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 Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:38 am
 After her trip to dirty, unpleasant Zanzibar it was a sight for sore eyes to get home to the clean streets of Babylon and her new clay house. The scaffolding was gone and the outside looked just as new and impressive as she had hoped. Sure, it was still far from the luxurious home that she really deserved, but at least it was the nicest home on the street now. She could see that the builders hadn't bothered to clean the splashes of clay and plaster off the ground outside and she feared the inside might not be much better. A bribe might have persuaded them to clean up better, but Haqikah was not going to pad their pockets more than she had already done when hiring the building crew to upgrade her home. Next time she would not hire that hound unless he could prove that he had employed tidier slaves.
"Stripy one," she called over her shoulder, "Start scrubbing the clay from the ground and tidy up a bit here. The rest of you are to follow me inside."
The inside wasn't much better. A fine layer of dust covered everything, but luckily she had ordered her slaves to cover the few pieces of furniture and her most valuable possessions with cloth before the renovation started. Akil and Nuri must have tried to tidy up after the workers left but it was still much that needed to be done. Going to Zanzibar during the worst of it had probably been a good thing...
"Akil, a word if you please," she said and pointed at the door to the back room, "The rest of you are to start cleaning this room. Nuri will show you the slave sleeping quarters when you're done in here. Tell the slave outside to help you when he's done cleaning up the clay splatter."
Having more than one room sure came in handy and Haqikah closed the door to the large main room behind them to let the other slaves work in peace. The back room was smaller, and she had still not decided if she should make this her sleeping quarters or if she should use it for storage. The slaves had a tiny room of their own now and wouldn't need to sleep outside when she wanted privacy.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:21 pm
It had been a somewhat trying period for Akil. Having so many unknown slaves working around Haqikah’s home and possessions made the patched slave a little anxious but he had done his best to clean up after them – which had proved to be an impossible self-appointed task. Even with Nuri’s help, it was obvious that the house was a mess even if the furniture and most of his mistress’ belongings were relatively safe.
So it was with a mixture of happiness and dread that Akil witnessed Haqiqah’s returned. He had truly wished to have had more time to fix the place but it was the number of slaves following Haqikah that also worried him. Did she need more slaves because the house was bigger or were her two first slaves so disappointing that she simply needed to add a few?
“Welcome home, miss.” Akil barely had time to look at the new slaves before he was asked to join his mistress in private. She didn’t seem too upset about the state of things – she had expected it perhaps but it was still his fault and Nuri’s that the house was such a mess. “I’m terribly sorry we couldn’t clean the place before you arrived…”
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Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:32 pm
Haqikah watched Akil like a hawk, trying to evaluate the way he walked and moved. Was he still sore? Would she need to get more of those expensive ointments and herbs? Slaves were expensive to fix, she had learned, and she was not going to break one she liked again if she could help it. But at least it seemed fixable. And with more slaves to take up the slack she could make sure he didn't overexert himself again.
"It's a good thing you didn't clean the entire house," she said, keeping her face stony and her voice cold, "I'd have to have Nuri whipped for disobeying me if you had."
She had ordered Nuri to make sure Akil didn't try to work harder than his body admitted, but she wasn't sure if the dark slave had told Akil this or not. He didn't seem to be worse off than when she left, maybe even a little bit better, so she had probably done her best to comply with her mistress wishes. Haqikah did worry about her servant, but she was not keen to admit this weakness and told herself it was because he was so useful. Not because she liked him.
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Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:19 pm
“Oh, she told me to stay put...” Akil said quickly, the idea of Nuri being whipped too unbearable to even consider. They’d gotten rather close these past few days after all. “…a-all the time.”
It was hard for Akil not to work. Having no purpose other than getting better made the young slave restless and deeply frustrated. Being away from his mistress was even harder when he was used to being by Haqikah’s side at all times so while the white hound was in Zanzibar, talking to Nuri and doing minor tasks around the house was all he had left. And that wasn’t nearly enough for Akil even if he was still recovering from his embarrassing little colosseum experience.
“But I’m good to work, miss, I really am.” He glanced at the other slaves anxiously. They looked a lot like possible replacements. “Just a little sore… but all good.” He didn’t like to admit he’d been severely injured – especially when it had cost his mistress so many stones – but it was best to avoid pretending he was completely recovered and do something stupid that would worsen his state.
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 3:48 am
Haqikah spotted the glance and wondered what went through Akil's head at that moment. Did he want to join them to speed up the cleaning? She liked him for his energy and eagerness, but sometimes he was too eager to work for his own good. She'd order him to keep sleeping near her own bed for the time being. It was probably not likely that he'd sneak off at night to work, but she'd rather be sure that he slept soundly and wasn't in pain anymore. The first nights after the Colosseum had been very anxious and she hadn't slept very well at all.
