The shopping district
The young boy follows the husky with a shy step as several people stare at them. He was clearly marked as a regreased and he can notice how several of the other kids are pretty much marked like him showing them their status of former adults. The thing that betrayed him from quite far away is the navy blue pants and the white shirt with the insignia and black tie clearly the fleet’s uniform of an academy cadet except for the insignia of a high ranked officer, there were no academies in this planet so is pretty much obvious to know who he is.
The foxlet bites his lower lip as he whispers to the lady “Do I really have to wear this? This is so embarrassing” Asks as he holds her pants tightly.
The Old woman smiles “Oh we didn’t have anything else ready for you, besides we needed to leave early if we wanted to finish early by tonight. Tomorrow we will have a lot of things to do for the party”
The fox nods “I’d rather stay at the hotel, I don’t like to party quite much”
She looks at the boy before leading him to the optometrist both of them sitting on the waiting room “Oh it's part of your responsibility and you know it. If you want we can take you out of it early claiming that is your bedtime but it WILL be your bedtime. Is that better?”
The fox sighs “No… You will make it my official bedtime” Shows his tongue before leaning on her.
Kathy smiles “Smart pup. Oh it is our turn” Speaks as they go to one of the counters changes the number to something completely different and a symbol instead of counting down. Both furs walk to one of the offices.
The boy sits down on one of the chairs in front of a monitor and inserts a card on the computer. A render of his face as an older man appears and the boy sighs quite deeply as he starts to change everything. The render becomes younger and younger before stopping at his current age, some of the selections on the screen of ‘my favorites’ gray out.
` The husky looks at the boy still waiting for the doctor, They have sent all the tests, the biometrics and the genetical data from the ship’s medical files already so they won’t need to take the long tests for his eyes “Oh it looks like you are used to do this”
The boy starts to browse hating all the selection of glasses that he has available since the child and regressed selections were mixed up in the same screen “Yes what I have cannot be cured easily besides I’d rather keep my eugenics pretty much the same” Speaks as he browses some more “I could pretty much pick my standard” Speaks as he looks at her “But I like to browse anyway to see if there is something that I like”
The husky picks some thick blue glasses with silvers stars on them “Oh these look adorable!”
The fox looks at them “They look awfully ridiculous! Do you want the other kids to shove me up in the lockers or something!?” Complains as he changes them to a selection of black glasses, pretty plain with a more squared frame, then starts to add a couple of things and options.
The husky looks at the boy “Do you think your insurance will cover all that?” Asks as she sees some optional mods being added.
The kit shrugs “I don’t know but I will pay for them if I need to. I am used to have all these extra tools and functions in y glasses.
They speak back and fro as a badger walks in the room carrying his pad “Ok Raphiel, sorry for the delay, lets see here” Speaks as he pulls out a tool and starts to measure the boy’s head and his face structure as he tries to stay really really quiet “Oh good boy, now have you selected something yet?”
The boy nods as he clicks send and the badger’s tablet starts to fill with information “Ok, I will start to make them”
The fox nods “Oh use the payment method number 4, if they are not covered by it used the method number 2 and I will enter my access code”
The badger looks at the boy “You still have your access code?” Asks as he looks at the husky.
The fox puckers his lips “I hadn’t lost the control of my life yet thank you” Barks at the doctor and suddenly feels a sharp pain on his ear as the husky pinches him hard.
The doctor nods a couple of times “Oh it surely looks like that. I will be back soon”
Before the boy is able to speak at all the husky twists his ear “First strike. I won’t say anything else, you know what you did but will warn you that you don’t want to get 3” Speaks as the boy looks down while they wait for the glasses to be print.
The exchange was pretty quick and the boy did had to pay the extra mods from his own purse but he chuckles as he walks around with his new glasses handing his old haphazardly modified ones to be recycled.
The husky looks at the boy “Oh you look quite happy now”
He nods “Well even if I feel like I am drunk due of how everything shifts I see quite a lot better now” Speaks as they walk in a clothes store, thankfully this one was more targeted to actual regresees than just kids.
The boy thanks the lady before checking some clothes “Oh I am looking for plain things” Speaks as he picks something with solid colors, blues, purples, reds while the husky starts to pick more colorful and childish designs “What the heeeeeeavens are you picking?”
