"Ari, can you pass the pears?" Laura asked the female chimp. After last night, Ari had invited Laura to her place for dinner. Her father's house was much bigger than Nald's, which made sense because he had Ari and several servants. His house was placed right up against the rocky mountainside and held aloft by a large tree underneath. Plants and smaller trees decorated the inside and Laura couldn't help but see it as a very calming space. When she had arrived a few human servants had served them various fruits along with refreshments. It was nice to see how kind Ari was to her servants, asking them how their day had been and if everything was alright. Laura had yet to meet Senator Sandar though. Ari had told her he was very busy with getting things ready for the gala. It would seem she may have to wait until the event to meet him.

Ari passed the pears and Laura looked through them before picking out a juicy one and taking a bite. "You seem very different from the humans I've met so far."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Laura replied with a big grin. Ari chuckled as a response and placed her chin in her hands. Not wanting to stay on that topic Laura quickly changed the subject. "So tell me, what will this gala be like?"

"I guess calling it a gala isn't really a correct term for it. It's mostly a way for the Senators to appease the population. The ones invited will get a chance to speak to the Senators and tell them their opinions on how things should be. The senators can choose to listen or not. Usually, they go based on numbers, whichever opinion they hear the most of they will take into consideration. It's their way of making the general population think they have a say in what happens around them. The truth is, the Senators just do as they please and the rest fall in line."

Laura looked up and noticed how Ari's jaw had tightened in anger but her eyes seemed lit with a certain kind of sadness. The way things were really seemed to bother her, it was obvious she wanted things to be better not only for humans but for other apes as well. It made Laura feel like she could truly trust Ari, she wanted to tell her everything. Still, something stopped her. Laura may have wanted to trust her, but she had still only just met her. Time would tell if she should take that chance or not.

"What is the general opinion, Ari?"

The young ape shook her head and sighed, "General Thade and some of the other Senators have done their best to spread fear of the humans among the common people. Senator Nald has done his best to curb the damage of their words, but there's only so much he can do."

Laura thought hard and placed her finished pear on her plate. "Then maybe, we need to change the common ape's opinion of my people."

Ari looked up at her and raised her brows, "I don't know how you think you can manage to achieve that, as well as go up against the Senators."

"Well, truthfully we don't really need to change their opinion completely, but we could try and make them start to doubt," She ran her hand through her hair and leaned back in her seat. "From what you're telling me, it doesn't sound very promising, doesn't mean we shouldn't try though."

A heavy thump from the balcony drew Ari's attention and Laura quickly averted her gaze to the dining room tabletop. If this was Senator Sandar she didn't want to insult him in any way. According to Ari, her father was slowly starting to come around to her views and Laura didn't want to ruin that by accidentally insulting him.

"Why am I not surprised to find her here." The voice was gravelly and it made Laura smile as she realized right away who it was and she turned to face the balcony.

"Thade, there is a door," Ari said, her voice cool as ice as she stood up from the table. It almost looked like Ari was trying to shield Laura from his view. The protective gesture made Laura's heart swell.

"What is that human doing here Ari?" He demanded, his gaze shifting from her to Laura.

"I invited her, she is my guest," Ari replied crossing her arms. "Though I fail to see how its any of your business." Laura didn't hide her chuckle at how well Ari was standing her ground. It reminded her of herself.

Thade narrowed his eyes and growled a warning, "She's rabid Ari, She'll be a bad influence on you."

"You can speak to me directly you know," Laura snapped, finally deciding to cut in. She crossed her legs and got comfortable, "Then again, I guess you could always speak to me at the gala. It seems my master is insisting that I attend with him."

His gaze landed back on her and he took a step closer. "Your kind doesn't belong there human. Our laws and politics don't concern you. The sooner the Senators come to their senses and allow me to exterminate your filth the better."

"Aw, you wound me," Laura replied mockingly as she placed her hand over her heart, "I thought after our lovely Incident in the market you would have seen my charms by now. Especially when you pushed up against me, and in public no less."

The look of pure hatred that came over his face was enough to make Laura feel empowered. He looked like he was gonna launch himself at her, but Ari stepped between them and kept her gaze locked on the General. "What are you doing here Thade? You must have some business."

With a huff of annoyance, he turned his gaze to the floor and let out a deep breath. Laura watched as some of the tension left his shoulders and his fists unclenched. Once he seemed to have his anger in check he replied, "I need to speak with your father, I thought he would be here."

"He's out, he's been very busy with the gala. You can find him elsewhere. I'll tell him you stopped by." Ari was hoping that would suffice. He let out a grunt and cast a last glaring look at Laura, which she took as an opportunity to wink at him. His eyes narrowed but he turned and jumped off the balcony.

Once he was gone Ari turned to face her with a shocked expression, "Do you have any idea how much danger you are in right now," She sat back down and placed a hand over Laura's, "He will not rest until you pay for his humiliation."

Laura didn't doubt her, but she had an ace up her sleeve and for now, she was gonna enjoy messing with him. Yet deep in the recesses of her mind she couldn't help but wonder why. Why was she taking this kind of risk? Her life was at stake here, he could kill her, and yes it would possibly mean his downfall but she would be dead, what would it even matter to her? Yet messing with him gave her more pleasure than when she messed with other people of authority. Maybe it was the escalated risk, or maybe it was something else she hadn't even realized yet.

