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A Timid Pet(Private Puppy+Anjeru)

A

Anjeru

Pulsar
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Down the road from several large manors laid a village with a very vibrant, busy marketplace. Lords and Ladies shopped among the merchant's booths, their eyes and fingers admiring the many exotic trinkets and objects they had collected in their travels. Among this crowd of potential buyers was a lord with a very bad temper in which was being put on public display at this time. Beneath the sun's warm rays and blue skies, this tall red-headed man was screaming at a young woman.

The young woman was hanging her head in shame as his words ripped into her self-esteem and pride of her services. She was a slave; a 5 foot 3, red haired, green eyed, small slave. Her Lord was mean and cruel. Today he'd only allowed her to dress in a ratty torn maid's skirt and torn blouse. Her feet were bare, her hair tangled, and skin sprinkled with dirt and dust. He hadn't even allowed her to bath today and so she'd started the day in a very sour, rebellious demeanor.

He had sent her on an errand to retrieve a piece of art from one of the many merchants. On the way back, a man had run into her and she'd dropped the painting, which in turn had caused it to be trampled by the impeding number of people. It had been completely ruined and he was holding her at fault. Screaming at her still, he shoved her to her knees. "That painting was worth more than your life! I told you to be careful and yet!" he cut himself off and kicked her furiously in her side. She cried out and fell onto her side, tears tracking down her dirty cheeks.

She was mumbling that she was sorry over and over, though she knew he was going to listen to her. She had finally pushed him too far and she knew that as his slave, no one would dare interfere with the Lord's punishment. His boot struck her again and she coughed in pain. "Help me..." it was whispered on a silent breath, her vision becoming hazy as the pain spread throughout her body now.
 
The call for help, though meager in tone, and hardly high in pitch, did find caring ears. The owner of the ears, made his way carefully towards the cry, catching the continuous taps as he walked. The taps came from a cane, long and waxy in color, the thing bore a black foot, and dodged the legs of passerby. As if using it to make his way towards the distressed voice, the cane led him along until he slipped into view. A giant of a man, standing exactly six feet and two inches tall. He had a sash of obviously valuable silk wrapped about his head, veiling his eyes. It would have been all too easy to guess that he was a blind man. Long locks of snow white fell trapped by the sash, or victoriously dancing by it's side. They fell as far as his shoulders, and didn't seem to have any particular 'edge' or end. Some were but shaggy locks that barely would have brushed his brow, while others dangled down and played upon the thin black button up he wore upon his torso.

"What has this woman done to wrong you, Sire?"​
His voice called, stern and strong, filled with a certain pride, as if this particular man knew everything he wanted to know, of course, other than the answer to his question. Pants that matched his shirt, hung loosely around his waist. Perhaps giving him a bit of a sailor's appearance, though, who ever heard of a blind sailor? A belt, wrapping the pants at their hem, held them to his hips. It also, carried a small violet pouch. This pouch, obviously held some valuables, it was likely the man's coin purse, imprinted with a fine silver thread, which formed a very ornate looking "V". This giant of a man, sailor, blind man, whichever one sought to label him, tossed the cane's foot to form the final vertex of a triangle with his feet. The free hand, fell upon his cane-holding one, and gently tapped his knuckles patiently.
 
The crowd that had gathered around this spectical of abuse grew silent at the arrival for this unusual newcomer to their midst. The 6 foot, elegantly clad lord turned to face the man as he addressed him. His pale blue eyes narrowed angrily. "It doesn't matter what she's done," he snapped, almost wanting to scoff at this blind man's interference. "She belongs to me, as useless as she may be at times."

As the conversation took place, the young woman was trying to push herself up from the dirt. Her side was bruised deeply and throbbing, sending shock waves of pain through her entire body. She whimpered at the strain it caused on her, but she managed to push herself to her knees. Her thin arms wrapped around her stomache, eyes peering at her savior through tangled lockes of auburn.

