Two women walked down the street, the first a blond with bright blue eyes and a long white coat that covered all but her black mid calf boots and her light gray scarf, the other was pink haired with almost ashen skin with a black coat with a matching scarf and boots. The one in black shifted her ponytail over her shoulder and raked her fingers through it as she glanced around at all the stalls, fruit, swords, birds, tools, you name it, everything was being sold. Partially the reason they were here.
The blond sighed "Jinx, are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Yes Terra, for the ninth time he gave me the directions" it only took them rounding a corner before she pointed out "See, here it is!"
The large circus tent held anything but the pure and joyful intentions of a true circus. It was a slave auction. One of the smallest ones in the city was using it today but it still rife with misery, the vast majority of those looking to buy were men, some young, some old, all rich. The two girls walked straight through the crowd that parted after Jinx stared at them pointedly. One or two men tried to stop them only for a punch hard enough to knock loose teeth to give it's greeting to their faces.
They marched straight back before coming to the owner's office, it swung open immediately and they walked in with all the grace and elegance of the two court-born ladies that they were. The owner himself was tall, heavily muscled and smooth, in fact he looked almost exactly like the slaves that many of the other Ladies took to their beds when their husbands were away. His attire was very much like a ringmaster's and he greeted them with "Hello, I see that you wasted no time coming directly to me, may I ask what this is about?"
Terra kept her face perfectly blank as she tilted her head "Are you aware of law 47.311A?"
He blinked "Of course, how could I not be? 'Any person may be made a slave within ordinary means, excluding those of Class A hard labor, sexual servitude, gladiatorial, any extenuating circumstances or those in a way that would breech a binding contract provided the formulaic amount be paid four times, once to the Office of Law, once to the Office of Public Services and twice to the person themselves. Thus a contract shall be drawn and approved by the two parties of the two Offices hereby directed' Freedom is a commodity in this country and since buying a slave from an auction is much cheaper than paying the formulaic amount even once…" he paused to shake his head and clear his thoughts "But I digress, why are you here?"
Jinx held out an envelope that he opened "Because somebody bought you." inside were two summons, one from the Office of Law, and the other from Public Services along with a bank note for an amount of money he couldn't help but tremble at. He blanched before sitting on his chair "And since you have no relations all your property is now that of your new owner, including the slaves you were going to sale." Jinx gave a fierce smile, she hated the slavery laws of the country- on how to become a slave- but the contracts were worth preserving until the entire system could be done away with and her master thought the same way.
He glanced up at them "W-which one of you bought me?"
Terra blinked twice "We didn't. Our master did." both women pulled their scarves down just enough that a leather choker could be seen, each carved with a seal that he couldn't make out in the quick glance.
Letting out a long sigh he cast about for a way out before shaking his head and quickly rushing on stage to end the auction before it even started. The mass gathered below barked and bitched but these small company slave auctions were notorious for closing unexpectedly.
Terra walked the four cages that the ringmaster had filled, two were young, fit men, one small and pale while the other was tall and nearly albino, the next held an elderly man who was touted as being a musical master. The last one was something that she couldn't help but smile at, a woman with moon kissed skin, violet eyes and hair and delicate lips who met her eyes with a fire that would sear anybody standing against it. Good thing Terra wasn't.
Very quickly and in a businesslike manner the master and the slaves were gathered up before being taken to their new home via a ox drawn cart with four of the animals carefully making their way down the street. No driver could be seen but the animals never faltered or stopped.
The former master looked around as they passed a gate guarded by no one, the lands surrounding them were lush with grass and trees, an occasional creature passed them by fearlessly. The cart came to a stop beside a large manor built of bricks, obviously the home of somebody of great means and the largest man the ringmaster had ever seen stepped out, his suite was fitted and brought out his dark skin very well.
The butler nodded and the monocle flashed in the light "Jinx, Terra, welcome back"
Terra nodded and gave him a quick hug before walking in, Jinx snorted and punched his arm lightly "How are things with Karen?" a smile split his face and he nodded a blush overcame his features. The pale girl hugged him before walking into the house tossing back "Watch over the cart for a moment, would ya'?"
The four people in the cages watched blankly as they were traded from one set of hands to another.