Only time will tell. She thought to herself as she took a sip from her glass.

Once it started to get dark Laura decided it was time to head back home. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you? What if something happens to you," Ari asked looking out the door with worry written all over her face. Once again she felt a warm fuzzy feeling for the sweet ape girl.

"Ari, I'll be fine. I'm sure the guards will keep the Senator's 'property' safe enough on her way back to him," Laura replied rolling her eyes at the notion of her being anybody's property. She then walked down the stairs and through the dark city. The guards were on patrol and there were few other apes or humans out at this time of night. But when she got further into the city she started to feel eyes following her. Looking around she didn't see anyone but she could definitely feel them as the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

She rubbed the back of her neck and continued on her way. Until she heard something and she stopped completely. Whoever it was, they felt close, much too close for comfort.

"Human!"

Laura felt herself jump at the words and gasped loudly. Looking behind her she realized it was just one of the guards heading towards her. "Do you have a reason for being out this late and without your handler?"

She let out a sigh of relief and did as Nald told her to do if anyone stopped her. Laura lifted her head up and let the guard get a get look at her collar. Once he saw the engravings on it he immediately nodded his head and waved her along, "Get back to your master quickly human, these streets aren't always safe for your kind."

"Of course, I'll get back as quickly as possible." She replied politely before heading back down the road and towards Nald's. After the encounter, she couldn't feel eyes on her anymore. Her nervousness vanished and she told herself it had just been her mind playing tricks on her.

They should really put bells on those guards though. He nearly gave me a damn heart attack!

When she was back home she noticed Nald at the table doing some paperwork. He looked up and acknowledged her before returning to looking at his papers. "How was your visit?"

Laura walked over and sat down across from him. "It was good, nothing really exciting, we mostly talked about the gala."

The next day Nald informed her that he was heading into the marketplace to pick out her gala dress, and wanted to know if she cared to join him. She agreed happily and changed into one of her fine dresses while also donning her collar. While Laura was a bit excited about the event she was also nervous. How could she change the minds of apes that didn't even know her? It was going to take some real finesse.

Yeah, and I'm so damn good at that.

Once they arrived at the stalls, Nald turned to her, "Why don't you look around while I find something nice for you. I'm sure there's plenty here to entertain you. Just keep your wits about you, and if you run into any trouble make sure they get a good look at your collar."

While Laura was thinking of protesting, the thought passed through her mind that she might be able to catch a glimpse of Leo if he were there. She nodded at her master and walked in a random direction. For a while, she was optimistic about her search but all she found were servants and other apes. While trying to navigate through the crowd, she kept getting pushed and stepped on. So when she saw an empty alleyway she dove for it and looked through the other side. Looking through the vast amount of apes and humans she still couldn't see any trace of Leo at all. Laura swallowed hard and tried to keep her faith alive, she would find him, it would just take time. This was a pretty large city after all. Just as she was about to take a step out she felt someone grab her by the back of the neck and pull her back into the alleyway.

Laura let out a yelp of surprise and felt the air escape her lungs when her back hit the rock wall behind her. There was a hand pressed against her mouth and a dagger pressed against her throat. The general was looking down at her with a smug look and growled in her ear, "You should have stayed by your master's side human, maybe he should have kept you on a leash." Laura felt her heart racing in her chest and tried to stay calm. "What? No smart remark?" He pressed the dagger closer to her neck.

Oh, come on Laura why don't you just show him your collar!? She thought sarcastically.

Laura closed her eyes briefly from the feel of the metal against her skin and felt her whole body shutter. Adrenaline shot through her and her breathing became rapid. Still, she looked at him with nothing but defiance, she refused to let him know that she was afraid of him. Thade stared at her for a moment through slit eyes before removing the knife from her neck. He replaced it by wrapping his hand around her throat.

She knew she couldn't really talk with his hand over her mouth, which made the situation even worse since she couldn't use the only ace she had against him. Somehow she was going to have to get him to remove it. The thought of just licking his hand came to mind, but when she went to do it she noticed that Thade wasn't even paying attention to her. His eyes were downcast and aside from his hand at her throat and the other at her mouth, It was like she wasn't even there. His hand was applying pressure to her throat but not near enough to cut off the flow of oxygen. It was more like he was waiting for something.

When Thade suddenly looked back up into her eyes he seemed pleased with himself. "You can try and act brave all you want, but your heartbeat gives you away," He snarled at her and gripped her throat tighter, "You're afraid."

Well, no fucking shit! Who wouldn't be afraid of being dragged into an alleyway with a knife pressed against their throat?

There was no time for her to roll her eyes at him, she needed to get his hand away from her mouth. Frantically she reached for his wrist and tried to pull his hand away, but Thade only huffed at her in annoyance. He was much stronger than her, and he knew it. So it came down to only one choice. With an annoyed glare, she stopped fighting him, and her arms fell back to her sides. Thade gave her a suspicious look before his eyes suddenly went wide and he pulled back his hand from her mouth with a yelp. Laura had bit the palm of his hand. She tried to keep the laugh from coming out of her mouth but failed horribly.