The man glanced back at her and she visibly cringed, shrinking back away from him. He smirked at her response, before turning back to the onlooker, his arms crossed, his legs spread in an aggressive stance. "Go now, sir," he said, "This meager girl isn't worth the trouble that will come to you if you choose to interfere more than you already have."
 
The blind man held a hand of apology out, his lips curling at their edges. His red sash tilting down as if he was looking at the abused female on the ground. This giant of a man was built like one as well as simply very tall. The main muscles, pectorals, abdominal, biceps and most things between were obviously prone to frequent use. However, he did seem to be still quite relaxed about the entire situation. Something about his presence was odd, giving those 'looked at' by his sash got the strange feeling that he was in fact seeing them, though, for all most could tell, such a thing would be impossible, or at least highly improbable.

"I've a rather hefty assortment of coins and gems here...if you might be interested in a trade, my Good Man"

His cane wielding hand gently leaned the balancing device against his own hips as he retrieved the pouch, and stretched the drawstrings apart. From within, little clicks of metal on metal, and what sounded like metal on glass pinged and clicked within.

"If she truly is such a hassle, perhaps you would allow me to deal with her burden?"
 
The man eyed him warily, wondering why this seemingly blind man wanted his slave, but the coins the man was holding out to him were such a tempting offer. It was more than he had paid for the girl and really, she was becoming nothing more than a nuisance. He clicked his tongue and unfolded his arms to reach one down towards the girl. Though she cringed, he grabbed her by her upper arm and dragged her to her feet. She stumbled but managed, biting back a whimper of pain from the sudden movement.

"Aye, I believe I can agree to that," he said, his hand tight around her arm. "She's become nothing but trouble. Might as well get what I can out of her." He chuckled as the girl visibly resisted the urge to yank away from him, pain or not. "A trade it is, then."
 
With a slight bow of the head, the man with the snowy locks smiled. Gently working the form of a single gem from the purse. It was rather large, slightly grape shaped, though not rounded. It had many a strange angle, but was obviously worth a pretty penny. Glimmering from within, a small vein of indigo, added a slight shade of violet to the entire clear crystal. "I trust this will be sufficient?" The man asked, though in honesty it was more rhetorical than anything else. Watching the both of them curiously through blind eyes, he stayed but an arm's reach from the man. Stretching out his half of the trade, held in a gentle pair of fingers.
 
[I hadn't realized you posted, so I'm very sorry it took so long for a reply post.. ;-;]

The duke reached out his hand to take the gem from this odd man. He eyed it, turned it over to eye it some more, before then nodding and putting it into his breast pocket. "More than I paid for this worthless chit." He said, shoving the trembling young woman covered in dirt towards her blind pursuer. "I Hope she'll be more use to you, but I really do believe you've wasted your time." As she came to fall to her knees weakly before her new master, The Duke scoffed and made his way out of the throng of people that had gathered to watch the spectacle. Now that it seemed to be over, the crowd began to break apart and go their seperate ways.

This served to help ease the discomfort of the young as she sat on the ground, trembling. She felt disgusting and worthless, but at least she had been saved from the cruel ways of the Duke. She wasn't entirely sure she would have lived much longer, as he had been getting more and more violent lately since his mistress had moved away to get away from him. Her voice shaking, she whispered, "...thank-you."
 
Alexius paid little mind to the words of the Duke. It wasn't much of a problem for him, the gems were quite easy to come by for the sort of creature he was. Bowing slowly, to both the Duke as he left, and to his new companion as she fell to her knees in front of him. A single hand extended to her, eager to help the poor girl to her feet. At her soft words, he simply smiled, allowing the faintly deviant grin to trickle over his oddly attractive lips. Something about them seemed a bit sharper than those of a normal person, and to a creature that shared blood with him, the reason would be obvious, however, to most they simply seemed to be a kisser's lips. "You do not need to thank me, M'lady. Simply come with me, or, if you do not wish to that is fine as well." Kindness spilled from his mouth the way webs spilled from a trap-door spider's hole, patience and nonchalance dripped from his voice, as the words came to her nearly in a whisper. "I can provide you with enough money to get you on your feet, if you wish to have your own life. However, I can offer a bit /more/ if you wish to come to my humble dwellings."

