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"Little Kitten, you're gonna have to step out of that bathroom sooner or later you know?"

Ryleigh's fur pricked at the words of the rhino, like ant legs scuttling through his skin. Little Kitten, It bothered him somewhat, but not in the way that makes him want to scratch the rhino's face or cut his balls off. He didn't know how Alex got it, but Ryleigh was sure as hell that it was a very unimaginative source, namely Alex's brain. Maybe the stereotype of dumb muscleheads was not unfounded. The rhino's been acting like he's got bricks for brains after all.

At first, Ryleigh was totally pissed off and subjected Alex in a number of food-throwing incidents during breakfast and lunch. The rhino didn't really get angry though, even if he had to clean the mess up afterwards. It was his fault anyway, though it didn't mean that he'll stop calling him with the cursed name. Alex persisted day and night and in three days' time, Ryleigh got too tired to even give a snide comment.

It startled him that he'd become too comfortable with Alex that he didn't mind being teased, at all--maybe a little, but nothing major. In the past, he would've killed someone(if he can) over being called something like that. It would've come to him more as an insult rather than a joke, usually leading him to become quite a careless cat, maybe accidentally biting someone's dick off, maybe. Names like that made him feel emasculated, sounding either like 'bitch' or 'slut' to him. From Alex, it didn't.

It's like one of those cute movies that he watched from TV: Two friends acting all brotherly around each other. The bigger guy protecting the smaller guy from all harm. It usually has a happy ending too. If he was to be honest about it, the way he gives Alex a pout and a somber gaze while the larger rhino pats his head as he says Little Kitten with his gruff voice is quite endearing.

Wait a minute...Endearing?

A twist of a knob and the showerhead above sprayed a torrent of waters all over his body, flowing down the drain, along with it, his bothersome thoughts. He moved his paws on top of a glass surface by the corner and took some liquid soap on his paws. He lathered it all over his body, giving special attention to his sheath and his balls as well as in between his butt cheeks.

Once that was done, he took another container labeled...Lice B Gone? The rhino definitely has an ill sense of humor. He tossed it back and took his conditioner for his newly dyed fur, and applied it to the whole of his body. In a few minutes, he was done. He turned the shower off and stepped out of the shower area, drying off and wrapping the towel by his waist before stepping out.

The canned sounds of moans and groans were heard from somewhere around the room. Of course, that couldn't be Alex. The rhino must have turned to watching the television while he waited for the cat to finish. A chick flick probably. The movie must have been in that waited for love scene between the characters. He imagined that people watching the movie would probably be fapping by now, which always made him want to vomit, and Alex, dropping into laughter. The moans from the actors and actresses are always so fake, at least it was for Ryleigh. It was a bitter knowledge imparted to him by his years of working at the Dungeon, one that he wishes to leave behind. They, those idiots, don't know what the real sound of sex is like. They could've been virgins.

True to what he knew about the rhino, a booming laughter resounded from the couch and Ryleigh skulked to the side opposite to where the rhino laid his head. Alexander barely noticed the cat. He was only wearing yellow boxers, tight and showing off his calves as well as his bulge although that barely bothered the cat anymore, nor was he interested. The rhino was almost in tears from watching the absurd scene from the TV. Ryleigh resisted any urge to look, else he'd vomit on himself. It took a while for Alex to settle down, and by the seconds that passed by the cat was readying himself to pounce flat on Alex's body. He's been waiting for days to go to this premier, missing it would be unforgivable. Especially if it's because of a goofball of a rhino.

Finally, Alex stopped, he noticed Ryleigh on his haunches. He grinned at him, Ryleigh just rolled his eyes.

"Shower. Now."

The rhino chortled but said nothing else. Alex gave a wink at Ryleigh's direction and the latter gave a groan of annoyance. As the rhino passed by him, Ryleigh flung his arm out and punched the guy square in the face. But of course he'd done it one too many times already that the rhino expected it and it landed on his shoulders instead.

"Silly little kitten." Alex said and ruffled the cat's head before passing by him. Ryleigh snarled at Alex as he walked with his back to the cat. Alex's thin grey tail swayed back and forth before the rhino's hand pinched and scratched a muscled butt cheek over his yellow boxers. Disgusting.

Ryleigh scoffed, "Don't do that!"

The rhino's tail swayed again, more animatedly this time. He entered the bathroom, closing the door partway, mocking Ryleigh with a show of his teeth and spoke, "I didn't ask you to stare."

"I wasn't--" But before he could retort, the rhino had already closed the door and Ryleigh heard him laugh from inside the bathroom. The cat shook his head in disdain.

The rhino was such a tease. He couldn't even imagine how the rhino handled being a bouncer, much more, a club like the Playground. It was a terrifying place, Ryleigh knew, with people--Powerful and difficult people that gave importance to themselves more than those around them. It takes less muscle and more attitude to take care of those kind. Surely, Alex doesn't have the attitude for it. But then, why did Godric put him in the Dungeon in the first place?

He found it hard to believe that the brickheaded rhino that he came to live with would be capable of shoving people's ass to themselves if they as do as little as misbehave in the club. The guy was too nice for that. Was it all a facade? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. He didn't care.

For all he knows, the rhino's done a great job of keeping most of the terrible memories away from his head. Cheesy chick flicks had become their past time, and the rhino's usual laughter was too loud for him to even hear his own thoughts. That, and the pain after getting his back slapped after Alex hears a cheesy punch line from the movie. If the memories DO hit him, the rhino would notice in a flash. A nice hot meal would be ready in a few minutes, served with a warm smile and accompanied by a ruffle of his head. The thought made him flush, making feel like he's living in some kind of chick flick. And he's the depressed heroine.

He pushed the thought out and hunted around his cabinet, which has been filled with many clothes, jeans and at the bottom, underwear, all purchased by Alex over the course of the days. Some of the price tags still lingered and Ryleigh did not want to look at them. They were expensive, he knew and he worried that the rhino was overspending for his sake. He complains and suggests the rhino return them, but Alex just waves it off and proceeds to show the cat what a great taste of fashion that this big burly rhino has.

Ryleigh pulled out a royal red, hooded shirt, white baggy shorts and briefs. He let the towel fall down on the floor and slipped the underwear on, sliding his tail along the small hole specifically for a feline of his breed and size. Come next were the clothes. They fit him snugly, with an inch or two to breathe in, shirt reaching under his hips and pants reaching on his knees.

Everything he was wearing had been planned for days. Despite his newly dyed fur, Alex insisted that his clothes should give him the least bit cover for at least his face. Ryleigh didn't mind. It was for both of their safety. People are still on the alert and he didn't want to get caught just because of his senseless bawling of what he's going to wear.

This was the first time in so many years that he'd get to go out, free and alive. Yet he can't help but feel that he could easily die just by taking a few steps out of this safe haven that Alex took him to. Sure, the rhino didn't allow him to watch even the slightest of news but yet Ryleigh knew how much the city was in disarray. The alarming sirens of emergency vehicles frequently passed the building, and their distinctive sound always made Ryleigh stop whatever he's doing. Police car, firetruck, ambulance, whatever they were, it could only mean one thing. Danger.

The cat felt himself tense at his thoughts, and he did his best to comfort himself by rubbing his paws against his arms. He went over to a standing mirror to look at his reflection, just to reassure himself that his disguise would be effective.

