I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 5
She rubbed her hands over her shoulders, trying to stop the cold that was creeping up her spine as she stared at the small chest that had been placed at the foot of her bed that morning. It had to be the clothes Levi had said he would get her the first day she got here. She hadn't worn much of anything for the past few days and had sat near the fire whenever she had the chance to soak up it's warmth. Not that she had completely minded, at first when Levi said it would take a few days for him to get the items she had thought they had just been words, that he hadn't meant it.
But here they were, hidden in that box and she just stared at it, wondering what was inside. One could tell a lot of what a master expected from them by the clothes they wore. Vossler had only ever given her those thin gowns and nothing else, because she had been entertainment for his guests and the gown had given those guests quick and easy access to what they had wanted from her.
The chest made her uneasy, as not having clothes meant she couldn't tell what her new master wanted from her and now she could learn what that was. She hadn't been able to tell from his commands so far, they were all simple and usually had to do with keeping the house in it's pristine condition while he was out. He was out quite a bit, doing whatever it was he did. And there was no one else in the two-story house; she had checked multiple times. If she were to run...
Krista shook her head, hard. No, he would find her if she ran. That was the only thing she was sure of.
Her fingers dug into her shoulders as a shiver ran through her body. She should just open the chest, see what laid inside so she knew, but she could only wonder if she had made the wrong choice after getting out of the bath on that first day under his service.
Krista sat down on the bed with a towel wrapped around her, glancing around the room that Levi - her master - had just said would be hers for the time being. It wasn't like her previous accommodations at all. For starters there was an actual bed, not just a pile of blankets stuffed into a corner, but a bed.
The room was larger as well, at least five times the size of the closet space she had lived in at Vossler's. The bed wasn't the only furniture in the room either, there was a vanity placed in a corner of the room, a wash basin next to that; and along the walls were a number of paintings with interchangeable plates beneath them, each identified with a series of numbers and letters. There was a blank space as well where a painting had been hanging, but was now absent, leaving a thin shadow of where it had been, so that painting couldn't had been on the wall for very long before it was taken down again.
There wasn't much else in the room: a chair for the vanity, a dresser pressed to the wall, right under an open window.
Levi had just walked to that same single window, sliding it closed and putting the lock in place before he even turned towards her. "You're only going to be in here temporarily, you understand. I don't want you touching the dresser or vanity without my permission. You are also not to place a single finger to those paintings or their plates if you wish to stay in this room while I figure out your long-term accommodations."
"Yes, master." The words slipped from her before she could think; her gaze that had been wandering focused back on him in the next instant as she felt a tremor run through her body. "Levi," she corrected quickly.
His eyes had narrowed at the word she had used a second ago, but then he walked across the room without a word, grabbing the chair from the vanity and turning it to face her before sitting down. "I can't have you wearing a towel around here and seeing as you only brought that filthy thing with you, you don't have any other clothes at the moment." She had flinched briefly when he called the gown a thing, clearly disgusted by it. "Are there any sort of clothes you usually wear?"
Her shoulders drew in as she had a feeling he wasn't going to like her answer. "Usually what I just arrived in. The only time I wore something different was at that gathering."
Levi let out a snort. "That wasn't any different than what you were wearing when you got here. Cleaner, maybe. Not made of such thin material, but still the same." He let out a sigh then, resting his chin on one upturned palm. "Out of the clothing you have seen, what would you like to wear?"
Krista blinked, unable to make her mouth open for a moment, lips unmoving at his question. He... wanted her to choose? But what if she chose wrong? What if he didn't agree with what she picked? She couldn't even think of anything she would want to wear. All she had worn since Cato took her from the farm and sold her to Vossler were those gowns. Considering how much Levi had hated the thing - since he threw it into the fire - he wouldn't make her wear it again or anything like it, right?
She got her mouth to move then, with her decision made. "I'll wear whatever you want me to wear, Levi."
His head shifted slightly, moving up as he gazed at her, but he didn't say anything for a whole minute. "Okay, then. It'll be a few days before I can get you new clothes, so in the meantime just go into my closet in my room and pick a shirt so you're not completely nude."
