"Where do you think you are going", said Dr. Evans.
"Into the kitchen, master, to start cleaning the dishes from the appetizer", said Maka.
"I didn't ask, Louis did", said Dr. Evans, as the guest next to Dr. Eisenberg waved, "but you may do that". So the arms dealer's name was Louis. As Maka began to wash the dishes, she wondered if Vanessa knew something that could be useful for her escape. Certainly, after all, she dealt with slavery regularly. But she also seemed to be very content with her situation, it was unlikely that she was also planning to escape. But how likely was it that Vanessa would help Maka escape, and how far would she go in helping her. Maybe Vanessa would give her advice more valuable than "Your life's not worth attempted flight" and tell her something useful. But what if Vanessa reported Maka to Dr. Evans. She would have to talk to Vanessa in a way that didn't convey her true intentions.
"Say, how does Dr. Eisenberg treat you?", asked Maka.
"Can't complain", said Vanessa, "and how does Dr. Evans treat you?"
"I guess normally", said Maka, "but tell me, what sort of work does Dr. Eisenberg make you do?".
"Accounting, scheduling, ordering materials, letter writing...", said Vanessa.
"Wow, what kind of materials do you order?", asked Maka.
"The stuff that he needs for business", said Vanessa, "Weapons, ammo, food, slave collars...".
"I wonder who designed them to tighten when pulled", said Maka, hoping to move the discussion to the topic of the collars.
"Yeah, I hate that feature, too", said Vanessa.
"Who was that sadistic mastermind, anyway?", asked Maka.
"Some guy named Alan Stanley", said Vanessa, "he invented a variety of other stuff, too, like foot cuffs with a razor sharp edge on the inside"
"Sounds scary", said Maka, "but why did his collars become the norm?".
"Because their design makes them easy to damage and hard to break", said Vanessa, "I once lost the key to a slave collar of someone whose ransom had been paid. It took forever to get that thing off". Maka wanted to ask what they had used to get the collar of, but if she asked that, Vanessa would probably catch on to what Maka was trying to do. Maybe they used a normal file, or maybe some sort of power tool.
"A truly ingenious invention", said Maka, unable to hide the distress in her voice. Vanessa had just confirmed Lefty's account, it would be very hard to break this damn thing. Maka had finished washing the dishes and started to dry them. Maybe she could get more information out of Vanessa.
"Who produces these collars?", asked Maka.
"You're showing a lot of interest in these thing", said Vanessa, "You should just accept that you're wearing one and that that's not going to change anytime soon". Vanessa was on to her. Hopefully she wouldn't tell Dr. Evans or anybody else. What should she do? Kill Vanessa? Not feasible, she would get caught. Repeat her question? Try to bribe Vanessa?
"I just want to know who makes these things", said Maka.
"And I'm not telling", said Vanessa.
"Why not?", asked Maka.
"Because I don't actually know, I usually purchase them trough Louis K. or some other arms dealer", said Vanessa. Maka was amazed that Vanessa actually told her that. But it wasn't really valuable information, unless she started to work in that business herself one day. On the other hand, she would rather starve than take on such a profession.
"Louis K?", asked Maka.
"The guy sitting next to Dr. Eisenberg", said Vanessa.
"I mean, what's his last name?", asked Maka.
"K", said Vanessa.
"Doesn't the K stand for anything?", asked Maka.
"Don't know", said Vanessa, "must be something really stupid, though"
"Maka", called Dr. Evans.
"Yes, master?", asked Maka as she entered the kitchen.
"Serve the dessert now", ordered Dr. Evans.
"Yes, master", said Maka. She collected the plates and served the cake, taking care to cut it symmetrically. She didn't want to upset the symmetrical bald man, out of fear that her owner decided to actually follow his advice.
"She can do some things right", said the symmetrical bald man upon examining his plate, "I'd still recommend you sell her to a fuel farm, though". Her owner probably wouldn't listen to him, but alone the prospect of working on a fuel farm scared her.
"On the subject of fuel farms, I once took a tour of one", said the guest who had groped her, "they made me wear some thick protective suit. It took half an hour to put that thing on, and it was extremely hot in it, I sweated so much, a hour more and I would have drowned in my own sweat".
"That would be a nice way to die", said Louis K, "Here lies Josef K, drowned in his own sweat"
"Anyway, all the slaves were dressed in rags", continued Josef K, "You could see how long they had been there by their clothing and the number of growths on their body. One of the guards got yelled at for smoking".
"Does anyone know anything about that black cat with the witch hat?", asked Louis K.
"It's asymmetrical", said the symmetrical bald man.
"Someone put a witch hat on it, and it hasn't fallen of yet", said Screwhead. Maka didn't know why she listened to this inane conversation, she should be cleaning the dishes, or in fact anything else.
"It's one of the stray cats my landlady's slave feeds every night", said Josef K, "today, she didn't feed them, so they meowed so much that I gave them a fish".
"Why didn't she feed the cats as usual?", asked Dr. Blackstar.
"She was being punished because she failed to bring me my breakfast", said Josef K.
"Why, that sounds like it wasn't her fault", said Dr. Blackstar, "that's if you told your landlady the same thing you told us".
"My landlady doesn't tolerate failure", said Josef K.
"I bet the rents all get paid on time", said Dr. Evans.
"Speaking of slaves", said Josef K, "Say Soul, may I have intercourse with your slave?"