Page 19 of The Toymaker

Kit tugged Riju into the high-ceiling room that was perfectly square. It had a window so the guards could stay out of the rain or snow if needed and still see anyone coming. A brazier gave off a little heat, and a couple of stools were by one side. On a table sat a couple of small pails that likely contained their dinners. Riju leaned on the wall and hugged Kit who was shaking.

“We’ll be fine,” said Kit. “They can’t make us go back.”

Leaving a relationship wasn’t a crime, but he hadn’t thought about what the guards might do if Trig convinced them Riju wasn’t mentally well enough to be outside. A lot of people knew Trig and viewed him as a decent man. Riju wasn’t exactly known as “normal.”

“What if they think I have to go back and force me?” hissed Riju.

“What? They can’t.”

“But what if they think I’m like a child in my head who can’t be outside alone?”

Kit squeezed him. “I won’t let him take you.”

The second guard came in while Riju tried to hear what Trig was saying. “Did either of you rob him?”

“No!” Riju and Kit said at the same time.

“What’s in the pack?” asked the guard.

“My clothes, a couple of dolls, and my money. The money is mine . I’ve been saving for years.”

“Can I see it?”

Riju handed over his pack and pulled back his sleeve. “He slapped me this morning, and he grabbed my wrist and yanked it because I tried to go to my room to get away from him.”

The guard squinted at the cloth which had wrinkled, especially where Riju had looped it over his thumb to secure it, and it looked like it had been on for hours. “Trig did that to you?”

“Yes! I said I was leaving him, and he was furious and said I couldn’t. He kept Kit locked up all day.”

“-liar because he doesn’t know better, and Kit’s been telling him all sorts of shit,” Trig was saying. “I didn’t know our pleasure slave was getting Riju’s head twisted in private. If you lived with us, you’d see Riju’s retarded and quite gullible. They both are, but Riju is worse, and I need to take them home.”

“We’re not retarded,” Riju shouted as he opened his pack.

“You all need to stop yelling.” The second poked his head in. “What do they have?”

Riju took out his dolls since he wasn’t letting the guards touch them. Both looked at him oddly, and the second dug through the pack.

“It’s just a few basic items, clothes, and a coin purse.”

“That’s my saved wages,” said Riju. “If you think we robbed him, look at the ledger for our business and personal expenses, and check how much money he’s got in the office lockbox for small things. We’ve always kept a record of what’s there, and it’ll match exactly because I haven’t stolen shit and neither has Kit.”

“Trig’s nose is bleeding,” said one.

“Because he tried to stop us from leaving, and he tackled me on the basement stairs.”

“Forcing someone to stay is like keeping a prisoner,” said Kit. “Or a real slave. Just because I signed up to be a pleasure slave doesn’t mean he can hold me hostage.”

“I think we need to take them to the city guardhouse,” said the first. “This is a bit complicated.”

“I need to take them home because they’re both mentally ill,” Trig declared from just outside the door. “Kit’s a bit off too, and I’m sorry he ended up out of control. I didn’t know he’d panic-”

“You want to take someone home after they slugged you in the face?” asked the second. “You’ve got blood all over you.”

“He didn’t mean it like that. Kit panicked because Riju was panicking, and I was trying to get him under control.”

“You tripped Riju on the stairs and tried to hold him down!” exclaimed Kit. “I’d kick you in the face all day for that!”

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about. I didn’t grab Riju. I was trying to make him calm down.”

“That’s enough,” said the second. “We’re going to the city guard because we’re not going to stand here and listen to you argue all night. You’re all going to walk ahead. Nobody’s going to run, yell, or start shit.”

“You’re going to get them all riled up again.” Trig gestured at the pair.

“No, we won’t.” The second raised his hands. “We’re all going to stay calm. Can you two walk and stay calm?”

“Yes,” said Riju, and Kit nodded.

“See?” The second guard looked at Trig who glared back. “Let’s go.”

“I’m in my drawers.”

“It’s not my fault you chased after them in your drawers, and we’re not wasting time for you to go put on trousers.”

Since the guards had likely never dealt with a real issue, they’d have to go to the city guard and let someone else handle the issue. Maybe that was better. Riju had planned to spill everything anyway.

