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Chapter 2
Richard’s alarm went off at 6am and he groaned, hit it and turned over. He had to get up soon. He knew he had to get up soon. But he just couldn’t quite bring himself to leave the warmth of his duvet for another long day at work. Hopefully once they got this damn contract someone would realise the business was actually expanding, and therefore they needed to employ more people. But no one was willing to take that risk until they got the contract, even if having more people working on it would make it more likely that they got it in the first place.
He was just about ready to drift back into sleep when he caught the scent of bacon. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that with all that had happened last night, he’d forgotten to actually order pizza. Then he remembered the events of last night and groaned again. Why was he always so hopelessly slow in the mornings? He glanced at his alarm clock – 6.10am – and figured he really should start getting up now. He wanted to be at work by 7am, so he could quickly finish off the work he hadn’t gotten around to last night. At least the smell of bacon gave him some encouragement to quickly get dressed and hurry down the hall. I hope Korian cooked enough for two. Then he snorted; he was pretty sure his slave wasn’t about to forget to cook some for him.
He entered the kitchen just as Korian – still wearing only his jeans – was serving up what looked like a full English breakfast – bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, toast. His stomach rumbled again as Korian turned and set the plate down on the table. He bowed to Richard and then silently moved to pull out the chair. Richard accepted the invitation without comment, more intent on the food, which he quickly dug into. It was the best breakfast he’d had in months. For that matter, it was the best meal he’d had in weeks; spending every spare minute working didn’t leave much time for cooking, and he’d never exactly been a brilliant cook anyway, which meant that while this deal was going on he’d been living on takeaways.
He was halfway through before he realised that Korian was standing to the side and hadn’t even served himself up the remnants of the meal – which, Richard admitted, wasn’t really much, since most of it seemed to have ended up on his plate. Seeing him glance up, and misinterpreting it, Korian offered the remaining couple of sausages. Blinking, Richard looked down and realised he’d finished the sausages on his plate off, and then realised Korian intended all the food for him. His stomach gurgled half-contentedly and he admitted to himself that it wouldn’t actually be a hardship to finish it all off.
Shaking his head at the offered sausages, Richard went back to eating, considerably slower this time. He glanced semi-suspiciously at Korian and asked in between mouthfuls, “You’ve already eaten?”
Korian looked at him, clearly slightly surprised by the question. “Ahh, no…I didn’t know what you wished me to eat, or when, Master.”
Richard’s eating slowed to the point of stopping as the food settled into a ball in his stomach. “Korian. You can eat whatever you want. Whenever you want.” He tried to keep his voice pleasant, even when he realised that his reply hadn’t really helped, that Korian would still want permission for eating specific food, at specific times. “Eat what I eat, when I eat it, OK?”
“Yes, Master. Thank you, Master.”
Why did he sound like that was such a great privilege? Well, considering what I’ve been eating the last couple of weeks, I’m pretty sure you won’t be so happy about that soon. …There was a point…he hadn’t exactly been home to eat much recently…
“Except for lunch, I eat that at the office, so just make yourself something from whatever’s in the fridge.”
And sometimes I eat dinner in the office too, if we go on late enough. But don’t complicate things too much; if that happens I’ll just bring home some pizza or whatever for Korian.
“Yes, Master.” Korian hesitated. “Master, may I ask a question?”
Doesn’t that count as a question? Richard frowned inwardly at himself, stop being so pedantic. It isn’t his fault how he was raised or how he’s been forced to live. And it certainly isn’t his fault that you feel so uneasy and guilty about the whole thing, so stop taking it out on him. It isn’t his fault that all this rubs you the wrong way. He’s done nothing wrong – the opposite in fact, considering this meal – and you’re being beastly towards him.
“Yes, Korian, of course. You can always ask whatever you like.”
Korian paused for a long moment before asking tentatively, “May I buy some food, Master?”
That was a good point. Richard couldn’t imagine there was much in the fridge, since he hadn’t been shopping for at least a week, probably two. In fact, he wondered briefly where all this food had come from, before remembering his girlfriend’s horror a few days ago when she’d opened the fridge to get a casual snack. That had ended with half the fridge in bin liners and her arriving with bags of shopping a day later. Guilt flashed as he considered that he hadn’t touched the food she’d gone out of her way to get for him. Well, at least now if she asks, I can honestly say I did eat some, and thoroughly enjoyed it at that. Thinking about when he was next likely to have a chance to get to a shop, he thought it would probably be a very good idea for Korian to do some shopping. He could probably buy himself some more clothes and supplies and such as well. He glanced up to say as much, only to find Korian once again kneeling, this time bent slightly forward, with his head bowed almost to his chest and his palms lying upright on his spread knees. He seemed to have gone even paler and Richard could see the beginnings of sweat forming on his forehead.
Alarmed, Richard asked, “Korian? What’s wrong?”
Korian swallowed, “Forgive me, Master, please, I beg you. I didn’t mean to—”
Realising his silence had been misinterpreted, Richard cut Korian off, the sight in front of him turning the pleasantly full feel of his stomach into an uncomfortable weight. “No.” He quickly amended, “I mean, no, there’s nothing to forgive. I was just considering that you were right, there really is very little in the fridge…please, Korian, get up. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
The sight was turning his stomach, and he had to stop himself from sighing with relief when Korian did eventually get up again, hesitantly, to stand awkwardly with his head bowed, looking as if he was trying to brace for a blow that would knock him to the floor.
Trying to ignore that in the hope that would make Korian feel easier, Richard went back to answering the question, and this time mused aloud. “Yes, it would definitely be a good idea to get some more food in. Do you know where the nearest Sainsbury’s is?”
Korian hesitated before replying, “No, Master.” He swallowed, and added quickly, “I’m sure I could find it easily, though.”
Richard was about to give the directions – which was the sensible thing to do, as it would probably save Korian a lot of time and effort – but after glancing at Korian’s face, which seemed distraught, he decided to just leave it at that, and nodded. “OK.” He smiled ruefully, “I don’t suppose you have any money?”
“No, Master. My former master gave me a card, which he said had enough money on it…but it was only for the year…it’s expired now.”
Surprised, Richard thought about this. Well, that answers a question you hadn’t even gotten around to thinking about yet: how Korian survived for the last year. But it raised some other questions. He’d thought all his Uncle’s money had been sorted through after the will, to give to charity. Ah well, he shrugged, Uncle Andre probably set the account up before his death, and transferred it into Korian’s name. Pity he couldn’t use it now, it would make it easier supporting the two of them. It was a good job he lived in a small place, after all, and was expecting a bonus if this contract came through.
