Ciela watched the new pair leave, holding the paper he had signed. When the door closed behind them she stood there looking at it awhile longer. A confused look crossed her face it cleared. And she cursed herself.

Ulen and his new partner exited the tamers reserve. He turned his head to the right and gave his tall new partner a second quick look over. He listed all the things he would need to get for her in his mind.

"Cynthia.", he simply called her name.

"Yes, master.", she replied not turning to look at him her tone held nothing in it.

"Do you like your name?", he asked her.

She turned her head to him a flicker of confusion on her face. What did he mean?

"Do you like your name?", he asked her again.

She realized he expected an answer. Confusion more evident on her face. What answer did he want?

"Y...yes.", she replied. What was the point of this?

Seeing the curiosity in her eyes. Got her.

"Good. We will keep it then, but to commemorate our new life together. I want to give you a new name, as well.", he said projecting seriousness as much as he could.

"O...Ok?", she hesitatingly replied. Seriously, what was he trying to do? She was getting annoyed.

"Carrot.", he simply stated.

"Wha...what?", she asked him. She was confused again. She really couldn't understand him.

"Your new name. That only your future harem sisters and I will call you. It will be Carrot.", he stated like it was an obvious and unalterable fact.

Not waiting for her to reply he started walking towards the tamer center. He needed to make arrangements for their housing for the next few months that he planned to remain in Ellington. He didn't check to see if she followed him.

The newly dubbed Carrot stared at her new owner as he walked away from her. He hadn't ordered her to follow. He kept walking with that slow graceful gait of his. She was confused what was she supposed to do? He was leaving her. The thought snapped her out of her confusion. She hurried to catch up to him, grimacing with every footfall on the asphalt. She really needed shoes.

The life in her face made her look less like a concentration camp survivor.

Ulen felt Carrot catching up to him, but staying the proper distance behind him like any well trained D-Girl.

'One thing at a time, one thing at a time.', he thought to himself.

The one confident and one uncertain pair, continued walking in silence.

After a few minutes, they reached the tamer center. Ulen tucked his folder, that now also held Carrot's registration as his D-Girl, under his right arm and was going to open the door. But Carrot had hurried ahead on her silent feet and held it open for him. Minus one point. He silently walked past her into the center.

Her ears that had started to perk up a little dropped down again. She hadn't expected a thank you, after all, her conditioning had made clear that her owner didn't have to thank her for anything. But she felt she had done something wrong and that her strange owner was displeased with her. She remembered to follow him.

Ulen walked back into the tamer center. It felt like a long time had passed, but really, it had only been hours. He looked up and smiled at Leila. She had looked up as he came in and smiled, but she avoided looking at the right side of his face. He sighed mentally, failed.

'So Ciela told her,huh...', he thought disappointed in her reaction.

"Welcome back, Ulen. Congratulations on your first partner!", she said with warmth but compared to earlier it was the difference between fresh and day old apple pie. She still didn't look at the right side of his face. He couldn't see it but Carrot was surprised and curious about the Generica's warm friendly manner and her use of his first name.

"Thank you, Leila. I'm pleased with Cynthia. Though, I'd like to get her outfitted and get her some more training for the next three months.", Ulen told the blue haired Generica. Carrot was shocked again as her owner addressed the Generica by name. She was irritated that he hadn't called her Carrot.

"Of course, Ulen. As a registered tamer the outfitters here in the center will give you a discount. I'll download a list of the classes and their instructors to your pad.", Leila explained to Ulen. Carrot stifled a sigh at the classes.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?", Leila asked.

"I'd like to stay at the center for the next three months. Are there any ground floor three room suites with private gym access available?", Ulen promptly took the Generica's offer. Handing her a claim chit from ITU for a three month stay with three meals a day at the Ellington, Tamer Center.

