After Vok'Rul had managed to pet Viktor without the teen biting his hand off, the alien seemed more determined than ever to give him affection. Viktor wasn't... opposed to it, he guessed, but it still gave him a fright to see a large hand reaching out to him in the corner of his eye. To Vok'Rul's credit, he never seemed to mind when Viktor started cursing a storm at him, especially when the alien had made Viktor jump a foot into the air after tapping the top of his head. It seemed to give him even more courage, which was irritating.

He probably found it endearing, if the little smile he gave him was anything to go by. Ugh.

As the week progressed, the small touches became commonplace. Viktor still tried to stay out of arm's reach, but Vok'Rul would often pat his head once after filling his food bowl or before he went to bed that night. Viktor was certain, now, that the alien wasn't going to harm him, so it was easier to stomach these touches.

Still, it didn't help that sometimes he woke in the middle of the night, feeling as though he was getting dragged about by the collar that no longer hang heavy around his throat. Vok'Rul had found him in such a state one time, probably woken by Viktor's hoarse screaming. He had tried to touch him, calling his name. Viktor couldn't remember much, but he had woken with the taste of blood in his mouth and Vok'Rul's finger had been bandaged with the black plants in the morning.

Unable to deal with the guilt, Viktor had let the alien pat him a couple more times than he would've liked to make up for it that day. Vok'Rul seemed pleased.

Viktor was enjoying his breakfast when he heard the familiar twinkling of Vok'Rul's jewelry from downstairs. There was an unfamiliar voice calling out, which Vok'Rul, who was sitting in the office with Viktor, answered back. He was still for a moment before he let out a long sigh. The alien stood up, making his way out of the door. Breakfast forgotten, Viktor quickly followed. This was bound to be interesting.

Vok'Rul noticed he was being followed and smiled at Viktor, whispering something to him and chuckling. He went downstairs with ease, casting backward glances at Viktor as the teen struggled to get down the steps. The large alien reached up to grab Viktor, and Viktor let out a sharp "stop!" Vok'Rul rolled his eyes but gave in and continued watching him get down the stairs from the bottom of the steps.

"Ta-da!" Viktor said triumphantly when he made it down the massive steps without assistance. He was faster getting down the stairs this time. Vok'Rul said his name and some other nonsense before walking out to the living room. Viktor followed, albeit at a much slower pace, hiding slightly behind the kitchen wall when he reached the room.

There were about five aliens, ones he had never seen before. They all bowed when they caught sight of Vok'Rul before straightening and directing him to stand in the middle of the room. Vok'Rul seemed familiar with the process, stepping into the center of the open area and lifting his arms. The aliens got to work.

Viktor watched with fascination as they dressed Vok'Rul in fancier clothes and lined him with jewelry. One of the aliens was lifting Vok'Rul's tail, placing circlet after circlet on it. When they came to the tip of the tail, which was just outside the kitchen doorway, they looked up. They let out a surprised yell, speaking to Vok'Rul while stepping forward, making shooing motions at Viktor. Viktor bared his teeth, crouching low to the ground and saying "stay away" and "watch it." They looked disgusted upon seeing him.

Vok'Rul turned, much to the dismay of the other aliens tending to his clothing. He looked sour and angry, speaking tightly with the alien who was shooing him out. He stepped in between Viktor and the alien when they wouldn't move. Vok'Rul crouched down to pat Viktor once on the head, gesturing to him and speaking to the aliens. The one who tried to shoo him away looked skeptical but gave a short bow nonetheless. The others merely nodded, giving their own short bows.

That alien's gaze lingered on him, eyes flinty and thoughtful. They looked malicious. He tried not to think about it.

Viktor was left in peace during the time it took to dress Vok'Rul up. When the large alien wasn't looking, some of the aliens - except that first one - would look at him weirdly. It wasn't exactly malicious, not in the way that the ringmaster would look at him as of he were a piece of shit under his boot, but instead merely looks of wary curiosity, maybe mixed with a small bit of uneasiness.

Whatever the looks, it made Viktor extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to leave several times, but he was too curious about where Vok'Rul was going with his getup. Vok'Rul dismissed the aliens with a wave of his hand, speaking shortly. They bowed and scurried out of the room.

"Good riddance!" Viktor shouted after them, feeling relieved when they were gone.

Vok'Rul tilted his head curiously at him, jewelry clinking. The alien crouched down, resting his hand on top of Viktor's head. He ruffled the teen's hair, or as much as he could considering Viktor hadn't been able to comb it through with anything but his fingers. He really needed a shower, and maybe a heavy-duty comb. He said a few things, withdrawing his hand as he stood. Vok'Rul pointed sternly at him, said a few more things, and exited the room. Viktor blinked.

"Did I just get scolded?" Viktor asked the air. It didn't respond.

He shrugged to himself, walking over to the door. He shoved it open, thanking whoever was listening that these doors didn't have any knobs. He followed after Vok'Rul, curious as to where he was going. "Hey, Vok'Rul!" he yelled, jogging after the alien. Vok'Rul turned around with a frown. He was near the entrance of the mansion, along with two other bulky aliens. Viktor slowed, growing a bit defensive when the two other aliens focused their attention on him as well.

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul sighed, sounding exasperated but a bit fond.

"Kohgrash?" One of the bulky aliens said, laughing a bit. He said something else, which caused Vok'Rul's frown to deepen. Viktor mirrored the alien. He didn't exactly have a choice when it came to naming himself.

He crossed his arms, glaring at the alien who spoke, "I bet your name isn't all sunshine and daisies either, dickhead."

They didn't respond. Of course, they didn't; they were aliens who spoke a different language. It made Viktor feel better, though. He could cuss them all out and no one would care. Excellent.

