1x1 TrippingTirger & The Doctor

[TrippingTirger]

Name: Taisya Thornglara. At least, she was until enslaved. Now her last name is that of her master, ether that or none at all, depends on what the master feels like.
Age: 16, seventeen in two fortnights. (can be changed if that's too young)
Home: Was Willowswind. At five she became a slave and now has just been sold to her new master in Morrowind.
Looks: Long, bark brown hair that goes to just above waist level, usually pulled back in a pony tail or braid to keep it out of her face. Light completion, she never seems to get a tan, though thankfully she doesn't burn easily ether. Her eyes are what mostly stand out, a deep forest green that dance and glow as if someone took leaves and placed them in her eyes and added a wind to keep them in motion. To help the effect, they have little gold flecks, just drawing more attention and they change color slightly with her emotions. Other then that, she's tall and slender, graceful and almost catlike in movements, balance, flexibility, and adroitness.
Bio: Slave since she was five, has suffered through a lot at the hands of her masters, often for reasons that weren't her fault. She has a tendency to make her defend the other slaves and mother the children. Such actions have gotten her into a lot of painful situations, but she's fought through them all, often ending up with a scar for it. Has changed masters seven times, this is her eight.

That good? I'll put in more or less as you like. And I'll post next time.

[The Doctor]

Name: Endar Sethran

Age: 37

Home: A large mansion built hight in the mountains in southwest Morrowind, far from civilisation.

Appearance: As with all Dark Elves, his skin is a dark purple and his eyes are blood-red. His black hair, which he keeps slicked back, just barely reaches his neck. He normally wears a blue set of robes and a blue hood, which seem to give off a strange energy. A long, jet-black sword always hangs from his hip. He only removes it to bathe, sleep or fight. When a monster wanders onto his land, or he otherwise confronts an enemy, he summons a powerful set of enchanted armor and a large, golden shield, which is otherwise kept in a glass case in his private quarters.

Bio: He left Morrowind when he was 17. He spent 20 years as an adventurer. He discovered ancient dungeons filled with ancient treasure. He has amassed such a fortune that he can live a luxurious life and still never have to set foot off his propert again. He has collected ancient artifacts of great power, which are all on display throughout his mansion. During his adventures, he has mastered every ability known to men and mer (mer being Elves and the like).

(That's great. I hope you don't mind this being a real fantasy thing. Monsters and magic and stuff.)

[TrippingTirger]

Chains clinking softly as she walked, the cold metal around her wrists and neck reminding her of what she was, the pain as the edges bit into her flesh leaving a mark that would continue to remind her for the rest of her life. She already had the scars from such collars and cuffs, now they were just getting thicker.

Obviously not walking fast enough for the man leading her, Taisiya stumbled slightly as the chains connected to the bands around her neck and wrists were yanked, forcing her to suddenly have to half run, half stumble a few yards in order to catch up.

"'Urry it up, slave!" The man leading her growled, "'E doesn't like to be kept waiting...."

"Sorry, sir." Taisi answered in a whisper, speeding up. She didn't know if this was true or not, the man had said that about the last master she had, and he had practically begged them to take more time so as to not inconvenience themselves. She'd thought of him as a very kind, but stupid master, but she'd been happy enough. At least until he was stabbed in the back and the fact he was an over loard of a gang of murderers, was deep in debt, and had a million crimes to his name came out.

They'd burnt his house down. She'd fled with the man's young children, the oldest being five. She'd been told to protect them, so that's what she did. Then, like a good slave, returned to give them to their closest kin, and to be sold again. She could have killed them and run off, started a new life, but she didn't. She had liked the children, so she gave them the life they deserved.

Now she was being lead in chains to the doors of a huge castle. She had been due here three weeks back, but she'd had to care for the children until their aunt could get there. So she was delayed. Now, dropping into a deep curtsy like she'd learned, she waited, head bowed, as the man leading her knocked on the door.

((There, how's that? Will that work for why she was delayed? Ooh, and you can change length of posts now....just do what you're comfortable at, I'll match it.))

((Nope, don't mind at all. (: In fact, that'll make it more fun!))

[The Doctor]

Just as the man began to knock, an animalistic roar came from their left. A large, ugly, gray creature, with muscular arms and a fat stomach, emerged from the forest surrounding the area. It was an ogre, and it looked hungry. It wasted no time charging forward, in hopes of a meal.

