Seraphina looked out the window of her hotel room and gave a large sigh. How could she end up in a place like this? Her father was gone, her home was gone, and she had nowhere to go. She had never been this far from home before. Frankly, she didn't even know where she was. Apparently, she was in a 'ho-tel' but, what the heck is a 'ho-tel?' She may not have heard the word 'ho-tel' before however, she certainly knew what a 'slave' was. The maid that had come to her room earlier told her of her situation. Seraphina was to be sold as a slave. Her father had told her that a slave was someone that served another person for the rest of their life or until the so-called 'master/mistress' grew bored with them and threw the slave away. Slaves were people who had no freedom, no rights of their own. They were to serve and that was that.
Seraphina's vision started to blur and she quickly blinked back the tears before they ran down her cheeks. It proved useless as they fell anyway and so did Sera. She fell to her knees and then began to openly weep. Not like anyone was going to check and see what was the matter anyway. Slaves were not treated with respect nor were they treated with kindness. The maid that had come in earlier seemed nice but Seraphina knew that that was just a facade. She was scared and tired but she didn't dare go to sleep. She didn't feel comfortable sleeping in a place like this. Don't get her wrong, the room was nice but she didn't like the idea of sleeping on a bed that some other slave may or may not have slept on before her. Eventually when Sera's tears had finally dried up and all that was left was the sniffles, she leaned her back against the wall below the window and stared up at the ceiling with her arms around her knees.
It was kind of funny when Sera first arrived. The people didn't know where to put her. With the humans or with the uncommons? Sera assumed that she was going with the humans as she was created to be human but eventually they decided to put her with the uncommons. "She may look human but she's not. She'll go with the uncommons." They had finally agreed on. Seraphina couldn't tell the difference. Was an uncommon just a human who had different color hair and eyes? Or was an uncommon someone who was in a strange situation than most humans? According to the maid, there were four sections to the slaves quarters, humans, commons, uncommons, and rarities. None of it made sense to Sera. But she was to sad to think of it at the moment. She still wasn't out of the grieving stage of her father's death. A new wave of sorrow weighed down on her shoulders and Sera buried her face in her knees where more tears proceeded to cascade down her face and her heart began to ache.
Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart. I can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start.
They tell me I'm too young to understand. They say I'm caught up in a dream. Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes. Well that's fine by me.
The hotel... It was a chilling thought for the woman that had been in servitude for one man for far too long. It was too soon that his human life had ended, leaving his faithful slave to go back to the market. Her only regret? Never getting the memories of her previous life back. Since the operation that her late-master had preformed on her, she couldn't remember anything before waking up on the table to see her master's smiling face. But Maymarie had served him without question, as he had instructed her to do, with no thoughts of the physical romance that he said some masters wanted.
Dark blue eyes turned from the world beyond the window of the small room that was hers to the things that occupied it. "How lonely..." May whispered to objects around her before her eyes turned to the machines on her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. The 'costume' that she had worn all through her servitude to her previous master hadn't come off for long since she'd left the estate. The machines on her hands were buried deep into her muscles, hoses flowing through the tissues beneath her skin up to the mechanical device on her head where they converged into the steam punk like machine on her head and then down to her legs where matching devices encircled her ankles.
Articulating her fingers, May could feel the cold metal sliding over itself as the clinking rang in her ears, her eyes looking lovingly over the craftsmanship of the items on her form. The whole purpose of the machinery? Muscle augmentation. They were there to heighten the power and speed in her body, making her much faster and stronger than most creatures. Sure, all of the mechanisms could easily be removed on the outside, but it was only so that she could shower and swim, if she so chose to. However, Maymarie oftentimes, never took them off.
A sigh left the lungs of the frail looking fae as her eyes turned from her machinery to the door of the room. The thing she hated most about this place? They wouldn't even let her clean for them or let her out to do any of the landscaping. "So very lonely..." May mused to the door, before turning her eyes back to the window to watch the people coming and going from the hotel as she stared longingly and unnoticed above them as they went about their daily lives.
However, sulking all day, every day this week wasn't something she could live with. Her eyes turned once more from the world outside her small room to a large metal tool box that sat near the foot of the bed. Standing from the bay window seat, May moved toward it, her muscles making no objections to the movements despite her sitting so long in front of the glass. Her hands moved with careful precision as she pulled one of the tubes that fell between her finger on her left hand to her palm. Placing the end of the tube into a locking mechanism on the toolbox, it unlatched, giving her access to the necessities inside.
After plugging the tube back into the hole in the palm of her hand, she opened the tool box and took out a few tinkering screw drivers. Methodically, Maymarie removed her hardware, tightened the screws in them and placed them back in their places, with the last, being the one attached to her head. She needed to be ever so careful with the piece, as even a slight jostle as she was unplugging it could cause massive migraines, and though death was never mentioned by her previous owner, she feared that it too would find her if she messed up the process. Nimble fingers unscrewed the plugs from ports through her skull and into her brain tissue as she removed the device, one tube at a time for a total of twelve. Once every single tube was disconnected, she removed the piece from her head and began the repeated movements of tightening the screws, even though most were pretty snug.
Perhaps she should shower while the main piece was disconnected? No... She would do that tomorrow. After all, she'd already showered yesterday... There wasn't much to do in this little aquarium of a room... Eat, sleep, wait. Rinse and repeat. Day after day. For the past two months. How did the slaves that had been here for years handle it? May didn't know. Nor did she want to understand them. As her mind wandered from the present, she remembered the past. Her home, in all of it's beautiful glory with the other maids and and hired help, with her master always wanting to read up on the newest and greatest technology... He home... Was now gone. A single tear rolled from the woman's eye before she viciously wiped it away. Focusing once more on the mechanical piece in her lap, she continued to work on the metal, making sure and then doubly sure that they were all proper.
Sorry it took so long... I edited it. Hope it's a little easier to respond to now.
