When the young man was gone, time went quickly, Athein departed a moment later with her measurements, and both Kaiji and Priceless sat on the floor and waited to be called for as Nua and Solution pulled books off a shelf and read quietly.

‘I’ll get clothing? Real ‘clothing’ and… good clothing?!’ Priceless tried to keep her heartbeat from sounding loud enough that it would disturb the reading of her mistress. ‘Don’t screw up, she may have shown a tiny bit of indulgence… but don’t screw up, you heard and saw everything with Kaiji, one wrong move and that hand that crushed iron might be on ‘your’ jaw.’ The fine hairs on her arms and legs stood on end and she tried very hard not to stare at the one who owned her. Her eyes drifted around and met Kaiji’s, looking at her inquisitively.

Kaiji only stared back blankly, as if to say, ‘Do ‘you’ want to interrupt the mistress to ask if we can converse? Because I don’t.’

So bored they sat, with nothing to do but breathe and think except for a short break when food arrived.

“Mistress…” Kaiji asked as she set the tray on the floor with two bowls, and prostrated herself behind where the bowls lay, Priceless knew well enough to not need prompting to imitate the act. “May… we have your permission to eat?”

They looked longingly at the food before lowering their faces to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaiji saw the easy way Priceless humbled herself, no hesitation, no shame at the posture of absolute subservience. If her hairs were on end, it was fear of punishment, not shame that did it.

But in Kaiji’s head… ‘I hate this… I hate this so much… I am… I was… an advisor to the Prince of Komestra… it's so ‘degrading’ to scrape like a dog at a wooden bowl…’ She felt each mental complaint like it was the prick of a knife in the kidney.

She kept her breath carefully modulated though, and waited, ‘At least I’m alive, at least I’ll get clothing soon. At least she has no evident lustful interest in me, the noises Priceless made with that sentry…’ She felt her fingers tense, not for the screams, of which there were none, but for the sound of hollow slaps and the occasional wordless minor yelp at a petty cruel pinch… but otherwise it was the sound of a woman who had gone all hollow inside, and no longer cared what was done with her.

‘Because I failed my Prince… how many others suffer similar fates after the Lur’gin Slave company bought up my citizens…’ She asked the question silently but found no answer.

Her mistress hadn’t answered, but neither she nor Priceless moved to eat.

“Yes, yes you can. Might as well.” Nua said indifferently, “After that, pick out a book from the shelf and help Priceless learn to read more, evaluate where she stands and ensure she improves.”

“Yes mistress, I obey.” Kaiji replied, and sitting cross legged, she reached out and took the bowl in both hands along with the bread.

Priceless began to immediately wolf it down, making a mess of her face, while Kaiji ate more slowly, dipping the bread to soak up the stew she’d been brought, unlike the last, she felt an explosion of flavor hit her tongue that tore her attention to the beastial ravenousness of Priceless.

‘She probably hasn’t eaten anything this good in… ever.’ Kaiji felt a swell of pity for the young woman, and then for herself. ‘A few weeks ago, I’d turn my nose up to this, but today, I begged to eat it, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted…’ It was a bitter pill, but she swallowed that pill with bread and dark, rich stew with bits of real meat still in it.

The scent of it wafted through her nostrils and it made her ears tremble in bliss as if the meat she brought to her lips was a long and deeply adored lover. The sweet tender flavor of its juices ran down her throat and warmed her belly within in ways that made her realize how cold she’d truly been recently. The warm bread still crackled when she tore chunks away, and as she took it into her mouth, she let the tiny juice soaked bits all but dissolve on her tongue before she tilted her head back to swallow the gift from her mistress.

There was no mistake in her mind about it, ‘She could have bought us just to enjoy watching us starve to death… but… she feeds me instead.’ The memory returned of the monstrously strong grip of Mistress Nua’s left hand on her jaw and again that fear ran through her. Then she looked down at the bowl, it’s emptiness, and throwing aside her pride, she took it up and licked it clean before her owner’s eyes.

