To buy a slave

[Nibbles_n_Tits]

Miren

Miren followed the slaver down to the cells, her revulsion rising with each step. She would ever understand how one the race of man could have so little respect for its own kind. To enslave its own people was surely the ultimate act of barbarism.

“Put her in cell two,” he instructed Miren. “I’ll catch you up,”

Miren simply nodded her head, moved to the girl’s side, and helped her to her feet. She had yet to figure out what language the slave girl spoke, so Miren could ask and have answered only simple questions. However, it did not matter very much, what she had suffered was perfectly obvious. The girl panicked at the thought of leaving the familiar, if not safe cell, she had been occupying but Miren took her hand and calmed her. Miren spoke to the girl in Elven words so old that only a few of her kind would know what they meant and even fewer would recognize the magic behind them. Her words wrapped the girl in a sense of tranquility and Miren half led; half carried the girl to her new cell.

Miren had just finished settling the girl into her new cell and watched her fall into a light sleep when she heard the slaver’s voice.

“Here’s the key you lock the door on the way out then it’s time for our lunch,”

Miren looked at him closely before rising gracefully from the floor. He was doing the right thing, whatever his motivations. While this was not quite the same as doing the right thing for the right reason, it was something to be encouraged. The good must always be strengthened; it must be rewarded and reinforced. Her steps smooth and flowing, she moves to stand in front of him as she reaches for the key.

Holding the key in her hand, her smile is gracious as she says in her soft low voice, “Thank you, sir.”

Quickly turning back, she locks the door behind her and checks it twice to make certain she did the lock properly. She then takes the lock in both hands, and closes her eyes for just a second.

She quietly follows him back to the quarters and quickly washes up. She frees her hair from its braid and allows it to flow down her back in wave so pale it could be made of moonlight. Clean and smelling of flowers, she returns to sit across from him at the table. She sits still and calm, creating an aura of peace around her.

“Am I permitted to ask you polite, social questions? Or is that something hostages are not allowed to do?” The corners of her mouth lift in a slight smile as she waits for his answer.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Marcus joined her shouting at the top of his lungs as her sex clenched down tight around his throbbing cock. He pushed into her one last time his hands moving to her hips and pulled her down as far as he could manage burying his manhood inside her as he orgasmed.

He kept her just like that for a moment before pushing her gently off him and laying down beside her wrapping am arm around her. "We don't have any place to be for a few hours." He yawned, like most men he'd had his orgasm and now his mind was on something else. "Do the K'zin like water?" He asked though he probably wouldn't hear the answer as his eyes drifted shut.

 

[bullshot]

Jason

Holding the key in her hand, her smile is gracious as she says in her soft low voice, “Thank you, sir.”

That should have been ‘thank you master’ but Jason let it go it was one of the first civil things that she’d said to him since her capture he watched her lock the cell and check it before taking the lock in her hands. He began to wonder if she was only a healer as she’d first said or if she also had other powers that she hadn’t up to this point revealed it again made him think that he was making a mistake not putting her onto the block.

Miren followed him back to his quarters and disappeared into the room that he’d assigned to her while she was away the serving slaves brought a similar fare to what he had ordered for breakfast again no meat but he intended to have meat himself for the evening meal even if Miren didn’t want any.

He couldn’t believe the transformation that letting her hair down made it made her look more beautiful than ever making him pleased that he hadn’t put her on the block just yet with her hair down like that she’d bring a very good price..

As she sat opposite him it took him all his time to stop himself from grabbing her and ravishing her there in the main room instead he started to eat the fare that was laid out before him and was suddenly startled by her.

“Am I permitted to ask you polite, social questions? Or is that something hostages are not allowed to do?” she asked him with a faint smile on her lips.

He didn’t answer immediately but thought about what she’d asked wondering what she wanted to know and what advantage she would gain by him answering her questions.

“You can ask anything you like but that doesn’t mean that I’ll answer your questions,” he told her returning her smile. “Should we have our food first and then you can ask as much as you like I’m bound to be able to answer some of your questions,” he added as he returned to the food on his platter.

 

[Otto26]

Castor smiled down at Aaja. She wasn't particularly skilled, but he couldn't fault her enthusiasm in the slightest. He found her willing energy very refreshing and far too enjoyable to interrupt with instruction that might be taken as criticism. He contented himself with encouraging her in general and praising her when her explorations hit upon something he particularly enjoyed. He was particularly taken with the sight of her. Kneeling, as she was, crosswise to his body, he had an unparalleled view of her. The contours of her body were a delight to behold and he found his hand reaching out to trace her pale flesh; flanks, ass, belly and breast.