Her fingers twitched at her side and she could feel an unfamiliar burn along her cheeks at such a request. "Th-that's not necessary. I'll be fine until you find me new clothes. I don't want to bother you or any routine you have in the morning." She clutched the towel tighter around her, even though it was wet and just made her body grow cold as the seconds ticked by.
"Fine. Just don't freeze yourself to dea-"
A knock on the door jolted her out of the memory, making her head whirl to face the door as she heard Levi's voice coming from the other side, "Get your clothes on if you haven't already and meet me downstairs."
"Y-yes, Levi." With no more excuses and now a limited time she hopped off the bed and moved over to the chest so she was sitting on her knees in front of it. Krista undid the latch, opening the chest to glance inside.
The first thing she saw was a gray jacket laid out ontop the small piles of shirts and what she presumed to be pants. She picked it up, unfolding it to see there were four button-flap pockets, two of which were situated over the breast area, while the last two were beneath them near the waist line. There was a untied belt just above those lower pockets, covering one of the darker gray buttons that would keep the jacket closed.
Krista set it down on the bed before turning her gaze to look at the other items; she needed to choose a few things fast. She didn't want to make her master wait.
She went to grab a plain tan shirt when her gaze fell on a bag that had been placed at the side of the chest. There was a piece of paper jutting out from the lip of the bag, attached by a paper clip. Krista slid the paper out from it's confines, unfolding it to look at the words scrawled on the surface. Her eyes moving back to the bag after a moment and she tugged it out of the small space Levi seemed to have shoved it in before looking back to the note.
So I found a few things with the eye-measurements you gave me and I think these should do just fine for your 'friend.' You are going to tell me - us - who she is, right? If not, don't think you can hide any secrets from me, big brother!
Big brother? Levi hadn't mentioned any family, but he kept to himself in general, just telling her what she needed to do every day before taking off. Today was the only day he didn't seem to be leaving. Since when he woke up before her he would leave a list of things for her to do on her door before taking off.
Krista glanced down to the bag the note had been attached to, wondering what was inside she pulled it open and then emptied the contents of the bag onto the top of the chest. Her cheeks burned as she looked down at the contents.
She didn't remember panties being so elaborate or revealing when she had worn them so many years ago. Before she called anyone master. Krista prodded the soft white one on top: all frilly lace with a floral design along with many revealing elements, with the see-through fabric and gaps in the fabric because of the design. With a small blue blow on top, with the more intimate part of it covered with a darker blue fabric that she didn't find nearly as the white bits. It had it's own flowers drawn on top in a light tan, little white dots covering the dark blue fabric of it.
There were two others beneath that one in similar styles. One a blue out line with a vanilla-like color center piece and the other holding a gray lace outline with a black center. Each had a bow with that center color on the top.
Next to the panties were a set of bras, she remembered seeing them a couple times before in Breshka's room, the older slave telling her they were suppose to support the breasts and not make one's nipples as noticeable when wearing something on top of it. Breshka had also noted - when she had asked - that Vossler would never allow her to wear such things in his presence or any of his guests. Levi must have though, since even though he had crammed the items into the box he hadn't removed them from the bag.
She gripped one by the strap, raising it up to look at the blue lace that started at the curve of one of the cups before reaching out and around to the back where the straps met the bra again. Krista slid a finger over the clasps on the back, pushing at it a few times at different angles before one of the hooks finally slid out of place. Having fought with the article of clothing enough at the moment and reminding herself that her master was waiting for her Krista set it aside and grabbed the first pair of panties, sliding them up her legs before reaching inside the chest for a dark blue pair of pants and slid them on shortly after.
It was then that she turned back to the bra, pressing at the clasps again until the last two came free and she slid the straps over her arms, the cup of the bra covering her breasts, but there was slack in it. Krista brushed her hair over one shoulder, reaching back to grab where the two ends that clasped the bra together, pulling them inward against her back.
She was attempting to slide those three little hooks into place when Levi's voice sounded outside her door once again, "Krista?"
