Thankfully, Vok'Rul had no interest in browsing any of the stalls that hosted clothing. Viktor didn't know if he could handle giving advice on clothing articles any more than he did with jewelry; he was terrible at both. At least he and Thruul were still on the same team of giving vague compliments until Vok'Rul decided if he wanted an item or not. Even if he was a jerk that threw Viktor under the bus more than a few times.

But the way that Vok'Rul nervously scanned the stalls as he walked away from any clothing stall made Viktor wonder if he really was uninterested in clothing or simply avoiding something else. Or someone else.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprising considering how much these aliens seemed to capitalize on them, there was a human section of the festival, dedicated entirely to clothing items that would fit them. Vok'Rul, despite having told Rukka that he had read the plans for the festival and what it all entailed, was just as delighted as Viktor and Thruul to stumble upon it.

There were many humans running the booths along with the aliens, calling out to others and waving hello. This section wasn't as crowded as the alien section - the stalls were spaced out and given ample room for both Vokkrus and humans to wander about.

Eager to stretch his legs, Viktor thumped onto the ground. These stalls seemed to be made for human use more than the others had been, thankfully. The stalls came up to his chest instead of making him stand on his toes to peer over. It was a change that Viktor delighted in.

And it made Vok'Rul, the friendly giant, look like an absolute fool. That increased Viktor's enjoyment considerably.

"Hey there!" someone shouted. Viktor turned to see someone he recognized. It was a human that he had gone against in yesterday's bean bag toss game. "Axe guy!"

Viktor grinned, waving and walking over cheerfully. The man - who introduced himself as Knox and his alien as Pepper (she was bright red) - stood behind a stall that had buckets of color. It reminded Viktor of the drawing booth Nohkka and he had taken part in on the first day of the festival. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" Knox responded. He put his hands on his hips, grinning. "Hey, you interested in some face paint? Pepper brought me here and gave me a bunch of this paint," here, he gestured to the buckets with one hand, "Pretty sure they're safe, but hey. What's life without a little risk?" Knox joked.

"Are you an artist?" Viktor asked.

"No," Knox confided, pulling out a stool that looked like it was sawed in half to accommodate a human's height, and dragging some buckets onto the ground beside it, "but I can draw a mean stick figure."

Knox didn't need to say anything more. Viktor was sold.

He ended up getting some red spikes painted on his eyelids/eyebrows and cheeks to match Vok'Rul, much to the alien's sheer, unfettered delight. Knox told him they were wobbly at best, but Vok'Rul reassured him that they were the best spikes he's ever seen. Thruul also praised his appearance, claiming that he had a hard time telling them apart. If Viktor had anything on hand, he would've thrown it at the alien for patronizing him.

"Painting yourself! What a concept!" Vok'Rul gushed, having hardly taken his eyes off Viktor. He kept reaching out to touch the paint, but Viktor knew that it wasn't quite dry yet. Keeping the alien's fingers away from his face proved to be a full-time job.

"Yeah," Viktor said, bemused. "It's pretty common. Especially at sports games. I saw a guy paint himself green all over. Also, people use make-up to look prettier. There's artists that paint people so well you can't even see them anymore. They're like illusions."

Vok'Rul voiced his interest in rumbles and hums. "The Vokkrus have art, but we have never taken it to our skin."

Viktor looked at him shrewdly, then, jogging slightly to keep up with the alien's pace as he dragged them to the next stall. "You don't like... breathe from your skin, do you?"

Vok'Rul gave him a weird look, "No, of course not, Kohgrash."

Viktor sighed in relief. That would've been a little weird. "Good, that's good -"

"We intake most of our water through our skin, however. And from food, of course. There are only a few species on A1-308 that acquire their water only orally, yours included," Vok'Rul told him. Viktor frowned in confusion.

"Well, how do wild animals get their water? I've barely seen any lakes or ponds. Do you guys have salt water? Oceans?"

Vok'Rul tilted his head, matching his expression of confusion. "Primarily, water is taken in passively through the air. That is why we do not wear restrictive clothing. Animals do the same. What are these oceans you speak of? Salt water?"

