Page 20 of The Toymaker

Kit noticed Trig’s face had grown quite tight. The contract Nawson was reading was illegal since Kit had technically been a true sex slave for months even though he'd willingly signed.

He suddenly realized Riju might be in trouble too. He’d signed and gone along with something illegal.

Nawson straightened up at his desk. “I think this proves right here that Riju and Kit are innocent. Both are also victims of abuse. Trig, the lord will have to decide your sentence, and I think you’ll have plenty of time to sit in prison and think about what you did.”

Trig’s face turned red. “Excuse me?”

Nawson held up the parchment. “Having anyone sign and agree to be a slave for a year with no safety word or signal is illegal. It’s also illegal to forbid them from leaving. It shows ill intent. The only slaves here who have no choice are the rapists and murderers used for certain practices at The Edge. A pleasure slave can always leave if they choose to, and you can’t demand anyone hand over their freedom. That goes for everywhere in the realm, not just Eveningwood.”

“It’s only for the cock cage spell I’m working on, which is stated there,” said Trig. “It has to stay on for a year.”

“It doesn’t matter what you’re working on,” said Nawson. “I don’t care if you’re making an item for the Goddess. If he wanted to leave and be done one second before it’s ready, it would be Kit’s choice. Considering there was a puddle of piss in the basement, it seems he was chained, and you didn’t even give him a way to relieve himself.”

“Kit isn't well in his head, and he obviously peed there on purpose.”

“Kit seems fine to me, and peeing on the floor to make it look like he was locked up all day is a bit extreme,” interrupted Nawson. “But if you agreed to take him as a pleasure slave, and he’s truly unwell-”

“I didn’t say he was completely gone in his head or anything like that,” said Trig. “Even totally normal people will do dumb shit to make someone else look bad.”

“You’re normal, and you did something pretty dumb,” said Nawson. “I don’t personally know you, but I’ve never heard your name mentioned in a bad way in this city. Obviously, the college has kept you there as a shopkeeper and an occasional instructor. There’s nothing wrong with having a pleasure slave or using them for demonstrations if they’re agreeable. Both parties can agree to whatever they want. You’ve shown an unpleasant side of yourself. This contract gave Kit no choice in the matter, and you had yourself above Riju too which shows you chose to break the law entirely on your own. Not only is it against the law in general, the college has strict rules about safety words and consent.”

“Riju signed it too! You can see his signature right there. Are you going to arrest him?”

“Riju explicitly stated several times that he was against me being pierced,” said Kit. “He also didn’t like the contract. Trig ignored his concerns the entire time and did what he wanted. Anytime Riju pushed back on something, Trig ignored him, and the contract states how Riju is only the secondary Master. Trig was to make all final decisions, and he did.”

“Then Riju’s not in trouble,” said Nawson. “Or I don’t think he will be once the lord goes through everything. I wonder what would have happened if Riju had absolutely refused to go along with the contract.”

“You’re going to pile a bunch of shit on me, and that’s it?” Trig pounded his fist on the arm of his chair. “Do you realize how fucked up this is? I wasn’t going to do anything to Riju if he refused.”

“I doubt that,” said Kit. “Maybe you would have shown your true colors earlier and hit him or whatever.”

“I do realize how fucked up this situation is,” said Nawson. “You broke the law, assaulted your submissive, and while technically locking up your slave in a room all day isn’t against the law, I’d say it’s abusive to leave them with no way to relieve themselves. Oh, and you didn’t feed him or give him water. You’re fucked in the head.”

“He pierced Kit’s nipples too and didn’t give him a choice in the matter,” said Riju. “Modifying someone’s body without consent isn’t allowed. Fairline’s Essays mentions it.”

“You helped,” said Trig.

“After you forced me. I told you several times it was wrong and gave you the reasoning for my thoughts.”

“How come you didn’t walk out then when I told you to go upstairs and wash your hands?” demanded Trig.

He probably wanted Riju to sit in a prison cell too. If he couldn’t get out of this, he’d try to tear down Riju. If Trig had anything in particular he could pin on Kit, he’d do that too.

Nawson cleared his throat. “Riju, did you help Trig with this contract?”

“He wrote it, not me. I didn’t like some of the things he did, like not allowing a safety word. I said so, and he didn’t listen.”

