Breaking a Will (18+)(Private)

[Sathenus]

Damion was startled when he heard the other speak, turning his head so he was looking at the man who had slept beside him all night, he didn't really answer the question just gave a small nod in answer still not trusting his voice to behave itself right now but being to sensitive from his punishment to be the smart ass he normally was. He was taken off guard when the other man reached out and pat his head, not really sure what to make of it as he watched him with surprised eyes but he knew he didn't really appreciate it.

 

Being pat made him feel more like a pet than anything, and the fact that he wore a choker around his neck that he couldn't remove already made him feel like a pet, the simple gesture didn't help even if he had meant nothing by it. Watching the other as he seemed to push himself up to get ready for the day himself he didn't move, listening as he spoke about how if he wanted to lay in bed until breakfast he could, that he would send one of the maids up to get him when it was time to come eat.

 

That just had him nod again in response, sure that the simple motion was enough of a response and that he didn't really need him to voice the fact that he was going to stay in bed. Still being sore the last thing he really wanted to do was get up and move around more than he absolutely had to, he was really curious about the man he was supposed to call Master though. He hadn't really seen much of him, and despite having invoked his cruel side and knowing at least a little of what he was capable of he felt like he didn't know the man at all and that made him nervous.

 

Damion was rather hesitant though, despite the fact that he wanted to know more about the other he wasn't really sure where to start and figured he could learn about him from afar. If he watched him enough he was bound to understand who he was and just what he was about, especially if he was apparently going to be his companion and keep him company whenever he requested it though the mere idea still made him want to laugh.

 

Shifting slightly to relieve a spot of pressure on his ribs he settled back down once more this time his body propped more on it's side though still technically on his stomach as he watched the older man. It was different then how he had watched him before considering his eyes weren't cold yet, just curious.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Seeing as the boy nodded, Egon did not lose more time. He opened the closet to pull out a big towel and a bathrobe, slightly bigger than what the other had used the previous day. The man said nothing more and stepped inside the bathroom, closing the door behind.

 

The man's morning routine was fairly simple. He stepped into a shower of cold water, cleaning himself twice before getting out to brush his teeth. With all that out of the way he dumped the clothes he previously wore into the laundry basket, wrapping the towel around himself and putting the bathrobe on as he blow dried his hair and styled it into place.

 

This morning was going to be another fairly bothersome one. He did not yet know wether or not he'd have to skip breakfast today, having a meeting with a client at 8. One troublesome client at that. The woman was the owner of a slave that became a murderer after an argument with another master's slave. The usual procedure would be throwing the slave in jail, the owner having to pay a certain sum for the damage caused to the victim's owner. But things got complicated. The man refused the money, demanding for the criminal to be executed instead. In such case, given the fact that both the victim and the culprit have the status of slave, the reason for their fight or possible circumstances are overlooked.

 

The pressure was there. One wrong move and another life would be lost. From what Egon determined, the criminal actually acted in self defense. Perhaps in court this did not matter, but for him, it did. That was the sort of person he was.

 

He stepped out of the bathroom, heading straight to his wardrobe and picking his attire for the day: a white chemise shirt, black suit pants and a vest along with the obvious choice of underwear and socks. With no hesistation he changed inside the room, despite being watched, returning the bathrobe and towel to the bathroom to dump them in the laundry basket as well. He perhaps was a bit of a clean freak in that sense but would never use anything more than once before having them washed.

 

"Well then. Expect to be called down in about one hour and a half. If I am not there the girls will take care of the introductions. Also go ahead and eat." Egon gave the final intructions before exiting, closing the door behind him, automatically locking itself. Before the boy learned the rooms he did not plan on letting him wander too much, limiting his space to the master bedroom, bathroom and balcony until later when he would show him around.

[Sathenus]

Watching as the older man got up and grabbed a robe and towel before going into the bathroom Damion let his eyes drift shut for a moment. Listening to the sound of the water turning on, for a moment he just laid there eyes closed before he decided to test just how sore he was and pushed himself up onto his knees. After a moment and taking in a deep breath he settled down sitting only to instantly regret the move as he grit his teeth, it wasn't long before he was laying on his stomach once more very much in the same position he had been in when the other had gone to take his shower and was in this position when he came out.

 

Naturally he continued to watch him even as he shed the robe and towel and started to get dressed, he didn't seem to mind the fact that he was watching him as he did so, and if he did mind then he didn't say anything. Once he was dressed he carried the robe and towel to the bathroom before returning and speaking, Damion's eyes met his as he listened to what he had to say. There wasn't even a chance for him to speak before he left leaving him in the large bedroom by himself and making him huff unhappily.

 

It was only a few minutes before he decided he couldn't lay there anymore and got carefully off of the bed not wanting to repeat what had happened earlier when he decided to test just how sore he was. Since he was left to his own devices he figured he could at the very least acquaint himself with the room he had a feeling he would be spending a lot of his time in, first he just explored the main room, then went and re-familiarized himself with the bathroom, before curiously checking the closet. When he had finished -and despite having learned there is a locked drawer in the closet- he made his way to the balcony wanting to see just what kind of view there was.

 

It was a fantastic view to say the least as he looked out on at the grounds of the mansion eyes taking in how green and alive it was, that made a small smile cross his face but he soon was interested in other things. He did not want to be stuck here for the next hour and half so he went back into the room shutting the balcony doors behind him before heading towards the bedroom door only to test it and see it was locked. "Seriously." he grumbled as if it was really necessary to lock him in the bedroom, crossing his arms over his chest his eyes scanned the room again.

 

Despite the pain of moving around he really didn't want to lay back down, which meant he had to figure out what he was going to do until he was fetched that didn't require him to sit down. That was harder than he originally thought and after much debating he found himself back out on the balcony leaning against the railing, head resting in his right hand, left hanging down over the rail as he looked once more out at the view.