Before there was even time to react, a bolt of lightning struck the ogre square in the chest. It fell forward, stone dead. The lightning seemed to come from a balcony directly above the door. A blue-robed figure stood at the edge of the balcony, directly above the man who was bringing Taisya.

Instead of going back into the mansion and walking down to the door, which would make sense, the man simply stepped up onto the rail and...hopped off. He landed very lightly, as if something had slowed him down on the way. He looked slowly from the man at the door to Taisya, and then turned and walked toward the corpse of the ogre.

He leaned down over the creatures body and pulled open it's large mouth. He then proceeded to pry all four of it's fangs out of it's head. He stood back up and placed them in a pouch on his belt. He then turned his attention Taisya and the man.

He walked back toward the two slowly, stopping on the same spot that he had landed when he jumped from the balcony. He looked at Taisya for a moment as the man approached him. The man who had brought Taisya was about to say something when the robed man turned to him sharply and said "Is this all? I paid for three!"

At this, the man began to panic and shake uncontrollably. "Uhh...w-well...you see...uhh..." The man quickly decided he'd try to fool the hooded man. "N-no. N-n-no. Y'see...I said you was buyin' one what'd do the work of three. I see how you'd get tha' confused...heh heh." He smiled, hoping the hooded man had a bad memory.

"Ah...I see how it is. Think I'm stupid, don't you? I paid for three and we both know it!" As he said this, he slowly drew the sword from his side. "I'm sure you haven't got my money with you, so I suggest you leave. Quickly. Before I get angry and make sure you never cheat anyone like that again, you fetcher!"

The man, now hysterical at the threat on his life, dropped the chain he had used to lead Taisya and threw the key to her shackles down to the ground before running for his life down the path that lead to the mansion.

The hooded man returned the sword to the metal loop that kept it hangig from his side. He slowly moved to where the man had dropped the key and picked it up. He turned his head and looked at Taisya for a few seconds before moving over and unshackling her, starting with her wrists and finishing with her neck. He pocketed the key and threw the chains to the side before turning toward the door and starting to walk slowly. He looked back at Taisya and said "Come."

[TrippingTirger]

As the roar resounded around them, Taisiya's head snapped up, for a second fear filling her eyes. But she was a good slave, she knew her place, and she dropped it again, simply closing her eyes and standing where she was, forcing fear out of her heart. If her master, or, currently, the man leading her gave her no permission to run, she would stand and die. That was, after all, her job as a slave. She knew it well, and she was a good slave, she would follow it.

Many thought she was brainwashed, with her near suicidal thoughts on what it meant to be a slave, and with how strictly she obeyed them. She wasn't, she had simply decided that it was easier to listen and not get punished for disobedience then it was to do what seemed right. Besides, anything could be a test, and failing it could cost her life.

She'd seen a man once, a slave who was as loyal as could be. His master wished to test him, so he put him in a room with an open door, then released a lion. The man ran out, even though he'd been told to sit and stay in the center of the room. He was shot in the back by a hidden archer. The lion had been an illusion. Anything could be a test to see if she was loyal and a good slave, she would be a good slave and hopefully survive for that.

As the ogre dropped dead, she glanced up in surprise, biting her lip to keep from yelping in shock when a man appeared from seemingly no where. She hadn't looked up, she knew better then to look above chest level. It could be considered a challenge or an attempt to look her master in the eye and make herself equal to him. That was something she couldn't risk.

Silently, she simply forced her curtsy, which she had miraculously held the whole exchange, allowing him to inspect her if wished. Hoping to learn something about her master, she let herself listen to the conversation, swearing she'd repeat it to no one, and justifying it by saying she hadn't been told not to. At least, in her mind she was. To the men it looked as if she might be draft, simply staying where she was, unmoving and silent.

She stiffened slightly as the man walked over to unlock her chains, half expecting to have to leave them on for a while. "Yessir." She answered quickly as she rose from her curtsy. Following behind him, exactly five steps, as trained, she followed him faithfully, praying she could make a good impression on this formidable man. She didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.

As they walked, she watched the halls and other rooms, hoping for little hints at how he lived, what he would expect her to do, and how many other slaves he had. That last one was the most important. At least, to her it was. She hated seeing others in trouble, if there were more slaves then just her, she knew she'd quickly be finding herself covering for them. She always did, to the point of lying to her masters to make herself take the blame, rather then see someone else suffer. She had many scars from that, but she regretted none of them.

So, simply wondering where they were going and what she was expected to do, Taisi followed after her new master, hoping she'd get answers soon. Not that she'd ask. A slave never spoke out of turn. And that meant that, unless protecting someone else, she would say nothing until spoken to, and then only what was needed.