“But you did aid him in the treatment of Kit, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

“I don’t think you’re guilty,” said Nawson. “Considering the circumstances, I think the lord will see things my way too.”

“He just declared his guilt,” said Trig. “This is bullshit.”

“Shut up for a minute. Riju, has Trig ever held you down or forced any kind of sexual interaction on you?”

“No.”

“Has he ever guilted you or threatened you in ways to where you felt you had to have sex, so you did and verbally agreed, but only because you felt forced?”

“No.”

“And you’ve always been the submissive, right?”

“Yes. Erm, he bottoms in bed, but I wasn’t allowed to dominate him with kink or anything. I always did what he said for the most part.”

“How old were you when you first had any kind of sexual activity with him?”

“Nearly twenty.”

“Who made the general decisions in life for most things?”

“Him.”

“Why did you first want to leave him? You said you fought this morning, and there was some stuff about you wanting to start your own business.”

Riju looked at the dolls in his lap. “I want to live without him and open a toy shop for children. I think he just wants to control me and keep me at home like a pet he's trained. I don’t want to live like that.”

“I don’t see you as guilty in this because you’ve been his submissive for years,” said Nawson. “You know right and wrong, but considering how he treated you this morning, I think your relationship together grew into one where one partner makes more of the decisions regardless of what the issue is. The other gets used to obeying. This happens in relationships at times when no kink is taking place. Since Trig is older, and you were quite young when this started, it’s easy for the dominant to ignore the other and continue to control everything.”

Trig started to speak.

“Didn’t I say to shut up for a minute?” snapped Nawson. “Anyway, he’s always had the upper hand, and since he also employs you, that’s another form of control. Abusive relationships usually involve one who decides everything, and if there’s disagreement, they push and push until the other gives in. Have you felt like that?”

“Yeah.”

“So far, it seems like you’ve mostly done what he wanted, and when you finally tried to stop, he snapped.”

“Whenever Riju argued against something, Trig would interrupt him a lot,” said Kit. “He’d say he was overreacting and treat him like he was being dumb over an opinion or a dislike. Trig would push him on certain things even if Riju explicitly said no. I didn’t realize it at first, but the signs were there. Riju and I respect each other, and we don’t constantly interrupt the other because one of us doesn’t like what the other is saying or thinking.”

“If one party doesn’t give in, the abuser will do something anyway, or it might grow violent,” said Nawson. “It took years for it to happen, and since you fully refused something he wanted, it finally happened. I’ve seen a lot in my time as a guard here, including abuse between couples, and some abusers tend to wear down the other over a period of time. It’s so gradual, the other doesn’t realize it, and younger people are more prone to being hooked. The abuser might snap one day and do something rather drastic too, and if they reach that threshold, they’ll likely do it again.”

“I didn’t abuse him!” exclaimed Trig. “You’re filling his head with crap.”

“You can tell the lord when he’s ready to hear your case. Do you think this is the first time I’ve seen violence between couples?” Nawson folded his arms. “The facts are pretty clear here. Kit and Riju had a good reason to run. Also, the fact that Riju took Kit away is in his favor. He felt your pleasure slave was in danger, and while he may have obeyed you on the contract, Riju himself doesn’t seem to have done anything harmful to Kit. With everything they’ve said and the proof we found, it’s not looking good for you, Trig. You’ll wait in the jail until you’re brought to the lord in a few days. It might be a week or two depending on things. I’ll talk to Riju and Kit for the moment, and you can go to a cell for now.”

Trig glanced at the guards. Fighting wouldn’t get him far, and Kit almost wanted to sigh in relief. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen next, but he wouldn’t be going back to the shop with Trig. He and Riju were safe from him.

One of the guards told Trig to stand, and he turned to Riju and Kit. “I hope you both like being on the street. That’s what liars get.”

“I have access to one account,” said Riju. “Also, we’re going back to the shop tonight, so we won’t be on the street, and I don’t know why you think we would be. I’m on the license, and since Nawson said it’s not looking good for you, you won’t be permitted to live or work in The Edge again. Kit and I can work to keep ourselves from being on the street later. I’m not retarded even though you pretend I am, and neither is Kit.”

Trig turned away without another word.

“You own the shop too?” Kit asked.

“I’ll explain more later.”