He got up and went to find the cash he kept around the apartment in case it was needed. Coming back, he handed £80 to Korian and said, “That should be enough to keep us going. If you have time, feel free to pick up some food if you want. And while you’re out, get anything else that you need or want. Especially more clothes.”
It wasn’t often Richard gave someone his money and said, get anything you want, but Richard had the feeling Korian wasn’t about to spend extravagantly. Hopefully Korian would get some food soon, since he wasn’t sure how much was available at the moment for lunch. Well, Korian didn’t exactly have many pressing demands on his time. In fact, Richard wondered what he was going to do to keep himself occupied. He probably ought to find something Korian might be interested in doing, to get him out of the house a bit and start him experiencing what life had to offer. One step at a time. Right now, you need to get to work; Korian isn’t your only concern.
“Well, I need to be off now. I’m going to be working a lot, until we manage to close a particular contract deal, so I’m not sure when I’ll be home. You can do what you like…feel free to go out and explore or whatever.” Something occurred to him and he stopped. Korian couldn’t be leaving the house without locking it, which meant he needed a key. “Wait here a minute.”
He disappeared down the hall and came back a few moments later, holding a key. “This is a key to the apartment. Lock up if you go out.” It was the key he’d had cut for Naomi. He’d planned to give it to her…well, a few days ago, really, but he hadn’t had a lot of chances to see her. It made sense, after all. They’d been going out for almost a year now, and she was pretty much his only regular guest. He shrugged; he guessed he could always get another one cut for Naomi.
He turned to leave, Korian’s still obvious discomfort making him uneasy, when another thought occurred. He glanced back and said, “You will put on the rest of your clothes when you go out, won’t you?”
Korian blinked, “Yes, Master, if you wish me to.”
“Yes” Richard replied, rather abruptly, “I do.”
He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Korian went out as he was at the moment. Turning, he left quickly, and once out of the apartment, hurried down the street to where he worked. Part of the reason he was so attached to his apartment was its convenience; it was right in the centre of London, only 15 minutes walk from where he worked.
He swallowed hard as he tried to concentrate on what needed to be done when he got there. He picked up the pace to try and rid himself of the images that kept intruding, the ones that had made him leave so promptly after breakfast, and made him shudder with horror now. Korian kneeling before him again, but differently. Pale and sweating. Afraid. Afraid of him. Why on earth would anyone be afraid of him like that? What did Korian think he was going to do?
* * *
Korian hurried down the street, not appreciating the too-familiar feel of the shoes and shirt. Slaves aren’t supposed to wear such things. But even his former Master had insisted upon them on the rare occasions when they went out. And he’d insisted on them throughout the year he’d been given for grief. You haven’t been living like a slave, like you should. You allow yourself to forget the training too often, you’re making too many mistakes. He winced at the thought even as it appeared, and corrected himself; even one mistake is too many. A slave can’t afford the luxury of mistakes. He shied away from thinking about his latest – and completely disastrous – mistake, instead concentrating on where he was. He wasn’t sure if he’d been allowed to use a map, but even though his former master had let him, he wasn’t going to do anything his Master hadn’t specifically given permission for. You took your former master’s advice too far. It’s time you remembered your training. That made it somewhat harder to work out where Sainsbury’s was, but he’d lived around this area for a week or so while he’d tried to locate his new Master, and while he was waiting for yearly anniversary that would signal it was time to submit to the new Master. So he had a basic idea of where things should be.
He found Sainsbury’s relatively easily – and more importantly, quickly – and was soon inside, sorting through the various items and trying to decide what to buy. He wished he knew more about what his Master liked, and rifled through his memories of what he’d cooked when his Master had come to stay with his former master, as well as what was currently in the fridge. Dedicating his mind to such tasks allowed him to relax a little for the first time in several hours, and to recall his mistake relatively calmly. How could you be so stupid, so presumptuous, as to ask such a question? Even before you did, you knew it was wrong, knew you shouldn’t be asking it. It wasn’t a slave’s place – especially a new slave, let alone a slave like him – to ask permission to leave his Master’s property. That sort of trust and privilege was bestowed only on the best, the most honoured and longest serving slaves. And a slave never asked for it. Not to mention a slave absolutely never asked for anything that could be interpreted as a request for money, or that would mean the slave would handle his Master’s money. To do anything.
True, there wasn’t a lot of food in the fridge, but he could have worked out how to continue to make satisfactory meals for his Master. Should have done that. Should never have said anything that might be taken as a complaint about the resources he was given.
He swallowed and leaned against the trolley slightly as weakness flowed through him again. He knew very well how he should be punished for such a transgression. His people wouldn’t have seen it as a mistake; it would have been thought of as wilful disobedience, stepping out of his place. And despite his attempts to eradicate any weakness, to make himself able to withstand anything his Master may choose to inflict…the thought of the unrelenting torture still twisted fear out of him. But he wasn’t afraid of that nearly so much as he was of the reason he hadn’t been punished at all. Masters didn’t bother punishing slaves that they felt were beyond hope, slaves that weren’t worth the time or energy to try to correct. Hopeless. Worthless. The words had been used before, had already started consigning him expectations he’d live to be nothing more than a community slave, unwanted by any of the masters. But even then, even those masters hadn’t considered him so far gone they’d given up on punishing him. Not like this Master had.
He took another deep breath as he moved through the aisles, weaving in and out and around people without conscious thought. One day. It took one day for you to completely throw away the last chance given to you. Even his former master, who’d hated the idea of punishment, who’d only given the lightest of punishments…actually, you probably wouldn’t even have realised they were punishments if it weren’t that you realised he believed they were punishments. But they’d been there. Even if his former master hadn’t seriously taken on the task of punishing him, he had cared and understood enough to make an effort to correct him when he was displeased.