"You'll get to join them later," she said, "The lot of them could use someone to lead the work to make sure they're working efficiently and I'm certainly not in the mood to do that all day. I'll need to go to the slave registry later today."
Hopefully Akil would be able to work off some energy by directing the other slaves in their work. He'd help but without running the risk of working too hard. Better let his mind get some exercise and spare his body for now.
"I'd also like you to work with the stripy one outside later," she consulted a piece of parchment from her purse, "Azibo. He'll carry all the purchases when you go to the market, and if he's not totally useless I can use him as a market slave when he feels more at home with the tasks."
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:22 pm
Lead the work…
Well, that was… reassuring. Did his mistress decide to trust him with the other slaves while she wasn’t there? Akil smiled widely, feeling much more at ease now that he didn’t think he was about to be thrown away.
“As you wish, miss Haqikah.” And he’d talk to Azibo, too. This wasn’t so bad, after all. All these new slaves would make the house a lot livelier. And with a bigger house, it was actually nice to have some extra paws to handle the daily tasks. “I’ll talk to Azibo.”
“Oh, and by the way, miss…” Akil said softly, lowering his voice quite a bit. “That hound you said to look out for... he wasn’t here and none of the slaves I know seem to have seen him around the city.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:47 am
Ah, there was that smile again. Good. Akil was the grand exception of her "seen but not heard" slave policy. She enjoyed chatting with him even if he could be a bit overwhelming at times. And from what he said he'd stayed true to his word and kept an eye out for Omari. Hopefully he'd continue to stay away from Babylon. He hadn't wanted to move here when they were an item, so why would he change his mind now?
"That's reassuring," she said, adding a touch of concern to her voice, "I was worried I'd meet him in Zanzibar, so to be safe I rented a room in a hotel. The hotel manager, ugly little hound that one, he seemed to think I'd share his bed if he played his cards right."
She had considered asking around a little bit herself, but decided against it. Asking questions in Zanzibar only served to make everyone very curious about the one asking those questions, and she didn't want that. And if he heard that she'd been asking he might get the wrong idea about the whole situation. He might think she was desperate to get him back, when she was only interested in getting back at him for dumping her. Instead she had kept her ears open, but to no avail. However, there had been some talk about the upcoming love festival in Prussia and she was tempted to travel there to see the sights, despite her disturbing lack of income lately. Ah, her luck had to turn someone. She, if anyone, deserved a break!
"Anything new in Babylon," she asked, trusting that Akil would at least have tried to stay updated on her behalf.
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:47 pm
Akil remained quiet as Haqikah spoke of this “other hound” but his coat bristled quite noticeably. He usually thought the best of hounds and their intentions but he was amazed at how many dubious characters seemed to surround his poor mistress. He really wished he could be more useful to her in that aspect of her life. To look more imposing, to be strong enough to protect her. The young slave had trouble accepting that maybe that task was not and would never be meant for him in the first place.
“I wasn’t out much, miss…” he admitted somewhat hesitantly. Resting and keeping an eye on the workers had occupied most of his time but he hated to sound as if he’d spent hours lazing about without getting any work done. “I do know there’s a small pottery fair coming. Hounds from all over Syria are supposed to start arriving next week.”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:54 am
Haqikah shook her head as she thought about her interesting hotel stay. Better not tell Akil all the details, she mused; the poor dear might get all worked up on her behalf. She'd tell a modified version the next time she met one of her girlfriends, however. It was a good story and it was certainly good for a laugh.
"Good, good," she said, "Then at least Nuri did her job. Pottery you say? Might be interesting."
There was that biscuit jar she still hadn't gotten around to replace... And it was always fun when Babylon filled up with hounds and their slaves from different parts of the land. It was almost like travelling. She wondered if she could perhaps take all slaves and go to Prussia for that festival too.
"There's a festival coming up in Prussia," she said, "I'm thinking about going since the new slaves should be settled in by then. Do you think you'd be up for travelling or would you rather stay home and watch the house?"
Haqikah would much prefer to have Akil with her on the trip, but she wasn't going to order him to travel if he wasn't fit for it. Hiring a wagon was sadly out of her budget so they'd have to walk. But even if he couldn't join her this time she'd have a proper entourage with all her new slaves.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:25 am
No. Not really. Was Akil on the mend? Sure. Had he done minor tasks around the house while Haqikah was in Zanzibar? Yep, he sure had. Was he ready to walk all the way to another city at a Hound’s pace? No. He most certainly was not.