At least they’d have a place to stay for a bit, and they’d have time to figure out the future.

“The Edge can take care of the licensing and information,” said Nawson. “I’ll be sending a report to them so they know what’s happening, and you can deal with those legalities. You’re not to leave Raven’s Landing until you’ve presented your case to the lord, and we’ll send you a message for when that will happen.”

“We can go now?”

“We have a guard on duty who can heal, so we’ll get him first if you like. Then you can leave.”

***

Kit and Riju walked down the street toward The Edge, and Riju started sniffling. Kit moved to put his arm around him.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Riju. “I’m tired, and it’s been a shitty day.”

“It’s okay to be upset.” Kit couldn’t pretend he was fine either.

“I didn’t want it to go like this. I wanted him to just…I don’t know.”

“Be a decent person on his own?” asked Kit.

Riju paused. “Yeah. At first, I wanted to be on my own, but still with him. None of that was going to work after this morning, and I realized he'd probably do this to someone else, so we were supposed to go to the guardhouse on our own and report him. I didn’t plan for us to be chased down the street.”

“I know, but that’s what happened, and we can move forward without him now.”

“I’m sorry you were locked up all day.”

“If you’d tried to get me out earlier, he probably would have hit you again,” said Kit. “In fact, I think he definitely would have, and maybe he would have been suspicious that you were planning to secretly run in the night. It’s better that you waited.”

Kit wouldn’t have to suffer another unfair whipping tomorrow. It probably would have been the worst he’d felt, and he had a limit for pain. He’d busted several rules into pieces, and Trig had never been so furious with him before.

“Remember now, you’re not a slave anymore, so you don’t have to call me Master, or do what I say,” said Riju. “You’re free. The contract’s over.”

“I figured it was. Erm, can I stay with you?”

“I’m not kicking you out. I’m just saying you’re free. I think I’d rather sleep alone for a while if you don’t mind.”

Everything had been harder for Riju than for Kit. Riju and Trig had been together long before Kit came, and he’d need time to get through it.

“I can make you something to eat,” said Riju. “I know you’re starving.”

“I’ll just have bread and butter. I’m hungry, but I know neither of us feels like cooking.”

“I guess I’ll have bread and butter too.”

***

It was beyond strange when Kit awoke in the morning. He’d simply doffed his clothes and slept on the couch. He wasn’t used to waking in the sitting room, and when he went into the kitchen where Riju was making tea, he almost expected to see Trig.

“Do you want tea?” Riju appeared tired, and he hadn’t changed out of his sleep clothes.

“Yeah.” Kit was used to seeing him fully dressed in the morning unless they were having an early fuck. He hadn’t even combed his hair yet, and it was a mess down his back.

“I do need to talk to you, so sit, and I’ll bring the tea. Er, do whatever you want, I mean. You're free. I’m not trying to tell you what to do.”

“I know what you mean.”

Riju served the tea and sat in his usual spot. “You can wear clothes too if you want.”

“I left them off out of habit. I’ll put them on a bit.” Kit took his tea and blew on it.

“It’s just us now, and we’re not going to get booted out today, but we need to decide what to do because we don’t have much time left. I have no access to his personal account at the bank in Raven’s Landing. That’s what was used for business expenses and also to buy food and other necessities. He could agree to sign it over to me, but he won’t. Our relationship is completely over. The other account, which I’m going to lock today, is under my name too. Trig said it was entirely mine if I needed it, but of course, it wasn't for me if I wanted to leave. I said I’d pay it back.”

“He said he wanted to marry you but couldn’t loan you money that you basically helped create since you’ve worked here for years?”

“Yep. He said it was strictly for emergencies, and then he turned around and said we could use a chunk to go somewhere after marriage. That was okay instead of letting me start a business and increase it.” Riju rolled his eyes. “As for the license, the last one he paid was for two years. It’s the max here in The Edge. I’m on the license, but not as a co-owner.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t simply renew it. He would have had to pay more as if buying it for the first time if he’d put me down as a co-owner. He didn’t and instead added me as a person who is able to take over the remaining time and do what I please with the store. He’s been arrested, so he can’t renew it now, and he’s lost ownership. A business is immediately forfeited here if the owner is caught breaking one of their important rules.”

“So if they find you have someone with no safety word or something like that, the person is banned for life?” asked Kit.