He paused as he moved past the clothes racks. His Master had wanted him to buy some more clothes. A frown flickered across his face as he considered this. There was only one reason a Master would want extra clothes for a slave. Only one reason a Master would want to dress a slave up. He remembered the slaves that wore extra clothes back at home as he ran his fingers gently over the shirt in front of him. Pleasure slaves; the most honoured, highest form of slaves. Allowed to be in their masters’ presence more, to spend more time practicing the martial skills that would keep their masters safe, to serve and please their masters in every conceivable way. The fine weave of their clothes, cut to display their bodies for their masters’ appreciation. He’d dreamt of being one once, a long time ago, of offering himself in every possible way, giving himself entirely to his master. But it was a foolish dream for someone like him, as he’d quickly been made to realise. Too slow, too weak, too loud, too clumsy. He had no right to expect to be honoured as those slaves had been. But masters could be interested in a slave’s body, could want to dress him up and use the body, even if they had no intention of making a pleasure slave of him. His former master had been like that. When he’d finally accepted the use of his body, he’d done everything he could to ignore his slavery. He’d made it very clear he had no desire to have him offer himself as a slave…he had enjoyed the body, but hadn’t wanted him as a slave. He hadn’t thought this new Master was interested in his body like that, but he guessed he might have missed the signs. He hadn’t exactly spent much time around his new Master so far – probably less than an hour, all in all. Still, you should have noticed. He really hoped he hadn’t missed any signals or anything. That would be unforgivable. No, even nervous and preoccupied with other parts of serving as you’ve been, you wouldn’t have missed something like that.
He ran his eyes along the clothes, but there was nothing suitable for what his Master would want. He guessed those sorts of clothes weren’t usually sold at a food shop. Looking at what he’d already selected, he guessed he wouldn’t have the money to buy that sort of specialist thing anyway. Besides, his Master wouldn’t want to be spending too much money on that sort of thing anyway. Not to mention he couldn’t find another shop; his Master had specified this one, and there was no way he was going to betray the trust he should never have asked for in the first place and go wandering off. He glanced at the clock and figured he was probably taking too long, as well.
Taking another assessing look at the various clothes offered, he selected a few. He hesitated over the tops and shirts, but it wasn’t improper for slaves to wear such things to make themselves more pleasing to their masters, and – glancing down at the shirt he currently wore – it was obvious his Master didn’t completely object to him wearing such things. He chose mainly black, white or gold colours. Those were the ones that most suited his complexion and silver colouring, and while they were completely inappropriate at the moment, he could adjust them easily enough if he picked up a little bit of thread on his way out, and create some patterns to make the plain designs more interesting. He’d already found a small sewing kit in the apartment; it looked unused so he figured his Master wouldn’t mind if he borrowed a needle or two for a day. He hesitated over a midnight blue top, before taking it too and hurrying to the checkout.
As he walked briskly back to his Master’s apartment – going a more direct route now that he knew where he was going – he passed a gym and saw a large hall through the windows, not filled with all the equipment he was used to seeing. He couldn’t help a wistful glance in that direction before continuing on. He needed to practice. If he didn’t keep up the skills, then he wouldn’t be able to protect his Master. No, you’ll just have to make do with what you’ve got. You’ve lost all right to take time to practice, to serve your Master in that way. He sighed; well, you’ve had a year of very intensive practice. That will have to be enough.
Until you can prove that you’re worth more than you’ve shown so far. He shivered a little as he considered what, and how much, that might take. First impressions aren’t everything. It doesn’t matter if it takes weeks, months or years. You’ve got a lifetime to prove yourself.
* * *
“Gods, you look awful, Richard.”
Richard glanced up with a jolt as he realised Janeece had come in and set her stuff down on the desk next to his. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus again on what was in front of him. He’d been drifting in and out for the last couple of hours or so, too distracted to concentrate.
“Thanks, hon. You know just how to make a man feel good about himself.”
She shot him a playful smile as she started up her computer and pulled out her folders. “Seriously though, Richard, you look as though someone just died or something.”
He attempted a smile, but couldn’t hold it long, and sighed. “I’m just tired. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately; this damn contract…” Well, that was true, even if it’s wasn’t the whole truth. But he wasn’t exactly ready to tell Janeece about Korian. In fact he wasn’t ready to tell anyone about Korian. And would never tell anyone about the strange dance of slave-and-Master that someone seemed determined to put him through.
“You work too hard, Richard.”
“So do you. Everything’s pretty hectic at the moment, for everyone.”
“Noo…” She shifted slightly and her face became more serious. “You’re doing far more than anyone else. We’re partners, you know what that means?”
He wasn’t in the mood for her word games. “We work together.”
“Yeah, we work the same projects, the same contracts. We split them, half and half. You must be doing, what, 60-65% of this contract. And I’m not happy about that.”
He huffed out a breath. “We agreed to split it so I did the research. The research always takes longer, it’s not more work, it’s just…longer…”
“Yes, but you do the research and then spend hours with me, talking through the research, pointing things out and helping me analyse it. It’s not fair on you, and there’s only so long you can go on working with me throughout the day, and then going and doing the research yourself in what should be your own time. You’re going to collapse soon.” Then, before he could protest, she shifted the mood, looking despairingly upwards and rolling her eyes dramatically. “And then what am I going to do?”
The breath he huffed out this time turned into laughter. He loved Janeece. Out of all the people he’d worked with, he’d got on best with her. She was professional and hard-working, but always willing to put on an act and lighten the mood with teasing and banter. And she cared. She cared about her work, about what she was doing and why, and about the people she worked with. And it made a difference. Some people were just there for the money, or only interested in getting through the day, but she was genuinely interested in the business and what she did.
Now she was flicking a pen at him to recapture his attention. “Go home, Richard. Go and get some sleep. Come back when you’re going to be some use to me.”
He thought of going back home, of what he would be going back to and shook his head just a little too quickly. “No. I’ll sleep tonight, I promise. The research is pretty much done now, so there shouldn’t be much to do tonight, and even if there is I’ll put it off until tomorrow. I promise. But I can’t really justify going home when I’ve only been here a couple of hours.”
She mock-scowled at him, and muttered something about the definition of normal working hours, but didn’t object again and scooted closer so they could discuss his research.
Relaxing slightly, he plunged into the work, relieved to have the distraction. This would be much better than going home. Janeece’s attitude was a familiar comfort and always left him feeling cheerful.
“It’s lunchtime.”
Richard looked up, vaguely puzzled at Janeece’s sudden announcement, as she left where she had been sat next to him, and walked around to her desk. He reached for the phone. “All right, I’ll order something from the deli. What do you want?”
“Nah, I’m going out. For a few hours. Since you won’t be able to do much without me, you should too.”
Unable to work out if she was inviting him to lunch with her, or trying to convince him to go home and sleep – yet again – he just looked at her.
She huffed in exasperation. “Spend some time with Naomi, you dolt. She’s probably at least half the reason you barely seemed able to concentrate today, so go and see her and apologise and promise to spend more time with her. And mean it. I feel sorry for the poor girl.”
He felt a flash of guilt. Actually, he hadn’t even considered Naomi since last night, though he was more than willing to let Janeece jump to the conclusion that that was what was bothering him. But he had been neglecting her, and in truth he felt sorry for her as well. The door closed and he looked up in time to see Janeece disappearing down the corridor.
