Taming a Tempest

“How do you feel about pet play?” Capper asked Tempest from the other side of one of the Platinum Teahouse’s green tables. While he awaited her reply, he took a sip of the potent black coffee in his cup.

“I haven’t really tried it, to be honest.” Tempest shrugged, her ever-present shoulder armor rattling a bit with the movement. “Not as a sub, at any rate. There was this one griffon, out at Clocktower Aerie? Subby little bitch, sweet as a kitten once you were finished beating the feathers off him. Not really my thing, but if my partner’s into it, I’m game.”

“We’ll put that down as a maybe then.” Capper nodded and sat his cup down. He picked up his Firelight deck, sifting through the cards idly while Tempest sipped her tea, an earthy Zebrican brew. “I’ve played it both ways. As long as nobody wants me using a litter box or living on kibble again, it’s fun.”

“What do you like about it?” Tempest asked him, cocking her head slightly. “Being the pet?”

Capper sat his deck back down, drumming his fingertips on the back of the cards as he thought about how to describe it.

“Capper-kitty doesn’t have to worry about what other people think about him,” he explained. “Doesn’t have to worry about taking care of anycreature, about who’s going to care if they catch him sleeping in their shacks, or who’s going to turn up and get pissed off that he’s not sleeping there alone. Capper-pup -”

“You play more than one type of pet?”

“It depends on my mood, really,” Capper shrugged, kicking back and putting his feet up on the table, ignoring the scowl from behind the bar. “Everybody expects the cat. It’s fun sometimes, but I’m still supposed to be independent, picky, arrogant - everything people expect Abyssinians to be at our worst. But everybody expects it, and it’s hard to turn down being pampered and doted on for a few hours. But when I’m playing the pup, I get to be a bit bumbling, just have fun without worrying about what everybody thinks, except for whoever’s holding my leash. The cat gets pampered, but the pup just gets to enjoy life. Everything’s taken care of, I know I don’t have to worry where my next meal’s coming from, somebody’s going to protect me. I won’t be eating kibble unless I screw something up. It’s safe. That’s what I like about it, anyway.” The Abyssinian sighed and drained his coffee.

“You know, I don’t think we ever have compared notes on what happened to us before the Princess barrelled into our lives. It sounds like you had it pretty rough.”

“Let’s just say moving to Klugetown was a step up for me.” Capper wrinkled his muzzle in that distinctive way felines had to show their distaste with the failures of the world around them. “I’d meant to keep on stepping up, but… things didn’t go the way I’d planned.”

“They never do,” Tempest agreed. She moved her chair over to Capper’s side of the table and leaned up against him. She hoped it came across the right way, despite her armor pressing into his shoulder. “So,” she continued before they could get too deeply into the silence that followed, “that’s what you like about subbing?”

“The pet play part of it, anyway.” He turned, giving her cheek a playful lick. “The rest… well, I need to save a few secrets for when I can talk you into being in charge.”

“You know, I could just have Sparkler compare our profiles. It’s not as much fun, but it gets things done sooner.”

“And here I was under the impression you liked me to take my time!” Capper smirked, taking his feet down and signalling to the bar for a refill on his coffee. The waitress brought out an earthen jug and poured him a fresh cup. Almost as soon as she’d finished, he heaped in two large spoonfuls of sugar, leaving the cup just short of brim-full. He picked the cup up by the rim, ignoring the handle to take the first sip.

Tempest watched the expressions that crossed his face with some amusement. She was learning that the Abyssinian had an entire vocabulary that could pass silently and apparently without his awareness. The first cup, he’d been pleasantly surprised with, but this one seemed to be a disappointment somehow, judging by the extra wrinkle of his prominent eyebrows, the faint hint of a snarl around his lips as he put the cup down and reached for the sugar bowl again.

“Well, somebody here knows how to make half of a proper coffee at least,” he grumbled. “Should have known they wouldn’t make a proper brew when I realized they used pre-ground beans. Good Abyssinian stock, at least.”

“What’s a proper brew like?” Tempest asked him curiously, leaning over to pull her teacup across the table.

“Home,” Capper sighed, leaning back to finish the disappointing cup. “It’s hard to find a proper buna outside of Abyssinia, though I’ve met some merchants passing through Klugetown who knew what they were doing, or at least how to appreciate it. Probably easier to show you, some time, if I can find someone who’s willing to host it.”

“Would you need supplies you don’t have here?”

“No, but it’s not really.....” Capper frowned, trying to think about how to explain it. “The buna is the right of the head of the home. It’s an invitation to come in to chat, share a drink, visit a while, to say nothing of the cost of coffee and the time to prepare it, and so it’s not really appropriate to hold unless you actually have a home to be the head of. Or if you’re doing it as your business, of course, but that’s your space again. It’s like the cooking, the cleaning, the wash… all those things I’ve had to do, but never been able to just do.”

“Mare’s work?” Tempest asked him, her tone even as she sipped her tea.

