The journey itself, is freedom
by Ainzfern
28
Seated unobtrusively to one side of Tahna Lam's stylishly appointed private sitting room in his principle Apathia residence, Chey Neeson watched in silence as Tahna – seated on his velvet upholstered sofa – wound up his debrief with Karu, his long-term Furniture. Although his perfectly snooty Blondie might claim that the uniquely dignified and mature man before him was only a servant, Chey knew better. Karu had come to Tahna's employ when the Elite himself had still been a youth. The Furniture had seen the Blondie through the difficult years of his induction into, and rise through, the ranks of the Tanagura Syndicate. He had seen the youngster mature into a formidable power in his own right and, in his quiet and almost preternaturally calm and serene manner, he had done his best to sooth and divert his fiery-tempered Master where and when he could.
Chey was aware that Tahna did not have a convivial relationship with his own Sire. Few Elites did. It really just wasn't something that was in their nature. As Tahna had once said, "Elite's don't do 'happy families', Chey," and indeed Tahna had spoken truly in regard to his own situation.
Fortunately, however, they tended to have better luck forging familial relationships with those who were not of Elite stock.
But, Chey had to admit, he was genuinely grateful that his multifaceted and beloved Blondie had enjoyed the benefit of a mature presence in the formative years of his life via Karu anyway, even if said presence was that of a servant. And whether the Elite wanted to admit it or not, the fact was that Tahna held a level of regard for Karu that was more than just that of Master pleased with his household.
Tahna was truly fond of the man. He would never say it, of course. But that did not make it untrue.
It was, Chey noted, quite evident in his handling of this particular interview. In a technique that Chey had often used himself when faced with a crucial conversation such as this one, the Blondie had initially asked a series of questions of Karu; querying his level of satisfaction with his current situation, his preferences for the short and long-term future, and so on. Then, based on the answers, Tahna had laid out his offer.
One thing Chey had not been surprised by was the fact that Karu had made a point of expressing his personal fondness for Elle and Tei and, from the look of things, Tahna hadn't found that remarkable either. Thus, he advised the Furniture that he wanted him to continue in his current capacity, seeing to the wellbeing of both Pets. In addition Tahna entrusted to the level-headed and capable man, the administering of his personal estates; those in Apathia as well as his apartments in Midas and Eos and the few key commercial properties that Tahna also held an investment interest in.
"Over and above that, Karu," Tahna was concluding in his silken voice, sitting back comfortably and steepling his long fingers in front of his chest, "whatever additional free time you find yourself with from this point forward can be considered your own. You may now pursue your own interests without needing to seek my sanction." His rich mouth curved into a little half-smile. "I am sure you will find the monetary allowance that I have arranged to be credited to you on a monthly basis will be more than sufficient."
Karu nodded; his expression as always was calm and composed but his dark eyes were filled with transparent emotion. "You have been more than generous, Master Tahna; and although it is true that I trusted I was not being summarily 'retired' from my position due to your impending relocation, I was not expecting anything akin to this."
Tahna huffed a droll little chuckle. "Karu," he said quite pointedly, "I'm quite certain that you were not ever expecting me to become espoused and subsequently head off into another interstellar territory, either."
Karu smiled blandly, nodding his acceptance of the point. "No, Master Tahna. I was not."
The Blondie lifted one elegant shoulder in a 'just so' kind of gesture. "Things have changed."
"Indeed they have," the distinguished Furniture gathered himself to rise. "Shall I retrieve Elle and Tei now, Sir?"
"Not quite yet, Karu, I have two more matters to bring to your attention." Tahna paused for a moment, looking pensively at the Furniture, the long fingers of one hand almost absently resting lightly against his lips for a moment before, with a deep slow breath, he continued. "Although due to the fact that I shall no longer reside on Amoi thus many of your duties in regard to my personal requirements will become moot, I still have a very strong expectation that you will assist me to prepare for my espousal ceremony on Isius," Tahna's beautiful eyes narrowed, a firm glint entering the violet depths. "To that end, I will expect you to work your schedule so that you are available when I send for you."