[Guest Eornostlice]

The man was quick to make his way down the stairs, heading right to the kitchen, being sure that by now he would be finding the three in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. His interactions with them was brief, his intructions clear. Wether he was present or not, they were to wake the sleeping boy for breakfast and take care of him. If he still did not return by the time that the breakfast was over, they were to show him around, introducing him to the guards and buttler, then come to him for further instructions.

 

Egon did not really think he would take that much with the meeting, but his cautious personality told him to make backup plans either way. He made his way to his working room, not locking the door behind him, putting some of the papers that were on his desk back to their place, only keeping the needed ones. Soon enough the client was there and her emotional state a little too unstable to be logical as they discussed, giving Egon a headache. Before he knew it, he was already late for breakfast and the woman didn't look like she'd be done anytime soon. The man let out a sigh.

 

*

The tanned skin woman left the kitchen, heading upstairs on her master's orders. She was to bring down the boy her master has bought the previous day, having been warned that his personality was rather unruly. She twisted the key in the lock, opening the door with a smile and entering the bedroom. But there was no sign of the boy. That was the exact reason why she decided to check the other two doors, starting with the balcony -since just opening the bathroom door is rude.

 

"Ah. Excuse me. Master has intructed me to bring you down to breakfast. Would you please follow me downstairs?" She spoke in a gente voice, bowing slightly towards the male.

[Sathenus]

Daniel was slightly startled when he heard a voice behind him turning to see one of the girls he had seen the night before standing at the door of the balcony, he listened as she spoke noticing her tone and they way she bowed slightly towards him. Instantly a frown crossed his face, hard eyes locked on her as he debated whether he should go with her or argue that he wasn't hungry, in a way he really wasn't, at the same time going with her was a much better idea than staying locked in this room all day as well.

 

Finally coming to a decision he nodded and motioned for her to lead the way, he didn't under any circumstances want to remain where he was all day. For the past hour and a half he had literally almost dozed off standing there out of pure boredom, confining him to a room doing nothing but making his mind wander even more in the direction of freedom. At least then he wouldn't he locked in a room, he wouldn't be expected to wear a choker or collar, and he wouldn't be expected to follow every order given to him.

 

The thoughts alone were enough to make a rather mischievous look cross his face, but he tried to behave for the most part considering this girl was not who he was irritated with. Still he cleared his throat to make sure he had her attention before speaking, asking something that had been on his mind for awhile now, "So... does that door always lock when someone goes in or out?" he questioned pointing towards the bedroom door as he followed her back into the bedroom and off of the balcony.

 

If so he was going to have to figure out a game plan, there was no way he was about to let a locked door keep him form gaining his freedom. After a moment of consideration he decided to see how much she would tell him, "Do all of the doors lock like that?" Again, he had to figure out how the things in this building worked if there was any chance of him getting out of here. Especially if the man was working and unable to be around him, it just gave him an opportunity to escape and he would be damned if he didn't try it at least once.

[Guest Eornostlice]

"Hm?" The raven maid turned her head a little to look at the boy behind her. He seemed to be younger than her, who was 23 already, the olderst of the girls but surpassed by all 3 men who were already in their 30s. "It is only Master'd bedroom and the entrances that have such mechanism. Also I think one of the rooms Master remodelled ended up with a similar system but I do not have the key from there so I've never seen it."

 

She opened the door of the dining room, entering first herself. The table was set for only one person, obvious fact if one looked at the way the food was set. There seemed to be three types of alternatives for breakfast prepared: cheese omlette, pancakes with either chocolate, mapple syrup or butter and the third option, cereals with oats and dried fruits. Similarly, on the table were placed alternatives for drinks: milk, orange juice, pineapple juice or water.

 

"Here, please sot down." The blonde smiled warmly, pointing at a seat.

 

"Ah please go ahead and eat. We apologize tho. We did not know what you would prefer so just eat whatever you like." The redhead interrupted.

 

"You two settle down. You seem a bit too agitated." The raven called out calmly, patting both of the girls. It was very easy to see that the bond between the three was not shallow. "Ah right. We did not even introduce ourselves. I am Mare."

 

"I am Ann~" the redhead said enthusiastically, gaining "the look" from the eldest.

 

"My name is Elise. Nice to meet you." The blonde seemed the shy one from the three, her delicate face gaining a hint of red.

 

"Elise is no good with new people so please do not mind her. If there is anything you ever need, feel free to rely on us." Mare's smile seemed to have a big sister-like aura to it.

 

The three's personalities seemed somehow off in comparison to what slaves were like. Even more so, upon a further inspection, one would have noticed that... none of them wore anything similar to a collar or any other piece of evidence that would betray the fact that rhey have been in fact, bought.

[Sathenus]

Damion's interest was peaked at the mention of a room that had been remodeled, of course he had a feeling he wouldn't like that room but at least it made escape easier now that he learned it was just the bedroom, and the entrances that used that locking system. 'I can make that work.' he thought to himself as he continued to follow her eyes taking in the way they were going to make sure he could find his way around later. He was in no way going to want to get lost and lost precious time by not knowing where to go or what to expect. It turned out that the building seemed to be deserted, they didn't run into anyone else at all until they reached the dinning room where the other two girls stood.

 

His eyes narrowed as he watched the two of them, they seemed... rather eager. Which made him nervous and not want to be around them, as he was watching them the one who had lead him to the room spoke telling them both to settle down, already he felt a sense of calm from this one. That didn't improve his mood though, and the invitation to sit made him hesitate even more, the idea of doing so was painful and he didn't want to sit down if he could help it.

