The sun streaming through the window was what woke Laura the next morning. She blinked and covered her eyes from the harsh rays with a loud groan. She was never very good when it came to mornings. Raising up slightly she stretched and let out a yawn. When she looked around, the first thing she noticed was that her doors were open.

Guessing that means Nald is awake.

Laura threw the covers off of herself and walked into the living room. Nald was sitting on the couch and across from him were the clothes he had bought yesterday all folded and ready for her. He seemed comfortable sitting and reading, she wondered if he had been waiting for her to get up. She looked back at the clothes and wondered if it would be okay to look them over.

"No need to be nervous, they are yours after all," Nald said not bothering to look up from his book, "Why don't you look through them and see what you think."

Laura nodded and sat beside Nald, carefully, she lifted every dress up and examined it. They were very beautiful and she tried to be careful while handling them. Looking them over she couldn't help but notice how expensive they felt. Glancing over at Nald she pondered how much he had spent on the garments.

"Nald, I don't think these were made for humans," Laura said turning to fully face him.

"Technically no, but you will notice there are a few other slaves who also dress in fine silks and fabrics. They also belong to senators and apes of power. They feel that their humans reflect on them. So they dress them according to their rank. The higher an ape rises, the more beautiful their slaves are dressed. Of course, when you are only working around the house then you shall wear normal servant clothes. But whenever you head out into public, you will be expected to wear one of those dresses."

Laura nodded and sat the garments down on the table when she noticed a box. The clothes had been placed on top of it so she hadn't noticed it before. She reached for it and lifted the lid. Laura swallowed hard when she saw what was within.

"A collar."

Nald finally looked up from his book and gave her a sad smile, "I know it will be hard for you, but you won't be able to leave the house without it." Laura noticed the designs engraved into it, "This collar will be one of the first things other apes will notice. It has the engravings to let them know you belong to me. You will not be harmed."

"Are humans usually hurt if they don't belong to an ape with power?"

Nald placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "It has been known to happen. This place is dangerous for your kind. We must take every precaution."

"I thought you made a law where apes couldn't beat humans in public," Laura asked tilting her head slightly.

Nald gave a heavy sigh, "Yes, but there are hidden alcoves and alleyways where it can happen. But you should be safe with the collar. No one will harm you when they see you belong to me."

She took the collar into her hands and felt the weight of it.

Maybe I won't even notice it when it's on.

Knowing she was lying to herself she set the collar back down.

"Thank you, for the dresses, they are beautiful. But I can't thank you for that," She said looking away from the collar and back to Nald.

Nald chuckled and rose from his seat. "Well, I didn't expect you to thank me for that. But you are welcome for the dresses." He went into the dining room and came back quickly with a piece of paper. "Your breakfast is in the kitchen. Afterward, I need you to go out and pick up some fruit. Everything I need is written down here."

She took the paper and looked it over. "Do you remember the fruit merchant we saw on our way here?" Laura nodded. "When you get to him, just hand him this and he will get you everything you need."

"Alright, I'm sure I can handle that."

He smiled and headed for the door. "I'm sure you can, just remember the rules. I need to head out and get to work. Be careful out there, 'Dahlia'," With that, he left her alone in the house.

Right, I'm really gonna have to get used to that name, or I'm gonna fuck things up royally.

Laura ate quickly and got dressed in one of her new dresses. It was a soft yellow dress that fell just above her feet and the sleeves fell off her shoulders but the straps kept it in place nicely. It really was quite beautiful. She let out a loud sigh as she looked back over at the table, at the collar sitting there. Laura picked it up and put it on quickly. Trying to do it without thinking of what it meant.

Leaving the house she walked along the small trail until she came back to the market. It was just as busy as yesterday, everyone crowded in and looking for the things they needed. Now that she knew what to look for she noticed a few other humans dressed in silks and nice materials getting things at the shops. Their collars were engraved like hers, but they each had different designs.

She quickly found the fruit stall and made her way over to it. The stall vendor was an older chimp, who was loudly yelling into the crowd for apes to come and check out his wares. When she stopped in front of his stand he barely looked at her. That annoyed her a bit, so she cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. He snapped his eyes to her and looked like he was about to yell at her until he noticed her collar. "My, my, you must be senator Nald's new human. I had heard of you but almost took it as just a rumor. What can I help him with?"

