Masks of our forefathers (closed for La Reina)

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He suppressed a smile as he watched her move around, almost like an excited child in a toy store.

"It is a man and woman, the more unconventional is still kept behind closed doors here. The only real difference is that as a slave, people can talk about you and to you as they wish, only physical contact will be met with violence, unfortunately a wife has to listen to her husband unless it is against the law. Unlawful behavior is reported to me and I capture them and take them away for judgement."

He watched her dismissing the masks, but he had one mask in mind and he moved slowly towards the owner of the store.

"Ah master Zahl, good to see you here, I have been expecting you."

Zahl chuckled at those words,

"Yes, news spreads fast wouldn't you say? You remember the Dust mask?"

The owner's eyes widened,

"Yes I do remember it, one of the most expensive masks I have."

"I'll take it."

It was a command not a statement and the owner hurried to fetch the mask, he returned with a black ivory box and placed it on the counter. Zahl pulled Shaundi next to him and opened the box, he lifted the mask from it's velvet cushion and fitted it onto Shaundi's face, the metal was cool, but the diamonds sparkled in the lights.

"Go ahead, have a look."

He motioned to the mirror situated nearby, he pulled out a bag of coins and placed it on the counter,

"Take what you need master Samuel."

The owner took the coins he needed and stared at Shaundi,

"She looks stunning even if I have to admit it myself. You are going to make a lot of blood flow before this day is out."

Zahl chuckled softly as he tucked the bag away,

"And we will have even more sex in the street."

The owner nodded,

"Your display this morning really brought out the carnal animal in the populace, you must be the best Executioner this town has ever seen."

Zahl had to smile behind his mask,

"There is much I still have in mind master Samuel, just wait and see."

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi heard his words and she followed him as Samuel left to get the mask. "Dust Mask?" Shaundi snorted her disapproval. "What the hell is a dust mask? Something you only wear at night? Meaning the girl is so ugly you let her out at night?!" Shaundi was jumping to conclusions. "I'm not wearing it!"

She fully intended to keep her word when Samuel returned and placed the box on the counter. Curiosity sparked she looked inside and saw something so pretty she gasped. It had diamonds and instead of being all iron and scary like Un Miendo's her was delicate and fine. She couldn't touch it. He placed it on her gingerly and she marveled at the touch of it against her skin. It was so light she couldn't feel it if it wasn't for the slight tug at her ears.

As commanded Shaundi went to the mirror and smiled. It was a beautiful mask and it looked elegant against her firey red hair and caramel tone. The diamonds sparkle and the best part she could still see her face. It didn't hide anything on her. Infact, she thought she looked mysterious and even more beautiful for it hid any flaws in her face and only showed the exoticness that came mostly from the mask. "It's so beautiful."

Shaundi turned and went to Un Miendo. "You aren't ashamed of my face? Of people seeing me?" She thought that was the whole point and as she reached up she could touch her face and knew she wasn't being hidden. "I'll wear this one," she said quietly almost embarrassed at having almost missed out on such a beautiful piece of art.

She walked out of the market and saw two people whom she was starting to suspect were following them; probably for gossip. When she turned to them she heard their intake of breath and she laughed. She strode to them and touched her face. "What do you think?" She waited as neither seemed able to speak only stare. "I can see my face. Not like yours, all covered and hidden. Is your face deformed because your parents are related too?" The question was asked so innocently that at first they didn't get the insult. And then it sunk in. He lifted his hand to smack her and Shaundi only smiled wider waited for his skin to make contact with her. Let the fights begin.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

"No, I am not ashamed of your face and neither should you. Our masks are remnants of our forefathers, it is a proud history, I will tell you more later on."

He watched as she purposefully baited two of the Lindham family into anger, picking up the box, he slowly moved over, to the onlooker he would have seemed to glide into position behind Shaundi, reminding the two of the rules. The slap never came, but the recovery was more like a polite cough drawing wrong attention, a few giggles from the people around them, brought a blush from behind their masks, spreading down their necks. He gently rested his hand behind Shaundi's back and carefully steered her out of the shop and out of the marketplace,

"You really are a little hellriser aren't you?"

His tone was not reprimanding, more amused than anything else

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi was turned away from the two who, though she could not see their faces, still evoked the emotion of murderous to her. She waved good bye to them as she heard Un Miendo speak to her. She turned her head up and smile sweetly. "Me? I only asked a question about their familial heritage? If there are masks like mine than why hide your face? What is this history of the forefathers you spoke of?"