Saphire_L_Fox
Timid Flatterer
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daddinar
Shy Phantom
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:55 pm
Saphire_L_Fox
occ// you should put your character under my thread and where they were in the merchandise thread, say you moved it there (:
It was a strange place but he could not bring himself to care either way. Especially when it was like it was, this situation. Money wasn't a problem and if he needed someone for his needs, he would rather have someone who did not have the free will to run and did not have the luck of being as high on the social spectrum as some with full protection under the law. A slave did not have those luxuries so it was the most reasonable to come to this place. They were a high and major corporation rather than the shady underbelly where slavery did not exist on a velvet cushion. Should a problem arise, it would be the responsibility of both the slave and the ones who sold the slave to him. In all, though no situation was faultless, this was the only reasonable approach to take. If he wanted to do anything without shady intentions, on the other hand...
Then again, it had been a long time since he had given much thought to human morals. Let alone the morals of a living person.
It was near impossible to feel bad for the one accompanying him. When he left his little abode, no one had really expected it to be in that manner. But there hadn't been much choice in constructing this body. Time and lack of resources really puts a damper on your creativity. It was functional but was very unrealistic to go very far from where he currently resided. He was dressed up sharply with his arm curved in front of his breast. He kept his back straight which was very nice and his eyes trained ahead. He looked professional. The last thing he needed was to not be taken seriously. Whether he had money or not, he did not need suspicion. He had not dealt with these kinds before though he had heard enough.
There was a curious clicking noise as mental processes ceased. A red glow slowly appeared from a source behind the neck-area of the semi-humanoid form. It blinked in and out in a steady rhythm before the noise returned and the head lifted to show it was still functioning. The one who held it on his arm glanced down for only a moment before looking up again. It was not very large but about the length of his arm when standing. It was light weight with little protective covering to conceal its working mechanisms. The only places that were concealed were the ones responsible for controlling it and connecting it to the main computer. He did not need people seeing it. How it functioned was pretty simply and done so by a pretty well-known system. It functioned similarly to human limbs. The joints flexed with the pull of sinew while the device's primary functions were revealed by the complexity of important areas. The hands - for they looked as if they had been made to clearly replicated hands not on an aesthetic level but a functional one - were complex and protected by layers of rounded metal. The head area had no face that could resemble a human but did vaguely in its overall shape. The 'face' was a blank plate with the 'neck' protruding from the bottom to attack to the rest of the body. It was also covered to protect the wires beneath.
If he had any sort of worry about appearances he would be sure to make it more appealing to look at in the future. Now, it was purely functional. It wasn't very tall but it worked well for what it was usually used for. It could obviously 'see' so though it had no face that could be seen, it had a way to take in everything around it visually. That likely rested in its strange chest cavity.
"May I help you?" the man at the desk asked as he looked at the man with the sharp appearance and the automaton he held on his arm. The machine was mostly still except the motion it had given before to show it was active. No one could really know what that meant, though.
"You may if it pleases you but I request it," he responded. The noise did not come from a human throat with its metallic sound. There was no inflection in the voice that spoke with each word level and given equal measure to the ones preceding it. In spite of that it was a surprisingly sarcastic thing to say and sounded odd spoken in such a way. Though the man was now very aware that he was supposed to be addressing the automaton and not the one holding it. He cleared his throat and had to be applauded for remaining professional. He had probably seen worse.
"Of course, I would gladly help you, sir." A good guess. "I am certain we have a selection broad enough to find a suitable match for your needs. All we request is that you fill out this so we can find the best match for you." He pulled out a folder and slid it over then opened it. He also slid a pen forward so he could fill it out. He did not fill it out himself though he probably had full ability to. He had not had much need to write anything down because all data was recorded on electronic media. His agent took up the task of doing so by recording what was told to him for each section. There was only a brief pause between each question asked - when it was - before it was answered. He did not like having to think things through extensively like this but he had little choice in that matter. He did not like the pause in relaying information over a dstance. It wasn't as if this body was actually his body or that any thinking was going on in its brain. It was only relaying what was happening from the true brain. It was as if he were truly there, though.
So when it was finished, it was taken and reviewed. He waited patiently before matches were reached. There were a few fitting for the task but before he could be introduced to any, he rejected quite a few of them for reasons he did not give. Though they could have been some real help to him, he did not need that help. He wanted one that fit only with what he wanted and nothing more. So eventually he was offered one that only mildly got his interest. He agreed to meet this female. She did not appear to have anything he would dislike but he would like to meet her first.
Lead up to the room, the door was opened and they walked into the room. The automaton hadn't moved since he agreed to see this one but once it was set on the floor, the head moved and the body turned on steady legs. There was no creaking of parts and was surprisingly quiet. Taken well care of or at least well built in the least. He noted at first glance she also had mechanical parts. That, at least, wouldn't immediately make a bad impression for 'his' appearance. 'He' was definitely not human, at least not like that. The one behind him bowed and shut the door so the two of them were in the room alone. He didn't say a word, give any indication it had the ability of speech - though it was probably a given it could in some way - nor give a reason for why this robot had been left in the room with her. It was watching, taking in what she was doing and what she had. That was very interesting. Her papers had mentioned it but he had already guessed they were inadequate records of what was really there. She was flesh and blood but those parts she had were obviously a part of her. Placed there, he knew. Interesting.
"You can do maintenance though I rather you wouldn't except on yourself," it said suddenly in that mechanical voice. The head lifted and the red light at the back of its neck glowed a steady red. "What is your experience on caring for non-mechanical parts?" It began to move again and approached where she was. Standing on the ground it came to about her hip if she stood. The faceless head turned and the 'chin' lifted slightly in her general direction. "Maymarie Cevilier. This unit wishes to see whether you are suitable for this duty desired by the master. Tavares cannot come in person to greet you but requires that if you are suitable to meet him where he is. I stand in his stead and speak as he. Can you serve the dead and be subordinate to everything that is ordered of you? Leaving here would not make you freer than where you would go if you agree. I may have the appearance I do but your duties will not require knowledge of mechanics. Rather, it will be forbidden. Only knowledge of caring for non-mechanical parts."
