The journey itself, is freedom
by Ainzfern
4
The grand, indeed almost cavernous, lobby of Eos Tower – literally the societal hub of the Eos Central district, was no place for the socially inept or faint hearted. It was, and always had been, a veritable lion's den; albeit a politely worded one. A place where one went to 'be seen', filled with fine cafes and eateries, and dotted with the kind of boutiques where to purchase a single item might easily set the average lower to mid-caste citizen's purse back by five month's wages.
It was a place where strikingly attractive Elites of all color-castes lounged elegantly in carefully tended atriums, verbally jousting with their peers and those few upper-caste citizens fortunate enough or wealthy enough to work their way into the correct network. A place where the Pets of these Elites, ranging from sweetly pretty to heart stoppingly gorgeous, would idly stroll about while their masters were otherwise engaged. With their beautiful faces set in stunningly sullen, yet wholly sensual pouts of affected boredom, they gathered in little clusters here and there, passing gossip and information; exchanging oddly calculating little glances through flawlessly kholed eyes, appraising the fineness of each other's silks and satins, and the richness of the jewels encrusting their formal collars.
Reading these visual symbols to gauge who amongst them was adored best, who amongst them would carry some manner of authority over the rest... at least for the moment. Life as a Pet, even under Iason Mink's new legislations, was still a tenuous and uncertain thing. And Pets still used whatever advantages they could to ensure they shone over and above their peers in any way possible, so that they might better their chances of extending their time within an Elite household. Alliances shifted rapidly. The exquisite Pet that smiled at you and performed with you one day, might very well be trying to claw your eyes out the next, all due to a gift offhandedly bestowed by an indulgent master.
The Elites, for the most part, were completely unaware of the constant power plays and quite complex pseudo-political machinations that were occurring on a daily basis right under their perfect noses. Indeed, that was possibly the very reason why they did not perceive them. Interactions between Pets unless they were, of course, occurring upon a viewing stage, were of little to no interest to the average Elite. Such things were beneath them, not at all worth noticing.
But, seated to one side of the main atrium, sipping at an admittedly fine espresso, Riki noted all the details in front of him with a sharp if somewhat jaundiced eye. He almost had to laugh at the whole thing. At the way Pets formed their little bands of supporters, how they double-crossed and schemed and plotted to consolidate their virtually worthless power bases.
And for what? All that effort... just a fuckin' waste of energy.
Riki lifted his cup and drained the last of his coffee, huffing a humorless snort of laughter through his nose.
Really, with the possible exception of few lucky little souls, most of the Pets standing just a few meters away from him right now would be 'retired' from their masters within the next twelve months. It was a fact of life. They all knew it. They just didn't want to admit it.
And, quite frankly, being here today was getting under Riki's skin. He, personally, had no trouble admitting that.
Shaking his head, Riki heaved a great sigh and turned a flatly unimpressed look across the cafe table towards his coffee companion. "So... Coffee in the atrium lobby, huh? Whose fuckin' bright idea was that?"
Smirking back at him, smoldering cigarette in hand and his pale face transparently amused, Katze lifted a broad shoulder. "Yours," he replied, tapping his cigarette lightly against the ashtray.
Riki felt a rueful grin curve his full mouth. "Well. Y'know... I thought it'd make a nice change. Get out of my office for once."
And that at least had been Riki's intention when he'd suggested it. Katze had dropped by early in the morning, just after Iason had left for Jupiter Tower, the redhead intent on kicking off the new week with his and Riki's brief monthly 'check-in' concerning whatever mutual business interests they happened to be involved in at the time, whether within or outside of the black market.
But, once they'd actually gotten down here and ordered their coffee, Riki had been given almost immediate cause to remember exactly why he didn't like hanging out in Eos Central. Just watching them, all those Pets slinking around the place, doing whatever the hell it was Pets did when they weren't performing; it was taking his thoughts back to a time in his life he really didn't care to remember.