Shaundi passed a mirror and help her if she was vain, but she thought she looked so beautiful. The mask accentuated all the delicate and exotic features of her face. She felt beautiful. She twirled out of his embrace, turned a corner, and stopped dead in her tracks. There were had to be about 8 people in a giant mess of flesh. "Oh, my!"

Shaundi backed up from the erotic strange sight only to slam into a wall. She felt behind her and relaxed a bit recognizing Un Miendo as her wall. "Do you arrest them?" Feeling much braver with him there she took a few steps forward not too close, but if someone lunged they could get her. She was watching a very flexible woman on her head and a man bent over her her eating pussy. The woman had flexed her neck so she was able to take another gentleman into her mouth. It was the most erotic and different position of a 3some she had ever seen. Granted she had never seen any only read tales this was fascinating.

"Oooh, pretty," someone said and she barely had enough time to jump back from the touch. "I want the blood queen. Come here. Touch me." Shaundi shook her head and went back to Un Miendo.

"What's wrong with them? Why does he sound drunk?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

"No I do not arrest them, I told you that fucking is one of the past times and this city-wide orgy was started by you when you kicked that head into the crowd."

He chuckled as she returned to him after getting too close to the action, he always found the fornication interesting, yet never partook in it.

"He sounds drunk because he is in trance, some people use drugs to get their rocks off, here most of the people couples blood with sex, sure they still have sex without having blood to light their fires,"

he shoved the man back into the group as he came to close.

"Wonder what will happen if I parade you naked through the streets, covered in blood with only that mask on...think we will have a week long orgy, but anyroad, through the years it became apparent that death had a kind of aphrodisiac effect on the populace. Oh sure they do not wish to be up there and have their heads removed. You can say that what stems from it is the celebration of still being alive."

Using his hand, he gently guided her down another road, checking that the houses were secure as they moved along.

"The first mask to be worn was in battle, war or battle masks they were called. Some found these masks so fearsome that they were called Deathmasks. My mask is an example of one of these masks that our forefathers wore, the first citizen to wear a mask was the Executioner as back then he was just a normal citizen, open to retaliation of the executed's family. Soon after the Magister realized that people had more respect for the executioner than him, they feared the faceless man more than him, so he had mask made for him, the very same mask the current Magister is wearing. For his guard to gain respect and instill fear, they started to wear masks, soon it became a status symbol and the use of masks took hold of the populace. Of course that made our citizens a secluded group, but as you can see, we get by. Well how the colors left the city, that is another story altogether."

 

[La_Reina]

He did say that sex was their past time, but she hadn't realized he had meant that. It was said so casually that she had overlooked that comment. Now it was in her face and she was speechless. This was vastly different than her very conservative upbringing. Infact, most of these people would have been deemed unworthy and exiled. But here. Here it was accepted and ... Shaundi found that she liked it. She watched everything and felt herself getting turned on just from watching them.

Shaundi gasped. "No, don't do that," but her cry was weak as she wondered if she would have that affect. Was it her? Or was it because she was a naked female being paraded? Or.. so many thoughts crossed her mind as she wondered how that would be and what it would feel like. Would she like it? She blushed thinking not, but for some reason she almost wanted to see.

"Oh." Shaundi looked at the Giant and shuddered. "That mask truly is freaky. I prefer my own. Where you can still see the face underneath. Where you know the person is actually a person inside .. OH!" Shaundi stopped as she watched a man just plainly fucking a woman against the side of the house. He had one of her legs lifted over his shoulder and she was splayed wide that Shaundi could see him entering and exiting her. Shaundi stopped and stared unable to look away. "Wow."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He followed her gaze and chuckled,

"She is a married woman and he is the son of her husband's best friend. At times like these very few people actually care what happens around them as long as they get their own pleasure out of it as well."

He stayed there, allowing her to watch until the woman screamed in climax, from the short thrusts of her companion, it was obvious that their coupling would come to an end very soon. He guided Shaundi onwards, the grunts from behind them a clear indication that the man had reach his orgasm.

"Of course this type of public displays is frowned upon in many societies, you would be surprised how low a rate of rape we have here, those three I executed earlier was the first cases in two years. Happenings like these helps to keep that in check I believe, you may wonder what about the children. They are being entertained and kept safe by dedicated nurses, of course one or two nurses will slip away, but they return as soon as possible and the children none the wiser."