When she moaned around him he felt his whole body shudder and she looked up at him, worried.

"Good girl, Aaja," he reassured her. "I liked that very much."

She moaned again and his body reacted as it had before. With a self-satisfied glint in her eyes Aaja went back to work, noisily moaning and sucking. It sent Castor over the edge.

 

[Nibbles_n_Tits]

Miren

“You can ask anything you like but that doesn’t mean that I’ll answer your questions,” he told her returning her smile. “Should we have our food first and then you can ask as much as you like I’m bound to be able to answer some of your questions,” he added as he returned to the food on his platter.

“Of course, refusing to answer an inappropriate or too personal question is anyone’s right, I was concerned about preserving the social niceties. Formal etiquette is important to my people but I do not know what value yours place upon it. However, as it is your wish, I will wait until we have eaten.”

Comfortable with silence, Miren patiently ate her lunch. Hardly a fruit, vegetable, or nut on the table was safe from her and her considerable appetite; once again, she sampled everything. However, she ate noticeably less than she had at previous meals and as usual she drank very little of the wine, preferring water or the juice of fruits.

She wiped the juice of a red berry off her lips and put the napkin on the table. “I have noticed that since the first meal we shared no animal flesh has been served. I am flattered you noticed I prefer not to eat it but that is no reason for you to abstain. It isn’t a cultural taboo for my people, we simply eat it sparing unless need dictates otherwise. For instance, if I have seriously taxed my abilities, I must add animal flesh to my diet or it will take far too long for me to regain my strength.”

She smiles again, “But you have already noticed that.”

 

[lushlips18]

Taya

Taya closed her eyes enjoying the comfort the water brought to her. It was nice to be able to swim around and stretch out. It was the only time she had felt free since she had be captured again. She did a few fanciful twirls and spins in the water. A few of the men were watching her, She supposed it was to make sure she didn't escape and partly out of curiosity. It was rare to see a water nymph. They mostly kept to themselves and seldom ventured far from home. She gave a small kick with her tail enjoying the bubbles it made. Home... if it hadn't been for her curiosity she would still be there now laying on her rock watching the sun set and rise above her home.

 

[slippedhalo]

Castor smiled down at Aaja. She wasn't particularly skilled, but he couldn't fault her enthusiasm in the slightest. He found her willing energy very refreshing and far too enjoyable to interrupt with instruction that might be taken as criticism. He contented himself with encouraging her in general and praising her when her explorations hit upon something he particularly enjoyed. He was particularly taken with the sight of her. Kneeling, as she was, crosswise to his body, he had an unparalleled view of her. The contours of her body were a delight to behold and he found his hand reaching out to trace her pale flesh; flanks, ass, belly and breast.

When she moaned around him he felt his whole body shudder and she looked up at him, worried.

"Good girl, Aaja," he reassured her. "I liked that very much."

She moaned again and his body reacted as it had before. With a self-satisfied glint in her eyes Aaja went back to work, noisily moaning and sucking. It sent Castor over the edge.

Aaja was surprised to see Castor's tool actually erupt into tiny spasms and pump out loads of creamy white stuff. She drew back a moment in alarm, but then realizing what it must be, she laughed at her own foolishness and tasted that too. His seed was slippery, and it tasted salty but rich and somehow not all that different from his skin, just more intense.

She lapped it up obediently as more and more erupted and he shook and moaned. This widened her smile because then she knew she was doing what he wanted her to and it felt good to him. Once it was finished shooting out seed she took a moment to admire the organ, caressing it gently with her hands, watching it slowly return to a smaller size again. She was entranced.

Without bidding this time, she carefully washed off his cock with one of the left over towels from earlier and took a moment to wipe a bit of the seed that had strayed in it's path from her chin and cheek. She then knealt before him hoping she was good enough to take with him. She had not been in this house long enough to know if they were as cruel of captors as her previous had been but she knew a kind heart when she saw one and wasn't willing to let it go without taking a chance at perhaps finding a place in it.

"Aaja good girl, Aaja wish to learn more from Sir Castor." she said, in more complete of a sentence than ever, she was indeed learning quickly.

 

[Britwitch]

Trianna

Trianna's body was bucking and shaking beyond her control as the waves of pleasure swept through her body over and over again. She was suddenly aware of Marcus' voice calling out as his shaft stiffened and began to jerk deep inside her, signalling his own climax.
Exhausted, she collapsed almost instantly onto the blanket as soon as he released his hold on her. Feeling him lay behind her and wrap an arm around her still trembling body.

"We don't have any place to be for a few hours...Do the K'zin like water?"

