Maybe "My name is 325079." for the sentence starters. Just some nice Aiden whump ;)
Some very nice Aiden whump, anon :) Thank you so much!
cw: training and conditioning. Handler Rhys Snow might get his own warning. Mariana Aldersky.
~*~*~*~
“My name is 325079...”
“Good. Again.”
“My name is 325079.”
“Good. And what else?”
The trainee lets out a breath, quiet and numbed. “My name is 325079 and I signed up for this. I’m a toy.”
“Yes you are. And what do you want, Seventy-nine?”
“I. I want to be touched... The, the. The owner’s touch is good, and I w-want it. I want to be touched, I want to be helpful.”
Rhys Snow crouches down in front of the boy in the chair and grinned. The wipe is still fresh, there’s still a chance he remembers some things, but there would be time enough to reinforce it. If he said so himself, he was doing a beautiful job on this one. He was a pretty one -- a fighter, but worth it to see the listless, sweet look in his blue eyes. The gentle tilt of his head that sent his dark hair falling lightly over his forehead.
“Very good, Seventy-nine,” Rhys praised, patting the teenager on the knee. He straightens and comes to stand behind the chair, resting his hand on the trainee’s shoulders. “So, what do you think, Mrs. Caldwell?”
The woman -- the paying customer, Rhys reminded himself -- fixed him with a cold look. “Miss Aldersky, handler.”
“Right, my apologies.”
She pursed her lips and pointed to the boy. “May I?”
Rhys immediately moved away. “Of course. He’ll be yours eventually.”
The woman hums and comes up to 325079. She runs a hand over his jaw and temple, twisting his head one way to another. She walked a circle around him, inspecting every inch of him as if he were a prize-winning dog. Rhys did his best to get a read off her, but he couldn’t. Ms. Aldersky was a locked-shut book at the bottom of well.
“Well? What do you think?”
“He’ll do.” She turned, reaching into a coat pocket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and held it out for Rhys to take. “This is from the governor. Please see that he is well versed in every one of those. They are very... specific.”
As Rhys opened his mouth to answer, 325079 murmured, “I’ll be good for you, ma’am. Promise. I’m very good.”
Ms. Aldersky turned back, smiling hollowly at 325079. She tilted his chin back up on the tips of her fingers. She smoothed her hand over his hair. “Yes, you will, darling. You’ll be perfect. I expect nothing else, do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Handler Snow,” she looked back over her shoulder at him, a certain cool fondness in her face. “You’re doing an excellent job. He’ll do wonderfully.”