What was in the mirror wasn't the Ryleigh that everybody knew. Fur dyed to be black like ink, barely reminiscent of what once was his white. They were glossy as they were dark, the light reflecting and giving his fur a lustrous sheen that his previous white fur lacked. The eyes staring back had thin feline slits, like a crevice on drought land. He no longer had those blue pupils that deemed him innocent. It was replaced with a dark yellow color, like urine. He looked like a maniac.

Finally, he flexed his paws, drawing his claws out, now as sharp as daggers. Just to confirm it, he wiped them against the mirror like a washcloth and the glass squealed against him, in pain. He saw his reflection's teeth bare in a leer, pleasured by the sound. He wasn't defenseless anymore.

Though it was a primitive source of protection, he was well enough satisfied to know that people won't make the mistake of holding him like a defenseless kid anymore, and for those who do, they'd get clawed a lot. Alex was there too.

---

The elevator hummed, and Ryleigh fiddled with his claws, counting the seconds that flew by as their transportation's digital display moved from floor to floor. He felt the rhino's hand brush his paws, holding them. Despite of Ryleigh's urge to pull away from Alex's grasp, he didn't.

He gave a shy look at the rhino, "Thank you." he said, his voice was weak.

"Nervous?" the rhino asked him, a concerned look on his face.

"Very."

Alex gave Ryleigh's paws a gentle tug, and the cat felt his tension ease a bit, "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." Somehow, Ryleigh disbelieved that.

"But what if it doesn't? What if people recognize me? What if they catch me?"

"Then I'll get you out again," Alex said and smiled at him. There was confidence in him, and Ryleigh couldn't help but return it, "I doubt anyone could recognize you. You look..."

"Different?" Ryleigh offered.

"Unfuckable." Alex said and grinned.

Ryleigh giggled and gave the rhino a playful punch on the shoulders. Unfuckable was good enough.

For a while, the rhino just stood while Ryleigh marveled at how Alex looked on his leather trench coat partnered with a beret that was tilted forward to put some shadow over his face. To top it off, he wore some thick sunglasses for his eyes. His get-up failed to hide his bulk, but they did the job by barely showing any of his gray skin as well as his face. How he looked remained a mystery.

Turning his attention towards the digital display, both of them waited until they reached the ground floor, the digital display changing from 2 to 1. When it did, the sliding doors opened. An otter stood outside on the hall, unmoving. Facing exactly to where they stand. Ryleigh tensed at the sight. The man obviously wasn't there to board the elevator. He said nothing. But he expected them and Ryleigh couldn't help but scrutinize him. The otter was wearing a black tailcoat that squeezed along his thin body, a white undershirt and a red bowtie on his neck. He looked old, old enough that he probably already had some kind of hearing impairment. The cat did not daresay that he was defenseless. He was holding his hands on his back. It could've been a gun. For that Ryleigh drew his claws out from his paws but he felt the rhino squeeze at him before he could even pounce at the otter.

"He's a friend." Alex said, pulling both of them out into the hall. Ryleigh withdrew his claws, someway disappointed that he couldn't take his sharpened claws for a run.

The otter gave a sluggish bow towards Alex, "A message for you, Master?"

Master? Alex?

He reached out a gloved hand and handed Alex a small envelope. Alex unhanded Ryleigh's paw and took it, flipping it over to see if there was anything written outside. Ryleigh tried to see, but Alex already hid the object deep onto his trench coat's inner pocket.

"I'm just gonna speak with him for a minute, okay?" Alex told Ryleigh. He just nodded before Alex took the otter with him along the halls, far, out of earshot.

Ryleigh watched the two of them speak. The shorter and smaller otter bowed his head while Alex spoke, moving in a submissive way like Alex was somehow his superior. 'Master' he saw the otter's muzzle move and tilt his head downwards, to which the rhino responded with a bow and a bashful scratch on his neck. It wasn't long before they both nodded and the otter bowed again before Alex moved towards Ryleigh and the otter to the other way.

"Who was that?" Ryleigh asked.

"Roland. Hotel owner." Alex answered, he motioned for Ryleigh to come with him to start along the halls towards their destination. He did and he followed with Alex in the lead.

"He's not doing a good job." The cat said, observing the walls.

"Can't blame him, he's all alone." Alex said, leading them towards an intersection.

"Alone?" Ryleigh asked, surprised, "A hotel this huge? How many people sleep here?"

Alex chuckled, "Do you see any other people around?"

Ryleigh's eyes went around as they went towards another intersection. Every room that they passed either had the doors taken down or was left partially open, he also observed that most of the wood were chipped, or was starting to decompose. Ryleigh tried listening for any telltale sign that anybody was around but there were no canned noises from a TV, nor was there any conversation going on. None.

His eyes went wide, finally getting the gist of the hotel's situation. The rhino caught his reaction and grinned wide at him, "You mean to say that we're the only ones in this place?"

"Maybe." Alex said and chuckled again. Ryleigh looked around, anticipating another soul that was wandering the halls other than them. There was still nothing.

"The termites and cockroaches took permanent residence here a long time ago if you're willing to meet them."

"Haha. Very funny." Ryleigh said and frowned.

"Now do you see why I picked this place to hide you?"

Ryleigh nodded, and now, Alex didn't look much like a brickhead to his eyes.

"Wow. A whole hotel? For ourselves?" Ryleigh said, amazed.

In a few seconds, they reached the hotel's lobby. It was wide, a number square feet more than Ryleigh was used to. Like the halls, it looked dead, almost like a graveyard, with no gravestones that were supposed to be the furniture. The floors were a dark brown, cracked, it reminded Ryleigh of a tree bark and it's roots. A giant candselabra hung at the center of the ceiling, with sharp, crystal-like bulbs on each of its rusted arms. Some of the lights flickered on and off, others just stayed dead. It gave Ryleigh a feeling that this hotel used to bustle with people in all sorts of business, used to.

The same otter that they'd met earlier stood behind a semi-circular counter, phone on ears. He spotted the two coming over and he muttered a few words before handing the phone to Alex. The rhino took it with a smile and brought the phone to his ears.

His face and eyes were thoroughly hidden by his beret and sunglasses but it wasn't enough to hide his delight in talking to whomever he was talking to. The cat spotted the rhino's smile turn into a full blown grin as he listened to whatever the person on the other side was saying, responding with just 'Uh huh' and 'Yeah' with an upbeat pitch to it.

Ryleigh never really knew anything about Alex that much. Most of the rhino's time were spent either in entertainment or cooking, other than that, he's out for most of the day. He never really asked what the rhino does when he's out, nor did he really care. In the present though, he can't say he's not interested.

"Yeah, goodbye!" he said then gave the phone back to Roland, who set it down from inside the counter.

"Who was that?" Ryleigh inquired.

"Ohhh somebody." He said, and he took his sunglasses and beret off. This time, Ryleigh saw the full extent of the rhino's mirth. He was grinning eye-to-eye. Ryleigh was about to speak, but the rhino turned to Roland before he was able to.

Both of them nodded in a silent exchange, and the otter moved out from the counter to move off along the lobby. Ryleigh's eyes followed the otter and he noticed the old guy slouching and the steps and his gait were uneven. It was obvious that his age was catching up to him. Roland was going towards the end of the lobby towards, the exit of the hotel. They were huge double wooden doors that looked just as bland as the whole place. Roland skidded to it but stopped and turned to his side instead of going through them. The otter approached an empty corner and Ryleigh wondered whether the otter's got poor eyesight as well. But all his thoughts were cast when Roland reached his paws on the wall and seemed to twist something on it then pulled open to what was a hidden door, cleverly camouflaged along the rotting walls. He turned to both of them and bowed before he disappeared through the walls like a ghost.