He pulled Shaundi into a dark alley and showed her to remain silent, quietly he moved down the alley and found what he wanted to show her, a man wearing a golden mask stood with his pants around his ankles, roughly slamming his engorged cock into a woman with a Jade colored mask from behind, they both moaned so loudly that Zahl could whisper to Shaundi,

"That is one of the richest men in the city, she is a what you would call a whore, for him to be caught in this position on any other day would bring so much shame to his house that he will kill himself."

He watched the scene for a while longer and then whispered again,

"Why he ignores her breasts I'll never know, it's not the first time he is with her and each time I see them, he complete ignores her breasts. Silly man if you ask me."

He guided her away from the scene and led her down the street again,

"I may be wrong, but I have a sneaky suspicion that she is an illegitimate child of his, but without concrete proof, I can't do anything about it."

 

[La_Reina]

"She's ... he's ... oh my," Shaundi couldn't form coherent thought as she watched the intense erotic scene in front of her. She tugged on her shirt to get more air on her body; especially when the woman moaned her release to the world. The Giant must have gotten bored, because he led her away down an alley. At first Shaundi started to get scared. What if this giant wanted to do what he had just seen. Her heart thumping wildly, all the sex in the air, she wasn't sure if she wanted him too or not. She had only one night of passion and it wasn't passionate like what was going on around her. Her one night had been screaming, fighting, and humiliation. Something she didn't want to happen again.

She blinked hearing his words happy that through all this the parents had good enough sense to worry about their offspring. She would hate for the children to wonder around aimlessly while their ignorant parents got their rocks off. She continued to follow wondering what he wanted to show her next. She looked at him expectantly and then followed his eyes to another couple having sex. "The gold mask you were speaking of. The jade mask is a symbol of a whore? A woman who sleeps with anyone or gets paid for sex?"

Un Miendo kept speaking of breasts and it was clear he was fond of them. She found her own breasts suddenly throbbing and to her horror her nipples start to harden at the thought of his very large hands on them. She crossed her arms over her own breasts so he wouldn't notice. Her mouth opened in an O of shock when he explained he thought the man was doing his own child. "Do you have children? Surely, you were once married or something? You're quite old to not have partaken in these festivities."

Shaundi quietly made her way out of the alley sure that if they were caught watching that man it would go wrong for Shaundi and her Giant. She leaned against the wall waiting for his answer, but all the hormones in the air, endorphins, tension, and the moaning was getting to her. She pulled him closer. "Let me see under the mask." She reached up to move it to see his face, even as her own was following her hand. She knew if he let her move the mask even just high enough to his hairline she would reach up and try to kiss him. She couldn't help herself.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

"No I have not been married and I have no children. I was a soldier for the biggest part of my life and somehow my size is a bit...intimidating."

He gently took her hand and held it,

"No Shaundi, here is not the place nor the time. Come let's get going."

He had seen the signs of arousal in her body, but it was her eyes that gave her away. If she felt the same way when they got home, he might reveal his face to her. That scarred and battered face he got from protecting the kingdom and all who dwell within it. He slowly finished his route, each time stopping to wait as Shaundi stopped to take in various acts of sex. He smiled under the mask, she was direct, forward even and that was something he enjoyed about her. As they came closer to his house, he spoke again,

"Who are you running from Shaundi?"

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi smiled at his joke even as she tried to get closer to him. He was intimidating, but he was the only one right now that could control her and even better she would allow to touch her sexually. She groaned when he grabbed her hands and led her away. He wasn't interested. She never been denied before. Okay, she had, but it was because of her height and usually men overlooked that for her beauty. By the Gods was she that vain?

She followed him stopping often to look at other acts of debauchery. Each time she witnessed something she would get hotter and hotter wanting more and more. She didn't try to do anything with Un Miendo. He didn't want her and she felt silly for even trying to pursue him. They were in familiar territory near his house when he asked his question. Instead of answering she asked one of her own. "You never answered my question about the jade masks. You said whores wear them. Are they whores in the sense they fuck any man or they fuck any man for money?"

Shaundi turned hearing a sound behind them. It was that little weasley guy who she had tried to get to buy her before the Giant stepped in. She smiled at his drunken gait, but he looked at her and his spine straightened. "I want her. I should have you." Shaundi looked at the Giant than back to the little man. She really didn't want him, but if he was the only release she would get than she would take it.

