Thread: Love is for Suckers [Goody + Incendo]

All the things she had to say were nice and good. Unexpectedly, he felt a burst of pride in providing well for his sapien. Even if the literature couldn't agree on the best methods for how to maintain control of livestock, one of the methods that was a great contender was keeping the saps happy. A happy sap wouldn't run away or try to hurt their Master, after all. So, the fact that she already considered this life a great improvement on her previous one made him feel like he'd succeeded at something yet again. Not only did he have the means to purchase a sap but he was pretty good at owning one too. Hah! Suck it, Tallen! Howe watched the shift in her expression as she answered about her favorite foods, giving him such a disappointing answer. Then again, with the supposed quality of food on the farms, it was no wonder she'd probably not have access to a whole lot of options. Content with this and growing thoughtful, Howe picked up her arm, the one opposite the limb he'd sucked on earlier, and fed from her. Just a light sip, a few gulps and he was ready for sleep again and he left her to return back to his bed. When Howe woke again the sun was setting in the sky. Getting ready for work, he showered and shaved, dressing in a nice woolen shirt, khaki pants, with his typical leather jacket over top. His guns and holsters were strapped and tucked under each arm under his jacket and his badge hung on a metal cord around his neck. He had breakfast with his sap, thankful for once to be able to eat at home and not have to gulp down sap from a can as he rushed out the door. On his way out, he quickly looked over the food in the cupboards, making note of what she'd eaten and if he needed to make a visit to the store yet. Probably not yet she still had plenty left. He was elated on the drive to work, singing along to the radio and the latest Frith bands. Walking through the doors of the Enforcement station, Howe was caught off guard by the Enforcers gathered in the ground floor holding area. Stopping to check it out, he became concerned when he saw Tallen standing by, watching the proceedings. Tal, what's happening? Howe asked as he approached. Instantly, Tallen was apprehensive as he looked at his partner, stepping in front of him with hands lightly raised to keep him from moving forward. Howe...listen to me...it's just a bad situation... But Howe was barely listening to him, his eyes seeing red as he watched beyond his partner's shoulder as the Frith restaurant owner they'd arrested last night, the scum sucker they'd caught prostituting his saps, was being let out of cell. And everyone was just standing around like this was unfortunate but totally okay. Hey! What the--?! Tallen, what in the Keksjar is going on??? Howe tried to walk past, even struggling to push past his partner's guarding arms but Tallen was holding him fast and shaking his head. Stop, Howe! Stop! There's nothing we can do! It's already been done. When Howe stopped fighting him long enough to give him a confused sneer, Tallen handed him the file he had in his hand, explaining the contents as Howe opened it and read. They came down from up top just before sunset with the paperwork. It was a psyche evaluation. Quickly, Howe skimmed it, blurting out incredulously, Unconscious??? Are you serious? That scumsucker knew exactly what he was doing with those saps! It was a planned and coordinated business plan! Oh hells nah! Howe was shaking his head and shoving his partner aside, even as Tallen urged him, Don't do anything stupid, Howe! Stalking down the hall, Howe recognized one of the Frith standing by and watching and instantly understood where the root of all the current night's problems had come from. Hey! If it isn't Dr. Powell, he spat in contempt, the diminutive Frith turning at the sound of his name being called. Walking up to confront the man, Howe said in his most antagonistic tone of voice, You clotsucking thorn in my side. What the hell do you think you're doing? He shook the file with the release forms like it was the most unreasonable piece of garbage he'd ever seen. Because, frankly, that's what it was. Well, if it isn't Howe, my dear old friend, the skinny little man said in a raspy, high-toned voice. At risk of stating the obvious, because it appears you've already read the paperwork, I'm currently releasing a poor, demented soul from your holding cells. Demented? Deviant criminal, you mean, Howe countered. The guy's perverted scum, not crazy. You can't honestly believe he was not aware of himself when he was taking advantage of all those saps. On the contrary, Dr. Powell purred confidently. Since I'm the one who conducted the interview and filed the report, that is exactly what I believe. He expressed to me a disassociated tendency in regards to how he approached the sapiens in his restaurant. His disconnect from reality forced him into a state of mind where he was never truly in control of his passions or his actions and not quite fully aware of them either. Bullshit, Howe hissed, watching with boiling fury behind his eyes as the topic of conversation was being escorted down the hall the other direction. That's where they processed prisoners for release, returning any belongings that had been confiscated