"Holy crap!" Ryleigh meant to say, but he was far too amazed to even speak.

"Amazing, right?"

Ryleigh breathe, taking in the information.

"I don't get it. Why didn't he just use the front door?"

Alex grinned at him.

"Because this place closed down ten years ago."

---

"If we weren't supposed to attract the attention, then why the hell are you making me pose as YOUR sex slave?!" Ryleigh fumed. He was continuously punching the rhino's shoulder, but the rhino barely flinched. He was looking at Ryleigh, amused rather than pain. It just pissed the cat even more.

He didn't understand the logic of their so-called 'plan' but just hearing it made him want to puke his guts out. It did little to appeal to him; The prospect of being a slave again was utterly repulsive. It was only worse that the rhino popped the plan up when they're already in the car. The rhino must've expected him to back out and maybe that's why he only told him the latter part of the plan when they're already half-way there. The nerve!

Ryleigh was about to land a punch on the rhino's shoulders again when Alex blocked him with his hand and waved it off. He snarled but made no further retort. Ryleigh already had enough, it was clear that arguing with the rhino wouldn't change anything. Roland wouldn't even help him! Apparently, he only takes orders from Alex.

His earlier plea to the otter went ignored. He tried asking the otter who drove their vehicle to turn around and return them to the hotel but Roland barely said anything. By the time Ryleigh was about to ask the old guy to do something about it, the latter had decided that it was time to pull the windows between the driver's and the backseat up and shut himself away from the offending cat.

He crossed his arms and slipped his body towards the window, his muzzle clamping tight in aggravation at the rhino. Go out. It's all that he wanted to do. His desire to go to the premiere had since died out just the day before. He watched too much of the cheesy flicks that the premiere had already lost it's feeble appeal to his eyes. He just wished that he didn't have to be a slave...even if it's just pretend. It made him feel trapped. Riding in a car like this...so cramped...so familiar.

"Ryleigh? You're shivering."

He heard the rhino speak, and only then did he notice that he was shivering. A memory flashed through his mind, of him, outiside on the streets. Strong fists, on his neck, choking him. His body, off the ground. A bell tolled somewhere in the distance and he could taste his own blood on his tongue. His clothes ripped. The vehicle's door closed. His only means of escape shut off. The bell tolled again. He was met with the devilish face of a Rottweiler. Fangs, bared in a crooked, malicious curve. Another toll of the bell, and his face was slammed on the window, his eyes, nothing but a vacant hole. Staring outside, the passers-by, oblivious, uncaring as the dominant canine pumped his angry erection in and out of him. Another toll of the bell. And another, and another, and another...

"...Ryleigh!"

A burst of air shot out from Ryleigh's lungs, aching to be filled again. His dark and confined surroundings, showing him nothing but blackness. He blinked, and his eyes refocused, his consciousness finally returning to his head. He became aware that he was being held by the rhino, and the blackness that surrounded him was the rhino's black-clothed chest. It inflated on his face, alive, burly pillow to rest on. The rhino's minty scent caved on him like boulders of cotton, making the cat bury his face deeper into the crevice of Alex's chest. He sobbed, a slight noise, and reluctantly, he pushed himself off of the rhino, and Alex was more than willing to let him go.

The cat's face sunk on his paws, both in sorrow and frustration. He felt the hand of the rhino rest on his back, but Ryleigh hedged himself away to the side and thankfully, the rhino took the hint to leave him alone.

Minutes went in silence, nothing but his empty thoughts and muddled emotions bothered him. The cat tried to breathe it out like he always did whenever the horrible flashbacks pestered him. Like always, it took many minutes before the clarity of his thoughts returned. It was Ryleigh himself who cut the silence off.

"I saw Godric..." he muttered through his paws.

Alex resettled himself at his chair, his body, suddenly tense, "What...happened?"

"I don't know what's happening to me," he said weakly, "Images keeps crawling back my head...This place...It reminded me of the first time Godric--"

"I understand. Don't say anymore." Alex cut the cat off before he finished. Ryleigh believed Alex's words but it barely ceased Ryleigh's reminisce. The rhino knocked on the window in between the seats and moments later, Roland's face appeared. The otter's old face peered through, his tired eyes staring at Ryleigh then to Alex.

"You called, Master?"

Alex nodded, "Yes. Where is the nearest mall from where we are?"

Ryleigh's face rose from his paws, his weary eyes shooting a thankful gaze at the rhino. 'Thank you', he mouthed, and rested his head against the window.

"There is a mall a few blocks from here."

"Take us there, if you please, Roland."

"It's quite unpopulated sir. There would be little cover for you--"

"Roland. Please." It was Ryleigh who spoke. There was a desperate tone to his voice.

Roland didn't bother turning to Alex this time, and he gave a sincere affirmation to the cat, "As you wish, Master Ryleigh." he said before he drew up the window again.

Ryleigh gave a weak smile, thankful that Roland were understanding enough to respect his request. He rested his paws on his lap, a slight tremble on his arm. His tail lay limp like a stick between his legs, yet he was restless.

A comforting hand reached over his paws on his lap, and Ryleigh engulfed it with both of his paws. Alex was warm, and Ryleigh found himself aching for more contact. He lifted it and let it touch his cheek, rubbing his face against it.

The cat's chest rolled, and before he knew it, he was purring. Alex chuckled and he used his free hand to ruffle the cat's head, "Cute little kitten." he teased.

Ryleigh was a little more than flustered and blushed at the remark. Alex never called him cute before. He shied from Alex's hand and onto the car's side, even though his buttocks were already practically rubbing against it.

He rested his head against the window again and pleaded to himself that Alex would leave him alone and not ruffle his head nor call him little kitten again. It did more than just fluster or make him blush. It was highly reminiscent of the way his clients called him slut or anything else. It was a way to put him down a level beneath them. To show him who's boss and who's the bitch. He was growing afraid that he was starting to like it. Starting to like being small, weak...protected.

It was emasculating, but he knew very well that Alex only meant it as a joke, a way for him to alleviate whatever anxiety the cat was feeling for the moment and he couldn't hold it against him. He forced his mind to wander outside, to distract him, lest he'll end up being angry at the rhino again for something that wasn't his fault.

It had been years since Ryleigh set foot on the city or had a chance to take a glimpse of what the outside looks like. Back at the hotel, he could only do little as peek through the curtains and watch the miniscule dots of the numerous furs that trudged through the streets day-by-day. Today, he could only feel but be both thrilled and nervous at getting a firsthand experience of the city. Outside, furs walked the streets. A number of them barely caring to use the pedestrian's lane and instead walked on the driveway.

The city has...changed, and probably for the worst. There was barely a part of a wall with no wanted posters in it. It was a collage of faces that lay scratched, burnt, and a few barely recognizable. Thievery, murder, rape, there was a whole collection of all the felons in the city. Most of them were rugged looking men, some women, some...children. It's a wonder how the women and children could even commit such crimes, but then again, Ryleigh thought. He himself was a murderer.