"Come and get me if you want me." Shaundi laughed playfully. Hoping that his package would make up for his thin almost anorexic size.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He didn't answer her straight away, Daniv just didn't seem to understand the danger this woman possessed, he had been following them for some time now, but did not dare make a move. As she gave Daniv her invitation, he stepped forward, hand resting on the head of the axe, this obviously confused Daniv as there was no valid reason for Zahl to stop him after Shaundi have given her consent.

"Owner's First rule."

It was an obscure rule, one that stated no matter how much the slave flaunted or lead anybody on, until the owner didn't have his or her way with the slave, nobody were allowed to touch the slave. Daniv gave a growl of frustration, his family was very well known to evoke the rule to blackmail some of their higher ranked patrons.

"Screw you Zahl, you will mess with me one time to many and it will be your last,"

Zahl acted as soon as Daniv's words left his lips, before Daniv could utter another word he hung in the air, his shirt front grasped in one of Zahl's hands the other one grasping Daniv's mask, the thumb pressing in over the cheek with enough force to actually dent the metal, bending it inwards.

"And you will do well not to threaten me Daniv, your status is rather questionable, did I not hear that an inquiry was being made about a certain Nubian slave girl whose tongue had been removed because of claims she had? You know Daniv, robbing somebody of their freedom of speech is punishable by death...remember that."

He dropped Daniv and turned towards Shaundi, taking her by the arm he led her to his home, opening the door and locking it behind them when they are both inside.

"The Jade masks is one carried with honor, only intelligent, well read and of course beautiful women are allowed in the station. They are paid for spending time with their client, much like an escort, they can not be forced to have sex, but most do it anyway. They are whores outside this city, here they are a way for rich, young men to learn how to interact with noble ladies."

He drew his axe from it's sheath and leaned it against the wall, without a further word he released the clasps. Turning from her, he lifted the metal mask from his head, he placed it on the table and then turned to face her again.

"Now is the time and the place for you to see me as I am."

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi looked between the two men confused. Obviously there was some sort of issue and she wasn't sure what? It was obvious that the mean Giant didn't want her (and if she thought on it why did she want him), but he was somehow stopping her from partaking in the atmosphere which begged for some sort of physical gratification. She wondered what the hell first rule was and saw the weasley man stiffen in anger. Shaundi was quite impressed little man had actually stood up to Giant, but that quickly changed as she saw the strength that both frightened and intrigue her as the Giant grabbed little man.

"You cut out a slave girl's tongue?!" Shaundi looked at the little man aghast. "I bet you ordered it, not doing it yourself. I also bet the slave was some simple little girl who probably cowered at your feet. You disgust me. Praying upon the weak." Though wasn't that what she had been doing to Daniv? Shaundi frowned at her thought as Giant released the pathetic little man and hurried them to his home. He continued the conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted and she found herself smiling at that.

She sat in his favorite chair or the only chair she saw him sit in and looked at the fire as she thought on his words. She heard him unclasping something and she glanced up to see his back to her and him actually removing his helmet. She swallowed at his words knowing he was going to be some deformed freak. When he turned she actually blinked in surprise. "You're handsome?" The compliment came out as a question; a shocked question. She truly did expect him to be so deformed. Even the scars added to his beauty. His face was quite natural looking except for a few scars running down from brow to chin and along his cheeks. Infact, the scars gave him a better rugged look and added to his appeal.

For some reason he unsettled her; his good looks. Shaundi stood up and glanced around before unsheathing her blade and placing it on the table in front of her. "I'm tired should sleep." She went further into the house finding one room and opened it. This was obviously his bedroom. Where was she to sleep?

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He raised an eyebrow, her reaction was a rather strange one. He shrugged and picked up his mask, slipping it back on and clasping fast,

"You can sleep there, I will take the other room."

He walked to his study and sat down, picking up the book he was reading before Daniv interrupted him...last night. He shook his head, it was strange how quickly things have changed in less than one day. Shrugging he turned his attention to the words, noticed that it was too dark already and grumbled at himself as he got up again to light the candles he needed to read. After taking his place behind the book he started to read, it was always interesting to find what drove the city into wearing masks. The sexual aspect he could understand, it was animalistic urges that drove people to live out their fantasies after witnessing the death of other beings. The urge to say that you are alive and glad for it, of course these acts have influence on outsiders as they view it as some sort of sex show and that itself was an aphrodisiac...he smiled to himself as he remembered Shaundi's reaction, it did seem like she were excited, but that disappeared as soon as he removed his mask. What was it that she asked? Are you handsome? No...You are handsome? He frowned, why on earth would she ask that? Then it dawned on him, she had said it a lot of times, she thought the people of the town to be deformed. He chuckled and shook his head, well then, what an interesting woman she is.