 

Finally he heard them start to introduce themselves, now he was going to be able to put a face and name together, all three still seemed a little to eager to please and this irritated him more than it probably should. As he was inspecting the three before him he noticed nothing remotely like a collar was even present on any of them, 'Figures. Leave that to the new pet...' he thought bitterly his mood only seeming to darken.

 

Despite the girls having introduced themselves he made no move to do the same, he also made no move to take the seat and instead crossed his arms over his chest, "I'd prefer not to sit." he replied cold eyes making a quick sweep of the room. Had he been asked to do so last night before his punishment he would have done so though it would have been with much hesitation, now it was just easier for him if he did not take them up on that offer. The food they had made smelled nice, and it was inviting as he looked it over, figuring he could at least eat something regardless of whether or not he planned on sitting to do so.

 

As he was thinking this over he was drawn back to reality and out of his thoughts as the one -Mare if he remembered- told him not to mind Elise, that she wasn't good with new people. That made two of them, but at least her attitude towards new people was much more accepted then his own, he didn't speak as she continued and he noticed the almost sister-like way she was doing so. He didn't want nor need such kindness, he didn't plan to be here much longer.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Despite the young man's unfriendly attitude, Mare did not seem to get discouraged at all. The truth was, given her master's personality, she could half guess that the boy had already tasted punishment but did not speak out loud not did she discuss it with the other two, who only seemed a bit puzzeled as to why someone would rather eating their breakfast without sitting.

 

"Ann, Elise. You two go take care of the last night's dishes alright? I will remain here for now and wait for Master."

 

The two looked at each other. They clearly understood that the raven was just telling then they were too many in the room and probably making it difficult for the boy to eat peacefully. Both nodded and with slight pouts made their way to the kitchen, despite having already taken care of the said dishes early in the morning, before they even started on making the breakfast.

 

Only after they left did Mare heave a sigh of relief. She was often the most perceptive of the three, perhaps given her past. And that is exactly why at times she could not let the other two listen to her words. A gentle yet mischievious smile grew on her lips.

 

"You are curious aren't you? About this place. About Master. About us." Her voice was rather soft yet mature, having been described as calming. She was not the type to beat around the bush either, her straightforward attitude being part of her charm.

[Sathenus]

"Curious isn't exactly the word I would use." Damion replied as he leaned against the table, careful to ensure it was his hip that was in contact with it as he crossed his arms over his chest. Though he was glad that there were now less people in this room he still couldn't relax, and his punishment wasn't what was causing it. No, if anything it was just wanting to get out of here, sure wanting to know how this building was watched, what things were locked and what was needed to open them could be seen as curiosity, but it was all part of a bigger purpose.

 

It came down to the fact that he just needed the facts, he needed to know how everything worked, needed to know how to get around without wandering into someone or getting lost. The only way he was going to get to that point was to unfortunately ask questions to those who had been here longer than him, these three may be content with their lives but he was not about to accept it. He was hoping his demeanor showed that clearly, he didn't care what she said, there was no convincing him that being a slave could be or was a good thing. Who in their right mind would want this?

 

Not him that was for sure, and he didn't care what he had to do in order to ensure that he was free. Damion knew he would just have to get out of here, once he escaped these grounds got passed that gate, all he had to do was get the choker off and he was sure he would be home free... well so to speak anyways. He would have to build a name for himself, and avoid anyone who may be looking for him, then again who would look for him?

 

"If you are planning on going on some long speech about how I should just accept things then we can skip it." he added as his eyes took another sweep of the room, the last thing he needed or wanted was a lecture how how accepting his fate was for the best. He absolutely refused to accept that this was for the best, he just couldn't see it, and maybe it was just because he refused to allow himself to do so, but he didn't see any good coming out of this regardless of whether or not he behaved and just did as he was told. Not to mention orders didn't sit well with him, they never had even as a child, the only difference was now he had voiced his feelings and didn't care what the consequences were to his actions.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Mare let out a quiet laughter, her demeanour not changing in the least. "If I wanted that I wouldn't have sent the other two out of the room now, isn't that quite right?" The girl was playing with her own hair, twirling it between her fingers as if it was something she held a great interest in.

 

Her fingers stopped abruptly, her eyes having a stange gleam to them. "I have some much more interesting topics to talk about. Like how you are the only one wearing a collar. The three guards do not have it either. Or why you are the only one living in this place with Master. Oh. Having given you that choker... master is not quite planning to let you go it seems." The raven girl just stopped, her smile turning into a mischievious grin.

 

That was the girl known as Mare. She never forced anyone into anything, not even into liking her, her honesty and kindness earning her the respect instead, her mischeviousness making her likeable. That was exactly why after her Master, she had the most authority in the house. She was never been instructed not to tell the boy the things he wanted to know and she knew exactly why, understanding Egon's personality better than the rest since she's been by his side the longest.

 

"Have I piqued your interest? I promise to answer all your questions while we will tour the house. But only if you eat ok? Breakfast is important for you as you are still growing. Boys only stop growing at around 22 you know?"

[Sathenus]

Damion's eyes narrowed as she spoke, what was that supposed to mean? Not letting him go? Did that mean the other six were free to leave? He doubted it, but at the same time what she said just seemed to piss him off, why was it he was the only one forced to wear a collar? He had of course tried to remove it with no success so far, that didn't mean he wasn't going to continue to try to remove it whenever he got the chance, he would stop at nothing until it was off and he was free.

 

Then again the way she was watching him made him feel like she wanted to have "fun" with him just like the other did, the only difference is she was irritating him then the other way around. "Don't pretend that you have my best interest at heart." he snapped when she told him she would answer all of his questions while they toured the house but only if he ate. He didn't care if he didn't stop growing until he was 22, it came down to the fact that he was going to decide whether or not something entered his body. His mind instantly reminded him that something already had and thus he had to rephrase it in his own mind to cover food, no food item would enter his body unless he decided to eat it.