Priceless had already prostrated herself after having finished it quickly, and

was clearly waiting for Kaiji, her eye constantly looking to one side, waiting for the slower slave to catch up to her.

That was when Kaiji recognized her mistake. ‘Oh… I kept her waiting…’ She flung herself down hard, banging the edge of her horns on the wood sharply enough to echo briefly around the room. “Forgive my slowness, mistress! It was just so good, and I wished to savor the gift you’ve given me…!”

“Thank you for the food mistress.” Priceless said in a far quieter, mouselike voice.

Nua folded her left hand behind her back, closing it into a tight fist as the memory of such actions came hot as summer flames over dry grass into the forefront of her mind, the anger matched the force of it, and the knuckles of her right hand cracked as she closed it also into a fist.

The demon-elf caught the change in Nua’s temper almost as fast as Priceless, who closed her eyes to blot out what tension she could. ‘OK… she’s definitely mad, very mad, how do I fix this… the hell do I do?!’ Kaiji felt sweat bead on her forehead and run down her face to stain the flawless floor.

Her teeth started to chatter in tiny small clicks and her lower lip started to quiver, the memory of Nua’s finger imprints on the crushed iron, the hinted at power of the elven woman’s hold on Kaiji’s jaw, the cold breath. ‘Keep it together, oh god don’t lose it now…’

Nua remained silent, but Kaiji could no longer see her face.

‘What am I supposed to say…?!’ Kaiji screamed in her mind and felt herself about to cry.

It was Priceless that interjected before that could happen. “Mistress.. Please… forgive your Priceless for her negligence. I didn’t tell her, she’s a newly fallen one, she didn’t know any better. As the more experienced slave, I should’ve told her, the slave always eats quickly, never slow, in case she’s needed. It’s my fault she failed… please don’t punish her.”

Kaiji felt her heart leap into her throat, her throat locked up, her lips falling open and her lungs cease to draw breath at the attempt at deliverance from the slave at her left.

But it seemed to work, Nua snapped out of her silence and shook her head. “Oh… it’s fine then, just… make sure you teach each other, everything you know.” ‘Good save Nua, got so lost in memory there that you forgot the ones who brought it up in the first place, for a moment.’ She mentally wiped her brow.

“Set your bowls outside the door for collection, then get to studying, my bodyguard and I will be going out, do I need to lock you in your cages, or will you be good?” Nua asked with an arched brow.

Neither of the two moved as they said in time with one another, “I will behave.”

“Good.” Nua answered with her back to them and then took her coin purse and laid out a stack of platinums on a dresser. “If the boy knocks, let him in, give him what money he asks for. But…” Nua raised a finger pointedly, “Let me say now, I have absolutely no intention of letting him borrow the use of your flesh as some kind of reward. He’s not to lay a hand on you, if he does, if he threatens you in any way, tell me. He’s to collect coins if needed, and go. If an emergency occurs, I will be in the stables. Time to bring reality down hard on the recalcitrant.” Nua folded her arms behind her back, and squared off in front of them.

“Yes, Mistress.” Kaiji and Priceless replied in unison, and the two were left alone.

‘She walks, moves, like a soldier.’ Kaiji thought, and mentally cursed herself as the moment returned to her mind as her mistress and her bodyguard exited the door and locked it behind them.

“Something wrong?” Priceless asked as she went to the shelf and took a small book off of it.

Kaiji reached out her hand and took it to check the title. “Just my own stupidity. It wasn’t that long ago that I rode on horses or in carriages, wore fine clothes, and looked down my nose at soldiers, even officers. I thought them just common brutes, now I’m a slave trembling in fear of one. The stars have a sense of irony it seems.” She said as she opened the text and sat cross legged on the floor against the wall.

Priceless sat next to her and looked down at the page.