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi felt relieved when he said she could take the bed. She closed the door and frowned as there was no latch. She disrobed keeping on her panties, but taking off her bra and outer layer of clothing. She got in the bed and moaned. The bed was plush yet firm and the pillows were soft. The bed seemed to engulf her which made sense as the Giant was a HUGE man. She pulled the covers up to her chin, closed her eyes, slept.

She had been on the run for months now. She slept when she could and more often than not on the hard floor. Finally, having a bed once more was a luxury she had taken for granted. This was almost worth being a slave. Shaundi's eyes snapped opened. She almost forgot she was prisoner here. It felt like she had a constant guardian, but other than that nothing else has changed except she had a bed. Yawning her eyes drifted closed and she slept.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He read about the evolution of the masks, from cloth to metal, the trials and errors was detailed in the book and he made mental notes on these mistakes and smiled to himself. So much materials was used, he wish he could have seen the ivory masks, they had to be heavy, but the engravings would have been fabulous.

He got up and blew out the candles, it was time for bed, but first he wanted to check in on Shaundi. He slowly opened the door and saw that she was all snuggled up and warm, through the window he noticed that it was softly raining. He closed the door and went to the spare room, he stripped off his clothing and got into bed, pulling the covers over him, he fell asleep on his back.

He woke up before the first rooster could raise it's voice, it was cold, as was to be expected from Zahul. He got out of bed, padded on bare feet to the washroom, took a shower and dressed in his clothing of the day before, he would change after Shaundi got out of bed...she would need new clothing, that issue would have to be addressed as well. He spent some time to get another fire going in the fireplace and the stove in the kitchen, he placed the soup on for it to heat up. He took in his usual place in front of the fireplace, feeling the heat slowly creeping through the house.

 

[La_Reina]

The rooster crow woke her up with a start. She pressed a palm to her head as she let her weight fall back to the bed. "Holy hell. Really?" She glanced at the huge clock on the wall and groaned. This was stupid. No one gets up at the crack of butt. Who does this? "This backwater incestuous town with the genetics to make their face look smooth, but we all know they fuck their SISTERS!" Shaundi hadn't truly meant to scream the last part, but it was stupidly early to be up.

She put back on her jeans and shirt feeling grimy, but having nothing else to wear. She padded to the main room and felt her stomach growled at the pleasant aroma of food. Shaundi stared at his back and sighed. "Are you always in that same chair?" She walked around him and placed her hands on her hips staring at him. "Please for the love of everything holy tell me that this isn't the normal time you backwater inbreds get up." Okay so she was just a little bit angry.

(((sorry just don't have anything to add)))

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He listened to her as she got up, her curses and grumbling reaching his ears without a problem. He turned his head to look at her, the firelight gleaming as it reflected from his mask,

"Us backwater inbreds actually wake up earlier, the roosters are only for the lazy people that think the world will fall at their feet when they snap their fingers, not knowing what it means to work for what you have."

There was amusement in his voice and he was sure that would upset her further,

"Hope you slept well though."

He turned his face back to the fire.

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi hated this man. Sure, he helped her with the new side she was discovering about herself, but dammit if he wasn't always amused with her. Like she was some secret joke that he understood and she did not. If she wasn't afraid he'll break her wrist she would have slapped the mask off his face. Face. That reminded her. He was very sexy in a dark brooding way. Those scars, those eyes, they made her wet just thinking about licking that scar to his lips and ...

Shaundi turned abruptly away from him. "Is the food ready? I'm starved." She turned back smiling remembering how just moments earlier he made a comment about her being lazy and pampered. "Will you get me some? And some bread? Oh and something to drink. You people do have a sweet wine, right?" She smiled prettily even as her eyes danced with mirth and her own amusement.

"If you're hungry I'm sure you can get some for yourself." She managed to hold back a little bit of the laughter as she imagined how upset he would be. Insulting her and her using it against him. She stopped when she caught sight of her wrinkled, stiff clothes. This will not do. She needed clothes, but how to bring that subject up?

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

"Yes the food is ready, but us backwater people have no idea how to serve. Maybe you could be a good teacher and teach me how to serve, then I can spread the word."

He smirked behind his mask as he kept his gaze locked on the fire,

"And when you are ready I am sure that we will have to get you new clothing, you are starting to smell like us dirty in-breds and I'm sure that classy folks like yourself would despise that."