There was another series of clicks and the head of the automaton dipped slightly and the red light began to slowly blink. It did so for several moments before the light stopped blinking and returned to a steady glow. The metal body shifted. "I am working on it, it has been a long time since I have spoken to anyone. I will repeat what I just said. I need someone to take care of what a mechanical body like this cannot. The master - I - cannot be taken care of with something other than someone else with flesh. I noticed that you have metal parts but you are clearly living." The head lifted again and the hand of the automaton moved to the back of its neck. "I will not Answer questions. Not answer questions." The hand lowered again. The voice at that moment had more inflection than all other words he had said but they were still as monotone as the rest. Definitely not human. It wasn't a person speaking over a speaker, not at all. Not even a recording of a voice made to repeat words in the desired order. "Can you run a household, I am saying plainly."
Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart. I can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start.
They tell me I'm too young to understand. They say I'm caught up in a dream. Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes. Well that's fine by me.
May's dark eyes focused on the project in her lap, only averting her eyes to look at the guard who opened her door, then man that entered her room and then to the small robotic object in the man's arm. as the man set the automaton down on the ground and left, the fae studied the creature for a moment before turning her eyes back to her own project. It wasn't uncommon for the guards to get their mechanical objects fixed by her, so she thought that she would just get to it when she was finished with her own gear. She had to admit that she was curious about the metallic object on the floor of her room, but she had to finish her project before digging into-
The object spoke to her in a way that made her look up from tightening the screws in her head gear. A confused look crossed her face before it faded as she listened to the words rather than the curiosity that was racing through her mind. Maymarie watched the machine as it moved toward her, but she was quiet. She didn't say a word as the automaton made his way up to her. It was about a little taller than she was since she was sitting on her butt, her legs crossed in front of her on the floor.
May was almost horrified about the fact that she would not be able to know anything about the mechanics, especially of this thing in front of her. But she continued to listen, despite the fact that she was fighting a disgusted look that was wanting to cross her facial features. She was confused by the words coming from the 'unit' as he spoke and she thought to answer, but clicks were heard in her room before the machine moved once more. The red light coming from the back of the thing's head caught her attention. Finally after his finishing statement, she answered. Her voice was quiet, but steady as she looked at the creature. "I can take care of living flesh, yes. I take orders well and am perfectly able and willing to take care of of a body."
Maymarie paused for a moment before she continued. "However, my knowledge of mechanics cannot be forbidden. I need the knowledge to make myself stronger..." She paused again, before she put her tools down and began to move strands of her hair to plug her device back into her head. It didn't take long for the device to be back in place before she turned her eyes back to the automaton. "I took care of my previous master, his entire estate, by myself. But I cannot agree to the lack of knowledge. I would be willing to take care of the master and his household, and anything else he might need, if I can have access to knowledge. That is my only requirement."
May was surprised by her own stubbornness to the fact that she needed knowledge, but she stood her ground on the matter. "I will not take anything apart, however. I only want to read about it." She clarified, knowing that the automaton was probably worried about her taking the master's things apart. The fae like creature watched the mechanical device in front of her, wondering what his response would be, wondering if she would leave this hotel... Even if it was only trading one cage for another.
Sorry if it's a crappy post and if she's a little too headstrong. xD I can change it if you want me to.
Saphire_L_Fox
Timid Flatterer
Offline
daddinar
Shy Phantom
Offline
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:02 pm
Saphire_L_Fox
I thought it best to head to his place unless you don't want to go that far? I can cut it off and leave it where they are still at the hotel or on the plane (:
It was quiet for some time though the steady red light at the back of its neck revealed it was functioning and very alert. It was thinking, of course, though it should have already come up with something to say. There had been a few moments when it had been still, all thought process ceasing for that time. Though, at last, the steady mechanical voice spoke. "It is inevitable, I suppose." It could have been amused but it was impossible to say when the voice was so mechanically level. It gave no hint to what it was feeling, if it felt anything at all.
"Though I should make it clear I am not forbidding you from understanding mechanical capabilities or denying you use of your own parts. I appreciate you will not toy with anything that belongs to me. They are not for you to explore nor play with. These I deny you access to unless it is completely necessary you interact with them. Otherwise, I am not forbidding you from separating yourself from it. It would be nigh impossible, after all. I keep my secrets selfishly though removing any interaction with my mechanical parts would be impossible, I suppose." The automaton fell silent again, the red light beginning to blink slowly though it didn't go out. Even for something so small and insignificant, that light, it told a lot to anyone who saw it after seeing it for so long. He had his ways of revealing his quirks through his machines though it was difficult through this particular device. He hadn't gone much into developing a useful way of communication with physical people because there had been little reason to. He had, though, put some thought into it eventually.
"You may study if you wish, I would merely not have you tinker with my parts. I have no time to care for the weak frail body as simply keeping it alive is enough effort as I continue my experiments and research. There will be much available to you if you if you cooperate and show you are trustworthy. Much of my databases will be forbidden to you but others I do not mind you studying if you complete your other duties. Curiosity can be detrimental to your health but not forbidden." He did not need her accessing his actual consciousness though there was quite a bit of information he had stored. He did not need her to be overly curious about him, however. About his plans nor his current functions. It was inevitable she would grow curious about his situation and the significance of the boy she was supposed to care for. He expected her to have curiosity after all. Any rational being would. Though she may just be able to put two and two together to figure out that he was both the voice and the body.
That useless body.
It was a pity he would be using her. Then again, that was a human emotion not taken account for in his calculations. It was a useless thought. He pushed it aside.
He left there be several moments of silence before he spoke again. It was required. "I should protest your willfulness for demanding terms of me but I will let it slide. You will be useful. Only the knowledge you need will be given to you. I do not care for what you have done in the past, it has no meaning to me. Your new condition will be greatly different. It is not an estate nor a household. You will have no interaction with the family household and will only be useful until the body has fully regained life functions and ability to function on its own. How long that will be is questionable." A brief pause and its the joints in its chest cavity flexed about a steel box. It rotated ninety-degrees and clicked. "Prepare yourself for travel. It is a long way. It will be fully taken care of but do not make yourself a nuisance."