Richard glanced at the work in front of him. Janeece was right, there was very little he could do, now that the research was pretty much done. At least, not without stepping on her toes in a very big way. And he knew exactly what her reaction to that would be.
He smiled slightly as he reached for the phone again. Perhaps Naomi would be another distraction, and it would make him feel better to see her and make sure things were still OK between them.
“Hello?”
“Naomi, it’s me, I was just ringing—”
“Ohhh, so you are alive.”
He winced. “I guess I deserve that. I’m sorry about the way things have been for the past couple of weeks. It’s just—”
“The company has a potentially huge contract coming up, if you can only work forever and a day to secure it. Yes, I know.”
At least she sounded amused, rather than annoyed. He must have caught her at a good moment. “Well, I’ve got a couple of hours free. Any chance we can get together and I can grovel and we can make up?”
“How’d you manage to get a couple of hours free in your oh-so-busy schedule?”
“Janeece kicked me out of the office.” He grumbled.
She laughed, “Remind me to send Janeece a thank-you card. OK, sure, I can spare a few hours. My lectures are finished for today. Meet you in The Gazebo in fifteen minutes?”
The Gazebo. A large, exclusive restaurant conveniently situated between his work and her University. That also happened to be rather expensive, and wasn’t usually a place frequented for lunch. Unless you happened to have quite a lot of time on your hands for the extensive meals that seemed to be their norm. Grovelling indeed.
“Sure, see you there.”
He put the phone down and started to make his way out, before turning and penning a short note to Janeece.
Gone to The Gazebo,
See you soon,
Richard
He didn’t know how long Janeece had intended him to be out, but thought it prudent she know exactly where he was going, in case the ‘few hours’ she was out for tended to be rather shorter than his.
She’d evidently gotten there quicker than he had, because when he walked up to The Gazebo, he saw her standing waiting for him. She came over to him and kissed him on the cheek, putting her arm around his waist.
“Stranger.” She said accusingly.
“I wouldn’t want you to be treating all the strangers you meet like that…” He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood as he walked them over to the entrance.
“Shall we sit outside? It’s a nice day and I’ve been inside a bit too much lately.”
“You can say that again” She muttered.
Taking that for assent, he asked to sit outside to the waiter ready to show them to their seats. The Gazebo was one of the few restaurants to boast a genuine garden in which to eat, which was impressive for a restaurant in the middle of London, and it was one of their main attractions.
After they’d sat down and ordered drinks and their food, he sat back and looked around.
“Seems pretty quiet at the moment. I don’t think many people come here for lunch.” And that’s all the protest you’re going to make about her choice of restaurant.
She sat back too and nodded, deceptively acquiescent, “Yess…it really is better for romantic dinners, don’t you think?” Now there’s a hint if ever I saw one.
“Besides,” she continued, a mixture of amusement and exasperation in her voice now, “I wanted to make sure you got a decent meal at least once in two weeks. All that trash you’re eating at the moment can’t be good for you. I bet you haven’t even touched all that food I bought you…” She muttered the last.
“I have.” He replied defensively, “I had a great English breakfast this morning. Sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs…everything.” Thank you Korian, he thought as he saw her evidently surprised and pleased expression.
Then he paused as something else occurred to him. Did you even thank Korian for that meal? For the meal he cooked and you ate all of? Guilt flashed through him as he realised that he had been first too intent on the meal, then overwhelmed by the sudden change in Korian’s attitude that he’d just wanted to get out. Away from that fear. He pushed his mind away from that, and promising himself he’d thank Korian when he got back home, turned his attention back to his girlfriend. Luckily, she appeared not to have noticed his silence and was still talking about his lack of good food.
“Yes, I know.” He said, making it clear he had heard this all before, before changing the subject to something a little less critical. “How’ve your lectures been?”
She wrinkled her nose, “Not bad really, but pretty boring. I already know this stuff. I picked it all up while working. I don’t see why I need a degree to advance…”
It was a little strange having a girlfriend in University; it made him seem like a bit of a pervert when he mentioned it to others, but really she was only a couple of years younger than him, 25 to his 27. She’d dropped out of Uni at 19 and joined a business, wanting to get on in the world and work, only to find several years later that she’d reached the furthest she could advance without a degree. So on a scheme sponsored by the business she worked for, she’d gone back to get a degree in Business and Management, at pretty much double the usual pace.
“Well, at least you shouldn’t have any trouble passing the exams or anything then.”
“Yeah, but I wish it wasn’t necessary. It’s just such a waste of time. I want to be out in the world, back working and moving on up the business!”
Considering his recent experience of that, he snorted slightly and said, “I’d think about that stance a bit more carefully if I were you.”
She laughed, “Yes, well, I’m not going to make your mistakes and forget to eat, or sleep, or talk to your girlfriend…”
“Don’t you think we’ve mentioned that enough yet?” He mock-growled.
She smiled and her eyes twinkled with amusement, “Perhaps…”
But she let the conversation move on from there onto more interesting topics, throughout the long meal. She was right, he realised, the good meal really did help, even if it might have cost a dear penny.
Towards the end, she sighed and said, “I really will be glad when you get this contract sorted out. It’s been great to see you for a solid amount of time without you constantly hinting that you need to get on and work, but you’ve been distant the whole meal…I do understand, I’m just looking forward to when it will all end.”
He looked at her, somewhat surprised. He hadn’t realised he’d been distant throughout lunch. OK, yes, he was distracted at the moment. But it wasn’t work distracting him today. He suddenly had a much bigger problem to deal with, one that wouldn’t go away nearly so easily as the work contract would. Well, it was understandable that he was distracted at the moment. He’d just had a man come and proclaim he was his slave, and then start…well, acting like one. It was damn discomfiting. But it should get better once he worked out how to convince Korian to stop acting like a slave, and started getting him used to the idea that he could be free, and could survive once he was free.
He mumbled something in agreement with Naomi, and thanked her for spending the time with him before heading back to the office. He really had enjoyed it, and felt again that he should be spending more time with her – but this time more because he enjoyed it than because he felt he was neglecting her.
* * *
“Come on, we’re leaving the office now.”
He was interrupted again by yet another sudden announcement by Janeece. He looked up to see who ‘we’ was, before realising she was including him in her statement.
