Vincent's Decision
Vincent shut the door behind him, then spent a few moments leaning against the door. Why had he confided to Katze that his mother was a pet? It's not like it was anyone's business, or that it changed anything about him. Pet mother or no, he was still considered a mongrel.
Sighing, Vincent made his way to the stairwell, climbing to the fifth floor. He walked to his door and put his hand against the security panel. The panel scanned his hand before beeping, the door sliding open.
Vincent stepped inside, the door sliding closed behind him. The door panels were pretty much the only thing high-tech about these apartments. Inside it was clean but clearly worn down. All he had was a small moth-eaten couch that folded out into a bed, a radio, a low table that was a board suspended between two upright bricks, a stove with only one working eye and an oven that didn't work at all and a small outdated refrigerator which was currently empty. Other than a few personal items and clothes, these were all his worldly possessions.
This is the apartment he had shared for thirteen years with his mother before her untimely death. This was the same apartment she often brought clients. Vincent had always wandered the streets during these times. He had never been to school. What little reading and writing education he had was what his mother had taught him, though even she knew little herself. She said pets were often kept illiterate when she had lived in Tanagura.
Vincent took a good look around, considering. Should he take Omaki up on his offer? After all, what did he have to lose? He knew that there was almost no chance of advancement while he lived in Ceres. He would spend the rest of his life always looking for work, going hungry and freezing in the winter. Even though there were other ways for mongrels to become citizens, it was a slow process. This would only take a year.
After one last glance around, he made up his mind. He would do it. Even if it was unpleasant, it couldn't possibly be worse than his life right now.
Katze's comment about Omaki taking his pets made him decidedly nervous, but at least Omaki was good-looking and no doubt disease-free, unlike the mongrels such as those that had chased him earlier.
Vincent slowly doffed his pants and shirt, turned out the light and crawled into his lumpy bed but he had too much on his mind to fall asleep easily. He just hoped he was making the right choice.
Katze stared at the door for a while after Vincent shut the door. He sensed that Vincent didn't want to talk anymore about his mother. Katze sighed and took a drag of his cigarette before pulling out and heading back to Midas. His phone went off. He answered "Katze here".
"Did you drop Vincent off?" came Omaki's voice.
"Yeah". Katze answered.
"Did he say anything else? Do you think he will agree?"
Katze was silent for a moment, considering.
"I think it's a possibility. He didnt say no outright. But I found out something interesting. It turns out his mother was a pet".
"A pet?" Omaki exclaimed surprised. "How can his mother be a pet?"
Katze took another drag and then answered "Apparently his mother had been sold to a brothel in Midas. Once she was no longer young and attractive enough, they threw her out on the street and the only place she could find any work was in Ceres. Vincent's father was one of his mother's clients. He said she died but he didn't go into anymore detail".
"Well, that explains why he is so pretty for pretty for a mongrel," Omaki remarked.
"And why he's so frail" Katze answered. Pets were beautiful and sensuous but they were not especially hardy. Their immune systems were not cut out for life outside the sterile environment they were raised. It was a wonder Vincent's mother had survived even a year after being forced out of the brothel.
"True", Omaki mused. "At any rate, Katze, will you bring Vincent back tomorrow night? I will be waiting at Depravaties."
"Yes Sir, I will make sure he gets there safely".
"Good. Thank Katze". With that, Omaki cut the transmission.
Riki walked through the door of the penthouse.
"You're late Riki", came Iason's stern voice from his chair by the fire.
Riki rolled his eyes. "Well sorry, got a little sidetracked. I was meeting with Katze."
This piqued Iason's interest. "Oh? And would Omaki Ghan happened to have been there?"
"Yes, actually he was. What's up with that?" Riki asked.
"Was there anyone else there?" Iason asked as Riki sat on his lap.
"Yeah, there was. Katze was with this one mongrel that we call "Saint Vincent".
"Why is he called 'Saint Vincent'?" Iason asked, curiously.
"Because he's a fucking prude, that's why," Riki scowled. "He doesn't act like any other mongrel. He acts like he's holier-than-thou because he refused to steal to survive."
"I see. So what was he doing with Katze?" Iason pressed.
"I dunno. Katze left him at Omaki's table and then joined me for a quick game of pool. Omaki even bought dinner for him. I think Omaki might be interested. He's wasting his time though because Vincent might as well be wearing a chastity belt". Riki gave a slight derisive laugh.
"Hmm, interesting" Iason breathed. Was Omaki thinking about taking a mongrel as a pet as he himself did? This could be very interesting indeed. He would definitely be keeping an eye on things.
"But now there is the subject of your punishment for being late", Iason said.
"But can't you cut me a break?" the mongrel whined, "after all, if I hadn't been late, I wouldn't have been able to see what Omaki and Katze were up to!"
"Be as it may, you know you are supposed to be home before dark."
Iason stood up and went to the cupboard where he kept his discipline devices and selected the taming stick. "Three strikes, bend over Riki".