 

"I believe it's my own business whether or not I want to starve myself." Damion finally said his voice cold, sure he was hungry, he had been hungry since late the night before but he refused to eat just because he was told to do so. He highly doubted any of them truly cared if he ate or not, and even if they did he wasn't going to just to please them, if he ate anything it was going to be because he wanted to not because he was being told to do so.

 

Pushing himself away from the table he watched her with hard eyes, "You might as well just show me around. I'm not going to eat any of this." He was being overly stubborn, he knew he was, but that was just who he was and nothing would ever change that.

[Guest Eornostlice]

The young woman shook her head, letting out a sigh. The boy in front of her was just too prideful and stubborn. By now she was sure... he had no idea about anything. He longed for freedom so much that he could not see outside the imaginary cage he thought he was trapped in.

 

Really... what was so good about freedom even?

 

But again, given her Master's personality... his stay wouldn't be too pleasant. Poor child.... Mare could not help but feel pity for the boy. She could tell... his path would only end up in frustration wouldn't it...

 

"Then let's trade. I will tell you something that you do not know and would ruin your escape plan in a definite way. I am not exaggerating nor am I embelishing Master's abilities. In return, you have to eat a little. If you want to starve yourself, fine. But Elise and Ann woke at 6 A. M. to prepare that. I was the one that made the food for us three so I was not responsible for most of it. I don't want their work to go to waste."

 

There was nothing that would show that the girl was lying. If anything, she seemed dead serious.

 

"If you want to be stubborn fine. But when you get caught and brought back without knowing how, do not come asking me. I will refuse to tell you."

[Sathenus]

Damion grit his teeth as she spoke eyes going to the food that had been set on the table, he didn’t want to eat anything and please her, but at the same time he didn’t want to try to escape and get dragged back with no chance of understanding how it had happened. At the same time how did she know he was even going to try? It hadn’t been like he had said it, was it really that obvious? Frowning he tried to figure out what he was going to do, as much as he hated to admit it he really wanted to know what she apparently had to say that he wouldn’t otherwise figure out.

 

Glancing back towards her he considered it, sure he should feel grateful that any of them had prepared a meal for him, he just didn’t feel like eating any of it despite being hungry. He was sure his stomach had growled at least once since he had entered the room, and as embarrassing as that was since he knew he should eat he still refused to do so. “I’m not hungry.” He finally replied eyes locked on her and hard, he would figure things out on his own if she didn’t want to tell him, but he was not going to be guilted into eating or bribed into it either.

 

Determined to figure things out on his own if he must he would just keep testing things until he found a weak spot, then plan a little and go for it. “Are you going to show me around now or not?” he added his tone almost demanding, if she didn’t want to show him around then fine, he would figure things out himself he highly doubted it would be that hard after all. It was just a stupid building, if he wandered around enough he was bound to figure out where everything was and could maybe even start planning a little while he did so.

 

There was absolutely no way he was going to enjoy his stay here, he doubted that even if he did just start listening he wouldn’t enjoy it. ‘What’s to say I wouldn’t just be sold again anyways?’ he bitterly thought to himself. In all honestly he was tired of being sold, but he didn’t want to behave himself either since he knew the chances of being sold once he was were still pretty high. He just wanted his freedom, to be a free man, he didn’t really think that was asking much, but all anyone ever saw him as was a possession.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Mare shook her head once again, completely disappointed by the boy's reckless stubborness. Such a pity. The food was going to get wasted. Maybe they would just pack it up and ask the three men if they wanted any. Her Master as well. He seemed busy today so he surely wouldn't want breakfast either. Hopefully they will be eating the lunch.

 

How many people get no choice to have anything for breakfast? Her heart has always felt heavy when she thought of it, having been in that situation herseld when she was only a child, before being sold into slavery and met all sorts of terrible masters, before she came to find a place here. She was sure, sooner or later he would understand.

 

But she was going to keep her promise. She wasn't going to mention that the collar actually has a build in gps device and that is what gave his intentions of escaping away in the first place. The other two were not aware but she herself knew because in the begining she wore one herself. She softened quite easily, understanding the weight of they situation she was in so her master removed it and explained it to her. It looked like the young man would have to wait for the master itself to explain.

 

"We are starting from upstairs. There are fewer places to see up there." She walked out of the door and back up on the stairs. She opened the first door, placed on her right. "This is the drier room. It's here because the wall opposite to it, despite having no doors is the main bathroom. I think you got familiar with it, the bedroom and the balcony."

 

The door was closed and she went further, opening the next. It was a rather comfortable-looking room. Mostly because of the big fluffy carpet from the middle. "This is the TV rooms. The two computers are also here."

 

With that out of the way, she moved forward. "The rest of the door, three to be more exact, are empty. Oh. except one."

 

Mare led him inside of one of the empty roooms by the stairs, only to show him a black closed door. "This room, Master has beem renovating recently. It used to be empty but I am not sure what is found inside there now. I was not given the keys to open this place. If you get them, you will be able to check yourself."

 

With that introduction the raven girl made her way back to the stairs in front of her, stopping for a bit.

 

"You memorized it until now yes? We will go back down then. There are a lot of rooms there."

[Sathenus]

Pleased when she finally seemed to give up on getting him to eat anything Damion followed her as she moved back upstairs to begin the tour there, he wasn't about to complain and just wordless followed nodding as she went into the first room and explained what it was. He also gave his nod of approval that he was acquainted with the master bedroom, main bathroom and the balcony before she showed him the next room. It looked comfortable enough as his eyes scanned it listening as she spoke he just nodded, it was when she said the rest of the rooms on this floor were empty that his attention was truly grabbed only for her to lead him into one of these empty rooms.

