Sobella moaned wildly when she felt Rasgen grab her horns and yank her back against his savage thrust. In her daily life at court, few were as eloquent as she. Her words, her thoughts, were sought after treasures. Her Prince valued her council so highly that she was always the first to give him advice… yet here, now, in the royal bed? Her words became few, and were frantic cries, "Yes! More! Harder!" A mere handful of words became the whole of verbal scholarship as higher thought burned away in the fires of desire. No speeches from her silver tongue, no honeyed promises. The only words they truly needed, were spoken in the languages of their bodies as their flesh joined together at the hips. His hands sought every inch of the demon-elf as if she were a new land he had set out to conquer, and she was the eager land longing for him to settle upon her.

She bucked her hips and threw him back so hard that his shaft withdrew completely, not by accident, but by design so that she could turn atop the red silk sheets and leap onto him. He fell onto his back and her dark lips covered his in a kiss, their tongues dueled and his hand sought her ample breast as she straddled him and took his royal shaft into her body again.

Her hips undulated, writhing in a serpentine motion back and forth, stimulating her hunger and his own, and she struggled to bring her knees up. She gazed down at him with solid red eyes, her nails raked over his chest as she steadied herself on his body and let him watch as she bounced up and down along his length.

"Not yet… My… Prince!" She moaned as her eyes began to roll back. He groaned and gritted his teeth. "Not yet!" She gasped as she held back.

And then she slammed down hard against him crying out, "Noooow!" And her desire gushed from lips above and below, and his desire's completion flowed within her body. She lost control in her spasming bliss, and fell atop him, her head landing against his shoulder.

She tilted her head, and let his lips claim hers again. "You… are amazing, Sobella." Rasgen said through deep breaths of exhaustion.

"And you are the same, My Prince… but if only the Contessa could have joined us…" She smirked, her painted ruby lips let slip deep, throaty laughter and her hands roamed over him as they lay together in the aftermath of bliss.

"I know, sadly I believe her husband has become…" He rolled his eyes, "a little jealous, so we'll need to be more discreet. I swear, if he's so worried, then an old man like that shouldn't take such a young wife." Rasgen grumbled a bit.

Sobella wiggled her hips a little. "Did I feel a stirring when I brought up… the Contessa…?" She winked, then wiggled again. "I did… I 'did' feel a stirring when I brought up 'the Contessa'." She giggled into his ear when she felt him move inside her again.

"Are you trying to make 'me' jealous?" She tittered, "I've had the Contessa too, you know, and for all the bounty above… I surpass her in this." Sobella teased and slide her body down his length, and engulfed her Prince in her mouth, drawing her lips away only to whisper, "She doesn't come equipped with horns to hold her by, now… take me by the horns, Prince of Pas'en, and show me how you like it."

He had just done exactly that, taking the horns that circled the side of her head in his battle hardened fingers, when the door to his chamber opened. "My Prince, you wanted to be informed when she left?"

Rasgen groaned, and not from pleasure, "Business, Sobella, I'm sorry."

Sobella laughed and removed her lips to rise, and extended a hand to help him up. "I know you are, because you know just what you're missing!" It was a ribald joke and brought laughter from herself, her Prince, and the servant who entered the room. A young man, the child of one of the members of the court, he was clearly serving his time as a paige, judging by his simple equipment.

"Yes, I did." He reached for his shirt and threw it on as Sobella reluctantly followed suit.

"I didn't expect her to leave that soon, with so few? After a Headman class bandit with two hundred underneath him? I admit I thought it was bluster." He said as he put his shoes on. Did the two slaves go with her?" He asked impatiently.

"No, My Prince, it appears they have been left behind at the hotel. We know they're now wearing bronze collars so they must have important work for her to give them, or just really, really doesn't want trouble." The paige-boy answered and scratched his sandy hair.

"Call the council." Sobella snapped, "Have them meet us, and make sure they're watched every time they leave that hotel."

"Suspicious, my heart?" Prince Rasgen asked curiously.

She touched his chest and slightly shook her head as she slid her fingers over his hard chest. "No, just 'cautious' I know dedication and devotion when I see it. And I saw it in her… and I won't count on any dedication or devotion, that isn't directed toward Prince Rasgen of house Mazin, or the city of Pas'en. I hope this woman isn't a threat, but if she is, I want to know it before she reveals that fact."

Rasgen impulsively covered her lips in another kiss… "I could not have asked for wiser company than you…" He whispered as he broke the impulse, she smiled seductively and lowered her heavy lids.

"You're right, my delight, now… let's get dressed, and quickly. Anyone who throws around that much money and acts that quickly isn't doing it for nothing, we should perhaps consider setting a tail on her… but…" She paused to assist the Prince with his pants.

"It wouldn't look good if they were caught." Rasgen said as he buttoned his bright blue silk shirt. "Best case scenario she decides we don't trust her and she leaves, and she's thrown a lot of money around. I can see it now. 'Oh, Pas'en treats wealthy guests with hostile suspicion when they perform good service? Come to Gordine, we'll treat you well.' Or, 'Oh that's how Pas'en is? We'll welcome you and your coin in Vasinka.' No, we'll know enough just by whether or not she succeeds or fails. If she succeeds, it might not be a bad idea to consider letting her buy a lesser noble title. We did lose a few against Komestra, and now their estates sit empty. Bringing down a Headman class smuggler is reason enough… with coin enough to match, at least."