The Husky keeps picking clothes “Oh you will thank me later”
He just keep picking things “I bet that I won’t at all” Complains while selecting something else “Besides I will be the one picking what to wear every morning and I bet my closed will be full of uniforms soon anyway”
The lady rubs the boy’s head “You should try to enjoy this. How many people would have given all their kingdoms, treasures, riches and everything to be able to be a child again”
The boy groans “Will this be a history lesson? or an ethics one?” He puckers his lips before looking at her “Oh… uh… Sorry. What I meant is that uh… Well uh… You see way back we didn’t used to have this tech and you used to die when you had to die and uhhh… I know I am lucky but still I mean we have this for granted and that they didn’t before doesn’t means that we need to uh you know”
The husky laughs “It’s ok. You are not in troubles. You surely are funny when the situation is not in your control” Smiles as he keeps adding things in the cart “Still I will be the one picking stuff for you young mister” Teases the boy who flusters and pouts
Kathy pinches his cheek playfully “Well you look more cute while pouting when you are a child” Teases the boy as she starts to pick a nice dressing suit for him
Raphiel blushes “I do not pout nor sulk as an adult” Speaks as his tail gets frisky
Kathy nods “Yes you do at least when you think you are alone” Speaks as he keeps picking clothes, the boy getting uncomfortable as they walk into the fitting rooms and tests the clothes, culmining with the formal and annoying suit.
The younger fur twiddles a bit “I won’t even be able to move my tail” Complains as she keeps fixing everything
The husky nods “You won’t need to wag your tail. You only need to look presentable and maybe to dance with some girls”
The fox coughs “I don’t want to be involved with any real kids thank you so much”
She holds makes the boy to walk around as she muses and thinks “And don’t you think there will be regressed girls too?” Asks as she orders the boy to twirl around.
The boy twirls and then stays quiet “Then you all should let us enjoy things in our way and not force us to do things like if we were your real offsprings” Sourly speaks as he holds on place while he is undressed
“Oh that sounds like an interesting storytime. Please be more detailed about it. Were your parents politicians or your adopted parents were?” Asks as she helps the boy back in some Putty colored shorts and an orange shirt
The boy looks at himself at the mirror, he may had complained about the uniform but he felt odd wearing shorts “Sorta. My parents were normal people” Speaks as he is dressed adjusts his clothes
The husky nods as they walk to the checkline “Oh and from where are you?”
The boy hums as they wait “From the capital” Speaks as he looks at her “From the Heliosk district” Speaks as they wait for everything to be scanned
The lady looks a bit more surprised “Oh is not common that the pam… That the people from the capital leave the capital”
The boy frowns “Not everyone is the same. You know that many of the people living in the capital would like to travel and explore”
The husky nods “Oh yes leaving the comfort of the homeworld?” Asks
Raphiel shrugs “Actually yes, everyone says that is really easy to have all the luxuries at the reach of your hand but its not so fun when you think that you pretty much get tied down to the planet”
Kathy looks at the boy as she picks the bags and they pay for the clothes.
The boy looks at her “Think about it this way. Nothing comes from the capital world but luxury items manufactured there. Food is expensive, homes too, rent too, services because we import everything. We are able to travel around the glove as its quite cheap but life is so expensive that you can never save enough for actual expensive things”
He looks forward “Honestly I think the colonies are way more fun” Speaks as his eyes widen and he leaves her hand “Woah! Tree man!” Claims as he runs away.
The husky starts to look around as the boy runs, its quite odd, he had been complaining about lack of energy all day due the gravity and now he was able to run like if it was nothing “Raphiel! Raphiel! Where are you!” The woman screams as she looks around
“Just give me a minute!” Calls her attention by waving before getting in motion again. As he runs to the middle of the plaza where a man with soft red bark skin and leaves decorating the upper part of its body juggles several balls on the air. The kit just stares at the towering man a good foot and half taller than the tallest man of the plaza maybe even more.
The boy stares at the man with bright eyes. The woman takes a couple of minutes to reach at him “What do you think that you are doing!” Scolds the boy who doesn’t mind her at all “Sorry is just, woah! Look at how tall is he” The man is using a percusion item that makes some thumping and shiming sounds as he keeps juggling.
The husky looks at the boy and decides to wait, letting the boy watch all the spectacle. The boy pulls some coins from his wallet and tosses them all in the bucket as the man starts to play a different instrument.
The boy giggles as the man starts to include him in the act playing for him and making shapes with the leaves to entertain the child and thank for the patronage of his head before going to someone else on the audience.
The child is mesmerized by the sounds and everything. The husky has to grab him once she thinks that it is enough taking him to a more private place “Never run like that again, understood?”
Raphiel gulps a little bit as he looks at the very angry lady and nods “Yes”
The Husky grabs the boy’s ear and starts to rub it in a painful way “Understood?!” She pulls up as the boy tiptoes and whines “Yes yes yes yes owie ow ow”
She lets the boy down “Yes what? you are in a lot of troubles and you know it” The boy whines and sets his thumb on his waistbands before pulling down slowly. She stops the boy before he pulls down his pants “No, we will do it back home”
The boy nods and hugs her tightly “no please”
She looks at the boy and rubs his cheek “Yes what? No please what?” Asks as she sets the boy just in front of her and stands tall and imposing, her body language was very tense and stern.