[The Doctor]

The man led Taisya through several rooms of the mansion, the last of which was the kitchen, which was the only room that didn't have several large display cases. In the kitchen, he opened a door that revealed a staircase leading down. He led Taisya down to the bottom of the three-floored basement, where a locked door barred the way.

He reached into a pouch on his belt, of which he had several, and pulled out a key. He unlocked the door and replaced the key in the pouch. He pushed the door open and the sound of crying came faintly from the room. Inside the room, there were sevral beds on either side and a fireplace at the far end. On the bed farthest down on the left sat another elf girl, curled up in a ball. She was the source of the crying.

The man led Taisya to the middle of the room and stopped. He turned to face her and said "These are the servants' quarters. Pick a bed, and it's yours. Your first and most important job is to keep an eye on her. Cheer her up if you can, just keep her from escaping."

He thought for a moment and decided it was best if Taisya knew the girl's story. "Her family was in servitude here. They got stupid and tried to escape. Monsters got half of them. I got the rest. She had been sick, so they left her behind. But now, without them, she says she 'can't handle life as a slave' and has made several attempts to escape. The next one is going to be her last, one way or another."

The man walked past Taisya and moved toward the door. He stopped before closing the door and said "I kept the door locked because I didn't want to kill her but I couldn't watch her all the time. Now you're here, I'm leaving it unlocked. Take a few hours to get settled in, then you'll be making dinner." He then pulled the door closed and walked back upstairs.

He passed through several rooms and climbed several flights of stairs until he came to his study. A large room with bookcases and shelves across every wall and all the way up to the cieling. There was only one spot on the wall to the right without a shelf or a bookcase. It had a window that looked out across the forested mountains. Under the window was a desk covered with tools used in potion-making, empty potion bottles and all sorts of ingrediants. At the far end of the room there was a fireplace with a big, comfortable-looking chair in front of it. He moved over to the chair, lit the fire with a fireball from his hand and sat down in the large chair, relaxing.

[TrippingTirger]

Taisiya shifted nervously, worried she was about to get locked away somewhere. Even so, other then the slight change of weight, she did nothing, just standing there with her hands folded and head down. Once the door was open, she glanced in curiously, hoping that what was in it would explain the curious lack of slaves.

Walking into the room as was directed, Taisiya immediately looked to the other girl, worried about her treatment. She was old enough, if this man wanted to sleep with someone, he could have forced the girl to do so. That didn't seem good for her. She'd somehow avoided sleeping with any of her masters so far, she didn't know if she wanted to now. Of course, being a good slave, if told to do so, she would, of course. After all, what could she do about it?

Silently she listened as her new master started explaining the girl's story. She had to admit, she was very glad to find out it wasn't because he'd forced himself on her the night before. Though the reason really wasn't any better. It had to be hard, loosing her family like that. She could understand the reason why she acted as she did. Though she still couldn't help but be glad that it hadn't been for what she'd originally thought.

Feeling greatly relieved, though her face remained emotionless, Taisiya nodded, dropping into yet another curtsy. "Of course, sir." She answered softly. "As you wish." She murmured, not leaving her curtsy until he was gone. Then she quickly stood, looking to the other girl and wondering what to do about her. With a deep breath she simply walked over to her, smiling shakily.

"Hello....." She murmured quietly, seating herself on the edge of the bed, trying to figure out what to do as she attempted to make herself appear calm and understanding, not nervous. "I'm Taisiya....but my friends call me Taisi, as can you. May I know your name?" She asked quietly, hoping to at least get that from the girl so she'd have something to call her by.

She didn't know how to go about this, not positive how she was going to cheer the girl up from her depression. It was a very understandable one, but one that was needed to be gone. She couldn't fail, couldn't let the girl get herself killed. She'd do her very best to keep that from happening, she sore that to herself. But first she needed to figure out a few basic things.

"I'm to work here with you." She continued with a bright smile. "I think it'll be easy if we help each other. I'll need someone to show me around and tell me what to do, can I rely on you?" She asked hopefully, attempting to distract the girl from her family. "Maybe we can finish our chores early on some days and have some time to ourselves. I could tell you all about where I come from. About everything I've seen, and you can help me learn how to live here. Would that work? I bet there's a lot we could learn from one another." She added, looking as eager as she could and praying she didn't sound false.