Unable to help it, Chey felt a slow grin rising on his handsome face, his Blondie's adorably preemptory seriousness over the matter tickling him no end. Of course, he immediately affected a suitably solemn expression when Tahna shot him an unfriendly and quite frankly suspicious little look.
He was, after all, no fool.
"If I may be so bold, Master Tahna," Karu was saying, ignoring the by-play with practiced ease, "I will confess that I would be quite distressed if you were to entrust the matter of your personal appearance upon such an important occasion to anyone but me."
Tahna flashed him a brief smile of approval. "I thought as much, myself."
The Furniture bowed his head in gratitude for the unspoken compliment, before looking enquiringly at the Elite. "And the other matter, Master Tahna?" he asked diffidently.
The Blondie looked at Chey for a moment, again smiling briefly as the statesman nodded at him. They had spent some time late in the previous evening discussing the matter that Tahna was about to raise, with the Elite finally deciding that the offer was appropriate to make as long as it was left to Karu to decide the where's and when's... or indeed the 'if's', for himself.
Looking steadily at his Furniture, Tahna lifted his chin, "I realize that this is very likely a matter that you might not wish to discuss, thus I shall be as brief and straightforward as possible. I merely want to advise you... in the event that you decide you would like to undergo a reversal of the physical modification procedure you underwent prior to your training as a Furniture you need but let me know." Tahna's tone was very matter of fact. "I will arrange it on your behalf through Raoul Am's private clinic."
Karu was silent for a long moment, his discomfort with the subject very evident to Chey, in the stillness of his expression, the rigidity in his shoulders. However, at length that familiar serene demeanor returned to him and he nodded slowly, thoughtfully, with exquisite courtesy and grace. "I thank you, Master Tahna," he said softly and, in his voice, Chey could hear the faintest notes of gratitude, of genuine warmth and affection. "And I shall indeed consider the option most carefully."
Chey noted the tiny signs of tension had left Tahna's broad shoulders and he chuckled silently as he felt the same thing happening in himself.
"And now, Karu," Tahna was saying, absently shifting on the sofa, re-crossing his long legs, "please retrieve Elle and Tei and escort them down here."
"Of course, Master Tahna." The Furniture smoothly rose and bowed.
"I will want you to be present here while I speak with them, Karu," Tahna murmured. A rather rueful look whispered across his perfect face. "I do feel it might be easier for them if you are nearby."
With one more silent nod of acknowledgement, Karu silently withdrew.
In the wake of his exit, Tahna sighed softly, pushing his hair back from his brow with a slow sweep of thumb and forefinger. He turned his striking violet eyes in Chey's direction, his smile becoming visibly smug. "Well... I believe that went just as well as I had anticipated."
Chey leaned forward in the plush armchair he was currently seated in, his eyes meeting Tahna's gaze. "I would say so," he agreed amiably, before pulling a little face. "Although, for a moment there when you mentioned the modification reversal I thought things were going to get a little pear-shaped; especially since I was here."
"Mmm," Tahna lifted a shoulder briefly. "It is true that Karu is a very private creature. However I would like to think, after all these years, that I know my own Furniture's limits well enough to be able to judge what can and cannot be said to him in polite company."
"And indeed you do," Chey replied with aplomb, a smile rising on his handsome square jawed face, "Hence the happy outcome."
Tahna tossed his head disdainfully and leveled a very pointed stare at the grinning statesman. "Perhaps you will learn to trust in my judgment of such things a little more in the future? Hmm?"
Pressing one hand to his solid chest, Chey gave him an innocent look.
Having none of it, Tahna sniffed haughtily at him and arched a pale brow. "Might I just remind you, you used the word 'empathy' no less than five times during our conversation last night?"
