Coriander was kneeling next to Linden’s chair on the balcony. The morning sun touched their faces with gentle warmth, and glinted on the detritus of a demolished breakfast. Linden took another sip of his masala chai, enjoying the milky sweetness and the scent of cardamom and cloves.
Cory was also sipping his tea, cupping both hands around the warm cup. It made Linden feel bittersweet, seeing how effortlessly Cory could use his hands.
“I do this with Col, you know. Sit on the balcony together. It’s pleasant… he likes the sunshine a lot. And I like the view.”
“It’s very nice, Sir. So much birdsong.”
Linden smiled. “Yes. Do you and Lydia often, um, spend time together like this? Just enjoying your surroundings?”
He had never felt more awkward in his life. Making conversation with a borderline stranger was tough at the best of times, but for once, Linden didn’t feel as if he needed to subtly interrogate Cory- to try and worm some evidence of Lydia’s sadism out of him. No, he just wanted to get to know the man a bit.
Cory’s eyes unfocused as he visited a memory in his head. “Miss Lydia has a garden, Sir. When the weather is good, we sit out there together.”
“That sounds nice. Do you like it?”
Cory paused. “Y-yes, Sir. This pet does.”
“I’ve only had Col for a few months, but I’ve been doing my best to make him feel safe. Secure. What… what makes you feel safe, Cory?”
Linden had no idea if that was a question Coriander would be able to answer. He might have pushed too much, but- a memory of Lydia taking Colton to the conference flashed through his brain. Cory was surely more stable, if Lydia had intended to take him?
There was another pause. Linden looked out over the town. There was a pair of teenage girls standing at the bridge, throwing sticks into the river. Seeing which one travelled through the water faster.
“Miss Lydia… takes the time to tell this pet things. Before they happen. Uh-” he shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake the right words into the right order. “She tells this pet when someone is coming over, or if something is going to hurt. It’s- it’s more than this pet deserves, of course. It would never expect this treatment, but…”
“It’s alright, Cory.” Linden tried to keep his voice calm and friendly. “You don’t have to worry. I just want to hear what you think. There’s no wrong answer, I promise.”
Coriander swallowed hard, his voice shivering, but he pressed on.
“Miss Lydia, s-she keeps her promises. If - if she says that something is going to happen, then it usually does. S-she is very kind to this pet, and… and patient.” He looked nervously up at Linden. “And she asks for this pet’s opinion.” He said the last in a hushed voice, as if he was admitting something elicit. “That… that was very hard at first… but now this pet kinda likes it.”
He looked down, cascading blonde hair covering his eyes. In a small voice he continued.
“A-and she touches this pet.” At Linden’s sharp intake of breath, Cory shook his head, aghast. “Not like… not like that, Sir. Miss Lydia doesn’t do that. B-but she often pets this pet.” Awkwardly, he pulled a hand in a caress over his own hair. “Or… or hugs it. S-she is affectionate.” At that Cory looked straight into Linden’s eyes, as if daring him to contradict his description. After a brief moment of bravery, he lowered his gaze again.
“That’s wonderful. Thank you! Thank you, Cory. That…” Linden leant back in his chair. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
Patience, and affection, and speaking. Linden was delighted that he had been on the right track, more or less.
He hoped- no, he knew- that Col could be like Cory one day. Opinionated, and trusting and… dexterous.
He wouldn’t want Col to be too similar, of course. Linden was excited to find out more of what Colton’s personality really looked like.
Each separate thought ran through his head, pushing for his attention. He felt both hopeful, and overwhelmed.
“I’ve never given Colton a hug,” he blurted out, the realisation hitting him. “I’ve been too worried that it would scare him. But he likes it when I pet his hair, or hold his hand. Maybe I should offer him a hug.”
“T-this pet couldn’t say, Sir.”
-
Coriander briefly considered telling Linden that Colton had spoken well of him, back at the hotel. But it was every pet’s duty to be loyal to their master, and Linden surely knew that already. It wouldn’t mean anything to him, except alert him to the fact that the two pets had been speaking together, unattended, about their owners.
At present, Linden was smiling up at the sky. Cory allowed itself a small measure of pride, at having answered such a broad question well.
Lydia had ordered room service. Having breakfast among all the other people in the restaurant seemed like it might be needlessly stressful for Colton after last night’s drama. Sitting in the armchair next to the window she crunched down on a fruit salad with apple, pineapple and melon. Surreptitiously glancing over, Lydia was gratified to see that the pet was eating, too. Col was taking quick, slightly nervous bites, but when he caught her looking at him, he didn’t immediately look down.
“What do you think?” She asked. “Do you like it?”
