Bonds of Temptation (closed for Jewelskye and Josu_T)

James looked around in horror; this had been a grave day for Earth. They had arrived outside the planet early in the time sequence of one Earth day, but in space there is no day or night, only infinite darkness, lit up only a bit by the gleam from distant stars, but those were only pinpricks of light. The fleet had prepared for the descent to the planet’s surface. The large ships entered a stable orbit and crew members entered the smaller descent ships, designed to make the gruelling and damaging entry through the atmosphere of a planet.

The first ship carried some scientists and a few troops; they would assess the situation and decide whether it was safe to land. As the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere it started to glow red, flames could be seen on the outside of the ship, the friction of the atmosphere on the ship was generating a lot of heat. When the ship engaged its retro boosters problems began to arise. When the first boosters ignited they erupted with a large explosion. The hull of the ship was breached by the explosion and another explosion from a secondary booster ignited a fuel line within the ship, within seconds the entire ship had exploded and flaming scrap metal was falling to the planet’s surface.

Two more ships attempted the descent with their retro boosters and were met with the same fate. So the fleet adapted its methods and used their secondary descent plans, retros were fired before the entry into the atmosphere and gravity pulled the ships down toward the planet. The ships glided down at a shallow angle, reducing their speed of descent. Once low enough the parachutes were deployed to further slow the ships, most of the ships landed safely, 53 in total. This meant that just fewer than 500 men had made it to the surface, mostly shock troopers with their high powered weaponry. The ships had ended up scattered over many kilometres of land. This meant that before any exploration could take place the ships teams would need to rendezvous at the main ship to retrieve their equipment. The remaining scientists determined that oxygen did exist and that no harmful gasses were large parts of the air on this planet. The men and women of Earth then ventured out onto the alien planet’s surface. It looked much like earth, yet the trees were much bigger and more abundant, and the wildlife that could be seen every so often appeared stronger and healthier than the animals on Earth. James followed the leader of his team through the forest on the way to the lead ship.

Men for all over converged on the coordinates of the largest ship. They made their way through carefully. They had no idea what was going on. Had the ships been shot down? If so, why hadn't the rest been destroyed. It seemed to be something with the engines. He hoped they figured it out so they could get back off of the planet. Everything seemed ok though. He felt like he had more energy than normal. It was strange.

When the troops all arrived together they made plans based on what they knew of the planet. Groups of men started to move out. They were all armed with high powered weapons. Some stayed behind. As the soldiers moved to explore they called up to the ships to have the civilians drop down into the safe zone created. More ships rained down on the planet. They were grouped better near the guarding force.

The first signs of trouble came when strange beings appeared. They were tall and thin, but they moved very swiftly. They also seemed to be quite strong. They didn't seem to be too friendly. They had bows that were loaded with arrows and aimed at them. Over the radio they heard that these human-like beings were all over the place. They had all the groups surrounded. When one shot an arrow at an approaching soldier and killed him, guns started firing.

When the first man in James' group fired his rifle it exploded in his hands. It left him fatally wounded. Before any warnings could be given many guys had their guns explode in their hands. Within a minute most of the human soldiers were incapacitated. A few others attacked with knives and other weapons but were killed swiftly. James and those remaining surrendered. The soldiers were led back to their main force and soon all the humans were captured by the strange aliens.

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A few hundred years and many human generations later they had increased in number to be a signifigant population. On the planet that resembled Earth in so many ways and seemed to be much like the medieval era, humans were slaves of the natural species of the planet. It turned out that the concentration of oxygen on the planet was much higher. That was why the engines and guns had exploded. Without their weapons the humans had been helpless. Rescue missions had ended in the same way as the initial mission.

Now the humans were almost all slaves. They had been bred to create more effective slaves. All humans had been taught the native language. Those humans that were not slaves were not treated as equal to the natives. There was segregation and mistreatment. It was almost better to just be a slave. At least then food was provided and shelter was given.

The native species was not cruel, they had only done what was nessecary to protect their planet and their lifestyle. They had only done what the people of Earth would have probably done to any invading alien species. There were not many differences between humans and the natives.

The natives were taller, the average height being about 6'3". Because of the oxygen levels they had naturally stronger muscles. A stronger heart led to the ability to grow taller. They had narrower frames due to skeletal structure. While being thinner, they were still very strong. They could run faster and jump higher. Their limbs and all appendages were longer proportionally compared to the average human. Their skin came in a wide variety of colors and tones. Their eyes also came in exotic colors. Their hair was thicker and fuller. The men all had long hair and took pride in it. The longer a man's hair, the more respect he got from others. It also told a lot about him and his abilities. Usually stronger and more intelligent men also had longer hair.

