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The first order of business, Alden decided, was food. As busy as he was, Kairos probably wouldn’t have time to eat properly. So having a nice meal waiting for him when he got back seemed like a good place to start. But he was hesitant to call on Chef Renton again. He already felt guilty about disturbing the bear when it turns out he didn’t really have to. And he definitely didn’t want to have to be near Jarris again and hear his comments. So that meant he would have to make something himself. That couldn’t be too difficult right? He took it as a good sign that he didn’t find the prospect too daunting, like cooking was something he had done regularly in his old life. The badger spent some time taking stock in the kitchen, checking every cabinet to see what ingredients he had to work with. But then it struck him that he didn’t know what kind of thing the tiger might like to eat. He had to admit he just didn’t know him very well at all yet. He took some time to think the problem through. Kairos had told him he was intelligent and adaptable. It was time to see if that was true, see how smart he really was. The way he saw it, he could either guess what his owner might like, which had a high chance of failure. Or he could find out somehow… Curious, he called up the penthouse systems on his palm computer, looking for clues. He ended up checking the records of outgoing messages and searched for instances in the past of Kairos ordering food. The thought of looking up messages regarding the mysterious previous pet popped into his head, but he resisted the temptation. He didn’t want to violate Kairos’ privacy like that. Looking for details of foods he might like was as far as he was willing to go on that front. Uncovering a large number of messages sent with food orders to Chef Renton, Alden compiled a list of dishes the tiger appeared to order on a regular basis. From there, he checked the net data-feeds and tracked down the recipes for all of them. Using those recipes, he was able to narrow down his choices, rejecting anything he didn’t have the ingredients for. That left him with a limited number of options and he rejected further dishes as being too complex, things he didn’t think he’d be able to manage successfully. Of the few dishes left after this process of elimination, he ended up selecting something relatively easy, some simply cooked beef dressed in a spicy sauce, served with a side salad. Alden got to work. He was initially a little worried about attempting to cook with Apex sized appliances and tools, but he managed. The counter-tops were a little high for him, but only enough to make the preparing of food a little awkward. And he found he could handle the utensils provided he was careful and focused. Throughout it all he remained laser-focused on doing something nice for Kairos. After more than an hour of searing meat, mixing and simmering the sauce, and preparing the salad, he was finally done. Sniffing at it, Alden had to admit it did smell good. He could only hoped it tasted right. He placed the finished meal in the refrigerator for now, knowing it could easily be reheated later, and spent even more time cleaning up the mess he had made in the kitchen, cleaning pots and pans and utensils and returned them to where he found them. By the time he was finished, he was feeling a little hungry again, and so retrieved the chocolate cake from earlier and ate every last crumb of the sweet rich dessert. Excellent food was one aspect of being an Apex pet that he was very quickly getting used to. Afterwards, Alden found himself at a loose end again. What else could he do to help Kairos? What did Kairos want that he could help with? He really wasn’t sure what else he could do... As he thought about this, the badger wandered aimlessly around the penthouse and found himself back at his room. The gifts and their packaging were still lying on the bed, so he took a moment to tidy up. The antique books went on his shelves. The selection of jewellery he laid out neatly on his desk, along with the box containing the collar. All the packaging was dumped into the waste recycling chute located in a corner of the kitchen. He remembered that Renton had mentioned a cleaner coming in the morning, but he didn’t want to leave an unnecessary mess. He wanted to be a good pet. And then it hit him. What Kairos wanted was for him to be a good pet. And that was something he could work on. Settling in on a couch in the main living area with another glass of fruit juice, the badger started searching the data feeds on his palm computer for information about pet Runts, how they were expected to behave, etiquette and protocols and things like that. It was starting to get dark, the setting sun visible on the horizon of the view from the main windows. Alden took a moment to activate the room's lighting before starting to study the results of his searching. There seemed to be different rules and expectations depending on whether the pet was at home, out in public, visiting a place of work, or attending any manner of social event. As far as he could tell, at home is where pet behaviour could be relatively informal, although respect and deference was still expected, especially with any visiting Apex. Alden was a little relieved he didn't seem to have violated any etiquette when Renton and Jarris had been here. The rest of the rules however, were more complex. Each kind of location seemed to have their own ins and outs, their own protocols. But they all still had some things in common. A pet was expected to remain by their owner's side at all times, unless being sent to fetch something or told to wait somewhere. They were not permitted to speak to any Apex unless spoken to first, and then had to be polite and respectful, no matter what was said. Alden was certain he could get the hang of all this, and continued studying, doing his best to commit it all to memory, but it started to blur together as he started to feel tired, and then… ... He was woken by a large powerful hand gently shaking him. I fell asleep, he thought as he blearily opened his eyes. Kairos was crouched beside the couch he was laying on. The big tiger looked tired, but was gazing at him with slight bemusement. “You do have a bed in your room, Alden, I’m certain I showed it to you earlier…” Alden sat up, more awake now. “I'm sorry, Master.” He yawned and stretched a little. “But I wanted to stay up to welcome you home when you got here. I didn't mean to fall asleep…” Kairos seemed a little taken aback about this, surprise registering on his features. “That… that is very thoughtful of you, my