The rage in his eyes when he looked back at her knocked the smile off her face. Thade pulled his dagger out of his holster and started to come at her as he spat at her, "You shouldn't have done that human."

Slowly, Laura started sliding to the side, keeping her back against the wall. "You shouldn't be trying to kill me when you would be the number one suspect."

The General stopped in his tracks and glared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on Thade, you really think you can threaten me in public and nobody is going to tell Nald about it? The fruit vendor told my master everything, and he wasn't very happy about it," Laura replied crossing her arms over her chest, "If you kill me here, Nald will know it was you. I don't know what he would do to you, but it probably wouldn't be pretty."

Thade turned his gaze away from her and was quietly seething to himself. She could see his chest rising and falling quickly and his fists clenching and unclenching. Laura sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Look, I don't think it's just about me. You are ignoring the fact that he's a Senator. I'm his 'property', you can't threaten me without it feeling like you are threatening him."

He let out a growl of annoyance and turned back to her. "Why warn me? Afraid to die just to punish me?"

Laura wanted to laugh at him for a moment, "I knew it could save my life if you came for me. Don't think you are so important that ruining you would be worth my life," She explained as she moved away from the wall and wiped at the dirt on her dress, hoping to herself that it wouldn't stain the fabric.

"I have never met a human as frustrating as you are," Thade growled, and Laura merely looked back up at him with a smile.

"Well, that's because you've never met a human like me General."

Thade clenched his jaw and fought the urge to launch himself at her and break her neck. Laura, of course, noticed the sound of his teeth grinding together and grew a devilish smirk. "Come on now don't take it so hard. I do so love our little get-togethers, don't you?"

That did it, as Thade charged at her and gripped her by the front of her dress, pulling her body up against his and his face close to hers. "Shut up human, or I'll shut you up myself," He snapped at her.

Laura wasn't impressed with his empty threat, but still, she felt her pulse quicken from how close they were to each other. Her eyes met his and for a moment she froze. The way he was looking at her it almost seemed like he was trying to figure her out. She swallowed hard and felt her hands grow clammy. Thade suddenly seemed to register that she was looking back at him but to her surprise, he didn't push her away. Laura could feel a strange tension bubbling between them and she felt herself bite her lip. Her eyes wandered down to his mouth, "Oh, I wish you would."

His brow furrowed like he was trying to understand her words before his eyes grew large and he shoved her away from him. "You're disgusting," He said through clenched teeth and he didn't make eye contact with her. For a split moment, she wondered if he was even speaking to her or to himself.

Laura was surprised herself, she hadn't even been thinking when the words had left her mouth. Maybe she just couldn't stand the tension and she knew those words would get him to back away. She felt herself bite the inside of her cheek, and she chuckled to herself. There was a different thought that crossed her mind but she refused to acknowledge it right now.

"I need you to take me back to Nald."

Thade narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head. "Why would I do that? I doubt your master wants to see me anywhere near you."

"You will take me back to Nald, and I will explain how I got lost. You found me and as a way of apology to my master, you brought me back to him," She explained as she started to head back towards the end of the alleyway.

Thade growled in his throat but still came up behind her and roughly snagged her wrist causing Laura to flinch. She watched as he smirked at her pain.

Dick bag.

He led her out of the alleyway and pulled her into the market place. "I last saw him at the silk stall," Laura directed him when he turned to her. He then pulled her after him and it bothered her how many apes stopped to stare. They probably thought she was in some kind of trouble, she noticed as a few of the apes even chuckled at the sight. They probably thought he was going to kill her and they found that prospect amusing. Laura felt her stomach churn.

They found Nald a few stalls down from the silks, he was looking over a jewelry stall when they approached. The minute he caught sight of them rage replaced the easy smile he had. "What is this?! You will release her-"

Before the senator could continue Laura stepped between them and stopped Nald in his tracks. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine!"

Nald seemed surprised and came closer pulling her away from the general and close to his side. "Tell me what happened Dahlia."

Laura laid her eyes on Thade before turning towards her 'master' and giving him a convincing smile. "I got lost in the alleyways, I thought I knew the market better than I really do. If he hadn't found me, who knows how long I would have been lost. He knew you would be worried and so he brought me back to you safely."

Nald seemed to think about her words and look her over before turning to Thade. "Is this true general?"

Thade looked over at Laura before replying to Nald, "The alleyways are dangerous Senator, you should keep a closer eye on her in the future."

"Thank you for returning her to me. Maybe I was wrong to assume," Nald said with a strained voice. Laura was close enough to hear his teeth grind together. He really didn't like Thade, and she wondered to herself why. It seemed a lot deeper than just being about her or his authority.

He still didn't seem to trust the General, but it looked like things were better then they had been. "Come along Dahlia, I found what we came for." Laura nodded and watched as her 'master' turned and started towards the way home.

When she went to follow after him she felt Thade grab her wrist again and she turned back towards him. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing-"

"That's exactly it though General, It is a game," Laura said cutting him off and pulling her arm back away from him, "A game I intend to win."