Riju held Kit’s hand and kept his distance from Trig as they walked through the city with the guards occasionally telling them to turn down a street. He remembered where the guardhouse was from his constant wanderings around Raven’s Landing as a child. The two guards stayed close.

Thankfully, Trig didn’t try to get close, and he didn’t say anything, not that it comforted Riju. Kit had to be scared too judging by the way he was clutching onto Riju’s hand.

The guardhouse was pretty quiet. A few cells to one side were empty except for a ragged guy who was asleep on a straw mat. He was likely a drunk who’d gotten in trouble and needed to sleep off the booze. They’d kick him out in the morning. The gate guards spoke to the pair behind the desk who appeared surprised to have a real issue to deal with.

“We’ll have to get Nawson,” said one. “Billy will have to go find him, so it might be a bit.”

One of the guards took Riju, Kit, and Trig into the back area of the guardhouse. An office that was probably for the Commander had a few chairs against the wall, and the man put three in front of the desk.

“Have a seat. Nawson’s not the Commander of the city guard, but the Co-Commander, and he’s in charge of those on the night shift. If there’s a real issue, he deals with it. If it’s too much, he’ll get the Commander.”

One of the gate guards poked his head in. “Should one of us stay? We witnessed Riju and Kit being chased, and we also recognized them.” He pointed at Riju and Trig. “One of us does need to return since we’re not supposed to leave the gate completely unguarded.”

“Yeah, you’re a witness, so one of you can stay. The other needs to go back.”

Trig picked a chair, and Kit tugged the other two a little farther away.

“Don’t you think that’s unnecessary?” asked Trig.

“No,” Kit said in a nasty tone. “Like we’d want to sit next to you.”

“Still trying to scare Riju.” Trig shook his head. “I hurt my foot because I had to run after you two-”

“That’s enough,” said the guard.

“Can we have water?” asked Riju. “Kit hasn’t had any all day.”

The guard frowned and probably wanted to ask why. He returned with a pitcher and three glasses, and a wet rag. Trig declined a glass and took the rag to clean the blood from his face and the backs of his hands where he’d tried to wipe it off. Kit drank his water so fast, Riju almost thought he’d be sick. He was thirsty too, but he tried to go slower with his. His stomach was already twisted with nerves, and he refused to look at Trig while he tried to calm down. Technically, he could get in trouble for a couple of things, but he was still going to be honest and get this settled once and for all.

He still had his two dolls from the pack, and Dory was in his coat. The gate guard had his pack. The silence was almost deafening, and Riju wanted to go home, get in bed with Kit, curl up, and sleep.

The shop wasn’t truly home anymore.

It took a while before a man in the usual yellow guard outfit came in. The others were equipped with basic leather armor, but he wore silver and was around forty or so. He introduced himself and said they could call him Nawson. He had another guard with him, and Riju spoke up before they could get into anything.

“You need to send someone to the Pleasure and Play toyshop in the Edge,” said Riju. “Trig has the ledger in his office, and you can open the lockbox and check what we have. It’ll match up. The contract he wrote up for Kit is in there too, and you’ll see the terms he laid out.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Trig damn near burning a hole through him with his gaze.

“There’s no need to have anyone digging in my office and going through my private things,” he started indignantly.

Nawson held up a hand. “Wait a minute-”

“No, I won’t wait a min-”

“Be quiet or we’ll make you shut up. Riju, right? I only received the barest facts from the man who fetched me.”

Riju nodded as he stared at the desk. “Yeah. This is Kit.”

“Why do we need anything from the office?”

“Because it’ll show we stole nothing and how Trig was breaking the law, and I don’t think he should be allowed to stay in the Edge or have any more slaves. He also hit me this morning and-

“I never hit you!” Trig practically yelled.

Riju made the mistake of glancing at him and wanted to drag Kit out and away. Even with the guards in the office, Trig looked ready to jump up and smack him.

“Let him speak,” said Nawson. “If you haven’t done anything wrong, I think it'll be clear pretty soon. Anything else we should get?”

Riju tried to think. “I-I don’t think so.”

“Look downstairs,” said Kit. “There’s a whip on the basement stairs. Riju dropped it when Trig lunged on him, and you should take a real good look around the basement, especially near the wall.”

Riju remembered the pee puddle. “Yes, you should take a good look around. The key to the safe is tucked behind the painting of the guy in rope bondage in the office.”