(( That's ok ^^ Though I must say you had me worried. ))​
 
[Yah. I'm sorry! ^^; I think it got knocked off the 1st page before I woke up that day, that's why I must have missed it.]

She heard him speak and looked admiringly up at her rescuer. Hesitance was evident in the slight shaking of her hand as she placed it in his, to allow him to help her up. The young woman was wary but did not press her luck. For as long as she could remember, she had always been a slave. Kindness wasn't something that she knew or even had enough of it to expect it. She mewed and lowered her eyes to her feet, brushing the tangled long hair back out of her dirty face. Her eyes were distinctive and sparkled like the jewels in his pouch.

"I..." she raised her eyes to study the man again, taken aback at his appearance still. He was in no way displeasing to the eyes. He was actually very attractive and his distinct differences only served to add to his mysterious appeal. "I'm in your debt, my lord. I will come with you."
 
(( ^^ It's fiiiiine. I'm glad you found it again though. =3 ))​

The smile on his lips curled slightly more at her choice. It was quite a nice thing, to have someone in your home other than oneself. Carefully, he returned to his towering stand. The highest of his hair atop his head reached an inch or so above six foot four. Offering an arm to her carefully, he now would quite proudly proceed to make way to his home. Little taps feigned his blindness for him as he walked, and a slow pace helped the effort all the more. "When we get back, you may take a bath...I should have some rather nice washes, and an assortment of brushes in my possession."
 
She, a little hesitantly, took his arm and began to walk down the road with him, limping a tad from the pain that still lingered from the Duke's abuse. "You..." she kept her eyes on the ground as they walked and as she spoke to him. "You really needn't be so kind to me, my lord. I am but a slave." The sun beat down on them and at least that warmed her skin; she was silently hoping he wouldn't get to see beneath her clothes. She still had a multitude of bruises from her ex-master's abusive ways.
 
For a moment, the man paused, turning his seemingly blind gaze to her the way someone who saw might have taken for granted. "Oh, but I do need to be so kind, m'Lady. Lest you wish to escape my ownership." The words were soft, but a whisper to anyone who might've been close enough to hear them. Never the less, each word held it's own confidence, as if his honesty was in itself going to help her out of that abused mindset. That gentle smile crept over his lips, and once more his steps continued.

((Sorry for not replying in so long...our internet was cut off not too long ago. x_x))​
 
The young woman couldn't help but be relieved at the kindness her new owner was showing towards her. She really wasn't sure how to appropiately act in this kind of situation, much less mutual agreement. No one had been kind to her for as far back as she could remember. The Duke's abuse had always reigned in her life and the way this blind man wanted to treat her, well...it was unheard of. "I...I don't know what to say, my lord." She murmured, humbled. "I really don't know what I've done to deserve such concern and care, but I do believe it is a nice change from the Duke's behavior towards me." A hand lifted to push dirty auburn lockes from her eyes so that she could peer openly at him for a moment as they walked; she wasn't aware that he could see her or else she wasn't likely to be staring or studying him the way she was. Perhaps fate wasn't so cruel after all, she thought.
 
With a slight shrug, only large enough for her to feel against the arm which she had taken, he rounded a corner. (Hits fast forward.) It wasn't long before the both of them were out of the town, and had made it to a particular path that would easily rank with even the sneakiest of hidden driveways of the future. After the first crunch of leaf under toe, he tucked his cane under his free arm. Steps now seemed to have been practiced, as if he knew this particular bit of his walk far more than he did the rest of it. "This...is my home." Rolled his voice finally, breaking the silence with an air of pride. The house was certainly not something to shake a stick at. With at least two visible floors from where they were, it peeked through the trees. Dark colors painted it's sides. Deep shades of crimson and black seemed to be the main theme here, with only a few places that bore silvery coats. The entire house seemed to move, like a mirage it's edges were blurry, it's points rounded by the heat which rolled around it. A certain feel of the unnatural could have been felt. As they neared it's form, the air's temperature did not rise, not even when they got so near as to have one of Alexius' careful hands open one of two large front doors. "Welcome, my Dear."
 