Back when he had been a Pet, he'd avoided Eos Central for the obvious reason. He was a mongrel, and the other Pets simply would not tolerate his presence. Because it was all too easy in those days for his temper to get the better of him, leading to fights which inevitably lead to punishment or worse – confinement, Riki had just found it easier to keep on walking whenever he entered Eos, ignoring the stares and the whispers, keeping his clenched fists safely in his pockets until he had reached the questionable shelter of the lifts that lead up to the Eos Tower residences.
Of course, stares and whispers were no longer an issue. Riki was well and truly outside the reach of such things these days. He was Iason Mink's life mate and a contributing member of Amoi society in his own right.
As that thought crossed his mind, Riki abruptly straightened in his seat, meeting Katze's slightly anxious eyes with a warm grin, aware that he'd been sitting in morose silence for a few minutes now, staring at nothing. "Sorry, man," he tilted his head thoughtfully and appraised the atrium again, this time from a more deliberately objective point of view, "I was just having a little flashback there."
"Ah." Clarity formed in Katze's expression, followed immediately by concern. "You okay? You want to leave?"
"No, actually, I don't," Riki lifted one hand and signaled the waiter, aware that he felt a hell of a lot better all of a sudden.
Of course, thinking about Iason had a tendency to do that to him.
"I think I just had an epiphany, if you want to know the truth," Riki continued after ordering two more coffees.
"Really," Katze snorted gracelessly. "Sounds painful. I'm sure there's some kind of ointment you can get for it though."
"Smartass," Riki shot him a look that spoke volumes. "I'm being serious here, Katze." The mongrel's dark eyes held Katze's gaze steadily. "I just realized that I've been avoiding this place for no good reason."
"Oh, I don't know," Katze nodded a polite thank you as the waiter delivered their second round of coffees. "Eos Central just seems to be one of those places, ironically enough, where you could believe Iason's reforms were never tabled at all. I mean, look around," Katze waved one long-fingered hand towards the atrium. "The scene right in front of us could be a snapshot taken from five years ago and you know it, Riki. It's no wonder it's bringing back a few unpleasant feelings for you."
"But that's just it," Riki took a reverent sip from his cup. He had to admit it... Dane's coffee was good, but nothing substituted for real espresso. "I'm past all of that. Iason and I both are. This place only has that kind of power over me if I allow it to."
"You've grown pretty philosophical these days, haven't you?" Katze observed, reaching for his coffee.
"Iason's influence," Riki shrugged, the simplicity of it bringing a rakish grin to his face. "Besides, I'm off these guys' radar now." He nodded to the nearest group of Pets. "Most of 'em wouldn't have a clue who I am."
Katze smiled bleakly, nursing his coffee cup in one hand. "Oh, they know who you are, Riki," he murmured seriously. "And not a single one of them would so much as dare to approach you."
"You think?"
The ex-Furniture nodded. "You're the Companion of the Iason Mink, Riki," Katze said quietly, his expression adding gravity to his words. "You're the lover, the life mate, of the most powerful and feared man on the whole damned planet. If you think anyone in this entire district isn't aware of that, you'd better think again."
"Shit," Riki cast a sour look down at the tiled floor beneath their table, not quite sure how he felt about Katze's commentary. "The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?"
"I suppose so."
"What about you, then?" Riki looked up sharply, dark eyes appraising Katze's fine features. "Shouldn't you fall into the same category? I mean, you're the mate of the Syndicate's 2IC. What kind of weight does that carry?"
Katze heaved a sigh. "A heavy one, I'm afraid."
Riki stared at him.
Obviously noting his confusion, Katze smiled wanly. "It's not so bad now that I've actually done IT work for most of the major Syndicate departments... but for the first few months, everywhere I went, they were absolutely convinced that the only reason I was in the role was because I was Raoul's Companion. I've had to prove myself, every single time."
Riki blinked, then frowned down at his hands for a moment. "Well, that sucks," he muttered.
