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Love is for Suckers [Goody + Incendo]

J

Jericho Z. Barrons

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Joined
Oct 12, 2017
[Original rp done in pm, 6/17/18-7/18/18]

Finally. Today was THE day. It'd been a long time coming.

Howe's fingers quickly tapped out the final etches on the Enforcement report for the night, the sleek, black computer humming ever so softly as it processed the information he was entering into it. His desk sat in the main auditorium of the office amidst the other Enforcer's desks, the precinct abuzz with activity as Enforcers came and went or sat filing their own reports. Butted up against his own desk was his partner, Tallen's desk and they faced each other as the other Frith sat typing at his computer as well.

"You better get the frick outta here," Tallen muttered in a ghastly confrontational tone. Howe glanced up to catch the distracted smirk on the other's face, already instinctively knowing that he was teasing. "Tonight's it, ain't it? You finally gonna be an owning man, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'," Howe murmured good-naturedly. Using the finger pad to close out all the active windows on his desktop to reveal a saucy looking Frith woman laid out with a tantalizing lack of clothing on a cheesy, filtered background.

"What are you gonna go for?" Tallen asked, leaning back lazily in his chair, continuing to smirk, showing off his sharp teeth in amusement. "Male or female, you think? Or both?"

"I'm only getting one. It's all I can afford but we'll see about next year if I get that bonus," Howe said, taking his leather jacket from the back of his own chair and slipping his arms into it at the same time, whilst shrugging it on. Thoughtfully he said, "I'm not sure there's really a difference, sap-wise, to be honest. I'll see what they have when I get there. It'll just be nice to not have to go out to eat all the time. Or worse, suffer through that canned clot they sell at the grocer's."

"Well, you better get going then," Tallen urged him yet again. "The auctions' not going to stay open just for you."

"Tch-yeh," Howe snorted, coming around the desks and pausing to trade a quick series of hand gestures with his partner; their not-so secret handshake. "Alright, catch you later. Have a good morning."

"You too," Tallen agreed, calling after his retreating friend, "Hey, don't hold out on me! I wanna hear all about your new sap tomorrow night."

"Oh, I'll tell ya!" Howe nodded, backing away through the doorway to the hall. "In fact, you'll probably get sick of hearing all about raising saps way before I'm done talking about it. You might want to take it back now. Just sayin'."

Shaking his head and smirking, Howe walked through the left wing of the precinct, excitement coursing through his veins. Yes, this would be the night he'd finally get to purchase his own sap. Sapiens, the official name for the humans that the Frith enslaved. Their main source of food, most common Frith had a daily ration card they were restricted by. Plenty of sap to stave off any hunger throughout the night but still a chore nonetheless. Owning livestock was a luxury, and generally expensive. Full of bureaucratic paperwork and nonstop maintenance for the entire life of the sap. Frith, the blood suckers, were not dead but an elevated species, no longer requiring so much to stay alive. Immune to diseases and impervious to generally anything one could throw at them, they lived their lives almost completely free of the worry of death. In fact, Howe was coming up on his 100th year soon.

It'd taken a long time to finally get where he was now and this was the final step to prove he'd ascended: he'd have his own sapien before the night was through. As Howe walked through the ground floor of the station, he passed by the barred enclosures where they held the most recent prisoners. All Frith sat in the little cells, and all criminals. Most would get fined and released by the beginning of next evening for their crimes. Only a couple would wait and stand trial for greater crimes. Howe could not hide the disgust that contorted his features as he passed the cells, recognizing one of the demented souls who slouched on a bench within. The putrid scum owned a restaurant and had been caught prostituting his saps out to the diners. A frequent occurrence, especially in the poorer areas of the city, it was considered one of the worst crimes a Frith could commit against a human. They were animals and it was cruel to put them in any sort of pain or take advantage of them. Not to mention the risk to sapien lives; a Frith in the frenzy of passion could pulverize a human's hips or suffocate them with their body weight if they weren't careful. It was abuse, plain and simple. And it was one of Howe's greatest pleasures in life taking those scum suckers down when they were found breaking the law. A fine and marked record were too good for them, honestly. But he was just the guy who caught them, not the judge.

Driving his car to the auction house, Howe arrived there about 3 in the morning, the sky still dead and black and the air refreshingly cool. The main grounds of the auction were a series of stages and platforms set about a large open plot in a haphazard circle. Lights on high poles flooded the area with so much light, it almost looked like day, illuminating the bodies of the sapiens being presented on the stages. With auction card in hand, Howe wandered the plot, looking over the stages where saps stood, barely clothed most of them to make them presentable to clientele. Smells of their blood hit him in varying waves as he made the circuit slowly, savoring each one even as he assessed their look by sight. There was one male that caught his eye on a stage on the north side. The smell of him was particularly good and when Howe inspected him, he seemed healthy enough. Still, the other saps the seller had were in poor condition. And from his research, Howe had learned that although one might look good, if the others in the bunch were poor, it could mean there were hidden problems to be discovered later.

Moving on, Howe checked his watch and began to feel the tickle of worry. He'd been there an hour and still hadn't found anything other than the dubious male that caught his fancy. How humiliating would that be to show up to work tomorrow night and have to admit to Tallen he hadn't bought one after all? He'd been preparing for this for weeks, food bought, the extra room in his house prepared to hold a new sap, a toilet system installed since the Frith no longer had need for such facilities. He'd never hear the end of it.

Making the circuit a second time, Howe did a double take when he spied a blonde, female sap on one of the stages at the western side of the complex. He stood afar, looking her over and watching as other Frith passed her by for a minute or two before finally approaching. The smell of her crashed into him like an intoxicating wave, his mouth gently watering and his pointed teeth aching in the roots. That was...tasty. And if she smelled that good, he could only imagine how good she probably tasted. Still, he tempered his excitement, continuing his inspection by lifting her arms and giving her body a once over. She looked healthy enough and he couldn't see anything wrong with the other two saps the seller had standing on the stage with her. They kept their heads bowed low in the manner of saps and didn't look up at the Frith that came to inspect them.

Giving her a curt nod, Howe asked, his voice slow, like he were talking to an idiot baby, "Can you understand me?"

https://shilpaahuja.com/wp-content/...ot-sexiest-actor-men-movie-star-hairstyle.jpg
 
-Amina Talbot had been one of the luckier few, if you wanted to call it that. Her parents had run, and had managed to do so for a while before they were caught, they were sent to the bank and she, to the farms. She was young enough, she could be groomed. She’d been raised on one of the better farms. It wasn’t exactly high end but it wasn’t horrible either. To say there were times she didn’t give them hell would be a lie but she never tried to escape. That was something that always stayed with her, knowing, at least to an extent, what had happened to her parents. It had taken a little bit of time but she’d been broken even of her stubborn streak for the most part.

Her head bowed, blue grey eyes staring silently at the wrap around her waist, as it shifted in the faint, stale breeze that swept through the auction house. The strip of material that covered her chest barely contained her breasts as they rose and fell with each breath she took. Her skin a faint pink in the heat and glow of the lights over head.-

“Yes.”

-she said softly. Her jaw clenched lightly when she felt the gentle prod, sending a faint jolt through her.-

“Yes Sir.”

-she corrected, her voice was almost as intoxicating as her smell, despite the sting of the prod she’d been given.-
 
Howe merely glanced at the seller behind her who'd stepped forward to poke her with a prod to get a respectful response out of her. Even still, Howe nodded in appreciation to both versions of her response. Good, then, she could listen and obey orders. And it seemingly didn't take much to remind her of who and what he was.

"You like what you see?" the seller asked.

"Yes. Very savory," Howe nodded, loosely waving his hand in front of his face to indicate that it was her smell he liked. What she looked like was actually third or fourth on his list of priorities but even that wasn't bad at all. She'd be a pretty pet to have around the house. "Can I get a tap?"