For a moment she froze, the clasped ends sliding from her hands as she stared at the door. "S-sorry." Her hands flailed behind her as she tried to find the fabric with her hands. "I'll be out in a moment-I-eh?" She had just managed to grab one of the ends, but when she tried to draw it up it was twisted, one of the hooks felt attached to something and she froze when she felt the fabric in her hands stretch when she tried to tug it up.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-" she had begun to say no before snapping her mouth shut. Vossler had hit her for hours in the early days that she had lied to him and she didn't know what Levi would do if she happened to lie, even if it was just a slip up. "I-"
The door opened before she could get another word out, Levi stepping into the room and she felt her entire body freeze as his gaze slid over her for a moment. Before his gaze rested on her back and she felt her cheeks warm when he crossed the distance over to her. "Stay still for a second." He removed her hand from around the lace and though she couldn't see what he was doing she could feel the clasps slide into place over her spine, the fabric no longer twisted just a few seconds later. "There."
Even with the bra now on properly she didn't move until his finger moved from her spine, no longer pressed against her skin.
"Thank you, Levi." Krista said, leaning forward to grab the first shirt on the pile and tug it on over her head, sliding her arms through the sleeves, to pull the fabric down over stomach. She grabbed the jacket next as a cold tremor ran through her body, putting it on and closing the buttons, then tying the belt.
"Have you never worn one of those before?"
She paused, glancing over her shoulder at him, to see his gaze still centered on her back, her spine; before meeting her eyes. "No." She could feel her cheeks warm, shoulders slumping forward. "Vossler wouldn't allow it."
A pair of fingers moved her hair back over her shoulder and for a moment she found herself leaning into his touch, until it was gone in the next second. "Come on," Levi spoke just as she heard a loud knock from down the stairs.
Krista followed him down the stairs, keeping a few paces back when he went to open the door. After just unlocking it and turning the knob though, Levi stepped aside as the door swung inward followed by a blaze of dark red that plowed into her moments later.
She stumbled back, only not ending up on the floor from the pair of arms that had wrapped around her, keeping her up. Her gaze refocused to see a woman standing in front of her, bright green eyes sparkling as she laughed. "I knew it!" Beyond the woman she could see another man step into the house, much more calmly than their companion.
"In case you didn't notice, you still haven't successfully tackled Levi."
"I wasn't aiming for him, this time." The woman replied, grinning over their shoulder at the man, before turning back to Krista. "What did you think of the clothes I picked out?"
Krista blinked, glancing to Levi, still trying to get a hold on the situation and wondering just who this woman was, along with the man that was now closing the front door. "Any items you found in that bag," Levi clarified upon meeting her gaze. "Of course," his gaze turned to the other woman as he began speaking, "I won't make the mistake of asking for your help on that matter again."
"Eh?" The woman turned, one arm dropping from around Krista to press against her hip in response to his words. "I was just helping you out since you refused to go into those shops yourself. Besides you asked for my help, remember?"
Levi's gaze moved from the woman as he walked over to the couch to to sit down, arm laying across the back when he spoke without looking at her. "Yes, I asked for your help in finding something suitable, Isabel. Not something improper."
"Hmph." Isabel pinched her lips together standing up straighter, just before sticking her tongue out like a young child. Krista could feel the remaining arm around her slip around to seize her arm then. "You men stay here, me and my friend here are going to have some 'girl time.'" In the next instant she could feel herself tugged forward, to follow this woman - Isabel - into the kitchen.
"Do what you want. We won't wait up."
She could hear the other man question from within the living room to Levi, "What did Isabel do?"
Just before Isabel let go of her arm to jump back and sit on top the counter. "So what did you think about them?"
Krista took a moment to focus on the question after everything has begun moving so quickly. With it finally calming down a bit, she realized Isabel had to be asking about the clothes again, from the bag with that note. The ones with the lace and revealing fabric. "They were... ummm," she bit her lip, unsure what to say about them. About what this woman wanted to hear. "N-nice?" Why couldn't Levi be here to assist her? Usually no one asked for her opinion because they didn't want it so she had no idea if her answer would be a good one or not.