Apart from these differences they were quite similar to humans. They felt emotions and thought in much the same way. Their physical appearances seemed to be the only true differences between them. Yet it was enough that the humans were kept as slaves and often auctioned off. They were used for many things. Men were used for labour and women were used more domestically.

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Jad and Stel Urdain were the two sons of a fairly wealthy family of natives. Stel was the elder of the two. In human years he would be 24. In his own years he was 37. He was also taller than his brother. He stood at about 6'5". Jad was only 21 in human years. That made him 32 in his own years. He was of average height for his species. Since they were brothers they had similarities. Both had a light brown skin color. Stel's eyes were pale green. Jad's eyes were a deep violet color. Out of the two Jad had longer hair, both had light brown hair. It made Stel jealous of Jad.

The family's old human maid had died and it was time for them to get a new one. This time Jad and Stel went with their parents to the auction. They would assist in picking the human that would be their new house keeper. Stel didn't care too much, but Jad found it exciting. He was intrigued by the humans. He wanted to pick a young human. His parents wanted one who had been trained for complete loyalty and obedience.

They arrived at the auction hall. There was a large number of seats in front of a large stage. The humans would be walked across the stage and then sold. The new owners would sign the papers and take them home. Then the owners could do whatever they wanted with their slaves. There were no regulations and the humans had no rights. However it was very unlikely that the owners would spend all the money just to kill the human slave. So most humans were confined to a life of meaningless work and cleaning up after the natives. Jad and Stel got settled in and waited for the slaves to be presented.

Bred, born, and raised in a breeding facility had it's merits when one was looking to buy a slave... On the one hand, if you weren't interested in breaking a person's will and then training them like an animal, you already had the perfect submission of your charge. Another fine point of merit was the fact that breeding houses ensured the health and cleanliness of their slaves. Slaves were kept clean and disease free, and usually ideal for further breeding in the future. Attractiveness was a third point many people commented on. True, they were human and therefor not as beautiful as the natives in many opinions, but they were attractive because they were bred to be so.

The girl who was walked across the stage roughly half way through the first group of the evening was no exception. She was born and raised in a breeding facility, and though she was being shown with the slaves intended for domestic labor, she had the beauty one was more likely to see in a pleasure slave. The clothes they dressed the girl in were simple... a short tunic-like dress that stopped at mid thigh and showed off long, shapely legs. A simple cloth belt was cinched around her slender waist to show off her hourglass figure as the cloth below the belt draped itself lightly over her full hips and was drawn snug over firm, perky breasts. Her skin was fair and showed no signs of mistreatment, and the man who had lead her out onto the stage turned her slowly, lifting the long veil of thick flame colored hair from her neck to show that she bore no brand... she hadn't been owned by anyone aside from the facility where she was born and raised.

They were selling her for domestic purposes, but it didn't stop the auctioneer from pointing out that she was a slave and had been examined to ensure her virginity was still in tact. Virginity was a valued thing in a slave... it meant less temptation to try to pull them away from their duties. It meant they were less likely to sleep with other slaves and burden their household with unwanted children. The one oddity in the girl, and perhaps this was what prevented her from being sold as a pleasure slave(which was a considerably higher demand market) were her oddly colored eyes. One eye was a deep sea blue, and the other was a bright emerald green. She wasn't uniform like so many pleasure slaves... She wasn't quite exotic enough, even with those strange eyes, to be truly eye catching, but she wasn't plain enough that one would merely overlook her as a serving girl if they were paying attention either.

Her skills were boasted to be cooking, cleaning, and raising children. She lacked the skills to read and write, but showed a high aptitude for learning if the time was taken to teach her. She had a working knowledge of numbers and therefor could be trusted to do such things as go to market for her family of choice, though she boasted only minimal self-defense skills. At 18, she'd just hit the age group deemed most appropriate for human slaves to be sold.

Her poise as she turned and posed for the crowd showed that while she was obedient, her spirit had not likely been broken. She was simply accepting of this life, and showed no qualms about taking orders and following through with them... She knew nothing else of life.

The Urdain family got settled into the chairs as the auction was set to begin. The tall auctioneer stood on stage with a booming voice. The man told everyone to take a seat. Once the large auditorium was silent and filled with people, the first slave was brought across the stage. The first group was scheduled to be slaves for household purposes other than pleasure and breeding slaves. Those would come last, as tradition dictated. It was because the wealthier clients came later in the evening to purchase the more expensive slaves.

