Devero jerks when he first feels Koumyou touch him, flinching into a tighter ball like he's expecting to be hit. But nothing more happens than an arm going around his shoulders. He peeks at Koumyou for a long moment, hesitating, but then-- then he tucks himself against the Sanzo's side.

"I know," he says, his voice choked. Like before, words seem to just come flowing out of him, disjointed and raw. "I know, 'every person has the right to food, to shelter, to comfort and to medical care, with no qualifications', but it's different at Techstead! Sh-she always says our req level is too l-low for the work we do, so we can't spare anything for non-contributors, and she says it's my fault we can't get our level raised, because her friends are all getting bored of me and th-they don't want to do her favors anymore!"