As they approached, she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive of her earlier decision to accompany him to his home. It was an eerie establishment, was what she concluded as her eyes roamed the majority of the building and its surroundings. When he walked up and opened the doors for her, she paused. This really was the final chance she had to renig on her acceptance of his hospitality. She was sure that when she crossed the threshold, she wouldn't be leaving any time soon - it was a feeling she had, looking at him, hovering just at the brink of entering his home. Uncertian, she nibbled thoughtfully at her lower lip; if she left, she was bound to end up murdered somewhere along the high road. Where as, if she continued on her set path, she could bathe and bask in the continuing kindess of her new master. Swallowing, the took the latter and nodded, stepping through the doorway to find herself in the main entry of his two-story home. As she stood there, she peered about the house's contents and houseware; she felt out of place, as dirty as she was. A scruffy urchin standing in the midst of a humble, clean abode, in dirty clothes and on bare, scarred feet. "It's lovely," she said to him as he followed her inside.
 
Inside, there were many a beautiful painting, scenes of battles, nature, and fantastical creatures, some more pleasing to the eye than others, though all were masterfully painted. The walls were hung high with painting upon painting, artwork of all sorts littered the establishment, however, the numerous depictions of all that was inspiring hinted towards his own fascination with the trade. Something about the paintings was strange, however, like much of the other things in his house. They seemed to all share a certain likeness, perhaps the brush strokes, or the manner in which they chose to depict their contents. Each one, was likely done by the same artist, though if a gaze inspected them, they would have found not a single one to bear a signature. "I am glad you like it. Ah, there is of course, one catch to this building, I should mention." A single finger upon a single hand pointed to one of the doors, which was quite a bit more proud and ornate than the rest of the house's visible doors. "Please, respect my privacy, that room is my study, and I should prefer if it remained nothing more than that."
 
Shaylee admired the paintings and the very artistic atmosphere of his home; the works were beautiful, each piece done with very attentive and loving brush strokes. The Duke would have been envious if he knew of her new master's collection. When he began to address her, the young woman turned to peer at the mysterious man again. He was asking her to stay away from his study - she could manage that. The Duke's house had rooms that she had never been allowed into, so she nodded to Alexius and bowed her head slightly. "As you wish, my lord." She murmured, then blinked as she realized she had only been referring to him as 'my lord' since he had rescued her from the Duke's hands in the marketplace. Her soft voice picked up again in curiousity as she asked, "My lord? What should I call you by? Unless you prefer for me to keep addressing you as my lord."
 
The man's brow visibly quirked, even behind the crimson sash. He shook his head shamefully, and quickly swept nearly and neatly to his knee. A graceful bow, with one arm across his stomach, and the other across his back. "I am very sorry for not introducing myself, how very rude of me...My name is Alexius Joseph Valquest the Third." A mouthful, that much was certain, and he had been told such many times over. It didn't bother him, though, he was quite proud to be a Valquest, and, quite proud to be the third of his line. He rose slowly, and offered a warm smile as he returned the question to her. "And, what might I call you, m'Lady?"
 
Indeed, definitely a mouthful. The young woman didn't expect such courteous behavior from her new owner; such a vast difference from the Duke's behavior. She wasn't sure she could get used to this without becoming a little spoiled. "Alexius...Joseph...Valquest the third," she repeated with a soft smile. "I do believe the name suits you, my lord. A unique, elegant name for a unique, elegant lord." Shaylee grabbed the edges of her dirty, torn skirt and pulled the sides out as she dipped into a curtsy, bowing her head. "My name is Shaylee Alyxandria Chastain." She, too, it seemed had a very uncommon lengthy name. Raising herself up, she smiled once again. "I too must apologize for the tardyness of our introduction. Previous events put a hold on that." She said as she tucked strands of her hair behind a small ear so as to not hinder the vision of her emerald hued eyes as she studied him.
 