Passing by in front of the barely-naked wall were men holding what looked like leashes, attached on the end to necks of smaller furs, wearing ragged clothes. Others wore what looked like expensive clothing but with partitions in between, enough to show their bare skin.

"They're slaves." Alex said from behind him.

Ryleigh gasped and detached his eyes from the pedestrians, turning to Alex, "But why are they on the streets?"

Alex stayed silent. A realization hit Ryleigh.

"They're legal?" He yelled.

Alex shook his head.

"Then why is nobody catching them?"

The rhino's eyes darkened, his green eyes looking like moss on crystal balls, "Do you remember what you said about the police?"

"It's that...bad?"

"Chaos." Was all Alex said.

It was terrible. He never expected that the city's state would lead to more disarray than it already had when he'd been free. Now he felt a lot more reluctant to step down.

As if on cue, the car stopped, and the window once again came rolling, revealing Roland.

"We're here, sir."

---

The excited shrieks and laughter of children, accompanied by the cooing of their watching parents revolved as the kids rolled on a carousel. A series of bright flashes burst as a photographer took the pictures of the children and the latter gave small smiles and a series of poses as they did so.

Placed around the carousel by the sides of the mall were different shops: Fast food chains, clothing stores, hardware stores--everything was there, and a few furs attended the counters as they waited for their first customer for the day even though it was a little bit over in the afternoon already.

Passing by was a group of furs, all of which had leashes on their paws attached to their accompanying slaves. Behind them trailed a couple, one a black cat and the other, a fur with a massive stature whose face could barely be seen, almost covered fully by his heavy trench coat, beret and glasses.

Both of them were intimidating, both taking glimpses of the children. The heavy guy's eyes were hidden behind his glasses. He could've been making picks on one of them children and his companion with the menacing yellow eyes looked ready to tear the children apart with his sharp claws.

A few of the children stepped back and their guardians came rushing forward and pulled their children with them. Their paws protectively laid on their kids' back and their ears folding atop their skull as they retreated from the passing Master and slave.

"I think they're scared of us." Ryleigh whispered.

The side of Alex's muzzle unfolded, revealing his sharp canines as he grinned. Ryleigh stepped back as well, surprised at how frenzied the rhino looked with his canines. He flashed them towards some of the clerks standing behind their counters on the shops that they passed through. The cat saw a fur stumble and hide under his counter, only his ears and eyes showing, peering at them in fear.

Now Ryleigh knew why the rhino spent so much time in front of the bathroom mirror, and it made him smile. Alex was doing so much of an effort at this, and Ryleigh was grateful for that.

"They are." Alex said, and he beamed that same grin again. "Police, children--even criminals stay away from owners and slaves. They've been known to be quite unstable. Both of them."

"I can't deny that," Ryleigh said, a little disheartened. What Alex said was painfully true, his previous episode at the car made it too obvious.

Alex seemed to sense that he said something that he shouldn't have. He did a double take and tapped Ryleigh on the shoulder, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"It's okay. It's true anyway," he said, shrugging it off, "So why are they on a leash and I'm not?"

"I figured that you wouldn't want to be on a leash," Alex said, and Ryleigh was about to retort but the rhino shushed him with a finger on his lips, "Bad kitten. Let your master finish first before speaking," he grinned, and Ryleigh cursed his 'Master' inwardly for that.

Ryleigh listened as Alex continued, "Leashless slaves are dangerous to the public eye. It's a sign that the Master is careless and doesn't know how to discipline their slave. Thus, their slaves have been known to be feral. Some turn on their own Masters, others had to be put down on the spot."

"So," Ryleigh said, his feline tail flicking energetically, "I'm practically badass to these people?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Alex replied and Ryleigh felt himself lighten. The idea of scaring the hell out of anyone he crosses appealed to him, but he didn't go out to do that. He wanted to explore as much as possible, he wouldn't want to waste his time.

"I'm sorry if we couldn't make it to the premier." Alex apologized, there was a genuine tone to his voice.

"It's fine, I've had enough of those flicks anyway. I just want to enjoy what I can for now. So, what do you people do for fun?"

"Oh you know...fun stuff..." Alex shook his head, he seemed to say the words with unknowingness.

Ryleigh narrowed his eyes at the rhino, "What? Don't tell me that adults in the city don't have fun anymore."

Alex defended himself, "We do. But I'm always too busy I barely have time to move."

"But you're practically almost always out from the hotel," Ryleigh said, "And you just got fired. What are you doing when you're out?"

There was suddenly a tension on Alex's shoulders, and his muzzle clamped on a thin line, "Errands." Alex said grimly. Ryleigh wanted to ask more but there was something dark in the way the rhino said it. The glasses and the beret made him unreadable. Ultimately, he didn't say anymore.

They rounded up to a corner and the cat found a place of interest, a bookstore--Ryleigh remembered. Behind the glasses were shelves upon shelves of books. In between were tables with stacks, some were about to fall, a closer look on the floor shows that some have already fallen and nobody bothered to pick them up.

Ryleigh tapped Alex's shoulders and pointed to the place. The rhino nodded in approval and proceeded to the store, Ryleigh trailing close behind.

"A bookstore? Why do you want to go to a bookstore?" Alex asked as they passed the entrance, and immediately, the earthen scent of aged paper entered their noses. Ryleigh sniffed the whole of it and a smile crept to his face.

"I used to uhm..." he stopped for a moment, they were still just by the entrance of the place and he saw nobody around. He pulled Alex down and stood on his toes to mutter in between his teeth, "I used to steal books."

Alex snorted as he suppressed a giggle, "Of all things, you stole books? Weren't you supposed to be worrying about your hide at that time?"

"Hey! I like books, and anyways, the old guy watching that bookstore barely knows what's been missing. I've got...quite a lot from him."

"Old guy? And you stole a lot from him? Jesus Ryleigh. I thought you were a good person," Alex said, frowning, "Bad kitty!" He said, and gave a light slap on the cat's head which earned a snarl from the cat. Alex was enjoying this too much.

There was not a soul in sight, not even the owner checking to see if any potential customer was there--or potential thief. He could've easily just taken something and ran off with it. He slid his foot and the sound of ripping caught his ear. Looking down, he discovered that there were a bunch of papers scattered on the floor, the sides of which were torn, like they were forcefully shredded from the bind of the books that they used to belong. Still, looking around, the owner was nowhere in sight. Ryleigh had the feeling that the guy doesn't even know that somebody had ripped his merchandise apart.

Turning to Alex, they agreed to look around, the rhino repeatedly said that they 'buy' the books rather than steal them. It earned another snarl from Ryleigh but he let it past. Ryleigh looked while Alex followed close. The cat browsed through the collection, idly basing his choices on first impressions and a quick look at the first page of the book.

He placed them on his so-called Master's hands one by one, and as the time passed, the number of books increased. Ryleigh gave quick glances at the rhino's face, chancing to see if the heaviness of the stack fazed the rhino. Alex's lips curved into a smile, and Ryleigh knew that he should up the ante if ever he could get back at Alex for calling him Kitty so damn much.

By the time he was done, the stack was of considerable height, just a little below a foot tall. Alex's muzzle was tight, the smile that was there nothing but a memory. It earned a chuckle from Ryleigh, and he clucked and strode along the bookstore, the rhino falling far behind, trying to balance the books on his hands.

"Please hurry up, Master."