Jinx walked in just as Terra pulled her lips away from their master's with a pop and a light panting, a sensual kiss in greeting that she got as well. "How did it go girls?"
Terra, the first one recovered from her mild breathlessness, answered "Well actually, he didn't try to run but only four of the cages were filled, three men but one very feisty woman, one that I wouldn't mind playing with…" and she licked her lips in a way that hid none of her promiscuous thoughts.
The master shook his head "Hold off on those, she may not even want anything to do with us after this"
The blond nodded but couldn't help but fantasize a bit and rub her thighs together. Jinx could see the blonds pulse beat faster and faster and she wrapped her arms around Terra's waist and suckled on her neck "Master I think I'll stay here and…work out with Terra here"
He stood at the door looking back at the duo, Jinx had one hand groping Terra's breast while the other was inside the blond's pants, Terra had one hand in her partner's pants while the other was wrapped around the one in her own, their kissing was reaching such a level that he was sure they couldn't hear him "Go ahead but don't wear yourselves out I'll need to relieve some stress later…" and he walked out.
He marched down the flight of stairs and across the large building before coming to a stop behind Victor and clearing his throat "Ah, there you are Gar!" came the joyous cry from the larger man who stepped out of the way.
The musician lowered his eyes as his new master walked outside, he had been through a few hands and wanted no more of it. But everything changed when the master put his hands together, almost as if in prayer, and bowed saying "Namaste Uncle"
The old man hadn't expected the greeting he hadn't heard in a decade, he clasped his hand "Na-"
"Please don't, I haven't done anything to earn that greeting" the young man said. This caught the attention of everyone who turned to see their new master. He was a bit shorter than his butler and his brilliant green skin stood out against the cold brown of the cobblestones, his slightly darker hair was pulled back allowing his pointed ears and eyes to be seen, those perfect flecks of unmarred jade that held something that none of them could decipher. Everything else was hidden by a long black coat. he looked at the cages and looked to his new slave, the former master "If you would be so kind as to give me the keys?" for the four slaves there were eight keys, one would unlock the cages, the other would unlock the collars and the cuffs that held their wrists. It was a simple system that rarely failed.
He unlocked everything before looking at them shivering in the cold "All of you come inside and warm up, then I'll see what I can do to send you home"
The albino stepped forward and asked with suspicion lacing his voice "Who are you and why are you doing this?"
He smiled "My name is Garfield Logan…and many years ago I had the misfortune of being only gladiator slave in the history of the country to win his freedom." he turned around and walked in with all the slaves following him. The two younger men in suspicion, the older man with a small bud of hope, the former master a sense of trepidation and the woman with hardened resolve.
They were suddenly overwhelmed, the building took the natural weak fall light and amplified it a thousand fold and it fed the warm atmosphere that the house exuded, the woods were dark and highlighted the shined fittings around them and the brightness of the rest of the room, a few paintings and tapestries sat around the room, none of them the former master noted were masterworks by any means-this one had all the wrong angles, this one had far too many strokes in places, in others too few.
"Vic, let's get them some light dinner and then we'll go to the sitting room and figure out what we want to do…and let's set them up in the Red through the White room for now"
The slaves were pulled out of their trance by the large man clapping once lightly "Welcome to the Logan Manor. If you'd follow me this way we have dinner going."
They had expected to eat in the kitchen, small wooden bowls and the like-servant utensils. They did indeed eat in the kitchen but the room itself was just as beautiful as the entrance way and Gar was there chatting with a black lady who seemed to dance around the room as she seasoned the soup she was currently working on, "Again I can't thank you enough Karen, I don't know what I would do without you here"
She laughed before flicking her wet hand at him "I'm sure you'd get by Gar, I know you too well"
They both laughed as he helped her bring small ceramic bowls to the table and placed them in front of everyone, the slaves, Vic, Terra and Jinx as they walked in and Karen as she sat. The master sat last and nodded with a smile "What are you waiting for? Dig in!" dinner was eaten and seconds were encouraged as they quickly found. The pots had emptied quickly and the five new people relaxed in their chairs.