“Not yet, there’s still a little more…” Seeing her expression and realising that argument wouldn’t get him anywhere, he changed tack. “Besides, there’s not much point me going home now. I’m still a bit full from lunch, so I wouldn’t be able to order something to eat for a while, which means I wouldn’t get around to that sleeping I promised you any earlier than if I stayed here.” It wasn’t exactly true. Lunch had been very filling, but he probably could manage a takeaway pizza now. Well, maybe a small pizza. It would, after all, be pretty much his third main meal of the day. And he hadn’t ever really had reason to consider breakfast a ‘main’ meal before.
She snorted. “It’s 7pm. There’s more to life than working and eating and sleeping. Go home and flop in front of the TV or something. An evening of flopping would do you good.”
“You’re so damn bossy sometimes, you know that?” He grumbled.
“Well, someone has to be, Mr It’s-OK-just-let-me-do-all-the-work. You’d let a duck walk all over you.”
He tried to pretend to be outraged, but the image was just too absurd, and he ended up bursting out laughing. “What…kind of a…saying…is that?” He said, in between gasps of air and laughter.
She joined in the laughter, though he couldn’t tell if she was laughing with him or at him. She recovered faster than him, and left with a last, “Go home.”
After recovering and getting his breath back he sighed, though still with a smile on his face. He didn’t really want to face whatever it was he’d find at home, but delaying it probably wouldn’t help, and that idea of flopping didn’t actually sound half bad. You haven’t done that in a long while.
He gathered all his stuff up and left quickly, locking their shared office behind him. He wasn’t the last to leave, but most of the building was dark as he walked across the street and down the road that led back to his apartment.
Outside his apartment, he took a deep breath and opened the door, trying to overcome the butterflies that were in his stomach yet again. Entering your own home really shouldn’t be like this. He stepped inside and closed the door, looking around for the post. Frowning as he didn’t see any, he started to shrug out of his coat, only to find it gently pulled off him and replaced on the hanger. Turning around, he saw Korian kneel and then sink forward, pressing his forehead to the floor. His heart dropped down into his stomach and unease spread throughout his body again. How in the name of Hell am I supposed to acknowledge or respond to that? Then he took in what he hadn’t been paying attention to before. The smell of something appetizing enough for even his well-fed stomach to appreciate, and the hallway that was cleaner and neater than he thought he’d ever seen it. No. This has to stop.
“Korian. I need to talk to you. Now.”
Stepping past the kneeling man, he headed toward the sitting room, and was amazed to see every room he glanced at in the same condition as the hall. He knew what the apartment had looked like yesterday. He hadn’t had a chance to clean it or tidy it up for at least two weeks, and in that time he’d been eating mainly takeaways, and scattered papers and various books all over the apartment as he flicked through research. Even if he spent most of the day, he didn’t know if he could sort out even one room to the standard he saw around him. And Korian has cooked dinner too. Then he realised Korian must have gone out and bought the food, as well. Richard didn’t understand it. What could have been driving Korian so hard that he managed to do all this? He remembered how they had parted, what Korian had acted like. Not fear. Please don’t say he did this because he was afraid of what I would do otherwise…Richard swallowed hard as he reached the sitting room and turned to face the man silently following him, head bowed, eyes downcast as Richard was coming to expect. Have you ever actually met those eyes?
Richard went over and sat on one of the sofas, gesturing Korian toward the other one. Korian went over, but knelt in front of it instead of sitting on it.
Richard frowned slightly, but went on with what he had to say. “Look, Korian, I said you could stay here. And you can. But not as my slave. It makes me feel uncomfortable and awkward. And no one should feel that in their own home. So you can’t continue with all this – the bowing and scraping, and calling me Master, and the cleaning and cooking. It’s got to stop.” Korian looked to have gone completely pale, and seemed to be shaking slightly. But he couldn’t settle for an automatic answer again, where Korian agreed with him and then continued on as he had been doing before. Janeece was right; he let everyone else walk all over him far too much. “Do you understand me? And I mean it this time. Either you say you do and you mean it, or this isn’t going to work out. Look at me.” The last was growled with frustration.
Korian looked up, and met his eyes for the first time. The hint of despair in those swirling silver depths pierced Richard. “Master, I am a slave. How can I not be a slave? I cannot not be what I am.” He took a deep breath and glanced down again before looking back up into Richard’s eyes. “Even if you have to sell me, Master, I can only be what I am.”
Sell him?! The idea struck Richard straight through the heart. How could one person…sell…another?! Is that what he was afraid of? Is still afraid of? Set him free, yes, in a heartbeat. Sell him, never. Apart from the fact that it was an abhorrent idea, it would be impossible. There was no one to sell him to. No way to even suggest the idea without being hated and imprisoned.
“Korian, no. I could never sell you.” He was too caught by the very idea to convey the thoughts rushing through his mind.
For some reason, this made Korian’s despair and anguish greater, and the shaking became more noticeable. His voice was barely audible as he whispered, “Even if you have to give me away, then, Master, because I displease you so, I can’t change that. I can’t change what I am. I can submit to whatever you wish me to, suffer anything you wish to inflict, serve you with everything that I am until the last breath has left me. But there’s nothing I can do about that, nothing I can do. I can’t stop being something I am.”
Richard couldn’t speak for the longest time, shock rooting him to his seat and his tongue completely tied. He hadn’t meant that he’d give Korian away, or that Korian…displeased him. The way he acted just made him uncomfortable, that was all. And what he’d said! Why would he say such things? He wasn’t going to force him to do any of those things. But those promises…they moved something deep within him, something he didn’t even want to think about. And they were beautiful, in a way he’d never allowed himself to consider. Beautiful. And completely, completely wrong, he reminded himself. Unwilling to delve too deeply into those ideas, he seized on the one part he could really argue with.
“Korian, listen to me. I’ve said I won’t sell you. I won’t give you away, or anything like that. That’s not what I’m suggesting, not what I would want. I don’t find you displeasing” he shuddered slightly at saying such a thing…it seemed to demean Korian, make it seem as if the only thing that mattered about Korian was whether he found him pleasing or not. But that wasn’t the point; he would use Korian’s words to refute Korian’s claims, and hopefully that would help. “But it’s not true that your being a slave can’t change. You can be free, Korian. I can help you be free, be able to pursue what you want to do with your life. Not be dependant on another’s will, not have to worry about getting hurt if you do something wrong. I want to set you free, Korian. Do you understand?”
Korian just looked at him, some of the anguish diminished, but still there. And now he was evidently confused as well, as he reluctantly shook his head, obviously unwilling to directly contradict his Master, but not believing what he claimed. “I’m a slave, Master. Not free.” He said simply.
“Yes, but you can be free. I will set you free.”
