A Queen's new maid (MessedupRp x DancingRain)

[DancingRain]

Miki couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose as a barrage of horrible smells, coming from the harbor and slave quarters, came her way when she was lead out of the ship’s hull. With every step she made the shackles around her ankles and legs made a wrinkling sound. The bright sun made her squint her eyes as she hadn’t been the light in a long time. It probably had been weeks now. Maybe even months. She wasn’t sure anymore as she had lost count of time. The only way she could tell another day had passed was when the lanterns had been illuminated and doused. By her estimate of traveling along the land and sea it probably had been half a year since she had been captured.

As she and the other slaves slowly marched towards a certain building, Miki couldn’t help but wonder how all this had happened. Six months or so ago she was happily walking through the forest, foraging for herbs when she suddenly was catapulted into the air. It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. Somehow she had been careless and walked straight into a trap. Frustrated at her own mistake she took out her knife and wanted to cut open the netting that was holding her. However no matter how much she tried to cut into the ropes, they wouldn’t budge. It was then she realized these were ropes imbedded with magic.

At that time she began to panic. Quickly she closed her eyes and tried to summon her magic. As a Kitsune she had always had a huge affinity for fire magic. So she planned on burning the a portion of the ropes holding her up. Sure perhaps there might be a chance some of the burning parts could hit her and leave wounds. But that was a lot better compared to what might happen if she wasn’t able to get out of this trap. Therefor Miki tried to unleash her magic. The problem was that each time she tried to summon the magic needed for her spell, the magic would disperse. The panic that had settled in already now grew huge. Not only were these ropes imbedded with magic so that they couldn’t be cut by regular knives, now it turned out that they also had a spell upon them that prevented magic from being cast while incased by the ropes.

This showed that this trap had been specifically made to trap her kind. And that special hunters had been send out. Immediately she started gnawing and slashing at the ropes. She tried everything, screaming for help, begging the Gods to help her. She even started to hope that the hunters might stay away long enough that someone else from her village noticed she didn’t came back on time. After all tonight she once again had to perform for the travelers. So when she didn’t show up on time then perhaps they would send out people to come look for her and they might be able to get her down. Sadly this wasn’t the case. Only an hour or so passed before a group of men appeared from the bushes. All of them had a wicked grin on their face.

However Miki didn’t plan to go down without a fight. Her plan was to immediately pounce on the first guy in her grasp when they lowered her to the ground and open the ropes. To her surprise and dismay they lowered her but never opened the netting. Instead they tied it to the center of a large pole and had two man standing on either sides of the pole, had them lift it and walk away like that. So she cursed at them, spat at them, clawed at them if they came to close. But it was all without any effect. She just was carried further and further away from her village. Miki realized that even when they started to suspect something might have happened to her and send out search parties, she would already be taken too far away.

After that, her trip was pretty straightforward. Once the hunters reached their outpost, she got sedated by a simple dart from behind. Once she woke up, her clothes already had been swapped out for rags and her wrists and ankles had been shackled and chained. Naturally these slave traders knew what they were doing and the shackles and chains were embedded with the same spells as the ropes. Preventing her, and everyone else, from trying to perform magic. That way they were all easily transported over land towards the nearest port. There they were loaded into the hull of a ship until right now they were told to unload.

By now Miki was led into a huge building. Once inside the chains were removed but not the shackles. And in case any of the slaves were thinking of trying to escape now, huge guards with even huger swords were posted everywhere. And Miki was sure there probably were also a bunch of bowmen and mages placed on the second floor to make damn sure no one could escape. So she didn’t bother. Instead she just followed the orders given to her. Escaping could always be done later. But as long as she was shackled, she knew her chances of actually doing so were slim. She had seen enough of her other fellow slaves try and fail. And unlike them, she still hadn’t given up hope. She still believed one day she would once again walk through the forests freely. That’s why she didn’t do anything foolish which would cause her a dogs dead.

After her chains were removed. Miki was led away from the other slaves into a separate room. A male gave out orders in a foreign language to two maids. The maids nodded and soon Miki was stripped of her rags and had two vases of fragrant warm water poured over her. After that the maids started to scrub down every inch of her body. Even her tails were thoroughly cleaned. For the first time in half a year, she didn’t hate her own scent. When they were done, a blue checkered skirt and a large blue sapphire on a long rope were placed on her. After that the maids left but the two guards that had followed her into the room, still stayed and watched her closely.

However Miki had scanned the room while the two maids had been busy cleaning her up. The only way in and out of this room was the door from which she had been lead inside. The same door the maids had left. Besides that there weren’t even windows as the room was by a magic source on the ceiling. Probably a simple illumination spell. With a sigh, she just kept standing there and petting her own tail. Time moved on until a strange man entered. He stared at Miki for a while, said some things to her but since she didn’t understand, she just simply stood there. The man then frowned, said something to the guards who simply shrugged before stepping forward to Miki.