"Absolutely," the scrawny man gestured for him to ahead and help himself.

Reaching forward, Howe's strong fingers encircled her wrist, pulling her arm to his face. He kept his movements even and deliberate, knowing how easily these creatures could startle, especially in the presence of unfamiliar Frith. She wasn't as skinny as some of the other saps on sale were, which bode well, meaning she'd been well taken care of. Gently, Howe rubbed his stubbled upper lip against the smooth skin of her inner wrist, breathing deep of that mouthwatering aroma that had so enticed him from the main thoroughfare.

After 100 years of doing it, Howe expertly slipped his teeth into a vein without needing to aim. Her arm tensed in his grip but he kept a firm hold, his other hand coming out to rub at her upper arm soothingly as her blood flowed into him. Her scent did not do her justice, her actual flavor more delicious and succulent than anything he'd ever had before. As the hot blood filled his mouth and flowed down his throat, he had to focus and practically restrain himself to keep from moaning. It felt like he'd been hungry all his life and only now in this moment had he ever truly eaten. Pffft! How dramatic his thoughts ran. He was probably just really hungry from not having had an evening ration yet. There was no way that she was really that good.

Even still, it wasn't like he was trying to convince himself not to get her. He only took a small sip, just enough to taste, before slipping his teeth out of her. Licking the wound, the stubble on his chin brushing against her, he tried to get every last drop of her while also sealing the wound closed. His saliva coated the bite, healing the flesh as quickly as it dried, as he sighed and finally lifted his head.

The seller stood by watching him avidly with a knowing grin. "The finest, yeah?"

"It's good," Howe nodded with a shrug, schooling his features to keep from revealing too much. After all, he'd have to haggle with this man over pricing and any admission of greatness would give the seller cause to raise the cost. "How much?"

Without hesitation, "2,000 dell."

That was exactly what Howe had to spend. Keksjar! That was an expensive sap! Still, he got a little excited thinking he had just the right amount for the delicious human he wanted. Keeping his excitement hidden, Howe cringed and hissed through his teeth. "Hm, how about fifteen hundred."

"Eighteen," the seller offered back.

"Sixteen."

"Eighteen," the seller pressed. It didn't look like he was going to be moved any lower. "Pardon, sir," the seller shrugged, trying to remain respectful because he could see from Howe's clothes that he was an Enforcer and he didn't want to offend him. "Don't treat me like a fool. She's healthy, no diseases, no severe injuries past or present, breeding age. And you think I haven't tasted her? She's exquisite." The word was forced past his lips with a condescending clip. Slightly embarrassed to be caught in a fib, Howe turned his head away and heaved a sigh through his nose. "So, as much as I respect you, sir, I'm not letting her go for less than eighteen hundred dell. Take it or move on. There are plenty of Frith who'll take her for more."

Howe didn't have to be prodded twice and the price of 1,800 dell was agreed upon with the two men shaking hands. As the seller turned to get his tablet, Howe smiled proudly at the sap, feeling supremely satisfied by his purchase. "Do you have a name?" Thinking she might not understand that, he asked, "What are you called?"

"Amina," the seller answered before she could speak, coming forward with the documents loaded on his device. "But you can name her whatever you want."

Howe considered it. If the name of the sap he got was bad enough, hard to say, or dumb, he supposed he would have. But this sap had a pretty name, so he'd probably stick with it for simplicity sake. As the seller handed him he tablet, Howe stuck his card in the slot in the bottom and gave the man a playful smirk. "Well, I've always wanted a sap named Cupcake or Brownie. Or Steve."

The seller chuckled at that. "You'd name a female sap 'Steve'?" he asked in amusement.

"Why not?" Howe asked jokingly. "It has a sort of charm to it, yeah?"

As his payment finished processing, Howe swiped through the paperwork, placing his fingerprint where needed. Being an Enforcer, he made sure all of the documents had legal url seals on them as well before signing them. After that, the seller took the tablet back and scrolled through it all to make sure everything was in order before placing his own fingerprint at the bottom. "Alright. Congratulations, sir. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Thanks. Same to you. Have a good morning." As Howe put his hand on the back of the sap's neck and turned her to leave the stage platform with him, they could see out the windows in the building that the sky was starting to turn rosy in the east. There were barely any sellers left in the auctions grounds and even fewer buyers wandering between stages and platforms. It was late and although it didn't harm them, most all Frith disliked being out and about when the sun was up and shining.

They left the compound and Howe took her to his sable colored car, climbing in beside her in the front seats. The sun was inching her way into the sky and while Howe typed in the address for home on the steering screen, the demonic light in the sky had filled the car with a warm, orange glow. Taking a pair of shades from the visor above his head, he placed them on his face casually as he started up the vehicle. They veiled his eyes with light blue lenses that were programmed to darker the lighter it became outside.

"So. Amina," he said to his sap, keeping his eyes on the road while he drove. His sap. He still couldn't believe it. It was real now. Everything he'd been working for and all he'd accomplished had finally reached a crescendo. "My name is Howe. How-ee," he said in a deliberate way to pronounce it for her. "But you're only to ever call me 'sir' or 'Lord.' If you ever need anything, you need to tell me right away. Understand? Do you know when you feel sick?" None of the books on sapien care agreed on how self-aware saps actually were. But Howe had encountered a couple in his time that couldn't answer simple logical or physical questions about themselves. In any case it was important to make sure she was able to communicate her needs to him, lest she suffer and die without him realizing she were ill.
 
-she did not startle as easily as others. When his fingers wrapped around her wrist, her own fingers curled in on themselves as he drew her wrist to his face. Her head did not shift, though her eyes did. Drawn from the wrap she watched whipping softly at her ankles, instead to look at his profile. A faint sound escaped her plush lips. A tightening of her muscles as his teeth sunk into her flesh. Her nostrils flared softly. Her gaze had shifted back down as he raised his head.

She stood quietly, her breathing slow and even as she listened. Not only to them but to the auction house around them as well.

She moved easily and gracefully as he led her through, the soft sandals she wore on steady feet didn’t scrape the ground, as some did when they tried to resist. The truth was, she was glad to be leaving the farm after all this time. It was after all, the only thing she’d known since she was a child.

She settled into her seat. Hands resting, folded against her bare thighs as the wrap shifted under her.

Her tongue started across her lips, her head only rose enough to watch quietly, curiously out the window but she heard and answered him. Her tone soft but not so quiet as many others. Respectful but confident as well.-

“I understand quite well and can articulate needs when they arise, Sir. I’m healthy and I’d like to stay that way.”
 
The sound of her voice, so clear and fluid actually surprised Howe. Granted, he'd only heard her say one thing really at the auction house but his first impression had been that she needed to be guided through instruction or commands. He was grateful then to see that was clearly not the case and he relaxed a bit now knowing he wouldn't have to talk to her like a baby anymore. Even still, as much as she said she wanted to remain healthy, he knew that saps were fond of lying or misdirection on occasion.

"Good. Okay," he nodded. "If you ever need a doctor, just know, you are commanded to tell me. And one will be called for you right away."

The house that Howe drove up to was on a quiet, suburban street. Each house on the street was fairly decent sized and had it's own yard, driveway, and parking garage. Much better than the old egg crate, concrete towers of apartments he'd used to live in. It'd been about 10 years ago but still, he never missed it. Single room dorms placed so snug up against each other that smells and sounds came through the walls like they were all part of one unit. He'd hated it there, where there'd been no privacy, no comfort at all. Parking his car in the driveway, Howe came around to Amina's side and with hand on the back of her neck, escorted her inside. With the sun up as it was, they were the only ones up and about at this hour, the birds chirping in the trees but nothing else moving.