Korian looked even more confused. “I’m a slave, Master.” He repeated. “I can’t be free, because I’m a slave. Slaves aren’t free.”
Richard tried to leash the frustration; there had to be some way to get him to understand. “Yes, but if I freed you, you wouldn’t be a slave anymore, and then you’d be free. Hasn’t a slave where you come from ever become free before?”
Korian frowned slightly, “No, Master. No slave has ever been free. And there’s nothing you can do about the fact I am a slave. You can’t change it. And I can’t be free. I am a slave, Master. I was born a slave. I will always be a slave. That is what I am.”
Richard massaged his temples with his thumb and forefinger for a moment. There was something fundamentally wrong here, some confusion that meant they couldn’t understand each other. Go back to basics, then. “OK, do we agree that a slave is a person who is owned by another?”
Korian nodded, “Yes, a slave is always owned by a master.” Then his eyes flicked down for a moment again. “Or by the community.”
Richard didn’t really understand that comment, but it didn’t clash with his point so he continued. “Right, so if the person – or community – that owns the slave decides to free them, then they would no longer be a slave, since they are no longer owned, right?”
Korian looked at him for a while, also seeming to sense the problem they had, the miscommunication and trying to work it out for himself. Eventually he reluctantly shook his head. “No, Master, the order is wrong. A person isn’t a slave because they are owned, they are owned because they are a slave. The slave would always be owned – never freed – sold…given away…yes, but never freed, because they are a slave and slaves are always owned.”
“What do you mean, a slave is a slave before they are owned? A person can’t be a slave without being owned by someone first.”
“A person is a slave because they are a slave, Master, not because they are owned. They are owned because they are a slave. But they are always a slave, Master, just like I am always a slave. It is what I am, like I have silver hair and silver eyes. I can’t change any of these things.”
A person is a slave based on the fact that they are a slave. All their lives. Taught that they are slaves, that there is nothing else for them to be. To live without hope or optimism their entire lives, knowing that they’ll never have any chance at anything better than what they’ve got. The idea was horrific.
“You could dye your hair, or wear contact lenses.” Richard argued, in part to be pedantic and in part to combat against the idea that chilled him all the way to his soul.
“Yes, Master.” Korian agreed, seeming to turn sad, “I can cover up my silver eyes and my silver hair. But deep down, at the roots, they’d always be what they are. They can’t be anything else. And I can’t change that.”
Suddenly chilled, Richard wanted to stop the discussion. He’d suddenly got a small insight into a completely alien – and absolutely horrific – culture, and the life Korian must have lived. It was enough for one night. He didn’t agree with it, with any of it, but in a way that wasn’t the point. Korian did, Korian believed it, and he could suddenly understand why he was so resistant to change, to alter his behaviour – the behaviour of a slave – for he believed that was part of him, would always be part of him. Was part of who he was. Unwilling to follow that thought further, Richard stood up.
“Mmm…I’m tired. Do you know how long it will be until that food is done?”
Korian blinked at the sudden change of topic, but accepted it without comment, bowing his head once again and lowering his eyes. “It should be done now, Master…unless you’d rather wait, in which case I could hold—”
“No” Richard shook his head, “Now’s good.”
Korian half-bowed from his kneeling position before rising and leaving smoothly and swiftly. Richard took a deep breath, prepared to accept – at least for a little longer – such behaviour.
He made his way slowly to the kitchen, trying to give Korian time to prepare, but when he arrived Korian was ready with no sign of undue effort on his part. He pulled a chair out for Richard and tucked it in again once Richard was seated, then placed a plate in front of him, of what looked like a full roast meal, with beef and all the trimmings. When on earth did Korian have time to make that?
“Thank you,” Richard smiled at Korian, who stood off to the side again with his head slightly bowed and his eyes checking on the food.
He was about to start eating, before remembering he’d said they’d eat together and wondering why Korian wasn’t eating. Glancing around, he saw a plate with much smaller portions on the side, but Korian made no move to join him or to start eating.
Puzzled, he asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”
Korian glanced up at him briefly, “You said I may eat when you do, Master.”
Richard frowned slightly, still confused. Unless he’s being completely literal. But that’s just too pedantic. Except it seemed to be true. Deciding not to argue, Richard took a bite, watching Korian out of the corner of his eye. Korian still didn’t move. Shrugging slightly, Richard continued to eat, hoping Korian would join him when he was in the middle of his meal. Instead, Richard noted, Korian would occasionally take bites from the plate on the side, but was evidently paying more attention to how Richard was doing. Glancing at Korian’s plate, Richard’s frown deepened. Even with those small portions he’ll never finish by the time I do. Richard sighed. I thought we’d gained some understanding today. Yes, he could accept more than he’d been willing to before. But some things were going too far.
“Korian, come sit down opposite me. With your food. We need to go over some things.”
Korian hesitated, but brought the plate over and set it on the table. He seemed more uncertain about the chair, glancing at it before moving it aside and starting to kneel.
“I said sit, Korian. On the chair.”
Korian hesitated again before perching gingerly on the edge. Richard took a quick mouthful of food to cover the shudder that wanted to sweep through him at the picture that was forming of Korian’s life. Don’t think about that now.
“Listen, Korian. We really need to compromise here. I understand more now. I understand why you feel certain behaviour is necessary, and I’m willing to accept some of that behaviour, but some things really do make me feel uncomfortable, and those we need to compromise on, OK?”
“Yes, Master.” At least this time it sounded more thoughtful and less automatic, even if Korian was still looking down.
“That’s the first thing. Please, look at me. I find it nigh-on impossible to talk to someone who won’t look at me. You don’t need to bow your head all the time, or look down. I’ll understand a lot more if I can see your face, and your eyes.”
Korian looked up, but it was clearly reluctantly.
Richard sighed, “OK, perhaps we should start with what I’m comfortable with, or what I can accept, anyway. I will accept that you consider yourself my slave, and consider me your master, even though I do not consider such myself. Since I will accept your point of view, you have to meet me part way and accept that I don’t consider us in that way, and please do try to consider us as something more…companions, perhaps, or flatmates. As part of accepting your point of view, I’ll therefore accept you calling me Master when we are alone and in private. And I’ll accept – to some extent – your deference. But all the constant bowing and kneeling makes me uncomfortable. So I would appreciate it if you limited that to being far less regular. I don’t expect you to stop entirely, but I don’t like seeing it all the time. What I do expect you to stop – almost all of the time – is keeping your eyes lowered the whole time. As I’ve said, it makes it very difficult for me to talk to you. Also, you don’t have to be silent and expressionless all the time. I want to know what you’re thinking and feeling. It helps me understand. I’ll accept you will be deferential, and will probably accede to me in most matters but I won’t accept you mindlessly going along with what I say. Talk to me, tell me your opinion of things. I won’t accept, any more, at all, you just saying ‘Yes, Master’ and then ignoring whatever it was you agreed to. Either you agree and you’ll do as I wanted, or you don’t agree and you’ll tell me. There is absolutely no point in anything else; it gets us nowhere.”