Just before she began, Kaiji reached out and touched Priceless’s shoulder. “Thank you… by the way, for what you did before. She was getting very… very angry. I don’t know what she’d have done to me…” Kaiji choked on the words and her body briefly quivered.

Priceless shook her head slowly and steadily, “No… it’s OK. You had farther to fall, didn’t think you could take falling farther, or what… someone like that, might do. A few minutes earlier, I was just Zero, I could take being that again. And… I wasn’t lying, you’re new to this, I should’ve said something.” Priceless reached her arm around Kaiji’s back, and pulled the demon elf into her embrace. The hard, bone horns of her head rested in the crook of Priceless’s neck. “You still haven’t even let it out have you? Go ahead and do that, while the mistress and her servant are gone, it’s safe, I won’t tell if it takes a few minutes before you start to teach me.”

The feel of the warm hand going up and down her back, the warmth of her neck, the light touch of skin contact, and the night purple skinned demon-elf lost herself in the moment. Unable to bear a weight she’d not even had time to notice until then, finally began to wail and sob. For her lost Komestra, for her lost Prince, for her lost friends, and also, for herself.

Other than cooing soothingly to her, Priceless did not say another word.

“Going to beat them?” Solution asked with amusement and clapped her hands together, rubbing them eagerly in front of her.

“I’m probably going to have to.” Nua answered when they reached the steps. “These are former warriors, they’re not like Kaiji, who has enough sense at least to know to follow, or like Priceless, who knows no other life. Aggression and pride are the defining traits of warriors and soldiers.”

“So they’re idiots?” Solution chuckled as they reached bottom and she fell in at Nua’s left hand.

Nua kept her smile to herself as she noted the whispers not far away when she and Solution were noticed. ‘Good, the rumors are everywhere by now, that’ll make this evening easy.’ She couldn’t keep back the twitching of her ears in excitement as she picked up a few scattered words.

“...They say gold is like copper to her…”

“...She’s supposed to be from far away, a military officer…”

“...My slave fed the horses and asked her slaves about her… he heard that she terrified the Lur’gin sentry…”

“...She’s offended if someone tries to tell her the price…”

These and other things, made Nua’s smile genuine as the seeds she’d planted about herself began to grow in the fertile ground of the jaded boredom of Pas’en’s wealthy elites.

She let it pass though, and addressed her teacher, “Well, you could say that, Teacher, but it’s more true that they just don’t like living without being able to fight back.”

“There’s no difference between what you said, and what I said.” Solution insisted with a smirk.

Nua covered her mouth with her left hand in a futile effort to stop the laughter from leaving as they made their way out of the lobby and walked around to the stables.

Save for the collars, the slaves remained naked, most however, were now taking it in stride. Some sat sullen and hopeless. With the sun high in the sky, it wasn’t hard to understand why that might be. So when she stood in front of them, Nua addressed that first.

She stood twenty feet back, so that each separate stall, where five cages each sat side by side, could see her. The few who had been talking, fell silent as she waited for their attention.

“Good afternoon.” She said, folding her hands behind her back, she spoke loudly, forcefully. Her blue eyes glowed a faint gold, and the eyes of her captive audience were on her.

“As you know, I’m your new owner, my name is Captain Nua Calen Aiwenor. As you no doubt know, by now, those of you Komestran soldiers who had families, have lost them. Your wives, husbands, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers… if they lived, have mostly been sold on the auction block. You however, were not.” Her heart pounded in her chest, a hateful ache as she cursed herself as scum for rubbing it in, but she turned that disgust into the coldest wrath to carry on.

Curses, swearing, the shaking of bars, and not a few mournful wails went up.

Solution took a step forward, as if intending to make them go silent, but as if it had been perfectly choreographed, Nua put a hand on her teacher’s shoulder, and Solution stepped back again. ‘That’s my Teacher! Always knows exactly what to do to heighten the moment!’ Pride surged through her for a few breaths as she focused on the next part.

