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~~((The 7th Anniversary Special -- page 21 of 24?!))~~
Hector opened the door and observed the scene before him.

Melchor sat cross-legged on a large rug in the middle of the floor. Had he been meditating? Perhaps not. Ericoros was in his right hand, and Orric floated behind him.

The man's tilted bedroom was a sparse affair. A bed, a lamp, one bookshelf, and one cardboard box summed up the entirety of its furnishings. A couple pillows here, a blanket there. That was it. The man didn't have a television or even a computer, despite those implements having been made available to everyone who wanted them.

Hector wasn't even sure if Melchor had a phone. He never saw the man using one. But he must've, right? For emergencies, if nothing else.

"Welcome," said Melchor with a faint smile. "We were just discussing the nature of captivity."

Hector cocked an eyebrow. "That so?"

"We have all had experience with it at one time or another," Melchor went on. "It gives one a certain opportunity for reflection that the hustle and bustle of normal life tends to take for granted." He looked to Ericoros. "Wouldn't you say?"

As usual, the reaper remained silent.

"Lost for words again, hmm?" Melchor's gaze returned to Hector. "Apologies, my lord. He seems to grow a bit shy whenever you are around. I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm by it."

Hector had to consciously avoid reacting to that. Melchor was probably just teasing the reaper, but that word choice had still taken Hector by surprise. Shy, huh?

Ericoros, for his part, was a bundled up form of glowing and only-vaguely skeletal energy. Whenever reapers were being held or holding onto someone themselves, their usual appearance slowly shifted and condensed into something a bit more spherical.

"You may find it difficult to believe, but Ericoros here has actually been quite talkative lately," Melchor went on. "All things considered, I would say that he is taking his admittedly difficult circumstances in stride."