Cedric plodded behind Faring through the corridor. The sensation of gravity in a space-faring vessel still new to him. It was also strange to see barely any nets or handles lining the corridor, extremely important components for maneuvering in zero-g. There was some for emergency locomotion in the event of a gravity generator failure, but it was not ideal. You'd have to launch yourself from one to the other, rather than alternate like one would grip monkey bars to propel themselves forward.

"So, what now?"

Faring turned to face Cedric, communicating with him as she walked steadily backwards through the straight corridor.

"Well, I'll show you where you'll be staying while we're on the way back to Saint Amelion."

"Saint Amelion?"

"Named after a Korellei revolutionary! She was indoctrinated as a Saint after her heroic actions during the great uprising. That's a story for another time though. Saint Amelion, or 'Amy' as some like to call it - is a hub for the houses. Your status as a slave will last only until House Kilik speaks with the Pentarchy. That's the council of the five highest houses responsible for controlling the Empire, and is heralded by House Von Strauss - the imperial family. House Olympia, House Gran-Dour, House Tilmier, and House Rax. Leaders of the Empire, industry, agriculture, consumer goods, and slave trade."

"One of the head honchos is the house specializing in slavery?"

"It's extremely common in the Empire. A fair share of slaves are actually indentured servants working off debts, others are members of failed rebellions or illegal citizenship. It's a lot better alternative to execution."

Cedric was appalled. Slavery, executions? He really wasn't sure which was worse.

"Executions?"

Seemingly unbothered by the question, and maintaining her demeanor, Faring replied.

"Big bads. Mostly revolutionary ring leaders."

"One of your Saints is a revolutionary though?"

"Oh that's different, that was a revolution demanding freedom from oppression, not because of disagreements with the Empire's policies."

"But that's... You know what? Nevermind."

"Okay then! Oh - here's your new home! At least for a few weeks."

They stopped at one of the first doors that split from the corridor. Several other doors followed it, a line of cabins - if Cedric had to guess. Directly connected to the main corridor. He figured that a medbay, if they had one, was further up. Most likely the kitchen or equivalent dining area as well as the bridge.

"It may be a bit of a snug fit because of your size, but the beds are oversized so hopefully you won't fall off."

"Or crush it."

"Uh, yeah. Or crush it..."

"You said we'd be on-ship for a few weeks right? How many is a few weeks?"

"Uh, about three?"

"How much of your language can I learn in that time."

"Enough to understand simple words I bet. You want me to teach you?"

Faring's tail wagged happily at the thought of teaching Cedric her language.

"You're the only one that can."

"Oh! Right. Yes I can teach you. Slaves aren't traditionally given lessons, but I guess this is a special case. I'm excited! Oh, I need to show you around the rest of the ship. Okay, so your room first."

She opened the door and ushered him in. All it took was the flick of a small lever attached to the right side of the door frame. A small button was underneath it, the doorbell most likely. As they stepped in - she was indescribably correct. The bed was gracious enough in size that he'd be able to sleep in it. For the small Korellei, they were like personal double or queen sized beds. For Cedric though, it was more like a twin sized. Ironically named, considering that what was called a 'twin' sized was a single. No matter to him, he'd be able to sleep decent - assuming it supported his weight. Faring trot to the left side of the room, opposite of the bed. A small sliding door remained closed - somewhat blending with the plain, grey metal walls. She gingerly opened the door, revealing an all-in-one toilet, shower, and sink. It wasn't quite his size - but it'd do the job.

"I'm giving you this room to stay in because it's the largest we have in terms of furniture. For larger Korellei, like Ursidae and Equidae. Some Canidae too, but that's hit or miss."

Cedric eyed Faring's slim form up and down.

"I see, compared to you and... Kern was it? Hm, so I'm not the biggest one around - huh?"

"You're still larger than the largest Ursidae I've seen!"

"Really? I imagine that they'd be rather large."

Faring shrugged, "Not really."

Cedric returned with a shrug of his own.

"Okay then."

She pointed across the room, as well as to a dresser near the door they had entered.

"Over there is the entertainment area. It's just a glorified magic machine connected to the Intraweb, but it has a couple games on it. That's your dresser, I guess it'll be empty until we can find some clothes to fit you. There are laundry services aboard, so I suppose you could just wash what you're wearing when needed and cover yourself with a sheet?"