Jad and Stel's parents also liked it because it made sure that the boys were not exposed to the idea of pleasure slaves. They felt that sex with a human in any form was an abomination. They disagreed that humans should even be used for pleasure. They found it disgusting, and why anyone was able to find a human attractive made no sense to them. So they were quite pleased that the pleasure slaves would not be shown by the time they left.

The first few slaves across the stage were men. They were sold to women and older people. Those who needed someone stronger and taller around to help with various tasks. They were men who were still stong, but less attractive by human standards. They were also not as well endowed as the men used for other purposes. They were also not as strong as those sold to be workers. These men were really nearly useless and rather than being killed they were forced to care for sick, injured, old, and a few of the smaller women who needed an assistant for a year or two, until they found a husband.

After the men were sold the first of the girls were taken onto stage. There were some older human females being sold, boasting experience and obedience. They sold quickly and at fairly high prices. Those who only had one servant usually bought one of the older women. It made things a lot easier. The problem was that they often didn't last too long and like the Urdains, familys had to purchase new ones more often. That could get expensive if they didn't last too long.

The Urdains had decided that for their new slave they would buy a younger human female. They would spend the same ammount as they would on an older one and get one raised in a breeding facility, un-touched, well trained, not previously owned, and intelligent, for a human. The first few did not quite fit their standards. They were either not well enough trained or not intelligent enough. They were sold for fairly low prices. They were not expected to bring in a lot.

When the girl who had two different colored eyes walked across stage they Urdains looked at her as they had every one that had passed before her. The parents listened to the information provided and watched the big screen for the close ups of the girl. They inspected her like they would a piece of produce or meat. She was good, but there might be a better one later. She was attractive for a human, but that was not nessecarly a benefit for a maid.

Stel simply watched the girl move across stage. He really didn't care. He just enjoyed watching the spectacle. He loved seeing the race that they had conquered. His favorite thing was learning the history of humans. How they had arrived and how they had been swiftly conquered. Then how they had been bred to become slaves. Their metal constructs were displayed in museums. The confusing weapons and transportation. Things that had failed the humans. When asked if he thought the human girl on stage was good enough, he shrugged and nodded. He info seemed passable to him

Jad, on the other hand, was surprised at his own reaction when the human girl was led across stage. He had been told for his entire life that humans were dirty and ugly and stupid. He looked at the girl and thought she looked quite pretty, for a human. He felt something strange deep inside. He didn't know how to describe it. When he looked at her he knew that she had to be their new maid slave. He couldn't explain why, he just knew she was the one to buy. Before his parents could ask his opinion he grabbed the paddle with their number on it and raised it. He ignored his parents' protests and ended up in a bidding war with someone else. Eventually he won, but he cost his parents more than they had wanted to spend. it was not the same ammount as a pleasure slave, but it was definitely the highest price paid for any slave that night so far. The other bidder had probably wanted her as a cheap pleasure slave, to use for himself because he was desperate, or to have work as a cheap whore in some horrible tavern in the slums.

His parents accepted the fact that they had spent a little more than wanted and led the boys to where they would pay. They ignored Jad, no longer happy with him. They would not get over it very easily. He didn't care, he had bought the girl. He stood behind his parents as they paid and then followed them into the room where he watched them sign the papers releasing the girl into their care. They finally ended up in a room where the girl would be brought to them so they could take her home.

When the bidding was over, the girl felt almost dizzied by the price paid for her. She'd heard rumors of slaves going for far more than they were supposed to be worth... but those had always been the ones bred for pleasure. She was just a domestic slave... meant to do nothing more than clean and raise children. Those around her murmured about the bidding war as she was prepared for her new owners. A metal collar was slipped around her pale, slender throat, and to it was tied a rope to serve as a leash. She didn't need to be lead around so, but it was tradition to present the slaves in such a fashion and let the family decide what was and was not necessary.

When they presented her to the family that had bought her, she kept her eyes down as she'd been trained to do her entire life. She'd been trained to do so, and she knew it was what was expected... so why did she feel like she had to fight not to peek up at the young man who'd been bidding on her? She'd seen him raise the paddle with his number on it while she'd been on the stage, so she knew he was young... young and he'd seemed oddly eager to have her, thus the bidding war.

When her leash was presented to the head of the household, an older male, she moved forward only a step or two before kneeling obediently, going to both knees with her head bowed in respect. She'd have put her forehead to the floor, but the leash didn't give enough room for such, and to tug on it would be considered rude to her owner. Hair falling around her in a silky curtain, she kept her head down and eyes on the floor, trying to hide how inherently nervous she was.