In front of her he started to talk once again but also starting making gestures. It became clear to Miki that he wanted to follow her. Nodding her head that she understood, she follow the guy as he lead her through the building and back outside. As her arms were free, this time she raised her arms to shield herself from the sun. Though this caused her to stop and this was clearly not something the man nor the guards wanted as she suddenly was shoved forward.

By following the man, or being shoved by the guards in the right direction, Miki was led to a stage. On it was a large man with a belly as big as an drum shouting out weird things while pointing at the two skinny men standing on stage. While he was shouting, people in the crowd in front of the large wooden stage shouted back. This kept going for a while until only the big man on stage was talking. It wasn’t until that moment that Miki realized this was an auction, a slave auction. And by where she was standing she understood she was up next. Panic once again set in and now she did try to break free. But the guard simply restrained her and pushed her up the stairs.

Once she was standing up in the center of the stage, the fat man moved towards her.
“Ladies and gentlemen! To finish of today’s auction we have a special feature! From far away in the east we bring you the half human, half fox Kitsune! As you can see this is full grown one who has already all of her tails! These are fierce creatures who specialize in fire magic but are fully capable of all kinds of magic. However with the shackles on her, we have bound her magic. Later on you can put restriction spells on her making it so that she can perhaps perform a bit of magic to entertain your guest but nothing to harm you or your precious visitors. However there is a drawback as she doesn’t understand our language yet. Either a spell must be cast on her by an experienced mage or she has to be manually thought! As she is in her prime we normally would start with seventy gold coins but in this rare occasion we’ll start at ninety five gold coins. The reason for this is because before she was captured and after her capture, we have personally seen she’s an exceptional dancer that managed to bring entire groups of people into a trance of pure silence as they stared at her. Now who wouldn’t want to own this lovely specimen? Let the bidding begin!” The fat man shouted out but true as he said Miki didn’t understand a word of what he was saying.

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha smiled as she sauntered off the gangway and onto the steady dock of the harbor. Frankly, the rocking of the ship was not something that the young empress had completely adjusted to, but thankfully,the boat would be heading back home this afternoon. Aside from that, young woman was not overly excited for this day; partially because it seemed like such a bore and partially becaude she detested the traditions involved in the changing from emperor to emperor. She expressed her unhappiness to the woman following her like a shadow, Challah, her advisor and court mage.

Challah patiently explained, for the tenth time that day, why they were coming to the slave market. "An empress must select her handmaiden personally. The first one is likepy to become closer, she will be yoyr personal servant as you gain more and more through your rule."

Asha sighed and glanced longlinly at a market table full of food. She hadn't eaten today. "Why do I need a slave? Can't we use our own people?"

Challah shook her head immediately, "no... It is not our way. You will find a suitable slave here. I have foreseen it in my visions."

Asha smirked, "Really? Tell me what she looks like then."

Challah hesitated, her stoic exterior cracking for a moment, "well um... My clairvoyance... Does not reach that far." She scowled playfully at Asha, "I am seeing another vision right now. In the vision, I am beating my empress senseless with my staff."

Asha chuckled and glanced around the harbor once more before begrudgingly heading toward the auction. The empress stood out a bit in the crowd. There were a few people in impressively gaudy and bright clothing, adorned with gold and jewels, but also many commoners seeking to buy a slave to help with farm work, and everything in between. Asha looked like the in between. She was dressed in a small leather tucking ending a few inches above her waist and her muted red silk skirt. What made her stand out was her gold. She wore royal goldennrings around her neck, on each bicep and calf as well as her wrists and ankles. She was carryig a short walking stick made of a nearly black wood and laced with gold all up and down the length.

Asha and Challah stood at the back, Challah trying desperately to make Asha choose a slave and Asha trying desperately not to.

"How about that one. She seems strong enough for your needs." Challah would say.

Asha would shrug, "She's a bit too tall. I want her shorter than that."

"Maybe that one then, nice and short. Just like you want."

Asha sighed, "No... I don't like the way she looks."

"What do you mean, she's gorgeous!" Challah would retort.

"I mean I don't like the way she looks at other things. She has beady eyes. I don't want to have her watching over me day and night."

It was at this point that Challah became very interested in the leather canteen she had filled with wine before they left the boat. —she was especially interested in draining it as quickly as possible down her throat— Asha felt a bit bad. After all, she was being difficult, but not necessarily to spite her advisor; Asha and Challah actually for along very well, the real reason that she was being so hard was simply because none of the slaves met her ideal standards yet. In her mind, the slave of an empress shouod be more than what she had seen, and Asha waa no going to settle for less than perfect.