He looked at Korian to see how he was absorbing all this, and was relieved to see a look of almost intense concentration on his face. Well, this is the first time you’ve laid down the ground rules, in a way, and explained how things stand. Encouraged, he continued, “I also expect you to be flexible in interpreting what I say. I’m not experienced at this at all. I can’t give you specific orders, and say exactly the right things. So be flexible and use a bit of sense, eh? I mean, when I said you could eat anytime I did, I did not literally mean you had to wait for me to take a mouthful before you did. And please, eat with me. It makes me very uncomfortable for you to just be stood there eating to the side while I’m sitting down. I understand and will accept you want to…serve me. But there’s a limit. I’ll be more accepting of your service if you do it more subtly, and avoid making me feel uncomfortable.”
He looked directly at Korian, and asked very deliberately, “Do you understand?”
Korian hesitated, understanding the importance of what he was agreeing to. Then he nodded. “I think so, Master…although some of it may be hard to…adjust to. I…it’s part of what I am, the way I behave. I act like a slave should. It will be hard for me to stop, or reduce, what I do…”
Richard nodded, more relieved to be given an honest answer than he would have been if Korian had just agreed. “I understand. Or at least, I understand more than I did before. I appreciate that you feel this is part of what you are, and what you have to act like…but with some things, with some aspects of your slavery, couldn’t we just…” He thought back to their previous conversation, “cover them up a bit? Like with hair dye and contact lenses.”
Korian nodded, “Yes, Master.” He sounded like he meant it this time. He didn’t sound very happy about it, but he sounded like he understood. Richard didn’t know how much of it had gotten through, or how much he would really change his way of thinking. But, perhaps, as his way of acting changed, that would prompt the change of thoughts.
“OK, also…the stuff you do. You don’t have to be here all the time, you know? And you don’t have to only be doing stuff for me. I mean, I understand you’ll do the cooking and the cleaning and everything, but this place really isn’t that bored and you’ll probably run out of things to do pretty quickly.” He glanced around, then added drily, “Especially if you go at this pace. So…I mean, you could develop your own interests, hobbies, that sort of thing.” It would be really good if Korian started thinking about other things apart from…well…him. “Do you have anything you think you might like to take up? Like a sport or something, maybe?”
It wouldn’t really be so bad if Korian did continue with the cleaning and cooking. He couldn’t argue that it ought to be done, and he just hadn’t had time recently. Besides, it wouldn’t be too different from paying someone for looking after the apartment; after all, he was letting Korian stay here for free…
Something flickered across Korian’s face and he seemed struggling to make some decision, probably wanting to say something but afraid of what his reaction would be. Wanting to give Korian some space, he went back to his meal and started eating again.
“Master…I…forgive me if I am out of place, if I do not deserve the honour…”
Richard’s jaw clenched instinctively. He hated hearing Korian talk that way, but he didn’t want to interrupt whatever it was that Korian was about to say.
Korian continued after swallowing, getting quieter as he spoke, “I…sometimes my former master would allow me time to…to practice my martial skills, to improve them in order to protect him better…”
Korian trailed off, obviously unable to bring himself to make the request directly. Richard couldn’t stop the surprise from flittering across his face, and looked up at Korian again, despite his intention to not react to whatever Korian might want to do. He wanted to act like whatever it was would be no big deal, but the idea of Korian doing martial arts just didn’t work with his image of the man, who – he had to admit – looked more like a boy than a man. His gaze took in the pretty face, the smaller than average build, and the lithe, lean image he made with muscles that had obviously come from hard work and a body that had been undernourished as it grew. There was no way Korian could practice martial arts…he’d get beaten into pulp…and besides, he considered himself a slave; what on earth, in his mindset, would make a slave consider martial arts an appropriate activity? In order to protect him better…What the…? What on earth did he think Uncle Andre would need protection from, anyway? It doesn’t matter, whatever he wants to do, however he wants to justify it, it really doesn’t matter. If he’s interested in developing other activities – especially ones not typical for a slave – then let him go for it. He had a nagging thought that he didn’t want Korian’s first experience of trying to do something outside of his slavery to be a bad one, but he saw Korian register his surprise and start misinterpreting it.
Jumping in before his surprise and silence affected Korian, he said, “Of course. If you want to practice martial arts, go ahead.”
Going back to eating, still trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, he continued, “Do you have any idea which type of martial art you’d be interested in?”
Korian seemed surprised now, and it took him a moment to answer hesitantly, “Well…Master…it’s not so useful to just stick to one martial art. And they’re taught differently where I come from…so I tend to just sort of mix them together…”
“Umm…” Richard replied uncertainly, “I’m not really sure how you’d find a club to join if you don’t have a specific one you’re interested in…”
“I…well, I wasn’t thinking of joining a club, Master. Unless you wish me to, of course.”
Of course. But he was too confused by what exactly Korian wanted to do to pay much attention to that hastily-added sentence.
“Isn’t it better to practice with other people?”
“Sometimes, Master, but since no one in those clubs would practice the way I would, it would be a bit difficult…”
The way I would? Don’t ask, just go along with it, at least it’s one idea. If he doesn’t want to practice with other people, perhaps he has his own reasons. Like not being able to actually fight, for instance. Stop it! It’s hardly his fault that he has the sort of body he does, and not his fault he hasn’t exactly been able to practice.
“If you weren’t going to join a club, what were you planning on doing?”
“Umm…my former master let me practice in one of the halls in his house. When I was walking back from Sainsburys, I saw a hall that would work…”
Walked?! Richard forgot about what they were talking about as he heard that Korian had walked back from Sainsburys. It was like, 4 miles from the apartment! To walk that far with all the shopping…
“You walked to Sainsburys? And back?” He demanded.
Korian seemed slightly taken aback at the abrupt change in topic. “Yes, Master” He replied, in a confused tone. Then he took in Richard’s outraged stance, and quickly bowed his head. “Forgive me, Master, I didn’t think to run…I thought I could get everything done in time…”
Damn it, calm down, whenever you’re not calm, Korian always assumes he’s done something wrong, and then makes outrageous statements like that, and then you get even less calm. Damn it…walked…ran…damn.
