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Carver chewed on his upper lip for a second. “Look, um... Lord Darksteel, was it? That’s, ah, what the others said your name was when I asked.”

“You can just call me Hector.”

“Ah. Okay. Splendid. But, ah, as I was saying... um...”

This guy was suddenly almost as bad with words as he was, Hector felt. “...Y-yes?”

“L-look, I’m just gonna level with you, Hector. I’ve been starved for normal human interaction for YEARS now. S-so, I’d like to go ahead and apologize ahead of time, in case anything I say or do comes across as really weird or... o-or... perhaps... clingy.”

‘Garovel, what is happening right now?’

‘I don’t know, but I’m enjoying it.’

Carver wasn’t done. “The thing is, with the rest of your group, um... I think I’ve already poisoned the well in that regard, if you know what I mean.”

Hector did not.

Carver sighed. “I’m sure they think I’m super weird now...”

‘Hector...’

‘What?’

‘Console him or something!’

‘How?!’

‘Tell him he’s wrong!’

“I, uh... I’m sure they don’t think you’re that weird, Mr. Carver.”

“Thanks, but you weren’t there. You didn’t see what I did.”

“...What did you do?”

Carver hesitated. He glanced back through the doorway, as if to check if anyone else was listening. Either that, or he was considering running away. “I told everyone... um... you see, I told them... that... I... loved... them.”

Hector took a breath in order to respond, but his brain didn’t have anything for him. And neither did Garovel, it seemed.

“Look, it just kinda slipped out, okay?! I used to think I was a loner-type, but my god! This is just ridiculous! I haven’t seen another normal human being in I-don’t-know-how-long! This place is a barren wasteland when it comes to satisfying social interaction!”

“I thought you said you liked it here,” said Hector. “Educational or whatever.”

“I do like it here! And the Hun’Sho are fascinating! But--! They’re also just--! Agh...!”

“...Are they not very good company?”

“No! I mean, they’re great! They’re wonderful! So kind and considerate! You won’t find anyone more courteous and polite!”

Hector heard a “but” coming and waited.

“...But they’re so stuffy! Ugh! You have no idea! And they’re kinda weirdly arrogant, too. They’re not really human as you and I understand the term. Half the time, they treat me like I’m some kind of pet. They’ve taken such good care of me that I don’t wish to complain, but... agh...”

Hector felt bad for the guy, but this was also new information. He couldn’t help being curious. “Uh... what else can you tell me about the Hun’Sho here?”

Carver perked up a little. “Well. Just about anything you want me to tell you, I suppose. What would you like to know?”

Hector glanced at Garovel. ‘Ideas?’

‘Ask him how long they’ve been down here.’

Hector did so.

“About twelve hundred years, if what they’ve told me is true,” said Carver.