Heero had already left early in the morning to train and to restock the refrigerator, something I hadn't remembered he did until he asked me if there as anything I wanted. It seemed I had truly overlooked the workload my first slave had put on himself. Along with spending three hours every morning training to get himself back into shape for Collar, Heero also kept the refrigerator and cupboards stocked with food, made sure the entire apartment was clean, washed everyone's casual clothes, and handled the dry cleaning of everyone's costumes. He had been the one to buy sleep wear and casual clothing for both Quatre and Trowa, and had made sure each of them wore the collar with my insignia. I hadn't even thought he knew about them, and never would have remembered if he hadn't asked me to purchase more, since we only had one left. He handled pretty much everything, and still had time to accompany me to parties in the evening.
It made me glad I had taken in Trowa, for the extra weight of Quatre's care would have been far too much for Heero. And Trowa was an excellent nursemaid to Quatre. He was gentle, kind, and patient. Also, though he was still physically pretty strong, he was recovering from Duke's treatment, and had no problem sleeping as much as Quatre, who required a lot of rest to recover from his wounds. Heero would have volunteered to nurse Quatre in a heartbeat, but the constant hours of nothing to do would have driven him batty.
Despite the fact that my slaves had once again settled to new arrangements, I worried about bringing another slave into the mix. Quatre, for all his progress, was still a little skittish around me, and I didn't think I had his full trust quite yet. Trowa was still settling, though he seemed to have adjusted pretty well, I worried that another slave might send him back into his shell. But Heero was the one I was most worried about. The addition of Trowa had given Quatre another friend, leaving less time for him to be with Heero. It wasn't so much that Heero was jealous of Trowa as he was terrified of losing Quatre, who was his first real friend. I worried that adding yet another slave would upset him more, and maybe make him question his relationship with me.
But, despite all my reasons for not accepting another slave, I had already made the choice, and there was no way I could back out of it now. By dusk, the Dragon would be mine, and all I could do was to prepare myself, so I checked to make sure my two slaves were sleeping and, knowing that Heero would be gone several more hours, I sat down in the kitchen to read the Owner's note.
Greetings, Master Zechs. I hope these times find you well and prosperous. I must admit, it feels strange to bestow my prized Dragon upon a perfect stranger, and yet what I have seen of your temperament and the treatment of your own slaves, along with the recommendations of the other masters, I believe you are trustworthy. Though you do not know who I am, it feels as though we are intimately acquainted.
And so, I will spare no time with flowery words. Your only concern for the time being is my Dragon, and so I will enlighten you to him. He is headstrong, arrogant, and defiant to all master so far but myself. He is proud and honorable, and I trust him explicitly in that his honor will not allow him to lie or make false promises. If he tells me that you have mistreated him, I will believe him, because he would not lie even to save his own life.
There are many rumors as to what I allow a master to do with my slave. I shall clarify now what your role is to be; For as long as Dragon is in your possession, he is your slave. You may punish him in any way that you see fit, save that you may not scar him, nor may you starve him for more than three days at a time, and after which point he must be fed regularly for a week.
There is only one way to gain the obedience of my Dragon. In a one on one fight, you must over power him physically, or master his mind in a game of Chess or Go. Only by dominating him in one of his two areas may you win his submission, and only then may you bed him. His honor dictates that he bend to your will if you best him, and he will no longer fight you. If you are not able to best him, he will remain civil, but he will ignore many or all of your orders. He is a constant challenge to masters who cannot defeat him.
Let me caution you, I will not allow an unfair fight against my Dragon. You may not drug him before the battle, nor may you give yourself any drugs. If you have a slave fight in your place, that slave must not have any enhancements in his body. The fight must be hand-to-hand, or with blunted swords, to ensure that Dragon is not scarred.
Dragon is a scholar, master of the martial arts, and has taken several first places in Collar. To defeat him in a fair fight one must be strong, with a quick mind, and a fighting style that can bend to the weakness of an opponent. Dragon has only ever once been bested, and that was by myself.
Because of his strength and his association with me, Dragon is often attacked, sometimes even in his bed, by slaves or masters who wish to gain my attention. You may be careful to lock your door to keep these invaders out, but do not take too much trouble on Dragon's behalf. He is well able to take care of himself, and may feel the suffering if he is not. A salve unable to defend itself is useless to me. As long as he is not delivered into the hands of those who can harm him, must be able to watch out for himself.
I wish you luck.
Owner.