His breath hissed out as he exhaled to try and calm himself down again. “No, that’s not what I meant…I gave you enough money for a bus…why didn’t you take a bus?”
Korian blinked, “Spend your money on transport when I could easily walk…Master, I’d never do that, those things aren’t meant for slaves…” Korian glanced down again and continued just above a whisper, “Besides, I wasn’t entirely sure where it would be, so I didn’t know which bus would’ve taken me in the right direction anyway.”
Confusion flittered across Richard’s mind for a moment – which he was blessedly glad about, since it meant he didn’t have to pay attention to the first part of that reply – before he remembered their earlier conversation, and Korian’s insistence that he could find Sainsburys. He’d thought Korian would use a map or something. What did he do, just wander around until he found it? This city isn’t exactly small…
“Why didn’t you use a map?”
“I didn’t know whether I was allowed to, Master.”
This time Richard did grit his teeth. “OK, let’s just clear some things up. You can use anything in the apartment that you want to – without asking for permission first. I’m not going to be around all the time, and if you need to use something, or to do something, just go ahead and do it. I’m really not going to object. In fact, if you need to use something, or whatever, and you don’t because you haven’t got my permission first, I’ll get more angry about that than about you going ahead without telling me. Understand?”
Korian seemed surprised, and paused before answering. At least that means he’s thinking about it. Maybe he did take in some of what you were saying before. “Yes, Master, I think so.” Then he glanced meekly up again from where he was sitting, reminding Richard of a boy who was anxious to please, but unable to work out what the reaction would be if he said something. “Like now?”
Richard snorted, “Yes, Korian. Like now. But I guess you didn’t know, so I’ll forgive you.” He added the last as a joke, amused by Korian’s attempts to understand something that seemed so obvious to him, before realising it may not have been such a good idea, given that it probably meant something else to Korian.
Korian’s head raised again, but he wouldn’t meet Richard’s eyes. “So…you won’t punish me, Master?”
Richard’s amusement immediately died. So we’re back to that again. “No, Korian, I’m not going to punish you. You don’t have to worry about that from me. Ever.” He replied with obvious irritation. Punish someone for not using a map, because they were worried they might not have permission and would therefore probably be punished? It was too twisted for him to work out, but it seemed completely counter-intuitive.
“Yes, Master.” Damn it, why did Korian sound and look sad about that? It made no sense. Ask. If you don’t understand the whys of something, ask. That’s what you’ve learnt today. But he didn’t want to ask about this particular issue. Didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to hear whatever Korian’s answer would be. The very idea stirred up all sorts of feelings of wrongness inside him.
“So, anyway, back to martial arts…what were you saying?” That’s right. Change the subject.
“Oh, umm, there was a hall that belonged to a gym on the way back from Sainsburys…it looked quite similar to the one I was using before, Master. I thought…well, it might be possible to hire it…”
Hire a hall? A whole hall? Richard tried to suspend his disbelief. How ridiculously expensive would that be…Clubs hired halls, since they had lots of members and could afford it. Where on earth did Korian think he could get the money for that from? Of course, Uncle Andre probably never put limits on his spending. Or needed to, he thought ruefully as he remembered his Uncle’s fortune.
“Umm, well, that might be a bit expensive…but I guess we could enquire. How long were you thinking of booking it for at a time? And would you need all of it?” Richard was reluctant to just dismiss the only idea of a non-slave-related activity that Korian had had, but he didn’t think he could afford it. A club would’ve been better anyway; then Korian could have gotten to know other people.
“Forgive me, Master. I don’t want to cost you a lot of money. It’s not important…”
But the look on his face said it was, much more than Richard had anticipated. Why does a self-proclaimed slave want to learn martial arts so badly? Especially one like this…Richard didn’t want to judge, but really, Korian was many things and a fighting man was not one of them. Maybe he wants to protect himself. The idea flashed through Richard and he couldn’t help the pity that followed. He’s definitely got enough reason to want to do that. The images that followed weren’t pleasant. Well, he’s never going to have to protect himself from me. The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach returned – which made him realise that it had left him as the conversation had gone on. It’s not bad, actually, just sitting and talking to him, having an actual conversation. It’s only when he acts like…well, like a slave…
Annoyed with Korian’s immediate dismissal of the idea – why does he have to take a small emotion, like a little reluctance, and blow it out of all proportion? – he replied, “I said we’ll look into it, OK? So, how long were you planning on booking it for at a time, and how much of the hall would you need?”
Korian’s eyes flicked down in apology before he answered, “I don’t know, Master. However long you allow me. As for the hall…I would probably need about half of it, but what’s more important is access to the equipment.”
What did one man need half a hall for to practice martial arts? And what equipment did you need for it, anyway…
“Right, well, I’ll look into it. Do you remember whereabouts this hall was?”
“Yes, Master.” As Korian gave him the address, Richard realised this must really be something important to Korian. For him to have noted the address of a specific place where it was possible for him to do this, despite not daring to mention it…to have just stored the address away for future reference, in case there was ever an opportunity…I’ll do something. I don’t know what, but if this is the first sign of Korian wanting something for himself then I’ll do my damndest to encourage it.
“So, did you buy any clothes then?” Richard asked, wanting to continue the conversation and eyeing Korian’s still half-naked body. It surprised him how much he was enjoying having a proper meal, and company, and how casual interaction like this let him get past what Korian considered himself to be. You should look beyond the slave persona he puts on; after all, that’s what you want him to do. And Naomi has been right on several fronts, you really should eat with her more. You’ve missed her more than you thought.
“Yes, Master, but they’re not suitable yet. I need to adjust them first. They should be ready by tomorrow.”
Richard nodding, half wondering why Korian needed to adjust the clothes but decided just to let him get on with it, since it could only be a good sign Korian was adapting clothes to his own style.
They finished the meal in relative silence after that, Richard lingering a little longer over it to make sure Korian finished his, and also because his stomach was starting to protest the huge amount he’d eaten today. Feeling suddenly very tired, Richard decided to make good on his earlier promise to Janeece, and simply go to bed.
Wishing Korian good night, he headed for his room, only to be surprised by the state of it after having seen what Korian had done to the rest of the house. Remembering he’d asked Korian not to go in his room, he smiled slightly ruefully. Guess I’ll be clearing this up myself. But it comforted him, and as he collapsed onto the bed for the night he felt much more positive than he had at the same point yesterday.
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