Trianna frowned slightly at his rather odd question.
"I...I'm not sure I understand you, Master..." A long yawn interrupted her words. "...the K'zin drink water and use it to bathe...but they...they do not.." Another yawn stole her words. "...they do not swim...they don't...know...how..."
Her words grew quieter and quieter as her body grew heavy upon the ground, snuggling back slightly against Marcus' body, her eyes slipped shut and she began to drift into sleep.

 

[Otto26]

Castor was pleased. She was beautiful, willing, and she learned quickly. He rose from the bed and retrieved the plate of food and the cups of wine. He brought them back to the bed, handing one cup to Aaja and reclining across from her. He took a sip of his wine and luxuriated in the sight of her.

"Yes, Aaja, you will come with me. I will see that you learn so that you can better serve me. Mostly you will use your body and your intelligence to please me, but the job of every servant is to make her master look good. You will also learn how to do this."

He sipped again at his wine.

"I have sent for my factor, when he arrives we will leave. Do you have any questions?"

 

[bullshot]

Jason

“I’ve already ordered meat for my evening meal,” he informed her. “There will be enough if you want some as well,” he added.

He waited until Miren had finished eating smiling as she wiped the berry juice off her lips she did seem to eat a lot for such a slim figure but he assumed it was all the healing that she was doing for him and keeping the pregnant slave alive.

“Let’s get comfortable while we talk,” he suggested moving to a two seater settee patting beside him as he sat down knowing that Miren would have to sit close to him on it. It was time that he learnt something more about her and if possible to get closer to her knowing that she didn’t understand or agree with the way he ran his business.

“Now I’m happy to answer your questions if I can but I’ll expect you to answer some of mine as well as we talk,” he told her as she slipped onto the settee sitting as far away from him as she could which wasn’t really that far.

 

[slippedhalo]

Castor was pleased. She was beautiful, willing, and she learned quickly. He rose from the bed and retrieved the plate of food and the cups of wine. He brought them back to the bed, handing one cup to Aaja and reclining across from her. He took a sip of his wine and luxuriated in the sight of her.

"Yes, Aaja, you will come with me. I will see that you learn so that you can better serve me. Mostly you will use your body and your intelligence to please me, but the job of every servant is to make her master look good. You will also learn how to do this."

He sipped again at his wine.

"I have sent for my factor, when he arrives we will leave. Do you have any questions?"

Aaja considered all he told her and then asked, "Aaja want know if Castor have many slaves an do Castor mind if Aaja some day want to 'companion' have from them?" she carefully lifted her cup and attempted another sip of wine. It was still stronger than she would have liked for a drink but she was more prepared for the burn of the alcohol than before and therefore it tasted a little better to her than before.

She raised her eyes to meet Castor's, wondering if he would allow her this one request in order to soothe the lonliness of being away from her culture and home, another woman's company to count on in repayment for her total obedience to Castor, doing everything he tells her to and honoring him in even her obedience to the men he tells her to please. Aaja still wanted a woman's arms to be herself in at the end of it all. She wondered if Castor, a product of this alien culture could understand that need in her. She was prepared for possessiveness and for the possibility that he might tell her no. Aaja realized she would not die without female companionship, only she would be much less happy. She hoped he would allow it, perhaps he would want to witness Aaja's idea of companionship. She was happy to oblige him if that was the case. She waited for his response before making such offers.

 

[Nibbles_n_Tits]

Miren

“Let’s get comfortable while we talk,” With a calm eye and mild smile upon her full lips, she watched the slaver move to a more comfortable seat, and then he suggests she join him. Young but not dim-witted, Miren clearly saw that taking the seat would mean being physically closer to him than she wanted but since he was being pleasant she wished to avoid being rude. It was not that she found him distasteful; she simply could not reconcile the image of a rather pleasing man with the abhorrent business of dealing in lives and his callus reaction to the misery he caused.

She nodded her head, and rose with a fluid motion; her diaphanous gown flowed around her elegant limbs as she crossed the room to the settee and took the seat beside him.

“Now I’m happy to answer your questions if I can but I’ll expect you to answer some of mine as well as we talk,”

Although it meant little on the small couch, she maintained what distance between them she could. Her posture on the seat was Elven perfect because only the long, lithe body of an Eldar could make sitting so straight-backed, knees together, hands folded, and shoulders back look comfortable and relaxed. With a graceful lift of her hand, she smoothed the long hair that fell down her back, unlike many women she did not hid behind her hair and her body remained exposed despite the gown she wore.

