We get a peek into the runaway rescue's mind here, this chapter is told mostly through flashbacks. He's currently thinking about how you had to go more or less catatonic to survive on an arxur farm. Scream and struggle, you're killed and eaten. Run, you're killed and eaten. Yesterday, they were all herded onto a cattle ship by disdainful gray pilots, surely off to the slaughterhouse. The next thing he remembers is Noah's warmth, and his own face reflected off the shiny black mask Noah was wearing. He saw only scars and dead, empty eyes.
When he realized he was brought home to venlil prime, the disassociating hit a peak and he no longer though of his captivity as something that happened to him, it seemed like another life, a nightmare he didn't have to live through. In the time since he had kept himself distracted from the bad thoughts by trying to figure out what the gaians really were. The mystery kept his mind sharp, and he decidedly doesn't like the answer. Another moment that has me and my friend convinced this could be a sly critique of modern society, we cut back to Haysi and Glim discussing the humans shortly before she wandered in on Noah, we find Glim pondering what the point of the mask is.
The biggest fib of all was the mask. In my estimation, no species could wear full-face shields in daily life. How was that practice suitable for eating, or searching for mates?
Maybe we're reading too much into it but it does seem poignant considering recent events in human history. I tried to fit in more jokes about Dream in here but it's just such a forced and unfunny reference. You should know an attempt was made for posterity's sake.
We see him crawling through a vent. It's tight, even for his diminutive, malnourished form, and he starts reliving being crushed into a cattle pen, seeing children being dragged away for a delightful dinner, and crawls through in a trance, squealing about how he doesn't want to be food, until eventually he bumps into another grate and squeezes his way out. He overhears some gaians discussing the venlil born into captivity, convinced that they're nothing more than animals. One of them asked him why they were being taken from the arxur, even. Heartbreaking. (The two are named despite only showing up for the one scene, Kyle and Tanner. Is there a sidestory they're featured in, I wonder?) Glim eavesdrops on the conversation, hoping to get a glimpse of what the gaians really look like.
Careful what you wish for, Glim. Panic takes over, burning its way right through his chest and cooking his lungs. His mind races with possibilities of why the gaians, fellow predators, would go through all this effort. He comes to the conclusion that happy venlil must taste better and reproduce more frequently, and are allowed to live their lives in blissful ignorance until their number is drawn. More Venlil Prime lore is casually dropped. The design of the capital is circular, with buildings spreading out in a ring around the governor's mansion, kinda like Paris and the eiffel tower. (I think??? I know more about Kalos than I do about France, I'll admit, and my assumption is based purely off of how Lumiose city is built) Residences line the outer bands, businesses in the inner circle. Neat.
Glim wanders into a bar trying to find a holopad so he can contact his aunt Thima, who took him in after his mother's death, before he was taken by the arxur. The bartender greets him, offering him some authentic grapefruit flavored malt liquour, for that iconic predator taste. (Kinda cute that "predator" is becoming a marketing thing on Venlil Prime, in my opinion.) I've discussed this once or twice I think but this shit would kill a human. Apparently Venlil, being grazing herbivores, are incredibly resilient to alcohol, and could outdrink the sleaziest slav. Glim asks about the so-called "predator taste", turns out humans are farming earth plants on venlil soil and selling the excess to local businesses for use in their cuisine.
Glim asks if she's insane for trading with predators, and her friendly demeanor just vanishes as she swipes the glass she had just offered away from him. She will not be tolerating racism, it seems, after having sponsored a human orphan refugee, which I'm pretty sure also has its own sidestory. Realizing he's not in like-minded company, Glim shies away from asking for help and instead turns his attention to a nearby tv, where General Kam is on the news discussing how Tarva threw off the tyranny of the feds. Glim asks about the bartender's predator refugee as he tries to process this information, and she happily proclaims her intent to officially adopt the boy. How sweet.
Glim, of course, loses his shit and screams that it doesn't want her love, it wants to eat her, and she kicks him out for shittalking her son.
...Hold on is this whole chapter just an ad for his sidestories??? Glim wanders out and sees a poster for Escape from the Cradle, the movie Night Terrorist mentioned during the actors sidestory. Well, with that out of the way, Glim heads off for the nearest train station.
