Thread: Love is for Suckers [Goody + Incendo]

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.