"Sorry, love," Chey winked rakishly at his gorgeously affronted lover. "Could have been worse, though. I could have tossed 'affiliative' in there a few times as well."
"Do you want a chair thrown at you?"
Chey's rich guffaw filled the room for a moment. "Ah... no, love."
Snorting with rueful amusement, Tahna shook his head and dropped all pretenses of offence. "Honestly, Mr. Neeson," he chided without rancor. "The liberties I let you get away with."
Settling back in his chair, Chey gave the Blondie a fond look before composing himself as the door to the sitting room opened once more and Karu led two very subdued and pale-faced young Pets into the room.
Now this, Chey knew, was going to require some delicate handling. The very fact that he was here would already be adding to the Pet's tension, as evident in the dark-eyed look of trepidation that both Elle and Tei gave him as they passed him on their way towards their master.
Chey made a point of smiling gently, murmuring a soft greeting at them as he always did on those very rare occasions when he saw them. His efforts got the usual reserved reaction, an acknowledgement that was polite, but nothing more. The pair might have grudgingly accepted that Chey Neeson was now an immovable part of their Master's life, but that didn't mean that they liked it.
Or him.
They reacted to Chey with the minimum of expected courtesy required to keep them out of trouble, but that was as far as it went.
For his part, Chey was philosophical in his acceptance of all of this. While he couldn't really relate on any level to a Pet's life experiences, he could empathize with the pain the pair must feel, the pain and the uncertainly of losing a constant in their lives. Their master had been exclusively theirs to perform for and divert and please for several years. Then Chey Neeson had shown up out of the blue and all of a sudden their beloved Master Tahna no longer had time for them anymore.
Yes, Chey could understand that well enough.
He smiled sadly even as he watched the beautiful pair sit together on the low divan in front of their master.
Seriously, it was no real wonder that they didn't like him very much.
"Now," Tahna was saying softly, his smile gentling as he took in the wan and tense appearance of his Pets, "I know that neither one of you are silly creatures. I know that you have both probably been thinking quite a lot about the changes that have been occurring to this household over the last year."
Elle and Tei turned their wide eyes towards Karu, who smiled warmly and nodded encouragingly at them.
"Yes," Tahna added as they turned back him, "Karu and I have already had some discussions on the matter. Now it is your turn." His manner gentled even more. "Now... would either one of you care to tell me what you think is going to happen here?"
There was a long pause, with Tei and Elle exchanging a deeply worried look. At length, Elle wet his full lower lip with the tip of his tongue, taking Tei's hand and holding it tightly as he met his master's steady gaze with frightened eyes. "Are we..?" He stopped, swallowing hard before continuing. "Are we being told to leave, Master Tahna?" he asked in a small voice.
Tahna actually gaped at him for a second before heaving a great huff of disgust and rolling his eyes ceiling ward. "Oh honestly," he drawled, disdain dripping off every word. "Where on earth did that melodramatic piece of over-reaction come from?"
"Well," Elle flushed, dropping his gaze to his lap. "Some of the other Pets in Eos Central said—"
"Have I not always told you..?" Tahna snapped pointedly at him., "You don't listen to what other Pets say, Elle, you listen to me?"
Elle nodded miserably, his huge eyes filling with moisture. "I'm sorry, Master Tahna." He glanced sideways at Tei, who was looking no less distressed than his older counterpart.
"Oh, for goodness' sake," Tahna heaved another sigh, visibly composing himself. He held out one hand to his Pets, beckoning them to him. "Come here."
They hesitated for a moment and Tahna clucked his tongue at them. "Come on. Do as you're told," he nodded firmly at them, patting the space beside him on his sofa. "Sit here, Elle, beside me. Tei, hop down at my feet, where you always go."
Padding over, Tei gracefully sank down onto his heels before his master, resting his dark-haired head on Tahna's knee while Elle sat on the sofa and immediately scooted into place beside the Elite, easing in under the circle of one powerful arm.