“I’ll agree to that, the arrangement sounds fair.” Her chest rises and falls a little quicker as she nervously considers how to frame her questions without offending him. As she thinks, she notices that unlike the other human males, he does not smell of sweat and dirt…

“It has been centuries since my people held any type of slave, and then it was only enemies taken in battle, combatants who survived in defeat. Never women and children, never was anyone born a slave to my people.” Her voice is soft and melodious; although it begins to take on the tone of a lecture… she chews on her lower lip for a moment, that is not what she wants. When she continues her voice is simply lyrical.

“Why?” she smiles, “My questions are all ‘whys’. Why do humans need so many slaves? Why do they need slaves for sex? Why did you become a trader in slaves? Why do humans have so little compassion and empathy? Why do the lives and feelings of others mean so little to you?” Her smile fades, “The last two are the most important, they are the key to everything and the answers I am least likely to understand.”

 

[Otto26]

"In fact I do not have a great many slaves, Aaja. My family has always invested money. So I own part of many farms, but no farms of my own. And I have always surrounded myself with free servants," Castor replied.

He took a sip of his wine and picked up a pastry, popping it into his mouth. He chewed for a few moments, looking carefully at Aaja. The tension she had carried when she first entered the room was back, she was clearly worried about a refusal and he suspected it went beyond his understanding.

"Tell me, Aaja. Tell me what a 'companion' is and why a 'companion' is so important to you."

 

[Sean Renaud]

"...they do not swim...they don't...know...how..."

That really did peak his interest, as he curled his body against her he tried to make a mental note to teach her at his earliest conveience. Instead he just pulled her body against his as usual amazed with her texture, firm muscle and soft fur giving her a wonderful warm and strong feeling. Almost like she should be the one holding him, he smiled though resting his head on her shoulder as the two of them fell asleep in the sun. There wasn't much on the farm that couldn't wait for a day probably more than that. He'd run her through some of the other chores soon enough. In the meantime he'd rather just sleep with her.

 

[slippedhalo]

"In fact I do not have a great many slaves, Aaja. My family has always invested money. So I own part of many farms, but no farms of my own. And I have always surrounded myself with free servants," Castor replied.

He took a sip of his wine and picked up a pastry, popping it into his mouth. He chewed for a few moments, looking carefully at Aaja. The tension she had carried when she first entered the room was back, she was clearly worried about a refusal and he suspected it went beyond his understanding.

"Tell me, Aaja. Tell me what a 'companion' is and why a 'companion' is so important to you."

Aaja brightened a little as she thought of how to best explain it to him in her limited vocabulary. "A 'companion'...she is a woman lives with a woman,help with work and home things, with children if children in home. For my people...women live in two or three or four to a home, it makes life easier, all women in home together, help each another, share work, share food and clothes and share a bed...when men come back from trips, the women each own bed with her man. When men go away, 'companions' pleasure each another and share bed. Men come and go, man die, get promised to another....but woman, a 'companion' is friend and lover for life."

Aaja finished her explanation with a smile, she was proud of how well she got through it and thought she had explained it thoroughly. But her manner grew more resignated and a little saddened, "Castor have no slave Aaja can make friend with, and one day 'companion', so Aaja have no companion, just serve and pleasure Castor...." she sighed, "...that still not bad life. Aaja know, can be worse." she shrugged, "If it is not able to be happen Aaja 'nderstand."

 

[Britwitch]

Trianna

Trianna awoke sometime later, the slightly cooler air tickling her fur telling her that the sun's light was fading from above before she'd even opened her eyes to check. She quickly remembered where she was and felt Marcus' body pressed up against hers, his arm around her once more. Part of her wanted to move away from him, to let him carry on sleeping. She knew his body would feel the chill in the air all too soon and so she grasped the edge of the blanket beneath them and flipped it up, covering them both. The heat of her own body soon forming a cocoon of warmth around them. She lowered her head back down and closed her eyes. Enjoying the unusual feeling of security Marcus' body was providing.

 

[Otto26]

Castor was fascinated. "That's very interesting," he said. "I imagine your men are gone for long periods of time. I wonder what sort...." He stopped himself. His father and his tutors had always despaired of his penchant for examining new ideas. 'Flights of facny' they had characterized them. In truth, he was given to daydreaming about new things and that was not always a good thing for someone involved in politics.