She'd never been owned before... not like this. Her training at the facility was different than being owned, she realized. At the facility, it was a matter of going through the motions, learning when and where and what you could, and keeping yourself out of trouble. With these people... she knew it could possibly be different. Things could get much harder, or much easier here, depending on the ones who owned her.

Stel stood next to his father as they awaited the slave. Jad stood behind the rest of the family. When the girl was led in he smiled. She was definitely the prettiest human he had ever seen before. The same feeling he had felt before struck him again. He didn't know what it was, but it was something deep inside. He knew for sure that she was the right choice. He kept it to himself though. Any positive sentiment toward a human could get him in trouble with his parents. He didn't want to get that going.

His father took the rope collar and both boys watched with interest. They had been too young to remember the buying of the first maid in their family, and they had been busy on the day that their old maid had been bought. This was the first time they had seen anything like this. The girl was so obedient. Well trained for sure. That was a good thing. Their parents started to think more that she may have been the best choice of the bunch.

All but the elder Mr. Urdain were sent out of the room as he worked with the auction staff to do the final procedures. Any marking that was left to be done, any final papers to be signed, as well as the oaths taken by the slave and by the new owner to not mistreat the slave. The oath was a specific one for slaves sold for maid work. Certain other slaves could be treated however the owner wanted, but some, like maids, had limitations. You were not allowed to kill maid slaves. You could punish them, but too much physical harm could lead to them being taken away and re-sold. There were other rules as well, all which Mr. Urdain had to vow to keep. Not that all owners kept them, or that they were strictly inforced. It was mostly a traditional thing with some older laws. That was also why only one of the family members had to do it.

When all of it was over Mr. Urdain led the slave out of the room and into a meeting room where he could introduce her to the family she would be serving. In the room the three were standing around waiting. He led the girl over and then took the rope off of her collar. They would remove that when they got home. He looked at the girl. "I would like you to meet the rest of your new owners." He indicated his wife. "This is Allaa. Mrs. Urdain." Then he pointed to his sons. "These two are Stel and Jad, my boys. All three can tell you themselves what they want you to call them. One question for you before we go home. What is your name, and what would you like to be called by us?"

The girl seemed shocked as she was stood in front of the three other members of the Urdain household and was asked for her name. The facility's instructors had never mentioned that she might be asked for her name before her owners had assigned one to her. And they'd certainly never touched on what to do if her owner asked her for her name.

For a long moment she could only stand there, mouth half open as if to speak, looking up at Mr. Urdain and then back down quickly as she struggled to find an answer. When he seemed to be becoming agitated by her delay in responding, the girl jumped some.

"Forgive me, Master... We were taught that after being purchased, we had no name until our owner decided we were deserving of one... I was surprised by your request..." She trailed off for a moment, fidgeting and looking around at the four of them. Would they be disappointed in her now? Had she ruined her chance at a first impression already?

"At the facility... they called me Raeanna, if that suits you, Masters... Mistress..." she took that moment to bob a curtsy to each of the sons and the wife, her head bowed obediently, eyes down, hands clasped in front of her, looking ever the picture of perfect lady like manners and obedience. "I will of course answer to any name or nicknames you choose for me. I am just honored to be given a name so soon after my purchase."

The look of shock on the girl's face was a little amusing for the whole family. The boys chuckled a little. Their father soon started getting annoyed at the lack of an answer from her. He stared at her, waiting. Her jump brought out a little laugh from the boys. The fact that she had been told she would be assigned a name made sense, but they didn't believe in that. She was more of a servant for them rather than a slave.

All four smiled softly and nodded to her, still waiting to hear her name. When she told them her name each had a different reaction. Mrs. Urdain simply nodded her acceptance of it. Stel shrugged, not really caring. Jad smiled, he thought it as a nice name. Mr. Urdain smiled and nodded. "Ok, so we will call you Raeanna. You don't need to call us master or mistress though. Our names will be just fine. You will be more of a servant to us, rather than a slave. All that staring at the floor stuff you don't need to do either. You will find that we won't treat you as a slave. You still need to be obediant, but you don't need to do all you were taught. Anyway, let's go home now. Just follow us and we will lead you to our home."

Raeanna was in a state of shock as she struggled to take it all in, making mental notes of their names. Slaves had the ability to remember beaten into them if it wasn't a gift at birth, but the fact that she would be expected to call them by their names and not their titles as her owners was still intimidating. Several times after they began to lead her out of the place and back to their home, she caught herself looking down at her folded hands, just watching the heels of those walking before her to make sure she was going the right way.

