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Lewis looked anywhere but at Al, "th-the slave is here," he whispered, "it's a little boy and you can't go out there." he didn't want to have to explain any more than that. he knew it would make Al get even more angry than he already was.

Leo arched his eyebrow at the look Elliot gave him. he wasn't stupid! he wasn't going to help the boy if it would get him punished. "thank you for your hard work, Oliver."

Tsume sat down and let Oliver work, frowning. "you said for the day, what do you mean by that?"

Oliver finished setting the table and moved to sit in a corner, "thank you masta', i like meh name. masta said i have to serve you all day. through the parteh too. i am yo slave toda'."

Oliver nodded, "yes, masta, there will 'ee otha slaves theh' like Oliver, but Oliver will carry masta's drinks and be masta' persun'el slave all nigh'. if masta' needs anything, Oliver will get it for masta'." the table was set and he bowed low, "pleas' eat, mastas." he hurried to the only door still closed and knocked softly, "Mastas? bekfas' is se'ved."

"He-won't do anything. but you won't-" he stopped at the knock and fel his stomach drop. breakfast, they couldn't not eat and Al would see the boy. damn. damn. "j-just, a moment, thank you." he glanced at Al before opening the door, revealing the tiny smiling boy who was waiting to show them the way, even if it was only across the room. "thank you, son. what is you name?"

Two masters asked him in a row! Oliver felt a little blown away, "Oliver, masta. thank yo fo asking!"

Leo took Elliot's hand and gave it a light squeeze, "there aren't really chairs at these parties. there are places to lounge, but for the most part slaves carry around folding chairs for their masters. i just-hope that he isn't expected to carry around chairs for all of us."

Tsume walked to Kichou and put an arm around his friend, "it's ok, Kiki. it's going to be ok." he kissed the top of his head before sitting down next to him, watching the boy from the corner of his eye

Leiws grimaced slightly when he heard the lisp. he knew what was causing it, why the boy sounded like that. the same way all slaves did. he dropped his eyes and followed Oliver to the table, sitting down and feeling sick. Al sat beside him, of course, but he didn't want to talk. he had to, Al wanted an explanation. "S-slaves are marked in a very distinctive way," he whispered, staring at his hands in his lap. "once a slave, always a slave. once the mark is in place, they are a slave all of their lives." he watched Oliver now as the boy knelt a little ways away in case he was needed. "on top of that, they are marked by their masters. each master has a different way, some more permanent than others. the king he-" Lewis shivered, "he takes their left eye. if they survive long enough to be sold again, he replaces it but it will never work again." and it would hurt them for the rest of their lives, but he didn't dare add that part.

Leo nodded, "they will probably expect Henry, Megan and Tsume to carry them as well, but he'll be expected to carry your father's at least. if not yours as well...though he might...." Leo trailed off and bit his lip, "bentiens do not carry the chairs. it is a slave's duty, but there are...well, furniture slaves. ones who's entire purpose is to act as a piece of furniture. if Oliver is not here to carry your chair then Istavia might assign you a slave chair. a slave to sit on. or the other way around. Oliver is for you and your father will receive the slave chair." there were so many ways this could go wrong, leo forced himself to eat, but his stomach wanted nothing to do with food at the moment.

Tsume gave a small smile, but his face was pale. with his hearing he was able to hear both Leo and Lewis and it was making his sick to hear what they were saying. Oliver had said he would carry drinks, did that mean he was a table? but no, he'd served the food onto the table, which made him just a server and not the table itself. Tsume thanked god for that, but he was still growing sick at the idea of what that king was doing.

Leo and Lewis met each other's eyes, knowing what kind of reactions their companions would have, but knowing that they needed to be informed or things could get bad at the ball. a tiny voice from the corner interrupted them, drawing their gaze.

They weren't eating. oh gods-they weren't eating. the crown prince had even pushed away his food! "M-Mastas?" Olvier whispered, terrified that the food wasn't to their taste. he would be punished for it! had the kitchen workers played another trick on him? oh gods, he prayed not. he still hadn't healed from their giving a master the wrong kind of meat on purpose so he'd be punished. "Mastas, is the-the mea' not to yo' likin'?" he looked at them, his eye wide, but he kept the tiny smile in place, praying it would show he was eager to please, "Olvier can go get Mastas differen' food. Oliver can hurry, he can wun and brin' good food fo' the Mastas. please fo'give' Olvier, mastas. I will huwy and wun and get yo' new food. Oliver is good slave, Mastas. will get you new food." he was already inching towards his tray. why had he left it so close to the king? he had to pass so many of them to get to it, they could grab him, could punish him for the food just because he'd left the tray too far away. he should have taken it back, placed it beside him. then he could have run and gotten the food before the masters could catch him. he swallowed and kept his eye down, reaching out a shaking hand to grab the tray before he could get grabbed himself. "Oliver is sorry, Mastas. Oliver is so sorry. I will get you different food. please forgive Oliver, please forgive." he kept saying over and over, bowing his head to show he truly was sorry.

Oliver flinched down when he saw a hand coming towards him, waiting to be grabbed, to be hurt, but something was put in his hand instead. he looked at it, his eye wide and then looked at the master. a fig. he'd given him a whole fig. not one that was mostly eaten or bad, but a plump, fresh fig right off his plate. he couldn't help it, tears filled his eye and Oliver dropped his gaze. "Th-thank y-you, Ma-st-er." he whispered, fighting hard to say the words properly, a hard thing to do with his mark and while crying. a loud bang caused him to jump and look up.

