Of Pets and Pleasures
by Annette Gisby
Lord Sebastian Bennett was a man of distinction and refinement, but his friend, Lord Leon Mallon had pointed out the man's one social lack which prevented him from being invited to the very best parties on Terra Five. Not that Sebastian ever attended parties, but one's social standing was based upon how many invitations one could reject, not how many parties one attended. Leon was getting short with him and warned him that if Sebastian didn't remedy it soon, he would no longer be welcome at Mallon House.
Since Mallon House was the only place Sebastian ever visited, or wished to – and he couldn't let his godson just have the one influence after all – Sebastian found himself in a rather dodgy part the capital city one day. Sebastian had rarely ventured out of the more gentrified parts of the city and it was a shock to the system to see so many aliens gathered in one place and to see the slums they lived in.
Sebastian would have stared longer and perhaps even tried to help those few unfortunates who seemed to be sleeping in the gutters, if Leon hadn't tugged on his cloak and pulled him further down the alleyway.
“You can't help them, Sebastian. They know no better. Even if you gave them credits they'd just spend it on drink or drugs. They don't even have enough sense to buy food. They’re little better than animals really.”
“But they look so pitiful!”
“Pity them all you like, just don’t go wasting your credits on them. Here, this is the place. I’ve used him before, he’s very discreet.” Leon had stopped at glass-fronted shop, the shiniest thing in the alleyway. The window was divided into five boxes and each box had a different ware for sale. Sebastian stopped and perused the pets in the window, but not one took his fancy.
Three were female, which ruled them out at once, despite their provocative poses and painted faces. The other two were at least male, but were so muscle bound that Sebastian felt intimidated. He had never been drawn to brawn.
“See anything you fancy?” asked Leon by his elbow, his experienced gaze taking in the wares in the window.
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