The door opened soon after and the one who had originally accompanied him appeared. The red light dimmed and went out and the device drooped slightly while the chest cavity once more returned to its original shape. The small box at the center clicked back to its first position. His companion had been alerted to the fact this was the one he wanted. He could care less who it was ultimately just as long as the slave would not be a nuisance to him.
Thus, he was picked up once more. It was no longer connected to the main computer and would not function. All that had to be done was paying for her release from the hotel and returning by plane to their destination. He was not impatient and could wait until she arrived. Though, it was probably better if it was sooner rather than later. It would be annoying if there developed another problem he had to take care of. It was irritating that he had to take care of this troublesome body until the time was right for it to be disconnected to what was giving it life. He no longer so "the body" as "his body". He would not call it that anymore.
"Please follow me," the gray-haired man said with a bow. "The master is waiting. We will be traveling by private plane to our destination and you do not need to bring anything except items of sentimental value. Everything else will be provided for you. If there is nothing you wish to take with you, please follow me." He waited with unfailing patience until she was ready to follow him. After that they were lead back to where they had started so that he could pay. He had known the young master since he was a child and it was intensely uncomfortable for him to have the one he had watched grow up as no more than a mechanical voice in a vaguely human-shaped machine. But he did everything without complaint. Making sure the new slave was paid for, taken care of, and being sure she was comfortable. Their transportation to the private airfield was a black car with tinted windows. The drive took approximately a half an hour to reach before they boarded the jet.
"Please, may yourself comfortable. It will be several hours before we reach our destination. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask me." He gave her a smile then moved down the inner aisle to disappear through another door further down. He had to carefully store away the automaton so nothing would happen to it. After that he found his own seat where he decided he would take a nice nap before they landed. They had quite enough time and was a light sleeper. If anything was needed from him, he could awaken at any time. It was a flight without incident and turbulence was no problem for him. He slept soundly except when he was needed for a few things. It was night before they got near and a half an hour before they were supposed to land, he set about preparing for the landing and making sure he was awake. It was about a fifteen minute drive after that until they finally got to where they were headed.
So when the plane landed, he searched out his master's new slave and made her aware that they only had a short car ride until they got to the final destination. "I will be parting from you there," he said with a polite smile. "Be sure to not touch anything until the master has sought you out. Everything is delicate and he has not allowed anyone there for ten years. I believe it would be safest to follow those measures until he makes it clear where your boundaries are." He inclined his head some. "I have not seen him in person for ten years. And only spoken to him briefly only recently. He was never an unreasonable boy though I cannot say anything about his person now. I think you will get along. At least, I hope so." He helped her out after that and into the waiting car. Sadly she would be locked up in that dark place. It had no windows and though it had more than one floor, from what he had seen, it was very dark. He had not seen what conditions he had left his own body in though he doubted it would be anything but optimal conditions. He was not a foolish boy. A very brilliant one, actually. He had only glimpsed the interior briefly but the entire place was like one large machine. The light inside was artificial and the sounds completely lacking any natural tone. He wondered if she could stand it there. Hopefully she would.
So once reaching the blocky building, he opened the door to let her in. Faint blue light spilled out to illuminate them. "Good luck," he said kindly as the others present waited for her to enter and the door to be locked. "Perhaps later you can visit the family. It is up to the young master, however. Be sure to keep my advice in mind until he approaches you." After that, the door was shut and locked behind her.
INDENT Most vehicles that pulled up to the Hôtel des Esclaves were the epitome of luxury, be it personal vehicles or chaffeur cars. Occasionally there was a taxi carrying the more humble of customers, but the incidence of taxis was few and far between. Rarely was there anything else. Rarely was there a homely, somewhat weathered American-made van pulling up to the Hôtel. Even rarer, the back doors of the van opened to release not one but three people. These people did not appear the kind to enjoy each others' company; two were dressed in matching ordinary, non-designer suits whereas the other one, a short man indeed, was wearing a Japanese school uniform all fully buttoned up. Having dropped off its cargo for now, the van pulled away to await their call. The three men made their way into the Hotel in a tidy line, the odd one out walking between the two. Once inside, the group split; one of the suits went to speak to a Hotel associate while the other doggedly stuck by his charge while he gazed around.
INDENT "I don't know what he wants. He has trouble communicating," the suit at the desk was explaining. "Can I get a catalog or something, with a little of everything in it?"
INDENT Shortly, a sample book was brought over for the uniformed one to leaf through. And he did so - deftly - indicating by a stroke of a finger on the specimen's picture or a moment of lingering on the page what he was looking for. The suits with him considered what he liked and had another book compiled, this time less of a smattering of everything and more precisely tuned to their charge's unknown tastes. This was repeated twice more until the book was down to a mere thirty pages or so. He indicated interest in seventeen of them. One suit stayed behind in the lobby while the other followed his uniformed charge and a hotel employee as they were led to the first of the seventeen. He was entirely uncomfortable with the situation but he had little choice; in exchange for his work for the military, he would be entitled to one request, seemingly with no regard to how ridiculous the requests were. This time, the creep wanted a pet.
INDENT The creep's name was Satoru Kobayashi, but he only reliably responded to the nickname Toru. He was picked up by the police after he had been found doing nutty experiments in the countryside, and then swiped from his home country's death row by the US government. He probably would have gotten away with it for far longer if his last experiment, a literal cow girl, hadn't gotten out. If only he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion during a routine examination of the girl, he could have seen just how successful that first experiment was after she had fully healed. (His carelessness now meant she was in a protected hospital somewhere in his home country with a whole international team of doctors trying in vain to restore her to her original form.) But instead, he was plucked up and relocated to an abandoned facility too close for comfort to a decommissioned nuclear testing site, bottled up behind thick, secure doors like he kept most of his experiments behind. In a way, he was like a caged, domesticated animal for the government to use when they needed or dispose of when they needed. They supplied him with just enough to survive and do what they needed. They gave him just enough incentive to cooperate, no more and no less. He had a handful of specimens stockpiled; three were as of yet untouched and the fourth one was steadily deteriorating after a particularly cruel modification. His watchers/overseers at first tried to argue that he had no room for a fifth body. Where would he keep another pet? The facility had five holding cells for his subjects, but one was being used as storage for various organic parts leaving only four habitable. Their arguments fell on deaf ears and a mute mouth and they gave in. Where the fifth specimen would go was not their concern, since the entirely facility was well separated from the outside world. Experiment or doctor, no one could leave without the proper credentials. Thus, after the two weeks it took to process his request, here he was at the foremost name in the slave trade, the Hôtel des Esclaves, known for its high quality and enormous selection.