[The Doctor]

For a while, the girl said nothing. She made no attempt to stop or stifle her crying. She simply lay there, staring at the wall as Taisya tried to coax her into talking. With the door unlocked, her mind was focused on making her escape. Because of this, everything Taisya said barely registered in the girl's mind.

Eventually, she managed to slow her crying. Sniffling, she sat up and wiped her eyes. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin on them at the same time. After a few minutes of sniffling, she managed to say "Aste...I'm Aste..." She sniffed again and wiped her face.

Aste sat quietly, not saying any more. She sniffled every once in a while. Whenever she thought Taisya wasn't looking, she'd glance over toward the door. All she could focus on was escaping her servitude and making a new life somewhere far away, somewhere that she would never be forced to serve another person again.

Upstairs, the man had pulled his hood back, revealing his purple face and slick, black hair. He took a half empty bottle of wine and a silver glass from the small table next to the chair. He poured until the cup was nearly full and placed the bottle back on the table. He sniffed the wine and smiled happily, saying "Ahh, my favorite vintage..."

(Sorry for the shortness. Couldn't think of anything else to do.)

[TrippingTirger]

"Aste....such a pretty name." Taisiya said with a smile. She thought for a moment, then beamed at her. "It fits you, you know. Your name means 'Beautiful one'. I think that fits you nicely. You are, very beautiful." She said with a smile, lightly touching the other girl's knee, watching Aste's face carefully. She was hoping for even a hint of a smile.

"You know what would make you even prettier? A smile." She declared with a bright grin of her own. "Here....dry your tears off, I know it must be hard, having your family killed like that, but you're still alive, you have a friend, at least, you will if you let me be your friend, you have a home, food, shelter, safety from what's out there....I think it's a wonderful place that we have here."

Sighing, she added, "At least, so far it is better then any place I have been. Did you know I was attacked on the way here? In all my other homes they would have let me die. Here I was defended. See how much better it is here then most places?" She asked softly, brushing a strand of hair out of Aste's face. "Some homes are cruel, torturous even. We should be thankful we're here. We're safe here, and we're cared for well enough."

In all truth, she couldn't be sure if what she said was true or not. She could only pray her words were true. So far, though, they seemed well enough. Sure their master had killed the slaves for fleeing, but then again, he was also working hard to keep this girl alive, surely that counted for something. And he had saved Taisi's life, that had to count for his good side.

But...which was he? More good, or more bad? She didn't know. He could kill a slave without a second's thought, though she had to admit, if a slave fled, most masters would kill them. But he said it so casually, almost as if he didn't care that he'd just forced the lives of many to be ended for simply trying to find a better life. Yet, on the other hand, he was working to preserve the life of his slave girl, and he'd bothered to save her from an ogre when he could have just as easily spared himself the trouble and let it kill her. He was a confusing man, she didn't know what to think of him. So for now she focused on the good.

((It's fine. Um...sorry, don't know if I can do much for your man right now....))

[The Doctor]

"Safe? Wonderful?!" Aste asked angrily. "You haven't seen him when someone does something wrong!" she said, glaring at Taisya. "If you make a little mistake when preparing his supper, you don't get food for a week! He's a cruel, cruel man who cares for no one but himself and always will!"

Enraged at Taisya's defense of their master, Aste continued. "Are you sure he was defending you? Are you sure he wasn't just defending his home? Or maybe he saw an opportunity to aquire an ingrediant for his potions! I bet the first thing he did was go over to the body of whatever he killed and took something from it."

Determined to show Taisya the true nature of their master, Aste continued to list the terrible things he's done. "My mother defied him whenever possible. She was nearly starved to death several times when she defended my sisters and I for a mistake made with his food. She was the one who led my family away. He knew this. He rescued them from the monsters in the forest...and then made my mother watch helplessly as he tortured and killed them. He took two days to finally end my mother's suffering!"

Aste smacked Taisya's hand off her knee, stood up and moved to a corner at the other end of the room, near the door. "If it's the last thing I ever do..." she began, crying again "I'll make sure that bastard suffers for what he did to my family." She leaned her head against the stone wall, hugged herself and wept.

Upstairs, in his study, Taisya's new master had finished half his glass of wine. He spent the few hours before supper reading one of the many books in his library. He had finished the last one he was reading the night before and now needed to pick a new one. He was up walking around, trying to do just that. He came to one of the few display cases in the room, looked in it, smiled and said "An old favorite, I think..."

(Don't worry about it. I just don't want him sitting around doing nothing.)