Chapter Fifty-Two - Collar and Leash
“Why? Why can’t we just be kind to each other? Is that too damned much to ask for?
Just a shred of decency? A bit of empathy?
Every damned religion is about making themselves look good and everyone else look like madn. Every country does the sa damned thing. We split into parties and degrade each other, always whipped on by so greedy fuck who just wants to make himself a tiny bit more powerful.
Why? It’s just hurting people. It’s just looking at your fellow man like they’re not even worth being considered human anymore?
Can’t we just be kind to each other? Fuck! It’s not even hard!
Just put yourself in their shoes. A kid could do it! Stop thinking that everyone is an enemy, just because they’re a little bit different. Stop putting money before the lives of your neighbours. Stop being a cunt even though it’s the only thing you know.
I didn’t want it to co to this, damnit!”
--Final Words of the Senate Bomber, 2028
***
“My arm’s asleep,” I complained idly.
“I can move,” Lucy said, though she didn’t actually make any effort to move.
We were both on that fancy bed, sprawled out and enjoying the luxuriant comfort of brand new PJs. Lucy was tucked into my side, where she fit snugly, and we had thick sheets over us, the fancy self-warming kind that were just shy of uncomfortably warm.
I yawned, but even though I was tired and it was getting late, I wasn’t really ready to sleep. I just wanted to cuddle, to recharge because the next day was going to be troubleso.
“Nah, don’t,” I said. I pulled Lucy a bit closer into my side, numb arm be damned.
Lucy made a content little noise and turned onto her side, one arm wrapping itself around my torso even as she put her head on my shoulder. “Sleepy?”
“Nah,” I lied. “Thinking too much.”
“About?”
“Tomorrow,” I said. “We need to get you so more protection stuff. Just in case.”
“I’ll be fine,” Lucy said. “I’m hardly anyone’s priority. My role is to be the pretty eye-candy.”
“Yeah, but you’re my eye-candy, and I want you intact.”
Lucy chuckled, and I was distracted for a mont by the sensation against my side of her restrained laughter. “You’re like a kitten that doesn’t want to share.”
“Exactly.”
“So, do I get crazy armour too? Because I’ll be pretty disappointed if I don’t get to wear that dress.”
I humd and leaned my head down so that I could press my cheek over her head. “Maybe not sothing so clunky,” I said. “We need... sothing so that you can carry that gun on you.”
“That dress doesn’t exactly have pockets,” Lucy said.
“A thigh strap, maybe?” I said, then I considered Lucy’s thighs with a strap around it. It was a nice ntal image to have. “Sothing so that you can grab your gun in a hurry.”
“If I have to wear a thigh strap, you have to wear a leash,” Lucy said.
“A leash,” I repeated.
“With a little bell,” Lucy added.
I huffed. “I’m not going to wear a leash.”
“Fine, just a collar then.”
“I’m also not going to wear a collar,” I replied. “But... maybe you wouldn’t look bad with one.”
“I wouldn’t look bad in anything,” Lucy said, which was an entirely fair statent to make. “Well, nevermind, I’ll order one online later.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“You only want that thigh holster thing so that you have an excuse to ogle my legs.”
“They’re very nice legs,” I said.
“And I’ll get a leash so that I can parade you around the room. And it’ll give sothing to grab onto. In the absence of any other clothes, I an.”
I shook my head. “Pervert.”
“Just a little,” Lucy said. She hugged closer, and I wrapped an arm around her back.
If you don’t mind intruding in this rather intimate mont, then I do have so suggestions.
I closed my eyes, but nodded for Myalis to go on.
Disregarding the purchase of a collar and leash for the mont. There are several options that could help keep Lucy safe. Protective screens, security drones, shield emitters, and a host of more offensive options. Many of these are quite obvious though.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
I humd for her to go on.
Seeing as how you may have other, larger purchases in mind for the near future, I would suggest sothing a little less expensive. From the general use Vanguard catalogue, there is a single-use personal teleportation device. It is the only such item in that catalogue, and requires that an arrival location be set, sowhere where the teleported can land regardless of the situation from which they were pulled. The device itself can take many forms. In this case I would suggest a piece of jewelry.
Lucy would like that, and it did sound like a decent idea. If things went crooked, which they might, having an eject button that would imdiately pull Lucy out of danger and place her sowhere safe would be aweso. Maybe the drop-off point could be right here, over the bed. A soft landing, and she could check out the kittens and make sure things were safe here while I took care of whatever triggered the teleportation device.
The device can trigger based on vital signs, on a manual trigger from you, or it can be set to trigger at my discretion, for example in the case of an imdiate threat that neither you nor Lucy can perceive.
I quirked an eyebrow at that.
The ti it takes for you to twitch a muscle can feel like relative years to an AI such as myself. I could trigger a teleportation device, enter all the relevant paraters, and have Lucy be beyond the range of any trouble in the ti it takes for the bullet of the average handgun pressed up against her skin to exit the barrel.
I blinked. Sotis Myalis was a little scary. Then again, she was scary while being protective of Lucy, which I was super okay with.
I sent her a text. “Thanks. I’ll take it. Lucy needs new augs too.”
That can be arranged quite easily. Her own are laughably out of date, even by the Earth standards. They were also riddled with viruses, spyware, and several backdoors that were either datamining her, or using her aug’s processing power to mine cryptographic currencies.
“Were?” I sent.
Obviously, I could not risk cross-contamination with your own augntations and equipnt, so I removed any such interference. The children’s equipnt was likewise cleaned when I had a mont to spare. Though her equipnt, even with better software, is still terribly inefficient. Your own is an order of magnitude better, but still lags behind compared to what I wish you had.
I nodded before sending another text. “Thanks.
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