"For heaven's sake!" Leo slammed his hands on the table and stood up, "that's it. i can't take this anymore." he tromped around the table, ignoring how Oliver watched him with wide eye and cowered down when he got close enough. Leo bent down and scooped the boy into his arms, just hugging the tiny frame, holding him close. "shh," he whispered, stroking the golden hair as he moved to one of the couches and sat down, the boy in his lap. "it's ok, shhh, it's ok. i've got you. you're safe." he couldn't stand it. he couldn't watch that little boy trembling in fear and then crying over something so simple as being given a fig and do nothing. he'd been aching to hold him close, to hug him since he'd seen him and Leo was finally giving in.

At first Oliver didn't know what the woman was going to do. women could be nice, but they could be cruel too. so very cruel. and they had claws that hurt when they hit him. the determination in her eyes was frightening, she looked mad and he quickly curled up, putting the precious fig up against his stomach and hiding it, not wanting to have to give it up, but he wasn't hit. instead he was picked up and-held. it didn't hurt, she wasn't making sure he didn't run away, she was just, holding him. the whispered words shook him more than being held and for the first time since he'd been sold, he really did feel safe. it was such a warm feeling, so good that he curled into her and started to cry, holding on as he wept like he'd never wept before in his life.

Tsume put his arm around Kashi and smiled, "it'll be ok, my friend. drink, you're going to need it." he kissed Kashi's cheek and stroked his hair, glancing as Leo cuddled the poor little boy, comforting him, "do you want to stay here rather than go to the party? we can arrange that."

Lewis smiled a little and slipped his hand into Al's without thinking. "Leo beat me to it," he said softly, looking at his king and then looking down. "i'm sorry, Al," he whispered, "i'm so sorry. i shouldn't have-i was wrong, please forgive me?"

Lewis looked down, not wanting to disturb the others with what exactly caused the lisp. he moved to Al and placed a hand over the man's ear, whispering, "their tongues are split. cut down the middle so they cannot speak properly. that is the mark of a slave." he pulled away and looked over at Leo as he held the boy, his eyes sad. "those who cannot speak properly are the lowest of the low in Reta."

Oliver nodded and quickly loosened his grip on the fig, afraid he'd bruised it, but it looked fine.

"Eat it," Leo said softly, refusing to let the boy go, "it's ok, Oliver. he gave it to you, so you can eat it."

Oliver looked at him glossy eyed from crying and nodded, taking a tiny bit so he could savor the sweet flavor of the fruit.

Tsume stroked Kashi's back, "if anything is too much for you, come to me. i'll protect you from the bad things, ok? you'll be ok, Kashi. you are with friends." what more could he do for the poor hare to comfort him? he just didn't know.

horns sounded, making the group look up. "Is the call fo' masta's parteh. it starts in halv' an howa'."

Lewis nodded, "i guess-now you can understand why i was the way i was..." he glanced at Al before correcting himself, "am the way i am. maybe that's why i'm so sick..." he laughed softly, but shook his head, "we should get going. it's rude to show up on time, you must be at least five minutes early and even that is looked down upon."

Oliver nodded, "thank you, masta', yo're so kind." he looked up at the woman and smiled, touching her belly, "yo' baby is luckeh, masta. so luckeh to have you fo mama."

Leo tears up a little and kissed Oliver's head, healing the boy's wounds with that simple touch. "thank you, Oliver." he smiled at the wonder in the eyes that his pain was gone and patted his head. "be a good boy tonight and stay by our sides, ok?"

"Yes, Master." Oliver said brightly, his voice soft and unslurred. his eye widened and he stuck out his tongue, feeling it. "it's healed," he whispered, his little body shaking. "it's healed, you took away my mark."

Leo nodded, "that's not all," he lifted Oliver's eye patch and smiled when the lid slowly lifted revealing that his eye had been restored as well. "keep the patch on and do not speak, serve us well tonight and you shall be free." he stood and moved to Elliot, taking his hand, "let's go."

She was a god. Oliver knew it now, he had met a god and had been blessed. his prayers had been answered. "Yes, I will serve you, Master. just see! i'll be the best boy you've ever heard of!" he hurried to help, clearing the dishes in record time, his fig tucked safely away in his pocket for later.

Tsume nodded, "Look, keep yourself locked in our room, ok? don't open it for anyone. not even for me. only open it when you hear," he leaned in and barely whispered into Kashi's ear so their was no chance of being overheard, "Come on out you waskoly wabbit." he pulled away and looked into Kashi's eye, "understand? not until you hear that, if anyone else comes in, no matter what they look or sound like, shoot them." he couldn't believe he was saying this. "don't hesitate, don't look at them, just shoot them, ok?" he gave Kashi a hug and pushed him towards the door. "go, take some of the food here and lock it."

Lewis stood and straightened his clothing, nodding, "we'll be right there. Leo, El, be careful, ok?" he frowned and looked at Al, "what is Henry going to announce Leo as? surely he doesn't plan to call him Leonard, Crown Prince of Falia, right? but-if he calls him 'Lily' then everyone will just see the bentien..." oh s**t, this could get bad. he ran out after Henry, grabbing the man's shoulder, "what are you going to announce Leo as?" he asked frantically, having no clue what they should do.

Leo patted Oliver's head and took his hand, "stay with us, ok? don't leave our side, not for a moment. that's an order, Oliver." he waited for the boy to nod before taking Elliot's hand, "it doesn't matter to me, Lew-" but the prime minister was already gone and he shook his head a little. "very well. let's hurry after him before he causes too much of a ruckus." he smiled at Elliot and hurried out, giving Tsume and Kashi a bit of privacy.

Tsume blushed a little, but he waited for the room to clear before bending down and gently pressing his lips to the hare's. he held it there for a long second, as long as he dared, before breaking the kiss and stepping away, "be safe." he cupped Kashi's cheek for a second before going out after the others, not wanting to leave them without his protection for long.