I’m house sitting for my brother and his wife, taking care of all their cats, two boys kitties under one and a 20 year old diabetic boy cat

Picking back up with Kaleo and Aneirin, the former of whom asked Aneirin to space him rather than refuse him as a gift.

“Aneirin,” he replied and at Kaleo’s quizzical look. “My name is Aneirin. You may use it, Kaleo. I’ve never been one to be called by my title, and I’m most definitely not going to shove you out the airlock.” He pried Kaleo’s fingers free. “I’m also not going to give you back to them, especially not without investigating this more.”

“Only three ways it ends, you keep me, you send me back or you sell me to someone else,” Kaleo argued, this time locking his hand around Aneirin’s wrist. His grip hurt. “If I have to back, I want to die!”

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It’s been a weekend of festivals and heat exhaustion. I am not made for heat. At least I had fun looking at gems and meeting someone from Wales (as I was wearing a Welsh hat). Too bad all the Welsh I know went right out of my head when she asked did I speak it.

Continuing on with Aneirin and Kaleo getting to know each other in Aneirin’s shuttle craft (Yeah it’s a bit longer than 6 sentences)

Aneirin didn’t miss the subtle quiver of Kaleo’s wiry body. Whatever the reconditioning Masozi mentioned was, it had to be horrible. Kaleo wore the stink of someone who had been up all night in a cold sweat. Still, there was hope in his eyes mixed heavily with fear. “You worried about that all night, didn’t you? I can see you didn’t rest. Masozi mentioned reconditioning. I haven’t read the bio and whatever else came with my new ownership of you. I don’t know what it means.”

“I only know the rumors. I heard the screams.” Kaleo’s larynx bobbed as he swallowed hard. “My trainers told me it was from the reconditioning, and if I didn’t want to end up there, I had best listen to them. I did whatever the fucks they wanted me to.” A hint of a blush colored his face. “Sorry, they never beat the cursing out of me. They tried.”

“I’m not offended.”

“Doctor, if you don’t want me, put me out the airlock now. Please.” Kaleo’s voice trembled and broke, his shivering becoming more pronounced. He grabbed hold of Aneirin’s shirt. “Don’t send me back to them.”

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Summer is full here and that never makes me happy. I miss the oddly cool June. I am not made for heat.

I’m continuing with the get to know you conversation in the shuttlecraft between Kaleo and Aneirin. It’s a wee bit (i.e. a lot) over 6 sentences.

Kaleo spoke so casually about the violence he had suffered, Aneirin couldn’t comprehend it for a moment. Violence was light years from Aneirin’s reality. “I’m not going to use a pain inducer on you.” He wasn’t even sure they were entirely legal but now that he thought about, every Toy he had seen had one. He’d never paid much attention and that bothered him. “ I’m stuck with you for now. You’ll have to trust me to do right by you, and I’ll have to do the same.”

Kaleo made a face. “Trust no one, that’s what keeps you alive. I forgot and look where I am.” He rubbed his reddened eyes. “You really don’t want me, do you, Master?” The honorific got spat out like a piece of gristle.

“You don’t have to call me that, Kaleo, and no, I didn’t but it changes nothing. You’re my responsibility.”

“She called you doctor, that lady.” Kaleo pressed his fingers against the pain-inducer. “You taking this out?”

“Not that kind of doctor, but I’ll have it removed.”

“Does that mean you’re not sending me back, doctor? Please don’t send me back.” Even in the bright light of the cabin, Kaleo’s pupils were round and huge, a sure sign his sympathetic nervous system was still fully engaged.

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Back in the Pittsburgh area for the rest of the summer. I need to be working on a dozen things and I really should get to them before the novel edits arrive.

Still continuing on with the sci-fi wip. Kaleo was telling Aneirin about the pain inducer embedded in him and inviting him to try it out if that’s what he likes.

Aneirin curled his lip. “I’m not going to find out. I’ll talk to Mireio and see what’s involved in removing it.”

A wicked grin, giving hints to the real mind hiding under the Toy training, spread across Kaleo’s face. “Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to control me? I might murder you in your sleep without it. It even says so in that guide they gave you. They want you to be sure you remember I’m from the slums.”

Aneirin snorted. “I’m not likely to forget. Even if you were to murder me in my sleep, where would you go? There’s nowhere to run to. Without the i.d. chip in your wrist, you can’t so much as buy something out of a vending machine, let alone make a shuttle go.”

“Yeah, I said the same shit to them and they turned this thing on high for….” Kaleo shrugged. “Don’t know really. I passed out.”

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Sorry I’ve gone awol again. I was in New Mexico having a blast, was home for a few days then off to the Steampunk Symposium, also a blast and then headlong into teaching STEM camp and I was signed up for 5th grade. I am not used to dealing with ten year olds especially not 30 of them. I had no spoons left for any of this

I’m continuing with Behind Blue Eyes, Aneirin is in the process of taking his ‘gift’ home but still has no idea what to do with a living being. He had asked if Kaleo wants to be a courtesan and the answer was ‘I can’t know if I do.’

Aneirin blinked. He wasn’t expecting that answer. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“They do stuff to you when they get you into the Toy factory,” Kaleo spat, his body tensing. Aneirin wondered if his Toy would lash out with his balled fists, a hint of fear licking up his throat.

“I’m sorry,” Aneirin replied, helplessly. He touched the silvery device imbedded in Kaleo’s left collarbone. “Is that a pain-inducer?”

Kaleo shuddered under Aneirin’s touch. “You have the control for it. That woman handed it to you.” He tilted his head against the back cushion, as if displaying himself. “I can take a lot, if that’s what you like. I’ll make you happy.”

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