Hu Xing woke up in the morning dazed as the gentle light of sunshine shone onto his face. For a moment, he was transported back to the time before he closed off his heart to the world. He laid there staring out the window as he regained his rationality.

He isn't safe anymore, he was once again in captivity. He now was the plaything of this alien beside him. Once again subject to the whims of another, his days from now on will have one purpose. To serve his master.

Hu Xing felt a morbid sense of relief as he thought this. At least this time he was more knowledgable and able to hide his true feelings unlike before. Maybe in this way he could avoid a few beatings.

He turned over to observe the sleeping Bai Wei as the other slowly began to stir.

When Bai Wei finally opened his eyes completely he came face to face with the gentle smile of Hu Xing.

"Good Morning"

Bai Wei seemed taken aback by the sudden change in attitude ,but ultimately did not delve into the matter. He smiled jubilee at the other and led him to another portion of the ship to grab breakfast. Along the way, Bai Wei introduced him to numerous parts of the ship and talked with several robots along the way. Each one remained respectful of the two and would give a respectful greeting before going along their way. Hu Xing mentally mapped out the area and noted possible escape routes while maintaining a gentle facade outwardly.

When the two arrived at their destination Hu Xing was stunned to find that it was a kitchen that resembled a cooking show that he had appeared on. The kitchen was decked out in pink from the floors to the walls. There were white, frilled curtains that sat over obviously fake windows. The windows shined with a slight glimmer as if to remind Hu Xing that none of this was real.

Bai Wei was giddy and began preparing ingredients to make bacon and eggs as he gushed about how he learned the recipe through his apparatus. Hu Xing grimaced at the burning eggs that he would have to eat while he asked about what an apparatus was as he had never heard the term before. In response to this question Bai Wei grew quiet for a second before changing the topic.

Finally when the eggs were completely charred, Bai Wei served his dishes on a plate with a smile. They smelt of ash and smoke. Hu Xing was mentally grimacing as he prepared to eat the dark cuisine when Bai Wei reached out and took a bite into a piece of ash that used to be bacon from his plate. He made a funny face but still swallowed the charcoal stick before motioning Hu Xing to not eat the food. Hu Xing watched with astonishment as Bai Wei took the food that he mentally prepared to eat away without a word. Hu Xing became amazed as moments later Bai Wei walked back from the kitchen with a brand new plate that was cooked perfectly.

"Here" Bai Wei said as he placed down the food solemnly. He maintained eye contact with the floor ad Hu Xing reached out his hand to try the new food.

Hu Xing ate the surprisingly good food with relish and quietly thought that if he could eat like this everyday maybe the violence to come was worth it.

[Ding! Target's favorability has risen 20 points and is now -90]

...

The abuse that Hu Xing prepared himself to be subjected to never came. Instead, days passed by peacefully and blended into one another as the two began to adhere to a small routine. In the mornings, the two would go to the kitchen where Bai Wei would attempt to cook and charr the food horribly before using a machine to cook the food perfectly later. After that, the two would wander the ship as Bai Wei showed Hu Xing around.

Hu Xing's afternoons were spent in the garden areas as Bai Wei dealt with official matters. Hu Xing would pretend to sun bathe under the artificial sun while observing the workers in the loading bay across from where he sat. In the evening, the two would go to a small room with a couch and a projector that had been stolen off earth to watch movies. Finally, the two would return into the same bed and sleep through the night only to repeat this cycle again in the morning.

In the meantime, Bai Wei watched as his lover's favorability steadily rose until it slowed at -70. Hu Xing was lowering his guard but he still had his reservations about being in captivity. He knew by now that he was safe and had a certain degree of freedom on the ship, but it was only to a certain degree. Like when a dog is aloud to roam the house he was under almost constant supervision and was greatly repulsed by the idea. Bai Wei started moving his next plan into action.

...

It was morning once again, the artificial sun in the ship was peaking through the blinds. The two people who had been awake pretended to wake up again and cuddled a little closer. They exchanged faux words of love and smiled heartlessly at one another. Bai Wei mentally gave 100 likes to Hu Xings acting ability. He was able to fake puppy love while mentally preparing his escape. Of course, he was nothing compared to the master Bai Wei.

The two went about their business and prepared to go to the kitchen to watch Bai Wei charr another dish when an attendant came and informed Bai Wei that the apparatus had awakened.

Bai Wei perked up and giddily pecked Hu Xing's cheek before pulling him to the apparatus. Hu Xing pretended to act like a schoolboy in love at this small interaction and followed behind him with a big smile on his face.

They went through corridor after corridor until they approached a room. It was fairly large and empty except for a small grey box at its center. The box was held in mid air by a plethora of wires that connected to all the walls and a few that shot up from the ceiling. It hummed and rattled along at a constant droning pace until a large thump resounded in the room. The thumping sound was soon followed by another and then a third, each sound louder than the last.

After a while the sounds quieted and the box opened to reveal a speaker that was small and outdated. A relic from an ancient period . After a while a voice came through the speaker. It said "....Bai'er, is that you?"

Bai Wei immediately heard the voice and responded in a choked voice "Yes, it's me". A myriad of emotions swirled in his eyes.

Hai and Liu watching Bai Wei conduct a one man show as the only true conscience in his race: I wish we had popcorn...