collaborative_daredevil | Slavery RP Post XVIII

"Yeah, that's difficult." He chuckled, stroking his Matt's hair. "sometimes it helps to distract him a bit, make sure he's listening to music or a podcast while he's eating."

"Do you think that other distractions can help too?" Foggy asked delicately. "Do you have success with conversation or TV?" And he winced as Matt bit him again. "Hey, stop being an alligator," he said, irritated.

"Conversation when he's verbal, yes. TV not so much." Danny chuckled a bit as Matt nuzzled at his fingers, making a soft whine for more.

Matt whined a little at Foggy, nuzzling for forgiveness, and Foggy pet him and pressed kisses to his face and told him softly it's okay, Matt, I still love you, don't worry, and then when Matt squirmed a little Foggy caught on, and frowned before picking up something that smelled very different and interesting, and he sniffed it twice before experimentally biting at it.

He watched as Foggy fed Goubushka a piece of baida roti, hoping it had been filled with paneer, rather than spicy minced meat.

Matt frowned with curiosity as he ate the bite, and then took another, the taste of yogurty cheese washing over his mouth, and he hummed with delight as the full flavor hit him, leaning in for more and more. He could hear Foggy asking Danny what was in the little parcels, and asking Treacle if he enjoyed them too.

"It's paneer, a type of cheese made in India." Danny explained, dipping the roti into a dish of chutney before feeding them to Matt as he nodded and made happy enthusiastic sounds.

Foggy nodded thoughtfully. "I've noticed Matt really likes cheese. The other week he made this bread with Parmesan and mozzarella melted into the center, so when you tore it open it oozed out, and the bread had herbs and bits of dried tomatoes in it. It was incredible."

"It sounds incredible." Danny agreed, as Matt made little begging sounds at the description, and then...

"Is this what it was like?" He asked Foggy about the new loaf that had just appeared.

Foggy leaned forward. "Yep, looks like it, down to the salted and oiled crust," he said, and Matt made pleased noises, clearly wanting some.

"Okay, let's tear some up," Foggy said warmly, and ripped off a few chunks, handing them to Danny, Matt, and Treacle, Matt's eyes glittering with satisfaction as they all ate.

"This is delicious." He praised Golubushka, and Matt shifted to press against him, making pleased and grateful noises.

Matt beamed brightly, pleased beyond words, bread was difficult for him to keep up with sometimes but it was so rewarding and when it turned out just right he was always so happy, and Foggy said that Matt always made delicious bread, and then there was a soft 'pop' sound and another hot loaf appeared, one Matt recognized as the black walnut bread that had coffee and chocolate and little bits of dried pear and reminded him bittersweetly of the Ranskahovs.

He caught the scent of the sweet loaf, and made soft begging noised until Danny fed him a piece, and he moaned in bittersweet pleasure, remembering the Ranshakovs and their rare kindnesses.

Foggy recognized the look on their faces as nostalgia, and wisely made no comment on it or the bread whatsoever, instead choosing to kiss Matt when he was done with his hank of it, hoping to maybe clear up a little of the sadness. No dice--he looked agonized still, caught up in memories and thoughts and emotions so complicated Foggy knew he couldn't hope to quite understand them. Even with the autobiographies and books he'd read from Matt's careful recommendations, he didn't know how to bridge the gap between Matt's reality and his own.

He paused, and then both the Matts seemed to decide they wanted to explore part of the room that had suddenly expanded, moving over to check it over, and he turned to Danny. "Do you know--what kind of things make your Matt look like that? Sad and remembering?"

"His last masters did have moments of being nice, and they were better than the owners he'd had before. Sometimes it's poetry, or food. Uh...sometimes the smell of certain cigarettes, or vodka."

Foggy nodded carefully. "I've noticed some food does it too," he said quietly. "Or certain songs on the radio. Does...I know they disagree about this, but do you know how best to help when he gets like that?"

"You need to accept that yes, there were some good things about the Ranshakovs. I think part of what helped my Matt accept that they weren't all good is that I acknowledge that they were good to him sometimes. distraction works, or offering to cuddle him - not kissing though, not unless he initiates it."

Foggy frowned. "You condone what they did? I mean, I don't think Matt's lying about his experiences or anything, but they were monstrous, traumatizing sociopaths."

"Generally pets are loyal to masters who treat them well, it's pretty rare for them to want to think badly of former masters." Usually only with owners who seriously abused them or betrayed them. "And I agree with you about their objective moral merit or lack thereof, but they were still significantly better to Matt than any of his prior owners were. Which is more a reflection on his prior owners than on them, but still, the more you refuse to accept that they were better than previous owners the more he's going to want to defend them."

"I don't argue with him about it. But I don't--" Foggy chose his words carefully. "I don't want to lie to Matt, or endorse something I don't think is healthy or say that they were good, or anything. I want him to feel like he can feel anything he wants to, like he doesn't have to hide his grief or feelings. But I respect him too much to lie to him."

"Then don't. Tell him that you don't think they were good enough to him, rather than that they weren't good to him at all." He paused, thinking. "Or whatever it is you normally tell him, make sure you acknowledge that there were some good things for him."

"That's a good way to phrase it," Foggy said, startled by it a bit. "Thanks," and he was curious as to what was so interesting over in the corner that both Matt and Treacle were fascinated by it, and got up to go and see for himself...

He paused playing with the fountain when he heard Golubushka's master coming over, but then Golubushka used that to splash him.

Foggy spluttered as Matt splashed Treacle and then him in quick succession. "Hey!" he said at Matt's mischievous, who-me? smile. "Don't give me that face, I know you aimed on purpose," Foggy scolded lightheartedly as Matt gestured to his eyes.

"Cute playful pets." Danny smiled as he came up behind Foggy, kneeling to offer a hug to his Matt, only for Matt to splash him next.

Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Treacle: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up

Golubushka's Foggy: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

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Danny: Clearing Up