His lips quirked up into a tiny smile, just for a moment, before Col ducked his head.
“Yes, Ma’am. It… it is very good.”
“I’m glad.”
She fell silent, hesitating. The way Linden had talked of Colton last night, it sounded as if he was as fragile as overnight ice. As if he wore only the thinnest coating of control over internal chaos. His owner had thought that only being in the presence of strangers at the conference would have been enough to tip him over the brink.
Judging by the hysterically crying man in her lap last night, Linden could very well be right. Heaven knew that she herself had made plenty of decisions to shelter Coriander from the world around, even when those decisions were made above his head, with Cory having no say. And yet…
And yet, the man she had glimpsed earlier last night, defending her. That had been no shrinking violet that should be kept wrapped up in cotton wool for their own safety. Maybe a somewhat challenging, but pleasant, outing was just what he needed today. Lydia made up her mind, she would at least give him the chance to choose.
“Col, I would like to ask you something.”
*
“I would like to ask you something…” That was normally a bad thing. A question would require a reply and that reply could be wrong - or factually correct, but not the reply the person wanted to hear. A pet could get in trouble either way. Still, the wave of familiar anxiety didn’t rise quite as high as it should have. Col found that he was able to focus on Lydia’s explanation.
Questions were normally a bad thing- but Lydia wasn’t a normal pet owner, was she?
“We need to work for a couple of hours in the morning, but we have the rest of the day free.” She said, her warm brown eyes on him. “I had an idea for an excursion. To be honest, I thought that it might be a bit too much for you and I was thinking that we just shouldn’t go. But after last night…” Lydia gave him a wry smile. That smile and the impressed tone in her voice made Col’s heart flutter with warm pride. She thought that he had been good! “… after last night, I’m beginning to think that there’s probably not much that you can’t handle.”
“I was thinking of going for a bit of a hike at a nature reserve nearby. It is supposed to be fair weather today and the area itself is said to be very beautiful. If you want, we could go there. But we don’t have to. It is up to you.” She nodded her head, earnestly. “I can go there another time, so you don’t have to worry about that. We should do something that you want to do.”
Silence filled the room for a few seconds as Col wrapped his head around the many confusing questions. Questions that he knew a pet shouldn’t be asked, even though it seemed to keep happening. But, in a way, it was another similarity with Master, and that was comforting.
“I don’t… have wants,” he started hesitantly, and Lydia watched him neutrally, letting him continue. “I am happy to accompany you in anything you wish. But a walk would be - would be nice, Ma’am.”
He watched her face, dreading the slightest indication that his answer wasn’t the right one, but she only smiled in that sweet way of hers. “That’s great, Col. Thank you for choosing. I was going to take Coriander originally, as a surprise, but now I’m excited to see how you find it.”
She would have taken Cory? So, this was a thing pets could do? A high-end pet like that engaging in the same activity made Col feel far better about the whole thing. He wouldn’t start forgetting his place, of course, but Col must be doing something right to be worthy of replacing Coriander on an activity where Lydia could have easily just left him in the hotel.
He summoned his courage and gave Lydia a quick smile, then bowed his head. This could be nice, he told himself. I’ll do my best at it.
-
There was a crush of people passing by in front of their table. The din of conversation, chairs scraping and music playing was too loud for comfort. Colton could feel his pulse ticking faster than usual at the side of his throat, the muscles between his shoulder blades involuntary tense, his whole body ready to switch into fight or flight. But he wasn’t panicking, not yet.
One thing that made him feel safer was that they were sitting in a square of floor space hemmed in by tables. On both his left and right side, tables full of books kept the browsing visitors at bay. It was strangely familiar, almost like being inside a cage, where you knew that the people outside the bars couldn’t reach you unless they unlocked the door.
Another thing to hold on to was that Lydia was sitting diagonally in front of him. There was a table just in front of her heaped high with books and other merchandise and she was smiling and talking easily and cheerfully with the prospective customers.
A third thing was that he had been given a task. Every now and then, Lydia took a paper bag from underneath the table and handed it to a customer. When that happened, Colton was supposed to take an empty paper bag and fill it with three books from piles just in front of him, one with a red cover, one in black and white and the third blue. Just one of each, place them all inside the bag, and put the bag on the floor below the table. It was a simple task, easy to do even with his clumsy hands. Every now and then, Lydia gave him a smile or a nod, lighting a little bit of warm pride in his chest. He was being a good dog, a helpful one. That almost made the stress of the occasion worth it.