"Tell me about it." Katze lifted one shoulder, as if shrugging it off. "Still, as you say... These situations only have power over us if we let them."
"Holy shit," Riki grinned again, wicked humor in his dark eyes, "you're actually taking some of my advice?"
"Yeah, note down the date, will ya? It's bound to be a one-off."
"Up yours," Riki shot back amiably enough. He leaned back in his seat settling into a more comfortable position. As he did, he noted that Katze's attention appeared to have been caught by something just to the left of his own shoulder. "Hey, you still with me?"
Katze nodded. "I would say, Riki," he replied, lifting his gaze to peer at something in the middle distance, "that we are just about to witness a brother Companion facing his own little set of troubles."
"Huh?" Twisting in his seat, Riki followed Katze's gaze and found himself looking across the atrium at an undeniably beautiful young man who was almost hesitantly approaching a small group of gathered Pets. Riki's sharp eyes narrowed as he took in the details. The kid looked vaguely familiar to him and it was very clear, both in his more modest dress and his genuinely awkward demeanor that he wasn't a Pet.
At least, not anymore.
"Do we know this guy, Katze?"
Katze grunted a soft non-committal sound. "Not in person, no," he replied. "But he's a recent Companion. Mated to a Sapphire, I understand."
Riki snapped his fingers, that little piece of the puzzle falling into place and providing clarity. "Esra," he said firmly. "Signed his contract just under six months ago with Laron Tak. I remember Iason telling me about it. It was the 'Sapphire' part that gave it away."
Katze's brow twitched in recollection. "Laron Tak," he repeated, a slow smile curving his lips. "Wasn't he the Elite that Dane used to work for? The one that dumped a salad bowl over Tahna Lam's head?"
Riki snickered softly. "Yeah, that was him."
"Ohhh, I like him already."
"Thought you might."
Katze set his coffee down and leaned forward, his eyes intently following Esra as he closed in on the group of Pets. "Do you think he has any idea how those Pets are going to react to him?"
Riki snorted, oddly feeling a surge of compassion for the young ex-Pet across the lobby. "I don't think so, man. If he did, he wouldn't be going anywhere near them." He shifted and looked back at his friend. "From what Iason told me, Esra was pretty much kept for Laron's private viewing." He smiled sadly. "He wasn't displayed much in shows."
"Ah." Katze nodded sagely. "One of those Elites, hmm?"
"What... like Iason, you mean?" Riki eyes sparkled wickedly for a moment before he turned back to watch Esra. He sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, "Katze?"
"Yeah?"
"What d'you think?" He glanced back over his shoulder taking in the interaction across the atrium, already clearly seeing that it was not going well. "Should we?" he made a vague gesture in Esra's direction.
Katze shrugged again and almost casually nodded. "Suppose we should, really."
"It's only good manners, after all." Riki got to his feet.
"True," Katze also rose, dropping sufficient credits to cover their orders onto the cafe table, "Plus, it's got that whole 'solidarity' thing going for it."
As the handsome pair of friends fell into step with each other, swiftly moving in Esra's wake, Riki glanced up at the redhead beside him. He found it ironic yet again, considering that he and Katze had only just been discussing reactions to change, the fact that they were – in essence – about to conduct a rescue of sorts from one of the more unfortunate responses.
Envy.
And, it was amazing, Riki had to admit, just how cruel Pets could be towards one of their peers, former or otherwise, who now had something that they didn't.
Esra was not exactly sure what manner of welcome he had expected from his former peers but, whatever he had imagined, it certainly hadn't been this. Undoubtedly, part of his trepidation at approaching the group gathered in their usual spot in the atrium lobby stemmed from guilt. He hadn't made any attempt to seek out any of the Pets he had once known socially since he and Laron had signed the Companion contract and he was well aware of how that must look to them.
He had, in fact, been hoping to explain why, because the one thing that he didn't want was for them to think that he now considered himself as somehow better than them.
He didn't. He just thought of himself as luckier.
