serving Lady Zenith

Lady Maleila's slave, whom for the moment it is Her whim to call "gideon," writes as follows:

yesterday the Lady Zenith deigned to rent this one to serve her as slave. although he served her for two ahn and his rental rate is a copper per ahn, it was her pleasure to offer him three coppers. these coins have been placed in the jar on his Mistress's desk. although perhaps the Lady Zenith intended the third coin as a tip, a slave knows anything given to him for any reason is the property of his Mistress, as indeed he himself is.

further it was the Lady Zenith's will to rent this one for today and to command that if he serves her in her absence to post for A/all to see how he serves her. as is her will he posts the beginning of the day he spends in bondage to her:

=Sable Sleen Inn - Slave Quarters=
[- Quarters of Sable Sleen for the training, disclipline and sleeping area for all slaves -]

Says to ALL: --like most slaves he has learned to become a light sleeper and at the sound of the lock to the slave pens being opened he is awake and on his feet. quickly he rolls up the pallet on which he slept; the first girl enters as soon as the bolt is withdrawn and slaves who are not alacritous about preparing to meet the day feel her switch...some of the slaves who are up and moving still do. the Free give her switch rights over the other slaves and thus she switches whom she pleases.--

--both he and the other male quartered here last night...a strong buck, slave to a visiting FW builder...feel a stroke or two of the fg's switch. it is hard to avoid; she delights in reminding male slaves that whatever they were they are now just slaves and lower than she, a slave whom the Free choose to give privileges. the other male hurries off towards the inn where his owner awaits him. he heads out back for the slave bath...not the luxurious, warm, scented baths of Free but a tub of tepid water. in, soaping himself, rinsing, and out dripping for one of the threadbare towels. for slaves a bath is merely a means of cleaning onself. he reaches for the pile of laundered work loincloths and then remembers that his Mistress's punishment for his impudence includes being naked until She wishes him otherwise. he nods to the other slaves who are hurrying off to their tasks and heads into the inn, the kitchen entrance used by slaves not attending Free.--

--the head cook, a FW, sees him enter and turns back to directing some of the kitchen slaves. male slave, she thinks, fit for heavy labor only...and perhaps a turn in her furs if she feels like it...but no such labor needs to be done right now and he is of no interest. several of the kitchen girls grin and make a point of letting their eyes travel up and down his bare slave flesh. he feels little embarrassment; he is a slave and being naked in the presence of others is not a new thing. the kitchen fg grabs his wrist as he passes. "we have garbage to be hauled out, slave," she says. "are you serving Free?" he nods, careful to address her properly. "yes, Mistress. Lady Zenith has rented this one for the day." the ft shrugs; other slaves can be found around the inn, then.--

--he makes his way from the kitchen towards the main part of the inn, passing a couple of slave girls on their knees, washing the floor. at the sound of his approaching steps they look up, ready to fall to the floor in respect but seeing it is only a naked slave on his way to do as Free command they merely nod and return to the task. just down the hall is the inn's office. he knocks, listening to see if any Free are within and prepared to drop to a kneel and beg entrance, but the knock is unanswered and he steps in.--

-how many, many times has he stepped into such offices. but once...long ago...he would have stepped in confidently, clad in fine scribal robes, the office staff having solicited his skills by offering silver or even gold. even Free within would speak to him respectfully and be grateful for his assistance and talents. now...he steps in as a slave, naked save for the collar which proclaims to A/all that he is a slave and a woman's property and he looks at what needs to be done mostly out of fear of what Zenith will do, or have done to him, if he does not do precisely and fully as she wishes. the box of papers he brought in last night is over to one side, containing much that must be filed and sorted and he steps to it, standing to one side so he can see the door. he looks at the door not as a high caste would, curious to see who might enter, but as a slave does, ready to drop to the floor in a kneel should a Free enter.--

--gideon [M.I.], slave of Lady Maleila

This is as I requested. A copy should be on the Sable Sleen Boards as well I will see it is postesd there when I get home this evening. Thank you gideon.

--he bows low in gratitude for a FW who chooses to observe courtesies with slave, e.g. referring to her "request" when they both know full well it was a command, and a "thank you" when a free need not thank a slave for anything; a slave serves because he is a slave.--

this one will post further and if he may beg the Mistress's indulgence, he doesn't seem to be able to find the Sable Sleen boards. would the Mistress show kindness to a slave and offer him the link?

--gideon [M.I.], slave of Maleila.

--he bows low in gratitude for a FW who chooses to observe courtesies with slave, e.g. referring to her "request" when they both know full well it was a command, and a "thank you" when a free need not thank a slave for anything; a slave serves because he is a slave.--

this one will post further and if he may beg the Mistress's indulgence, he doesn't seem to be able to find the Sable Sleen boards. would the Mistress show kindness to a slave and offer him the link?

--gideon [M.I.], slave of Maleila.

this one also begs to apologize to residents of the Port, both Free and slave, for double-posting.

--gideon, slave of Maleila.

This link is also available in the Port Kar Room in the Sable Sleen Section:

The Sable Sleen

Mistress Zenith, a slave is unsure where on the Sable Sleen boards this report of how a slave served you should go. he begs you to allow him to continue posting here and will copy and paste to the SS boards as you may direct. meanwhile...


