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As soon as the door closed, Basin started to yell at Damien. The stone and wood of the place we were in muffled the loud conversation, but we could still hear it. Basin accused Damien’s family of being the lowest of all men.
We stripped Rose of her brown outfit and undid her kneeling place from her waist. A clingy wrap of fabric wound over her breasts and around her hips. As usual she looked lovely and delicate.
Rose laid the kneeling place on the floor by the fire and stoically took her spot. The men had not brought me a kneeling place, so I sat on the floor next to Rose. We rested quietly for a moment.
My friend looked awful. Her features were pale and drawn. The stress of Basin’s family was weighing heavily on her.
Outside I could hear the sounds of fighting. The disagreement was no longer just verbal. I didn’t hear clashing metal which made me feel better. The walls occasionally shook as a body was tossed into it though.
Rose and I sat close on the floor quietly listening.
“They won’t send us back to our Keepers,” she said suddenly, “or Fuji.”
Uncertainty stabbed at me as I gripped her hand.
“We will all go to the Keepers for the Administrators. The slaves there… are permitted to understand things. The Administrators speak freely in front of their slaves,” she told me. “I’ve never met the slaves the Administrators keep… I hope they will like us,” she finished in a whisper.
I couldn’t believe the insecurity I was getting from Rose. However, I remembered how long her life had been like it was. Any change at this point must be terrifying.
The sounds of fighting died down as I reassured Rose. We’d do fine at the new Keepers. The three of us were friendly. Besides that there was three of us, it wasn’t like we’d be alone.
“You will leave us if it is a girl,” she said quietly. “You told us they would take you back to the mountains quickly if it is female.”
We sat and listened as the men spoke harshly to one another. The fight seemed to be revving back up.
“How will they know if it is female?” she asked looking into my eyes.
“I don’t know,” I lied. “They somehow knew last time and they were right. I would assume they will know again,” I shrugged.
“You aren’t telling the truth,” she said simply.
I sat and watched her closely. There wasn’t malice in her features, just concern.
“I am not permitted to speak to you anymore,” I told her simply.
Our conversation was interrupted as a brown bundle was thrust through the doorway. The other slave pulled off her head cover and I smiled seeing Fuji.Property © 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.
“Hello, friends!” Fuji greeted us. “My owners were concerned because Rose’s wanted to fight… Why are you wearing pants, Ciara? Is this how your men punish you?”
I laughed and rose to help Fuji with her brown cover. As we stripped her I explained the men thought it was fun to teach me to fight. That was an utterly foreign concept to Fuji and she insisted they must be punishing me.
A body being slammed into the outside wall of the cabin made us all stop talking and look up.
“I’ve never seen them like this,” Rose said while watching the door with trepidation. “Damien and his Brothers were their best friends. They have protected each other for a very long time. Basin and his Brothers feel betrayed.”
Fuji joined Rose and me by the fire. Her owners had come to help keep the peace. She hoped they were doing what they intended to do. From the sounds outside they had joined the battle, not stopped it.
Hesitantly I asked Fuji why she’d not told us she was sharing my experience with her men. Smiling pleasantly Fuji told me she wasn’t permitted to discuss that. Her owners had been very specific in the things she was allowed to talk about. My friend saw absolutely nothing wrong with the way she had acted.
“Humans enjoy talking,” Fuji informed Rose and me solemnly. “My owners did not wish the hassle. They bought me because they knew I would be good and obedient when they saw me.”
Rose smiled a little and so did I at the statement. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Fuji’s owners had pegged it. Humans liked to talk and gossip. Obviously we were all here because I couldn’t control my big mouth.
Eventually it was quiet outside. No more yelling and no more bodies thrown against the walls. I had horrible images in my head of two times I’d seen broken families.
Were all of our beloved men laying on the ground, their bonds or bodies broken? I had to check.
Rose and especially Fuji were both against the idea. The men would come get us when they wanted to. We did not have permission to go looking for them.
Much to my friend’s dismay I walked over to the door. Taking a deep breath, I cracked it open and looked outside. I closed it quickly after peeking out and went to sit with my friends.
“They are talking,” I said quietly. “Some of them are sitting on the ground and some are standing. None of them look broken.”
Fuji groused, irritated by my failure to follow directions. Rose looked relieved.
“You won’t tell us anything anymore will you?” she asked instead staring at the wall.
“No, not unless they tell me I can.”
I felt bad holding back from her. Friends should be able to share everything. This wasn’t a normal friendship, though. Rose was a slave to her men and I was a slave to Nu-reeh. Neither of us had the luxury of doing as we wished.
We talked about what we could. It was depressing to think my days would now be filled with only polite conversation. I enjoyed talking to Rose and Fuji. When the outside door opened we all looked down and waited.
The room was soon filled with the sounds of men. They noted I had no kneeling place. Damien told them they didn’t like me to kneel; I used the furniture. He couldn’t understand why I was currently sitting on the floor.
Bane pulled me to stand and sat me on a chair next to Rose. The room was utterly silent for a moment. I kept my gaze on Rose’s head and tried to remember to breath.
No one asked about my seating arrangement. They had killed something and were busy making it into an edible meal. I felt the silent looks and the questioning stares though.
When Evan handed me a plate to eat the other men had suffered enough of this strange behavior. All the men wanted to know what was wrong with Damien and his Brothers. They were treating me incorrectly.