Vok'Rul walked towards him, speaking suddenly and very loudly. He reached down to grab him, which alarmed him enough to make him take a few steps back before Viktor felt hands wrapping under his arms from behind. He let out a surprised yell, feeling the hands tighten as he started to thrash in the grip. He twisted his head around, baring his teeth in an angry sneer. The alien who had tried shooing him was holding him away from themselves like he was a disgusting piece of trash. Based on their face, that's definitely what they thought of him.

"Let go of me, you fucking shithead!" Viktor shrieked, digging his nails as hard as he could into the alien's hands. He felt the hands tighten even more around his arms, digging into his skin. It would definitely leave bruises by tomorrow.

He felt himself being harshly yanked into a new pair of arms. His fingers dug harshly into them. These were much gentler, even if there were metallic bits pressing into uncomfortable places on Viktor. Vok'Rul clutched him to his chest, snarling fiercely at the alien in front of them. An arm snaked under his legs, propping him up securely. The other was held protectively across his back.

Viktor could not remember the last time he was held like this.

Vok'Rul seemed to be cursing up a storm at the other alien. They seemed fearful, dropping into one of the lowest bows he had seen so far. The aliens at the door, who must be bodyguards or something of the sort, cleared their throats, speaking quickly. Peeking over Vok'Rul's shoulder, Viktor saw that there was a sleek vehicle waiting outside. It was floating above the ground, as did every vehicle on this planet it seemed, with blue light bathing the ground. It looked rather similar to a limo.

Vok'Rul dismissed the alien in front of him with a sharp wave of his hand. The alien scampered away with haste. He dropped Viktor gently onto his feet, pointing towards their personal wing. "Kohgrash, lorka," Vok'Rul said, pressing a clawed hand to the teen's back and nudging him towards the wing. "Byr lorka."

"I literally do not know what that means," Viktor told him. He wasn't stupid, though. He started walking towards the wing. He looked over his shoulder to see Vok'Rul watching him. The alien made another motion with his hand. Viktor rolled his eyes but kept walking.

Viktor watched from the doorway as Vok'Rul turned and left the mansion, along with his two bodyguards. He didn't think the alien was going shopping this time around, considering the fancy getup. Viktor wondered when the other would get back.

Viktor puttered around the downstairs living room for a few minutes before growing bored. He didn't really want to climb back up the massive staircase just to grab some toys to entertain himself for an indefinite amount of time, so he quickly slipped back into the main part of the mansion. He wanted to explore.

The manor was huge. Viktor had never been in one back on Earth, but he consumed enough media to understand that they were grand, even by a human's standards. Taking into account that the aliens here were, on average, twice his size, this mansion felt expansive.

From his carrier, he had seen that the main room was pristine, having couches and elegant tables. Now that he was outside it, able to freely roam around, Viktor could see the whole thing. It was like a really fancy hotel lobby, what with the extravagant light fixture casting artificial light on the furniture. Of course, there was no receptionist desk. Across the entrance, the focal point of the room was the massive staircase, which led to the second floor. Framing the staircase, plants reached toward the ceiling. Viktor wondered who watered all of them.

The mansion branched off into three sections. There was the short hallway that led to Vok'Rul's personal wing on the left. On the right was another hallway that led to other rooms. Behind the staircase were two large doors. Peeking in, he saw that there was an even larger room. He wondered if parties were hosted here.

He wandered down the right wing, finding all kinds of different rooms. He followed his nose to the kitchens, which he quickly left upon seeing it occupied by the alien that usually bothered Vok'Rul in the mornings.

Calming his beating heart, Viktor walked over to some nearby windows. They were long and large, easily allowing him to see outside. He was near the back of the mansion and gazed out into the backyard. It was huge. Plants of all shapes lined neat pathways. He could see large tree-like plants reaching the yellow sky above them. It made him long for the forests of Earth.

There was no snow on the ground, despite the chilly season. Viktor wondered if they could even get snow. He hadn't even heard it rain, yet. It made this world feel a bit... empty if he were honest. Those sorts of experiences were something he relished back on Earth. Jumping in puddles as a kid, standing in the rain, catching snowflakes on his tongue. He felt sorry for the aliens who inhabited this planet.

Viktor shook his head, pressing his hands on the window. It felt cold to the touch. He wanted to go out there. The day was still young.

A sharp grunt caught his attention. He whirled around to see the alien that had been causing trouble for him all day. He cursed himself for becoming so lax at observation. That would've easily gotten him killed in the arena. The alien was at a pair of glass doors that led to the outside that Viktor hadn't noticed in his haste to look outside. It said something sharply to him, opening the doors and gesturing for him to go out.

Viktor frowned, a bit suspicious. He waited until the alien stepped away from the doors enough so that he could squeeze by without being in arm's reach. He took a breath of fresh air when he was well away from the door, angling his body so that he could see the mean alien out of the corner of his eye. Viktor hadn't been outside for any stretch of time since before the mass abduction on Earth. It was refreshing.

He heard and saw the doors being shut behind him. He frowned, turning around to face them. The mean alien frowned at him back, speaking through the doors through him. They pointed at him menacingly. Viktor bared his teeth slightly, narrowing his eyes. He crossed his arms across his chest. The alien tapped on the door, nodded, and walked away.

Viktor felt unease starting to unfurl in his stomach. As soon as the alien was gone from sight, he walked quickly over to the door. Now that he was outside, he could start to feel the chill slowly creeping across his body. The thick sweater and new pants he had gotten from Vok'Rul eased some of that, but he was still in his ratty socks. Already, his toes were starting to become numb.

He tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Fuck," he cursed, slamming a fist against the glass.

He was locked out of the mansion in the middle of winter.

***

Vocabulary:

byr lorka: go home