INDENT The guard unlocked the first door and thrust the door open. The mad doctor, looking nothing like his namesake currently, tottered into the room. He wandered into the room along the wall, at first walking straight but eventually leaning, dragging his shoulder along the surface as he moved. Though his expression betrayed nothing, the whiteness of the room was very unsettling. It was too clean. Too overwhelming. Too bland. The fireplace and the wiry chandelier were the only dashes of dark in the whole room. (Besides himself, a blob of black in the otherwise light room.) Blending in to the room was what looked like an ordinary white girl instead of what should have been something more extraordinary - blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin - seated by the window with her feet and ankles dipped into a small movable pool. She was as bland and clean as the room. A pretty face, which would look prettier with sewn-up eyelids. He didn't like the light eyes of westerners. Normal arms, which would look much more interesting with chitinous plating. A healthy body, which probably had all its original organs. It would be better with only one kidney, and perhaps only one lung. Every other major organ only occurred once per body, and in the spot where the lung was, something else could be placed. Perhaps a modified stomach to be more like a ruminant? (He hadn't been able to reproduce the success he had had with his first cow girl, but it was only a matter of time.)
INDENT He slid along the wall, turning a corner on to the windowed wall. He was now inching towards her.
INDENT Continuing his visual examination, her normal thighs were capped with normal knees, which connected to normal shins. From about a handspan above her ankle, she was submerged in water. The skin that was submerged in the water was somewhat iridescent, with breaks between the otherwise glossy surface indicating scales or some other texture. Sprouting from the backs of her feet and ankles were thin webs of translucent flesh, supported by needle-thin bony spines... also known as fish fins. As her file had said - he remembered her file, despite only seeing it once - she was not human by birth. Toru lifted himself off of the wall and flung himself to the floor by the mermaid's feet, crumbling to his knees in front of her and her foot-bath. With trembling fingers he plunged his hands into the water (never m induing that his coat sleeves were also being dipped) and caressed with surprising gentleness the slick, scaled surface of the mermaid's ankles. His fingers traced along the transitional area between her normal flesh and the scales, avoiding contact with the delicate fins on the underside of her limbs and the fully scaled areas, despite how much he wanted to pet her scaly feet. His eyes (crudely and unevenly smeared with a black powder) were wide with unwavering captivation and his thick lips (which at one point were also painted black, though by now the crisp edges had grown fuzzy with time and most of it had been eroded closest to his mouth) were parted to allow for his audible, quickened breathing. She was a perfect being, an organic, natural joining of two different things - a human form and the traits of a fish - and it was exhilarating to see. It was entrancing. She was utterly bewitching.
currently wearing... a black gakuran uniform
N o i r Wafflesaurus
By the end, I started developing a "voice" for writing/narration so I'm feeling a bit better about this. Not quite there yet, but on the way.
The hotel, sucked. The lack of moisture in her room, sucked. The whole damn situation sucked.
Sitting in her bath, curled up in a foetal position, Selena let out a long, drawn out sigh and watched the bubbles float out of sight. Having a lack of swimming space readily available, the bath was her only real way to submerge herself fully and allow the dreadful itching to stop. Sleeping curled up in the bath wasn't exactly ideal for the woman, but when you had no other real choice thanks to the dry air of the room, it was better than throwing a tantrum. Admittedly, the dank dungeons were a little better for the moisture in the air, but she was completely denied all access to water as punishment. The mermaid learned pretty quickly that putting up with the conditions in the room were slightly bearable to the punishment cells. The water was well on it's way to being cold, which didn't really bother the woman, but lying in such an uncomfortable position did. Topping up the bath with hot water, she dumped a good half a kilo of salt into the water and proceeded to soak for another twenty minutes. Not one to use scented body washes every day, this was how the mermaid 'bathed' in captivity. Salt water was fine for her hair, thank you very much, and the gritty texture the grains left behind were as close to sand as she could get, so that provided a natural exfoliant to stop her skin from getting too itchy too soon. Reluctantly dressing - clothes were horrid, ew - a bikini set was pulled on underneath a blue dress, both items thrust upon her by the slave shop. A few complains by more conservative 'shoppers' ended up with the hotel staff giving the mermaid a small amount of free-flowing, non-restrictive clothes and dresses to avoid future shocks; Selena had been rather prone to walking around her hotel room completely nude. It was her space, so surely she should have been able to dress how she wanted?
Hair damp, shoes thrust aside to sit by her chair, the woman sat down on the window seat to stare out across the hotel grounds. She could just see the ocean, and if she opened the window, she could smell it too. A bittersweet memory these days, a part of her longing to return, while the other part wanting to avoid it like the plague. A knock at the door alerted her to the arrival of lunch, and she let out a sound of acknowledgement in her native language - it was a way for her to still be a little rebellious while still technically behaving, because who could tell her off for speaking in her native language? Even if it was offensive to human ears. Every day it seemed to be a different guard bringing food, or else she wasn't paying enough attention, but the food for her didn't seem to change too often. Today it was miso soup with thick strands of kelp and half a steamed fish - the choice of fish this time was hake. The soup had interested her from the first day, seeing as four attempts to find something she'd willingly eat ended up with a month long trip in solitary and two injured guards. It was the seaweed that got her attention, the saltiness a good reminder of home. Fish was fish and she'd happily eat that any day. Surprisingly enough, steak tartare was a favourite for the mermaid, along with wasabi paste, horseradish and just about anything with spice. But fish won hands down anyday over everything else. Being able to hunt live fish was very much missed, though.