He sipped at his wine and considered practical matters. Aaja's reassurances aside, it was obvious this matter meant a good deal to her. His home was not particularly suited for keeping slaves because he had never been particularly motivated to have any. His father had fought through the last great slave revolt and had been distrustful of slaves and the idea of slavery in general. He had been careful not to publicly state his views, however, lest he be taken for a ------ sympathizer. But he had also not kept slaves in his house or bought large estates to be worked by slaves as so many other lords did. He had instead invested, becoming a silent partner with free men, veterans for the most part, who needed an extra stake to start their new life as a farmer. The policy had not made them fabulously wealthy but it had supplied them with a considerable steady income and, more importantly, a great deal of political clout. Slaves have no voice, but veteran citizens could be very vocal when matters concerned them. And Castor had made his career with their support. His playmates had been the children of soldiers and Castor had been included in the games they played, more training for their future military careers than diversions. And the very young officer he had become had been well prepared and, more importantly, favored by his senior enlisted men. That favor had carried over to politics where Castor had judiciously advanced many of their causes and carefully and respectfully explained to them why he would not support others.

Castor realized he was drifting again and chuckled into his wine.

"I can see this is important to you, Aaja, and I want you to be happy in my home. We'll look for a companion for you. Another slave. You may select her yourself. But she will warm my bed just as you do."

A knock at the door announced the presence of the floor servant.

"Your palanquin and your factor have arrived, lord," the man informed him.

Castor rose from the bed and pulled his clothing on. It was simple clothing, for Castor was at heart a simple man and enough of a politician to know what his constituents expected, but made of the finest fabric he could afford, for he also knew the power of demonstrable wealth. He picked Aaja up, easily cradling her in his arms, and carried her down to the ground floor.

A small crowd of men awaited them in the street. They surrounded the palanquin and looked outward for the most part. Many of them were young men, the sons of clients who lived in his house. He advanced their interests and they advanced his. Others were older, veterans all and they served because they or their families remembered the favors done by Castor or his father before him. They all considered themselves his bodyguards.

Castor deposited Aaja in the palanquin.

"I don't want you walking any distance on those feet until my physician has examined them," he told her.

He turned to a large man with a maimed face.

"Caius, I just bought a slave. Pay the mistress her price and don't haggle. Belike I'll be buying another soon."

His factor smiled thinly, for he had learned that his broad smile upset people, and walked into the brothel.

 

[slippedhalo]

Aaja was delighted! She was told she would soon be able not only the allowance of a 'companion' but one she could choose for herself! Then, quite literally, Castor swept her off her feet and carried her , HER, his slave, he carried her to the thing he called a 'palanquin' but when she repeated the word it came out sounding like "pen and quin" and deposited her telling her, "I don't want you walking any distance on those feet until my physician has examined them," .

She nodded, looking up into his eyes with greatfulness, "Thank you, Sir Castor." she said softly. She looked around at the men who had come to pick him and her up and take them to his home. She wondered what his home would be like and as they took off to go she started a list in her head of things she would look for in a 'companion'. She knew no one would nor should replace her dear cousin but she did certainly think she had preferences. Her eyes lit up when Castor was back in her presence again and she smiled at him.

 

[Otto26]

Castor basked in Aaja's smile for moment and then signaled for the men to lift the palanquin. If they thought it strange that a slave rode while their lord walked, they didn't show it. A few of the younger clients seemed uneasy with the idea, but the older men were all smiling tolerantly. Castor understood those smiles and knew that this would only burnish his reputation. 'Saw him put an injured slave in his litter and had her carried to his house while he walked,' the story would say. And men nursing their beers at the end of the day would nod their heads and think him a decent sort. He wondered if knowing, and using, his reputation made him a slimy bastard.

The little procession wended through the crowded streets. A few of the men walked in front of Castor, carefully creating a space for the rest of their fellows to pass. Very little needed to be done in truth. Most of the common folk were well-disposed towards Castor. True he was no bread and circuses demagogue as some of his more popular peers were, but he had championed several projects that had made life in the city easier, and safer. If he wasn't surrounded by cheering crowds they were still willing to scoot aside and to call out the occasional cheerful greeting. And when they asked his clients why he walked when his palanquin was close to hand they were told a quick story, and good natured laughter rang out in the processions wake.

When they reached his home it was nearing dinner time. The palanquin was lowered to the ground and Castor plucked Aaja from it, carrying her in the narrow door that led to the living area. The garden within made Aaja gasp and Castor stopped, slowly turning so that she didn't break her neck trying to see everything. It was a small garden, compared to most, but large for its location. It had been planted by his grandmother and was older than he was. The tough old lady had outlived two husbands and most of her children, and a few grandchildren to boot, and he had preserved the garden in her memory. Although it was laid out according to the geometric principles that governed such matters, it had few of the decorative plants that most gardens of the nobility teemed with. His grandmother had loved utility, and her garden reflected it. Carefully situated fruit trees shaded herbs and medicinal plants that had been collected from far-flung places. Castor enjoyed the smell of the courtyard and the memories of a tart, scolding voice it brought back. Here and there, almost hidden, were a few purely decorative plants. 'But only the hardy ones,' he could hear her saying in defense of their presence.