“I’ll send a couple up there.” Nawson told the one he’d entered with to get another and head to Pleasure and Play. He sat. “How do you all know each other?”

Riju explained their relationship. Nawson let Kit go first to explain the day’s events.

Kit told him how Trig had accused him of being retarded and filling Riju’s head with nonsense. He’d been left there all day in the basement as if forgotten, and Trig had threatened to punish him.

“I think he planned to get me out of the way first,” Kit finished. “He wanted to go upstairs and talk to Riju, and since they started fighting, I think he knew things might not go all right. Why else chain me up down there? He could have left me to watch the shop instead of opening it a bit later than normal. I was chained so I couldn’t go upstairs and see Riju. Trig also threatened to punish me tomorrow and didn’t give me any food or water.”

“What about when you left?”

Kit explained how Riju got him out.

Nawson paused while writing on a piece of parchment. “Riju, what happened to you today?”

Riju explained everything from the morning until they reached the gate guards. When he was asked to remove the wrap, it didn’t take a genius to see his injury was genuine. His swollen wrist hurt to move. Sewing probably hadn’t helped either since he’d had to hold the cloth while using the needle with his good hand. His shin hurt, so he rolled up his trouser legs. Sure enough, he had nasty red marks on his shins and knees thanks to tripping and banging them on the steps.

Trig’s version left out all of the violence, and he made it sound as if Riju had thrown a fit over nothing and pouted in his room all day. He said Kit had helped out in the shop, and he’d gone to bed in his room. He’d been allowed to have his usual meals and water.

The blatant lie made Riju boil inside.

“How did Riju sprain his wrist?” asked Nawson. “He’s clearly hurt and bruised.”

“Maybe he fell and tried to catch himself. I don’t know.” Trig gestured with the cloth for his nose. “He was in his room all day, so it’s not like I saw anything.”

He went on to say he heard a strange noise, got up to check, and found Riju and Kit ready to leave and spouting nonsense. He tried to get them to go to bed and calm down, but they ran out, and he had to follow.

“Neither are mentally well, and Riju’s worse. I’ve taken care of him for years, and he’s mentally retarded, so he shouldn’t be out on his own in the middle of the night. He needs someone with him for the most part. Kit is too, although he’s a little more suited to living on his own. He’s still not entirely well.”

Nawson peered at his notes for a moment. “So…you’re sure Riju is mentally retarded?”

“Yes,” said Trig. “As you can see, he has dolls, and he hasn’t directly looked at you once the entire time. You can ask others in The Edge who have seen him. They know he’s not normal.”

“Do you pay him as your apprentice?”

“Yes. He is capable of basic work and tasks.”

“How long has he been with you?”

“He was nineteen when I got him, and he’s twenty-six now. Closer to twenty-seven.”

“Explain how you met him.”

Trig explained all those early days, which were true. He didn’t need to bend anything since there hadn’t been any violence except for Trig wrestling Riju into his shop.

Nawson squinted at Trig. “If he’s retarded, and you’re saying he can’t be out by himself, you had this man as your sexual submissive in bed?”

Trig paused. “He’s not too retarded to consent.”

“That…sounds like a convenient explanation for the person supposedly receiving the consent.”

“He can consent. I haven’t been raping him!”

Nawson shifted in his chair. “It’s clear he was highly distrustful of you at first, which makes sense. A man living on the street for years who wasn’t taken care of properly during childhood likely wouldn’t be keen on someone who’s suddenly offering free food and a roof.”

“He-”

“I’m still talking. I’ve seen it with plenty of homeless kids and teenagers around here, and it’s usually the same whether they stay alone or form a gang. They’re leery of adults, and honestly, it’s usually safer since there are some nasty bastards out there who know a homeless kid won’t be missed. Why did you take Riju in? I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to find an apprentice. Why him?”

Trig explained how he was homeless and a carpenter gave him a chance. “I figured I should give someone else the chance, and I’m sure you’ve heard about him? He was attacked a few years ago, and the three who did it were hanged. He escaped from the physician. That shows he’s not well.”

“I was terrified,” said Riju. “I woke up in a strange place…”

“I was just a guard back then, but I remember that incident, and I heard about him fleeing the physician later,” said Nawson. “I figured he was the same guy since not many have red hair like him. Riju, was it you who was attacked in the warehouse down by the docks?”

