collaborative_daredevil | Slavery RP Post XVIII

"Yes, of course," Jamie nodded, and went to add everything mentioned to his tray. He also added in, after a moment of consideration, some ibuprofen and aspirin, in case poor Golubushka's head hurt, and waited patiently just by the door.

--

Matt was throwing up and didn't want to stop, felt as though all horrible toxic thoughts were leaving him, burning away and he was clean and clear-headed, but he didn't want to be, knew he couldn't be, especially not here where not-safe all these strangers a new and terrible world with training pets defended instead of hated, and he heaved a final time and leaned against the door, slipping on the comfortable blanket of pet thoughts, and emerged blinking and apologizing meekly over and over, sorry like a faucet, playing with his collar with freshly scrubbed freezing cold hands.

DA Barba looked as if he wanted to go and intervene with Golubushka, and Danny shook his head.

"He responds much better to other pets when he's stressed than to free people."

"Here, it's fine, just perhaps brush your teeth, then I have a mint for you, and some ginger ale, or I could make the ginger, green and mint blend we have," Jamie hastily offered as the now-totally-deferent pet quietly took the brush and toothpaste and murmured something about no pills, not allowed, which raised Jamie's hackles deeply. Who wouldn't let their pet have advil, or things for indigestion, or an aspirin when they were clearly in pain?

--

Matt brushed his teeth and washed his face deep deep hazy, not sure why he'd been throwing up or what he could have been thinking, but knew the bad feeling in his head, the urge to forget, something far too dangerous and scary, something to make him crazy that he needed to stay away from, like the cosmic horrors in those stories Foggy liked sometimes, and he cleaned himself neatly and dried hands and pulled down soft sweater cuffs and made sure to shrink a little, be smaller cuter good-pet, and was rubbing one cheek mindlessly and jumped a foot at a voice suddenly directed at him.

"Golubushka, is there anything we can get you?" She frowned at how different his body language was to before, at how hard he was working to look helpless and inoffensive - he shouldn't need that with other pets!

Matt nervously bit his lip and then softly asked, Jamie said there was tea too? Could I have a cup of that, please? and took the ginger ale from the tray and sipped at it. Could I go back to the nest? feeling very vulnerable and unsure, normally when had to forget something would curl up at home.

"Of course. I'll prepare the tea and bring it to you in the nest." She promised him, nodding to Jamie to step back and give Golubushka space. "I can manage to prepare tea, if nothing else." She added, a hint of self depreciation in her voice.

"At least when you're just using teabags anyway." Jamie teased her as she moved to the kitchen.

The teasing was soft gentle happy-pets and made Matt relax a little bit, holding on tightly to his ginger ale and shuffling back to the nest as best he could without his cane or help, but the layout wasn't as difficult as he thought and in just a minute he was knocking on the door as Ivannya was fake-indignantly telling Jamie that loose tea wasn't any better anyway and then sliding into the nest, apologizing to both Treacle and Toffee and saying he hadn't known he was sick when he came, pretending easily that the sick wasn't his brain at all.

"Is okay, promise." He pulled Golubushka to curl up against him, nuzzling him comfortingly.

~~~

He pulled away to put his project and Matt's out of Golubushka's way, then grabbed a warm heavy blanket, draping it over Golubushka's shoulders before he joined them.

Matt gasped a little at sheer gentle sweetness, nuzzling back and kissing cheeks and hugging Toffee, thanking them and murmuring to ask if they were alright, nothing had possibly happened...?

"Yes, alright, just worried about you." He let Golubushka hug him, hugging back. "I don't want to go out alone yet. Like having company."

Matt swallowed the urge to gag at that, baffled and upset by own reactions, and asked very very quiet urgent, please talk about something else, cannot hear about it.

"Uh, right...did I tell you that Jamie's teaching me more about how to cook better? We work on preparing a new meal every week."

Jamie does things of the house, right? Matt asked, curious. Are you going to split it all evenly two of you after a while? Is such a goal?

"Jamie's the house pet, yes. And if I can I think that would be nice." He agreed, smiling at the idea.

It's important to not just be ornamental, should have jobs outside pretty or sex, Matt said firmly, and tensed at discussion filtering from the kitchen, worry squirming from him to Toffee, would they be mad at him for having inconvenient friend, bringing in bad pets?

"Yes, important to contribute." He agreed, hugging Golubushka a bit closer.

~~~

"I'll bring the tea in, with some ginger cookies and maybe some shortbread cookies. I don't need to play host for Danny just yet." Their master and Hendrick were still here after all. "You go and make sure Toffee isn't feeling overwhelmed."

"Yes, I'm a bit worried if he'll get sick too-- we should make him drink extra orange juice, to ward it off," Jamie said with intense concern. "He's still far too skinny to get sick, I don't want his strength to backslide at all."

He paused and leaned into Ivannya just before she got the tray. "You don't think--could Golubushka have been one of those criminals' pets? He's just, off."

"I'll put some orange juice on the tray for Toffee then." And she wrapped an arm around Jamie, frowning a little. "I'm not sure. He's very wary of free people, more than most of us are. And he seems a bit temperamental, I'm not sure criminals would indulge that."

Jamie sighed and accepted her reassurance, he knew worrying was his way of dealing with things and that he was hardly the terrible host he thought himself to be, but he really disliked it when the guests weren't having a universally wonderful time.

"I suppose you're right," he said, and came behind her into the nest, smiling unexpectedly at the adorable pile of pets all close and curled, and he blinked as he saw a sharp similarity of scars between all three--and Golubushka missing the top of his ear, right where a tag would be. Jamie felt alight with horrible curiosity.

She came to set the tray down in front of the others, masking her unease at the damage to Golubushka's ear.

"Golubushka, I brought tea for you, and cookies for everyone to share. Toffee, I poured some fresh orange juice for you."

"Thank you." Toffee sat up a bit, smiling hesitantly at her.

Thank you, Matt said, genuinely warmed by it, smells wonderful, and he murmured soft thanks again and took deep whiffs and sipped at it deeply, and sighed with soft happiness at the calm, pain going away was good as pleasure, and he felt warm and much calmer, more armoured, and said calmly, you can ask your questions, I understand you have some?

"Ah..." She glanced back at Jamie, wondering if he wanted to step forward first.

"I noticed that you seem to have issues with Danny Rand, is there something I should be careful about when I act as hostess, after Master Barba and Hendrick have left for work?"

Matt blinked at the question but shook his head, braid moving, no, he says slowly, only is a thing where he doesn't like me, is not bad to other pets. Probably would not want to talk about it, he said wryly, and then more impatient, come on, I can feel you staring.

Matt was shaking his head as well,and she looked at him consideringly.

"The scars, are they related to how you know Danny's Matt?" She asked impulsively, and then Jamie chimed in.

"And, you said you aren't allowed pills? How could any owner deny you painkillers?"

Matt blinked slowly, unsure of how to answer that question, and carefully said, scars were before him, my ear with scissors, but can only tell my own story, and then frowned at Jamie, you don't know medicines can conflict?

Re: Treacle: Visiting and Helping

Danny: Visiting and Helping

Re: Danny: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Golubushka: Visiting and Helping

Treacle and Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Re: Treacle and Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Re: Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Re: Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Re: Toffee: Visiting and Helping

Toffee and Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Toffee and Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Ivannya: Visiting and Helping

Re: Ivannya: Visiting and Helping