He smiled. "You like the garden, Aaja?"

She nodded emphatically, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Good. My grandmother planted it, long ago. I keep it for her memory," he told her.

After a minute he resumed his course. Aaja watched the garden over his shoulder until it was out of sight. A single narrow flight of steps led to his apartment. A small man waited just inside.

"Welcome home, lord. I see you have a guest. Will she be staying long?"

Castor laughed. "Circumspect as always. Yes, she'll be staying. Yes, she needs to be marked as a slave. Arrange to have a marker come to the house tomorrow, please. No, we won't be building a slave stable, she'll live in my room, as will her companion when we locate one."

"As you say, lord," the steward replied.

"Aaja, this is Democritus. He is my steward. That means he commands all the servants in my house," Castor said. He saw in her eyes that she understood, and her quick, respectful nod to Democritus only confirmed this.

"Please summon Ahkbar, Democritus. Aaja has injured feet and I would like him to look at them."

"At once, lord," the man said and walked out of the room.

"This is my room, Aaja. You will sleep here in my bed. This," he said, pulling a brass pot from beneath the bed, "is where you will go when you need to." He demonstrated, urinating in the pot and then putting it back under the bed.

"You may go where ever you wish in this house. Do not leave the house without my permission. Especially tonight. The law requires that you be marked as a slave and you have not yet been marked. I must go downstairs and meet with a messanger. I will return shortly."

 

[slippedhalo]

Castor basked in Aaja's smile for moment and then signaled for the men to lift the palanquin. If they thought it strange that a slave rode while their lord walked, they didn't show it. A few of the younger clients seemed uneasy with the idea, but the older men were all smiling tolerantly. Castor understood those smiles and knew that this would only burnish his reputation. 'Saw him put an injured slave in his litter and had her carried to his house while he walked,' the story would say. And men nursing their beers at the end of the day would nod their heads and think him a decent sort. He wondered if knowing, and using, his reputation made him a slimy bastard.

The little procession wended through the crowded streets. A few of the men walked in front of Castor, carefully creating a space for the rest of their fellows to pass. Very little needed to be done in truth. Most of the common folk were well-disposed towards Castor. True he was no bread and circuses demagogue as some of his more popular peers were, but he had championed several projects that had made life in the city easier, and safer. If he wasn't surrounded by cheering crowds they were still willing to scoot aside and to call out the occasional cheerful greeting. And when they asked his clients why he walked when his palanquin was close to hand they were told a quick story, and good natured laughter rang out in the processions wake.

When they reached his home it was nearing dinner time. The palanquin was lowered to the ground and Castor plucked Aaja from it, carrying her in the narrow door that led to the living area. The garden within made Aaja gasp and Castor stopped, slowly turning so that she didn't break her neck trying to see everything. It was a small garden, compared to most, but large for its location. It had been planted by his grandmother and was older than he was. The tough old lady had outlived two husbands and most of her children, and a few grandchildren to boot, and he had preserved the garden in her memory. Although it was laid out according to the geometric principles that governed such matters, it had few of the decorative plants that most gardens of the nobility teemed with. His grandmother had loved utility, and her garden reflected it. Carefully situated fruit trees shaded herbs and medicinal plants that had been collected from far-flung places. Castor enjoyed the smell of the courtyard and the memories of a tart, scolding voice it brought back. Here and there, almost hidden, were a few purely decorative plants. 'But only the hardy ones,' he could hear her saying in defense of their presence.

He smiled. "You like the garden, Aaja?"

She nodded emphatically, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Good. My grandmother planted it, long ago. I keep it for her memory," he told her.

After a minute he resumed his course. Aaja watched the garden over his shoulder until it was out of sight. A single narrow flight of steps led to his apartment. A small man waited just inside.

"Welcome home, lord. I see you have a guest. Will she be staying long?"

Castor laughed. "Circumspect as always. Yes, she'll be staying. Yes, she needs to be marked as a slave. Arrange to have a marker come to the house tomorrow, please. No, we won't be building a slave stable, she'll live in my room, as will her companion when we locate one."

"As you say, lord," the steward replied.

"Aaja, this is Democritus. He is my steward. That means he commands all the servants in my house," Castor said. He saw in her eyes that she understood, and her quick, respectful nod to Democritus only confirmed this.

"Please summon Ahkbar, Democritus. Aaja has injured feet and I would like him to look at them."

"At once, lord," the man said and walked out of the room.