Soon, they were by the counter, and after all the time they wandered at the bookstore, they finally found another person in the maze of books. It was attended by a lion who looked much older compared to Roland. He had white-grayish mane with a few flecks of red in between with bloodshot eyes and baggy skin below. He was barely youthful.

"Customers!" He said, his voice a little too jolly. Ryleigh was surprised, expecting the man to be depressed and rude.

"That's quite a stack ye'd got there."

Ryleigh heard the lion speak but he felt himself deflate, he was used to talking to strangers, he did it everyday--in the past, and it was through innocent play and seduction. Sex. This was different. He tried turning to Alex for help but the damn rhino's looking somewhere else, obviously avoiding the cat's gaze. Damn him. He's on his own.

Polite. He reminded himself, "Yes it is, sir. Me and my Master's got quite alot of reading to do."

"Master?" He gave a look at the rhino, who gave the old lion a maniacal grin, the old man didn't flinch though, "He's your Master?" He asked again in disbelief, "Then why is he doing the carrying?"

Ryleigh gave a quick peek at Alex and grinned, an idea popping in his head, "My master loves being submissive sir, sometimes I barely know who's the Master and who the slave is."

"Ah," The lion said, "He loves being a subbie eh?"

Ryleigh giggled and nodded. Alex cleared his throat, and it earned the attention of the lion. "The books?" His voice came out deeper than it normally did.

The lion scratched his neck, "Ah, I'm sorry. I got carried away. Just stack them nicely here," he said, and Alex did. He placed them on the counter and the lion started his work with the register.

The lion took book from book, sweeping them along the counter one-by-one. There was a certain grace in the lion's movements, almost swaying like a dandelion on the air as he did his job. Ryleigh was amazed. Despite the fact that the lion was old and was probably tired as well, he was still able to move like he was young.

"I never expected that you'd be..." the lion said as he slid another book, "--Civil. Most of the slaves I see are usually feral."

Ryleigh smiled, more at ease. If everyone would be so nice like the lion then he'd have no problem talking, "I have a good Master. He doesn't abuse me."

The lion gave a nod of approval towards Alex, "That's good to know. By the way, I almost forgot to tell ye, all books have 90% discount today."

"90%!?" Ryleigh yelled, "That's a rip off...for you!"

The lion waved it off, "I don't really mind. These books are decades old, most of them from my old shop."

"Old shop?"

"Aye. This is my second shop. Old one used to be located down the street. Barely had customers. Had to close it down."

"That's too bad." Ryleigh said, feeling back for the lion. He was nice and good, and polite. Ryleigh frowned inwardly, the lion deserved much more than this.

"Nah," he said, slipping another book, "It was good while it lasted. Had this kid frequenting my shop back then. If I remember correctly, he was a cat...just like you!"

A cat? Ryleigh gulped. This was bad.

Alex butted in, "A cat? Interesting," he was speaking in a jolly tone like the old lion did, the deeper than normal voice that he had earlier was gone. For a second, rhino gave Ryleigh that same maniacal grin that he so practiced. Now, he was scared.

"Just like my slave here?" he further inquired.

"Aye. But with white fur. Always looked happy when he's reading the books. I knew he was stealing 'em. Didn't mind though, at least he has the same passion that I had."

By that time Ryleigh was practically choking already. He felt the rhino slap his back, which made Ryleigh stumble and almost fall flat on the ground. He gave the rhino a stern look. He knew.

Alex smiled at the lion, "Don't worry about the price cut, we can pay you. You deserve it. Right slave?" He tapped Ryleigh again who just whined submissively.

"Nay, I can't do that," The lion said, swinging the last book and placing them on a paper bag.

"Oh we insist. You just don't know. Maybe my slave here could be related to that petty thief back then."

Petty thief? Ryleigh's so gonna kill Alex later.

Alex, handed the lion the bills who took it gratefully, "Ah, thank you, sir...?" he asked.

"No names." Alex said.

"I understand. Again, thank you sir! This would really help with my retirement."

Alex, even through his sunglasses, was obviously smiling eye-to-eye. Ryleigh was already sweating when they were about to leave, but Alex stopped Ryleigh with a hand on his arm.

"Kitten? What are you gonna say to Mr. Lion here?"

"Please. It's Otto." The lion smiled.

Ryleigh cursed under his breath. He turned around slowly, his neck muscles tensing and complaining like rusted clockwork. When his face fully met the lion's expectant eyes, he tried to give him the best smile that he had, "T-thank you sir Otto!" he said, though he was sure that it looked more like a snarl than a smile, his face muscles were tense like hell,

"Aye, you're welcome!" the lion said, offering his hand to the cat, but Ryleigh had already turned around, stomping his way out. Alex followed behind with the bags, a toothy smile on his face.

Ryleigh fumed. He wasn't sure why, but he was pissed. It might be because of the coincidence with Otto or the goddamn rhino's constant teasing. The theft happened half a decade ago, and the lion didn't really mind them, but it still bothered him somewhat. Feeling sorry for the old guy. It could've also been Alex. The rhino was enjoying this too much, this Master and Slave game, but then again, he himself enjoyed it when he was on top, but the rhino was a sly bastard. One moment, Ryleigh has the upper hand and the next second, Alex got it.

He's overreacting and he knows it. But still, he was mad, angry. To Alex, or Otto, he didn't know.

"Hey look Kitten. Books. Unstolen ones."

"Shut up!" he yelled, turning to Alex, uncaring whether there were other people around, "Stop calling me Kitten!"

The rhino momentarily took his glasses off and gave him a smug look, "Oh come on now. Don't tell me you're mad?"

"I'm not!"

"Really? Then why are you yelling?"

"I--I..." Ryleigh stopped, thinking deep on why he was yelling in the first place. He felt heavy, like his chest was bearing lead rather than air, refusing to come out. Otto, the name came to his head, Steal.

He was mad at himself! "...I have to apologize to that person." He said and started heading for the bookstore again, his treading was desperate, like he was dragging his body with his feet. Halfway there, Alex stopped him in his tracks.

"No." Alex said, staring down at Ryleigh.

"Alex, let me go. I have to do this!" Ryleigh said, struggling from the rhino's grasp. The rhino's hold came heavier like iron on his shoulders and it was enough to make Alex get Ryleigh's attention.

"Ryleigh." he said, "Think about it for a second. If you go apologize now then he'll know it's you. You'll compromise your cover."

"But...But!"

Alex leaned down to Ryleigh's level, "Look. I understand that you feel sorry for that but we really can't."

Ryliegh just mumbled to himself.

Alex sighed, "How bout this. I'll ask Roland to deliver some money to pay for more than what you stole before. Is that okay with you?"

Hearing the proposal, a smile crept to Ryleigh's face. "Sure...I guess," he said, and Alex finally let him go, but before the rhino fully stood up again, Ryleigh spoke, "Alex...thank you."

Alex smiled, "Sure thing little kit."

Ryleigh purred and presented his head to Alex whom was surprised with the gesture.

"Are you presenting your head to be patted by me?"

Ryleigh blushed. "Yes...Master."

Alex grinned, and Ryleigh all the more blushed when he didn't feel hands but rather, the warm lips of the rhino touching his head lightly.

"Good kitty" Alex said.

Ryleigh blushed harder. He was getting all too comfortable to this. But maybe, he thought, that wasn't such a bad thing. The cat wouldn't mind if Alex ended up his bodyguard for a while. Alex was a good man. He can trust him.