"The air," Viktor repeated, mystified. "But it's not even like, humid or anything on this planet. What do you do if there's hardly any water in the air?"

"Then we bathe. I told you this last night. Were you not listening?" Vok'Rul said, amused. He bent down to try and touch Viktor's face again. Viktor grabbed onto his hand and pushed it away, spluttering indignantly.

"Of course, I was listening!" he lied defensively. "Stop trying to touch my face. You're gonna claw my eyes out with your big fingers."

"Hello!" Viktor flinched when someone grabbed his shoulder. He pivoted on his heel and threw his arm back before he could stop himself. Vok'Rul's hand grabbed his arm in a vice before he could land a punch.

"Oh, fuck!" the person who grabbed him - a curly-haired woman with skin as dark as Viktor's - exclaimed, taking a few steps backward. "Jesus! Didn't mean to scare you."

"No," Viktor gasped, tugging his arm from Vok'Rul's hold. He felt a rush of gratitude toward the alien. He would've felt terrible if he had punched this lady in the face. "Sorry, I - I don't mean to be so jumpy. Uh, I'm Viktor by the way."

The woman smiled slightly at him, "Well, Viktor, there's no harm done. I'm Nikki. I was wondering if you were interested in a haircut? Or, if anything, a comb for your hair?" She threw her thumb over his shoulder and Viktor saw a booth behind her, covered in what looked like knives and wooden combs.

"Oh!" Viktor said, surprised. Nikki's tactic to get customers was more hands-on than he would've liked - if he were back on Earth, he felt like he'd never do business with someone who physically grabbed him - but he did desperately need a haircut. The length of his bangs have started to tickle his nose. "Um, sure. Have you... cut hair before?"

"Oh, sure," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing him onto the stool. Vok'Rul made a noise of protest. "I used to be a hairdresser back on Earth."

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul started before he was interrupted by Nikki's alien.

"O Vokkra! How pleasant to see you here! Is this your mammal, Kohgrash? Wow, he is much smaller than I thought he'd be!" the alien, a pale purple-colored one, exclaimed, reaching down to pet Viktor. He shrunk in his seat to get away from the large hand.

"Do not touch him," Vok'Rul growled loudly, which made the alien recoil in surprise. Viktor's shoulders loosened. Nikki draped a flimsy piece of cloth over his shoulders, and it settled uncomfortably around his neck. He tugged at it.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," the alien bowed low before stepping behind the stall, away from both Vok'Rul and Viktor. "My mammal is going to be grooming yours. If that is alright?"

Vok'Rul made a noise of shock. "Kohgrash, do you want to be groomed by this one?"

Viktor had the sneaky feeling that their definitions of grooming were something wildly different. "Uh, yeah, Vok'Rul. Calm down, it's just a haircut."

"Ha! It's like you know what they're thinking," Nikki said, grabbing a brush and beginning the arduous process of getting the knots out of Viktor's hair. He winced as she pulled on a particularly large one. "It's so surprising; their expressions are almost like ours! Certainly makes it easy to figure out what they want. Too bad they can't do the same for us, though. The number of times I've had to do charades to get Amy - that's short for Amethyst, y'know - to get Amy to figure out what I was saying is past infinity."

Her fingers brushed against his neck every so often, and he had to violently suppress the urge to flinch each time. Eventually, his hair was thoroughly brushed out, which did make Viktor feel a bit better. It was nice not having a crow's nest atop his skull.

"So," Nikki said, standing in front of him with her arms on her hips. "What kinda cut do you want? Oh, you'll have to take out your hearing aid or whatever that is when I start, if that's alright with you. I don't want to accidentally damage it. Imagine! Trying to find a hearing aid on this planet! I'm sure glad I don't have anything like that, let me tell you."

"Uhh," Viktor started. He quickly took off his translator, dropping it into Vok'Rul's hand when he got the alien's attention. The alien tried not to look at him. If Viktor wasn't so tense, he would've laughed. "Probably just shorter? I don't know; it's been a while since I've gotten a haircut."