 

Eyes were drawn to the black door as she mentioned that the older man -he completely refused to say Master even in his own thoughts- had been renovating it lately and how she did not have the keys so did not know what was inside. That peaked his curiosity, a room that even she didn't know what was inside. He felt himself almost drawn to it not realizing that she was reading to leave and move on with the tour until she spoke once more pulling him from his thoughts, curiosity wanted to know what lied beyond the door, but his gut told him he didn't.

 

Turning to face her and finally taking his eyes off of the locked door before him he nodded, "Yes." he answered ready to see the next floor. He didn't mind that it had more rooms to learn, this floor seemed fairly simple anyways, surely there had to be one floor that was remotely complicated. "Lead the way." he said motioning towards the door knowing if they stayed where they were much longer he would just become even more curious about what lied beyond the locked door.

 

'Sometimes it's best not to know.' his mind chided him knowing his curiosity had gotten him in a lot of trouble in the past with previous master's, this might be just one of those things where he wasn't meant to know what lied beyond. After a moment he realized something, "Wait. You said he started renovating the room recently, what was it before?" he asked eyes locking on her.

 

He felt like a the very least she had known what the room had been before he started to renovate it, that was at least a start to him possibly discovering what may lie beyond. Even if it didn't reveal much more, it was still something for him to work with and that was better than nothing at all.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Mare was stopped in her tracks, halfways through climbing back down to the first floor when she heard the boy's question. Before?

 

"At first it was part of the empty room we entered in then Master turned it into a separate room. For the longest time... it was used as storage. But then Master decided for the storage room to be on the first floor with exit towards the garden. After that it just seemed to stay empty. Only about two months ago did Master start renovating the houses again, and that room seemed to change its purpose. But he did not tell me what was there. Something told me it was better not to ask."

 

It could easily be described as a feeling of unsettlement whenever she glanced at the pitch black door. There was one more thing about it that made her feel uneasy. "The windows to that room... if you look up from outside... you'd think they are just with the blinds pulled down but... if you stare enough you'd realize... the windows are completely blocked out. I do not think those blinds can open. But again. It's just a guess."

 

She smiled to the boy a little bit, trying to ease the atmosphere. "Let's just keep going, shall we?"

 

There was one more thing she chose not to voice out. The fact that the renovation ended exactly one day before he was brought here and most of the new security measures were apparently meant for him. Then that room... was probably something he was going to know of. Her master was... a sly man. Kind but fair and... someone that wished to push everyone that opposed him into submission. So that room... was surely nothing but bad omen.

 

Mare proceeded to explain the rest of the rooms like she had upstairs, the only problem being that this time there were more doors to justify. She however did not miss even one: the four spare bedrooms designed for guests and their bathrooms, the huge guestroom and its three doors, the dining room and kitchen that he was already familiar with, the fairly big library (a few other books were on the second floor in the tv room), the hobby room which contained art piece, several intruments and painting materials, and another computer. Finally she showed him the storage room, for which she used a key to unlock. It was a rather ordinary room with an exit towards the garden which contained all sorts of random items.

 

The raven girl closed the door and locked it, before finally heading back towards the last room.

 

"Master has instructed me to bring you to him into his working room after I showed you around." Her explanation was brief. "Was there anything you did not understand about the house's layout?"

[Sathenus]

Feeling even more curious about the room as she explained what it had been, and how just two months earlier it had started to become something else. He was distracted by what she said about the windows and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why that would be necessary in any room, but he didn't question it. Obviously she wouldn't be able to answer his question anyways, if she didn't know what the room had been renovated for, and she did not have access to it, something told him she wasn't meant to know what was inside. If she wasn't, it just meant he was going to have to discover it himself, even if that unsettling feeling returned at the idea of trying to figure out just what was inside that room.

 

Drawn from his thoughts as she changed the subject he followed her around the first floor quickly losing interest, there were far to many empty rooms than he felt was necessary, surely the other could think if something to turn them into. He took no interest in the hobby room, or library, neither one seemed to hold anything of interest to him in general so why take much notice to begin with, the storage room wasn't much more interesting than the others on the first floor and he couldn't really understand why it had to remain locked but never questioned it. Following her as she made her way to another room telling him that she had been instructed to bring him to the man's work room after showing him around.

 

Instantly he found himself frustrated, why would he need to be brought to him anyways? He highly doubted that the man could possibly want his company already, not to mention he wasn't much for company to begin with. "The layout? No, it was pretty straight forward, not anything terribly hard to remember." he replied with a small shake of his head, and that was true. It wasn't anything that he couldn't acquaint himself with as time went by if he needed, but he highly doubted that would be remotely necessary.

 

His mind kept getting drawn back to that black door running all sorts of possibilities through his head, why renovate something that had remained empty for so long? There had to be a reason, and though it had gone unsaid, he felt as if he was that reason, it was something in the way she talked about it that made him feel like that was true. If it was, then he felt certain he would eventually learn what was inside, the question was would he learn sooner or later? That he couldn't even answer for himself, but he figured it would happen when it happened no sooner or later.

 

Looking at the new door they came to he figured this was the last room, and was already aware of what lied beyond the door, that didn't necessarily mean he was looking forward to it though. Then again Damion didn't really look forward to anything that meant he was right under his -and he inwardly cringed at the word- master's noses. He didn't feel like he should have to be, and sure he was unruly, he didn't listen, and was overly stubborn, to some that would call for him needing to be watched so closely, to him it just meant they should leave him be that much more.

 

No one really shared his opinion on that though, and so with a sigh he glanced back towards Mare, wondering how exactly the three girls spent most of their day. Surely it didn't take them all day to clean this house, it appeared as if most of it went unused anyways, and sure they did prepare meals but even that shouldn't take them all day, so how did they spend their free time? He was tempted to ask her, but at the last minute thought better of it, he may want to know but it wasn't like he was going to gain anything from the information.