Each time she would catch herself, however, she'd jerk her head back up, trying desperately to go against a lifetime of training and stare straight ahead. The younger masters had laughed at her confusion earlier, and no doubt if they were paying attention, they were laughing at her now. Somehow, the fact that they were laughing at her expense was quite embarrassing, even though she'd been trained never to take anything personally, never to let anything hurt her or make her guess herself...

When a slave second guessed her actions, she often messed up and was punished. How severely she was punished varied from one owner to the next, and while she was sure Mr. Urdain would be more lenient than some, he seemed a strict enough man that would have no qualms about beating her if she did too much to anger him.

She often found herself peeking up at the one she recognized as her buyer. Her was handsome, for his kind. Truth be told, even being raised and trained by them, she found them all quite intimidating, if in no other way than sheer size. Even the most gentle she'd met, their healers, were large and had enough physical power to break her with ease. She knew this to be a fact, a biological certainty, and thus she avoided staring too long, for fear he had a foul temper.

Without another word Mr. Urdain turned and went out the door. His family followed right behind him. They made sure the girl was following. They had trust that she had been trained well enough to not try to escape. She was a breeding facility girl so they were sure that she had little to no concept of freedom or the outside world. If she had been one of the humans who had been trained after living a little on the outside, then they would have reason to worry. They felt confident to just let her follow though.

The boys noticed movement every so often, but they didn't pay too much attention to her. Jad occasionally looked back at her and smiled softly. He was still quite happy with himself. He had no clue what was going on with his head, but he didn't care. It felt nice. He could figure it out later and if it was a problem he could work on it then.

When they got home they enered the house and the boys went off to their rooms. Mr. and Mrs. Urdain turned to look at their new servant. With a smile Mrs. Urdain led her through the house, showing her each room and describing each job that the girl would have to do and on what days they were to be done. When she got through all the jobs Mrs. Urdain finally led Raeanna to her bedroom. It was not as large as any of the other bedrooms in the house, but it was not small either. They didn't have her stuck in a cupboard. There was enough room for her bed, a closet for clothes, and a dresser. There was also a good ammount of floor space. The family felt that a nice space for her would keep her happy.

They had only one thing left to do. Mrs. Urdain smiled softly at the young girl. "Ok, now that you know everything you will be doing, we need to get you set up to live here. We are going out shopping to find you some clothes and other needed items. We won't have you wearing your slave clothes all the time. Come, you can help me pick some things out." She smiled and took her by the hand, leading her out of the house and down the street toward the shops.

Raeanna made another mental list as they walked through the house, trying to remember everything she was told as they went. It wasn't easy... the Urdain household was fairly large... but she was determined to remember everything! If she could remember everything, they'd be more pleased with her she was sure! As she was told they'd be going to look at her room next, she nodded some and ran back over the list of her chores, trying to remember everything she'd been told.

Mrs. Urdain seemed kind enough... perhaps she wouldn't mind if Raeanna had to ask again for the list to be repeated if needed later on... Her mind was occupied with such thoughts as they walked along, and as such, Raeanna was more than shocked at her room. Not only was it furnished like a simple, but still lovely, guest bedroom... it was large!

The girl could only stand just inside the doorway and stare at her new abode with wide eyes. What would she do with so much space? Did they honestly think her deserving? And that bed! It was a real bed! Not a bedroll like she'd been sleeping on her entire life.... The entire thing was overwhelming, and so when the older woman turned to her and announced they would be going into town to shop for clothes... real clothes!... Rae looked at her in disbelief.

In fact, were it not for the hand that took hers and began to pull her out of the house, Raeanna might not have realized she was supposed to follow. "T-truly, miss?" she managed to stammer as she followed along after her mistress. She looked down at the slave garb she was wearing, unsure how to even wrap her mind around the thought of having her own clothes... she'd been wearing rags her entire life.

Mrs. Urdain found Raeanna's reaction to everything so far to be quite amusing, especially her bedroom. She kenw very well that it was much better than anything that the slaves in the facilities ever got. All that she was doing made sure that Raeanna would be very loyal to the family. If they treated their slave better than any other slaves got treated, she would work hard, not complain, and not try running away because if she got caught she would be punished and end up somewhere where she would be treated worse.

Raeanna's stammering brought a chuckle from Mrs. Urdain's lips. She stopped, turned, and smiled at the young human. "Yes, you see, we really just want a servant. However, it is cheaper to buy a slave than pay a servant for years. Also, we can trust you more than we could trust a servant. So really, you are our servant, because that is what we really want. So let's go get you some proper clothes so you can look like that. Ok?" Without letting her respond she continued to lead her down the street toward the shops.