Lunch over and done with, plate and bowl taken away, Selena was left with a pot of tea and condiments, and her solitude. A book was chosen - a science-based book on climate change - and her foot bath was pulled out from under the bed. Since her request was denied for a decent sized paddling pool (a first from any slave shop, good lord) it was all she had to keep her wet. Most of the day went past where she was quite civilised using it, but once sunset hit, she'd sit in it, try and lie in it and basically just let out all her frustration on the small bowl. Still, for what it was, it was decent enough. At least she could see her scales imprinted in her skin, and her fins could just be seen too. It was the small things these days. Debating if a nap was a good idea or not - there was very little to do and at least sleeping passed the time - when the click of her door unlocking made her stare in contempt. What, no knock these days? Well, screw them. No warning meant no manners today, tough s**t for the poor soul who was going to come purchase some trophy pet to look pretty in his fish tank. ******** humans. A... Boy? Man? Was lead in with two guys flanking him. Well super, some rich kid-teenager-man just wanted a pretty pet. He wasn't even interested in what was going on. Rolling her eyes and making no effort to converse or even acknowledge anyone in the room, she allowed the incredibly odd male to do his thing. Huffing slightly, turning a page, she could feel him getting closer, the vibrations in her foot pool alerting her to his proximity. Taking a glance at the two stiffs in suits, curious at why they had to hang around this guy, she felt hands invade her space.
Hands. ******** hands. The dude had touched her, and was stroking her feet.
Hell. No.
With an inhuman screech that crippled the guard for her room, the mermaid kicked - physically kicked - the hands off her. Jumping to her feet, the guard regained his composure in time to grab the arms of the clearly pissed off female. "What the ********! Are you KIDDING ME?? ******** ask before you decide to touch someone, ********> Squirming, her accent was strange; her birth origin was close to Japan, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, but her accent was decidedly more Mediterranean; maybe Greek or Turkish. Given her ancestral heritage was traced back to the first mermaid Atargatis - who was known in Greek mythology - it was no real surprise to anyone who knew mythology. Calming down a tad, eyes rather wild and frantic, still damp hair hanging about her face, she huffed. "You, do not touch, without permission." Staring down the dude with the badly done make up, she threw her gaze to the thugs that accompanied him. "Ever thought about keeping the creep under control, huh?" Rattling off an offensive stream of profanities in her native tongue, finally causing the guard to let go of her, the mermaid dashed to her bed and leapt onto the covers, crouching more like a wild cat ready to pounce than anything else. Breathing heavily, she slowly began to calm down and changed her stance to sit indian style in the middle of the bed instead, watching all the occupants of the room. It was the most she'd spoken in a very, very long time and she wasn't feeling exactly happy about that. Not to mention she hated to be touched like she was a freaking pet for gods sake. At least she knew it wasn't a rich b*****d wanting a trophy pet. The way he had touched her scales and avoided her fins was almost like a scientist examining a specimen.
Well, she knew what would be coming next then - someone would ask her to sit or kneel in the foot spa to prove what she was. That was always fun. Not.
INDENT A screech made his ears hurt but he had little time to analyze the implications of such an inhumanly powerful voice; he saw stars, as the saying goes, as an aquatic foot made contact with his nose. The odd man was repelled away and onto his back, his hands cupping his bashed facial feature. He rocked back and forth like an overturned turtle, making assorted nonsyllabic noises of pain. After some hesitation, one of the two suits attempted to make it seem like they cared and approached. Not seeing any blood from between his fingers, the suit assumed his charge was fine.
INDENT When the spots cleared from his eyes and the pain had subsided, Toru sat up and leered across the room at the mermaid perched rather prettily atop her bed. Her violent outburst faded from his mind quicker than a footprint at high tide. He recalled the slickness of her scales on his fingers and lowered his hands into his lap to begin wringing them together. So different from human skin. So much more... intriguing. Toru knew from that inhuman texture, cool and sleek and mucosal, she was special. She was not human, at least not entirely.
INDENT He mumbled something. The suit closest to him leaned closer and asked him if he wanted to see the next slave. Someone who might be more agreeable.
INDENT"Her," he mumbled, louder and clearer. "I want... her."
INDENT Hearing this, his guard began to protest. There was no where to put her, she's too belligerent, she's going to break something, he's going to get hurt, the guard named many conjured up many good reasons yet they all fell upon deaf ears. The queer little man simply stared with the unreadable eyes of a dead fish, first at his guards that tried to dissuade him and then, when they gave up, back at the mermaid who at the moment appeared entirely human on the bed. He wanted her. Though he had only seen the very slightest of what made her unique, he was sure there was an even more beautiful true form hidden away. And he wanted it to be for his eyes - and hands and syringes and experimentation - only.
INDENT His escort party had no choice. There was a simultaneous sigh from the both of them. It would be trouble - but not their trouble. At least, not immediately. If she was a mermaid she needed water, and where they were going had no fish tank big enough for a human-sized fish. No, that would need to be constructed. They mentioned that to him, and to the guard, speaking about the mermaid as if she wasn't even there. They wanted to buy her, but it would be a week or two before they could take her. They needed time to prepare accommodations for her. To their chagrin, the guard agreed that that was acceptable. They would accept a non-refundable 30% deposit and hold her for up to two weeks, and the rest was to be paid upon physically surrendering her. The deal was made all between the suits and the hotel staff; the odd little man on whose behalf they bargained for remained where he was, on the floor, staring at the girl with eyes that rarely blinked. Only when one of his entourage approached him and tugged on his arm to get going did he rise, as if in a stupor, and follow. Though he kept his eyes on the woman the whole time, staggering as a result. She was all he could and would think about until the moment he could have that slickness, that slipperiness, that wetness, that marvelous marriage of man and fish, for his own.
currently wearing... a black gakuran uniform
N o i r Wafflesaurus
Doot dee doo~♫ ...eight months later...
`MaliceMizer Crew
Wheezing Codger
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Gummi_Peach
Noob
Offline
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 8:30 am
You can keep me out 'till I tear the walls, 'Till I save your heart and to take your soul, For what has been done can not be undone.
