I got behind again. Spring break was not break-like. Spent part of it in the emergency room with Mom (she’s fine now) and the rest of it helping her out. The weather in Ohio has been lashing rain and wind, certainly not as dangerous and bad as parts of the country but enough to take out my phone/internet/power at various points.

I’m picking back up with the Sci-fi wip, Behind Blue Eyes. We’ve gotten a good look at Aneirin’s utterly inappropriate and ethically horrifying birthday present.

trigger warning: branding and using people as commodities

“Tell him your name, Toy,” Masozi snapped. “Unless Aneirin plans on just calling you, toy. It’s what I do. It’s not really important you have a name.”

“It’s important to me,” Aneirin didn’t even look back at Masozi. He and Pherick were going to have a long conversation about all of this that Masozi would have no part of. “Please.”

The Mishani eyes softened a bit. “Kaleo.”

“Well, Kaleo, I really don’t know what to do with you.”

“I’m yours.” The young man ruffled the hem of that ridiculous piece of cloth and a different scar on his hip caught Aneirin’s eye. Aneirin brushed the cloth back, revealing the Toy’s cheek.

Aneirin spun around to face his idiot friends, his heart thundered. “They branded him!”

Masozi shrugged even as Pherick’s face paled. “That’s part of the top package so everyone knows who he belongs to.”

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