Raphiel whines as he feels really small “I am sorry ma’am”
The large motherly canine sets her hands on her hips “We will go to the school, get your test scheduled, Go back home, give you a reminder that running away is bad, You will sit down and either read a book from the culture section or practice a craft skill, start with your speech for the take off, you will get some time to play and then dinner, dress to bed and sleep by 8 as you need to be full of energy tomorrow, repeat?”
The boy whines and drops his ear “School, home, spanks, culture program, skill, dinner, bath and bed” Repeats everything feeling how his control slips and how he is humilliated.
“Raphiel! Do it properly you are in enough troubles already young man”
He whines and gulps “Go to schedule my placement test because I have been procrastinating it, Get back home and get me a reminder of why is so dangerous for a kid real or regressed to wander away, Start with the culture program because I already started at the ship and is part of the redevelopment program, dinner time before bath and early bed time” Replies and expands as kids are expected to do.
She looks at the boy “Good, the early bed time is for you to sleep well and be able to stay awake all night tomorrow” Corrects as him as she grabs his hand and leads the boy to the school.
Raphiel does his best to stay out of troubles with a heavy heart now doing things mystly with a pretty much defeated expression, he will have a chance to do his tests before the take off with some colonists that are almost ready to part too.
Once they are at the hotel the fox just wanders around sitting down on the large bed, he looks at his feet. 1 month ago he would fit perfectly even if he was a tall man he wouldn't have issues with the size, now he can practically swim and drown in between the blankets.
The boy looks at his hands, so tiny and stubby, stupid and useless after losing most of his dexterity. The tears start to come again as he remembers how weak he felt a couple of minutes ago, he know that usually he would have gotten really really angry of anyone imposing on himself in that way but instead he was afraid when he was being scolded.
He hugs his tail, thick and bushy, his fur soft and bright unlike the lean and elegant fur that he used to poses “I am changing… I hate it I don’t want to be that boy” Speaks as he just pulls down his pants knowing that it will happen at some point and just curls to cry.
Finally after a good half hour the husky comes in the room then listens to the boy, that is not guilty crying but something else. She sits down next to the boy hugging him tightly. The fox hugs her tightly as he just bawls.
The husky cradles the boy “Do you want to speak about it?” Asks as the boy nods no with his head, he justs keeps crying util he had vent everything and lays on her lap as he rubs his eyes
Raphiel bites the back of his hand as he feels how she rubs his bottom.
Kathy rubs the boy noticing the heavy shedding, lots of stress “I am sorry child, I cannot help you if you don’t tell me what is wrong” Speaks as she spanks the boy’s bottom quite hard, Raphiel whinces and sobs, he doesn’t have too much energies to fight or cry anymore.
“I cannot help you if you don’t tell me what happened” Hits the boy’s bottom again who squirms “Of course I won’t force you if you don’t want to speak” Spanks him again and again as he boy silently sobs”
“Owwww Awww” Speaks, his voice really really raspy and his throat rather sore of all the bawling as his is hit “N---nnhhhh---nghhhh Ow” Complains again
The dog keeps dutifully spanking the boy, the room is only echoed with the sound of the spanking -Whack, Whack, Whack- and the boy’s gutural complains and sobs but no words. No scolding, no begging only the percussive sounds filling the room again and again -Slap, Slap, Slap-
There is some sort of somber acceptance, the dog knows better than talking right now as she sees how the boy’s bottom gets more and more tender and red, she only looks at the kit with a heavy heart, something is bothering way more and she knows that someting broke in the boy.
The kid just sobs and squirms as he sobs “Owie, Ow, Ouchy” Speaks and grabs her arms tightly, she winces as he uses a bit of claw but continues with the ordeal.
Once they have finished she hugs the boy “I hope that you have learned your lesson”
The kit nods and just hugs her tightly sobbing some more “I don’t want to be a child… I hate to be one” Sobs as he hugs “It upsets me a lot” Speaks as he hugs her tightly “I hate others controlling me but more than that I hate the kind of person that I am when I am a kid… I can feel how I slowly turn into that person” Speaks as he buries his face on her chest.
The Husky only listens and nods as she rubs his back letting the boy to vent himself before undressing him and setting him in some red footed sleeper “Nights are really cold in Toshak sweety” She rubs the boy’s face “I will make you some homey meal and we can watch some movies on the couch until you fall asleep, I don’t know why you were so angry about your early bedtime, I think that you won’t be able to reach that time” The boy nods as he is picked up.
The black cat looks at the door and sets a note for the Husky, he will have a really long time trying to track the boy’s parents to know a bit more about him and find out about this self hating business.
Toshak or as they call it Den central, pretty much a trade hub and a transport center due its position in the middle of the empire. Many little ones with a lot of mixed feelings about that new planet, fear, excitement, pretty much everything. All of those kids seeing that new planet as a start, only one of them seeing it as an ending, oddly enough it is the most crucial one for this travel.