The ‘show’ that consisted only of a few steps and a bit of restraint, wrought uncertainty in the hearts of the captives, uncertainty that Nua began to exploit.

“Don’t curse me, curse yourselves, sinners. You were the ones too weak to protect your families. If your wife is on her way to a brothel now, why are you alive and locked in a cage? Why didn’t you die protecting her? If your husband is being dragged off to the mines, why are you in the iron he will rip from the mountain to make more cages? They are there, warriors of dead Komestra, because you were weak. You sinners failed, you have no one to blame but yourselves. You may blame your Prince, but here you are in spite of yourself. Take responsibility for your own weaknesses! Your own sins!” Nua was loud and forceful as she went on, lambasting and shaming them until not one could meet her eyes.

Her loud voice drew some curious attention, and she could feel eyes at her back. ‘This ought to really get the rumor mill going.’ Nua thought pleasantly.

“However, despite your sins against yourselves and your families and friends and city, I am offering you a chance at redemption!” Nua declared and thrust her hand out, pointing to the largest of the men in a cage.

“Solution, let that one out.” Nua ordered, and internally, Solution’s grin was even more sadistic than the slight one she wore. ‘Wants to show off to her teacher a bit, does she? Fine, I’m curious about what she’s really learned.’

As she walked forward, taking the key from Nua’s hand, Nua herself peeled off her armor and laid it aside reverentially.

“Good soldiers make for shit slaves. So if any one of you can pin me to the ground, knock me out, or otherwise defeat me, I’ll reward you. I’ll not only let you go, I’ll send my servant to find any family member of yours that has been sold, and buy their freedom too. You failed once, this is your second chance.” Nua took off her cloak and folded it, then laid it atop her armor as she finished her statement.

She then struck a combat stance with her right foot back and left hand up in front of her. The one Solution opened the cage for, didn’t wait. ‘Must have family out there.’ Nua thought with pity in her heart. ‘Let him win… let him get them back… you can give him that, can’t you?’ She asked herself, and as he came on roaring like a bull, thick legs and arms pumping, she squashed her pity and waited.

[Dull Pain] [Swift Strike] [Foresight] She activated three martial arts, and she saw the way his fist went up, his face contorted in hatred for the woman who bought him, the crowd beyond had grown larger, everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion.

Predatory instincts born of the training of Solution, roared to life, and the mask of hatred Nua bore for those she imitated, came with it. Her eyes went to ice blue again, and she swept herself out of the way and her open palm struck his right armpit. The face of pain replaced his face of hatred, and she kicked her leg out, tripping him up. She then grabbed the back of his neck with her magicine hand, and felt the rush of power coursing from it, and lifted him up by the back of his neck.

“Sinner!” She cried out with rough anger as she threw him back the way he’d come, tearing up the grass and covering the soft, muddy footprints he’d made. He was covered in mud as if he hadn’t bathed at all, and when he stopped rolling, he looked up at her in confusion as if he didn’t understand what happened.

“What’s the matter! Don’t you love them?! That’s what you’re fighting for isn’t it?! If you do, then why are you here?! Why are you still crouched in the muck like a dog?!” Nua taunted him, and he punched the ground with both hands, splashing mud out as he stood back up.

The other slaves had begun cheering as he charged again. ‘Not a lick of sense.’ Nua kept her eyes from rolling, and chose to end it, as he came close, she jumped just a few inches, and snapped her leg up, hitting him on the button of his jaw and sending him falling back, sprawled out unconscious in the mud.

“Solution, would you?” Nua said with sadistic casualness.

“Of course.” Solution giggled openly as she dragged him through the mud and shoved him back in his cage.

Silence fell. “Who is next?” Nua snarled and resumed her combat stance. “I will break you all, one by one, until you know whom you serve.”

Solution was still giggling, as she opened two cages.

Nua suppressed a laugh, ‘I really should have seen that coming from my Teacher.’