They got to one shop that sold clothes. Mrs. Urdain led Raeanna inside and then started to look around. There were a lot of things there for native women, but one corner of the shop was dedicated to clothes for human girls. They were there for humans who were not slaves and for slaves whose owners let them wear other things, like Raeanna. Mrs. Urdain let the girl look at what they had and pick out whatever she wanted. She needed at least a few outfits to start off and they could get her more later.

Rae walked into the shop, feeling highly out of sorts surrounded by so much finery, but she did her best not to seem too awkward as she wandered toward the corner of the shop reserved for humans. The selection wasn't large, considering, but she barely seemed phased by such thoughts. Honestly, she seemed more put off by the selection, which was far larger than she'd ever seen, let alone than she'd ever had the chance to pick her outfits from.

She slid her fingers over the fabrics, and finally, after a few long minutes, she'd picked out four outfits, though she only continued after the first one at her owner's urging. There was a simple outfit consisting of a brown skirt and white top, with a bodice to wear over the top... she reasoned the coarser fabrics and simple design would make it ideal for menial work, so she'd stand less chance of ruining it.

The same basic outfit repeated twice, only the skirts and tops came in different colors, and better fabrics. And the final outfit was made of a deep, soft, forest green fabric. It was a long gown, single piece, and it came with a long, thin rope that was dyed gold. It would hug her curves, as would the other outfits, but it was one she'd picked out specifically for when the Urdains had company. They'd want everything to look it's best, afterall, including their servant.

Turning back to her owner, she held up the outfits for inspection. Purposefully, she'd avoided anything that would seem too fine. Her knowledge of money was limited, so she chose what appeared to be less fancy, in an effort to make sure her clothing didn't cost too much. Two basic pairs of shoes, one sturdy and build for work, the other finer and meant to go with the green dress, were added to the outfits, and finally a few pairs of undergarments, though these were only two of each type, along with a long sleeved dressing gown to be worn as a nightgown.

"I hope I have not chosen anything too expensive, miss... I do not want to be a burden to those who have already given me so much..."

Mrs. Urdain stood back and let the young girl look at what was available for her. With every item the girl picked up she smiled softly at her. When she finally had all she wanted and showed them to her Mrs. Urdain took them and nodded. "These are some very nice choices. You will look pretty in these." With another smile she took them to the counter and the shop owner. When she was told the price she took out her purse and placed a few coins on the counter. When she got back her change she thanked the shop owner and then handed the things back to Raeanna.

Mrs. Urdain looked at Raeanna and smiled. "There you go. Now let's return home and I can give you the written list of chores so you won't have to go by memory all the time. You can have the rest of today to get settled in to your room and the house. Tomorrow morning you can start working. The only thing I want help with today is cooking. We already have all we need at home, but I don't think I am very good at cooking." She led the girl out of the shop and back down the street to the house. Once there she let Raeanna go to her room and do whatever she felt like doing for the next little while until it was time to cook dinner.

Raeanna didn't try to correct Mrs. Urdain as she was told she'd be given a written list. She couldn't read or write, but she was just glad the woman was being so kind to her. It made her all the more eager to learn her tasks without having to ask for clarification. When the woman complimented her clothing choices, Rae's smile was soft and tender, and she took the parcel of clothing as if it contained fine art. Her clothing... hers. Of course all that was hers belonged to her family, but they'd allowed her to have this without rubbing that fact in as so many would. It was almost heart breaking, the kindness they were showing.

All the way home, Raeanna was quiet and unobtrusive, holding her things to her chest with protective arms, swearing silently to herself that she'd treasure them above all else. With so much kindness in her life, she knew she was truly lucky to be taking care of the Urdain family. She would serve them, and they would protect her and she'd know a life full of the joy of serving a family well.

When they reached the house, Raeanna went to her room, where she carefully unpacked her things and tucked them away. Her underthings went into the dresser, her dress, skirts, and tops into the dresser. When everything was unpacked, she explored her room a bit more in depth, before changing into the long brown skirt, white top, and black bodice. It was simple, but it would suit what she needed it for just fine. Her tiny feet were slid into her work shoes, and her hair was brushed out carefully to hang around her in a thick silky curtain.

Leaving her room, she hummed softly to herself as she set to exploring the house, quietly whispering the tasks for each room to herself under her breath, trying to be sure she could remember everything. She ended her tour of the house in the kitchen, where she began to go through the cupboards and pantries to learn where everything was stored, also planning out a nice meal for her new family's first night in her care. She'd prove to them they hadn't made a mistake in purchasing her!