"Tell me about it!" Nikki laughed, picking up a pair of slim knives. Viktor heard Vok'Rul hiss something threateningly to Nikki's alien. "Wow, your alien sure is a cranky one. Wonder if they'll fight? Have you ever seen 'em fight before? I saw it once when Amy took me out shopping one time. Brawling on the floor like a bunch of hormonal teenage boys. They're pretty vicious. Amy'll definitely win against yours, though, sorry to say."

Viktor let out a strangled, shocked laugh. Nikki got behind him, fluffing out his hair before she started cutting. It was difficult, as she told him in a ramble, considering she needed to hold both knives in her hands as opposed to a simple pair of scissors. But with Viktor throwing his head backward - uncomfortably, he might add - and allowing his hair to fall toward the ground with gravity's help, she was able to slice most of his hair off before picking up her handmade pair of scissors.

"It's duller than the knives," she told him, snipping at his hair. "I only use them when I'm almost finished with a cut, just to shape up the edges a bit. There! All finished!"

Viktor reached back to feel. Instead of traveling beyond his shoulders, his hair sat just above them. His bangs no longer covered his eyes, sitting just above his brows instead. His head felt lighter after having lost a few pounds in weight.

"I don't have a mirror," Nikki said apologetically, stepping back to admire her work, "but you look good! Definitely feels better, huh?"

"Yeah," Viktor agreed, giving her a smile. Despite her brash nature, he appreciated her taking the time to do this for him. "Thank you, Nikki."

"No problem, kid! Enjoy the rest of your day!"

Vok'Rul cooed something at him, running his fingers through his freshly cut hair. The alien must have delighted in the feeling because he did it a couple of times before Viktor got fed up and pushed his hand away. He said something to Thruul, who hesitantly stepped over, dropping the bags he was made to carry lightly on the ground, and reaching out. Viktor let him run his fingers through his hair for a moment before his tolerance for touching reached his limit.

"Okay! Translator?" he said, cupping his hands and shoving them toward Vok'Rul. The alien dropped the black device into his hands with a small, fond laugh.

"I will buy a brush for you, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul decided, stepping back to Nikki's stand and picking up one of the combs littered about. "Your fur is very soft when brushed."

"Gee, thanks, buddy," Viktor said dryly, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes before he realized that he didn't need to do that anymore. "As long as I can use the brush myself, we'll be good." That drew a long-suffering sigh from Vok'Rul.

"What, I cannot brush you? My own mammal?" Vok'Rul asked petulantly.

"No," Viktor decided. "And it's not fur, it's just hair."

"What's the difference?" the alien asked, dropping his newly purchased brush into one of the bags Thruul was carrying. The aliens shared a brief smile. "It is something covering your body. I do not have fur. You do."

"Fur is..." Viktor wrinkled his nose in an attempt to find the words he was looking for. "Fur is what's on animals. We're not animals."

"Hm," Vok'Rul hummed curiously, tilting his head at him. "Where do you want to go next, my little Kohgrash?"

The next stall they went to nearly knocked Viktor off his feet. He was beyond shocked at what it was selling. He had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But no, his eyes were not deceiving him. In front of him, real as can be, was a shoe stall.

"Shoes?" he said incredulously. He grabbed Vok'Rul's hand - which he had to jump to get to since he was gesturing while talking to Thruul - and started dragging him over to the stall. Thruul followed both of them with a rumbling laugh.

"What are these?" Vok'Rul asked curiously, bending to peer at them.

An alien, who had to be the shortest - barring children - Viktor's ever seen and bright orange, appeared from behind a stack of boxes. "O Vokkra! What a surprise! Or perhaps, not so much, with your little Kohgrash! Aw, isn't he just adorable? Much cuter than the holos I see! I've never seen a mammal so young in the flesh before!" it cooed at him, but thankfully didn't try to reach out and touch him. Viktor suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "By the Spirits, Your Majesty, you are quite the lucky Vokkrus to have such a loyal and fierce protector! I know quite a few Vokkrus who are jealous of the bond you two share. Imagine! Adopting one and a mere two weeks later, it's fighting off a rabid Flyhk!"