Alex picked the paper bags up with both of his hands and hurried along. This time, Ryleigh walked beside him rather than in front of him. There was an enthusiastic look on the cat, his yellow eyes, glimmered like golden half-moons at Alex. When the latter turned his head towards the cat to ask him where they should go next, they were gone like extinguishing a fire. Ryleigh just shook his head. He didn't know where he wanted to go.

They passed through a couple of clothing shops, the supermarket, restaurants, an arcade, but they barely paid those any heed. Ryleigh already had clothes, Alex bought groceries just the day before, none of them were hungry, and they weren't really in the mood to play games. In the end, they just decided to relax and settle for a drink of coffee on a cafe located just in front of the same carousel they passed by earlier.

Alex ordered for them while Ryleigh waited by the window, staring outside as the kids played around by the carousel. A tiny crowd was assembling around two guys who seemed to be entertaining the children. One was wearing a colorful and puffy onesie with a very thick white makeup on his face. The other wore a tailcoat and was making elaborate gestures with his paws, and suddenly pulling out a long string of tied up handkerchiefs which caused the children to woo and clap in amazement.

He scoffed at the scene outside, deeming it abhorrent and naive. He could've hurt those kids. Thank God he was inside. He looked around. Like the other shops, there was barely anyone in sight. He couldn't help but feel deserted but also feel alien and relaxed. He was glad that they stopped by.

There was music playing on the stereos, though unlike the ones he was used to--rowdy and earsplitting. This was serene. Slow beats accompanied by the background music made him picture of calm waves on his tub, with the relaxing but also stimulating scent of lavender and aloe. Only, the cafe's air had a stronger and thicker scent, like something heavy that would stick on his lungs for a long time.

"Cinnamon latte?" Alex said, snapping Ryleigh out from his reverie. He set the cup down in front of the cat and he took it graciously, savoring the sharp taste. It was a little bit too sweet...He smiled.

"Thanks, I love it."

"Hah. I know, you always put too much sugar on your coffee, I figured I should let you try cinnamon for once."

"Thanks." Was all he said, and stared back at the crowd outside. Now that he's got a closer look, it seemed like it was some kind of party. The magician was doing some sort of trick with a small box. Even through the glass separating him from the outside, he could still hear the magician speaking. He made a few more elaborate gestures around the small box and spoke.

"I will make the birthday celebrant, appear!"

Then there was a puff of smoke, like a volcano erupting in a cough of white powder. In the next second, the box was opened and there stood on top of it, a small brown mouse in all smiles. The children wooed and clapped at the mouse, and he bowed as if he was the one who did the magic trick.

"Cute huh?" Alex said.

Ryleigh just gave a half-hearted nod. It wasn't. The cat took a furious sip on his latte until only a quarter of it remained. The caffeine-induced heat flowed through his veins, and he thanked the latte for it. He was feeling really cold watching the children.

"I never had a childhood." He muttered and drew his eyes away from the joyful juvenile scene.

The rhino gave him a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry Ryleigh."

"It's not your fault." he said, keeping his eyes on his coffee.

"I know." he said, "It's just that I can't help but feel--"

"Pity?" Ryleigh was detached.

Alex made a defensive gesture, "If you don't mind me saying, yeah."

"Well don't worry about me. I have a lot of catching up to do, but you helped me out a lot." He said and gestured towards the paper bags.

"Oh yeah! The books," Alex said, and he bent down through his seat to get a few of them. He laid them out on the table and it bought a snicker from Ryleigh himself.

"Snow White, Cinderella, Little Mermaid...The Hunchback of Notredame...Ryleigh...These are--"

"Picture books," Ryleigh said, "Truth be told, I don't even know if I could still read that well."

Alex put them back down, "Well I think it's cute. You're still a little kitty at heart."

Ryleigh blushed, "I guess I still am." He said, his eyes lazily staring outside the glass.

A flash of white passed in a blur and Ryleigh's coffee cup almost fell off. A gasp escaped from his muzzle and felt his chest go heavy for the second time that day. Alex gave him a worried look and tried asking what was wrong but he couldn't speak. The tall figure went by the door, Ryleigh's eyes were wide, glued to the fur as he went through the entrance and onto the counter of the cafe. Ryleigh gasped. The fur's face was in perspective. Though he could still recognize who he was. If the fur recognized or noticed them, he showed no signal. Whether it was because of their disguise, he didn't know. Still, the fur knew him all too well that a petty disguise would be ineffective. They'll get caught! They have to go!

His frantic eyes turned to Alex and saw the rhino giving him a worried look.

"What is it?"

"We have to go. Now." Ryleigh said, it was an order and he was about to stand up when he felt Alex's hand on his arm.

"No. Wait," Alex said, calm, "What's wrong?"

Ryleigh whimpered, and spoke, "It's that guy." he pointed with his eyes towards the counter, Alex followed with his eyes as well. There was a white dragon ordering something from the attendant, his silver eyes were all too familiar for Ryleigh. It was those same eyes that stared at him while Godric choked him on the streets. The same guy that sat on the front seat of the car while the Rottweiler took his virginity and raped him for god knows how long. He knew his name. Siegfried Whitman.

"This is bad." Alex said, there was alarm in his eyes, but his body stayed relaxed. Ryleigh wished he could draw some of the rhino's strength and calmness but that was impossible. He was nervous, fearful, terrified, and frightened. He was helpless. He felt his muzzle mutter something but stopped when from the corner of his eye, the man took his cup of coffee from the cafe's attendant and strode along their direction. Ryleigh felt himself sweat through his fur. There was a combination of heat and cold that reminded him of his apprehension when he had customers waiting in line for him. That might happen again. As the dragon passed by, Ryleigh kept his wide eyes on the ground, but the scent of the passing dragon almost made him choke on his breath then and there. He feared he might have done himself in when the dragon sat on the booth in front of them.

Ryleigh froze and looked up, through the dragon and not into his eyes. He remembered the dragon having a cold glare, like he barely cared for whatever Godric did to him in the past, and he feared that the coldness would permanently freeze him in his seat. Looking at Alex, the rhino was boring holes into his own, as if opening him up to send a message. 'Relax, or he'll notice', he read the rhino's message, it was almost too clear that it was telepathic--Too telepathic that even the rhino's fears intensified his own. But he had to do it! He forced his head up and gave a smile, the dragon regarded them for a second and nodded and he saw Alex turn around and gave a warm glance at the dragon and nodded as well. The rhino stood and bowed. It drew a surprised look from the dragon. But quickly, he regained his composure and bowed his head as well. The rhino then pulled Ryleigh up from his seat and almost had to drag the cat. Thankfully, Ryleigh snapped from his daze and went along with the rhino. Without looking back, they entered the washroom and softly closed the door behind them.

Ryleigh was panicking and was muttering nonsensical gibberish at the rhino, he himself barely knew what he was saying. The rhino ignored him, deep in thinking, he was pacing as well. However, his relaxed posture was gone. He was tense. Panicking like Ryleigh was.

"This is bad, he's too up close." he said, and paced again.

"Why didn't we just leave straight?"

"We can't," he said, "Didn't you notice? He looked at you for a long time before he gazed away. He might've recognized you. If we left too quickly then he'll be suspicious!"

"But he might catch us if we stay too long!" Ryleigh yelled.