[Guest Eornostlice]

The girl nodded towards the young man, having received the answer she was looking for. He seemed rather lost in his own thoughts- that was the one thing she noted about him. She wished she knew what he was thinking, mostly because she wished she understood his feelings more. Despite the fact that they were in the same situation, their attitudes were completely different.

 

Mare did not lose any more time as she knocked on the door, before turning the knob to enter. She did not wait for permission but opened the door, her eyes visibly lighting up as her eyes met Egon's. He was alone in the room, meaning his work was done. "Master as ordered I have showed him around. I shall take my leave now." She spoke briefly, bowing towards the man.

 

"Thank you Mare. You're excused. May any delivery come today, you are to call me." The older man nodded his head in satisfaction, Mare's smile getting wider as she turned around and left after muttering "Yes Master".

 

The working room, being one of the few that the man explaind would be closed most times was quite simple. Two working computers, a laptop - which was in front of the man now but obviously ignored, the master's attention being focused on a few papers he held in his hand- and otherwise a impressive number of documents and files all neatly placed, except for a few which were explaining the case he was working on scattered on the long desk. The entire room had only one desk, three chairs, a table with a nightlamp and a sofa, among the countless shelves, sign that the man sometimes spent the night holed up in the room, using the sofa for brief rest.

 

"Damion." Egon called out his name in a natural way, raising his head from the papers which had the boy's information of them, papers that have been retrieved from the car where they were thrown the previous night. "I called you here because I wanted you to order the clothes you want to wear yourself. Well unless you want to end up with a closet full of dresses. If you order them until 12 P.M. they will get here today. The laptop is on for you to use right now. The site is there and I am already logged in. Just order whatever you think you need for now. If something else comes up, we will deal with it when it happens."

 

The man's train of thoughts was simple. He would have taken him out for shopping but again, with the temperament he had so proudly demonstrated the previous day, he decided taking him out would be anything but a good idea. If anything, it would cause him troubles. And even more so, after dealing with a crying client for a few hours, the older man felt rather exhausted, his mood being already bad to start with so definitely a misbehaving brat was the last thing he needed.

[Sathenus]

Watching as Mare knocked on the door just to walk in without waiting for a response seemed a little bold to Damion, but then again by the way she seemed to talk about the older man she probably had permission to do so. He doubted she would do anything if she didn't, but he didn't comment as he stepped in after her allowing his eyes to scan the room he was standing in. Considering he had been told that he would just about never be allowed in this room he figured he might as well take in the sight while he had the chance, then again it wasn't like he would ever need to know the room if he was barely going to be allowed inside of it.

 

He was distracted for a moment before he heard the two start speaking and he spared them both a glance, watching as Mare was dismissed and left the room closing the door behind her. Staring at the door for a moment he finally turned back to the other when he addressed him, what shocked him was the fact that he had addressed him by his name. Though he noticed that he had also looked up from some papers telling him that those were more than likely the papers he had received from the agency when he had bought him and was reading up on what they had to say. That made him nervous and he felt himself tense as if waiting for a blow that may or may not come, standing there he made no move eyes were hard but there was a sense of hesitation in them as well.

 

He never knew what they said having always been told that they were none of his concern whenever he had asked, though every master or mistress he had ever had seemed to be even more cruel towards him after reading them. Not like he truly cared, he was sure he had a rather extensive past in his short time actually being a slave that it made many people just want to break him as quickly as possible. What no one seemed to realize was that was a lot harder than they all thought, it was hard to break someone who had been old enough to at one time enjoy freedom before being enslaved and even now it was knowing that freedom that drove him.

 

Sure he hadn't had a good childhood, his family had been poor, selling him into slavery had been his parents cowardly option to getting out of poverty and giving them and his sibling a better life, but at what cost? He hated what they had done to him, and blamed his father more than anyone, though his mother could be just as guilty for all he knew, thinking of them pissed him off and anger flashed in his eyes and on his face but he said and did nothing being far to lost in his thoughts to even remember that he was in the presence of the other.

 

Once he mentioned wearing dresses that snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him crashing back to reality, eyes moving to the other and glancing towards the laptop he had been talking about. 'Must be his way of getting me clothes without having to take me anywhere to do so. Smart.' he thought to himself as he moved towards the older man, 'I'll appreciate not being paraded around anyways.' "Something else?" he repeated raising an eyebrow, what could possibly come up to where they would have to worry about something else, but he otherwise didn't comment as he looked at the screen sure enough he was signed in and the site was up meaning it wouldn't take him very long to do what had been asked.

 

Had it not been for the fact that his alternative seemed to be a wardrobe full of dresses he probably would have objected, but he figured it wouldn't kill him if just this time he did as he was told with no objection. His eyes did glance towards the papers he had been reading though, wondering what exactly they even said, not to mention he had always wondered why they were even remotely relevant.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Egon was pleasantly surprised to see the boy do what he asked him to without glaring or acting like he has just been asked to throw his life away for his biggest enemy, but knew better than to believe he had some sort of change of heart and decided to be submissive like Mare had done a few years back. Was it six years?

 

The older man did not comment on anything, just kept reading through the papers. His facial expression did not change in the slightest as he flipped through the pages, by now reading only due to sheer curiosity rather than for useful information. The only pieces for information that he cared about were the boy's name and age, medical history - which seemed nothing serious to his relief - and the story of how he got sold into slavery, along with the price his parents got for him.