When they got to the house Mrs. Urdain got the written instructions to Raeanna's room and then went back out. She went off to socialize with a few of her friends for a few hours. Mr. Urdain was already out doing some work. Stel had gone out with some friends. Jad was the only one left in the house. He was busy in his room studying. His father owned one of the shops in the city. Jad was going to be running it for a while so he could gain experience in the real world and make some money for himself. He was studying what products were sold, what they were bought for and what they sold them for, as well as many other things about the buisness. He tried to focus, but really had his thought stuck on Raeanna. He knew he had some strange feelings for her, but he just couldn't figure them out. It really frustrated him. He also didn't want to upset his parents. He decided that the best thing to do would be to just avoid her for a while.

Raeanna moved through the kitchen, preparing things for dinner ahead of time so that when the time came, they could simply be put on to cook instead of needing all the extra time right before to prepare them. She chopped up vegetables and put them into a bowl, started on a large pot over the fireplace, filled it with water and a few beef bones to start up a broth. She hoped they liked beef and veggie soup. She would have made a stew, but there wasn't enough time to fix something quite that involved.

With the broth going, she sighed some and looked around the kitchen. There wasn't much else she could do for now, so she took stock of what was in the house. For a short bit of time, she went about cleaning up some of the common rooms, getting ahead on her chores and putting herself through her paces on remembering where things were.

After a little while of that, she was wandering the house when she heard someone in Jad's room. Immediately, she scolded herself. She hadn't realized he was home... A quick check told her everyone else was gone, so she hurried back to the kitchen and poured him a cold glass of juice she'd squeezed fresh while working on preparing for dinner. Setting the glass and a small plate of snack crackers on a tray, she hurried back to his room before knocking softly on the door.

Jad sat in his room pouring over the lists of inventory over the year, learning the variations in items being sold over the year. There were real changes depending on the season. He figured some of it out, but his thoughts were still invaded by Raeanna. He really wished there was a way to just get her out of his mind. He didn't even know her. He was starting to regret ever taking over the bidding and buying her.

He was surprised when he heard the knock at his door. He placed aside his papers and got up slowly. As far as he knew all of his family was out. He also didn't know any reason that Raeanna would be knocking on his door. He went over to the door and opened it slowly. He saw Raeanna there with a tray that he guessed was for him. All he could do is smile and step back to let her enter the room.

He took a look at her. She had some new clothes on. She looked pretty in them, at least for a human girl. He smiled at her again and finally got some words out. "Uh, hi. Thanks for the snack. Um, do you like it here? I hope so."

Raeanna entered his room when he stepped aside to let her in, moving to put the tray down on one of the side tables near his bed. She smiled at his questions and fought the urge to keep her eyes down as she bobbed him a curtsy. "I am very fortunate to have such a kind family to serve, Sir. I realize I have you to thank for that..."

She lifted her eyes shyly to look up at him, folding her hands nervously in front of her. "Thank you, Sir... I am eternally grateful to you, so very few slaves are as lucky as I am to have such a good family to care for. I promise I will not let you down." The blush lingered on her cheeks as she glanced at the door. She was going to stay and wait to be dismissed, but she remembered this family was not like most, and so instead bobbed another quick curtsy before she began to move toward the door, but keeping a slow enough pace in case he wished to stop her.

Jad smiled softly at the human. He was a little nervous having her in his room. He still didn't know exactly what was happening with him. She was being very polite. It made him chuckle a little. She was calling him sir, which he realised was a default training thing for her. She thanked him and told him how lucky she felt she was. His smile grew. He was glad she was happy.

He was silent as she started to leave, but then he reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. Words were still ellusive. When he did speak it was simple. "Uh, Raeanna, you don't have to call me sir. You can call me Jad. Also, I am glad you like it here. I have no worries that you might let us down." He left it at that and let her go and continue to do whatever it was she was working on.

Raeanna blinked as he grabbed her arm, turning to face him with wide eyes. He corrected on her calling him sir and she could only blush, looking down. Even Sir was too formal here... it would be difficult to break such ingrained behaviors, but she would do her utmost for her new family. Bobbing a curtsy again as he released her arm, she nodded. "I will do my utmost to remember that, Jad," she said with a soft smile.

Soon she was returning to the kitchen, finding his behavior a little odd but brushing it off as he simply hadn't grown accustomed to her yet.. much as she still wasn't accustomed to her new family just yet. In the kitchen, she set to continuing to make the soup, hoping she hadn't begun it too soon... Most families ate soon, from what she'd been taught... would this one be different in this aspect as well?