Vok'Rul looked at Viktor fondly, pressing his claws to the top of his head. "I simply showed him kindness. He was not well treated before he came into my care."

The orange alien laughed, "Kindness! Imagine that!"

Vok'Rul's tail twitched, seen only by Viktor and Thruul, belying his irritation. "Yes, well, it is quite the reality I find myself in. However, my Kohgrash seems rather interested in your wares. What do you call these?"

"Ah!" the alien exclaimed. "Yes. Well, I work at a pet store nearby, and it always struck me how odd these mammals were! You know what I mean, Your Majesty; always covering themselves up so tightly and completely. Of course, we later found out it was simply because they were cold. However! One thing I noticed was that they kept trying to make little clothing for their paws, but only the ones they walk on!" the alien shook its head as if it were the craziest thing it has ever heard of. Viktor covered up his snort with a cough.

"Well, Your Majesty, I thought what better way to amuse the mammals than give them some extra material to work with? They are quite crafty creatures, you know, and a bored mammal is no fun for anyone. I thought they would simply toss the pieces of fabric I had given them around or perhaps tear them to shreds. No, O Vokkra, they did not do that!" the alien took a deep breath. Viktor started to get impatient.

"They had broken off a shred of their enrichment center - you know the one, O Vokkra, it's a mess of rods they climb all over - and sharpened it to a fine point against one of the walls. At first, we were worried. At that time, we knew almost nothing of mammals. Was it a weapon? A courtship tradition? Were these mammals going to harm each other?"

Damn, Viktor thought, recalling the jungle gym in the pet store he had gone to. Why hadn't any of them thought of that?

"They used that rod to shred one of the blankets given to them to mere slivers of its former self. Then, they tied these strings to the rod. What would they do with that? Well, dear Vokkra," the alien paused for dramatic effect. Viktor heard Thruul give an inpatient huff behind him. "They crafted these!"

The orange alien held up a shoe. It was an open-toed sandal, made completely of fabric. The sole of the shoe was white, and three long strips that went around and over a foot were black. The shoe was flimsy and obviously wasn't made to last.

"I call them, paw protectors!" the alien announced. Viktor choked back a laugh. "Aw, your Kohgrash loves them!"

"Very interesting," Vok'Rul said politely. "How -"

"Oh, I am not done, Your Majesty!" the alien interrupted. Viktor wanted to scream.

"Oh my God, I'm gonna go fucking crazy if I hear this guy talk for much longer," Viktor said, going around the stall to peer into the boxes. "It's not shoplifting if I'm not viewed as a person, right? Because I'm gonna steal these. You'll have to pick me up and run, okay, Vok'Rul? Because someone's gonna step on my leash."

"No, Kohgrash! Get away from there," Vok'Rul scolded, easily leaning over the stall and picking up Viktor by the back of his shirt. Viktor choked, hands flying up to the collar of his shirt. The pressure didn't last long before Vok'Rul settled him into his arms.

"Whoa, rude! What happened to showing me kindness, huh?!" Viktor demanded, slapping Vok'Rul's arm.

"Ah, my apologies, Your Majesty!" the alien said, bowing stiffly. "I was not aware my stall was not mammal-proof!"

"No apology needed..." Vok'Rul trailed off.

"Ah! I am Markosh, sire! Pleased to meet you. Anyway, as I was saying -"

"Shut the hell up!" Viktor yelled.

"Kohgrash seems to be rather eager to try these paw protectors on," Vok'Rul said smoothly, causing Markosh to nod eagerly.

"Oh, of course, of course!" Markosh said excitedly. "I perfected the mammals' design, and now these paw protectors last much longer - possibly forever, if I may be so bold to brag! - and are much sturdier. Here, here, put these on him."