Faring blushed at the thought.

"Oh, and don't take long showers! The water here is limited. It gets recycled, but it can take a bit. There's others on board that need to use that water too, and everyone goes to work at about the same time when we're working."

Conservation of water and respect for fellow users was a concept all to familiar to Cedric. The same rules applied during inter-system travel or the deployments to what few areas weren't touched by the concrete jungle that Earth had become. He had a different thought on his mind that arrived as quickly as the previous had left.

"Working? I figured as nobility you wouldn't be privy to such work."

"I still have to oversee operations. House Olympia is by far the strongest exporter of minerals and other materials needed to keep the magitech factories running. Part of why House Kilik is able to export budget goods is because we do part of the raw material collection ourselves. My brothers and sister oversea their own operations too."

"Ah, you have siblings. Strange to hear of such a hard working noble house."

"I guess, but you should see some of the sons and daughters of Olympia - those guys are magnates all on their own."

"I can imagine, given the fact they have a seat on... The what, the council of five?"

"The Pentarchy."

"Ah, right. Your imperial junta*."

"Our imperial what?"

"Nevermind."

"Oh. Okay. Well let's go, we have a lot yet to see!"

Cedric nodded, and fell behind her stead. She showed him the rest of the ship. As he guessed, the other facilities were further down the corridor. He counted twenty-four cabins, twelve on each side of the corridor. All of varying sizes for various Korellei. He saw some anthromorphs he hadn't seen yet, a few beavers, a tiger, and even a cheetah. One thing was evident with the Korellei - they were all some anthropomorphic version of animals he remembered either seeing, or learning about on Earth. There was a connection here, but Cedric didn't have enough information to piece it together. A woefully common occurrence, in his current state. It was also noteworthy that they were all significantly smaller than the original animal would've been if standing on their hind legs. If this was a result of whatever happened to make them as they were, he had no idea. He couldn't believe it had only been probably a few hours since he was freed from the cryo pod. Hoping for so much information so soon was a fool's errand. The information he did have though, was far more productive than he had hoped. It was all due to Faring. Had the situation been different, he may have been in a very different position. He considered himself probably the luckiest human in the galaxy right now. Survived cryo, was freed by someone who not only was amicable, but also spoke English. Had anyone else found him... He shuddered at the thought, if the official from House Varkon was anything to go by.

She even took him to the second level. At the end of the long hall, past the communal facilities lie an industrial lift, used for moving product between the levels. It's worth noting that the corridor they had been traveling through was a tight fit - for Cedric. For the other Korellei hustling about however - it was large enough to allow foot traffic running both directions. It was comedic, in a way - seeing the looks of the crew very obviously uncomfortable shuffling past his huge frame (relatively). He was a giant, walking cryptid. It seemed as though that the crew didn't realize who, or what he was. Just a freak of nature. Being escorted by what he assumed was one of the princesses of House Kilik in slave chains was the likely contributer to either their ignorance, or respect. Or both, perhaps.

A few Korellei stole glances at Cedric's body, just as uneasy as those that were traversing the halls. This too, was comedic to him. He had a half a mind to bark or jolt in their direction to spook them for fun, but he concluded this would be insensitive. The lift sounded as though strained as it ascended, delivering himself and Faring to the top level. There was a third level, or at least a third button in the tiny array for choosing floors for the lift to port to. Most likely a maintenance level, he figured. The doors, which were more like a fence gate, opened upon their arrival. This corridor was larger, and featured more cabins spaced further apart. For the command and managatorial staff, no doubt. She guided him through, explaining that the larger cabins were for higher rated personnel - as he had surmised. There was also a smaller laundry and dining facility, it was more like a break room. Meaning that the last door could only be one thing - the bridge. He was correct of course, it wasn't an uncommon layout. As they entered the bridge, she warranted salutes from a few of the bridge personnel. They eyed him up and down, and exchanged words of apparent concern with Faring. She retorted, and demanded respect from what he assumed was one of her higher ranked officers. He appeared to be a bear - or as they were respectfully known as - Ursidae. Cedric noted he looked similar to a black bear, rather than a grizzly bear like what he figured he'd see. It was clear they had a disagreement.

"Sorry for them calling you that. That was absolutely uncalled for."

Cedric stared at Faring quizzically.