The truth was, Esra had found it difficult enough just assimilating to his new role in Laron's household, let alone learning a new job. Every parameter of his life, every rule, every expectation of him had changed abruptly and irrevocably, the moment he had signed the contract. Esra knew what he was, he was well aware of what he had been bred for. And, all of a sudden, he had been required to change - to process and deal with totally new and unfamiliar situations.
His abiding love, the immense depths of his affection for Laron Tak had helped a great deal of course; giving him a focus, a touchstone that he could draw strength and support from. But there had been many days, even weeks, where Esra had found himself feeling exhausted and strained, struggling to cope with having choices, giving opinions, thinking autonomously. It had been hard work for him. Despite the fact that Esra was, as Pets went, quite clever, he had no learned experience at acting as an independent unit. Laron or Kalad had always been there to tell him what to do. Indeed there had been consequences for failing to obey without question. So, as a Companion, Esra had suddenly found himself having to decide things, to choose his own actions, and fighting with the almost overwhelming feeling that he was, somehow, doing something terribly wrong. That he was breaking the rules.
With time, and Laron's patient support, Esra managed to break free of his conditioning and was now functioning within his role as a full citizen of Amoi with little trouble.
Thus today, seeing as his part time hours at the City Archives gave him the start of each week free, he figured it was time that he visited with his old peer group, to see if the lines of communication, the friendships, for want of a better word, could be continued.
A bad move, as Esra was rapidly coming to realize.
Initially, as he had drawn close to the little cluster of Pets, he had met the soft, doe-eyed gaze of a sweetly pretty little female called Pia, a Pet he had been always reasonably friendly with due to the common fact that they were both owned by Sapphire Elites. Esra had even been partnered with her during one of his rare performances at Apathia, Laron having agreed to the match because of Pia's retiring nature and diminutive size. They had been very gentle with each other, their performance appreciated by both their masters, and he and Pia had formed a little support network from that day on.
He'd felt a brief surge of hope flow through him as he'd approached her, seeing her eyes light up with welcome. He had pulled in a breath to greet her, the beginnings of a smile curving his rich mouth.
"Well, well... what's this?" The voice that spoke at his arrival was scathingly sarcastic and, unfortunately, quite familiar. Esra felt this heart sink as he turned away from Pia and met a direct and challenging glare from a taller Pet now standing to one side of him.
Esra resisted the urge to heave a hopeless sigh.
Oh no.
Anyone but Sash. Esra had actually been hoping that the older Pet would not have been here at all this morning, seeing as how his master was a Blondie and not often present in Eos Central. But, sadly, as Esra turned fully towards him, the young ex-Pet let his gaze travel over one of the few souls that Esra had never been able to find any redeeming features in.
Sash was tall for Pet. Slightly older than the core group at just over nineteen. His eyes were a striking color, not quite hazel, not quite green. But they were beautiful and that had added to his value. His hair was dark, his skin pale and smooth; his body was sleekly muscled and he moved with a latent sexuality that few other Pets could match. And, most of all, Sash was owned by a Blondie. An Elite named Kyle Li, head of the Tanagura department of public works and an important man indeed. Sash had been purchased by him nearly eighteen months ago and, from the first moment Esra had met him, he had sensed Sash's arrogance, the Pet's automatic assumption that because he had a higher caste owner, he was superior in every way to his peers. Even other Pets owned by Blondies came in for the same treatment.
Kyle Li was also well known for upgrading his Pets regularly, only keeping them for six months to a year. But, so far, although he had retired and replaced his other Pets, he had retained Sash for nearly two years.
Just one more reason for Sash to consider himself better than everyone else.
Sash had crossed his arms over his chest, moving to stand right next to Pia and glaring down first at her, then at Esra. "Well, if it isn't precious little Esra, coming back to lord it all over the rest of us." Sash smiled, a cold and bitter expression. "I suppose we'll all have to be very careful what we say from this point... we don't want to get ourselves in trouble with your protective Elite Companion now, do we?"