Another day in paradise. Peyton woke up to the light coming from the window and the calls of seagulls. It was the beginning of her second week in the hotel room. Since the girl was captured, she had only left the room once when someone was interested in meeting her. Old and stuffy, Peyton offended the man with her colorful vocabulary and lack of tact. She was promptly sent back to her cushy prison. Home to a bed, a vanity, a window with the view of the ocean and a functioning bathroom, Peyton didn't have much room to complain. It was better than sleeping outside or in the arms of a stranger who smelled like cigarettes. On the plus side, she was also being fed and had the chance to bathe regularly. Normally at this time, Peyton would have been rushing out of a hotel room after stealing a poor guys wallet, on her way to a diner for breakfast. Instead, she got up to the tray of food next to her door and ate her eggs and bacon in bed. If only it weren't for being stuck in one room all day with not much to do, Peyton wouldn't mind living here for the rest of her days.
After breakfast, she got ready. This took an entire hour, more than a quarter of it dedicated to standing in the hot water as she showered. The girl hadn't had the opportunity to take her time and enjoy bathing in years, and she didn't have a problem running up the water bill. It wasn't like she had to pay for it. The rest of her morning routine was just as slow, taking the time to brush out her long hair and put it up. Getting dressed wasn't as nice. Her clothes she had when she was captured were confiscated. Now, she had to wear clothes that were picked out for her. No longer could she hide in bulky sweaters and layers of fabric. Instead, she put on a yellow dress with floral print. It seemed like they wanted her to look more friendly. She approached the mirror, frowning at her bare arms in the reflection. Looking more closely at herself, she noticed that her skin was clearer and her hair was shinier. Her nails were clear of dirt and they were even painted a pretty peach color. Even though she felt good looking at the girl in the mirror, she knew it was just to show off to prospective buyers.
Peyton wasn't that concerned with being a slave. In fact, she felt she should be more upset by it. In her mind, a slave would be nothing but a butler or a maid. She couldn't think of anything else a slave would be good for. Of course, she knew that a master or mistress could be abusive or scary, but that didn't really matter to her. So far, the girl was able to take on anyone who hurt her. She had nothing to worry about. Besides, she was able to drive the old man away, she would be able to drive away a jerk too.
Seven devils all around you Seven devils in your house See, I was dead when I woke up this morning I'll be dead before the day is done
Eriyonai
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 12:13 pm
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The Hotel lived up to its expectations, that was for sure. Appropriately grand and luxurious at every turn, the hallways and rooms were immaculately maintained, and each slave was prettier than the last. Prettier than those that visited them, certainly, at least that was probably the experience of most guests.
And then there was the staff. Eternally accommodating and patient, appearing at your side at a moment's request, whether that request come as a polite word or a... really, really condescending tsk of the tongue. Like you'd call a cat. Time after time... after time. For hours. You had to appreciate their respect and professionalism in the face of anything but; or well, you didn't have to, apparently, not if you were used to being treated like royalty, fawned after and admired, having your every need seen to like you were the most important people in the world. Could really do a number on your head, that kind of attention.
Still, the Hotel's staff were used to such entitlement in their clientele, surely. This was exactly what they trained for... only generally, one could at least expect a certain level of decorum from the cream of society.
Everett and Dorien were gleefully happy to break stereotype. The two of them hadn't even bothered to dress up for the occasion of a visit to such a prestigious establishment, unironed clothes hanging off their long frames. Two pairs of jeans, two thin grey t-shirts, two dark green coats that fell past their hips. They'd bothered to dress identically, at least, as always, and sure, their simple attire probably cost in the hundreds, but they wore them like a pair of street miscreants, rakish and careless, their dark hair pushed lazily back from their fair features, striking dark eyebrows and intense, deep set eyes of brooding blue.
It didn't matter what they wore, though. They were those kinds of people, who made candid photographs look like haute couture. They could have showed up to a photoshoot or runway just like that and made enough money to support a small family for weeks. They could have worn garbage and had it trending with a single Instagram shot.
Ill-mannered was an understatement. They might as well have been the only ones in the place, for as much regard as they gave the staff and few other patrons whose paths they crossed. They were shameless, they laughed too loud, complained and criticized indiscreetly, and dropped jokes and comments so crude they seemed to affront the very walls of the distinguished hallways. From the minute they'd checked in at the front desk, they'd treated the Hotel like their own personal playground, like the whole thing was just an amusing game constructed solely for their pleasure, like those halls were a cobble-stoned Parisian street after dark, and they a pair of college students on a weekend night, wandering inebriated and uninhibited from their final drink.
Against recommendation, they'd left the preference section of their application largely open, leaving them with a huge selection to choose from. It might take all day to visit that many slaves, they'd been warned, but they had no qualms about taking their time, or that of the ever patient staff. They'd been at it for hours, now, with a suspiciously small amount of discussion regarding seriously narrowing down their choices any. One could even wonder if they actually meant to make a purchase at all, but of course it wasn't the guards' position to say.
They seemed to be enjoying themselves, at any rate, but at this point they were nearly two thirds of the way through the Hotel's selection, and it was hard to tell what they were really after, especially given that the time they spent actually with slaves was unwitnessed.
They had arrived at yet another room, now. They took a minute to glance over the information given, and one detail in particular caught their eye. They shared a glance, full lips twisting faintly in a sneeringly bemused smirk, all the discussion they needed.
The guard unlocked the door, silently and politely allowing them entry, and after the pair wandered inside, one after the other, shut it behind them. They stood not quite side-by-side, hands tucked into their jacket pockets, striking dark eyes boring across the room towards the vanity, lazily inspecting the young woman through her reflection, somehow harboring a sardonic smirk in their gaze that unnervingly didn't reach their mouth in the slightest.
One tsked three times, softly, for her attention, stretching his jaw and tilting his head as he regarded her.
"Hey hey," he drawled idly. "This way, kiddo."
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Her bed wasn't made and was still home to crumbs and a plate from breakfast. The floor was just as bad, with a towel and pajamas in a crumpled pile. The curtains were drawn and the window was opened just a crack, letting in a cool salty breeze from the ocean.
