#it's a shame he didn't live long enough to lick a chick's elbow

[plusanimablog]

Chapter 38: Six Years Ago

The group are currently in the spring in a cave, along with Edo. They wash up and eat some fruit provided by Edo as he tells them they should be in Stella in three days. Apparently Edo knows Senri from the past too but Senri has forgotten him (either due to his notoriously bad memory or he just didn't consider him worth remembering). Edo then reveals he knew Senri as a kid, saying that back as an injured child slave he was a hard sell for whatever reason. Edo was going to buy him but got stuck on his resell value before Crystal swooped in and brought him. Edo is stunned at her buying such apparently damaged "goods" and tags after her and him out of curiosity.

Catching her undressing him (Probably for washing...although Edo was more worried than any of us while seeing that), he spots Senri's belt and identifies it as a Kimunkle custom: they wear the belongings of a dead relative, dyed black and as a belt. He then sees his scars and figures that a bear did it. Crystal however only cares about the wounds in his heart and asks him his name. He answers Senri and a transaction is completed! However, after spending some time with him, a problem pops up: he has memory issues. Crystal is pretty patient with him though and has him peel potatoes, pretty much the only thing he can do competently.

Then Crystal gives him a book, knowing that he can't read but giving him a crystal flower to put inside it, saying it will help him remember her. She then tells him whenever he wants to remember something, he should put it inside the book.

A year later, Crystal and her caravan set off on a trip to Asteria...with Edo coming along because he's weak and cheap. She takes the chokers off her slaves because slaves are not allowed in Asteria. The story ends because the kids are asleep (probably lulled by Edo's boring-ass story) and Edo thinks that the chokers are there to protect slaves, leaving them identifiable as livestock. He and many others don't see them as people but Crystal "wishes they were people".

He thinks the Anima around him are special cases though as he reaches for Senri's eyepatch...only for Cooro to stop him, saying Senri freaks out when people do that. That reminds Edo of another story from the past...

One of Crystal's wagons was attacked by bandits while she, Senri and Edo were in the same wagon. Crystal and her slaves defend themselves but when one guy advances on Senri, he goes absolutely feral and fucks up every bandit in the vicinity, sending them running away. The chapter ends with him turning into this:

Yeah.