He finally turned his head to look at her,

"And we will have to see if you are able to learn anything about wielding a blade."

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. Okay she got it. She was being a snobby little princess and it was getting cold. "Okay, okay. I understand. I'll stop with the comments if we really really can get clothes," Shaundi called over her shoulder as she went to the kitchen. She found two bowls and filled it with the soup. She grabbed two spoons as she left the kitchen and headed back over to Zahl.

Shaundi handed a bowl and spoon to Zahl before sitting down on the ground in front of him. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna like this whole slave thing. You have to take care of me huh. Which means clothes. Which means...." Shaundi put down her bowl of soup and clapped her hands excitedly. "...shopping! Shopping! We're going shopping! I want the finest finery to match my super pretty mask. Long flowing robes, with silk, and all that jazz."

Shaundi was joking and teasing. She didn't really think he would do any of that. Get her some clothes for her to change into and wash the old ones, but that was about it. She picked back up her bowl and continued eating. There wasn't anything else of entertainment so she was going to talk Zahl's head off.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He took the soup from her and thanked her, not the right way to treat a slave, but then again she was no normal slave. He listened to her going on about shopping and the clothing she wanted and he nodded his head,

"Sure I can get you that, along with clothing that you should wear when you are to do some chores. Maybe get some furniture that would suit your...stature better."

He tasted the soup, it was just right,

"But I feel that I should warn you now, the only colors you will find in this city will range from pitch black, which is my favorite color, to dark grey. Any other color have been removed."

He held up a hand to stop the question that was surely to follow,

"Long story, but if you want to know of it, I'll tell you."

 

[La_Reina]

"Chores?" Shaundi found herself choking on her soup. She might have been born low class, but she was still born in a class. She didn't do ... chores. Unless he meant weaving and she had a sinking suspicion that was not what he meant at all. She didn't want to keep his mind on that thought so she finished hacking up the bits that went down the wrong tube and put the soup down trying to catch her breath.

Then she was stunned again. "No colors?" Shaundi looked around the room. She just thought he was morbid. She knew how to make white, put bleach or whatever that strong chemical was against any fabric and it'll make white, but how do you make other colors? Why would a town take out colors?

"Wh-?" His hand instantly made her stop and she blinked as he had already guessed her line of thought. She nodded her head wanting to know why there was no color in this dreadful town.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

"As the usage of masks increased, so did the use of colors. The city was one of beauty years ago, you could think of a color and it would be found some where amidst the other colors. Then tragedy struck and a plague swept through the town, the magister declared that black be used in bereavement for the lost."

Zahl sighed deeply,

"Then the weather started to change, cold and rainy, cold and misty when it didn't rain. All joy left the city, the only thing that was left to do was to survived and so far that is all we've been doing. Burning wood and coals for heat, the soot clung to the bright colors, drowning them in darkness and soon it became just much more popular to use dark colors so that the soot did not tarnish it and that my dear is how colors left the city of Zahul."

He straightened his back, his fist clenching into a fist,

"And yes chores, I will not work you like a slave, but I will expect you to keep what you use clean and to help me clean the house. It didn't get this way itself and I'll be damned to let that change."

His voice still had a pleasant edge to it, but the threat was there in the undertones. He continued to eat his soup,

"And perhaps you can cook better than me, I'm tired of soup and broth."

 

[La_Reina]

Shaundi listened to the story. It was a sad one, but it brought her hope. "So I could technically have color since I'm not bereaving anyone and there's no soot to tarnish or damage the thing I have to wear." She looked at him imploringly. She couldn't imagine being happy in a black that made you think of horrible sad things. Black was not a mood lifter.

Shaundi sighed when he mentioned the chores and nodded as she felt that though he was being pleasant, she knew he could go violent in 0 to 60. She knew that first hand. "I can cook. Do you have spices here? Meat? I love a spiced meat with a sweet vegetable and bread. I love fresh bread. Do you?" Shaundi sipped the last remains of her soup eagerly about the conversation. Hell, she just thought he loved his broth.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Zahl the executioner

He chuckled softly behind his mask,

"I do have spices, meat and ingredients, I just do not know how to add them together to make a fine meal. As for color, you are free to wear it, but you will be the one that will have to clean it."

He poked his black leather vest,

"I prefer my leathers, they just wipe clean and black seems to stay cleaner for longer, but to each his own."

He leaned back into his chair, inspecting her,

"Tell me Shaundi, have you ever felt real love?"