"This is my room, Aaja. You will sleep here in my bed. This," he said, pulling a brass pot from beneath the bed, "is where you will go when you need to." He demonstrated, urinating in the pot and then putting it back under the bed.

"You may go where ever you wish in this house. Do not leave the house without my permission. Especially tonight. The law requires that you be marked as a slave and you have not yet been marked. I must go downstairs and meet with a messanger. I will return shortly."

Aaja wished Castor would have put her down and let her explore the garden further, even despite her injured feet. She saw many plants she recognized, useful herbs for teas and potions and medicines, also some lovely smelling flowers and beautiful vines, there were other plants she had never seen before and wanted a better look at but Castor whisked her away inside the house to meet Democritus, the head of the servants in the household. This translated to Aaja to mean she would have to listen to him when Castor was away. She heard him called 'Master' by some and 'Sir' by others and she wondered what he preferred her to call him.

He showed her his room with a large, marvelous bed that looked like it would fit more than the three who would be sleeping in it quite comfortably. She thought it cute that he felt the need to demonstrate the pot to her taking out his manhood and using it to urinate with. She wondered if it was just one more excuse for her to admire his lovely tool, which she did. She thought it must be great fun to have one although deep down she preferred her own organs for herself but running around with a penis for a day or so would be delightful, she imagined, as long as at the end of the day she could have her own pleasure pearl and private hole back again. She laughed at her own silly thoughts as she pulled her reverie back to the present moment.

He went on explaining things to her and she listened intently, wanting to keep him as pleased with her as possible. "You may go where ever you wish in this house. Do not leave the house without my permission. Especially tonight. The law requires that you be marked as a slave and you have not yet been marked. I must go downstairs and meet with a messanger. I will return shortly."

Aaja nodded. Now seemed a good time for her question. "Aaja must call Castor 'Sir' or 'Master'?"

 

[Otto26]

Castor paused. "Well, properly the term 'sir' refers to a member of the equestrians. The proper form of address is 'lord', which shows that I have been recognized as a member of the nobility. In our society a free person is formally addressed by the honorific 'master', or 'mistress' if she is a woman. So Democritus would be addressed as Master Democritus. There are any number of situational conditions that modify these basic rules. Safest if you use the term 'lord', for me. That will not cause any social akwardness."

He laughed at himself, delivering a lecture when a single word would have done.

"I will go meet with my messenger. Democritus will bring Ahkbar to see you. He is a doctor and will examine your feet to ensure that they are healing properly. I imagine dinner will be ready by that time." He leaned over and kissed her and then left the room.

The messenger, still covered in road dust, stood when he entered the room.

"My lord," he greeted Castor.

"It's good to see you again, Valentus. What word do you bring from you father?"

The man sat after Castor did and regarded him seriously. "The news is bad, lord. There are more raids and it appears likely the kingdom will attack if they cannot goad us into attacking them. My father does not know the reason for this. But peasants fleeing the kingdom speak of children taken from their homes by soldiers and never seen again. They whisper of dark deeds and blood sacrifices. It's very difficult to find any meaning in these tales. The peasants have always whispered slanders about the royal family and, in truth, enough of those tales are true. My father wishes to know what progress you have made with the council, lord."

Castor shook his head. "Damn all progress. They see our past victories as recent and do not believe the kingdom can have recovered so quickly. Even if they were inclined to believe it they would be loathe to spend money on other than their pet projects. Horatious will have a festival next month to celebrate the holy days and the council will spend money to make the fat bastard popular."

"Will they approve forts, lord?" the man pursued.

"They will not, and I will not ask. They would not spend the money on it and would only ask why I wish to build forts. My opponents would use the request to attack me. The political cost is too high and would gain us nothing. No. I think I will instruct my partners to begin building granaries."

"Granaries, lord?" The man was clearly puzzled and hoping for enlightenment.

"Granaries, Valentus. I forsee a grain surplus in the next few years. So I will want to be able to store my grain in the granaries until the price rises. Three large granaries, I think. Ask your father to see to the siting of them and the purchase of the land. I will also commission irrigation canals for the farms I hold interests in."

Valentus smiled as he began to understand. "You'll need engineers to survey the land for the canals, lord. And men to dig the canals."

Castor nodded. "Know anyone better than a veteran at digging?"

Valentus laughed. "A veteran's sons, lord. My father swore he'd never touch a shovel or pick after he mustered out. And he hasn't yet."

Castor laughed with him. "True enough. Digging irrigation canals will get teams organized, used to working together, and will provide everyone with lots of practice. Probably increase crop yields too, eventually. But when the kingdom comes across the border they'll be ready to throw up some fortifications."

