"Remind me, again, why should I attend the stupid party?" Riki narrowed his eyes as Cal futilely tried to put collar on him. "Speak." He demanded, which was not a usual behaviour of a Pet.

Yet his master showed no anger or displeased towards his disrespectful manner but only remained his normal deadpan face and continued looking at the documents.

"Riki-sama," Cal had been pestering Riki with the collar for almost half an hour yet he still could not put it on Riki without hurting him. "Please."

Iason need not to look away from his document to know how helpless Cal was now. He sighed silently.

"Riki, be a good boy and listen to Cal." Iason did not even bother to move his eyes off from the document to look at Riki when there were piles of documents still waiting to be looked over.

"You wish," Riki glowered resentfully at Iason. When he realized that Iason would not respond to his provocation, he then glared at Cal, as if Cal was the one who wanted to put the collar on him but not Iason. "I'm not going to let Cal chain me up like a good little puppy."

When constant rebelling Riki became a disturbance for his work, Iason had to give up his thought of finishing his works before he went for the party.

Iason put the file aside on his large metallic grey desk.

"Cal," Once called by Iason, Cal immediately stopped his actions to listen to his master for any further orders. "Prepare the car. I'll take that now." He nodded towards the dark shaded leather collar on Cal's hand.

Cal, who was scared to death that he might be punish for not completing his job, now relieved and quickly walked out from the room to carry out his task after handing the collar to Iason.

"I will not go," Riki firmly said right after Cal left them alone, with crossed arms. "Didn't I already attend the so called ball, as all you perverted Blondies wish."

"That's a new word. How very creative of you," No matter how vexed he was, Iason had always find Riki delectating. No sane people - Pets especially - dared to criticize the Blondies behind their back, let alone to flay them to their faces.

"Daryl must have taught you before, that a Free Party is significantly different from a Show-Up Ball, I supposed?" Riki was as pale as ghost when Iason mentioned Daryl's name, remembering the dreadful memories Daryl gave him. Daryl was Riki's previous Furniture, often did awful things to Riki under Iason's command.

"Even if they are the same, by any chance, to go or not to go, that is nothing you can decide," A trace of chilliness slowly emerged in his usual coolness. "Come." He ordered.

For a moment Riki considering resisting, but the chilliness in Iason's voice reminded him one brutal day he spent four years ago, when he ignored Iason's words and left the room without permission.

"There will be consequences…" Iason picked up a whip put on the table where the other implements of punishment also placed. "If you chose to disobey me."

Riki could still clearly remember the retribution when he disobeyed Iason. Those split blood. Those lashed flesh. Even his own shrieks echoed in his brain when he recalled.

"Riki."