Leila took the chit and checked the available suites. She was not surprised that ITU would be willing to foot the bill for such a extended stay for a newbie tamer. After, she had called Ciela she had wanted to get Ulen's private number. She had accessed his ITU file, the confidential portion, with a few tricks she had learned. She had quickly written down his number, but hadn't been able to resist snooping some more. His personal history was not comfortable reading, but it was the pictures documenting the extent of his injuries that appalled her. The thought of asking for a taming session disappeared.

"There is a three room suite with gym access available. Let me key the room to your thumb print. You can also use your thumb print to get meals at the cafeteria.", she said while quickly typing at her keyboard.

"Could you key the room and meals to Cynthia's print as well?", Ulen asked the busily typing Generica. Both Carrot and Leila looked at him in surprise it could only be called a unique request. If it had been a human pair the request would have been so obvious there was no need to make it. Tamers, preferred to keep a tight leash on their harems. Keeping them in their company or locking them into their accommodations at night. Not letting them out of their sight unless it was for an errand. Keying the room to Carrot meant that she was free to come and go as she liked.

Carrot didn't know what to think of her master as she looked at him. Her face was a little warm, though. Leila's hands stopped moving. She looked down her face paling.

"Of course. I'll do that now.", she said in a very quiet voice. His simple request hit her with breathtaking force. If she had been in Carrot's place none of the humans she knew would have made such a request on her behalf.

"Thanks Leila you have been a great help.", Ulen thanked the Generica. Having properly thanked her for her help. Ulen motioned to Carrot to follow him and left in the direction of the center's outfitters.

Leila wanted to be angry at him. What to Carrot had seemed an unusually warm and friendly exchange. Had for Ulen and Leila been cold, stilted and impersonal compared to their conversation just a few hours ago. She really wanted to be angry at him for treating her the same as any other tamer would. More politely, but still the same. But he had noticed her aversion. To her shame all she could do was watch him walk away and curse herself.

Ulen put Leila out of his mind. He refocused on his immediate and future plans.

First, Carrot she needed to be, well, fattened up. Once her condition was improved she would be perfect for a new or rather old magical ritual he wanted to try with her. The way he treated her was genuine, but not without an ulterior motive. The ritual needed to be done before the bonding and was the reason he had wanted a low end D-Girl with at least moderate magic compatibility.

The bond that Demi-Humans formed with their masters was common knowledge and taken for granted. Ulen had spent some time with a magus who had done an in-depth study of it and knew some things about it that were not common knowledge. From his father's harem and their too frank and descriptive accounts of their own bonding experiences. He knew that if affection or even love was present before the bonding it would be stronger. There were unexpected benefits for both the Demi-Human and human from a stronger bond. Among the magus's research papers had been a description of a wedding rite from a sect of earth priests that Ulen's instincts told him he could adapt to a modern familiar binding spell that should greatly enhance the bond.

Second, with Carrot strengthened by the improved bond. They would observe the unofficial novice tamers tournament that a local gym sponsored every two years. Ulen wasn't interested in participating rather he was looking for a second D-Girl one with a specific skill. The skill was a racial ability so only a few breeds had it. Those breeds were uncommon and valued, not for that skill which wasn't directly battle related, but for their strength and vitality. In other words strong front line fighters and cost a lot more than Ulen would make anytime soon. With the number and variety of tamers present one of those breeds should be at the tournament.

Third, after performing the ritual and bonding the second girl, which should take about a month. The special vehicle that Ulen had spent the majority of the money he had gotten from ITU and another source, that he would rather forget, on should be ready. Then he could proceed to his current short term objective.

"Master if you like that kind of stuff I...I will do whatever you want.", Carrot interrupted Ulen's musing on his (nefarious) plans.

Confused Ulen realised they had arrived at the center's outfitter section, while had been lost in thought. And that he had been staring vacantly at a rather large strap-on dildo in the center's taming toys section. He shook his head, too clear it.

"No, Carrot. Thats not it. I was just lost in my thoughts.", Ulen quickly explained.

"If you say so, master.", she said eyeing the large strapon and his rather petite behind. Was she interested!?

Shiver.'She might prove to be more dangerous than I expected. And what is it about red-heads.', thought Ulen rather worriedly, while remembering a certain sadistic strawberry blonde fox.