Riju nodded. “He’ll never be allowed to teach or work inside The Edge again. Not only has he broken their rules, he’s guilty of assault.” He took a sip of his tea and ran a hand through his uncombed hair. “To own this space, I’d have to buy a new license. It’s a lot more expensive than renewing it. It’s cheaper in the long run to buy one for a year or two, but I don’t want one for that long.”

“You want your own shop.”

“I can’t do that here since children aren’t allowed in the Edge. I’d need to be in Raven’s Landing to have a real go at it.”

“Can you do it with the savings you have and the money from the account? I’m not sure how much a license in the city would cost.”

“Erm.” Riju closed his eyes. “I think it would be best if we stayed here for a little while. We have plenty of things to sell at the moment, so as long as we sell a good deal of it, we'll recoup the loss and then some to have extra padding. I could do special requests if needed like carving a name into a paddle or whatever. I can make small things, have a few sales, and work the stock overall so there’s almost nothing left by…” He looked up. “It’s November, and the current license runs out a week into December, so a six-month license would give us until June. If we sold enough, we'd recoup the cost of the license and the rent and still make a profit.”

“You could look for something in Raven’s Landing, although I don't know if anything would be available so quickly.”

“While here, I’d rather shift my focus to making kid’s toys. I could start stockpiling them and buy supplies as needed. I have dolls in my room I’d be willing to sell, so there’s something right there. Whatever income we make, we can live off of and save. It would help. If you want, you can stay here with me. Later, you can come with me if you still want to give things a go.”

“I would. I can be your apprentice?”

“I’d prefer you to be my co-owner if you still want to come with me. Technically, you’d be my apprentice too since I’d have to teach you things. I still want us to be equal in the business, which means you’d have access to our account, and we’ll both own the license.”

“Do you actually want to be alone, or are you saying you want to try a relationship with me because you think you have to?” If Riju felt pressured, Kit didn’t want that. Riju needed to make his own decisions. With Trig gone, he needed to use the opportunity to do what he truly wanted.

“It’s not that I want to be alone. I want independence. If we go into this business, we’ll make decisions equally. It won't be one of us telling the other what to do. I needed separation from Trig. You haven’t given me a reason to want separation, and you don’t treat me like him. I don't feel like I have to do anything with or for you. If I do, it’s because I want to. But…I do want a break.”

“What do you mean?”

“For a while, I think we should stop sleeping together. No sex or kink. I need time.” Riju stared at the edge of the table. “I’m sorry, and I know we were having sex and whatnot, and I love you being here… I still think I need more than a few weeks. I might need months.”

“It’s no problem,” said Kit. “I get it.”

“I know it probably seems strange…”

“Not really,” said Kit. “You were with Trig for a long time, and considering how everything ended, I think you need time to heal. I don’t think you’d get over seven years in a few weeks. Sometimes, I got into new relationships a bit fast. They weren’t nearly as long, but I mean…after Perry, it didn’t take long before I was here. I kind of had a reason because I wasn’t sure if he’d find a guy if I waited. Either way, it’s probably not healthy.”

“It was so you could go back to him.”

“That’s not happening now, and Trig was an arse, but he was right about one thing. Despite Trig breaking so many rules, I was getting something here that I wasn’t getting with Perry. I think together, we can give each other what the other needs, and only when you’re ready. Don’t rush yourself. I’ll still be here, and a break might be good for me too. For now, we can be friends.”

Riju gave him a small smile. “Thanks. It’s nice to say what I truly need and not be dismissed or told differently. We also need to think about the cock cage.”

“You can keep me locked up. It’s not ready yet.”

“The cock cage needs regular sexual interaction of some sort to absorb sexual energy. You could get away with using a phallus on yourself on a daily basis, but that’ll likely be boring on your own since you won’t get anywhere. Or you could volunteer for classes and let people do things to you. Besides, if we’re technically not in a romantic relationship, and we’re friends, I shouldn’t be keeping your dick locked up. Having someone in long-term chastity isn’t something I seek or care to do anyway.”

“I don’t want to volunteer for classes or edge myself. But months have gone into this thing too, and you could sell it later, so...”