-he is grateful that Mistress Zenith has chosen to rent him for an entire day...five coppers plus the three he earned yesterday for moving her heavy crates...such a handful of coins should avert Maleila's easy to kindle anger for him not bringing Her what She considers a decent return on Her property. and Zenith has put him to an office task, where his scribal skills serve her, not the heavy toil or occasional rough use he is often put to. he looks around the office to see where to begin, checking that there are adequate slots and drawers for files, pens and ink, paper, whatever needs to be used to accomplish the task. Zenith seems kindly enough for a Free but she is paying for him to serve her as slave and he must see that she does not report displeasure to Maleila.--

--the box containing the papers that need to be filed is heavy and once, of course, he simply would have called for a slave to list it to the table and if the only slaves around were girls who needed to strain to do the task, well, what else are slaves for? but this is hardly the first time he has been in an office to do scribal work as slave, and he squats down, tilts the crate to get his hands under it, and with slave muscles flexing he lifts the box onto the table and opens it. the papers do not seem to be in any order and a quick pawing through them leads him to decide he may as well just start at the top and work his way to the bottom. he takes out the first file; records from the sale of the Sable Sleen itself to his Mistress. he opens the file and begins to look through it, standing. there is a chair next to him but he dares not use it--a Free entering might be offended at seeing a slave sitting while working and besides, Lady Zenith would not wish to use a chair herself that a slave had used.--

the first few pages are routine but then he comes to a sheaf of papers that include the assets transferred from the White Lotus...so many tables and chairs...crates of vessels and implements...in short, the objects owned by the WL and moved to the SS...a certain number of cooking pots...five female slaves, one male...coolery equipment...his practiced eyes glance over the listings, hardly noticing that he himself was part of the inventory, just one of the assets of the WL, a piece of property. still, he turns to a file cabinet and withdraws the folder indicating the SS's property now, checking carefully along with a list of SS property here when Maleila bought the place to see that the lists agree, that She is credited with all the property She owns...slaves, tables, and other physical objects. a couple of tables seem to be short...he looks over to another file. ah, he sees, two on the premises were considered too chipped for use and were broken up for firewood.--

--then he remembers that he is a slave in the office of Free. if a Free should come in and find the box on the desk...he quickly puts it back on the floor.---

--he leans down into the box , bringing up papers and files. it would be more convenient to lift the box to the desk and work from there but a Free might come in and not wish to wait the time it would take him to collect whatever papers were on the desk and clear the desk. besides, he is a slave; his convenience is not anyone's concern...well, not any Free's concern and no one cares what slaves may think. and although the work is routine...identifying papers, placing them int he right folders, filing the folders...by its very nature Mistress Zenith likely will find any failure not to be an honest mistake but a failure of a slave to pay proper attention to a task set him by a Free. but each paper must be dealt with immediately; he cannot leave papers around the office again lest some Free enter.--

--an insightful and experienced scribe can find stories in whate seem to be the dullest papers and although it is now long years since Na'ima made him a slave, one does not forget one's skills and training when the robes are torn off and the collar and the brand are put on. here...a great deal of purchasing from a supplier of grain and other foodstuffs...then suddenly a new supplier...someone displeased the inn's owners. slave papers,recording the purchasing and sale of slaves...little turnover for many months then suddenly half a dozen slaves sold off and to one of the local slave dealers who does not have a high-level clientele. perhaps the slaves became lazy or recalcitrant and a few were sold off as a lesson to the others...but the number of inn slaves reaching the previous level only slowly...business slow for a while? or were the remaining slaves simply worked harder? receipts for rental of dancing slaves growing more frequent as the inn's banqueting business grew. finally, at the end of the sheaf of papers and files dealing with slaves the notation of the sale of lynea and for a moment he closes his eyes...he and the girl had become close friends, always conscious of the eyes of Free on them but offering each other support and a bit of emotional shelter from the rigors of slavery. then one day shortly after Maleila bought the inn...she was simply sold off,no chance to say good-bye to him or the other slaves, simply an object to be bought and sold.-

: --the level of papers in the box is much lower; the end of his task is in sight and he shuffles through the remaining contents to see that all slave-related documents have been dealt with. ah, here is one last one; it records the sale of touia, the little seamstress whom he has seen around the inn often...she makes the clothing for the slaves, repairs Free garb, is available for guests who may need her services. interesting...touia had been in the house of one of the Port's leading families for many years. he wonders if the girl had perhaps seen herself after so long as in a way one of the family? or had she understood that she was a slave, bought and sold as it pleased the Free. did she miss her long-time mistress or had the mistress been cruel to her, touia grateful to serve another? but he will not ask her; one of the few courtesies slave can extend to other slaves is not seeking such information. it is all they need to know that they are slaves. that paper is now filed and the remainder goes quickly, routine purchases, room receipts and the like and finally the box is empty. he looks around the office to see that the desk is cleared, pens and ink placed in their spots, file cabinets closed...Mistress Zenith honored a slave by allowing him to serve her in this manner without supervision and will, undoubtedly, not take it well if he shows disrespect for her granting him this privilege. he hefts the box to his broad shoulder, kicks the door shut, and re-enters the hall.--

he sees a FW in the robes of the merchants in the hall approaching him and quickly sets the box down and kneels, eyes lowered respectfully. he can hear the swish of the woman's robes as she halts and a few moments pass; he can feel her eyes on him. "stand, slave," she commands and he does, bowing as he reaches his full height. "Why are you naked, boy?" she asks. "Are you for slae? I need a strong slave back home in my shop." he is careful to bow low to acknowledge the honor done him by a FW who may wish to own him as her slave. "no, Mistress," he replies. "this one was insolent and showed pride to a FW and his Mistress as part of Her punishment requires that he go thus until She wishes otherwise." the FW grunts and passes on; he is of no further interest to her, just another slave. he picks up the box again, places it at the end of the corridor in Lady Zenith's storeroom, and heads out . she has more of the day on her rental and he must see if she has, or has left, other commands for him.--