Door opening with his hand print on the locked panel, Howe nonverbally urged Amina past the threshold, releasing her once they were inside and removing his shades after he'd closed the door and locked it behind himself. The house inside consisted of a long rectangular room which had an implied divide between living room and kitchen marked by the end of the carpet in the middle of the floor. Howe had a couple of chairs and a large couch, along with a vid screen on the wall and book shelf underneath it. The kitchen was little more than a refrigerator and sink against the wall with a row of cabinets above. Some of the cabinets had canned blood in them. Others had sapien food that he'd recently purchased to prepare for this. Along the length of the wall, three closed doors sat but the first thing Howe did was walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, pay attention," Howe said to her, snapping his fingers curtly at her. Once she was looking at him, he turned and opened two of the cupboards above the sink, showing her the cans of food and boxes of dried goods inside. "This is food for you. If you start to run low you need to tell me so I can get you more." Even as he said that, he doubted her willingness to approach him about it, already making his mind up to constantly check on her food supply. "If you favor anything in particular, let me know and I will get you those things. There's also some juice concentrates in the freezer. I wasn't sure if you'd like that."

Closing them up, he walked past her over to the middle door in the wall, opening it with a push of a button, the door sliding into the wall smoothly. The bathroom. All of it was chrome and porcelain and immaculate. There was a sink and a shower. The newest thin in it was the toilet, which they'd just finished installing last week. A despicable contraption but supremely necessary for sap ownership. Pointing at it, Howe gave her a probing look and asked, "Do you know how to use that? Have you seen one before?" He knew some farms had outhouses but others did not, forcing the saps to merely squat over holes in the ground, burying their leavings. "You're expected to keep this area clean, understand? No messes."

Closing the door, he took her to the door on the right of it, while motioning at the door on the left. "That room is mine. You're not allowed in there. I don't want to have to punish you but I will if I find you breaking rules. It is my hope you'll be happy here but I can very easily make you unhappy if you force me to. This room," he said as he pushed the button to open the door in front of him, "Is your room." The door opened to reveal a tiny room with a bed, a small closet, and a tiny window, much too small for anyone to fit through. The bed was made with gray sheets and the walls lay bare. In these houses, the extra room could often be made into a weight room, a study, or a guest room. For those who could afford livestock, it also could be made into a room for saps to be kept.

"You will sleep here and go here when I tell you to," Howe said, squinting in discomfort at the light coming through the tiny window. "I need to sleep but first I'd like to draw from you. Do you have any questions?"
 
-she nodded quietly in acknowledgment of his command. Her eyes still moving with the landscape as it moved past.

Her body shifting only slightly to peer further about the window as he pulled the car into his drive. There was something going on in those eyes of hers, though hardly anything nefarious. The last time she’d seen a house had been ages before it seemed.

In her sweeping gaze, she saw him coming to her door and she stopped just before she would look up directly at him. She lifted herself from the seat before she’d feel his hand fall against the slender column of her neck again and moved at his direction.

Once she’d moved inside, she once again let her eyes glide over the interior. He hadn’t told her to stop in a certain place and quietly she wandered toward the book shelves. For a second, she looked at the screen above, seeing her reflection in its blackness but slender fingers gently touched the book bindings before she let her eyes fall to look over them.

The slightly sharp Hey, grabbed her attention and she turned to look in his direction. Her feet carrying her closer in silence as he spoke. Another soft nod at his direction concerning the food and drink.

Trailing slightly behind him, she followed him to the wall of doors. The faintest hint of a smile curled her lips at the corners, more so as they moved over the shower. She wasn’t filthy by any means but a shower that she didn’t have to share would be nice. The bathroom as a whole was certainly nicer than the outhouses on the farm.-

“I do and I have, Sir.”

-she answered, blond hair bouncing softly with the motion. At the bedroom, she wandered inside, it wasn’t much different than what she was used to. A nicer bed to sleep in. A closet that she had nothing to put in except what she wore currently. A window, regardless of how small. Not that she had any plans of trying to get out, she did peer outside for a long moment, still listening.-

“No questions but thank you.”

-this time her words were soft but he would hear them. Clearly the last was something she had rarely spoken much less had cause to. She straightened then and turned, for the first time approaching him. Her eyes were not directly on his but rather set around his jawline. Her left hand rose, palm up, fingers relaxed as she offered herself willingly.-
 
Again, Howe was struck by how comfortable this all was. Finally. He wouldn't have to worry about eating any more. And saps could live for a long time if kept well. The excitement of having her here had finally subsided to something akin to peace and contentment, especially as she thanked him in a sweet little voice and came forward to offer him a limb to draw her blood from. To be honest, he'd been nervous about this as all the literature on sap care urged caution and a healthy amount of distrust in the sapiens. He had that naturally since they were lowly creatures but it had him almost waiting and looking for instances of her searching for ways to undermine him or rebel. She kept surprising him with how docile and cooperative she was. But he supposed that was expected with how life on farms could be.

Giving her an appreciative grin, Howe gave her head a light stroke of his hand as he said, "Good girl. Come, sit with me." After all, he didn't want to stand in the doorway sucking awkwardly from her wrist. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he took her hands in his and pulled her to sit on his left thigh, her legs daintily tucked to hang between his own. Arm wrapped around her back to support her, like an iron band, he held one of her arms in his hand and brought it close to his face.

The restaurants allowed for very little contact between sapiens or Frith, unless they were doing something illegal. So, it was nice getting to sit with his little pet so close and comfortable, eating in his own home, fresh sap straight from the tap. Again, like before, his teeth found a vein with ease and the tempo of his breathing increased as the rush of blood came pouring out of her. Oh. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten how sweet she was. But in the hubbub of purchasing her, driving home in the sunlight, and getting her settled, it had fallen from his mind, the particular intoxication of her taste. It caught him by surprise all over again, actually, so much so that a soft moan came from his throat before he could cut it off and silence himself. His shoulders had slumped in delight but quickly tensed in embarrassment as he realized what he'd done. But he didn't stop drinking from her, merely avoiding looking directly at her while he did so.

Eventually it wore off, and he relaxed again, idly petting her back as he drank. He stopped after a full ration, even though her taste and delicious warmth could have kept him going until he'd sucked her completely dry. Pulling out, he licked her wound to seal it closed and clean any droplets that escaped his mouth during the feeding. Full and exhausted after the over extended and exciting night, Howe sighed happily and urged the sap off his lap so that he could rise.

Petting her head once more, he turned towards her door, pausing only to say, "If you choose to stay awake, remain quiet." And with that, he left her, confident that with the front door locked with his hand print and all windows too small for her to fit through, that there was no avenue of escape for her. Not that she'd indicated she wanted to but the poor brainless animals couldn't be trusted. In the quiet of his own room, door closed and thick blinds on the windows drawn, Howe undressed and climbed into the inviting comfort of his bed, asleep in a matter of minutes.

A little after noon, Howe rose and unmindful of his nakedness, left his room to find his pet for a quick mid-noon snack. "Amina?" he called, rubbing the heel of his hand in his eye before turning from his bedroom door to look for her.
 
-she almost jerked away as his hand came toward her head, it merely fell away as little more than a twitch when his hand merely stroked against her and his words fell lightly on her ears. The first sign of her being skittish really. Remnants of something past most likely.

She moved behind him and waited until he’d settled and taken her hands. Her toes barely touched the floor as she sat on his lap. Her left arm rested around his shoulder and neck. Fingers tentatively brushed against the hair st the name of his neck and she once again watched his profile quietly. The faint tightening of muscles as his teeth punctured her flesh but then she relaxed, sitting still and silent until he nudged her to stand.-

“Yes, Sir.”

-she nodded, it wouldn’t be difficult, she rarely made much noise regardless. Once he was in his room, she ventured out of hers.

A shower was wanted. The water ran almost in silence and she enjoyed the warmth of the water as it fell over her like concentrated rain. Not having to share barely luke warm waters made her want to stay longer and she did for a short time. Once out, she combed her hair in the small mirror above the sink. Standing naked, she let her body air dry as she braided her hair.

