DOLLHOUSE || Theodore Utetheisa

“No, no! It’s quite the honour, truly. I never expected Mr. Utethesia to come all the way out here just to drop her off. Shall I introduce you to mine?” Theo walks side-by-side with a chatty, drab-winged woman in her mid-twenties, politely taking off his boots as he enters the coatroom. “He was a birthday gift from my father when I was a very young girl.”

Theo shrugs off his large coat, a brightly colored garment embroidered beautifully with all manner of eyelets and flowers. Compared to the simple black suit underneath, it’s a marvelously garish piece of apparel. Rich navies, deep emeralds, gold tassels... a maximalist design that would be offensive to the eyes if not for its impeccable design.

Placing it on the hook, he scans his surrounds for his own pet. He finds her lurking outside the countryside manor with an uneasy shuffle to her step. With a small chuckle and a whistle, he cocks his head, gesturing for her to enter too.

“I told Bella not all humans are house humans, and I think she took it to heart.” Theo explains to the woman, who busies herself making a cup of tea. “Ah, but I’m glad my training isn’t for naught. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Betularia?”

His tone is steady and even, hoping to put the flustered Lepidopteran at ease. Theo understands why. Her wings are small, and despite having an interesting, speckled pattern are markedly lacking in color. Only some dull orange colorations.

For someone like Mrs. Betularia, it’s a stroke of good luck if a man like Theodore Utethesia doesn’t treat her like the dirt beneath his soles. To sit in her parlor... to place a cup in front of him? Her arm is already red from the pinching.

The tea is bad, but Theo drinks it anyway. What a gentleman.

Someone of his standing would usually never be seen in the lower socioeconomic area of the countryside, and instead more regularly frequent the country clubs and estates. He looks entirely incompatible with the slightly outdated décor. That said, Theo always tries to personally see his adopted strays off when he rehomes them.

“Quite true. My Charlie can be horribly insensible at times. I tried to have him corrected by a local trainer, but he only seems worse off.” Mrs. Betularia laughs from a distance, trudging through the hallways of her manor. “Charlie! Charlie! Where are you? Here, boy!”

Sitting in the parlor, Theo waits as Mrs. Betularia eventually finds her human. When she reappears, her awkward smile has only intensified. She’s got Charlie in her arms, a restless young male who seems unsociable at best, troublesome at worst.

“He’s in a bit of a mood today. I’ve no idea why.” She chuckles sheepishly.

“Ah, he has spirit though! I can tell he’s a spoiled one.” Theo dismisses her worried with a wave, giving a good-humored smirk. “All humans have to be is cute. He looks quite young, did you get him as a toddler?”

It's often quite difficult for Theo to find proper, loving homes for his humans. Picked off the streets of the slums, most of his adopted strays are... unfortunate looking. The poor animals are hard to rehome. Dollhouses of good standing are looking for higher pedigrees, and dollhouses of lower standing are likely to take the creatures to bed.

Repulsive, Theo thinks, that practise.

They’re such cute little things, so stupid and trusting, and yet their masters abuse them like that. Humans have inferior mental faculties, are their consent is always dubious. Moreover, their small and delicate frames are unsuited for such sexual atrocities, especially when they’re being assaulted by Lepidopterans almost twice their size.

Most of the time, Theo tries looking for Lepidopterans on the fringes of the fashion industry. Small scale boutique owners or hobbyists who keep humans to occasionally display their brand. Either that, or owners like Mrs. Betularia.

“Yes, actually. You should see the photographs. What an adorable fellow he was.” Mrs. Betularia places Charlie down on the parlour tiles. “Imagine my surprise when now, at his age, he started getting... well... urges. At first when I found him in rut and touching himself, I considered getting him neutered. But, I just didn’t have it in me.”

Charlie looks mortified. He’s a skinny young man, probably around his early twenties. Mousy brown hair and freckles. His hands ball into fists, and he avoids meeting Bella’s eyes.

“Pfft!” Theo snickers as he reaches out, patting Charlie’s head. “Is that so, shy little guy? Don’t worry then. Bella’s a mild-tempered and obedient bitch. With any luck, the babies might inherit her personality.”

Theo turns to Bella. When he heard that Mrs. Betularia put an ad in the newspaper looking for a breeding partner, he was a little worried. Human breeders are cruel and exploitative most of the time. Good thing he confirmed it. It’s just a domestic breeding situation.

“Be good for your new owner, okay?” With a gentle smile, Theo kneels to the ground, his gloves reaching for Bella’s neck.

Undoing the buckle, he takes the peg out of the hole and lets it come loose. With a soft jingle, he takes the collar off of her, casting a small glance at the name tag. How unfortunate that she’ll likely be renamed. He pockets it, of course. He always keeps the collars of his adopted strays as keepsakes. Fond memories of the short time spent together.

He spends a while at Mrs. Betularia’s abode, idly chatting over the tea while Charlie and Bella become acquainted. Later in the morning, he departs. His destination is obvious. “Another day, another good deed.”

The slums of Sericifera City have a perpetually appalling stench to them. Improperly disposed of waste, grime and mud. It's raining. Most of the stray humans are swaddled in thin scrap fabrics discarded from dollhouses. They shiver and tuck their heads in, huddling for warmth. When they see Theo, they tactfully retreat into the shadows.

Randomly selecting from the crowd, Theo approaches you. He can hardly make out your figure under the caked layers of filth. You don't seem to notice him, either. "Well, aren't you a sorry thing?"