Collar turned out to be horrific, but not quite as horrific as I had previously envisioned.

Let me explain. When we had entered our ship, everyone of the passengers were normal people, but by the time we left the ship many of them had transformed into slaves, and a few had suddenly become masters. It was apparent who was the master and who was the slave because slaves were dressed in often skimpy, suggestive outfits, while the masters usually donned more modest, serious outfits. I say usually because Heero informed me that there was no dress code for masters or slaves, and some masters covered their slaves from head to toe, while others made them walk around completely naked. It was the same for masters, although they almost always wore something to cover themselves, even if it was only one distinctive part of themselves.

I realized upon seeing this that I hadn't really thought about Heero's wardrobe. Heero had always been naked at home and didn't seem to have a problem with this, so I hadn't really been aware of the need for more modest apparel. I was swiftly brought to my senses upon our arrival, but Heero told me that it was fine, that many masters waited to buy their slaves clothes until Collar, because there was such a wide selection and such care taken in the making and style.

Being told this, I quickly ushered us to our room, which was amazing to say the least. It was more like an apartment than a hotel room. First of all, there was the bedroom, which was actually the largest room. Inside the bedroom there was a raised platform covered in a mattress, which was supposed to be the bed, though it could have easily fit eight or nine people. There was a large closet and an adjoining bathroom housing a whirlpool bath and shower. Compared to the bedroom, the livingroom was only half as big and had only a couch, TV, and small end table. The kitchen was small but neat and well supplied, though I don't think the owner of the hotel believed anyone would have time to use the kitchen. There was also a servant's quarters and bathroom, which was much closer to what one would find at a cheap motel. There were two single beds in the servant's bedroom, but Heero told me masters would sometimes sleep up to six slaves in that one tiny room. I certainly wouldn't allow that.

Once the bags were settled Heero led me out of the hotel and into what seemed to be a giant mall. It was there that I finally began to see what Collar was really like.

It was strange, honestly. I could see so many slaves, collared and used, smiling, happy, and laughing. Despite the evidence Heero bore to the contrary, it looked like many of the masters took good care of their slaves, physically if not emotionally. Most of them were in expensive outfits, wearing expensive jewelry. One master would walk by with three or four slaves on his arms, looking more like a celebrity than a slave owner. There were few that bore scars, and even then most looked more like accidental scars than purposeful abuse.

There were a few cases to the contrary. I dark haired boy who walked a few paces behind his master, his head hung, his feat dragging. Another boy in nothing but a thong flinching as his master grabbed playfully at him. And yet, these instances seemed to be the exception, not the rule.

"A lot of them pretend to be happy," Heero told me as he saw me looking around, "A master wants a happy slave, not a moody one. Most of them make their master feel like a rock star, so he treats them like his bitches. And, a lot of masters take special care not to mark their slaves. A slave with a scar instantly loses value. It's like trying to sell a used car. It sells better if it looks like it hasn't been run a whole lot, or that the owner put some work into them. My masters didn't think they could make me look like new, so it didn't matter how hard they ran me. Most masters aren't like that, but some are," Heero told me, his head down. "I'm sorry that I can't be like that for you. I know I can make it up to you if you enter me in Collar. Slaves that place in Collar are worth more than the prettiest slave. I can..."

"Enough, Angel," I quieted, "You're more than enough," I soothed. Heero had gotten it into his head that he wasn't worthy of me, and I wasn't sure how to stop it. Wasn't sure that I could and still keep him my slave.

Heero led me to one of the many clothing shops that tailored to slaves. It... was not the simple matter I had thought it to be. In the beginning, I had decided to simply let Heero choose his own outfit. I had thought, naively, that he would look wonderful in anything and I had wanted him to be comfortable in what he was wearing. I changed my mind, however, when he came out in a green tank-top, black biking shorts, and a hideous pair of yellow boots. I know I sighed and rubbed my head as I put a hand on Heero's shoulder and pushed him back into the stall. My slave was beautiful, but even his beauty couldn't stand up to those clothes.

The first outfit I chose was mainly to shied Heero's back, as he was very conscious of is scars. I had decided early on that he would not be wearing anything without a back, so I had already slightly limited my choices. The first outfit that caught my eyes was, I must admit, a bit... frivolous.

The outfit itself was fairly simple. It was an old style, almost Victorian piece, which I thought would go along nicely with my formal prince clothes. It started with small, low-cut boots which were folded over and accentuated his small ankles, along with leggings, and the puffy, knee-length, black trousers that I thought were just adorable on him. His top was white, long sleeved, and buttoned up. It had frills down the front and the first three buttons were left undone, exposing just enough of his chest to be alluring. The sleeves frilled out at the bottom and covered his hand completely. A dark red cape finished the outfit as it hung over his shoulders like a backdrop, making him look even smaller. He looked like a young prince or duke.

The second outfit was a bit more traditional, if one can say that. It was a leather jacket covering his shoulders and left open in the front, a tiny pair of leather shorts, and long leather boots to keep the amount of skin shown to a limit. It also came with a leather cap and some studded leather bracelets. It made Heero look like jail-bait, but he said it wasn't the worst costume he had worn, so I took that as approval.

The third outfit I chose was a harem outfit. It was sky blue, like his eyes. It was made of a see-through gauze which allowed one to see most of his arms and chest, along with his legs and lower thighs. The shirt and pants overlapped from just bellow his navel to his upper thighs, so that everything between was hidden from sight.

"How many outfits do you think we should get?" I asked as Heero came out of the dressing room to model the third outfit. Honestly, I was a little anxious to get back to the room. Seeing Heero in all those outfits was just too tempting, and I could tell from the way the gauzy material tented around his groin that Heero was ready too.

"Slaves usually get seven to ten outfits," said a perky, feminine voice behind me, "so that they have enough outfits for the banquet and some to wear to the actual contest."

I whiled around to see a woman about my age dressed in a snappy suit standing behind me. He name tag pronounced that she was Silver, and her hair attested this fact. Still, she smiled warmly at me and continued to speak.

"Hi, my name's Silver. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked.

"Well, I was trying to get my slave some clothes, but it seems that I'm going to be here all night trying to put outfits together by myself."

"Well, we have a whole store of clothes and I'm sure I can help you find something you're looking for. What's his name?"

"Angel," I told her, shortening Heero's Collar name.

"Ooh!" she squealed, pulling a nervous looking Heero forward, "You simply must put him in our angel costume! He would look just too good!"

"Well, alright, but I don't want anything too indecent," I told her, pointing to Heero's body, "I want him covered from here to here, and at least from here to here."

"Hmm, that narrows it down a little, but a lot of masters are possessive about their slaves. What about from here to here?"

"Yes, that will be fine."

"Oh, we could do a corset. Or something with a cinch here."

"No, I need him to breath. What about straps, or lace?"

"Oh yes, lace would be lovely on him. And gloves. Shoes?"

"No heels."

"But boots. Or slippers."

"Yes, that's good."

"How about this?"

"No, that fabric's wrong. What about this?"

"It's too heavy, he'd sweat like a pig. This?"

"Too light, he'd tear right through it."

"Ah, what about this one?"

"Perfect!"

"Well, I think I can get something for him to try on now. Is there anything else?"

I looked at Heero, who was looking flustered and overwhelmed. I couldn't blame him, we had used him as something of a human mannequin.

"Angel, is there anything you want?" I asked. I had wanted to give him some input into his clothes, but it looked like Miss Silver and I had gotten a bit carried away.

"Uh..." he replied, still dazed, "I would like my weewee covered, please."