Riju shrugged. “I don’t care about it anymore, and it was Trig’s project anyway. He’s the one who bought the spell and wanted to create the cock cage. If you don’t want to wear it anymore, don’t. I could sell the spell to the lord and let him find someone willing to make the cage. He could do the ritual himself with his wife if he wanted. If you take it off now, it won’t work, and you have to start the ritual and the year over again.”

“What’s the ritual?”

“You abstain for a month. Trig and I couldn’t even masturbate. That wasn’t a pleasant month. Afterward, on a full moon, you make a pentagram to channel energy similar to the one for lightning channelers and fuck in the pentagram with the cock cage inside it too. It absorbs the energy afterward when a person wears it, and it requires more sexual energy. The wearer can’t spend a year without any sexual contact. It’s not at all complicated, but it takes a lot of time, and that’s why it’d be a pain if anyone wanted to produce a lot of them to sell.”

“The lord might not want to spend so much time in chastity himself. A year is way too long for some.”

“If you want to take it off, I’ll get the key. It’s in Trig’s room.”

Kit looked down at his caged dick. He’d gotten used to the constant feel of it, carefully cleaning himself despite it being there, and not having control of the part except for pissing. He’d agreed to the whole thing to be a better slave for Perry, but he didn’t want to go back to Perry, and he’d never been a bad slave to begin with. Perry had been a bad Master, and so had Trig.

Trig had just been nicer in general when he got what he wanted and was capable of following certain customs such as aftercare. In the long run, he’d been bad because his true colors weren’t pretty if the other didn’t let him have the control he wanted.

Kit reached for the ring in his left nipple. “I don’t want anything from Trig, and I don’t want to wear his project either. I'm going to remove these too.”

“I’ll get the key.”

***

A man from the license office came that afternoon. They’d gotten word that Trig had been arrested, and from what was known, he’d broken important rules. The man spoke with Kit who confirmed it was true. He was careful to say Riju hadn’t known of the facts of the contract because he was afraid they might kick him out too.

What if they didn’t care he’d been in an abusive relationship and used to obeying what Trig said? On his own, he’d never do what Trig had. They might not see it that way since the College was strict on certain things.

The man said they could remain there for a week after the license ran out. If they had trouble finding a new place to live, the office was usually all right with letting people have a few extra days. Nobody was hoping to get their building.

Riju could pick a new license to buy for a certain amount of time if he wanted to stay. Trig’s personal bank account would remain as his. Any money the shop made would go to Riju since the business would be his. If he decided to leave, he could take the stock with him to do as he wished. Trig was forever banned from The Edge and had lost the business and anything pertaining to it.

The man held up a sheet of vellum as he stood at the counter with Riju, and Kit noticed a few spaces in the lines of writing. “I can come back tomorrow if you haven’t decided anything. Trig was only arrested yesterday.”

“I’ll buy the six-month license. I can pay you now too.”

While Riju went to get the money, the man filled in the blank spots. Riju had to sign where the man pointed.

Once the man left, they headed for the bank in the city.

Kit had never had enough money to require a bank. They had a strict rule of only allowing more than one person in if they weren’t together, and Riju said Kit could come with him. A guard watched while a man spoke to them through a small, barred window, and the door that led to his area was made of iron.

Riju took Trig off of the savings account and added Kit.

***

They had to wait a week for their case at the lord’s and meet in his office. Trig was brought under guard. Kit was a bit nervous he’d have to see Perry since he was a scribe for the lord. Fortunately, he wasn’t there, and if the lord wanted anything written and saved for later use, he could have his scribe do it later.

The lord was older than Trig, although he didn’t have much grey in his hair, and he had a set of leathery wings that he kept folded close to his back as he sat behind his desk.

Riju didn’t look like he felt very safe despite the two guards in the room. A couple more who worked at the Castle waited in the hall. Kit planted himself between Trig and Riju, and their chairs had plenty of space.

Lord Levin said he wished to keep things private from other petitioners since it involved the cock cage he’d wished to fund if Trig’s worked.

“I’m not finishing it, and I don’t care to,” said Kit.

“Me neither,” added Riju. “It was Trig’s goal, not mine. If you wish, m'lord, you can buy it and the spell.”

Lord Levin frowned. “I was planning to fund Trig, but that’s not happening. I would fund you, Riju. You helped to create it. You too, Kit.”

“I already took it off.”

“You took it off?”