It was around this time that Challah set her canteen down and Miki was dragged into place. The moment Asha laid eyes on her, she knew this was the slave she wanted. Miki seemed like everything Asha never knew she wanted, all in one adorable package. However, Challah also noticed the look in Asha's eyes and she was not as enthusiastic. "No. No Asha, do not buy her."

Asha glanced at Challah as the first bid was called, then another. "Why not? She fits all my needs well."

Challah gave her an incredulous look, "she also has fire magic and retractable claws and fangs. Asha, she is dangerous."

Asha glanced back up at Miki again. "maybe so... But isn't everything dangerous?"

Challah sighed as Asha raised her hand. She called out a bid for four-thousand gold pieces. Nobody else called for a bid after her, the kitsune was hers. The guards met Asha and handed her over, Miki now had a leash and her wrists bound in magical ropes behind her back. Asha wasted no time, walking her slave back towards the ship. As they walked, Asha looked over at Miki. She spoke in the kitsune's native language and used a comforting tone while she spoke. "Hello, my name is Empress Asha of Hashav. You can call me Empress. I have bought you, you are now my handmaiden and concubine. Do not be afraid, you're safe." She tried to give Miki a comforting smile and hoped it worked.

 

[DancingRain]

Miki watched as people started to shout things towards the stage and the fat guy on top seemed to keep on repeating them. Not that she was understanding a word they were saying. It just all seemed to sound the same. As the fat man kept pointing at her, she realized they were actually bidding on her. She really was going to be sold. Right now panic was setting in. Sadly the guards had made sure the chains on her feet were fastened to a lock on stage. The chain was long enough to let her parade around so that everyone in front of the stage could get a good look of her. But also not to long that she could even try to run away. This showed how much experience these slave traders had.

Sad that there was nothing to do, Miki just stood there and stared in front of her. Though her gaze wasn’t resting on the people who were in a bidding war over her. No it was on the ocean. She wished that she was back into the hold of the ship. At least there she wasn’t treated to badly. After all a dead slave wasn’t worth anything to the slave traders. However she knew that once she was sold, there was a high chance that her new owner wouldn’t be so kind. There had been enough stories going around the other slaves. Some were about people who bought slaves to just torture them. Others would work their slaves to dead. And then there was the kind who used them to enjoy their slaves in carnal pleasures. Especially those like her of special races who were heavily sought after.

Each of these really worried Miki. But what else would she expect. You wouldn’t buy a slave just to cook and clean. You would use them for all the things normal people wouldn’t do. So she already knew her future was looking bleak. She just hoped that because her being a kyuubi at least would make it so that the person who would buy her, would treat her with a bit more care then a normal human.

Because of this hope, she started to focus a bit more on the bidding war going on. Even if she couldn’t understand what they were saying, perhaps she could try and follow it. Find out who would be the one to win. Sadly it wasn’t easy as it really was a frantic bidding war with tons of people shouting against each other, trying to outbid their competition. At least it was until suddenly a woman’s voice sounded very clearly above everyone else. After everyone heard it, nobody made another sound. Confused Miki looked around what just happened. Even the fat guy seemed a bit startled before regaining his composure. He clapped his hands excited, shouted out a few more things before signaling the guards.

After that she was quickly let of stage and back into the house. There she was placed back in the room. Now there were plates of fresh fruit, meat and bread brought in together with a jug of cold water and a jug of fruit juice. It seemed that right now they really wanted to make her feel comfortable. Why she didn’t exactly know but she could guess. Someone important had bought her. The fact that everyone became quiet after the woman’s voice, the fat guy being shocked, her being immediately led away from stage and then all this sudden well luxury all indicated this.

This luxury couldn’t last as a group of men entered her room half an hour later. The put a special collar around her neck before undoing the shackles around her feet and wrists. Miki recognized this as an opportunity. Without those shackles she would be free to cast her magic. She couldn’t believe these fools would give her such a chance. Though as she tried to cast her spell, it turned out she was the fool. How could she forget that these people weren’t amateurs and wouldn’t make such an big mistake. Her collar glowed and instantly drained the magic she was gathering away. Letting out a frustrated growl, Miki just tried to claw and bite her way through the men around her. But a huge guard easily held her in place while another bound her hands behind her back with special rope.

With a leash attached to her, she was lead through the people and brought in front of two black women. Miki felt humiliated. It was if she was a rabid dog or some house hold pet. And to make matter worse, one of the women, the one who introduced herself as Asha, wanted to make her a concubine. Miki’s patience really had reached a limit and she looked up at Asha with a murderous intent. “First you have them collar me, parade me around like I’m some simple dog and now you’re telling me that you want me to perform sexual favors for you. Why don’t you take of this collar and these robes. I’ll show you who has to be afraid of who.” She bared her fangs. No matter how much this so called empress smiled and tried to sweeten her over by talking her language, Miki wouldn’t be fooled.