Esra ignored Sash's remark, instead looking directly as Pia's flushed and now clearly unhappy face. "I don't want to cause trouble for you, Pia," he murmured. "I just wanted to see that you were okay." Sash hissed softly, his perfect face creasing into a sneer. "She's got nothing to say to you, Esra," he stated flatly. "None of us do. You don't belong here anymore. You're a Companion now... so you might as well stay up in your ivory tower and stop trying to show off how perfect you are."
"Pia?" Esra dropped his chin a little, trying to catch Pia's downcast gaze. She glanced up once at him, through lowered lashes, her expression deeply remorseful as she shook her head slightly and looked down again.
Esra got it clearly enough. It was over. Whatever friendship they might have shared... it would not stretch across the distance between Pet and Companion. Sash was right. Esra was different from them now, so the vindictive Pet couldn't touch him anymore. But he could still make Pia's life miserable if he wanted to.
Nodding, Esra stepped back and drew in a deep breath. "It's all right," he said to Pia, his voice soft and warm, "I understand."
"We never thought much of you anyway," Sash added, casting his eyes over the assembled group and nodding sharply as if daring one of them to contradict him.
Not that any of them would, Esra knew.
He had to admit, he was very grateful that he'd never had to perform with Sash. He really had the strongest feeling that it would not have been a pleasant experience at all. Instead it would have been an episode that was peppered with tiny pinches or scratches that genuinely stung and little bites that were just hard enough to hurt without bruising. Sash was that type... mean and sneaky with it. Esra was glad to have gotten away without having had to experience that. Because Sash had always resented him; he had known that from the beginning. Despite Esra making friendly overtures to him, the older Pet had openly envied the way Laron had kept Esra so close all the time, had limited his public performances to the bare minimum, had treated him with far more consideration and affection than Sash obviously felt Esra was worthy of.
But still, even knowing all of that, Esra was still deeply disappointed that Sash hated him so much that he wouldn't even allow Pia the chance to say goodbye.
"You always did think you were better than the rest of us, Esra," Sash was continuing, his voice low enough not to be overhead by any of the nearby Elites, but carrying quite clearly to Esra and the Pets around them. "But you're nothing special, just a mousy little plain-Jane who happened to catch the eye of a Sapphire. Not too bright, not really talented... but I guess you were able to fit an Elite's cock in you, so at least you passed the minimum requirement."
Esra felt his face flush, a surge of anger building in him. He noted with dismay that Sash could see it, judging from the oily little smirk the taller man was giving him. "Still," Sash shrugged dismissively, "I guess you're proof that good fortune really does favor the foolish... or is that the 'just plain stupid'?" The taller Pet's eyes narrowed for a moment, gauging Esra's response before, strangely, suddenly widening in something very close to shock.
"Hey, Esra..." An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind Esra's right shoulder just as a warm hand slid over his shoulder to grip him, gentle but firm and sure. "Sorry we didn't see you come in, man... we were waiting for you over at the cafe near the entrance. You must have walked right past us."
Esra turned, absently glad that the movement meant his face was turned away from Sash as he felt absolute amazement rocketing through him.
The man with his hand on Esra's shoulder was Riki.
Iason Mink's Riki. The first Amoian Companion. Dark featured and incredibly attractive up close, the strength of his body clearly evident in the compact musculature visible under his simple shirt, in the confident and easy way he carried himself. The mongrel who, rumor had it, started it all... the social restructures, the changes in legislation; if not for Riki, these things may never have come to pass.
"Uh..." Esra felt his eyes widen.
Behind Riki was another very familiar man. Tall and broad through shoulders, pale and uniquely handsome, his deep red hair seeming to glow in the filtered light of the glassed in atrium garden, Katze, the Companion of Raoul Am, was actually smiling at him like he was an old friend.
"Hey," Katze flipped a casual salute at him and lit a cigarette. "Did you wanna have coffee somewhere in Central today, or are you after something a little quieter?"