"Around the granaries you're building," Valentus finished. "My father will like it, lord. Won't the council see through this deception?"

Castor waved his hand. "Of course they will. Before their spies finish delivering their reports most likely. But it won't cost them anything and it won't give them a pretext to publicly attack me. I suspect most of them will be happy to hear I'm bankrupting myself. A few of them will even appreciate that I'm acting for the good of the Empire."

"Will you be bankrupting yourself, lord?" Valentus sounded worried.

"More likely than not, Valentus. But don't worry about that. There's money and then there's money."

"I don't understand, lord," Valentus confessed.

Castor clapped him on the back. "I know. But you will. Now, give me the production numbers and the gossip."

The conversation took several hours and it was past dinner time before they were finally finished.

"I'd ask you to dine with me, Valentus, but I bought a new slave today..."

"And you'd rather spend the evening with her than me. I'd feel the same way in your place, lord. My family thanks you for your care and we pledge ourselves to your service," Valentus said.

Castor smiled and repeated his portion of the words that had become a ritual formula between himself and his clients, a re-affirmation of the largely unspoken agreement that had always existed. "I thank you for your service and pledge myself to the care of your family."

Valentus left the room and Castor walked slowly up the bedroom, pausing only to ask the servants to bring his food up.

 

[slippedhalo]

The man who examined Aaja's feet was not as kind or as patient with her questions as her Lord Castor was. He was very curt and businesslike and spoke only to Master Democritus and never to Aaja. This frustrated her but she said nothing that might get her into trouble, only pouted a little. He rubbed an ointment on her feet bottoms after they were cleaned with a painful solution to kill unseen germs. The ointment soothed the pain a little but she was told it would aid in the forming of new skin. Her feet were then wrapped in new clean bandages and he left, leaving instructions for care and a bottle of the treatment and the ointments necessary for healing with Democritus who put them onto a dresser and left her alone again.

After about ten minute of sitting alone Democritus came to bring her to the dining-room the servants used. He picked her up and carried her. She asked him many questions and most of his answers were only one word responses or none at all. He was not unkind like the doctor, just unimpressed by her charms. She suspected he was like the horse-boys of her tribe, perhaps only interested in other horseboys and the men that rode the horses. Perhaps this Democritus was not charmed by women. This only made her like him more because that made him completely safe for her to be friendly with. He didn't seem to want to be her friend but that didn't stop her from asking him anything and everything.

She talked all through dinner, sometimes in her language, sometimes in the new language or a mixture of both. It was just her and Democritus at the table and he ate in silence. Finally, by the time she was escorted back to her room to wait for Castor she had talked herself out and was growing a little tired, but also was more aware of her lonliness again and missed Mierna terribly. She was in the midst of crying over missing her 'companion' and her mother and sisters when she heard the door open and Castor walked into the room.

 

[PandoraSpox]

OOC:
Name: Meliara
Race: Elven
Age: To humans, she looks to be about 18 (In reality she is an elf of only around 100 winters old.)
Description:
Meliara is a young elven beauty that is still developing. She is very short, only standing at 4'11. She has long, curly black hair that stops at the small of her back. Meliara casts a helpless gaze with her sparkling gray eyes at the humans who captured her.

Meliara is curvaceous for her young age, and her medium sized breasts offset her wide hips and large bottom in the torn leather pants and ragged green shirt she was captured in.


IC:
Meliara curled up into a ball and eyed her new surroundings from her cage as she was carried into the city on a slave trader's cart. The busy human city was nothing like her home in the woodlands. She longed to go back to her home in the forest, and was very much frightened by this new environment.

If only she hadn't gone to the river to bathe several days ago, she would have never come in contact with the humans that captured her. They had been setting up camp as she came into view. Curiously, she came closer to the humans, wondering why their ears were not pointy like her own... The naive elf was pushed down and tied up before being thrown into her current cage. She shuddered at the terrible memories, and was partly thankful that they had knocked her out for a good portion of the journey to the city.

She remained silent as the slavers reached their destination. Her gray eyes grew wider as she saw her fate. Several slaves on sale were being groped by filthy humans that were wagering the prices on their lives. She saw numerous races being treated as objects to be sold, even elves like herself, on the block.

 

[sexy_curves]

tess, who was inslaved most of her life was recently liberated, but very recently taken back into captivity.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Marcus yawned as he forced himself awake finding not only that his slave hadn't ran away but more than that, she'd covered him and remained close to him. He would have let them stay that way all night but he prefered to sleep indoors. "Trianna wake up." He whispered into her ear, then his curiouslity again took control of him and he found himself running his fingers and lips over her cat-like ears like a child. Her body still amazed him.