Isabel's legs stop swinging in front of her momentarily as she leans forward to look at Krista, causing her to take a step back. "Just nice? I looked specifically for that type, you know. Not every shop has those neat floral designs, some places absolutely fail at it. And don't get me started on the grade of material some of them use; if it's not the right kind it can be quite irritable-"
Krista inclined her head slightly as Isabel went on about the shops. Evidently just a 'nice' wasn't going to do it. She needed to give a bigger compliment, something more fitting for the effort. Though, she hadn't expected what she found in that bag, she was grateful for the attempt and if what she was saying was true about the materials and everything else... "I..." Krista paused to think for a moment, choose her words, noting that Isabel had stopped talking the moment she had said that single word. "I thought they were cute, just... unexpected."
"Isabel, get out here," a voice called from the living room.
In the moment of calmness Krista let out a sigh upon seeing the smile on Isabel's face, before the world was moving too quickly for her to keep up again.
Isabel had launched herself off the counter to grip her arm once again, maneuvering Krista into the living room behind her, as she started speaking the moment she had crossed the threshold. "I don't know what you're complaining about, Levi. Your friend here said the items were cute, not revealing."
Levi didn't reply to the comment, just continued to stare across the room in silence as if Isabel hadn't spoken at all. Krista tried to dig her heels into the carpet so she wasn't dragged along, further into the room, but only succeeded in stumbling after Isabel.
The other man spoke up however and she recognized his voice as the one that had initially called for Isabel. "You're making Krista uncomfortable, Isabel. She's not a dog, let her go."
Isabel scowled at the man in response but let Krista go as she stalked over to him. "You know, it's rude to refer to someone as a dog, Farlan."
"I guess that makes you a mutt, then." Farlan ducked beneath Isabel's punch, chuckling as the woman sat down on the chair next to his with her lips forming a pout.
Krista found her gaze moving to Levi after the two had settled down and moved over to sit on the couch next to him, since he hadn't told her to leave and had told her to follow him down the stairs she could only guess that she couldn't just leave like she wanted to. She drew her legs up onto the couch after sitting, causing her to lean against him slightly in the process. The brush of fabric only made her racing heart calm, as she was sure at this point that at least he wasn't going to use her as entertainment for his guests like Vossler had. Though, his guests were odd compared to Vossler's, she didn't quite know what to make of them.
She met Levi's gaze for a second, feeling a pair of fingers press against her elbow a moment later. "So," Isabel's voice made her look away quickly, gaze focusing back on the two guests sitting across from them. "Are we going to prepare for the next big heist or what?"
Farlan sighed, pushing his hand to his forehead. "Keep your voice down."
Isabel frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "What is up with you and Levi, today? Your both being mean. Big brother is even giving me the accursed silent treatment."
"Isabel," the woman perked up the moment Levi spoke to her. "Would you mind showing Krista how to put a bra on before leaving?'
Krista felt her cheeks burn at those words. Had he really just said that so openly? If it was just in front of Isabel maybe she wouldn't mind as much, but Farlan was in the room as well. She didn't really need multiple people knowing that she didn't know how to put on a simple article of clothing did she? Or was it because she should know that at her age - but didn't - that she found Levi's words so embarrassing?
"If it's okay with you, that is."
She blinked, not sure how to take all these questions and confirmations of her own opinion throughout the last few days. "That's fine," Krista muttered, glancing to the coffee table in-between the four of them to avoid meeting the gaze of any of them.
"When did you acquire a slave anyway, Levi?" Farlan asked.
"Eh?" She could hear the surprise clear as day in Isabel's voice. "Is that why she needs help with a bra?"
"Yes," Levi answered for her. "Her old master lost her in a poker game. He ran out of money to bet and put her contract in the pot and I won that round, so she's mine now." She could feel those fingers on her elbow move along the few inches that she could only guess wasn't in view of the others.
"You could have asked for cash afterwards instead. Why didn't you-"
"Krista, go make some tea for me and my guests." She jumped slightly at the sudden command, but got to her feet quickly. "And find some food to serve with it as well."
"Yes, Levi." she said quickly before taking off for the kitchen, glad to be out of the living room for the time being.