Esra blinked and drew in a deep breath. He met Riki's eyes and noted, astonishingly, that the mongrel winked at him, his dark eyes twinkling. Feeling a tiny smile twitch his lips, Esra nodded, looking up at Katze. "Uh... why don't you guys choose this time?" he asked softly, seeing the flash of approval in Katze's face.
The silence behind him, Sash's silence, was thunderous. Of all the possible outcomes Sash might have expected, seeing Esra rubbing shoulders with these particular men would never have occurred to him.
Looking over his shoulder, Esra nodded at the fuming Pet. "Well, I guess you were right," he said softly. "I don't really belong here anymore."
Sash stayed silent, glaring balefully. He might have been willing to insult Esra; banking on the fact that Esra's nature would mean he'd be unlikely to report such behavior. But, being insolent to Riki or Katze was a different matter entirely. Not even Sash, with all his arrogance, would dare such a thing. It wasn't just the fact that their Companions were highest Elite caste. It was also the fact that they were both mongrels and quite capable of slapping Sash into the middle of next week if he pushed the wrong buttons.
Not that Esra believed either one of them would do such a thing.
But rumors of Riki's temper from back in his own Pet days still persisted, so he supposed Sash wasn't about to risk it, just in case.
Before he turned away for the last time, Esra once more looked at Pia, this time meeting her lifted gaze. He smiled at her, nodding, pleased beyond words when he she smiled back at him, a wealth of silent messages, of warmth and affection, shining in her eyes.
"Good bye, Pia," he said softly.
Pia didn't reply. But then, she didn't have to. Her shaky little smile, the moisture shimmering in her huge eyes, these things spoke loudly enough.
Esra turned away and walked towards the main entrance of the lobby, Riki and Katze flanking him on either side. "That was very kind of you both," he murmured as they put a decent distance between him and the group of Pets they had extracted him from, "I appreciate it... especially seeing as how you don't actually know me at all."
"Well," Riki drawled, once more resting a hand on the young ex-Pet's shoulder, "we figured that, as a Companion, we already had that much in common with you. Besides... we've seen Pets react to upgraded ex-Pets before. They can get a bit nasty."
"So I noticed," Esra muttered, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue.
Katze snorted softly as they hit the anteroom outside the lobby that housed the lift wells for the residential levels. The redhead turned to him and grinned, removing his shaded glasses and pitching his cigarette into a nearby waste receptacle. "Anyway, seriously... I'm Katze and this is Riki." He held out one hand. "Pleased to meet you, Esra."
Esra chuckled, still feeling vaguely stunned by the whole episode that had just passed. "Well," he shook Katze's hand firmly, then turned and repeated the action with Riki, "you apparently already know who I am, and I'm glad to meet you too."
"Listen," Riki checked his watch briefly, "I have a meeting out at the spaceport later this afternoon, but I don't have to leave until well after lunch." He flicked his dark eyes towards Katze. "What about you, man? Anything on your books?"
Katze lifted his broad shoulders and pulled a little face. "Nothing that can't wait. I'm clear for the next couple of hours."
Riki nodded and looked back at Esra, his handsome face alight with friendship. "So... what d'you reckon? Should we make the bullshit into real shit?"
Tickled by the mongrel's colorful phrasing, Esra chuckled again. "Uhm... if that means would I like to get to know you both, then yes – I think that would be very nice."
"Cool," Riki jerked his chin toward the lifts. "We'll hang out at my apartment for a few hours, then."
Nodding, both intrigued and somehow utterly charmed, Esra followed his newfound friends into the lift. It seemed so amazing to him... that he had set out to touch base with old acquaintances, was in the middle of being publically humiliated, and was now about to pass a few hours in Iason Mink's – Iason Mink, leader of the Syndicate's – apartment, getting to know his legendary mongrel Companion.
He couldn't even begin to guess what Laron was going to make of all this.
Quite frankly, he couldn't wait to tell him.
The journey itself... – chapter 3 << >> The journey itself... – chapter 5