Finished, she slipped the panties back over her legs. Her clothes were clean, put on her for the auction specifically. She wrapped what consisted as the top back around her chest, a little tighter than they’d had it on her. The wrap she used to pull around the small of her back, bringing the tying ends up over her chest, crossing to lay just over her breasts as she tied it behind her neck. Leaving it to drape over her backside and hips, her belly exposed.

She dropped her sandals in her room and padded barefoot into the kitchen. Quiet as a mouse, she made herself something small to eat and pulled a juice from the freezer to make as well. She didn’t scarf her food down, she wasn’t starving. The farm fed them all well enough. She did savor it though, it was by far better than what they did feed her.

After cleaning behind herself, she found herself drawn back to the bookshelf, looking over the things there more closely. The screen held little fascination for her at the moment, she didn’t really know how to work it and she didn’t want to make any unnecessary noise trying to figure it out. She didn’t know how lightly he slept and she didn’t want to raise his ire. Besides, she liked reading. She idly flipped through a few of the books, the ones on her kind didn’t hold her interest for long. She already knew a lot of what was thought of her kind. She stumbled on a photo album and for a brief moment she glanced toward his room before lifting it from its place on the shelf and carrying it to the couch. She sat on the edge, laying the album out on the small coffee table, she began to flip through it. Watching the pictures, a life unfolding with each turn of a page. Her head tilted at some, curiously as she watched, others caused her to laugh lightly.

After one such sound escaped her, she heard her name called from behind her. She straightened and closed the album, standing she blinked and turned, crystalline eyes a little wide.-

“Yes, Sir?”

-her voice tight with the thought that she had woken him.-
 
"There you are," Howe murmured as he approached her, stopping as he noted the sound of her heart beating a frantic tattoo in her chest and thrumming in his ears. What was she scared of? What had she been doing out here? His Enforcer training kicked in and although Amina wasn't a Frith, he understood that there was an element of guilt in the way she looked at him. Sleepiness and fatigue shook off of him like shedding a cloak of dust as he walked confidently into the living room, looking her over and looking around the room for any signs of anything off. His album lay on the table but there was nothing in that she could break or use to hurt him with. The Tv looked fine. He could smell the faint odor of human food waste from the trash in the kitchen.

Nothing seemed amiss and when he looked at her again, he couldn't discern anything more anxious about her. Scratching at the back of his head with his fingers, he sighed in slight irritation and motioned at her. "I woke hungry," he merely explained, his hand reaching for her to pull her to sit with him on the couch. With her sitting on his bare thighs, he held her against his bare chest, pausing a moment to enjoy the warmth of her. Frith were not dead but their bodies utilized energy in such a way that they no longer needed internal heat as much as the humans. In fact the cold hardly touched him any longer. Even so, there was something about the warmth of her, her blood pumping through her veins under the surface of her skin that appealed to him.

Nuzzling her neck he breathed deep of her scent, realizing something about it had changed slightly. Glancing at the bathroom, he looked back at her and asked, "Did you wash yourself? You were able to operate the shower okay?" Another little surprise but he supposed it wasn't really. Her seller had been a decent man who seemed to take care of all the saps he'd been selling, especially her. It wouldn't surprise him to know that he had good showers and facilities to keep the saps clean. After all, allowing them to stay hygienic kept disease and germs at bay, which tended to spread quickly on the farms as it was.

"I can smell that you've eaten. Is the food alright?" He was playing now, gently stroking her arms and putting off the idea of his snack. Mostly because he liked her warmth but also he was still hyped up and excited about having his own sap. He was curious about her too. As soon as he ate, he'd get tired again and have to go back to bed, so, he wanted to wait for just a little longer and get to know his new pet. "Did the Farm have food like what I've bought you? What sort of foods do you like best, little sap?"
 
-she stood stock still, watching him approach. If punishment was coming, she didn’t shy from it, yet. Her eyes blinked at him, watching as he looked around. She swallowed lightly at the sigh and her words mingled with his as they poured apologetically from her lips.-

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

-his voice over-rode hers and it took a second for his words to settle on her. Her shoulders softened, as did the tense look on her face. It would take a little longer for the heavier thump of her heart to slow and the flush that had risen to her skin would slowly dissipate.

When he pulled her into his lap this time, her legs curled up, the tail end of the wrap a thin barrier between his bare thighs and her own, a well toned calf resting against his other thigh, her knee brushing against his hip. To steady herself, a hand pressed flat and light against his chest as he pulled her close. She wasn’t sure what to make of it but she didn’t dare fight him either. Besides, she was just as curious perhaps of him as he was of her. The cool of his skin was a sharp but not so unwelcomed contrast to the warmth of hers.

Her head titled slightly, still not looking st him directly but she nodded.-

“I did. It took me a minute, it’s different than the ones I’m used to. Nicer. Warmer.”

-he asked, she answered lightly, her tone content. She found her gaze unable to stray from him, eyes curiously watching him, studying the differences between now and the images she’d seen in the album.

When he asked about the food though, it broke her thoughts and she let her gaze shift just past him, toward the kitchen over his shoulder. Her head nodding gently when he asked if the food was alright.-

“No, they didn’t. This is...better.”

-which was the truth. While what the farm provided was enough to keep them healthy, having all the nutritional value it should for the human body, it was bland and had little taste. It was what she was used to, having eaten it since she was little. Which led to her answer to his final question.-

“I don’t know.”

-she let her gaze shift back toward him, her eyes met his for a second before dropping slightly.-
 
All the things she had to say were nice and good. Unexpectedly, he felt a burst of pride in providing well for his sapien. Even if the literature couldn't agree on the best methods for how to maintain control of livestock, one of the methods that was a great contender was "keeping the saps happy." A happy sap wouldn't run away or try to hurt their Master, after all. So, the fact that she already considered this life a great improvement on her previous one made him feel like he'd succeeded at something yet again. Not only did he have the means to purchase a sap but he was pretty good at owning one too. Hah! Suck it, Tallen!

Howe watched the shift in her expression as she answered about her favorite foods, giving him such a disappointing answer. Then again, with the supposed quality of food on the farms, it was no wonder she'd probably not have access to a whole lot of options. Content with this and growing thoughtful, Howe picked up her arm, the one opposite the limb he'd sucked on earlier, and fed from her. Just a light sip, a few gulps and he was ready for sleep again and he left her to return back to his bed.

When Howe woke again the sun was setting in the sky. Getting ready for work, he showered and shaved, dressing in a nice woolen shirt, khaki pants, with his typical leather jacket over top. His guns and holsters were strapped and tucked under each arm under his jacket and his badge hung on a metal cord around his neck. He had breakfast with his sap, thankful for once to be able to eat at home and not have to gulp down sap from a can as he rushed out the door. On his way out, he quickly looked over the food in the cupboards, making note of what she'd eaten and if he needed to make a visit to the store yet. Probably not yet; she still had plenty left.

He was elated on the drive to work, singing along to the radio and the latest Frith bands. Walking through the doors of the Enforcement station, Howe was caught off guard by the Enforcers gathered in the ground floor holding area. Stopping to check it out, he became concerned when he saw Tallen standing by, watching the proceedings. "Tal, what's happening?" Howe asked as he approached.

Instantly, Tallen was apprehensive as he looked at his partner, stepping in front of him with hands lightly raised to keep him from moving forward. "Howe...listen to me...it's just a bad situation..."

But Howe was barely listening to him, his eyes seeing red as he watched beyond his partner's shoulder as the Frith restaurant owner they'd arrested last night, the scum sucker they'd caught prostituting his saps, was being let out of cell. And everyone was just standing around like this was unfortunate but totally okay. "Hey! What the--?! Tallen, what in the Keksjar is going on???"