"He can, and he will! But not unless we do something," he said and pondered over his thoughts again. The rhino's face seemed to dissolve into a deep slumber, like he fell asleep amidst his planning. It calmed Ryleigh down. A few breaths later, Alex opened his eyes, "I think we can still go," he said, "Let's just take the bags and leave quickly." It was a desperate plan, but they had no choice.s

At that, Ryleigh nodded and opened the door, the rhino, a few inches away. The cat peeked his eyes out, was about to lead them towards their table, pick their belongings and leave. But instead.

He was met with the icy silver eyes of the dragon.

The dragon was fast approaching towards the washroom like an arrow about to meet it's mark. Panicking, Ryleigh receded his head back into the bathroom. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! he repeated to himself, accompanied with a thousand thoughts racing through his head, one of them, being caught by the white dragon. Being sent back to Godric's abusive hands, and living the same life that he so hated again for the next years. That wasn't an option. The rhino trudged him on, encouraging him to get out of the door. Oblivious that they were about to get caught. Ryleigh was long gone into his panicking thoughts. He had to do something! Something that would make the dragon go away. Anything! He didn't know why, but he could hear the footsteps close down towards the door as if they were being made directly towards his ears. They were slow, but they were sure. As if the approaching dragon was intent on trapping them. Because they are. Trapped.

The door opened and Ryleigh did the only thing that flashed through his mind.

There was a loud slam as the rhino's back was suddenly pushed against the tiled walls. Ryleigh gripped at the rhino's trench coat tight, and dug his muzzle on Alex's. The rhino gasped and the cat took that opportunity to drill his tongue into the rhino's maw. Alex moaned and he replied to Ryleigh's advances with his own tongue, swording Ryleigh's soft and smaller flesh and pulling it with a flick, deeper into his own maw. The rhino's hands migrated to Ryleigh's back and down onto his rump, grasping both cheeks tight. Ryleigh moaned loudly and Alex growled through his chest, both their lustful sounds, emanating, reverberating back to their ears.

Amidst the moans, the washroom's door opened then closed, and on cue, the couple stopped their lovemaking and stared at the wide-eyed dragon standing on the floor.

Ryleigh gave him a sour look, "Do you mind?" he said, disgusted.

The dragon regarded both of them for a second, and his muzzle was moving, slightly trembling, as if wanting to speak. His silver eyes turned lighter, as if he was trying to commit the whole scene to his memory. But a menacing look from Ryleigh's urine-colored eye made the dragon's face contort in strange ways before he regained his composure and muttered an apology to the two, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." he said and slowly, stepped out the door, and just like that, he was gone. Ryleigh sighed, he held his breath for far too long. They could've been caught!

"Okay Alex we could g--"

Alex's hands pulled Ryleigh on him again, his muzzle locking once again on the cat's. Ryleigh meeped, surprised at the sudden gesture of the rhino. Alex's hands groped on the cat's rump, Ryleigh feeling his fingers trace the parting between his buttcheeks. He tried pushing him off, but the rhino's forceful arms were too strong for him. Alex pulled him tighter into his lips, and Ryleigh didn't know whether he should return the kiss. He stood there, confused, lost in the rhino's muzzle. Alex's muscled body grinding against his own. There was a reversal of position as Alex pushed his back off of the tiled walls and rested Ryleigh against it, effectively trapping Ryleigh like a caged animal. He felt Alex's crotch grind against him, and Ryleigh couldn't even gasp. Alex was hard. The rhino's erection rubbed against his own, and he knew that he was just as turned on as Alex was. There was confusion in Ryleigh's mind, questions raising as the rhino's tongue explored every inch of his drenched caverns filled with both of their spittle. He didn't know why Alex was doing this to him! Alex knew it was only fine if Ryleigh initiated it. But this...Alex was forcing him! What's gotten into him?

A sudden pop from their mouths and Alex pulled off. The cat felt the sudden departure of the rhino's arms from around him and the back of his head dropped towards the tiled walls. It was cold. He stared at Alex's eyes, his glasses had fallen off in his lust and the rhino's naked eyes were at him. His eyes were unreadable, a mixture of light and dark. Eyes that Ryleigh knew was the look of a man trying to regain his control over his pent-up lust. Alex. Alex who had kissed him so fervently.

In a second, he blinked, and suddenly, there was a total look of remorse on his eyes, "R-Ryleigh. I'm s-sorry!" he stuttered.

"Alex. What was that?" Ryleigh asked, and he cursed himself inwardly for sounding so accusatory. He knew it wasn't Alex's fault. The rhino must have been holding back for too long, and it was Ryleigh's own mindlessness that lit his fuse and made him explode.

The rhino was walking backwards, away from him. He was trembling, gaze downwards, avoidant, "I-I don't know. It's just that..."

Ryleigh filled the distance between them he reached a paw out. He touched the rhino's face. His cheeks were hot, feverish. He was flushing, "It's okay Alex. We have to escape. We'll talk about it later okay?"

The rhino shook his head erratically, and soon they were back in the cafe. Cautiously, they looked around. The dragon was nowhere in sight. Both of them headed for their seats, and Ryleigh took it upon himself to carry the books no matter how heavy they were. Alex's hand on his paw made Ryleigh stop.

"No," Alex said, "Wait here. He might be outside, waiting for us. Stay here for now."

"But what about you?" Ryleigh asked, trying to read the rhino. The confusion in his eyes were starting to lift, Alex's self-control and coolness coming back to him. Ryleigh was glad for that, and he knew that he could trust the rhino well enough to keep him safe.

Alex spoke, "I'll patrol around. Stay put."

"Okay." Was all Ryleigh said. Soon, he was alone, the rhino having left the cafe through the front door. In a second, he disappeared from the cat's line of sight, Ryleigh felt his shoulders and breathe collapse, he didn't even know he was tense this whole time.

What the rhino did was utterly unexpected, with barely any signs to show these past days. He had been too welcoming to Ryleigh, too nice, that the cat became unmindful of the inner turmoil of Alex. He could've been holding back for so many days! And for that Ryleigh feared for himself.

"Excuse me, can I sit here?"

Ryleigh's train of thought was disrupted by a female voice and he turned to look to where the voice came from. It was from a brown mouse, wearing a pure white button-down dress that curved off to her small chest. She took off her Sunday hat that matched her dress perfectly. She was pointing towards Alex's seat, looking at him expectant.

Ryleigh looked around, half-curious and half-dreadful, he wasn't ready to be entirely alone with someone, even though it's a woman. He tried see as to why the woman wanted to seat with him, and saw that in their absence, the place had gone from almost empty to full. Passing by them and sitting, he recognized many of the furs as the parents of the children from the party outside, had they finished already? She was holding two grande-sized cups up on her paw, it would both be impolite and disrespectful if he didn't let her sit. He's gonna have to live with it.

He turned his face towards the mouse, giving her the same uncomfortable smile that he gave to Otto, "Sure you can, maam."

The brown mouse returned the smile and sat down, putting the hefty looking coffee down on the table. She didn't sound so bad, "Thank you dearie," she said, "I've been standing up for half the day already, my boy's a handful."

Ryleigh leaned forward, trying to look as interested as possible, "Your boy?" Ryleigh asked

"My son," She said, "See that party over there? The birthday celebrant's my son. Timmy." She took a swig of her coffee, blowing at it before doing so, then pushing the other coffee set on the table towards Ryleigh, "Would you care for Cinnamon? My companion just up and went, it would be a waste if this goes cold,"

"That would be a waste," Ryleigh said, contemplating whether he should take the offer or not. He looked over towards the party, now almost coming to an end and saw the boy waving at his mother. The little brown mouse seemed to regard him as well and waved to him. He felt a tinge of hatred from the back of his mind, but still he gave a forced smile, and waved back.

