, but it always starts off like that, right?

If our actions can help, even a little bit, then it's all worth it.