"Oh, right. Sorry. He called you a big, hairless ape."

"He's right though." Cedric chuckled.

"Still, it was not right! I corrected you just the same."

"Hm, that's true."

It hadn't even occurred to him that he could be misinterpreted as a big, hairless ape. This meant that gorillas and monkeys could be one of the many anthromorphs that he'd see in the time he was now, however far off that was. Since humans were just fairy tales, and the Korellei aren't exactly sure what the Ancients actually looked like - a chained mutant clearly being claimed as a slave was a far more realistic conclusion, as wild as it sounded. This would also correlate with the looks and behaviors he had witnessed in what little time he had spent on the ship. Either that, or the breathing apparatus he required at all times. A combination of both, now that he thought about it. Hell, they may think he's some kind of new creature that's never been discovered before. Faring was training to be an archeologist, after all. Maybe that profession and xenobiology overlapped - the commonality of which, he couldn't be sure.

"Anyways, this is the command area. It's the hub of information flow when we're undergoing operations. We passed my cabin a little bit ago, if you want to see it?"

"I'm a slave, do I really have a say in the matter?"

"It's just a formality. In fact. Uh. Could you bend down a bit? Thanks."

He crouched and observed Faring's agile paws as she produced a key from her pants pocket. A small chip. She hovered it over his cuffs, and they unattached from one another. He was still cuffed, but at least he could move his arms as he pleased now. He took the opportunity to exercise his sore shoulders, giving them some much needed rotations. He eyed from the side the Faring's protesting staff, she of course would have none of it - barking them back into their place.

"Ugh, I swear. Anyways - to my cabin!"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Cedric nodded, glancing at the uneasy bridge. It was apparent they weren't sure of what to think of him, let alone if they knew he was a human or not. He figured that outside of her away team, Faring hadn't mentioned anything. If he recalled correctly, she wasn't expecting to find him there in the first place. She was simply exploring it for the sake of her archeology. Some luck, he thought. She most likely found him while exploring on her own, and was so excited at the discovery she blurbed about him to her immediate charges that were with her on the exploration mission. It didn't take long to arrive at her gracious cabin, adorned with the same door that his own had. Upon opening it, the size difference was immediately noticeable. As was something else, resting on the floor. A pair of blue panties, with a manufactured hole in the back. 'So that's how that works' he thought.

"Oh my gosh sorry about that. I don't normally get visitors so..."

She quickly scooped them up and tossed them in a hamper manufactured in some unidentifiable cloth-like material. He took a dedicated look around, noting the various posters and pastel decorations one would expect from a princess, or at least noble of her stature. Easy to predict, this one.

"Seems normal for a princess."

"Not quite, I'm one of the daughters of House Kilik but those titles are reserved for the imperial family."

"I see, so you'd be more like a lady, or dame."

"Hmm, Lady Faring Kilik. Still sounds weird even when I say it."

"You get called that often?"

"Well I get called Lady Faring, the Fair Lady by some wannabe suitors."

"You seem average to me."

"Uh. Thanks? I guess?"

Cedric nodded, not understanding the nuance of the situation.

"So uh, what do you think?"

She turned to face him after taking a few steps away.

"Of the room?"

"Yes. The room..."

"Hmm, a lot of pastel for an industrial ship like this. You took a lot of effort to personalize this space, I think that's admirable. Not surprising, considering how much time you seem to spend here - correct me if I'm wrong."

"Admirable?.. Uh, yeah I guess. I do spend a lot of time here. The duties of managing the house as a whole lies on my mother, accompanied by my father. The Empire is a matriarchy, so the important responsibilities tend to go to the women. Myself and my siblings tend to manage the industrial vessels of the fleet responsible for gathering material and manufacturing goods."

Faring combed her fur back and teetered back and forth on her toes, splaying her arms out in a wide fashion directed to the majority of the room.

"So uh, yeah. This is my place. I guess."

"It's nice. Certainly a lot better than mine."

"So uh, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I showed you the ship. It's a few hours before sleep time, wake time has been going on for a while now-"

"What did you say?"

"Uh - I showed you the ship?"

"After that."

"Uh, it's a few hours before sleep time?"