How in the world does he know about me already?

Laura handed the chimp the note and he quickly got to work putting the things into a bag for her. She really didn't like this chimp. He seemed sleazy, and ill-mannered unless you were part of the right household. Suddenly she heard the sound of hoofbeats and she turned just in time to see horses stop right in front of her. Sitting on top of the large beasts were the General and his Commander. They didn't seem to notice her as they looked over the market. They were talking about guard postings. Nothing very interesting.

They hadn't seemed to notice her but that didn't really surprise her. They probably barely ever paid any attention to human slaves. Laura bit the inside of her cheek and tried to focus on the fact that she wasn't supposed to engage and keep herself from saying anything.

But he'll get all uppity and you can really push his buttons!

No, I'm supposed to stay away from him and keep on the down-low till I find Leo.

With Nald as your master though, he can't kill you or anything. He would be risking a lot.

I still don't think it's a good idea! He's the General of the ape army!

But just imagine the look on his face.

"Good morning General, you seem to be doing well," She made sure to make it loud enough for him to hear. She swore she heard the fruit seller stop in his tracks to watch the exchange.

The general snapped his attention down towards her and she was met with a nasty glare.

"You shouldn't be speaking to your betters human," Attar snapped at her, "It could get you killed."

Laura raised her eyebrows and made a dramatic display of looking around the horses and behind her. "My name is Dahlia, not human, and it's a good thing there is no one I consider my better around then."

Faster than she was expecting, the general was off his horse and standing in front of her, right in her face. "If I had my way, you wouldn't be allowed to walk around here on your own human."

Laura glared right back and gave a devious smirk before replying, "No, if you had your way, I would be crawling at your feet." He gave a deep growl as a response and she smiled. "Imagining it, are we?"

She was slammed against the stand, his hand wrapped tightly around her throat. The fruit seller let out a yelp and hid under his counter.

Fucking coward!

Thade's eyes wandered from her face down to the collar she wore and moved his hand to grip onto it. "I see your master collared you, maybe he should have muzzled you as well!" Laura stared back at him in defiance and gripped onto his wrist, his comment stinging her. Thinking quickly she realized his body was right up against hers and it made her realize the predicament they were both in. Laura smiled and ran her thumb over his hand. He snapped his attention to her motion, and then looked back up at her. She raised her eyebrows, almost as if to say, 'I didn't know you felt this way'.

"General, she belongs to Senator Nald if you kill her he isn't going to be pleased," Attar stated dragging them both out of the moment.

With a loud huff, he released Laura and stepped away. Once he had moved away from her, Laura realized how fast her heart had been beating in her chest. Still, she smirked at Thade and chuckled, "Am I the only human you shower with your attention?"

He slammed his hands on either side of her and got close enough to whisper in her ear. "There will be a moment when you are alone human, and when you are, you will wish you didn't draw my attention at all."

That made a shiver crawl down her spine and she nearly lost her nerve. But she refused to let him think he intimidated her. When he was back on his horse, Laura calmly remarked, "I'll be waiting, Thade."

Without a reply, he tapped on his horse and both he and Attar rode away. Laura felt her knees weaken and she had to keep a tight grip on the fruit stand to keep her balance.

What the hell have I started here?

"You must be the craziest human I've ever seen." She realized it was the fruit seller who spoke. "No human has ever spoken to the General that way, not if they wanted to keep living. Whatever he threatened you with, you better know he means it."

She tried to play it cool as she placed her hand on her collar and fixed it. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he does."

Why do I let myself talk myself into dangerous situations?

After she got the bags of fruit, she headed back towards the house. Lucky for her there were no surprises. She had to admit she was going to feel a bit paranoid for a while. Although she felt like she had won that little exchange she knew she had also put her life on the line.

I'm gonna have to be careful from now on, and not let myself get into any more trouble involving him.

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. We both know you are gonna push his buttons every time he is around. Might as well get used to death threats.

Laura let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head knowing her inner voice was most likely right.

Once she was back she put the groceries on the table and walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Laura seemed to be alright after the encounter, but she swore she could still feel his hand wrapped around her throat. Maybe it was because of the collar. Laura took it off and placed it on her dresser back in her room. As she was heading back to the living room she started to hum to herself as she started putting the fruits away.