Watching, almost spellbound, Chey suddenly realized, he was seeing something that no-one outside of Tahna Lam's household would likely have seen before. He was seeing a snapshot of Tahna's life from before he even had met the Blondie. He was seeing Tahna interacting with his Pets the way he would have had Chey never appeared.
Looking at them now, seeking comfort from the Blondie and getting it. Seeing those elegant hands, deceptively strong yet now touching only with kindness, smoothing a tense back with a warm palm, stroking the soft dark hair of the head that rested trustingly in his lap with gentle fingers... Chey suddenly understood on a level far deeper than he'd ever known before.
No wonder Elle and Tei disliked him. He was robbing them of this.
"Now..." Tahna's voice had softened, but there was an undeniable no-nonsense note there, just the same. "Perhaps we can try this again, hmm? With a little more sense this time?"
Elle nodded, while Tei murmured a soft assent.
"Not long after you first came into my possession, some years ago," Tahna began softly, "I made two promises to you both, do you remember?"
"Yes, Master Tahna," Elle actually smiled briefly. "We've never forgotten."
"Would you care to repeat them?"
Tei lifted his sweet face, staring up at the Elite with his huge sad eyes. "You said that we'd never be thrown away... and that we'd never be split apart."
Tahna nodded somberly. "Just so. Now... do you really think that I am the kind of Master who would break my promise to you?"
Both Pets looked suitably ashamed.
Tahna nodded. "So... now that we have all that silliness out of the way, perhaps I can explain to you what is really going to happen?"
Settling back down against their Master's strong frame, Elle and Tei waited silently, their lovely faces an oddly heart-touching mixture of sorrowful and resigned. "You're going to leave, aren't you?" Elle asked, his fingers twisting together in his lap.
"Yes Elle. I am," Tahna confirmed, his velvet voice low but firm.
"Will we see you again?" Elle's honey soft voice grew tight, his dark eyes filling again.
The Blondie petted his slender back gently for all that he shook his head in mock-despair at the question. "Of course you will," Tahna smiled wryly. "It's not as though I'm dying, Elle. I'm just relocating to the federation... although there are some people who might consider that the same thing."
Chey grinned for a moment as he caught the wickedly sparkling flash of those violet eyes glancing his way.
Tei sniffled softly and, when he raised his face once more, his cheeks were streaked with tears. "Will we... will we ever get to perform for you again?"
Tahna made a soft 'tch-ing' sound and reached down, swiping the moisture off Tei's face with his fingertips. He sighed, his expression growing serious. "No, Tei. You won't." His smile softened a little, "In fact, from now on... the only people you will be performing for will be each other."
They stared at him for a moment before nodding, clearly accepting his statement.
"First of all, you are going to be staying right here in this house." Appearing to have reached his limits of what he would grant in physical affection to his Pets, Tahna gently but firmly eased the two diminutive males back onto their divan, sitting forward and facing them squarely as he continued, "Karu will reside here as well, and he will continue to look after you, making sure you are safe and that you don't have to worry about things."
Chey smiled for a moment, seeing the tension in both Pets dissipate a little upon hearing that the other constant in their life would not be going anywhere.
"In the next week or so, a young man is going to come and visit the house," Tahna pushed his wealth of pale hair back over his shoulders with a languid hand. "His name is Riki and he is the first Amoian Companion, so you will need to be respectful." He smiled dryly, seeing Elle's and Tei's eyes widen a little in recognition of the name. "He is coming here to talk to you both about acquiring some manner of employment that might suit you. This is not because you will need to work to support yourselves at all. I have seen to that. This is about giving you some manner of experience, some manner of life, outside of this house. This is a chance for you to learn, to grow." He smiled gently at them. "Who knows where it might lead?"
"Master Tahna?" Elle bit his lower lip for a moment, exchanging a nervous glace with Tei. "What..? What if we don't find anything that we can do?"