"Interesting..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Faring looked to Cedric quizzically. He was surprised to hear a term so familiar to him. It seems that despite the time frame, time in space was still sorted between wake and sleep time in lieu of the rotation of a planet orbiting a star. It was comforting, knowing that something so simple survived for so long. Cedric strolled about the room, noting the flowery scent and an unopened closet to the right side of the room, relative to the entrance door. Out of curiosity and a little bit of intrusive thinking, he opened it.

"Oh. Wait don't open that-"

Upon opening the cabinet, what he saw made him chuckle. It was a little shrine, presumably to some boy band, if the posters with what he assumed was Korellei writing were any indicator. It was also comforting to him, some things never change - even through time.

"This is comforting to see."

"I'm not weird I swear - what did you say?"

"I said it's comforting."

"Oh. Why? I thought you'd... I don't know, make fun of me for liking such a stereotypical thing."

"In the past, maybe. As a casual joke but."

His eyes grew solemn

"It's nice to see that some things don't change, even through time."

"What? Oh. I'm sorry. I hadn't even thought about that, I was so wrapped up in showing you everything."

"No, it's fine. Like I said, it's comforting. Everything is so different now. I'm completely out of my element. Yet here I am, staring into the past."

"I see. Sorry. I didn't think about how hard all this would be for you."

Cedric sighed, "like I said. It's fine. As far as what I'm going to do from here... Figure out what happened, I suppose. There's no other direction I can really afford to take right now."

"You could stay as a servant of House Kilik, being a slave isn't a bad thing."

"We've only just met a few hours ago, and you want me to stay as a servant? A slave, actually - that's worse."

"I mean, yeah I guess but... I feel like I understand pretty much everything I need to know about you at this point."

"I'm not sure that's a good way to do things, Faring."

"What do you mean?"

"You couldn't possibly know everything you need to know about someone within a few hours of meeting them."

"Well, besides your little hiccup when we were getting you out, which is totally understandable. You haven't been rude or mean so - I feel like that's good enough."

"That kind of mentality will make it easy for strangers to take advantage of you."

Faring rubbed her paw across his left arm, and he shunned her away, meeting the gesture with a stern stare.

"Don't."

"Oh. Sorry."

"I appreciate all you've done, I really do - but that isn't grounds to invade my personal space."

Faring remained silent, and took a few steps away from him.

"Right, no you're right I'm sorry - I don't know what came over me. I don't usually get this open with people right off the bat."

Cedric attempted to steer the conversation away from the awkward experience. In fact, he used it as an opportunity to learn more about her. There wasn't anything else to really do, he wanted to glean more information about the politics and operations of the Empire - mostly to satisfy his burning curiosity. He also didn't want to outright shun her actions, as it was likely that being a noble of a house in the Empire didn't invite much in the category of personal relations, outside of what the other party would have to gain from such an exchange. She was young, seeing what he saw now she was still just a teen - awestruck by living legend. That did not excuse her behavior, but it would also be wrong to not keep an open mind and be understanding about the intricacies of the situation. Ironic, considering his failed attempt at identifying the nuance of her behavior earlier. He of course, still didn't realize it.

"I take it that those interested in you are far and few in between?"

"Sorry?"

Cedric let the air hang for a few seconds, giving her time to understand his question.

"Oh. I guess not."

"Being the noble of a recognized house in as something as large and organized as an empire wouldn't leave much room for relationships or friends."

Faring slowly approached her bed, and plopped down on it - her tail no longer waving as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"You are so confusing."

"What?"

"You're carrying on like that awkwardness earlier didn't just happen."

"It was a mistake, it's understandable."

She let put another sigh.

"I wish there were more people like you."

Cedric sat down on the carpeted floor, not doing a good job of hiding the fact it was simply covering the hard metal underneath. He smiled to himself, and took care not to let her see. He wasn't complimented much, if at all. Her words resounded with him, making him happy - a feeling he thought he'd have to wait a while to experience again. No matter the situation or time, it seems that life carries on as it always does. Naturally, he wanted to know more - and keep the compliment going. Who knows when someone would compliment him again, and mean it? He wanted to hold onto the moment as long as he could.

"Oh yeah? Why is that."

"Everyone is just so... bigoted. You're not, you're different."

"Hardly, I just have a different way of looking at things."

She sat back up from laying down on her comfortable bed, her ears facing forward as she readied herself to look at Cedric once more.