"You have a very beautiful son, Maam." he said, he didn't mean it, but the words, were more fluid than they were before. He held a hand out towards the Cinnamon coffee, "May I?"

"Please, do!" She said, enthused, "And please, call me Cynthia!" She held out a paw towards Ryleigh. The cat hesitated. Handshakes reminded him vividly of deals with two or more customers to take him at once. He felt himself tingle in apprehension and noticed that he spaced off. Cynthia looked at him, concerned. Her paw was still held up, and Ryleigh shook it hesitantly.

"And what might your name be boy?" She said, showing no sign that she was bothered by Ryleigh's hesitation.

Ryleigh, glad that she didn't prod, spoke "I'm R--" he stopped before he slipped, "It's Rupert. Cynthia." He gave her a confident smile and finally started taking a drink for the offered latte.

"Why hello there Rupert." She said, and took another swig of her coffee "What might you be doing at this cafe this afternoon?"

He set the coffee down, then spoke, carefully, "I-ah-I'm waiting for my Master to return."

"Master?" She said, puzzled, "Are you a servant."

"A Slave, Madam." he said and he wished he had the mind to call her by name. There was a twitch in her eyes. Whether it was because he was a slave or he called her Madam. He didn't know.

"A slave? And your master just left you here? That's quite irresponsible."

"N-no Cynthia! He's not," He yelled, and Ryleigh deemed himself an idiot. Alex, was by no means, his Master, nor was he really a Slave. He had no idea why he was defending him.

Folding his ears, flat in his skull, he spoke, "He had to do some stuff before we could go home."

"I see. I just hope that he's not abusing you."

Ryleigh pulled on his shirt's collar, the coffee was making him uncomfortably hot, "No he doesn't Maam. He's a good Master, takes care of me."

She sighed, looking disappointed, "Be careful Rupert. People play mind games with slaves. My old Master was like that to me at the start."

Ryleigh gasped, "You mean you're a Slave too?"

She nodded, "Was a slave. I'm free now."

Ryleigh grew more interested, "Can I ask what happened?"

There was silence for a while, followed by Cynthia sipping from her coffee, possibly thinking whether he should tell her story or not. Ryleigh did drank from his own cup, when he set it down, she spoke, "He was good to me. Christian. Like the religion. I was a prostitute--No, a sex slave." She said, her words hit Ryleigh,

"He was one of my customers. He was good to me and he promised to liberate me. Being a sex slave was the worst thing in the world, and I do hope that you aren't nor will you ever be," But he had been a sex slave.

"Everyday, random men would take me. Women probably had it worse than male sex slaves. We live in fear of getting pregnant and if we did, we'll get thrown away like garbage on the streets. It's either that or we get aborted." For a second she stopped, and Ryleigh expected her to be in tears, but she wasn't.

"People like us," she motioned to both herself and Ryleigh, "We're very vulnerable. We'd cling to the person who shows the smallest bit of kindness like the world depends on it. And even if we get betrayed for so many times, we'd do it again and again."

"But him. Christian. He was different. He showed genuine interest in me. Like I said, he promised to liberate me. And he did, and that was the time that I really fell in love with him. But something went wrong. As the years passed, he changed. Later on, it became clear that he was hiding his evil the whole time. He'd go home, beat me and leave me for dead. One time, he even raped me. With a stroke of bad luck, I became pregnant with his child. I tried to hide it, but that would be harmful to my child. When it came to the time that I can no longer hide it, he just suddenly disappeared."

When no more words came, it became clear that she finished, and by that time. Ryleigh's eyes were wider than ever. The air felt heavier than it did, and so did his chest. The lady poured her heart out to him, and he was too shocked to give any intelligible reply to her.

In the end, "That's terrible!" was all he said.

She sighed, and there was sadness in her eyes, but somehow, there was also relief, "It is Rupert. What I'm saying is, you shouldn't easily trust people. Being a slave entails distrust, but it also comes with naïveté to all things good. The best people you thought you knew could end up being the worst people who would lead to your end."

Ryleigh shivered.

Suddenly, the cafe door opened and the brown mouse that was Timmy came strolling around. He jumped towards his mother's bosom and hugged her tightly.

"I had a great time mom!"

"I'm glad you did Timmy!" Cynthia said, and kissed her son's head. The traces of sadness were gone, "Oh, and say hi to Rupert over here. He's the nice guy who gave me this seat."

Timmy looked at Ryleigh, "Hi Rupert," he said and took Ryleigh by surprise when he hugged him as well. Despite his earlier ramblings against the children, Timmy made his heart melt.

It made Ryleigh smile, and returned the hug. For a while, he maintained it. Timmy felt soft and cuddly, innocent. Staring down at the child's chocolate brown eyes, Ryleigh saw his own reflection. The reflection of his own, innocent blue eyes. Ryleigh suddenly felt his body harden like a rock. He was no different to a child! His mind was still innocent, pure. Naïve.

"Oh, isn't that your companion?" Cynthia said, and Ryleigh felt her son slip down from the hug. Ryleigh found himself inwardly questioning how Cynthia knew who his companion was, but didn't ask.

Ryleigh looked and found the rhino outside, he nodded towards Cynthia. There was too much tension, in their conversation, he had to get away. "Yes he is," he said, and almost eagerly, he continued, "I think I should get going now Maam."

"Thank you for the seat again Rupert. Take care. Timmy, what are you gonna say to him?"

Ogling up at Ryleigh, the child spoke, "Goodbye and take care Mr. Rupert. Be careful of the boogeyman!"

Ryleigh gave him a reluctant smile, sweating. Picking the books up, he made an effort to entertain the child one last time, "And how does the boogeyman look like?"

Timmy whimpered and there was an undisputable fear in his eyes, "We'll he looks like a big dog, but he has red eyes and sharp fangs. He almost got me once!"

Ryleigh shivered.

"Goodbye."

Cynthia waved, "Goodbye Rupert! Perhaps we'll see each other again. Soon."

He bade his goodbyes and headed outside, books in paws. They were heavy, and he imagined that Alex could've had a hard time lifting them around. But then again, the rhino was big and bulky, with muscles that he didn't have. With strong fists that could easily hit him. He mentally slapped himself. Of course Alex would never do that. Cynthia's story must have gotten into him somewhat, but he knew that it was not without merit. Her story resonated far too closely with his experiences. The latter part of her story could easily happen to him as well. But no. Alex was too nice for that. Too good. And yet, he lost control. Ryleigh felt the need to talk with the rhino, ask him if he's bothered with anything. Also to tell him that he himself was bothered with the rhino's actions. Things had to be settled down. Ryleigh wanted to dispel any of his doubts of Alex, tell him what Cynthia told him. Slowly, he approached. Alex gave no sign that he noticed Ryleigh, and he was only a foot behind him when the cat heard him converse over the phone.

"I do. I do, I'm sorry." he said, "I'm sorry if it's taking too much time but he wasn't ready yet." Ready? For what? Ryleigh thought, and he skulked closer, silent.

Close, Ryleigh heard the rhino sigh, tilting his head down.

"I'll deliver him to you in a few days."