"Anyway. Let's get you some clothes and shoes, definitely shoes.", Ulen bravely tried to protect his imperiled posterior with bribery.

"Yes,master!", Carrot successfully bribed.

Ulen walked to the clothing section of the outfitters a excited Carrot beside him.

"Go ahead and get some comfortable clothes, underwear and shoes for yourself that you can wear for training.", Ulen told the excited rabbit.

"Yes, master.", Carrot less excited at the mention of training. But she realized that her master was not going to continue starving her so anything she bought that fit would quickly become too small for her. Why else give her freedom of movement or spend money on her at all?

Ulen watched Carrot start browsing through the somewhat limited selection available at the center's outfitter. It wasn't a women's clothing store so telling her to get training clothes was actually redundant since that was the majority of what was available, except for a rather large variety of lingerie.

'I'll take her to get some nicer clothes when she is back in shape.', he promised himself. A girl of any species should have some nicer clothes. (Poor bastard is gonna be broke in the future)

He headed to the arms and armor section of the outfitter. The tamer centers believed in stocking their stores with only the essentials training clothes, long lasting food, armor, weapons, sexy lingerie and taming toys. He ignored the armor section for right now. He wanted Carrot to train with firearms nothing to big just a small caliber handgun. He picked out a nice matte black 9 mm semi-automatic. He was a bit conflicted but went ahead and got her a matching suppressor. Since she had some proficiency with swords a carbon steel straight double edged short sword and a pair of always useful combat knives, the larger kind. He considered the knuckle dusters but thought spiked gauntlets might suit her better so he would get those later. (Watch out ladies this guy is definitely boyfriend material)

He got the attendant to send the items to his suite. Then went back to the clothing section.

'Ah, she's not done yet.', Ulen sat on a thoughtfully placed well used bench pulled out his pad and made arrangements to have his personal items sent to the suite. Then he sent a message to the manager of the student housing he had been staying at for the last four years informing her that he was moving out. Eventually, he might think back to his time there fondly but not any time soon. Having finished these small tasks he checked on Carrot. Not done. He put his head back and closed his eye.

"Master, I'm done.", Carrot said to her dozing master. His eye opened and took in her new attire. She was still painfully thin but the pink and grey trainers, grey track pants with pink piping and pink short sleeved T-shirt suited her.

"Lookss, good. 'ss cute.", he slurred. Smooth. Carrot blushed and looked down a smile on her lips. A loud rumbling growl made her blush even brighter and stop smiling. Awake now Ulen grinned at her.

"C'mon lets get some food. Did you send the rest to the room? I'll go pay.", Ulen said getting up and heading to the closest attendant.

"Umm, master this is all I got.", Carrot looked concerned. Ulen blinked and looked at her.

"Ok. Well...let's go eat and come back tomorrow for the rest. Did you get a second set of underwear?", Ulen asked his abashed rabbit.

"Uh...", Carrot's redness spread to her neck.

Ulen felt like facepalming. Seriously this rabbit.

"You didn't get any underwear.", he stated. She squirmed.

"Well the bras can wait but at least panties.", he ruthlessly delivered a critical strike.

"Master...that's mean.", Carrot whined covering her chest. Ulen could only marvel at her strength. A new name and a shopping trip was all it took for her to recover from the dead eyed walking corpse he had met only a few hours ago. Ulen felt that he had gotten luckier with her than he deserved.

"Carrot, lets go eat we can come back tomorrow.", said Ulen giving his teary-eyed comando rabbit a warm look and smile. She perked up immediately and promptly got depressed again as a deep rumbling growl issued forth from her tiny middle.

Chuckling Ulen paid for the clothes and weapons. Time to feed his very hungry rabbit.

Author's Note: Ya, so, ummm, I'm gonna have to eat some crow now I promised an ero scene but the story didn't flow that way so instead of forcing it I'll... well there will be an ero scene. I swear on my Ecchi honor.