Howe tried to walk past, even struggling to push past his partner's guarding arms but Tallen was holding him fast and shaking his head. "Stop, Howe! Stop! There's nothing we can do! It's already been done." When Howe stopped fighting him long enough to give him a confused sneer, Tallen handed him the file he had in his hand, explaining the contents as Howe opened it and read. "They came down from up top just before sunset with the paperwork."

It was a psyche evaluation. Quickly, Howe skimmed it, blurting out incredulously, "Unconscious??? Are you serious? That scumsucker knew exactly what he was doing with those saps! It was a planned and coordinated business plan! Oh hells nah!" Howe was shaking his head and shoving his partner aside, even as Tallen urged him, "Don't do anything stupid, Howe!"

Stalking down the hall, Howe recognized one of the Frith standing by and watching and instantly understood where the root of all the current night's problems had come from. "Hey! If it isn't Dr. Powell," he spat in contempt, the diminutive Frith turning at the sound of his name being called. Walking up to confront the man, Howe said in his most antagonistic tone of voice, "You clotsucking thorn in my side. What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shook the file with the release forms like it was the most unreasonable piece of garbage he'd ever seen. Because, frankly, that's what it was.

"Well, if it isn't Howe, my dear old friend," the skinny little man said in a raspy, high-toned voice. "At risk of stating the obvious, because it appears you've already read the paperwork, I'm currently releasing a poor, demented soul from your holding cells."

"Demented? Deviant criminal, you mean," Howe countered. "The guy's perverted scum, not crazy. You can't honestly believe he was not aware of himself when he was taking advantage of all those saps."

"On the contrary," Dr. Powell purred confidently. "Since I'm the one who conducted the interview and filed the report, that is exactly what I believe. He expressed to me a disassociated tendency in regards to how he approached the sapiens in his restaurant. His disconnect from reality forced him into a state of mind where he was never truly in control of his passions or his actions and not quite fully aware of them either."

"Bullshit," Howe hissed, watching with boiling fury behind his eyes as the topic of conversation was being escorted down the hall the other direction. That's where they processed prisoners for release, returning any belongings that had been confiscated upon arrest.

Dr. Powell, the skinny little turd, smirked condescendingly. "I know that in your world where there are definitive good guys and bad guys, sometimes the world of gray can look a bit scary or threatening to you. But I promise you, there are nuances to the dynamics of Frith and human relations that the medical community has just barely started chipping at the surface of."

"Oh, you're so right doc. Sounds awfully convincing when you put it like that. Let's go ahead and let the guy go without any consequences then. That'll be the start of the real discoveries, then, right?" Howe said in obviously sarcastic and jibbing tones.

Dr. Powell was nonplussed, "He'll be fined and forced to attend therapy to deal with his madness in the proper way. He belongs in therapy, not jail."

"You're right," Howe agreed, mockingly. "He doesn't belong in jail. He belongs on death row."

Obviously bored with their argument, Dr. Powell gave him another tight-lipped grin, before turning to walk away. "Good to see you're still dealing with that anger, Enforcer," the raspy voice smugly said over his shoulder. And Howe watched him retreat with the foulest sense of impotence.

Dr. Powell, contrary to what he said, was not a friend of Howe's. Some years back when Howe had applied to rise in the ranks from Catcher(someone who hunts down Farm and restaurant runaway sapiens and brings them back) to Enforcer, the good Dr. Powell had done his assessment interview. And the clotsucker had almost ruined any chances for Howe to have a career with what he had to say about Howe's sympathies for saps. And now, he was releasing a Frith that had obvious deviant issues regarding the animals; that, among other things let Howe know that it was purely egotistical with the respected psychiatrist. He changed his moral compass to fit any particular situation; whatever would cause the most frustration and damage to Howe's life and career.

A little later, Howe sat at his desk, brooding over the release forms, thinking of the wasted hours they'd spent bringing that stupid restaurant owner in. And now, he'd probably attend therapy a couple times before moving to a different district or state and opening up a new business to do the exact same thing. Howe's job just wasn't fair sometimes. When Tallen sat at his own desk, he silently watched his partner for a moment before finally speaking.

"So, you never did update me about your new sap," he said with a flippant shrug.

Grateful for the opportune distraction, Howe looked up and smiled. "Oh, it's great. She's subservient, obedient, clean. I had warm, fresh sap this morning for breakfast. And I had a nice mid-noon snack as well. Gosh, it's so nice you know? Not having to wake up in the middle of the day for a little drink and getting that sour, bland clot from a can. Or putting it in a bowl in the microwave and taking it out and it's got this gross, thin film of fatty protein over it--"

"Well, shit all over my life, why don't ya?" Tallen huffed in mock disgruntlement. Howe finally broke a grin and laughed, Tallen breaking his own sarcastic deadpan to laugh along with him.

------

Howe got home about 3 in the morning after another hard day of work. No busts that night but plenty of ongoing investigations creeping along. The thing about catching Frith who abused humans, physically and sexually, was mostly that you had to catch someone propositioning for it. An Enforcer could tell a place rented its saps if when approached, the females were open to the prospect. More often than not, though, they were trained to ask if the proposer was an Enforcer, which by law, they had to admit to when asked outright. So, it required undercover work by informants, private citizens working with the law to help root out abusers. And sometimes, informants went rogue or off-grid, growing to become just as deviant as those they were supposedly trying to help the Enforcers catch. So, Howe's evenings were spent following leads and catching up with informants, trying to determine if they had fallen prey to the nasty desires themselves or if they were telling the truth about what they'd found out.

Walking through the door of his house, Howe looked around, expecting to see his sap, then realizing with a mild embarrassment that she was probably asleep. Going over to her door, Howe listened for a moment, hearing the soft, even cadence of her slumbering breath, before he pressed the button to open her door. With nothing but the light of the main room to guide him, Howe approached her bed in the darkness, remaining quiet so as not to disturb her. He didn't know why it was important to him not to wake her; after all, she belonged to him and he was hungry. If he wanted to eat, who cared if she woke up? After the difficult night he'd had, all he wanted to do was sit on his couch, drink sap from Amina's arm and watch TV until he was ready for sleep. But as he stood over her, watching her sleep, he felt reluctant to untuck her and haul her out. Maybe another night but tonight...his empathy button was being pushed for some reason.

So, instead, Howe hunched over at the side of her bed, gently pulling her arm free of her covers. Slipping his teeth into the veins in the crook of her arm, Howe drew from her, panting lightly as the pleasure of her taste hit him all over again.
 
-facing the wall, her breathing even. Peaceful. Blond hair splayed out over the grey of the pillow. Her arm was curled up, over her chest, holding the blanket against her. Her shirt and the wrap were draped over the foot of the bed. They were far from the most comfortable things to sleep in and would come off or tangle when she slept, so she slept without them.

She felt nothing until the sting of teeth sinking into her skin. She made a noise, her arm jerking lightly as she roused from her sleep, her heart jumping in her chest. It took her a second to realize where she was and who it was as she twisted slightly in her waking moments.

She had actually intended to be up before he got home. However it had been an eventful day or two, adjusting. When she’d fallen asleep, she was out. Which in and of itself spoke volumes. She was comfortable enough to sleep instead of cat nap.-

“What time is it?”

-she asked quietly, lifting herself up on free elbow, not expecting an answer of course until he was finished.-
 
He could sense it, the moment when she woke up, her arm jerking in his hold. His hand tightened on her to keep her still, worried that if she tried to pull away, his teeth would tear her more than the small holes he'd made in her arm. But after that first moment, she was no longer surprised and even moving to sit up and talk to him. With his mouth full of her, Howe ignored her as he drank, getting his fill before closing her wounds and sitting up.