"We'll bring it up in the council, I do like her, she's got fire in her eyes…" Sobella licked her lips hungrily.

"Well, we'll see. For now, we track her slaves and see what they're up to." He said decisively as Sobella finished putting on her bright red dress that billowed around her ankles.

"Agreed, but in the meantime, when we're at the council…" She glanced at the door to be sure the paige boy had truly gone, "do you think we might find some task that'll take the old coot out of the city for awhile, so we can keep his wife company again?"

xxxxxxxx

As soon as their mistress was well out of sight, Priceless touched Kaiji's shoulder, "She's gone, we need to get to work."

Kaiji turned just in time to hear Priceless's stomach growl angrily at her.

Priceless blushed a little bit, and Kaiji patted her cheek, "You need food. Why don't I get started with what I can here, and you get something to eat?"

"You need food too, Kaiji. I'm used to... being hungry, I can work anyway, you're not used to this at all. Once, I scrubbed floors for two days when I twisted my ankle, a little hunger is nothing."

Kaiji frowned, "Why, didn't your owner have you treated?"

Priceless shook her head, "You don't understand, I was treated, while it was hurt, I was set to scrubbing floors so I didn't have to walk while the poultice was doing its work."

"Oh. If you'd been my… Lady Kaiji's property… she would have let you rest." Kaiji swallowed bitterly and didn't meet Priceless's eyes. "Just… go eat, and you can get some for me, there are some tasks we can take care of now without leaving the building. We'll do those first, then after we've both eaten, we go out together." Kaiji let her hands fall down at her side, and didn't wait for an answer as she walked toward the door and took up her task list.

"Poor woman, she had everything… absolutely everything, and now… now she's got not a thing, not even her own name is really hers. At least I never had anything to lose." Priceless said out loud when Kaiji was gone, and went to ring the bell to summon service. 'I should do something nice for her. I'll slip her a little bit of my food when she's not looking. She'll refuse it if I offer.'

Kaiji headed down the hall with long even steps, only the weight of her bronze collar and the reflection of it in the many burnished surfaces, reminded her that she was not who she was, like it was a living thing reminding her, 'You are someone's possession'.

When she reached the steps, she hesitated and looked back in the direction of the room she now shared with Priceless. "Poor girl, she never had a damn thing to her name, never even knew who she really was. At least… at least I had many years as a free person once, I had everything, I got to feel so many wonderful things… she never did. Maybe all that's over now, but, if I try, I can remember it at least, even if that is getting harder. At least it happened. What has she ever had? And she's trying so hard to help me too. I should do something nice for her, but what?" She wondered aloud as she descended the steps, and then it struck her, 'We don't have anything anymore but… we will get food, I can give her some of mine when she's not looking! I can't offer, she'll turn it down. But… if I slip a little onto her plate or into her bowl when she's not looking, she'll still get to enjoy it. There you go Kaiji, that's good thinking!' She smiled happily all the way to the front desk where she started explaining what she'd need.

"I see." The clerk said snobbishly as he looked down at Kaiji.

"Yes, Sir, my Mistress, Captain Aiwenor, requires that wash tubs be provided to our rooms so that we may bathe, she doesn't wish us to be filthy when we represent her to others, and we're not allowed in the baths unless we're… ah… in use." She looked down as she spoke to him, and could feel his eyes down on her.

"I see, and has your mistress provided coin for this purpose, or not?" The thin, mustachioed man asked with a narrow look. 'Is this slave insane, expecting us to have washtubs brought to her?'

"Yes of course, Sir. Mistress Aiwenor left coin behind for everything we'd need while she was away." Kaiji swallowed, 'He doesn't believe me, oh god what am I supposed to do, I didn't expect this!'

"What room, slave?" He asked with annoyance.

As Kaiji mentioned the room number, he went down the list, and while Kaiji shifted nervously on one foot, his eyes went open much wider from their suspicious, narrow look. "Yes! Of course we'll provide you with whatever you need!" He then leaned over urgently and whispered, "Don't tell anyone I gave you any problem… 'please' I just started today, I didn't know we had anyone rated for this high a service standard!"

Kaiji bowed her head, seeing his fear so similar to her own, the fear of disappointing the powerful and losing something good. "No, Sir, I won't."

His face filled with relief, "What else do you need!" He urged with his eyes all but bugging out of his head.

"My mistress, she wants to buy Komestran land, but it's been such a short time since the fall, we need to know if any has been earmarked for public sale yet or not, and if it is, where it can be bought." Kaiji read the item off the list in the professional manner that she once used with her late Prince.

'OK, this is 'not' an ordinary common slave, that was far too professional, too refined, and she can clearly read exceptionally well… better add a note to the log regarding dealing with her.' He thought to himself and stroked his chin as he thought.

"Yes, well we can find out when the sales will begin, likely soon, but if you want to know what the lots are and where they are, you'll need to go to the hall of records. What else?" He answered, and pressed for more.

