Memory Bonds

Cooper sat at the table, hands clasped together. The only other people in the spaceship were Wesles and Rasha. He was fine with that. He was, in fact, feeling a little overwhelmed. There was no technology on Iva. There'd been some on Xentron. But it had nothing on how much was here, on Morivon. He was instantly connected to more information than he knew what to do with. And that was just stuff the public was allowed to access. There was plenty his eyepiece couldn't get into, but he could probably bypass security with more ease than the other species.

He tried to do that with the cameras actually. It felt like there was one on every corner, and it would sure be nice to look through them. (It also made him glad Evin was going to get disguises. He'd clearly been on to something when he mentioned how fast the cultists could notice them without any.)

He was still working on that when Rasha spoke up.

"Er, Cooper?"

"Yes?"

"Um, well, it's just, you should probably know, we could hear you. Through the door. I mean, the door's pretty muffled, but it's a small space, and Wesles especially has good ears. . ."

Of course they had. Cooper didn't like telling people that. He didn't like dwelling on it, and he didn't like them dwelling on it either. Moon knew, but he had no choice about that. He hadn't even told Cembra.

Though they and Evergreen probably guessed, based on the way they treated him.

Yes, they were rather accommodating, weren't they? Speaking of, he was going to be gone a little longer than Cembra thought. He should probably let them know. He could send a message with his eyepiece. He did that, and turned his focus to the stammering Rasha.

"It's fine," Cooper raised a hand.

He didn't sound like it was fine.

"It's probably not even as bad you're thinking. Evil people are still going to be practical, and kids just aren't that useful." And the oldest he'd ever been as a slave was fifteen. "The number one reason children get abused in any capacity outside of slavery is that they're convenient targets who can't fight back. And guess what's true about adult slaves?"

No. He had a friend who'd been used in an alchemy experiment, because it's not like he was good for work.

Cooper himself was hit a fair bit by his "owner," but that was because the guy was terrible at it, didn't even know how to throw a punch, and children were the only people he could consistently hurt even with terrible form.

From the way Rasha was frowning at him, she was still concerned.

From Wesles' wide-eyed look, he had something else on his mind. "How did you escape?" he asked.

Cooper looked to the side. His hands were still clasped, but he'd been clenching his fingers and adjusting this thumbs. That was probably going to leave a mark later. He considered not answering at all. But he didn't know how to deflect the conversation unless Evin walked in right now.

He didn't.

"I didn't escape. The Hidden Cult came into the town I lived in, and killed everyone. Except me. I don't know why I was spared, and I didn't see the person who spared me on Iva, if you were wondering."

He hadn't known about the cult before they attacked town. Why would he?

He'd been terrified out of his mind, trying to find a place to hide. Instead, he'd just tripped over some garbage bags, and fallen back in the narrow space between two houses. It was dark back there, and there were the bags to hide him. So Cooper had laid still, and tried not to be spotted. It had failed with a single member of the cult, the hooded figure turning, stepping into the alley, and staring right at him.

And that should've been the end of it. He should've died. But instead, he'd seen two red eyes and pale skin peer out of the dark cloak. She'd slowly raised a finger to her lips. Then she'd turned, and walked away, and no one passed that area again. Or if they did, they assumed he was a dead body. He'd kept himself very limp back there.

On one hand, he'd been intentionally spared. Someone had seen him, and still kept him alive. And they'd saved him from a rather miserable existence by killing all the slaveholders in town.

On the other hand, they'd killed literally everyone else in town. The other slaves, the girl who'd treated him like a person instead of a slave, the guy who gave out free bagels if they didn't come out right. He'd heard the fighting. Well, slaughter was a more accurate term. And then he'd had to get up, wander through what remained, and find a way to live.

He tried to put the slavery behind him, and he wouldn't hear any critiques from Moon on how he was doing that, thank you. It wasn't like he'd gone out of his way to solve the mystery of what happened that night. But now that the cult had shown up again, and he'd be going towards them soon, well, it would be nice to know why he was alive.

The door to the space ship opened. "I'm back."

Cooper jumped, and turned around.

Sure enough, Evin was standing on the ramp to the spaceship, bag slung over his back. He'd changed his clothes. Instead of the worn red suit, he was wearing a black dress shirt and black jeans, a light blue vest and gloves, and a black hat with a light blue ribbon around it. The outfit actually hid what was left of the slime rather well. And he must've washed his skin too. It was too stain free to be anything else.

He probably knew Cooper's backstory too. Or at least, the part he'd told Fleck in the bathroom. He'd known there was a nonzero possibility the others could hear him (though he'd forgotten about Wesles' better hearing). It didn't mean he'd wanted them to. He just, he hadn't really thought too much about what would happen if they heard.

But Evin didn't say anything about that, when he spoke. "And, I didn't come alone."

A woman stepped onto the ramp, appearing from the side. "Well what do you know? It looks like he was telling the truth."

The woman was a human, but awfully short for one. Probably 153 centimeters? Best guess? Her red hair was pushed back, with a gray streak or two in it. Her sharp brown eyes reminded him more of a hawk than a human's. When her gaze fell on you, she managed to make it seem like she was towering over you, though the intensity passed after she'd looked the three over.

And it might not be just the gaze. On her black robes, pure black unlike the dark blue of the cultists, was a golden pin. It looked like a bird, more specifically a peacock or phoenix, its tail spinning to meet its neck. The symbol of the clerics.

"Er? Hello?" Rasha greeted hesitantly.

"Right. Introductions." The woman stepped forward, and bowed to them. "I am Elice, a cleric. But you probably guessed as much." Then she smiled, eyes narrowing even further, if possible. "I'm the one who cursed him."

Now that, Cooper hadn't guessed. He looked at Evin.

Evin must've guessed his silent question, because he answered. He huffed, adjusting his gloves. "I went to a cleric temple to get our clothes. They have some free stuff for the less fortunate. I didn't expect her to be at this one."

He glared daggers into Elice at that. She wouldn't be able to see him, standing in front of him, but she probably guessed it.

"You have to understand, I was a little skeptical he had any good intentions after the last time I met him."

Evin pressed a hand to his chest. "I would've been one of the less fortunate you supposedly care so much for even if I wasn't with these three," he said.

He was clearly annoyed, but Cooper couldn't guess if he was annoyed he had to admit to being poor, or still just annoyed with this cleric's existence.

Possibly both.

Yes, that did seem rather likely, didn't it?

"Anyway," Elice continued. "What's this about fighting the cult?"

Cooper shrugged. "Not much choice."

"Our friend was taken. We will go after her," Rasha said with a steadier surety than she must really feel. She certainly hadn't shown it before now.

Elice bowed her head. "I can respect that. I won't simply let you wander off though." She tossed Rasha a Link. "I'm going to see if any other clerics can join you on your quest. And, there's a few things I'd like to look into. This seems like a strange situation. But I suspect I can't ask you to wait. If you need help before I'm done, I want you to contact me." She raised a finger to point at the Link. "I will show up, and I will be able to help a good deal."