Riju nodded. “If you want to buy the spell, you could do the cage yourself or find someone to do it. We’re done with it.”

The Earl furrowed his brow, and Kit remembered Trig saying how the lord’s wife sometimes kept him in chastity. He must have been looking forward to a new toy to try out. So much for that idea.”

“I’ll worry about it later. I looked over the case-”

“M’lord, could I have a few minutes alone with them before we get into anything serious?” asked Trig.

“Absolutely not,” said Lord Levin.

“I just want to talk to them. Your guards could wait in the hall, and it’d be perfectly sa-”

“No,” said Riju. “You’ll just try to trick me and make me say I lied before, and when I refuse, you’ll get mad. You’ll do the same to Kit. You’ll probably bitch and say we wasted months of work too. We don't want to hear it.”

“I simply want to talk.”

“No.” Kit could barely believe he had the audacity to ask. “You had years to talk and make things right.”

Trig reddened, and Lord Levin twisted the end of his mustache. “You kept Kit like a real sex slave. You’re raving mad if you think I’d leave you alone with a person you abused.”

“I wanted to get the cage to you and not have someone change their mind several months in. You told me you wanted to try it out yourself.”

Lord Levin flushed. “That doesn’t mean you get to keep a man like a real slave! I never said to break any laws or abuse people!

“I didn’t actually abuse him or anyone-”

“Don’t sit there and lie to me! You also assaulted your submissive, and he had evidence of physical abuse. Are you going to tell me he grabbed and twisted his own wrist? I thought you were a decent man I could do business with. After I read the notes-” He gestured at the parchment on his desk. “Outrageous. If someone has to flee in the night and kick you in the face to make you let go-”

Trig clenched his fists on the armrests. “It was exaggerated.”

Lord Levin flapped a hand at him. “Be quiet. Riju. You go first. I want you to explain everything that happened that night and why. Kit, you go next.”

Why did they have to recount the events again? Maybe it was to make sure the details still matched. Riju talked, and Kit went next.

The lord said their stories matched what they’d told before. Kit figured if they were lying, they might have changed things without even realizing it. Trig’s changed from the last time since he left out the lie about Riju and Kit being retarded. There was also no evidence of them robbing him that night, so he fibbed and said Riju tended to be very gullible. Kit had wanted to run away with him.

Kit struggled not to roll his eyes. Trig was really reaching.

“You said Riju was retarded.” Lord Levin glanced at the notes. “Kit too.”

“I misspoke.”

“Hmm. It’s funny you misspoke and insisted he was retarded several times.”

Kit almost wanted to laugh at the expression on Trig’s face.

“Well, it’s two against one, and this is a classic case of an abuser getting someone under his thumb and putting up a good front for years. Abusive partners don’t always have to be beating up the other every day. Now, if you want to go back to insisting that Riju is mentally retarded along with Kit, go right ahead. I’ll slap on more years for abusing someone who might not be capable of proper consent. We can go that route if you like.”

Trig’s face turned an interesting shade of red. “He’s only gullible with certain things.”

“Even if he’s gullible, you can’t stop him from leaving. If a pleasure slave says they’re done, they’re done. No exceptions. You're messed up in the head. You won’t be permitted to work or teach in The Edge ever again. If I were you, I’d leave Raven’s Landing because people won’t like you later once this news gets out. You’ll spend two years in prison for having a sex slave, two years for forbidding a safe word, two years for abusing a partner, and two years for physical abuse.”

“You expect me to spend eight years in prison!”

“Should I make it longer?”

Trig turned to Kit and Riju. “Tell him the truth-”

“How about if you tell the truth instead of whatever bullshit you pull from your ass?” demanded Kit. “Just admit it. You hate the idea of Riju having control of his own life without you. You even told me you felt confident in your ability to have a slave without a safety word. I'm ready to go and be done with this shit.”

“Me too,” said Riju. “Can we go?”

Lord Levin nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Riju, you’re going to fail if you try to start your stupid toy shop, and if you two get together, it’s going to be a disaster,” said Trig. “Neither of you are mature enough to run a business, and you’ll be wishing you were back in The Edge with me.”

Kit stalked through the office door and stopped to wait for Riju who paused to glance at Trig. “I’m so glad I didn’t marry you. What a disaster that would have been.”