 

Egon had a strange character. He was the owner of slaves himself but defended their rights as human beings in court to a certain extent and did not mistreat any of them. He was often mistunderstood but always trying to be fair in his actions. He felt sickened by the idea that instead of trying to work, someone would decide on trying to sell their own child. The exact details of the transaction he saw every time on the papers made him be nothing but disgusted.

 

The rest of the pages were a compilation of everything that the previous owners and the sellers had to say about the boy, each nastier than the other and that was what he was reading now with a total lack of interest. He was unsure why he was even reading at this point.

 

In the corner of his eye the man could see Damion peeking, obviously curious about the papers. A soft smile appeared on the man's face as he pointed the papers towards the brat, holding them there for him to take.

 

"If you want to know then just read yourself."

[Sathenus]

Remaining silent Damion did as he was told and just set to work ordering his close though he did give curious glances towards the other as he was reading the papers even if he would never ask right out to see them, he had learned from previous owners not to and that was at least one thing he had actually taken to heart and just given up on. So when he had finished ordering only what he figured was necessary and keeping it pretty much to the bare minimum he was surprised to notice that the papers were being held out towards him.

 

For a moment he just looked at them hesitantly as if expecting this to be some sort of test, at least until he was told that if he wanted to know then just read them. Reaching out he took the papers from the other man glancing down at them before glancing at the other giving him a look stating plainly he still felt like there was some sort of trick to it even if he decided not to voice his feelings. Something told him that remaining silent today would be a good idea, so he glanced back at the papers skimming over them.

 

After a moment he had to admit they weren't to interesting, though he still didn't understand how most of this was remotely relevant, who needed to know how he came to be what he was? Or his past owner's and sellers opinions or problems with him? To Damion it seemed irrelevant but he figured there were some people out there who would probably like to know such information, pushing the papers back towards the older man he sighed but still remained silent. The thought of his parents still frustrated him to no end, and knowing that every previous owner -and his current one- seemed to know what he had hoped to keep as a private matter just made it even more frustrating.

 

'Not like any of them really care.' he thought to himself as he let his eyes instead scan over the room, waiting to be told he should go. After all, having been told before that he would rarely have access to the room and having done what had been asked of him he figured there was no other reason he would still want him here. Normally being dismissed would just irritate him, thinking that it was their way of getting rid of him, but he had a feeling this time it was better than just standing there before him in silence.

 

Surely he wasn't expected to do that, if so he knew it was going to be a rather boring experience for both of them but tiring for him. Remaining standing wasn't necessarily something he enjoyed doing, it was just a better option for him right now something he knew that the older man was well aware of. That was pretty much the only reason for him having remained so close, otherwise he would have very easily and quickly put space between them while finding a comfortable location to settle himself. That wasn't really the case or an option though, and as his eyes scanned the room for the fourth time he highly doubted he would be able to find such a spot even if it had been an option.

 

"Is that all?" he finally asked, his voice wasn't showing any sort of irritation, more of just a straight forward question. He simply wanted to know if he was free to go or expected to remain there, he was sure the other was busy after all. Surely he had more business to take care of and having him around would probably do nothing but complicate said business.

[Guest Eornostlice]

The boy seemed to have lost interest in the papers shortly after receiving them, finding them as uninteresting as his master and simply giving them back. The man took them and placed them in a drawer, most likely to never look at them again.

 

The reason why he was keeping such papers was that given the law, they served as official papers for identification purposes. Such documents had to be kept safe in case of resells, trades, court appeals or appointments, medical emergencies or in case that the said family responsible for the initial selling would not admit signing the contract and receiving the money.

 

On the other hand... the existence of such papers meant that the one whose name was already part of an extensive governamental database that included all slaves listed by name and owner. That was something that Mare, Ann and Elise knew already but could not bring themselves to tell the boy.

 

Even if they were set free... there was no erasing of their history. What was so good about such freedom? If anything, they would be captured and sold again once they were exposed. True freedom no longer existed. Afterall... you cannot make a person out of an object... And if they were never discovered and identified... where would they go? None had a place to return to. Who would hire them without checking their background?

A free slave is nothing but an abandoned toy waiting to be picked up again.

 

The man stood up himself, stretching a little, obviously tired of sitting since early morning. "I am done with work for today. Would you like to get to know the second house where the rest live and the garden? However the garden is rather large so expect a long walk."

[Sathenus]

Noticing that the papers had been slipped into a drawer Damion didn’t pay much more attention to anything else, waiting in silence to see whether or not he was going to be dismissed and allowed to leave. Even if he hated the idea that he was even waiting for such permission, any other time he would have just left when he was finished not waiting for any sort of sign saying he could go. After his punishment the night before though he would still need the day to recover enough before he even considered reverting back to his old self, shifting his weight he rested most of it on his left leg as he crossed his arms over his chest waiting rather impatiently to hear what was coming next.

 

No emotion showed on his face as the man said he was done working for the day, only to ask if he wanted to see the second building where the other’s lived and the garden being warned that the garden was fairly large and thus there would be a lot of walking. With a soft almost silent sigh he just gave a small nod, “I suppose.” He answered even if he wasn’t truly interested, ‘I’ll need to know my way around the grounds anyways. Might as well just take the offer no matter how much I would really prefer not to.’

 

That did remind him that he still only knew the three girls, he had yet to meet one of the other males that lived within the gates, but at the same time he wasn’t really sure it mattered even if he did. It always came down to the fact that they were broken anyways, they had accepted what had become of them, and yes, maybe their lives weren’t that bad the girls seemed happy at least. But for him… happiness couldn’t come out of being a possession, he would never be happy waiting for an order, sitting at someone’s side, or knowing that his life rested in another’s hands and not one person would care if anything happened to him.