upon arrest. Dr. Powell, the skinny little turd, smirked condescendingly. I know that in your world where there are definitive good guys and bad guys, sometimes the world of gray can look a bit scary or threatening to you. But I promise you, there are nuances to the dynamics of Frith and human relations that the medical community has just barely started chipping at the surface of. Oh, you're so right doc. Sounds awfully convincing when you put it like that. Let's go ahead and let the guy go without any consequences then. That'll be the start of the real discoveries, then, right? Howe said in obviously sarcastic and jibbing tones. Dr. Powell was nonplussed, He'll be fined and forced to attend therapy to deal with his madness in the proper way. He belongs in therapy, not jail. You're right, Howe agreed, mockingly. He doesn't belong in jail. He belongs on death row. Obviously bored with their argument, Dr. Powell gave him another tight-lipped grin, before turning to walk away. Good to see you're still dealing with that anger, Enforcer, the raspy voice smugly said over his shoulder. And Howe watched him retreat with the foulest sense of impotence. Dr. Powell, contrary to what he said, was not a friend of Howe's. Some years back when Howe had applied to rise in the ranks from Catchersomeone who hunts down Farm and restaurant runaway sapiens and brings them back to Enforcer, the good Dr. Powell had done his assessment interview. And the clotsucker had almost ruined any chances for Howe to have a career with what he had to say about Howe's sympathies for saps. And now, he was releasing a Frith that had obvious deviant issues regarding the animals that, among other things let Howe know that it was purely egotistical with the respected psychiatrist. He changed his moral compass to fit any particular situation whatever would cause the most frustration and damage to Howe's life and career. A little later, Howe sat at his desk, brooding over the release forms, thinking of the wasted hours they'd spent bringing that stupid restaurant owner in. And now, he'd probably attend therapy a couple times before moving to a different district or state and opening up a new business to do the exact same thing. Howe's job just wasn't fair sometimes. When Tallen sat at his own desk, he silently watched his partner for a moment before finally speaking. So, you never did update me about your new sap, he said with a flippant shrug. Grateful for the opportune distraction, Howe looked up and smiled. Oh, it's great. She's subservient, obedient, clean. I had warm, fresh sap this morning for breakfast. And I had a nice mid-noon snack as well. Gosh, it's so nice you know? Not having to wake up in the middle of the day for a little drink and getting that sour, bland clot from a can. Or putting it in a bowl in the microwave and taking it out and it's got this gross, thin film of fatty protein over it-- Well, shit all over my life, why don't ya? Tallen huffed in mock disgruntlement. Howe finally broke a grin and laughed, Tallen breaking his own sarcastic deadpan to laugh along with him. ------ Howe got home about 3 in the morning after another hard day of work. No busts that night but plenty of ongoing investigations creeping along. The thing about catching Frith who abused humans, physically and sexually, was mostly that you had to catch someone propositioning for it. An Enforcer could tell a place rented its saps if when approached, the females were open to the prospect. More often than not, though, they were trained to ask if the proposer was an Enforcer, which by law, they had to admit to when asked outright. So, it required undercover work by informants, private citizens working with the law to help root out abusers. And sometimes, informants went rogue or off-grid, growing to become just as deviant as those they were supposedly trying to help the Enforcers catch. So, Howe's evenings were spent following leads and catching up with informants, trying to determine if they had fallen prey to the nasty desires themselves or if they were telling the truth about what they'd found out. Walking through the door of his house, Howe looked around, expecting to see his sap, then realizing with a mild embarrassment that she was probably asleep. Going over to her door, Howe listened for a moment, hearing the soft, even cadence of her slumbering breath, before he pressed the button to open her door. With nothing but the light of the main room to guide him, Howe approached her bed in the darkness, remaining quiet so as not to disturb her. He didn't know why it was important to him not to wake her after all, she belonged to him and he was hungry. If he wanted to eat, who cared if she woke up? After the difficult night he'd had, all he wanted to do was sit on his couch, drink sap from Amina's arm and watch TV until he was ready for sleep. But as he stood over her, watching her sleep, he felt reluctant to untuck her and haul her out. Maybe another night but tonight...his empathy button was being pushed for some reason. So, instead, Howe hunched over at the side of her bed, gently pulling her arm free of her covers. Slipping his teeth into the veins in the crook of her arm, Howe drew from her, panting lightly as the pleasure of her taste hit him all over again.