"I'm sorry that I woke you," he said softly, his hand coming out to pet her head. "It's 3 or thereabouts." As she sat up, part of her sheets fell free from her chest, revealing two plush and fleshy mounds topped with pert, pink little nipples. Howe was struck dumb for a moment, staring, for the first time realizing how much like Frith the sapiens bodies looked. Not surprising, since the Frith did evolve from humans after all. More surprising was that it had taken him so long to realize it.

His blush was hidden by the dimness of the room and his eyes quickly fled to find something else to look at, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction his thoughts had been going in. While he'd been eating, Howe had planned on telling Amina to go back to bed but he was suddenly struck by the urge to share her company. Standing up to full height, Howe said, "It's still a few hours before I will head to sleep. Come, get up. Sit with me for a while. I will want to eat one more time before sleeping and I'd prefer not to disturb your sleep again to do it."

Then he turned to the door and paused before leaving, saying, "Put your clothes on before you come out."

In the living room, Howe settled onto the couch, having removed his leather jacket and guns, relaxing in his simple woolen shirt and leaning into the plush cushions of the seating. Using the remote, he turned the TV on, images flashing across the screen to show him engaging scenes and stories of Frith and humans. All parts in shows and advertisements were played by Frith, the actors particularly good and convincing at portraying their lowly cousins. The current show on screen was a drama that Howe had failed to keep up with as consistently as it demanded. But that was part of the fun, trying to catch up with context clues, or letting the story ensnare him afresh with the acting and plot twists that tended to plague episodic shows such as this.

When Amina showed up, Howe pointed at the screen and asked her, "Have you ever watched TV before?" Good naturedly, he also nonverbally welcomed her to join him by patting the couch cushion right beside him.
 
-once freed from his grasp, her arm fell and she held herself up, staring after him in silence a moment. Curious once again. She’d been prepared for quite a different sort of Master she supposed or she just hadn’t seen that side of him yet.

Before he was even out of her room, she was climbing from the bed. She grabbed her shirt and situated it across her chest before she padded out to the living room. She had her clothes on, the wrap left behind.

She was more perceptive than he thought, she could sense the tension that seemed to be coming from him. Her hands pressing gently against his shoulders a moment.-

“I’m sorry. I was going to be awake before you got home.”

-she said honestly before he patted the cushion. She lingered another moment before she circled the couch and settled next to him as instructed. Pulling her legs beneath her, her hands resting in her lap, she let her eyes wander to the tv. Her head shook softly, tossing the wavy blond locks that had formed from her braid previously.-

“No. Being on the run with my parents, didn’t exactly afford us the opportunity. And it was considered a distraction from training at the Farm.”
 
That brief physical contact was unexpected but not unwelcomed. The warmth of her seeped into his shoulders and he sighed softly. Was this what they meant when they said owning a sapien could be a good stress reliever? As she came around the couch, Howe nodded and said, "Yes, I would prefer you to be awake when I get home from work so that I can have dinner without waking you. I usually get home around 2 or 3 in the morning."

As she sat beside him on the couch, Howe was momentarily distracted by her blonde hair falling in waves over one shoulder. She'd kept it mostly tied back since he got her but now, with it flowing out in pretty, smooth rivulets that caught the light, he realized what a beautiful color it was. His fingers itched to touch it but for some reason, it occurred to him that such a gesture might not be appropriate. He didn't know why he thought that but it affected him with a reluctance to run his hands through the saps hair. Even though she was technically his and he could do whatever he wanted with her. His attention was diverted back to her as he processed what she said.

"On the run?" he asked with a confused frown. "You ran away from the farms? When? Why did you do that?"
 
“Yes, Sir.”

-she nodded, her eyes watching the picture moving across the screen with mild fascination actually.

His first question received a distracted “Mmhmm” but his second brought her attention quickly back and she turned her attention on him.-

“Not me. My parents took me and ran not long after I was born. They didn’t want me raised on a farm. They managed to stay out of sight for about five years. They made due however they had to and taught me as well as they could. They were out scrounging, followed back and captured. I was taken to the farm and even then I knew what happened to them, so no, I’ve never run and I have no intention of doing so. I promise.”

-it was the most she’d said since he’d bought her. There was a hint of emotion behind her words but for the most part, she spoke of it as if it were little more than a distant memory. As she promised, a hand covered his lightly before pulling away again. She sighed and let her attention shift back to the tv for the moment.-
 
Yet again, Howe was struck by how articulate she was, even as he listened to her story with a growing amount of empathy for her. It was in particular ironic because the drama on the TV screen currently playing at a low enough volume for them to converse without it being too distracting, actually had sapien characters on the show. Pets of the main family that the story followed and very minor background characters. They were played by Frith, their makeup and costumes exaggerated to make them look like grimy little animals who couldn't take care of themselves, given false teeth to cover the dual canine fangs all Frith had. And all of them talked in stilted American, their sentences simple, articulating simple thoughts, and usually missing important grammatical connectors like "the" or "and". The contrast, as Amina told him her story, while a sap character mumbled in pigeon-talk on screen actually struck him as slightly amusing. They did all take for granted how unreal television was, while at the same depending on it to inform the general society how general society was supposed to live.

Howe had been a little nervous when she mentioned being on the run but as she explained it, he realized it wasn't something she'd done intentionally. And it made sense that even when the Catchers brought them in, she would have been spared and sent back to the Farms rather than the Blood Bank. Generally, runaway saplings were treated with a bit more leniency, up until they reached the age of sexual maturity when they were considered as grown as they were going to get. Saps past that threshold who ran away were sent to the blood banks without any considerations or caution, since it was found that once they had a particular mindset to escape, they could spread such sentiments to others.

When her hand touched his, her skin smooth against his own and pleasantly warm, Howe felt momentarily drawn by it. It was gone way too quickly but at the same time he was grateful she'd drawn away, since his first instinct had been to flip his hand over and slide his fingers between hers to capture more of her warmth. That certainly wouldn't be appropriate though and to stave off the spiraling thoughts as he tried to reason why or why not he couldn't hold the hand of his pet, he turned to her again.

"You 'know what happened'?" he asked. "The blood banks, you mean?" He pressed his lips together and heaved a silent sigh through his chest. Mostly talking to himself, he intoned, "All saps of breeding age who runaway and are caught are sent there without prejudice. No trials, no interviews. Just shipped off to become a sleeping blood bag until their veins collapse from too much daily draining. One thing that makes me glad I'm not a Catcher anymore." Howe moved his lips over his teeth in a mild show of disgust, his expression softening as he looked at Amina again. "That use to piss me off to no end the way they'd do that. Especially since 'breeding age' means any female sap that has bled and any male that has mated. Which can be as early as 15 or 16 for some of them. It's a rough time for saps, I hear, when their blood changes and they mature. So a lot of what I went chasing after were little more than saplings who'd gone through those changes. I always thought they could be retrained if we put in the effort and programs." Howe shook his head and shrugged, basically telling her that it never went over well when he'd tried to advocate for such silly things.

"And worse, when I knew the Farms they ran from and could understand why they had. Not that a sap is ever entitled to run but... Well, let's just say some Farms do the bare minimum to maintain their license, leaving a lot of saps in poor conditions. Which they'll keep doing because poorer restaurants will still buy such saps." He shook his head again, having depressed himself and inadvertently reminded himself of that loser, Dr. Powell. It was because of Howe's tendency towards sympathy for saps that the good Doctor had put in his original assessment for his Enforcer interview that Howe might not be "stable" enough for the job. Thank the Light that the higher ups had read between the lines of the report and given him a chance anyway.

Reminded of her sweet promise to never run from him, Howe gave Amina a smile and pet her hair, his hand lingering on the back of her head before falling away, fingertips tingling with the silken impression of the golden strands still ghosting across his flesh. "You're a good girl," he said with a nod. "I'm in charge of you, of course. But I'm hoping to keep you for as long as I can. So, I'd like to make sure you're comfortable and happy, Amina." Boundaries, he tried to remind himself but took a deep breath and brushed it aside as he continued. "If...there's anything that makes you unhappy, please let me know and I will see if it's something I can fix. Some things will not be pleasant and I can't change. And of course, you're never to order me to do anything. ...But if I can make things easier, I will."
 