"That's what I think is nice about you. A few hours of conversation and I felt like I've known you forever."

"What's my favorite color?"

"Green."

"It's red."

Faring's muzzle flustered.

"You know what I mean! Everyone just keeps to themselves, going about their day. They just... Don't talk to me because I'm a lady of House Kilik. You though, it's just... You're easy to talk to. I don't think I've ever had a conversation like this with anyone else before, even my parents are stoic. Especially my mother."

"Never had awkward moments with anyone either?"

Faring hid her muzzle in her paws, while Cedric picked at the carpet- feeling its fluffiness. It was a way to keep his hands busy and his ADHD in check so he could listen more intently to the conversation and keep his focus.

"Ugh, don't remind me. That never happened, I'm still embarrassed."

Cedric chuckled, enjoying the organic conversation.

"As I said, it's fine. No problem. It was a miscalculation."

"A miscalculation? Ugh, that's hardly fitting of a noble lady."

Exasperated, she fell back onto her bed, bouncing just a little from the force.

"You're right though."

"Hm?"

"Being a noble of House Kilik? Or any house for that matter - doesn't leave a lot of room for friends. Nobility is all business and expectations, with no regard for what the person themselves actually want. I hate it. What if I didn't want to be a noble?"

"What if I didn't want to be slave?"

This cut Faring much deeper than Cedric anticipated. He was hoping it would jar more conversation, but her silence told him all he needed to know about his mistake, and he immediately felt regret.

"Sorry, I know why you did it."

Still clearly hurt, Faring managed a reply.

"It's fine. Just a miscalculation right?"

In turn, Faring also cut Cedric deeper than she had intended to, similarly picking up on the shift in his demeanor.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Sorry..."

"No, you're right."

A long moment of silence hung like a miasma in the air, blanketing the duo in a turmoil of emotions and awkward setting, fogging the minds of both - forcing them both to struggle with what to say next to be rid of yet another strange moment. Sensing the need to press on, Cedric was the first to break the silence - hoping to once again steer the conversation away from its current unintended path.

"Did you have any friends? Or currently have any?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah I used to, when I was a little older than a pup. The parents of the Empire's houses tend to home-educate their children, prepping for taking over the business and all that. Not mine though, I'm not actually sure why but they sent me to a private education facility."

"So, a private school?"

"School?"

"Oh, I see. Carry on."

"No, what do you mean school?"

Cedric took a breath, annoyingly reminded of the mask he was now reliant on for who knows how long.

"It's what we call the equivalent of your 'education facilities'."

"Oh, I guess that does sound nicer doesn't it? But yeah, no. We call them educational facilities, and there's different kinds. I was sent to one in a private sector, with other rich kids. Marnier, another canidae. She was from House Varkon."

"You were friends with someone from House Varkon? They're kinda... You know - they have that energy."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. She wasn't a lady of House Varkon, mind you. She was under their care."

Cedric knew was she was talking about. There was a term for it in the medieval ages, children sent to learn under someone from a related house - normally a house within their parents' arranged marriage. He couldn't recall the word used, he was sure he'd remember it at a later date.**

"Interesting. So what happened?"

"Nothing crazy. We would talk and play together, sometimes copy each other's homework. I tried getting my parents to allow her to come over to play at our estate, my parents were on the fence about it. I didn't understand until later that is was mainly House Varkon that didn't allow it. Didn't want to mix with the lower houses, you know?"

"Damn, that's rough. Are you still friends, or?"

"Not anymore. Early education came and went. When it was time to graduate to secondary education, House Varkon home schooled her. After that, never saw her again."

"Same story, different time. That's crazy..."

"What do you mean?"

"The more we talk, the more parallels I see between my time and this one. Maybe where I am now isn't so much different from the place I came from."

Faring shifted to her belly, holding her head up with her paws, and slightly swinging her legs about.

"Well, it's your turn now! Did you have any friends before... You know."

"You were so upset about me being a soldier earlier, and now you've completely forgotten? I ask out of curiosity."

"To be honest, that House Varkon official spooked me to the point I forgot. We just... kept talking I guess."

"What's wrong with soldiers?"

"It's... Not something I feel comfortable talking about right now."

"Oh, alright then. Well, as far as friends go - I did have one. She was a badass too."

Faring cocked her head, still gleefully supported by her paws.

