Elena was awake, and she'd put on the robe that had been hanging beside the bathroom door by the time Tseng arrived to tell her what the Planet's Weapon had decided. The robe clashed a bit with the pyjamas she was still wearing, but that didn't matter: it was warm and she felt better with an extra layer of clothing, even clothing that was easy to remove.
"Please come in sir." She wanted to hear the news in private, where there was a seat if she needed it - unlikely as that was - and it would be best if she was polite to Cloud's first concubine.
"Thanks." But he didn't bother to sit down once the door was closed behind him, looking around the room with a faint smile on his face. "I can take it you don't have any problems at all bedding women?"
"No, I'm still not as skilled as Scarlet is, but I'm more than willing to please our lord's spouse - that is why you ask, isn't it sir?"
"Yes." Tseng laughed at her response. "I doubt Cloud will bed you more than once, well, perhaps once every six months or so. Sephiroth...he doesn't know you enough to be comfortable sharing Cloud with you any more than he has to. And he isn't any keener to share with Brangwen. You'll have to ask her for permission to cut your hair. So, do you have much that needs to be transferred to the harem?"
"Two chests of clothes, about four feet by two feet by two and a half feet. A smaller chest of my underwear, perhaps half the size. My jewellery box, about the same size as my underwear chest. And my craft gear, kept in a box perhaps half again as large as my jewellery box." She shrugged one shoulder as she spoke. "I can carry the smaller chest or the smaller box by myself, but not the larger ones, not any real distance."
"Hmmm. I'll get a couple of slaves to help then." Help...that implied he was expecting Elena to carry what she could herself, and perhaps that he'd take a box as well. Elena appreciated that, she sometimes felt that Rowan was a bit too protective of her concubines, even though she'd made sure Elena learned how to ride a chocobo. "Well, you can get changed first."
"Thank you. But what about the outfit I wore last night?"
"Oh, just leave it here. Someone will collect it and clean it up before returning it to the harem. You can leave the jewellery too, none of Cloud's people will steal it."
"Yes sir." Elena left the room with Tseng, and paused in surprise when she realised there was a blond man kneeling beside the door, against the wall where she couldn't see him from inside the room.
"Rufus, escort Elena to the quarters Cloud's intended spouse is staying in."
"Yes sir. If you'll come with me madam?" She shouldn't be so charmed by such deference, but she was, and she allowed the man to lead her to the rooms she'd been groomed for presentation to Cloud in.
"Elena." Scarlet pulled her into an embrace, kissing her cheek, and Elena could see that she was still wearing the earrings Elena had given her the previous afternoon. "Did the Planet's Weapon decide to keep you then?"
"Yes, he did." Elena was pretty sure she shouldn't tell anyone outside Cloud's household that she was meant for his spouse, so she left it at that. "But I need to get changed before Tseng comes with some slaves to move my things."
"Your chests are where you left them. I'm glad the rest of us just brought our travelling chests." About two thirds the size of the regular clothing chests, they also served as chests for outerwear if any of the concubines had enough clothes to need them. Elena kept the outerwear that matched her formal clothes in the pale oak chest, and the outerwear that matched her casual gear in the dark oak chest she pulled loose black velvet trousers and an equally loose dark blue blouse from. She pulled a plain bra and equally plain pair of panties from her underwear chest, and once she was dressed she hesitated before digging a black tooled leather belt with a fancy buckle from her pale oak chest, using it to emphasise her slim waist and give the illusion of curves.
Tseng was waiting for her, with two fairly muscular men, when she came into the main room and he smiled to see her, after inspecting what she was wearing.
"I take it you've got nothing more...practical?"
"No, this is as practical as it gets from my current wardrobe." Elena shrugged as she really took in Tseng's clothes for the first time. Oh, he looked smart enough, but his trousers were of a plain, heavy fabric, probably cotton, and his shirt was equally practical. "At that it's better than what my last two masters put me in, Rowan gives - gave me far more freedom in casual wear like this."
