“So, uh, is no one else bothered by the fact that Kal just killed thirty people and they don’t seem to care and we kinda just let them?”
Teekay had been glued to his wife’s side, after having heard that Elkay had been beaten up by pirates. Elkay was fine, he’d healed up no problem, he was perfectly fine and healthy and he was more concerned about why Retvik had been on guard outside Teekay’s room the entire time.
“Well, they did threaten to kill us…” Elkay muttered as he turned over onto his side. “They blatantly told me they were going to kill you all in front of me. I am admittedly a bit annoyed that people can just sense that I am a mimic and immediately target me.”
“Are you worried about being hurt, babe?”
“No, I am worried bad actors may harm you to get at me.”
Teekay frowned, then climbed into bed next to Elkay. After his beating, Elkay had requested to be brought to Teekay’s room, because he knew Teekay would be as upset as he was. Once Teekay was settled, Elkay wrapped his arms tightly around his anxious partner.
“You’re less concerned than I am…” Teekay frowned some more.
“They call me Unender for a reason…” Elkay hesitated somewhat. “Although I genuinely think they thought I was someone else. Probably Arkay, as always.”
“That is exactly who they…” Retvik paused, then immediately apologized. He had been standing outside, to give the couple some sort of privacy, and had quickly glanced inside and caught what they were saying. “Sorry, I… I overheard you…”
Elkay shrugged. “It is fine. I just do not know why you are guarding us, and what those pirates wanted.”
Retvik glanced back outside before turning back to Elkay. “Ugh… They were not pirates, they were slavers. When it was just Galyn, Arkay, Litvir and I, we were doing some navigation work in what we thought was an empty sub-sector. Turns out, it was full of monsters who would attack ships that passed through their territory, capture their crews and sell people off to desperate Life Goddesses as slaves.”
“And they… they got you?” Teekay awkwardly asked.
Retvik nodded. “Four of us against a small army. It is a major miracle that we survived, and we only managed to do so because of Litvir’s unhinged telepathy.”
“You have never mentioned any of this before!” Elkay exclaimed. “Actually, now I think about it, you very rarely mention anything that went on when it was just the four of you and before you ended up at Kinisis’s Life Oasis.”
“Because, in hindsight, we should have returned to Deathven alongside Itaviir and Vikalos…” Retvik admitted, after quite an awkward and nervous swallow. “It… is something I consider on the regular and immediately feel bad about…”
Teekay and Elkay both looked at each other, then sat up.
“Do you want to walk, boss? You sound like you want to talk.”
Retvik sighed. “I do not want to trouble you both with my concerns.”
“Dude, you had to put up with mine and Elkay’s wedding!” Teekay smiled a little. “The least we can do is lend you an ear hole or four when you’re upset. Because you clearly are.”
More sighs. Retvik frowned some more, then entered the room properly and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Those bastards nearly had their way with us…” Retvik eventually admitted. “Litvir and I, I think we would have survived had we not tried to escape. They were going to drug us and sell us on as slaves. Probably to separate people. Galyn was due to have his mind completely erased and forced to work for them. Arkay… well, it took him a long time to admit what they did to him and what they were going to do to him…”
“I, uh, take it that whatever they were planning is to do with my mimic-i-ness?” Elkay stuttered.
Retvik sighed, then nodded. “Yes. They were going to turn Arkay into some sort of godly breeding facility, taking advantage of his Life Goddess side. The only reason that did not happen was because Arkay mimicked and amplified Litvir’s psionic powers then killed everyone on board apart from the slaves. I… did not see it happen, I was unconscious and locked up in the slave cells, and Galyn was trapped inside some sort of stasis capsule. Litvir though, the reason why he is taking this all so badly is because he saw and felt everything, because he was in the middle of being publicly tortured when Arkay broke free.”
“Oh… That explains why Litvir was so panicky earlier…”
“It is also why Galyn and Vikalos are having a discussion with Kengana and some associates from the Kentarasa Pentacluster” Retvik grunted. “As soon as we escaped, Galyn reported the whole sub-sector as dangerous and requested that a larger group deal with the issue. We also requested an immediate fast-teleport to the nearest Deathven hub. The latter request was denied, the former was, clearly, ignored. We had to wait another 4-ev to make another teleport request, we accepted a bounty from a Life Goddess to pass the time, and… well, that was when we lost Arkay.”
“Well no wonder you’re so fucking miserable!” Teekay suddenly blurted. He wriggled out of Elkay’s arms, scooted across the bed and gave Retvik a hug. Retvik clearly felt a bit uneasy about this, but he did relent and let Teekay hug him properly. Elkay also joined in on the hug, which made Retvik feel a bit more comfortable. “Also, something I noticed, you’re calling Arkadin Arkay.”
“Hmph, back then, he WAS Arkay. He was… finally settling down, I guess. Not that it matters any more. What is more important that we keep you all safe. And, in all honesty, I am very, thankful that Elksia has been covering our backsides, and I am very, very thankful for what Kal did, because if they had not stepped forward…”
Retvik trailed off again, before falling completely silent. He briefly glanced at Elkay, who responded by holding Retvik more tightly.
“You are worried about me.”
“I am, yes, little brother.”
“Yeah well, Elkay will be fine!” Teekay chirped. “Not only is he unkillable, but he has far less mental issues, he’s happily married and he doesn’t really have a Life Goddess side. Plus, Elkay’s got an awesome big brother to look after him.”
“I… I guess…”
Retvik shuddered, clearly wanting to get out of the now very long and awkward hug. Teekay and Elkay both backed off.
“There are far more of us now, Retvik. You can fall back on us. The same way I fell back on you all when I got my tail handed to me by those bastards. We are the Thantir, we stand strong, and we all lift together.”
Teekay nodded in agreement. “Maybe you should take a break, boss. You’re stressed. I’ll look after my wife, we’re all good. Right, babe?”
Elkay smiled and nodded. “We are… Ah, hello, Litvir!”
Standing in the doorway was, as Elkay had stated, Litvir, who looked rather awkward and slightly uneasy.
“Hello, dears. Retvik, are you busy?”
“No. I was just checking on Elkay. He is fine.”
“Ah, good…” Litvir smiled, ever so slightly. “Speaking of good, I… I think I have some good news. Retvik, do you mind coming with me to our office?”
“Is it urgent?”
“I would rather we discuss this now rather than later.”
Retvik grunted, then stood up. “Very well. Lead the way, dear.”
Teekay and Elkay both waved. Litvir smiled some more and waved back, before grabbing Retvik by the arm and hurriedly dragging him off.
“Huh. They’re actually a kinda cute couple!” Teekay eventually grinned.
“Heh, they are…” Elkay smiled back as he pulled Teekay into a hug. “Nearly as cute as we are…”