Oh lawdy, Hollywood has gotten a whole bunch of new drinking options! This week forLos Angeles Magazine’s Liquid LA alone I covered three new cocktail programs created by high-caliber bartenders. And the best part is that all three bars are within walking distance of each other! OK, maybe it’ll be a long walk in heels but just pack foldable flats.
Coriander was kneeling next to Linden’s chair on the balcony. The morning sun touched their faces with gentle warmth, and glinted on the detritus of a demolished breakfast. Linden took another sip of his masala chai, enjoying the milky sweetness and the scent of cardamom and cloves.
Cory was also sipping his tea, cupping both hands around the warm cup. It made Linden feel bittersweet, seeing how effortlessly Cory could use his hands.
“I do this with Col, you know. Sit on the balcony together. It’s pleasant… he likes the sunshine a lot. And I like the view.”
“It’s very nice, Sir. So much birdsong.”
Linden smiled. “Yes. Do you and Lydia often, um, spend time together like this? Just enjoying your surroundings?”
He had never felt more awkward in his life. Making conversation with a borderline stranger was tough at the best of times, but for once, Linden didn’t feel as if he needed to subtly interrogate Cory- to try and worm some evidence of Lydia’s sadism out of him. No, he just wanted to get to know the man a bit.
Cory’s eyes unfocused as he visited a memory in his head. “Miss Lydia has a garden, Sir. When the weather is good, we sit out there together.”
“That sounds nice. Do you like it?”
Cory paused. “Y-yes, Sir. This pet does.”
“I’ve only had Col for a few months, but I’ve been doing my best to make him feel safe. Secure. What… what makes you feel safe, Cory?”
Linden had no idea if that was a question Coriander would be able to answer. He might have pushed too much, but- a memory of Lydia taking Colton to the conference flashed through his brain. Cory was surely more stable, if Lydia had intended to take him?
There was another pause. Linden looked out over the town. There was a pair of teenage girls standing at the bridge, throwing sticks into the river. Seeing which one travelled through the water faster.
“Miss Lydia… takes the time to tell this pet things. Before they happen. Uh-” he shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake the right words into the right order. “She tells this pet when someone is coming over, or if something is going to hurt. It’s- it’s more than this pet deserves, of course. It would never expect this treatment, but…”
“It’s alright, Cory.” Linden tried to keep his voice calm and friendly. “You don’t have to worry. I just want to hear what you think. There’s no wrong answer, I promise.”
Coriander swallowed hard, his voice shivering, but he pressed on.
“Miss Lydia, s-she keeps her promises. If - if she says that something is going to happen, then it usually does. S-she is very kind to this pet, and… and patient.” He looked nervously up at Linden. “And she asks for this pet’s opinion.” He said the last in a hushed voice, as if he was admitting something elicit. “That… that was very hard at first… but now this pet kinda likes it.”
He looked down, cascading blonde hair covering his eyes. In a small voice he continued.
“A-and she touches this pet.” At Linden’s sharp intake of breath, Cory shook his head, aghast. “Not like… not like that, Sir. Miss Lydia doesn’t do that. B-but she often pets this pet.” Awkwardly, he pulled a hand in a caress over his own hair. “Or… or hugs it. S-she is affectionate.” At that Cory looked straight into Linden’s eyes, as if daring him to contradict his description. After a brief moment of bravery, he lowered his gaze again.
“That’s wonderful. Thank you! Thank you, Cory. That…” Linden leant back in his chair. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
Patience, and affection, and speaking. Linden was delighted that he had been on the right track, more or less.
He hoped- no, he knew- that Col could be like Cory one day. Opinionated, and trusting and… dexterous.
He wouldn’t want Col to be too similar, of course. Linden was excited to find out more of what Colton’s personality really looked like.
Each separate thought ran through his head, pushing for his attention. He felt both hopeful, and overwhelmed.
“I’ve never given Colton a hug,” he blurted out, the realisation hitting him. “I’ve been too worried that it would scare him. But he likes it when I pet his hair, or hold his hand. Maybe I should offer him a hug.”
“T-this pet couldn’t say, Sir.”
-
Coriander briefly considered telling Linden that Colton had spoken well of him, back at the hotel. But it was every pet’s duty to be loyal to their master, and Linden surely knew that already. It wouldn’t mean anything to him, except alert him to the fact that the two pets had been speaking together, unattended, about their owners.
At present, Linden was smiling up at the sky. Cory allowed itself a small measure of pride, at having answered such a broad question well.
Thank you very much, Cerys! ❤️ You are so talented and this is perfect for them!
Their hair and clothes and expressions and Cory’s scars and everything! So brilliant!
I also love that she is holding onto the leash, but not holding it by the loop. (Since she is really uncomfortable with the whole leash thing.) That is such a great detail.