“I learned to read at an early age, instead of....”

-she said it absently as she pointed to the tv but she was watching it with a measure of curiosity. A little eerie that the words fell almost as if she’d read his mind. She nodded in response to her knowing. She didn’t know the exact specifics of course but she knew her parents had been taken away, she’d heard the term used and she knew they’d never come back. Even at such a young age then, she’d known all of that on some level.

She drew her attention away and back to him as he spoke, her small frame turned slightly on the cushion to face him. She listened with curiosity, her eyes taking in the way his features shifted while he talked. She could sense the depressive tension creeping up again. She shifted on her heels. Her hands resting against her thighs, fingers curling lightly though, contemplative.

Her head tilted slightly at the touch to her head, a soft smile tugging faintly at the corners of her lips. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like when he did that. She was human after all and liked the relaxing comfort touch provided.

After a moment, her left hand lifted, slender fingers swept against the hair at his temple and brushed backward and then again. She wasn’t exactly mimicking him but perhaps she could calm him a little.

If he didn’t stop her, she’d likely continue. Her eyes watched for a moment before they flickered to him as he spoke to her. Her hand paused and lingered. Her chest rose and fell softly. After the quiet pause she shifted slightly. She’d told him earlier that she would ask if there was anything she wanted or needed but she still paused. Clothes weren’t necessarily a necessity in reality and she knew as much. So she seemed reluctant to ask but she did.-

“Can I get some clothes? Whatever you’d like.”

-she asked. She didn’t mind what she had on actually, it was comfortable and she was quite comfortable walking around in it but a change of clothes and color would not be frowned upon.-
 
Was she...petting him back? How strange. And yet even as Howe sat there, marveling over the peculiar mimicry she displayed, there was something lightly pleasurable about the sensation. Her delicate fingers swiping through his honey-brown locks and his skin prickling and tingling where her fingers strayed against it. As soon as he thought that, he knew he needed her to stop, his hand trailing up to grasp her wrist, pulling it down gently and holding her hand while it rested on his thigh. Keks. Now he was holding her hand like he'd wanted to before; jumping from one discomfort to another it seemed.

A little flustered, Howe picked her hand up, even as he explained, "I need to get headed to bed." Without much warning, he bit her in the middle of her forearm and drank his fill, licking the spot clean and sealing the wound after. Finally tired, he stood from the couch, turning the TV off as he did so. "I will get you some clothes tomorrow," he said, distance filtering into his voice. Even as being close to her made him uncomfortable, the tense gap that had metaphorically grown between them made him feel bad. He was just being ridiculous and hyper sensitive, that's all. After all, he was an Enforcer. He dealt with cases of sapien abuse all night; it'd make sense that when he finally got his own there'd be some growing pains. Humans were like the cats and dogs of the Frith world; it was fine for him to enjoy some physical contact with her without every touch needing to mean that he was displaying inappropriate, deviant tendencies.

So, as he stood beside the couch looking down at her, he reached out and stroked her face in a similar way that she had down to him, curling his fingers beside her jaw while his thumb caressed her cheek. "Have a good morning, little sap," he said. "And remember to be quiet for me."

------

The next day was a Keksjar sort of day. Not only did they find out that Remus Cholton, the restaurant owner that had been released the night before, had gone off grid but Dr. Powell lurked around the Enforcement station to "help" on the task force that was being developed to find the scum sucker. As was per usual, the self-important little man had a lot of criticisms to offer but little else and Howe was irritated for most of the night having to listen to him get in the way of the real police work.

After work, to make himself feel better, Howe stopped by the grocers to get some sap food for Amina. There were treats for sapiens in one aisle and Howe took delight in the browsing, looking over descriptions such as "vanilla", "Chocolate", and "caramel" which had little meaning for him but were fun to wonder about what Amina would like. Even she might not know since it was unheard of for even the nicest Farms to spend the extra dell for such luxuries for saps.

After that, Howe stopped by a clothing store that sold outfits for saps as well. The quality of the clothing was nothing compared to the richness of Frith clothing but it was much better than the little wrap Amina wore from her time at the auction house. Looking over the racks of cheap clothes, particularly the female styles, Howe found himself at a loss. It wasn't necessarily hard to know which styles were good because most of them were simple with just different colors and patterns. It was sizes that had him stumped.

Glancing around, Howe found an employee, a female Frith with darkly tanned skin and motioned her over. "Hey, excuse me," he said with an awkward smile as she came over. "Uhh...so I just recently got a sap and it's a female and I wanted to get some clothes for her. But I kinda don't know what I'm looking for as far as sizes." Struck by how pretty the Frith woman was, Howe smirked a little sheepishly and said, "I was hoping you'd come and save me."

Hazel eyes twinkled in amusement, even as she smirked at him. "Well, that's what I'm here for," she said playfully, motioning at her name tag which named her "Leah - floor clerk". "I'm the rescue squad." Howe chuckled at that, following her lead as she turned easily towards one of the racks. "So, how tall is she?" Howe told her, taking a moment to try to remember what her paperwork had said when he bought her. "And is she skinny, fat, or medium."

"A good medium bordering on the slender side," Howe nodded, following Leah around the stack as she found the right grouping of sizes.

"Then you'll want to look at these in this section here," she said, giving him a good boundary with the hangers marked with pink tags. "These simple shifts are good. They give a good covering while also allowing the saps some coolness in the summer."

"That's great, yeah," Howe nodded, relieved and thankful for how simple this was turning out to be. "My house has small windows so I don't want her to get too hot during the day times."

"If you were interested in covering her more, we do have pants and shirts for females along the back wall as well," Leah offered, pointing to the wall of shelves a couple feet away. "Still with the pink tag for her size."

"Hm, maybe," Howe nodded.

Spying one of the boxes of treats through the grocery bag he held at his side, Leah broke a smile and said, "Oh! You're getting her chocolates? That's very thoughtful of you."

"Oh. Yeah," Howe said, looking down awkwardly at the bag. "Thought I'd get her a little something to use as a reward system." He shrugged lamely, snorting a soft laugh. "To be honest, I was a little lost in the treats section. I have no idea what chocolate even is."

Leah laughed. "It's a good one. My sap loves that same kind as well. You said you'll be using it as rewards? Are you training her or is she just unruly?"

"Well, no," Howe shrugged. "I just meant like something nice for her to have as a snack. But I'm kind of going to save it for special occasions because the light-blasted things were expensive."

"That's a good strategy,"Leah nodded. "Some think punishments and dominance are the way to bring in unruly saps but I have personally found with my own, that keeping them satisfied helps foster more respect than beating them. Like, my current sap learned to sew clothes and paint in the farm where she grew up. So, now, I put her to work during the days letting her help mend and alter some of my commissions for the shop. She does the clothes for saps and I do the ones for Frith. It keeps her happy and feeling productive and useful. She used to give me a bit of trouble before we discovered her special skills. Very resentful and bratty."

"Really?" Howe asked in thoughtful surprise.

"What sort of special skills or talents does your sap have?"

"Hm..I'm not sure," Howe said, frowning in consternation. "She said she knows how to read."

"Might be worth looking into," Leah shrugged with a breezy grin.

"Yeah. Hey, thanks for helping me," Howe said cheerfully. "You really saved my butt showing me the correct sizes and all."

She waved it off in a playful manner. "All in a day's work," she sighed cutely.

"Maybe, if you'd like to, you can save me again sometime? Say...over dinner?"

Leah's hazel eyes twinkled again and she bowed her head in shy flirtation. "I would really like that."

