Paul had finally finished cleaning Dean's wounds and wrap him with some straps of cloth. He couldn't use proper bandages, because those belonged to Rick, so he would get even madder if he found out that Paul dared to do so.
Those straps poorly prevented the wounds to get infected, and most of them were still bleeding a little bit. Paul wasn't good at first aiding someone since they never told him to do it before. After all, the one to take care of the group's wounds was Hector, so this job was an exception for the slaves.
Paul was a smart boy. Actually, overly smart. However, his insecurity prevented him to explore his own potential.
He could learn by himself how to do something like first-aid properly, but the sight of him being good at something was blocked by his mind.
Paul was completely brainwashed. Anything superior to just a talentless and nearly useless slave was something inconceivable for him.
That was another thing that Dean helped him a lot during those days.
When seeing him, who was a slave just like Paul, doing such amazing things not to let himself down to the level of a slave, Paul asked himself often if he was able to do the same.
"Hey, Dean..."
The boy, who was now sitting, leaning on the same tree where they tied him to get him spanked, chuckled when hearing Paul's voice.
"I thought... that you wouldn't c-call me anymore. They m-might hear, right?"
Paul ignored his mocking, asking him what he intended to.
"Why do you make such things? You train every day in order to get stronger, although you know that you will just be straining yourself more by doing this. You work hard enough to surpass me when it comes to slave stuff. Also, you never lower your head to them, who try every day to put you down.
"I mean, you are already messed up. You are a slave, after all. You are under Emperor's Touch and can't do anything about it anymore. Your family is probably too far away from you at this point and your freedom may never come back to your hands again. Don't you think that your effort is just useless?"
After all those remarks, Dean needed some time to think about that matter.
Maybe he was just convincing himself again about his motivations. In the end, Paul's question was something that he asked himself every night before sleeping to be sure to wake up the next day energized.
"You see, Paul, I have things that I am looking forward to doing. This slave thing just gets in my way when I am trying to do this. It is an obstacle separating me from my goals. What do you do when you have an obstacle in front of you? You do your best to surpass it, simple! It hurts, it's sad, you may get down a hundred times, get defeated a thousand times, and think about giving up one million... But, anyhow, what really matters is to get past this challenge, isn't it?"
Dean forced himself to smile at Paul while saying all of that. His throat hurt like hell and he needed to stop to talk a lot of times to cough and rest, but his slave partner could understand what he meant.
"I look forward to seeing my family again someday and make sure that something like that never happens again to my refuge! For this sake, I am going to smash those guys that are now sleeping relaxed on those tents, no matter what I will need to do."
Dean glared at the freckled boy, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"That's how you find hope where there is no hope. And the lack of hope has everything to do with being a slave. Once you get out of this bubble, you will react again."
Paul nodded his head to him, smiling faintly as well. That was the first time that Dean saw his smile.
It wasn't anything special. It was just a shy and tiny smile, barely noticeable. However, it made the boy happy. It was good that Paul could show him something other than his usual depressed and insecure expression.
"So, you plan to keep going like this, Dean? You plan to train more and more, and then find a way to overcome Emperor's Touch?"
"Yes. Easier said than done, I know. But soon I will be able to do it. I am quite confident that I can. After all, nature isn't messed up. All kinds of power have their weaknesses. I could perceive it by inspecting closely the skills of the other members of the group. Rick also has it, I am sure. He is just too good at hiding it."
Paul could know that his partner was serious about rebelling because of those points. Dean was always analyzing them carefully and trying to find any weaknesses that he could explore.
"I think that... I think that you have got this!" Paul stated, somewhat timidly.
Dean gave him a charming smile, which was his trademark, rubbing his long, light-brown silky hair that got way too long recently.
"Thank you. And be sure that, if I get the chance, I will take you with me. I won't leave Rick doing whatever he wants with anyone I know!"
Paul could understand Dean's determination and the fact that he was serious about his plan. He could even get more courageous and confident about himself. Nonetheless, something that he never could get back again was his trust in humanity.
He simply couldn't trust Dean's words.
"Well, I think that I won't be able to sleep tonight because of these wounds, no matter how tired I am. Also, I don't want to keep awake all night alone, so you will be staying here with me, won't you?"
Paul shrugged. Dean's pushy side got the better of him, so he just nodded his head hesitantly.
"Good! Because I really wanted to know more about you and your past. If we get along, these days being a slave can be better, don't you think so?"
"Y-yeah, I guess..."
"So, tell me... How did you end up being a slave, Paul?" Dean was straightforward when asking the question that was bothering him ever since he met that boy.