Once our shopping trip was over and, unfortunately, the mood lost, I took Heero back to the room and ordered a delightful Italian dinner for us. Heero ate with gusto, as his meals had come sporadically the last two days. I was glad that he had made a full recover, as I worried about lingering side-effects of the drugs he had been given. But Heero was a strong boy and seemed more than capable of miraculous recoveries.
Once finished with dinner, I persuaded Heero to show me where the gym was. After we had both donned more casual gym-wear, as I had been wearing my military uniform and Heero had been in one of his numerous costumes, Heero led me down the hall to the elevator. Floor sixteen, it seemed was dedicated solely to physical exertion, as the entire level was one big gym including a health spa and pool. I was impressed, but also somewhat concerned. Heero had a tendency to overexert himself with our limited equipment at home, I wasn't sure what he'd do with all these machines.
I also learned that, while there was no rule to say that a master couldn't come to the gym, most did not. I was somewhat disappointed, as I had enjoyed training with Heero before, but seeing the need to keep a low profile forced my decision to let Heero have his privacy. I did, however, have a stern talk with Heero about pushing himself too hard. I made it clear to him that, while I understood the need to get stronger, if he damaged his body by pushing it past its limits he would be in very serious trouble. I also talked to the trainers on hand about Heero's tendency, telling them that while I didn't think he'd be a problem, if he did push himself too hard I was to be contacted immediately, no matter what. With that, I waved goodbye to Heero and went back to the room.
The room seemed empty without Heero, but I was glad to have some privacy to finish the report I had started on the shuttle. If things went well, I probably would not be alone very often, so it was important that I finished telling Lady Une of my findings. Time flew as I tapped away at the keyboard and by the time I had sent the message Heero was just walking in the door. With all the stress he had been under earlier and his tendency to overwork himself, he was barely on his feet. I helped him into the shower then pushed him under the covers, swiftly climbing in beside him. We were both exhausted and soon asleep.
The next morning, I drilled Heero about etiquette and who's who in Collar. I didn't want a small blunder to blow my cover. I also needed to get to know the other masters, to scope out the competition, so to speak.
"The best place to meet people would be at parties. All the masters who have been here a while hold open parties to get to know the newer masters on the first day. After that, parties are invite only."
"So this whole first week is just to get drunk and have a good time?"
"Not at all. The parties are loosely veiled meetings to research the competetors. Two masters competing in the same field will spend a lot of time together, trying to see the other's weaknesses and flaws. Being new, it won't be strange for you to attend a lot of different parties, because you're not considered a threat in your first year."
"We'll see about that," I responded with a grin.
"I think I've mentioned it before, but this is also where a lot of the slave trading goes on. Masters bet to try to win better slaves, but the really good ones won't be on the market."
"So you mean that this is the middle ground for buying, right?"
"Yes. These slaves are good enough to be owned but not good enough to keep. The good slaves are often sold, and they bring in a pretty penny."
"I see. But you weren't considered a good slave, and you've done wonderfully."
"Yes, but... my circumstances were strange. You won't often find a slave in my predicament."
"You're one in a million," I told him.
"Six thousand, actually."
"Huh?"
"There are six thousand slaves in the Collar organization, along with four hundred masters."
"But that would mean every master would own hundreds of slaves!"
"No, several thousand are owned by The Owner. The one who runs Collar. Masters are limited to fifty slaves, but most don't want the problems that arise from having that many. Twenty is a pretty average count."
"Ah. I see. Is there anything else I should know?"
"One the last day here, the warehouses bring out the unowned slaves and sell them. They are... the bottom of the barrel, as they say. It's all the slaves that are barely worth paying money to own. When a master buys one, he usually plans to keep it drugged until it dies or kill it. You probably won't want to get a slave from there."
"But that's where you came from, isn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Why don't we decide later. Right now, we should be getting ready for the parties, right?"
"We have plenty of time. The parties won't really start until noon. It would give the wrong impression if you went out to early."
"What would I do without you?" I asked, beaming. Heero blushed demurely.
"You don't need me," he said quietly.
"Actually," I countered, "I think I need you very much right now. Seeing you try on all those costumes last night really stirred me up, so perhaps you could finish the job," I suggested, tugging Heero toward the bedroom.
We were actually late to the parties, but I couldn't say I regretted it.