“Yes.”

“It still bothers me how you’re positive he’s retarded and can’t live on his own, yet, he can be your sexual submissive.”

“He can consent,” said Trig.

“What if he simply trusted you, saw you as a savior, and maybe some actions of yours led to him having other feelings? If someone is truly unwell in their head, I don’t think they should be made into a sexual submissive because if they trust another, they might think they should agree to whatever. It seems like the other would be taking advantage.”

“For fuck’s sake, I haven’t been raping him. He came onto me first, and I didn’t bring him in with that intent. The relationship just happened.”

“Hmm.”

“The thing is, I’m not retarded,” said Riju. “Neither is Kit, and we don’t like being called retarded.”

“Do you feel you can consent to sexual activities?” asked Nawson.

“Yes. I have needs and wants like any typical man!”

Nawson lifted a hand slightly. “Were the activities things you liked doing? Would you want to do them without any prompting from another?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you come onto Trig first? Or did you?”

“I did. I just-” Riju didn’t know how to explain it. He’d never had sex before. Survival on the street had been more important, and he also hadn’t trusted any of the homeless people he’d occasionally hung around with at times even though he'd figured out he liked men at the age of fifteen. It was one thing to hang around another for a short time. It was another to get naked and start joining body parts.

After the incident when he was seventeen, he’d stopped hanging out with anyone. People could turn too fast.

Since he’d been properly fed, washed, and had a roof over his head, he’d been able to relax. Without focusing on survival, he’d started thinking about sex. Trig had become interesting to him in a new way.

“He did seem kind of like a savior after a while, but I wanted to try sex and explore things. He was open to it with me, and I found I had kinks too. Things grew, and I was happy for a long time. For the most part. There were a few issues later, but they seemed minor, and I started thinking about going out on my own. I’m capable of thinking and deciding things for myself.”

“Okay. I don’t believe you’re mentally retarded or incapable of taking care of yourself in general. You seem sure of yourself.”

Trig tilted his head. “You don’t live with him. You can’t pretend to know him after a few minutes.”

Nawson tapped his fingers on the desk. “Well, if you were fucking a man who truly couldn’t care for himself, it would say bad shit about what sort of person you are. It’s taking advantage, and insisting he’s retarded isn’t helping your case. We're not shuffling him off to you.”

Trig didn’t say anything, but Riju could almost feel his embarrassment. His earlier insistence sounded pretty bad now.

“If someone wants to leave a relationship, as Riju stated he wanted, you can’t keep them in your home and force them to stay with you,” said Nawson. “It’s abuse and technically taking a person prisoner.”

“Maybe he’s not retarded, but he needs more time to learn how to be on his own,” said Trig. “If it wasn’t for me, he’d be on the street.”

“It’s hard to get off the street once you’re on it,” said Nawson. “Someone who looks homeless might not be hired too quickly, and some people might have trouble in life or need more help. It doesn’t mean he needs a certain amount of years with someone, and you can’t decide to keep him with you. Again, your excuses sound like bullshit to me.”

The guard from earlier returned with two things tucked under his arm, and another followed. “Sir, we checked out Pleasure and Play. We counted the small money in the lockbox and looked through the ledger. There was only a couple of kops difference. I guess someone made a small mistake. There doesn’t appear to be any theft.”

“What’s that?”

“I think you should read it.” The guard handed Nawson a folded piece of parchment that Riju recognized as the slave contract. “Also, there was a whip on the stairs leading down into the basement.”

Nawson nodded. “That’s what you used to threaten Trig with. Right, Riju?”

“Yeah. Trig grabbed me when we tried to go upstairs, and I dropped the whip.”

“Is this true, Kit?”

“Yes.”

The guard cleared his throat. “Erm, there was a yellow puddle by the wall, and it smelled like piss. There was also a chain with a shackle.”

Nawson scanned the trio. “Does anyone want to explain the random piss puddle?”

“I said I was chained up all day,” said Kit. “I couldn't hold it, and it’s not like I had any other options.”

“You pissed on the floor to make it look like you were chained up all day,” said Trig. “You’re disgusting.”

“You’re a liar.”

Nawson started reading the contract. Riju knew he could possibly be in trouble now. He’d signed and helped Trig with caring for their slave who had no safe way out of anything on his own.