Hey there! Well, here's another update, sorry it's taken so long.
Every day Daryl took Rion and Guy to go see their mother. Riki was relieved to see that the boys were fine, though he really didn't like the thought of them staying with Iason. But they seemed to be fine. After a week the doctors told the mongrel that they wouldn't take care of him anymore, no matter what influential Blondie was paying for his treatment. So he was kicked out to the street... only to be picked up by Daryl in the hover car. The twins were waiting in the back and curled up against Riki once he was settled in.
The ride to the penthouse wasn't eventful. Rion and Guy curled up against Riki while he and Daryl chatted about things that didn't matter. He wanted to get rid of some of his nerves... seeing Iason again was going to be stressful. The mongrel already resolved that he wouldn't use violence against the man, but he wanted to confront him SOMEHOW. Obviously since the Blondie wasn't the same man, he planned to take his children and leave Eos. Make Iason give them enough credits to survive for a bit and go far away. Riki put his arms around the children and smiled softly at the thought of living somewhere nice without worrying about Jupiter or Iason coming after them to kill them.
But his thoughts were brought short by the vehicle stopping. They were in front of the Tanagura Tower. The kids climbed out the door and ran up to the entrance, laughing at something or another and gaining small smiles from the elite and pets around who had gotten used to them. Riki lowered his head so his bangs hid his face and trudged towards the elevators. "Kids, behave." He said in a deep, commanding tone. Instantly the twins stopped laughing and just went to stand by the elevator, looking sullen for being chastised.
"Aww, did that mean man tell you to be quiet?" Riki raised an eyebrow when he saw a blue haired pet bending to talk to HIS children. "Here. How about you two share this candy and we can see your pretty smiles, alright?" He handed the kids a large piece of chocolate and patted them on the head before leaving. Riki sighed. If they were getting candy, then they were going to be awake all night. But he couldn't muster the heart to take it from them and decided to ponder how popular his kids seemed to be getting.
Daryl led everyone into the elevator. Riki thought that the ride would never end, he was much too nervous. But it did and the elevator doors dinged open. Right away the twins burst out, running to play with some of their new toys. Daryl left to hurry to the kitchen and fix everyone a big celebration dinner. But Riki hung back... not sure if he should go inside yet or not. It was too nerve wracking. How to tell Iason that he had to leave?
He didn't get the chance to wait any longer. Iason turned the corner and saw Riki waiting in the elevator. The Blondie and the mongrel stared at each other for a long, endless moment. Riki finally broke, lowering his eyes and stepping out into the entryway. He didn't say a word, though.
"Riki..." Iason breathed. He had a million things to say. He wanted to apologize, to beg for forgiveness and to tell him he loved him and missed him. But he couldn't manage more than his former pet's name. The Blondie moved forward as well and put his arms around Riki's shoulders, hugging him close like he'd wanted to do for too long.
But the mongrel had to ruin the moment by tensing up and speaking. "Iason, I'm leaving. I don't feel safe with you anymore. And I'm taking my children with me." If Iason really paid attention, he would have noticed the emotion at the end of Riki's sentance and how it had cut short.
He pulled back from the hug, but kept his hands on Riki's shoulders, trying to look down into his eyes but only meeting his face hidden in bangs. "Our children... you want to take them and go back to Ceres?"
Riki shook his head. "No.. I want to take MY children and leave Eos forever. Go somewhere where you won't be able to find us and kill us once you snap out of this little phase you're going through."
"OUR children." The Blondie protested. "They're half mine. You can't take them from me! I won't allow it!"
Finally Riki raised his head and let his gaze meet Iason's. His eyes were cold and hard, though they were wet with tears. "Since when in the past five years have you done a single thing for them? They're MY children. And how are you going to stop me? Ask Jupiter for help? We'll leave and you can serve your precious computer without us here wasting your time."
The Blondie was too stunned to come up with a reply. So Riki wrenched his shoulders from his grip and walked down the hall to where he assumed his children were staying. "Riki..." Iason called after him, but he didn't stop. "Riki! They're my children too!" Still nothing. "Riki, I remember everything! I remember that I love you!" That made the mongrel pause briefly and look over his shoulder.
"It's illegal and morally wrong for a master to harbor intimate feelings for his pet." He spat out, remembering the words that Iason had said to him so long ago. With that he disappeared into the children's room, leaving Iason in the hall feeling lost and deeply hurt.
I'll have another one, coming up real soon. I'm adding little bits and pieces on still, so the end won't come quite as quick as I thought it would. It is nearing the last bits, though!