"I know what you mean. When Aeris bought me for Cloud she ordered new clothes for me as well, because what I had was far too revealing for her tastes." But Tseng was making a small gesture with his hand, and Elena recognised that as a signal to show him where her things were. "If you'll come this way?"
"Lead on." Elena was a bit surprised that Rufus came in as well, but she pointed out her chests and boxes to Tseng and the others, picking up her underwear chest herself. Tseng nodded and picked up the box with her gem-carving equipment for a moment before putting it down.
"You're right, it's a bit too heavy to carry for any real distance." It was just small enough that the weight was the deciding factor, not the shape. "Rufus, come and take one end. By the way, what is your craft?" Tseng asked the question as they moved off, and Elena smiled at the probably reason he asked.
"I carve gemstones. I've only recently started working with anything beyond quartz."
"I see. I'd thought perhaps it was leatherwork or woodwork, gem-carving is extremely unusual." Elena hadn't met another concubine who'd chosen the same craft, and apparently neither had Tseng, or at least he didn't know if he had. "And you have sufficient materials for the moment?"
"Yes. I don't know how much time I'll have to work on my gem-carving, but even if I'm left to my own devices almost all the time I should have enough materials for at least a month." It would only be polite to return his enquiry, or at least Elena thought it would. "And what craft did you train in?"
"Calligraphy. Which art did you select?"
"Dance. Although I haven't actually performed since I was last sold." None of her masters had wanted that from her, although demonstrating her art had usually been one of the things Cetra looking to buy her had expected.
"We'll have to talk about that then, later. I trained in dance as well." That sounded interesting. Elena hoped it was a different branch to the training she'd had, but she didn't think now would be the right time to talk about it, not when they couldn't give demonstrations if they needed to. But there was something else she should discus, and now would probably be a good time.
"Rowan allowed me to write to my family in Midgar. Will this still be permitted?"
"I can't think why it wouldn't. And perhaps you'll be allowed to visit them as well."
"Thank you." It was a relief to know that and she followed Tseng in silence then, putting her underwear chest down in the room he said was hers.
"You three go and get the rest of Elena's things. Elena, you can unpack later, and put everything up in the wardrobe, for now you need to get measured for new formalwear and a new collar and cuffs. I'll show you where."
"Yes sir." Should she ask about what her new collar and cuffs would be like? "I take it my new collar and cuffs will have slots for materia integrated into them?"
"Yes, they will. Although yours will be made of silver, not white gold like mine or platinum like Sephiroth's, and you'll only have one slot in your collar, and I'm not sure what mix of materia you'll be given. Probably things you won't have to think too hard about using until someone gets around to teaching you about that. And please, call me Tseng."
"I can do that. I take it the new formalwear's going to be for announcing Cloud's new spouse?" Elena spoke as they started walking, glancing to Tseng for confirmation.
"Probably. You don't find anything at all strange in me arranging this?"
"No, why should I? I mean Sarah wasn't up to this sort of thing, but she didn't need to be since Daris kept us hidden away mostly, and Scarlet was really good, as well as quite...controlling when it came to what we wore on formal occasions."
"None of your owners have had a consort then. Normally it's the consort's job to do this sort of thing, but Sephiroth doesn't have the training to deal with this, or any interest in acquiring it." Elena thought that was foolish, there was no way to be certain a consort would know how to present concubines well, and concubines were all trained for that.
"And considering how possessive he is of our master he probably isn't keen on spending too much time with someone who's going to be even the slightest distraction from him, right?"
"He'll probably soften towards you eventually, but you won't be as lonely as I was at first anyway." That was good to know at least. "But even at first the worst he'll do is ignore you, he doesn't abuse his position with Cloud or anything."
"Thank you Tseng, but you really don't need to reassure me. You already told us what a good man he is, as well as what a good man the Planet's Weapon is."
"Good. We'll get you measured for your collar and cuffs first. You can take the ones you're wearing at the moment off can't you?"
"Yes, although I rarely do." And Elena showed Tseng as they walked into the room where she was to be measured.