A/N: Sorry for the awfully long wait, I kinda got stuck with the last part of this chapter and I just couldn't seem to figure out what to do with it. Seeing as I have a really busy schedule this semester and my life has grown rather hectic as of late, I might not be able to update very regularly so I apologize in advance for that. But I still hope you guys will enjoy this chapter.
Leave a review and lemme know what you think about it, k?
I was confused. She looked like she almost didn't want the collar. But wasn't that what every slaved dreamt to have? A collar of their own?
Her emerald colored eyes were wide and somewhat darkened by fear. Of what? I did not know. Shrugging it off, I moved closer but she scrambled backwards. Heaving a sigh, I grabbed her arm and pulled her off the bed. The metal clasp was already undone so I proceeded to place the collar around her neck with my free hand. I felt her tiny hands grab at my left arm, the one I was using to hold her in place when all of a sudden I felt a strong tug and then the world went spinning.
I had the breath knocked out of me as I landed flat on my back and something connected with my cheek. Fierce and defiant eyes glared at me as the slave hissed. "I am never letting you put that thing on me."
Okay.
What.
The.
Hell?
Did she just throw me on the ground and then slap me?
Noticing the way she was standing over me, I kicked out with my legs, catching her unawares as I knocked her to the floor and flipped to my feet. Quickly snatching the collar off the ground where it had fallen from my hand I stood over her, glaring coldly.
"The punishment for hitting your master is losing a hand, did you know that, Slave?" I wasn't really going to have it cut off though. She'd be useless with only one hand since she won't be able to tackle a lot of chores. And besides, I wasn't about to let the world know that I, Li Syaoran, had been slapped by my own slave.
Taking advantage of her moment of fear and shock, I crouched and once again resumed the task of placing the collar around her neck when she caught me by surprise.
Despite her tiny stature, she could pack one heck of a punch. She jumped to her feet and began racing towards the window but I was faster. I managed to tackle her to the ground and even though she put up a fight, I managed to close the clasp.
"Stop." I commanded, the minute the collar was set in place. She tried fighting me off but immediately clutched at her neck, a strangled cry escaping her lips as the collar punished her.
I climbed off of her and to my feet, watching her writhe and squirm on the floor for almost a minute before it deactivated. Glad that the whole ordeal was over, I turned out and began making my way to my bed. I would discuss her barbaric ways with Father in the morning. What was he thinking when he bought her?
She would have been fit for a servant or a shop vendor. Maybe a farmer. How much did he pay for this uncouth barbarian?
Was this his punishment for me having refused to buy my own slave for the past year?
"Tum aik darinday ho," she spoke in that foreign tongue but I decided to ignore her words for now.
I had to meet up with Ryouh and Kurogane in the morning. Lord Ashura Flourite's son and a personal friend of mine, Fai D Flourite was arriving from his visit to Celes with his slave in a fortnight and we had a lot of work to do before then.
I better get some rest if I wanted to have some energy for that hyperactive blond and everything else that I would need to tackle with in preparation for his arrival.
-0-
I was seriously pissed. I struggled to my feet and glared at his back as he completely ignored me and pulled off his shirt, once he was next to his bed. He casually folded it and placed it on a chair next to his bed before proceeding to unfold the covers and climbing in.
We had been taught about what would happen once we bought. That also meant teaching us the rules and regulations of how to behave with our masters on the first night or rather the night the honor of being bought was bestowed upon our unclean existences. This included sleeping arrangements. A rich lord was allowed to keep their slave in a room separate than their own although most of them chose not to exercise this leniency.
If in the same room, the slave could sleep in the same bed as their master if the master wished it, something which had been silently eating away at me since the time I had been bought. My master may be hot but he was a total prick and there was no way in hell I was going to climb in that bed with him. I'd rather let this collar shock me till I lost consciousness. But he had not exactly informed me of any other sleeping arrangements either.
Since I was his slave, I was his responsibility. He didn't really expect me to sleep on the floor, did he?
As I stood there, panting slightly thanks to my very first shock treatment by the collar, he looked at me with a raised brow, before pulling the covers over his body and turning on his side. There was quite a lot of space left on the bed to his right but I was not, I repeat, not going to sleep there.
I looked around and chose the spot beneath the open window for the simple reason that it allowed a waft of fresh air to enter the room. Leaning against the wall, I drew up my legs to my chest, quite similar to manner I had done when I had arrived in this room, and rested my head on top of my knees.
As the cool air assaulted the bare flesh of my arms, I felt the despair and hopelessness return but unlike before, I refused to shed any tears or show any weakness.
I can't recall when I fell asleep but I was awoken by a harsh shake to my shoulders.
"Wake up. I don't have all day to wait around for you to catch up on your sleep." My Master was already dressed for the day. Blinking blearily a couple of times I glanced out the window to find that not even the sun had risen completely yet.
"The heck…" I grumbled, drowsily climbing to my feet.
"Ask one of the servants to show you the way to the kitchens," Lord Prick told me as he rummaged through his closet, emerging with a pair of fluffy, pale green towels. He must really like that color. "I expect breakfast to be ready by the time I get back." And then without another word, he strode out of the room, leaving me standing next to the window like an idiot.
He didn't even tell me where I was supposed to wash up.
I looked around, spotting the bathroom only because he had left the door slightly ajar. I hurried inside, washing up my face before exiting. Not that I cared about getting in trouble or anything, but slaves weren't really allowed to use anything belonging to their Masters without their permission. Seeing as what a big jerk mine was, I'd rather not get caught.
I ran into the elderly servant, Wei, out in the corridor and asked him the directions to reach the kitchen. Five minutes later, I was standing in front of a gas stove, a whisk and bowl in hand. Setting those aside I searched the room for eggs. I figured an omelet was something everyone enjoyed and since his Prickliness hadn't really informed me about his preferences, I guess I'd stick to the standard breakfast.
Humming softly to myself, I set the pan on the stove, greasing it slightly with oil before picking up the beaten egg. Pouring it in the pan, I proceeded to scramble it, adding an amount of salt that was more than necessary. He asked for breakfast, didn't say it had to be perfect, did he now? Besides, I'm supposed to suck at cooking soo… Letting it stay on the stove for a couple of minutes more even when it was ready, I transferred it to the plate, smirking as the smell of the burnt egg reached my nose, I proceeded to making some tea.
I set the breakfast on the table and was just stepping away when he strolled into the room.
"I have laid out my clothes for the day on top of my bed, you can iron them and then clean up the room." He informed me as he sat down in his chair, pulling the plates towards him, "I expect them you to be done by the time I'm finished with breakfast."
Suppressing a sigh, I turned on my heels and proceeded back to my master's room. I couldn't help but grin when I heard him splutter and swear loudly behind me.
I guess salt doesn't really go all that well with coffee.
-0-
A/N: So she made a really bad breakfast for him. Think his clothes are going to survive? And what about his room? Anything you'd like to see her do to piss him off a bit more? I'll try including it if the plot permits it so don't hesitate.
Till next time.
-Nims