Her name was lovely, as he had expected it to be. Relatively lengthy, like his, but not in such a way as to make it a distasteful name. "The pleasure, is mine, Shaylee." The man smiled, and nodded as he gestured to one of two staircases, each of which was positioned on walls to the left, and to the right of the entry doors. "Shall we find you some more flattering clothing? I'm pretty sure I might have some things lying about..."
 
Shaylee was quick to give a relieved, but grateful smile and she would nod to him. "I would much appreciate the chance to bathe and get out of these clothes..." she said, tugging her dirty hair behind her ear once more. "...the Duke was never one to expend luxuries to those who served him. A comb alone was scarce." A soft shake of her head and a soft sigh. "I really do appreciate the kindness you have shown and extend to me. I really do not know what would have become of me if you had not saved me the way you had." The woman curtsied once more. "I promise I will make it a wise investment." After all, she still felt a twinge of guilt at the gem he had lost in the course of saving her.
 
The male nodded, and listened carefully to her words. Words that gave only a glimpse to the mistreatment she had undergone, and would no longer have to live with. In fact, he was inclined to treat her even better than she'd been since meeting her as he heard of her past. Though, that would likely be seen as overbearing, so he simply smiled warmly to her, and made his way to the left wing's staircase. "There's a room you can use up here...if I remember correctly, it should have a variety of clothing and brushes, my Dear." It was true, there was one up there with all the provisions a female might need, though perhaps not all that one could want. Bearing shoes a plenty, a closet filled with finely tailored dresses, skirts, shirts and even things less necessary like hats, gloves, under and over shirts, as well as jackets. This room, found itself moments from being revealed, as Lord Valquest made his patiently graceful way up the stone steps.
 
She nodded, watching as he began to ascend the stone stairway. Her eyes couldn't seem to stray from his languid and graceful movements, nor from his elegant looks. Never in her existance had she come across a man as handsome and mysterious as Lord Valquest. Her feet tapped against the cool surface of the steps as she began to follow up after him, her steps light and graceful, though she still ached from the scene that took place before.

Silently, she couldn't help but wonder what was in store for her, why the Lord Valquest had given up such a pretty bauble, and obviously one of such valuable quality for her. "Do not hesitate to tell me of anything I can do to please you, Lord Valquest. I fear I will not be able to repay such kindness," her soft voice said from behind him.
 
As he neared the top, he caught faint words in his ears. Not quite loudly enough to make every syllable out, but certainly enough to find what it was that she said, or at least something so close that he assumed he had a rather good guess. When the words hit his ears, his head turned a bit to her, but did not turn completely. A sort of deviant smile played on his lips for this mere fraction of a second. "Here, my Dear." One of his hands stretched and grasped the handle, giving it a slow turn before casting the door open. The same hand gestured inside, which, revealed a rather large bed, adorned in a multitude of pillows, and too many blankets to guess at. There were three doors in this room, the one they were soon to enter in, one which led to a closet, and one that led to the room's personal bathroom. "This can be your room, if it suits you. I shall not enter unless granted permission from you, and you alone."
 
That soft, but slightly deviant smile caught her attention, but only a slight so. The small woman stepped up beside Alexius to peer into the room, taking it in with a sense of awe. She in no way deserved this treatment, such extravagence as this room held - it amazed her. Her dirty but youthful face turned to allow her to look up into the mysterious lord's face, at the sash that hid his eyes from view, and the beautiful lockes of his white hair. A soft smile caused the edges of her lips to curl. "As you wish, Lord Valquest." she said, but knowing that deep down, she wouldn't be able to deny him anything...she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. Maybe this was her destined fate and this was meant to be where she lived out her destiny.

Shaylee stepped into the room and once again admired its elegance. Never had she seen a room as nice as this, except for the Duke's. Never had a servant she'd ever known received such a wonderful place to retire. She turned back to Alexius with a soft blush barely visible beneath the dirt on her face. "Would you mind terribly if I were to leave your company long enough to bathe?
 
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