He proved a goldmine of information, and within an hour Kaiji was returning to her owner's room with a sense of great relief, either with what she needed done, known, ordered, or at least where to go, identified.

Back in the room, Priceless sat with two trays of food, a simple thick breakfast stew with a hard biscuit and two large cups of water. She looked supremely happy, with a bright smile that lit up her face and her brown eyes dancing.

Kaiji approached and sat opposite her, and noticed that Priceless's bowl was a little lower than her own. 'Poor thing, will life ever not cheat her? She could have taken either bowl, but chose to give me the greater sum.' She thought with a deeply moved heart.

"Good to sit at a table again." Kaiji said, then looked away, embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I forget myself."

Priceless shook her head, "No, it's alright, you didn't mean anything by it." She replied, and for a time they made smalltalk, until Kaiji stared out the window.

"What's that?" She asked uncertainly.

Priceless turned around, "What?" She inquired, while she was distracted, Kaiji scooped two loads of food out of her bowl and put it into Priceless's instead.

"No, nothing, must have just been a bird, probably a sort we didn't have in Komestra." Kaiji replied and lifted her bowl up to her lips to drain the last drop, and then she shamelessly licked the inside of it till it was clean.

Priceless looked down at her bowl, befuddled for a moment, then shrugged and finished off what she had left, doing just as Kaiji did, after which they polished off their biscuit and drained their cups of water.

"To work, then." Kaiji said as she took their bowls and trays and stacked them together. She laid them outside the door as Priceless followed her out and they headed towards the entrance of the hotel.

"Where should we go first?" Kaiji inquired as she pulled out the list.

Priceless proved an excellent guide to the city, "It may have been a few years since I had an owner here but… well Pas'en doesn't change a whole lot. Makes it easy." She grinned proudly, and Kaiji found the outing to be… altogether pleasant. Or so it was, at least when not actually engaged with keepers, as the two were able to converse a little, and their bronze collars kept even free shopkeepers relatively polite. Though, they did still have to wait for free people to be assisted first.

For Priceless, this was routine.

But… to Kaiji, every time a shopkeeper or clerk looked at her, saw her collar, then looked at someone without one, and proceeded to ignore her… it stung. She felt it every time, despite the courtesy, the downward look, and her necessary deference as she kept her gaze submissive. She felt it like a physical blow, and kept her spirits up only because Priceless seemed to not only take it in stride, but took the rest of the time, either waiting or between stops, to speak of happier things.

Several hours later, they were returning to the hotel, and Kaiji lost all poise as soon as they entered, going to a wall, pressing her back to it, and sliding down to the floor.

Priceless breezed in behind her quite contentedly. "Are you hu-n-g-ry…?" She slowed her question as she saw Kaiji's slumped posture.

She lowered her hand from where she was reaching for the rope to call for service, and approached to crouch in front of the demon-elf who was now her companion.

"What is it?" She asked, and reached out to tilt Kaiji's chin up.

"Nothing. Everything. It was just… being looked at like that, ignored… it was bizarre. It was… uncomfortable. Every time they saw my collar, their faces changed. How do you do it?" Kaiji wiped her forehead and shuddered.

Priceless shrugged, "It just is, I don't know of any other way to be looked at but that one. It's OK though, just remember, you're wearing bronze, they won't yell at you, or mistreat you, or hurt you, or even touch you. When you wear leather, or iron, you have to fear discipline."

"I know… Mistress Kaiji had occasionally disciplined iron or leather acting out of turn. I- She... was never cruel about it, or so she thought, I thought… you know. But now I wonder if just doing so wasn't cruel enough on its own." Kaiji looked away toward the window, her eyes followed a bird as it flew ahead, became a dot, and disappeared into the distance.

"If Lady Kaiji were still alive, I think… I'd hate and fear her. I think you would have too." Kaiji said, and sat her chin on her knees.

Priceless put her hands on Kaiji's knees, "I don't know, I can't picture that lady say… throwing me to her guards for the night as a reward, and then making me work through the pain the next day. I can't picture her beating me, just because she had a bad day. I think… I think if I'd had Lady Kaiji as a mistress, even when she scared me, I'd have trusted her. I think… I would have meant it, when I kissed her giving hand and thanked her. When you live like this for long enough, you see the best and worst come out in everyone. Because they can do anything, who they really are, is revealed by what they do to you, who can do nothing. I think… Lady Kaiji, tried to be tough, but fair, as far as anyone with power in this world is."

Kaiji managed to crack her lips apart, "You give Lady Kaiji too much credit. The look that stung me out there, she gave a thousand times a day…."

"It won't sting for long, it's like peeling off a bandage stuck to the skin, pull it hard, and remember, Lady Kaiji is dead, her memory can only hurt you as long as you let it." Priceless said and put her right hand to Kaiji's face, and let her lean into it for a moment.

"Now, food?" Priceless asked.

"Good idea." Kaiji responded and started to get up to her feet.

An hour later when food arrived, Priceless didn't notice when, as it was delivered, Kaiji slipped some from her bowl into the other, nor did she notice when Priceless did the same thing with some of her own.