“Only if she’s the one in charge of the home, and somebody else is in charge of the business.” Capper rolled his eyes slightly. “Abyssinia’s cutthroat, not sexist. There’s just a different between keeping the home and earning the coin. Ponies blend the two so often, sometimes I don’t know how you ever aren’t working.”

“Breaking out into random musical numbers and semi-mandatory holiday celebrations any time the mood starts getting too serious seems to be the general solution.” Tempest allowed herself a faint smirk. “But to be fair, some of us really never stop working, unless we’re somewhere like this.”

“And how often have you hosted a peaceful get-together with friends and neighbors?”

“Point. So, you’re not really comfortable holding it until you have a home that’s yours, and somebody to share it with?”

“Pretty much.” Capper nodded. “And I don’t see that happening any time soon. Almost happened once, but…” He made a motion with his hand like a bird flying away, then shrugged and went back to his coffee.

“I’m sorry about the assumption, by the way. Between spending some time in Minos and the Storm King’s crew, I’ve learned not to expect too much respect outside of Equestria and its closer neighbors,” Tempest explained, trying to decide where to take the conversation next. Quiet was the enemy tonight, time to think about what they’d had and lost in the past. She was the one who’d gotten Capper thinking about it; that made it her job to find a new distraction.

”Gee, Tempest,” she thought to herself as she rolled her eyes, ”if only you were in a massive kink playground where the two of you could find somepony to fuck into a puddle by going downstairs and tossing a rock into a random crowd! But what could you possibly find to do for the evening here, of all places in Equestria?”

In all seriousness though, that was the question. Sure, they could find a playmate down in the Slave Pens. Or they could head down to the Borderlands, lure some pretty thing down into the Underdark.

But Capper was talking about a home. Thinking about having one. And that gave her an idea, once she thought about it.

“You know what? Let’s try it.”

Capper was just taking the last sip of his coffee when Tempest spoke up, and he promptly choked on it when she said that. He started hacking and coughing, pounding his chest while Tempest moved to pound his back with a forehoof. Finally, a wad of coffee-scented fur and phlegm came up, and he spat it into his cup, burying it in a napkin so it could be disposed of once he could breathe again.

“Try what?” He asked while he caught his breath.

“Going down to Pet Town,” Tempest clarified. “What did you think I meant?”

“Well, the last thing we were talking about was me trying to start a household!” He glared back at her. Tempest shook her head, chuckling ruefully.

“Okay, you’re right, but that is definitely not in either of our plans right now. But it got me thinking about trying to keep a pet. Are you all right?”

“I will be.” He got up, emptying the hairball into the garbage and coming back to wipe out his cup. “Give me some context, the next time you’re going to say something like that?”

“Will do. So, how does it sound?”

“Pet Town? I’m game, but I thought you weren’t sure. Change your mind about subbing for the night?”

“Well, I said I’d give it a try some time. Tonight’s some time, isn’t it?” Tempest smiled at him awkwardly. “And actually, I was thinking maybe you could show me the ropes? I’ve never tried being a dog before.”

“Oh? Sure you wouldn’t be a feisty little kitten instead?” Capper teased her, leaning forward again to rest his elbows on the table. “A spoiled, pampered little so and so?”

“If anybody wants me to be their pampered little kitten, I’m going to need claws to shred the drapes with. Besides, I know the last time I paid Clocktower West’s version a visit, not every pet had a master with them.”

“I’ll chew broken glass before I play at being a stray.” Capper shuddered. “Too close to home for me. Besides, I can show you the ropes without having to sub myself.”

“It just seemed like tonight might be a good ‘forget about everything’ night for you, too.” Tempest shrugged. “So, we go down and see what sort of pet you’ve found yourself?”

“Oh, I already have a few ideas,” he grinned back at her. “I’ll meet you down at the Little Big Sphinx, after you’ve had a chance to go drop off your clothes? After all, I don’t think even the Royal Guard kit their dogs out like you are now.”

“Heh… I guess you’re right,” Tempest chuckled awkwardly. “So, uhm… I’ll meet you downstairs?”

“Unless you’d rather I wait for you,” he offered. “But I figured that you’d rather skip the part where I’m showing you off on the way to Pet Crescent on your first trip, and it’ll give me a chance to make a couple of purchases to help you get into character.”

“Sure,” she nodded, just a bit too quickly for Capper’s tastes. “So, I’ll meet you there!”

“Tempest….” He stood up, leaning down over her before she could leave. Taking her jaw in one paw, he tipped her face up towards his.

“You don’t have to do this if you aren’t comfortable with it,” he reminded her.

“And as soon as I’m not, I’ll be sure to let you know,” she promised him easily. She stood up and pushed his paw away with a wink. “Just remember, if you stand me up at the Sphinx, I will wear my mask the next time I come find you in the Borderlands!”

“Threaten me with a good time, why don’t you!” Capper smirked, and the two of them each turned to go their separate ways and set up for the evening.