“If you wish me to go, miss, I’ll certainly accompany you.” He said at once, doing his best to… ah… look healthy. It was touching that his mistress had even bothered to ask for his opinion on the matter. “Is it Prussia’s Love festival?” He’d heard of them even though the slave hadn’t really ever been to one. It was a shame really, it was supposed to a really joyous occasion when Hounds were particularly happy and there were all sorts of delicious treats all around the city. Maybe he could make a little effort to be by Haqikah’s side and keep all the dodgy Hounds away. Hey, it could even be fun!
(I’m not planning on rp-ing Akil at the Love fest so you can either have her order him to stay behind or godmode him at the festival even though I think there’s already one slave with her – he’d be close to her trying not to move too much…)
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:28 am
Haqikah watched him in silence for a little while. Akil had cleverly avoided telling her if he was fit for travel or not, and that said something. Perhaps it was best to let him rest and take the others with her. If she had to leave one cat behind to watch the house he was the one she trusted the most. Leaving both Nuri and Akil had felt safe enough, but she wasn't sure about her new slaves yet. She had to test their abilities and learn how to best control them. Perhaps she should take Nuri and the new ones and leave Akil here after all.
"Yes, the love festival," she said, "But perhaps I shouldn't go... With a brand new clay house someone might try to break in and look for valuables."
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:34 am
Well, now. This was certainly a dilemma.
On the one hand, Akil wished he could always be by his mistress’ side and that she go and have fun at the Prussian festival – maybe even find a polite Hound that would make her forget her previous experiences. On the other hand, he did not want to go to the festival himself, slowly realizing he’d probably worsen his injury and become a burden throughout the whole event. Haqikah was right, of course. The new house – though not yet as appealing as Akil hoped it would become after the slaves had more time to work on it – could still be seen as an “opportunity” to some less than honest types.
“It would give me great pleasure to accompany you, miss.” The young slave started, glancing at the new slaves with obvious sadness. “But perhaps I’d be better suited to stay at home… this time.” And just this time!
“I’d make sure to keep everything safe… it would take a rhino to get past me if I’m guarding your house, miss.” He laughed a little, silently hoping he’d never have to look at a rhino ever again.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:24 pm
Oh, he was almost too easy to influence, but Haqikah loved him for it. And it was for Akil's own good after all. Cats seemed to lack common sense sometimes, but that's why they were slaves and hounds were masters.
"You're a gem Akil," she said and smiled warmly at him, "I wouldn't trust anyone else with the house."
She laughed with him after the unexpected rhino joke. That hadn't been a very pleasant experience for anyone, but it looked as if they were ready to laugh at it at least. If she ever put her paw (or her stones) in the Colosseum again she would make sure that no rhino's would be involved. And not Akil, not again. She might bring him there as company, but she didn't trust those sneaky Colosseum workers with him again.
"I might travel then," she said and nodded, "But only if the slaves get the house properly cleaned in time. I might take some of them with me if they work hard, you can always tell them that if they try to slack off."
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Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:17 am
Akil’s tail began a silly dance behind him as Haqikah complimented him and the young slave smiled, filled with more happiness than he could express. And he’d even made her laugh!
“I’m sure they’ll work well, miss. You chose them, after all.” He was still smiling, his spirit almost reaching the sky. “Should I get acquainted with them then, miss?” All three of them… three! He supposed the help would be nice especially now that the house was larger but it was still a bit surprising to see the number of slaves suddenly increase. They had more than doubled… hopefully, things wouldn’t become confusing around the house. The mistress seemed to be putting him in charge of the other slaves so Akil wished he could keep everything organized and comfortbale. One big happy family.
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:37 am
Happiness radiated from the young slave and Haqikah felt really pleased with herself. She had learned that it could really pay off to keep slaves happy when possible. Not that she advocated being soft, but she acknowledged that offering them what they thought they wanted could be just as effective as the whip sometimes. And with some slaves - more effective. She had seen far too many slaves broken by violent masters, and it seemed such a waste when those slaves would have worked themselves half to death (willingly!) with the right kind of reward.
"Ah, yes," she said, still smiling and wagging her tail slowly, "I've already told you about the striped one. If you think he's suitable he'll be trained to be a market slave for me. Then there's a white and brown female." She studied her parchment again to check the names of her new purchases. Luckily they all had short names, but she had yet to decide if any of them was worth addressing by name.
"Tabia is her name..." she continued, "She'll work with Nuri as a house slave. You can show her the ropes or leave it up to Nuri. And then there's Tau-tau. He's here for the more cumbersome tasks. Feel free to use him for the tasks that are too heavy for you to handle until you are fully recovered."
She had picked the last slave for his looks and the wow-factor, but she could always pretend he was there for the benefit of Akil's recovery.
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