 

He was seen as an object, or as money to be gained if he was sold once more, that wasn’t an appealing thought and he wasn’t sure how others could accept that. What would become of him once this guy grew bored with him? Right back to the agency to be sold again? Tired of that place he knew that no matter what happened when the other man bored of him he would have no say, though he wouldn’t accept it he would surely put up with the decision since there really was nothing else he would be able to do.

 

Drawing himself from his thoughts he glanced towards his owner and watched him for a moment, waiting for him to lead the way, sure he knew where the door was that wasn’t why he was waiting. But more of doing so because after the night before, regardless of the fact that -other than not eating breakfast- he had been behaving himself he still didn’t like the idea of not having someone in his line of sight. The only way for him to leave the room first was to turn his back on the older man and that unnerved him, trust issues made it hard, but he knew he brought that upon himself being so disobedient. Didn’t remotely convince him to change, just made it so he was going to have to pay far more attention to his surroundings.

[Guest Eornostlice]

Without much to add the older man opened the backdoor of the office -which was usually locked as well- that lead directly to the garden which could be seen from the first floor's balcony.

 

The garden was vast -about three times and a half of the mansion's width and three times in length- and the green of it was surrounded with a natural glow, extending towards the horizon line, the view only being blocked by various trees casting shade. Several paved narrow alleys were crossing the green, making it look much like a lively labyrinth as they went further in, with no way to return unless one knew the way out by heart or could see everything from above.

 

"Let's first go to the second house since it's near. It's this way. Try to remember the path." Egon's voice was somewhat gentle today. He waited for the boy to catch up before continuing forward.

 

Unlike the previous day, which was rather gloomy and overcast, the weather seemed to have gotten better over the night, the soundproof windows having blocked the noise of the rain altogether, the only sign left behind being the still slightly wet pavement in several shadowed places, along with the increased vitality of the plants.

 

To walk, there was quite the distance even between the two houses, the master obviously enjoying the privacy that the distance offered, along with the possibility of decorating it with natural beauty. The most noticeable decoration in the whole garden was halfways between the house of servants and the main mansion: a water fountain which doubled as a pool, surrounded by roses which bloomed three times a year, petals of which would often find the way inside the water.

 

A petite shillouete was there, swiping the excess petals off the pavement while humming a littlw happy melody to herself, only to stop abruptly and embarrased at the sight of the two.

 

"Good afternoon." She bowed slightly, her red cheeks complimented by blonde locks that got into her eyes due to the motion sudden motion.

 

Egon nodded with a small smile at the shy Elise, who seemed to have kept herself busy since morning, the alley being more than half cleared.

 

"Isn't this your free time though?" The man's voice seemed to be especially gentle when talking to her, much like one would talk with a small creature that gets easily startled.

 

"Ah no- I wanted to do this. This place... relaxes me."

 

Egon shook his head, being at a loss as to what he could even tell her. "Do not overdo it alright?" was all he could really say as he nodded slightly towards the boy, sign they should just keep going. Soon the second house would be in their line of sight, no longer hidden by the trees.

[Sathenus]

Damion watched as he opened a door that up until this point he hadn’t even noticed, for a moment he stayed put before following after him, eyes taking in what lied before him. It looked beautiful, but he could tell without even being told that it would be quite easy to get lost and though the idea of starving out here wasn’t an appealing one he couldn’t help but feel at least if he died out here in the garden he’d be free. Not alive, but free all the same, what happened to his body after was of little importance, ‘Would be better than being treated like an object.’

 

Snapped from his thoughts his eyes were drawn from the vibrant greenery before him and to the older man when he spoke saying they would go to the second house first since it’s nearby. Only to tell him to try to remember the path, “Why would I ever need to remember the path?” he asked as he followed after him, he remembered he had been told he wasn’t supposed to go to this building unless given permission, and even though doing so anyways was highly tempting he didn’t see the point in remembering the path if he was rarely if ever going to need to go to this building to begin with.

 

Okay, maybe he was starting to feel a little better, he could already feel himself more up to talking back and even though he knew he should behave today that wasn’t always easy for him to do. But there was something off, the tone that had been used with him seemed in the slightest way gentle, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. ‘It’s just his way to throw me off. There isn’t anything more to it, right?’ he questioned himself as he followed behind pretty much silent at this point.

 

Then they arrived at a fountain and his eyes moved to the girl working, Elise and watching as the two interacted with each other. Their relationship… it was probably nothing but the kindness there just made him a little sick. He wasn’t really sure what to make of this, in his time as a slave he couldn’t remember any time when he had seen one of his masters or mistresses treat any slave with any sort of kindness, so… maybe he could find this place… okay? Instantly he had to snap himself away from those thoughts, that was absurd, what had gotten into him?

 

Just because he was kind to one girl meant nothing, and he refused to accept this role, ‘I’m not an object, and refuse to let them convince me otherwise. I know what freedom was like. I was old enough to remember.’ He reminded himself as he noticed the nod he received and turned to continue to follow him in the direction of the second building, even if once more he didn’t understand why he would need to know where it was located if he wasn’t really allowed to go there.

 

Crossing his arms over his chest as they walked he kept his eyes mainly on the surroundings knowing that he needed to be able to find his way back to the house for any reason, or if for one reason or another he was told to come to this house. ‘Wouldn’t be a smart idea.’ He wasn’t exactly known to be the happiest when sent on some tedious job, then again why would he ever be happy to be given any type of order?

 

“How many people get lost out here?” he asked as he glanced towards the other. Sure he knew the actual garden would be quite easy to get lost in, but this, the path seemed straightforward. So why exactly was he supposed to be paying attention? Had he lost slaves before this way? In which case he would have to decide if he wanted to be another number on that list, or if he was going to go with his original escape plan and just find some way over the fence that surrounded the property. ‘Could always try to tunnel under it. Work on it for a period of time whenever I am left to me own devices.’ Now that was a thought he could entertain.