Vok'Rul ended up needing Thruul's help with putting the shoes on Viktor. The alien wasn't willing to put Viktor down in fear of him causing chaos, despite the human's reassurances that he'd behave. So, he was unable to the shoes on himself. Despite Viktor's protests that he could put shoes on just fine by himself, the alien was having none of it.

Markosh had volunteered to help and had started inching forward with the shoes, but a wordless snarl from Viktor had him hastily backing up.

"By the Spirits, Kohgrash, be nice," Vok'Rul said. Viktor decided then that he'd try to convince Thruul to spit in his next meal.

Thruul's claws were gentle against his feet. Unfortunately, his feet were ticklish. His foot shot out against his will, slamming into Thruul's chest. An explosive breath of air rushed out of him.

"Kohgrash!" Vok'Rul exclaimed, pulling him away from Thruul.

"It wasn't me! I'm ticklish! Sorry, Thruul, sorry," Viktor told him, voice thick with remorse. He hadn't meant to kick him.

"That's okay, Kohgrash. You've got a kick stronger than a Chorsl," Thruul chuckled. It took every fiber of his being to make sure his legs stayed still when the alien tried a second time. It didn't help that Thruul was afraid of hurting Viktor and tried to make his touch as light as possible.

The shoes were actually pretty comfortable. The 'new and improved' version that Markosh had created was made out of a thicker material. It wasn't quite leather - because Viktor had no idea if the alien's version of a cow could be made into leather - but it was something strikingly similar to it. The shoes he had on were similar in style to the fabric ones those humans had made; a pair of open-toed sandals that had three large straps around and over his feet. These straps were adjustable, though, complete with the buckle that was usually found on the aliens' belts.

When they got the shoes on, only then was Viktor allowed to get on the ground, much to his disgust. He told Vok'Rul in no uncertain terms that he could do whatever he wanted, to which the alien had simply nodded with a serene smile plastered on his face. Bastard.

His feet sunk strangely into the sandal. Unlike normal sandals, which usually had a mold for someone's feet, these were just straight-up slabs of material. It was shaped oddly as if Markosh had no idea what someone's foot had looked like. The sandals were interchangeable; Viktor could take them off and put his right shoe on his left foot and not feel a difference.

But the worst part was that Thruul had put the sandals on while he was wearing socks. He supposed that he'd have to deal with it.

Walking around was equally as strange. He hasn't had a pair of shoes on for months. His old sneakers were likely still in his cell in the arena if no one had removed them, tattered and completely unwearable. He had gotten used to walking on socked feet, simply because he had no other option. He was just lucky that most of the surfaces he walked on were rather smooth and soft.

"What do you think, Kohgrash?" Vok'Rul piped up after watching him - like a hawk, Viktor might add - walk around the general area.

"Kinda weird," Viktor admitted, jumping up and down in place for a moment before he continued walking. "I haven't had a pair of shoes on for a while. The soles are really squishy for some reason, but they're not so bad. I like 'em."

Viktor tensed his legs, then, and he saw Vok'Rul shift, but the alien was too slow. He set off in a dead sprint down the stalls, ignoring Vok'Rul's startled cry of "Kohgrash!" He didn't go very far, maybe only ten or fifteen feet, but it was enough to test that the shoes could deal with running. He jogged back with a smile on his face.

"What do you not understand about staying by my side?" Vok'Rul complained, picking Viktor up and holding him tightly. Viktor didn't mind. He was done testing the shoes, anyway.

"You said to stay in your sight, too, so," Viktor said, patting the alien's arm. "Besides, I had to test them. How would I know if they fit right if I didn't run in them?"

"That makes no sense," Vok'Rul grumbled.

"It makes perfect sense."

"Well, O Vokkra! Have you decided whether or not to acquire a pair of paw protectors?" Markosh piped up, looking a little frazzled. Viktor could only imagine what he had thought after he had taken off with his patented 'paw protectors.' "Your Kohgrash seems to enjoy them! I assure you, they are very sturdy and will protect your precious mammal's paws."