After setting up a date with Leah for two nights later, Howe bought a bag of clothes for Amina and headed home. Walking through the door, the panel locking shut behind him, Howe smiled in greeting to his sap, happy to see her awake even though he was a bit later than he said he'd be. "Hey, little sap," he said in excited friendliness. "Come check out what I got for you tonight."

Walking into the kitchen, Howe put the bags on the counter and got into the box of chocolate treats, making sure to keep it hidden as his back faced the sap. Turning to her with a light of playful mischievousness in his eye, he put his hands into fists and held them out for her to choose. The right held the little foil wrapped ball of chocolate. "Pick one," he said with a smile.
 
-she blinked, her fingers curling in softly when he pulled her hand away. And again when he lifted her arm to his lips. She drew in a breath and nodded, her gaze dropping to her lap when he stood. She felt the shift in his demeanor. The fingers of one hand toyed aimlessly with those that had been stroking his hair.-

“Yes, Sir.”

-she said quietly. Even as his hand stroked over her cheek. She did offer a small smile. She would get herself something to eat once he had gone off to bed and then she herself would make her way back to bed. She decided it was probably best if she tried to sleep when he did, she’d be awake when he was.-

****************

-she was sitting on the couch, a book in her lap. By the looks of it, she’d been reading quite a bit. Comfortably so. She straightened when he came in though, taking note of the page she was on, she closed it and stood.

Her steps were slow, curious, as she started his way. Leaning slightly, trying to peer around him until he turned. Her eyes shifted between his hands and his face, the curiosity burning deep in her hauntingly blue grey eyes before she reached out and pointed to his right hand. He’d notice however, she hadn’t touched him.-
 
Howe loved the gentle curiosity she displayed as she came near and he could see the wheels turning in her mind as she looked between his hands. It wasn't that difficult to guess and his smile widened when she selected the right, his left falling to his side as the other turned over and opened to reveal the little wrapped candy in his palm.

"It's called chocolate. A treat for saps," Howe explained, holding his hand out for her to take the little sweet. "Have you ever had it before? If you do not like this one, they have other flavors you can try, that I'll get for you. But for now, if you've been good all night, I'll let you have one each night, alright?"

He was about to turn back towards the counter but he stopped, watching as she unwrapped it to eat it, waiting to see her reaction.
 
-she peered into his hand when he opened it. Looking curiously small package. Her head shook and she looked back up to him.-

“No, Sir.”

-she answered as to whether she’d had it before or not. She gingerly plucked it from his palm, grabbing it between the tips of her fingers. She peered at it curiously and was pulling the ends apart as he turned back to face her. With it still in its package, she lifted it to her nose and sniffed it. It smelled sweet and she smiled. Dumping it into her palm, she watched it roll a second before she wrapped her thumb and finger against it again and lifted it to her lips to take a tentative bite. She chewed slowly, her eyes lighting up a bit as the sweet hit her tongue. A soft sound rumbled against her chest. She took the rest of the bite and without a doubt seemed to enjoy it.-
 
Ah, success! He could tell just from the way she smiled a little and her eyes widened in delight that he'd chosen well. There was a moment of discomfort, however, as she made a small noise that caught him off guard. Unwilling to analyze his thoughts too deeply at that moment and chiding himself for being so sensitive, Howe turned away from her in embarrassment. Curiosity got the better of him and Howe got into the chocolate box and pulled out another of the colorful little wrapped treats.

"Seems like a good one, yeah?" he asked her breezily. "I've never had any of these either. In fact, I don't eat anything except blood, like most Frith. But let's have a little looksee, huh?" He gave her a playfully confiding look as he unwrapped the little chocolate. Instead of giving it to her, he held it between his own fingers, looking it over in the light of the kitchen. Shrugging at her, he popped it into his own mouth, placing his hands on his hips as he rolled the little morsel from his tongue to his cheek.

He tried to maintain his composure and it was obvious as he squinted and pursed his lips, nodding slightly as the texture and flavor of it hit him. But it was barely a minute before his gag reflex kicked in and he had to spit it out. Awkwardly, Howe cupped his hand and let the little undamaged chocolate ball fall into his palm, with brown colored saliva dirtying his hand. Grunting in disgust and gagging softly, Howe blinked in agitation even as he glanced at her and asked helplessly, "Oh my God... Why...???" It ended on a chuckle as Howe turned to the trash to deposit the foul morsel. Standing at the sink to wash his hands, Howe continued to roll his tongue around his mouth in discomfort, laughing even as he did so. "I guess those are just for you then," he acceded, patting the box as he set it aside on the counter.

Opening the cupboards, he placed within them some of the food items he'd gotten her. Some boxes of crackers and cereal and a couple cans of vegetables. He didn't know what peas were but he heard green was good for saps, nutritionally. After those bags were empty, he pulled forward the brown paper bag from the clothes shop and motioned her closer. "I got you some clothes like you asked for," he said. "Mostly dresses and shifts because it's summer and I don't want you to get hot in here. But there's some underwear too. I had a lady help me with the sizes but if anything doesn't fit, tell me and I'll get you different ones." Taking a cream colored shift out of the bag, he held it so she could see the folded garment and the bright pink sticker tied to the collar. "Don't take these off until you've tried them and seen if they fit, okay? It'll help me get full price back for them if they stay on. If they fit though, you can pull them off."

Holding the bag out to her and letting her take it from him, Howe gave her a gentle pat on the small of her back, urging her to her room. "Why don't you try one of them on for me now. I just want to make sure I got it right."
 
-she watched, eyes slightly widened, as he popped the chocolate in his mouth. Brows lifting. Her own lips pursed in amusement as she watched the shifting of his features until finally a laugh bubbles from between her lips. A genuine sound, as musical as her voice could be. A sound not heard very often actually but it faded almost as quickly as it had come.

When he beckoned her closer, she came, her neck stretching slightly to peer into the bag or try to at first. She listened to his instruction and nodded her acknowledgement. Wrapping her arms around the bag, smiling. She didn’t need much of a push toward her room.

She dug to find a pair of underwear, slipping from those she’d had on since the auction. A pair that matched in color to the shift he’d pulled from the bag. She stripped from the top and wrap as well. She drew the shift over her head and let it settle around her frame, the hem brushing against her mid thigh.

It fit quite well, forming against her frame properly. She brushed her hands against it at her stomach and plucked the tag from it before padding from her room, stopping just outside her door.-
 
When she left him, Howe went to his own room briefly to take off his jacket and gun holsters, leaving him in black pants and a dark blue, cotton shirt. When he returned and she hadn't emerged yet, Howe wandered idly by the living room, thinking he'd check the TV for any news. He was stopped when he spied the book that had been left out. It was one of his, of course, but he couldn't remember the story it told. So, his little sap had been reading? Did she like to read or was she just doing that because there was nothing else for her to do? Leah's caution about resentful saps came back to his mind and Howe determined that he'd have to find something to entertain his pet while he wasn't around or she might not stay as cute and sweet as she was. He didn't like to think it but he couldn't help it; her parents being runaways, especially with her at such a young age, automatically added the behavior to things she might have a proclivity for at some point.

His thoughts were interrupted as Amina's door opened and she stepped back out, drawing Howe's attention. If his jaw dropping to the floor could have made a sound, it would have been like breaking glass. Eyes smoldering with an inner fire, Howe looked her up and down, trying to maintain a professional distance as he assessed how the garment lay and how it looked on her. But he kept on coming back to the way it draped over her figure, different from the wrap that hugged her tight and showed off skin. This was almost provocative in how light it looked on her.

Clearing his throat, Howe stepped toward her and said, "Looks good. Does it feel okay?" Changing the subject, Howe held up the book and gave her a considering look. "Do you like to read? What does Amina like to read? I heard recently that some saps like to do things to keep busy. What sort of things do you like to do? Did they train you in anything on the Farm?"
 
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