"I know that this is quite a change for you both. I know that it will feel very much outside your comfort levels at first. But, remember that Karu will be here to help you," Tahna replied, his perfect face growing resolute, his beautiful eyes hardening a touch. "What I don't want to hear from him is that you didn't give it your best efforts. While I do understand that this will no doubt be daunting for you, I am also expecting that you will try your best. Am I making myself clear?"
Both Pets nodded again.
"Very good." Straightening up in his seat Tahna tilted his head a little, offering his cheek. "Now... come here and kiss me. Then you may go with Karu into Eos Central for the afternoon."
Now clearly crying, albeit very softly, Elle rose and stepped forward with Tei right beside him, no less upset. He leaned down, kissing Tahna's soft cheek lingeringly. "Goodbye, Master Tahna," he choked out brokenly.
Cupping his face with both hands, Tahna subjected him to a critical look. "You will wash your face before you go out, Elle, won't you? Those blotchy cheeks just won't do."
Sniffling, Elle vented a watery little laugh and nodded. "Yes, Master Tahna," he whispered, wiping his eyes with the back of one trembling hand. He stepped back, allowing Tei to take his place.
The slighter Pet didn't even make a pretense of maintaining decorum. Instead he leant forward and wrapped his slender arms around his Elite master's broad shoulders, embracing him almost fiercely. He kissed Tahna's cheek and then buried his face against the Blondie's neck, his slender shoulders shaking.
"Now, now," Tahna hushed him gently, firmly disengaging that grip from around his neck and easing the little Pet up and back into Elle's embrace, "that's quite enough. You'll just make yourself more upset with all of that carry on." He smiled at them then, nodding regally at them. "You have always pleased me, both of you. I was always very proud that you were my Pets. Now, it is time for you to look after each other and to be good for Karu. Will you do that?"
Hiccupping softly, clearly attempting to calm themselves, Tei and Elle nodded.
"Very good," Tahna lifted an elegant hand, signaling for his Furniture. "Karu, will you take them upstairs, please? Get them ready to go out?"
"Of course, Master Tahna." Swiftly stepping forward, Karu eased a gentle guiding hand over each Pet's shoulder, steering them out of the sitting room and quietly closing the door behind them.
In the silence left behind, Tahna vented a deep exhalation. "Well. I cannot deny that I am very glad that's over and done with." He wrinkled his perfect nose in mild angst. "I despise 'scenes', Chey, I really do."
"Well," Chey rose and sauntered over to his Blondie, reaching down and grabbing Tahna's hand in warm grip, pulling him to his feet and into his arms, "for all of that, I would say you handled that one extremely well."
"Oh it's remarkable, the things I can do once I put my mind to it." Tahna eased his arms around Chey's shoulders; his long fingers, as always, stroking into the thick satiny hair at the nape of Chey's neck. "For example... I'm actually getting espoused to you."
"Who'd have thought?" Chey purred, pressing a soft kiss to Tahna's lips.
"Who indeed?"
Pulling back, Chey looked deeply into those stunning violet eyes, his sharp gaze seeking any signs of strain or tension within. "How are you holding up, Blondie?" he asked softly.
Sighing softly, Tahna shrugged lightly. "I'm fine, Chey," he said softly. His huge eyes suddenly twinkled wickedly. "Believe me... you'd know if I wasn't."
Chey laughed warmly, kissing Tahna one final time before releasing him from the embrace. "Oh, now that I can believe." He raised a querying brow. "Are you ready to head back to Eos Tower?"
"Yes," Tahna sighed once more and cast a brief but significant look around the room. "Everything is done here."
Taking his elbow, Chey urbanely guided him towards the main entrance of the house where Tahna's patient driver would still be waiting. As they went, he reflected upon Tahna's words, upon how right they were.
Everything was, indeed, done here.
The journey itself... – chapter 27 << >> The journey itself... – chapter 29