They left the stall with a pair of shoes. Viktor had the stray thought of how they would feel on the sandy floor of the arena - if they would've given him an advantage at all - before he pushed it away. Even if he didn't need shoes right now, he was sure they'd come in handy, eventually. At the very least, he wouldn't have to walk on just his socks anymore. Although Vok'Rul had gotten him a few pairs, they wore down pretty quickly.

Vok'Rul wasn't too impressed with him today, which quickly became evident when the alien refused to set him down.

"I hold you, you connive with another mammal to attack me. Which!" Vok'Rul said, pulling off his yellow hat and dropping it on Viktor's head instead. The hat fell over his eyes. At least it matched his shirt. "Was rather charming. But I digress. I set you down for a moment, you run off. You're going to make me fade a hundred years, Kohgrash!"

Thruul was laughing behind them, doing nothing to stifle it.

"Listen," Viktor defended himself hotly. He pushed the hat up over his eyes. A small smile crept onto his face, mostly because of Thruul laughing. Vok'Rul wasn't looking too pleased, though. "No harm done, right?"

His grip around him tightened, claws digging uncomfortably into his skin. Viktor let out a little noise of protest, the smile slipping off his face. "No," Vok'Rul said, voice slipping into an angry hiss. Viktor's eyes widened, suddenly wary. "Not right. You attacked my mother, Kohgrash, you make me look a fool, and now you're disobeying my only command!"

"You're hurting me," Viktor said, fear starting to clog his throat. He pushed at the alien's claws, but it only served to tighten them. Soon, they'd draw blood.

"Rulshkka!" Thruul growled, which only drove Viktor's fear higher. Thruul never growled, and he certainly never called Vok'Rul by his name.

It made Vok'Rul's anger fizzle and dissipate. Viktor felt his hands trembling on his sides as they loosened their hold on him. Or maybe that was just him. His skin throbbed where his claws had dug in. Viktor felt suffocated.

"Let me down," he whispered, voice tremulous.

"Sorry, sorry," Vok'Rul whispered back. His voice was just as shaky as his. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Kohgrash, I promise, I -"

Viktor felt guilt well up in his chest, but he was too overwhelmed to do anything except yell, "Let me down!" He gripped the alien's arm tightly, digging his nails into his tough skin.

"Release him, Rul, or you'll both get hurt," Thruul advised, stepping closer to the pair. He put his hand on the other alien's arm, gently prying it away from Viktor. He went willingly, which allowed Viktor to twist out of the alien's grip. The fall was farther than he expected, and he bit back a hiss of pain as he landed awkwardly on his ankle.

Vok'Rul's leg moved, probably just to take a step back, but Viktor was charged like a live wire, reactive and tense. Unable to get up quick enough to get away from any impending kick, he flinched, bringing up his hands to cover his head quickly.

"No, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul gasped out mournfully, sounding like he was out of breath. Viktor felt the same. Air could scarcely squeeze into his lungs.

"Hey! Get away from him!" someone shouted, getting in between Vok'Rul and Viktor. He flinched at the sudden movement, trying desperately to get back to his feet. Someone else's hands gripped his upper arm and hoisted him up, saying, "You okay?"

"Yep, yeah, yeah," he wheezed, hand pressing to his chest to get some air back in his lungs. It didn't work. He could feel his heart thumping under his trembling fingers. "Maybe not."

Someone else touched him lightly on the back. He recoiled. "Hey, you're fine. You're just having a panic attack."

"No, I'm not," he tried to say, but all that came out was a wheezing string of unintelligible nonsense.

"Rul, my lord, come on, let's go over here," he heard Thruul say to Vok'Rul, tugging him away from the small gathering of humans. "You are no good to Kohgrash in this state."

"There is no state!" Vok'Rul hissed in a whisper, voice shaking. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"Please, my lord. Just over here," Thruul coaxed. "Look, he's fine."

"Is everything well, Your Majesty?" someone tentatively asked from one of the stalls. It was only then that Viktor could get enough breath in his lungs to notice that they were watched from nearly every stall they were nearby. Two women stood near him, one with her back to him and standing off with Vok'Rul, the other directly next to him, murmuring soothing words into his ear.