In the reflection, Peyton was straightening her pigtails. Making up her hair without looking in the mirror wasn't the best idea. As she let her hands drop, satisfied with the style, she noticed two men now standing in the room behind her. It startled her, but it didn't show on her face. As one of the men called to her, she made a face in disapproval. No doubt that it reflected back at them before she turned to face them. The girl studied them more carefully now. Of course, the most noticeable thing was that they were dressed alike and had the same expression on their faces. She thought they were attractive, but with their sudden entrance and the context of the meeting, this was no time to check people out. Being in a room with the two men made her a bit uncomfortable. Especially since neither of them looked particularly friendly. Peyton didn't like the odds of trying to take both of them on in a fight. Thankfully, she had never before had to defend herself from more than one person at a time, but now she wished she had more experience. She wondered to herself if they were human. It would be easier that way in case things went sour.
"Peyton", she corrected."First time I've had visitors."
Seven devils all around you Seven devils in your house See, I was dead when I woke up this morning I'll be dead before the day is done
Eriyonai
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:32 pm
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"Peyton," silently breathed the second twin, just mouthing the word as if to taste it, syllables enunciated.
"That's cute," the first finished in an idle purr, quiet enough to come across mostly rhetoric. His next words were just enough more direct to make it clear he was speaking to her, drawling; "Poor Peyton. You must be getting lonely."
Look at her, so small and delicate, in that cute little dress. They liked those pigtails, the discomfort in her expression, poorly concealed, if she was trying at all. Not that there was any point-- who here wouldn't be nervous? They could pick anybody they wanted, take them away and do whatever they pleased with them. A front at bravery would only demonstrate your skill at bluffing... or, if convincing enough, just ensure you attracted the kind of buyer that liked that in a pet.
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Gummi_Peach
oof sorry this took so long! i'm already strugglin with that word count thing haha. like, it's just dialogue rn, there's only so much inner thought i can put in here rn without forcin' it. ;-; idk if they're as strict as they used to be so i'm gonna just go ahead and post this and if they want me add more i'll try to.
Oh. These guys were creeps. She could tell by the look in their eyes, like the way a snake looks at a mouse, and the way one of them talked in that mocking tone. It didn't matter. They weren't allowed to get physical in here. This was her space, and she had enough control so long as they didn't buy her. That thought made her feel safer.
She had to admit, a week by herself was boring, but loneliness was normal for the girl. She grew up being co-parented by both her father and his friends, but never had a friend of her own. Being on the streets was no different. She had occasionally hung out with other homeless people in the past, but she never made any meaningful connections.
"I'm getting by, thanks.", she replied, looking more sure of herself now."But it would be nice to have a TV or something around here. If you could mention that to the guard on your way out, that would be great."
She made her way to her bed, promptly plopping down on the edge of it. She had to jump a little bit to make it up there and her legs dangled over the floor. She was trying to look unbothered by their presence, but this didn't really make her look confident or powerful…It just made her look like a child.
Not wanting to let her disappointment show, she continued."So, what do you want?"
Seven devils all around you Seven devils in your house See, I was dead when I woke up this morning I'll be dead before the day is done
Eriyonai
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:00 pm
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The thus far quieter of the two twins released a hard, shaky breath of silent laughter, scraped from his mouth and nose at once in a candid, sincere sort of way. As if at some secret inside joke, his dark blue eyes fell slyly, distantly away from her, and he wandered idly from his brother out into the room. His head was lowered, hands still in his pockets as he nudged a still-damp towel with his toe. The other aimed a tightly twisted smirk after him, then his attention was all for Peyton, and he sauntered unhurriedly towards her, tsking lightly.
"Oh, we'll be sure to," he drawled insincerely, lazily bobbing his eyebrows in unconcealed mockery. Once behind her, he leaned down at the waist, staring over her shoulder to scrutinize himself in the reflection, eyebrows raised and mouth stretched unsmilingly, lazily open, expression like that of a woman applying eyeliner.
"You know though," he murmured thoughtfully, staring himself down as he pulled his far hand from his jacket pocket, absently stroking a few strands of hair back with a few scraping fingertips, once or twice, "we've got a pretty big TV ourselves, don't we, Dory?"
The other twin had crouched, meanwhile, and gathered up her towel into a few long fingers. He'd lifted it, gripping it to his nose, and inhaled it deeply and silently, still warm and damp and scented of her shampoo.
Utterly un-self-conscious, he rose languidly to his feet as he was addressed, rolling those brooding blue eyes their way.
"Huge," he murmured, his first words outloud. He still held her towel. "Flat-screen. Surround sound. We've got a few, actually."
"That's right," in quiet, mild astonishment, as if his brother had just pointed out some very important detail he'd overlooked. "We even have one right in our bedroom," a faux-sheepish, breathed laugh, as if embarrassed by the over-indulgence, and he smirked with unnervingly condescending warmth down towards her head, seeming suddenly closer with the redirection of his attention, and his closer hand had stealthily slipped from its pocket behind her back, so that the backs of a few fingertips could enunciate his next words as they grazed one pigtail, "isn't that just silly?"
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The quieter of the two started laughing, as if she had just said something somewhat hilarious. It wasn't a good sign. That one was the first to move, and thankfully it wasn't towards her. She wasn't so lucky with the other one, who was starting to approach.
He replied in a way that let her know in no uncertain terms that there was absolutely no way that he was going to help her out with the TV situation. Not like that surprised her. Her mentioning of it was only half-serious. His next comment though made her stomach flip. The girl glanced at the other twin just in time to see her towel pulled up against his nostrils. Her mouth went dry. This wasn't going as well as she hoped, but she knew they were messing with her on purpose.
They had to be.
She turned her attention back to the man closer to her. Her heart was pounding at that point, frozen in position. Frozen, that is, until she felt fingers brush against her hair. Peyton felt a chill go down her spine before she swerved away, taking a couple steps towards the other end of the room. They weren't supposed to touch her. Didn't they know that? She didn't want them to know how uncomfortable she was, so she didn't threaten to scream. At least, not yet.
"Good for you.", she replied, sounding more callous than before.