"Oo, is this some tasty gossip I'm about to hear?"

Cedric chuckled.

"Not quite. Tern, or I suppose Specialist Tern as I last knew her."

"Her first name was specialist?"

Cedric chuckled again, and turned around to face Faring - excited he was able to share with someone the importance of one of the closest friends in his life.

"No no, her rank was specialist. We were both soldiers."

"Okay..."

"So as a soldier, you have to do a bunch of exercises and stuff right?"

"Yeah?.."

"Oh, okay well when you fuck up-"

"Language."

"You sound like my mom."

Faring sounded indignant

"I do not sound like a mom!"

She puffed out her modest chest

"I am simply a respectful lady!"

"Right, so."

Completely ignoring Faring's attempt at comedy, Cedric continued. Somewhat to Faring's disdain - but she allowed him to continue - genuinely curious about what he had to share.

"When you f- when you make a mistake."

Faring nodded her approval.

"Better."

"Yeah, okay. Anyways. When you make a mistake, like not following an order or doing something wrong, you go to the sand pit. It's a little pit of sand you have exercise in."

Faring knew what a sand pit was, and felt slightly insulted that he felt the need to explain it. Seeing the joy in his face though, she couldn't help but let him continue.

"So we're doing a fake fire exercise, which is like a live fire, but not. You know, it's not dangerous or anything."

Faring cocked a brow, but continued to listen.

"Okay so, I'm sitting there right. Crawling on the ground - because there's enemy fire! Gotta stay low so you don't get shot."

Cedric struggled to tell his story between his chuckles, looking back at the previously terrible experience fondly.

"And I swear I hear someone struggling behind me. In the UCSC we were taught to never leave a soldier behind, so obviously if someone is struggling you need to help them out. They're your team, you gotta have their back so they can cover yourself when you need. And my dumbass-"

Faring considered reprimanding him for his use of language, but the speed of his speech and the higher climb of his pitch convinced her not to. Clearly, he was having the time of his life sharing a personal story about his friend - and that brought a smile to her muzzle.

"So my dumbass raised my head and a little part of my body to look up and behind me!"

Cedric waited eagerly for her response, expecting a gasp or something akin to an 'Oh no!'. Faring simply stared back, and it occurred to him that she had no idea the context of what he just did.

"Okay, well that's a big no no, raise your head while getting shot at, and surprise surprise - ya get shot. and die, most likely. So down I go, into the dirt. Never even figured out if somebody was struggling behind me or not. The Drill Major - that's what we call the people who teach us how to fight. There's a lot more to them than that, but I can talk about that later. Anyways, so the Drill Major orders someone to pick me up and take me to the casualty collection zone - which is where you put injured soldiers. The person that picked me up was Alex Tern, and Tern - being the badass that she is - was... Carried me... a hundred meters or so... to the sand pit..."

Cedric's voice trailed off at the realization of what he had just said and they sat in silence. Faring, attempting to recover the situation - spurred him on.

"And then what?"

"That's it. We did our exercises, rejoined the group and... We just kinda went from there. I... Yeah, that was when we met..."

"Cedric, you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

He was anything but fine, the realization of his new reality swathing him in a black cloak of grief - he fought back tears, realizing that Tern was most likely long gone - and with her, all their memories. Gone in a flash.

"I'm uh. Thanks, Faring. For showing me your cabin. I think I'll head back and get situated now, we can talk more later."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for chatting with me - it was nice."

"Yeah, sleep well."

Cedric slogged back to his room, fighting back tears. If anything, he was going to make damn sure nobody saw him in such a state. It was bad enough catching strange looks and hearing whispers about him in a language he didn't even begin to remotely understand. He didn't need to add 'crying like a bitch' to that list. The time went by fast, and yet felt so slow. Once he was face to face with his cabin door, he rushed in and closed it. With a care for nothing else than to let his emotions out in private - he jumped onto his bed as quickly as he could. The stress of waking up in a strange world, realizing everything he knew and associated with was long gone, and everything else bottled up to its pressure point. Successfully hidden, and in private - Cedric let the tears wash down his face. Their salty taste lending nothing to repair his damaged heart. Like a volcano, it was all released with a scream into the pillow. The tears continued to flow, long after he fell asleep from exhaustion - the mask still resting on his face.