Thruul bared his teeth in an ugly snarl, and Viktor nearly threw up. All that he was missing was the scar across his face."He is fine. You would do well to mind your own business."

It seemed that no one was willing to risk a fight with Thruul. The greedy, ambitious gleam in most aliens' eyes worried Viktor, but he knew he wasn't in a state to defend the alien if anything came down to it.

The woman beside him rubbed his back soothingly, letting him lean on her until he found the balance to keep himself upright. "You alright, dear?" she asked sympathetically. Viktor nodded. His heart was still beating, too hard and rapid, in his chest to consider himself perfect, but at least he could breathe, now.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely when the words let themselves be formed.

"No problem, dearie," she said. He finally looked up at her, and she offered him a warm smile. Her face was round, and she had red around her cheeks and nose as if she were in the middle of a snowstorm instead of experiencing a rather mild day. "I'm Emily, but you can call me Em. That's Cassidy, my daughter," she said, gesturing to the woman in front of them. Now that Viktor could take in his surroundings, he saw that they shared a lot of similarities. Hair, nose, the same slant of their shoulders.

"That alien hitting you, man?" Cassidy - who had to be about twice Viktor's age - asked gruffly, glancing over her shoulder to look at him.

Viktor quickly shook his head. "No, no, he's not."

Cassidy snorted, "Well, it sure doesn't seem that way with the way you were cowering on the floor."

Hot shame filled him and he shrunk into himself, drawing his shoulders up to his ears. Emily scoffed and shot an angry look at Cassidy. "That's enough, Cass. This young gentleman - what's your name, again, dear? - can't possibly be at fault for that."

"Viktor," he supplied meekly.

"Well, Viktor," Emily said kindly. Her voice made him want to immediately trust her and spill his deepest secrets. That kinda scared him. "What happened?"

Viktor explained reluctantly; that it had just been a misunderstanding and nothing was wrong, that he adored Vok'Rul and the alien adored him, too. Emily nodded along, understanding. It seemed that she wanted to believe the best in everyone. Her daughter, on the other hand, was skeptical. It was well-meaning, but after the third time he had started to make his way to Vok'Rul, who was in between two large stalls and well-secluded from prying aliens, and Emily blocked his path, he started to get irritated.

"Listen," he reasoned with all the patience he could muster. "I am going back to my alien. Quit trying to stop me."

"Oh, let him go, Cassie," Emily scolded. "We can walk over with him. If we don't like what we see, we can just take him back to ours. How's that sound, hun?"

Viktor rolled his eyes, but relented, knowing that the other option was making a break for it instead. He didn't feel steady enough on his feet to start running, especially with his ankle twinging here and there. He quickly picked up Vok'Rul's yellow hat, which had fallen off when he had landed on the ground, and made his way over to the pair of aliens.

He tried not to feel nervous when he approached them. They were half-hidden by the pile of bags Thruul had set down. Vok'Rul sat on the ground regally, looking miserable. He seemed calm, though. Thruul looked away from Vok'Rul's face sharply when he caught movement in the corner of his eye, and it took everything Viktor had not to jump at his fierce expression. Nausea welled up in his throat. His expression quickly wiped away into his regular, gentle smile when he saw Viktor.

"My lord, Kohgrash is here," Thruul said, holding out a hand to Viktor. "See?"

"Yes, I can see, thank you," Vok'Rul grumbled, lifting his head to stare at Viktor with wide eyes. He smiled tentatively. Viktor gave him a half-smile back. He slowly opened his arms. "Are you alright, Kohgrash?"

Viktor darted forward, wrapping his arms around the alien's neck in a tight hug. He heard Vok'Rul breathe a little sigh of relief, wrapping his own arms around the human, dwarfing him. "Are you alright?" Viktor asked shrewdly, leaning back to peer at him.

"Now I am," was the mumbled response. Maybe Viktor wasn't the only one who had developed an almost unhealthy attachment.