Still humming she started to move to the tune until she was lost in the rhythm. Everything seemed to melt away and she was back in her room aboard the Oberon. She almost expected to look up and see Leo snickering at her from across the room. Laura was snapped out of it when she heard the door suddenly slam open. Everything was back to reality and she realized the slamming had been made by the Senator.

Nald rushed over to her and started to look her over, "Are you alright?! Did he hurt you in any way?!" He was speaking so quickly she almost didn't realize what he meant. "How dare he touch you, he thinks he can just do whatever he pleases!"

"Nald!" That seemed to get his attention and she smiled at him. "I'm fine, he just shook me up a bit." His attention seemed to snap towards her throat and he started to inspect it. How did he even know what happened? There was no way the General or Attar would tell him.

"When the fruit merchant sent the message I thought Thade might have seriously harmed you." That caught Laura by surprise until she realized why he would do it.

Probably thought he would get some reward or something. Sleazy little chimp.

"Are you really alright?"

Laura thought it was sweet how he cared about her but it also seemed a little odd. Maybe he simply felt responsible for her after he saved her. "Yes, I promise."

He let out a sigh of relief and then glared towards the door. "If he ever comes near you again, I will make sure he pays for it! I will not have him ignoring my authority just because he doesn't agree with how I use it!"

That's what this was truly about, Thade had disrespected him. Trying to harm her was also seen to Nald as Thade ignoring the power the Senator possessed. While she was annoyed at how it felt like Nald was basically calling her his property, it also gave her a bit of relief. If Thade did try to make good on his threats, she would have a reason for him to not go through with it.

Since Nald was home, they had dinner together. Nald kept shifting his gaze to her neck like there was something there. Laura tried to keep his attention on other things. She talked about seeing others like her in the market and asked about what he had done that day. Finally, seeing as how he was still feeling upset, she gave up and decided to head outside for some fresh air. Laura stepped outside onto the wrap around porch and took a seat at a small table to the side of the door.

"You must be Nald's new human."

Laura jumped slightly at the voice as she hadn't noticed anyone walk through the opening towards the house. Looking down towards the voice she saw a female chimp standing at the base of the stairs. She was wearing a loose-fitting shirt along with loose-fitting pants. Her hair was cut in a bob and the ape seemed to have a soft smirk on her lips.

"Yes, my name is Dahlia. You are?"

"My name is Ari, I'm the daughter of Senator Sandar. Do you mind if I join you?"

The female ape seemed nice enough. Laura nodded and watched as she climbed up the stairs and sat across from her. Ari let out a sigh, "I heard about what happened in the marketplace. Thade can be cruel, you must be careful around him."

What is with every ape knowing each other's business, is there a news bulletin I don't know about?

Laura looked over at her and placed her chin in her hands, "What do you know about him, Ari?"

Ari seemed surprised by the question but still, she replied, "I've known him since we were children. His father filled him with hatred from the start. He's never been kind to your people. He used to get mad at me for taking in stray humans. I didn't care, I think humans are capable of just about everything that we are. You just need a chance to prove it."

Laura smiled at the chimp female, "I think you and me are gonna be good friends Ari."

"I hope so."

"Ari, what are you doing here? Did your father send you," Nald had appeared at the doorway of the house and was smiling at them both?

"I came to deliver a message and because I wanted to meet Dahlia," Ari stood and headed over to the Senator, "My father, along with the other Senators have decided it is time for the annual political gala. There will be dancing, food, drinks, and lots of talking about politics. Boring stuff really."

"Except for the food and drink part," Laura piped in with a chuckle.

"Yes except for that part."

"When will it be taking place this time Ari," Nald asked after giving a side glance to Laura.

"Oh, it will take a few days. Everyone has to get everything set up and people have to be invited," Ari replied leaning against the railing of the porch.

The Senator seemed to think it over before looking at Laura and then back to Ari. "You can tell your father that we will make sure to be there."

We? Does he mean me too?

Laura almost wanted to laugh out loud at that. Her, at a party filled with apes. No not just apes, but apes that actually held powerful positions. Ari seemed to like the idea of Laura coming. She seemed to brighten up more about the gala. Laura could tell she was really going to enjoy her company. Hopefully, having a friend in this strange place was in her near future.