pet. But it is late and I would have understood if you had gone to bed.” Glancing out the main windows, the badger saw that it was night now, the cityscape below them drenched in shadow, broken up by the lights from windows and the glow of street lamps. Flying vehicle traffic was now reduced to only the odd skimmer here and there. A clear starry sky was overhead, with a bright half moon. The large tiger sat down beside him, sinking into the cushions, momentarily closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh, as if taking a moment to relax for the first time in many hours, which Alden suspected was probably the case. Kairos looked tired, his shoulders slumped and his clothing slightly dishevelled. Alden didn't bother asking how his day had been as it had obviously been difficult and exhausting and stressful. He looked like someone in need of some comforting. Alden knew exactly what he wanted to do, but wasn't sure if he was permitted to do so. “Master… May I hug you?” Turning to look at him, Kairos raised a puzzled eyebrow. “If you wish, my pet. But if you are not ready for such affection, I understand and…” Alden didn't let him finish, shuffling over to him and wrapping his arms around the tiger’s torso. A moment later, a muscular arm wrapped around him, pulling him even closer. The badger could feel Kairos' muscles start to relax in the hug, the tension draining away. He felt the tiger’s muzzle gently nuzzle at the top of his head. Alden wasn’t sure how long they sat there like that, relaxing in each others’ arms, but eventually, Kairos rumbled. “Why the sudden affection, my pet?” He sounded much more relaxed now. “I… I saw the news reports on the data feeds.” Alden admitted. “And so I know you must have had a rough and difficult day. So, I wanted to be a good pet and comfort you as best I could…” Kairos pulled out of the hug, just enough to look down into Alden’s eyes. He looked a little surprised. “That was very thoughtful of you, my pet.” He sighed. “But I don’t like the idea of you having to see such things… I had debated with myself how much data feed access to allow you on your computer when I bought it. Perhaps I should have set up more restrictions… You had no trouble finding your computer then? Among your gifts?” “No, Master.” Alden assured him. “And thank you for the gifts.” “You’re welcome.” Kairos nodded, a paw caressing the badger’s back. “I wish I could have been here when you opened them.” He reached up and brushed Alden’s bare neck and smiled. “Although I see there is one thing I have not missed. Why don’t you go fetch the collar? I think I’d like to end this day by placing it around your neck….” Alden eagerly obeyed, hopping up off the couch and heading for his room. But as he went, a troubling thought struck him. Kairos had said ‘the’ collar, not ‘your’ collar. The suspicion that the collar had belonged to the tiger’s previous pet resurfaced and would not go away, no matter how much he tried to tell himself it didn’t mean anything, that he was being stupid. He retrieved the box containing the collar and returned to Kairos, handing it to the tiger and sitting back down beside him. The big tiger smiled at him and opened the box, pulling out the collar, holding the soft leather carefully in his paws. “Do you like it, my pet?” And then Alden, distracted by his thoughts, let something slip out before he realised he was saying it. “Was it made for me, or for…” The badger cut himself off there, cursing inwardly at his stupidity. The mood in the room shifted dramatically in an instant, becoming colder, more tense. Kairos looked puzzled for the briefest of moments before his enhanced Apex intellect put the pieces together and knew what Alden was talking about. “You know.” The large tiger growled, his expression darkening by the moment. “About him. About Julius.” Julius. That must have been the name of the previous pet. Alden was unsure what to say. “Master, I… I…” He stammered, trying to find the right words. “How do you know?” Kairos was getting angrier by the second. He got to his feet, looming over the badger. “Did someone…” He stopped as he noticed Alden’s palm computer, laying on the couch where Alden must have dropped it when falling asleep earlier and something seemed to occur to him. He tossed the collar aside and whipped out his own computer, quickly hitting controls, checking something. Alden winced, realising what he was about to discover and how bad it would look. “You accessed my messages?” Kairos snarled in disbelief, and turned his attention back to Alden. “You violated my privacy?” “No, Master, I…” Alden tried to explain himself. But Kairos didn’t seem interested in hearing it. “How much did you read?” He demanded, rage in his eyes. “How much do you know?” Once again, Alden tried to defend himself, tried to explain. “Master, please, it’s not like that, I…” “TELL ME!” Kairos roared, claws unsheathed, towering over him, his long tail lashing. Instinctively, Alden recoiled in fear and terror, trying to scramble away from him, heart pounding, stunned into silence. Seeing the badger so frightened caused Kairos to pause. He looked down at his paws, as if just noticing that his claws were out. His expression twisted into a picture of shame as his anger drained away. He drew in a deep breath, and with a visible effort, managed to sheathe his claws. Kairos seemed thoroughly ashamed and upset and it took Alden a few seconds to realise the tiger was feeling that way about himself, not the badger. “Alden, I…” Kairos began, but suddenly stopped and turned away. When he spoke again, his voice was flat and hard-edged. “I need to sleep. It’s likely going to be another long day tomorrow. I suggest you go to bed as well. We’ll talk in the morning.” The tiger stalked away and Alden heard him enter his bedroom and close the door. Alden remained where he was, calming down, processing what had just happened, how he had screwed things up badly. He could hardly believe what he had seen. He would never have expected Kairos could be that angry, that scary and threatening. It just brought home to him that he didn’t really know the tiger very well at all. He stood up and stared sadly at the leather collar lying on the floor. After dropping it, Kairos seemed to forget it existed. Alden picked it up and returned it to its box. With a heavy heart, he returned to his room and got undressed. Then, his head spinning with fears and doubts about Kairos and his future, Alden curled up in bed and tried to sleep. To Be Continued... |
Raging Tiger/Kuman the Barbarian/Mitchell and Michael/Going Under/Beware the Transformer/That Day/Working Bears/Heart of a Hero/Apex