Garfield was quick with large smiles that seemed truer than anybody else's, even with the jacket gone though they couldn't see his body since a black suit was draped over his form. Before sleep set in though they were quickly moved into a warm room with several soft recliners set in a circle with a couch at the top and bottom. Gar sat in the center of one of the couches with Terra sitting to his left and Jinx his right, Vic and Karen took the two chairs to his immediate left, the woman sat across from Karen in the middle chair between the two couches, the former master sat in the chair to the right of the master's seat and the three other men sat in the couch across from him.
But there was something different about it. There seemed something fundamentally different about this room and the kitchen. The woman spotted it but kept her own council. Terra and Jinx, along with the other couple were protecting their master, while he had already proved himself different than the others she doubted that he was kind enough to protect.
Gar made eye contact with each of the slaves "I do not like the slave system in this country. I abhor the idea of slaves and I keep none. Everyone here is lawfully employed, Victor as my butler, Karen as my head chef and Terra and Jinx as assistants. The question becomes what to do with all of you. If you have a home I will be more than happy to get you there."
Terra leaned into him "Okay, so who among you has a family?"
The young man, not the albino, and the old man both nodded. Gar noted where and then said "Both of you will be taken home by the Imperial Guard. One of my main business partners is the King so it's easy to borrow a few of the Guard from time to time. Both of you will leave in the morning."
Vic stood "Both of you should probably get some sleep then, when he means morning he means first thing"
Gar scoffed and rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face gave away how lightly he took it. Jinx was the next to speak "Okay, so what do we do with the rest of you…"
The albino spoke up "I just want to travel…"
The group could almost hear the *ding* that happened inside Gar's head "Why don't you work for me? I'm the Minister of Trade and Travel…but to be honest that's mostly because I own 'Nature's Roadway'"
Nature's Roadway was the single biggest company in the Kingdom, the King himself outsourced to them, both in the actual building and care of the roadways and of the things that traveled them. There were hundreds of small inns that sat on the roads owned by NR, it was even large enough that each of the Ministers was invested in the company both personally and in business practice.
The former master's eyes widened "That would be something I'd enjoy…"
Gar's eyes took on an analytical shadow "You're a slave to someone else aren't you…or rather were. And judging from your brand I'd say Shade…the illegal marketer"
The only answer he got was the covering of the bird tattoo between the first and second knuckle on his ring finger and a nod. The young man also spoke "Traveling around and pay…I'll do it"
The Minister nodded decisively "Then tomorrow both of you will start your new jobs…for awhile you'll have to stay at the dorms, just until the paperwork is settled." with a nod Karen led them out of the room.
The woman stared at the floor unflinchingly. Gar quietly asked "What's your name?"
Her voice sent shivers up his spine "Raven"
He moved to kneel in front of her and saw her tense, cautiously he grabbed her hands "Ms. Raven, do you have any family or anything you'd like to do?"
She hesitated but shook her head. Terra popped forward "Would you like to stay here?"
The Master turned to the blond and shook his head "Do not pressure her." it wasn't severe but it was not a suggestion.
Raven wasn't very enthusiastic but she did say "It might be better if I did"
Suddenly bright green eyes stared into her own "What is it Raven?"
"I…don't have anyone or really any dreams"
Gar nodded "Would you mind if I asked you to be an assistant?"
A spark of anger colored her tone "Would I have to fuck you?" she could tell that both the girls had slept with their master.
His voice was calm "No, I would never require that of anyone"
Her eyes said she didn't believe him, but he didn't get a chance to answer before Jinx did "He's right, we sleep with him because we love him!"
Raven could tell they weren't lying but the red on the very tips of Gar's ears was something she didn't expect "What would I have to do?"
"Worry about it tomorrow. You've had a hard day, we can discuss it after you wake up " she nodded before Jinx led her into a beautiful room based on the color blue, it was a very dark shade that she fell in love with.
The pink haired girl couldn't help but smile as Raven looked around in awe…nor could she help checking out the girl, she had a great body "Raven, why don't you bathe and I'll get you some clothes that you can wear for tonight."
Raven's shower was quick and she stepped out to find a dress ready for her. Jinx had disappeared but left a note if you need anything pull the bell and indeed there was a pull cord hanging by the nightstand. Dismissing her thoughts about tomorrow and relishing on being the cleanest she had been in a very long time she climbed into the bed and settled into it's amazingly soft embrace.