The soup was cooking, slowly simmering over the fire and filling the house with delicious smells as she found herself a bucket and coarse soap to clean the kitchen floors with. Filling the bucket, she soaped up a scrub brush the best she could before going to her hands and knees, beginning to scrub around the edges of the walls and working her way in toward the center. There was no idea she'd get the entire room done before dinner, but if she got most of it done... that was less that she'd have to do later that evening to make sure that everything was clean after the family had had their meal.

Jad watched as Raeanna left his room and then closed his door. He went over to the table where she had left the snack and started to study again as he enjoyed the juice and crackers. Having food helped him focus on his studying, but the encounter with Raeanna had reinforced some of is feelings from before.

When Mrs. Urdain got home she looked around. She noticed that things seemed a little cleaner than before. She could also smell something cooking. Confused, she went into the kitchen. There she saw Raeanna cleaning the floor and with food already being made for dinner. She frowned and went over to the young human girl. "Raeanna! I thought I told you to relax today. Why are you cleaning? You are supposed to be getting settled in. Put that bucket and brush away right now. I can finish dinner. Go relax in your room. I don't want you to do any more work tonight. If any work needs to be done I can make the boys do it. Go, now, relax."

Raeanna seemed surprised, and more than a little bewildered by Mrs. Urdain's outburst. It had not occurred to her that she would ever be scolded for doing what they'd bought her to do... It was true she'd been told to relax, but she'd been keeping her work load light and only keeping herself busy... learning her new home and it's inhabitants as she went along.

As the woman's angry voice swept over her, Raeanna lowered her head, holding back tears that came to her at the knowledge that already she'd displeased her family. "Y-yes, miss... my apologies for going against your wishes." She gathered the bucket and brush and moved away quickly, going out back to dump the water out and rinse the bucket. Both things were put away before she hurried to her room, where she huddled herself into the smallest corner, knees drawn to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs as she struggled to keep from crying.

Was nothing she'd learned at the facility right? Suddenly, despite how wonderful these people seemed, she questioned whether or not this truly was the right place for her. She knew nothing but servitude... but they were insisting upon rest, even when she didn't need it. She was being scolded for even the smallest amount of work, simply because it was her first day in their home. Were they so sure she'd do something wrong? And hadn't she been asked to help with dinner? Soup took time to cook... and with Mrs. Urdain gone, she only reasoned that getting a head start would help everyone.

Mrs. Urdain had not realised how angry she sounded. When she saw how upset Raeanna looked she realised what she had just done. She watched as the girl ran off to her room after putting away the bucket and brush. Mrs. Urdain slowly walked to Raeanna's room. She pushed the door open and looked inside. There she saw Raeanna curled up in a corner. Mrs. Urdain frowned and walked across the room and knelt in front of Rae. She felt bad for yelling at her for doing work.

Mrs. Urdain reached out and put a hand on Raeanna's shoulder and spoke softly. "Raeanna, I am very sorry. I should not have yelled at you. You were only trying to do your job. I just wanted you to have a day of enjoyment before you started working for us. I realise that you were just trying to be helpful. Thank you for that. If you really want to help, you can come help with dinner. Any cleaning can wait until tomorrow. If you saw anythign that really needs to get done, I will make the boys do it. There will be plenty of work for you to do for as long as you are with us, which could be many many years. You should take today to rest before you start working."

Raeanna looked up, her eyes surprised and wide, tear filled as she looked at Mrs. Urdain. At the womans words, the slave girl lowered her eyes and nodded. "I just thought that if I got a head start... it would help me learn the house... and make things easier later... I'm sorry I disobeyed. If it would please you, I can punish myself for my transgressions."

She stood with Mrs. Urdain before walking with her to the kitchen. "But first, of course, I will help you to complete your evening meal." She bobbed the woman a curtsy and offered an unsure smile, hoping that all of this would please her owner. "I like it here, Miss... I only want to make my family happy."

Mrs. Urdain didn't understand the tears in the girl's eyes. Was she happy or upset? It didn't make sense to her. Humans were just too confusing. Her intentions made sense, but her offer to punish herself surprised the older woman. She simply shook her head. She worried that anything she said might just upset or worry the girl more.

She got up and led the girl back into the kitchen. When Raeanna curtsied and said she just wanted to make them happy Mrs. Urdain smiled. She looked at what Raeanna had done in the kitchen already and nodded her approval. "This all looks good." She turned to look at the human girl. "You really shouldn't worry too much. We are a simple family. It does not take much to make us happy. Now, tonight you will join us at the table for dinner, so we can get to know you and you can get to know us better. In the future you can eat in here. Now, just tell me what to do to help you with tonight's meal."