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha was taken aback by the way that Miki spoke. Challah was much less so. The mage stepped forward and slapped a hand across Miki's face. "You will not speak to the empress like that, slave."

Asha immediately moved forward and grabbed Miki before she could fall over and looked back at Challah. "Challah! Why did you do that!" She was still speaking in Miki's language. She wasn't great at it, but the point was clear.

Challah held her staff ready. "She has no right for such insubordination. She has openly threatened you, talked back and been overall unruly. Any other slave owner would have done worse than a slap across the face for the same actions."

Asha frowned, "She's just scared Challah. She's just been on an auction block, she must be frightened and nervous. I'm sure after she realizes that I do not plan to harm her, shell behave better." Challah grumbled but set her staff back down. Asha smiled softly at Miki, "I'm sorry. I'm not very good with your language. I don't want sexual favors from you. I plan to have you as... A... A..." She looked to Challah, the two exchanged a few words in their own language before Challah said the word "dancer" in a tongur Miki could understand. Asha brightened immediately, "yes! You will be a dancer, no sexual favors involved. I will provide you with food and shelter and anything else you may want... Within reason. You must be hungry, well return to my ship and get you some food. Challah, give her something to cover up with."

Challah scowled at Miki and handed over a light grey cloak. Asha tied it comfortably around Miki's body, she checked it to make sure that Miki was entirely covered, then led her out of the room.

Challah occasionally glanced back at Miki as they walked, taking each opportunity to hold her staff threateningly and stare daggers into Miki. Asha would also glance back at Miki, but her looks were with a happy smile at her new slave. "I can't believe you didn't return her when you had the chance." Challah said, speaking hee native language again.

Asha glanced at her mage, "Of course not. She's perfect for me! She's got a bit of an attitude, but that can be smoothed out easily enough."

Challah rolled her eyes, "she threatened to kill you, empress. I don't think buying her was a good idea."

Asha smiled at Challah, "of course it was. She'll be a wonderful slave once she's had a bit of training. I just know she will." She sent back another warm smile to Miki and turned her attention back to the walk.

 

[DancingRain]

Miki had to admit, the other woman had taken her of guard with slapping her like that. Because she just bared her fangs, the slap caused her lower lip to start bleeding a little. A few droplets of blood trickled down. Though she didn’t care. What she did care about was that Asha suddenly was holding her. Shrugging of the hands, she stood up tall and turned to stand in front of the woman who had just slapped her, the one called Challah.

“She might be your empress but she’s not mine. So I’ll talk to her as I see fit.” Her tails fluttered out, her ears stood up straight now and her gaze held a murderous intent as she stared at Challah. “And if you ever try to hit me again, be prepared to lose your hand. You can tie me up as much as you like, you can constrict my magic but I swear no one hits me without consequences.”

After that she turned to Asha. “I want my freedom. That’s all I want. For as long as you don’t grant me that, no matter what you gift me, I never will be happy.” Miki said while her ears lowered themselves and her tails once again went down.

As she followed the two ladies as the moved towards the ship, she heard them talk about how she needed training. Even if Asha turned to smile at them, Miki just growled at her. She couldn’t believe this woman called Asha. First talking about having to train her then smile at her as if nothing was wrong.

Miki started to believe this was one of those empresses she had heard about. The ones who think heaven and earth revolve around them because they had too much money and too much power. But because of that an idea started to form.

Perhaps she could play along for a while. Let Asha and Challah think they had broken her, that she was going to be a good domestic pet. That way they might lower their guards around her and she might be able to escape.

The idea of gaining her freedom once again, made Miki smile. Though she had to play it carefully. She still had to be resistant now. If she became to docile to quick, they might start to notice she was up to something. Especially Challah looked like she would keep an hawk’s eye on her. So she quickly hid her smile as she started to walk onto the ship.

“So how long will this trip last? You know I just spend the last few months on a damned boat. I was glad to get some land under me and now you’re forcing me back onto another one of those damned things.” Miki growled in frustration.

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha was feeling very forlorn by the way that Miki was acting. Sure, she expected that the slave wouldn't be overly excited about being sold, but she figured she was liberating Miki of a worse fate. The young empress had always learned from her mother to treat servants well and especially to treat slaves well. She pouted a bit until she felt Challah squeeze her shoulder. "She'll come around. With an owner like you, anyone would come around." She was using their own language instead of Miki's tongue.

Asha smiled softly at her advisor and nodded. "Yes... Yes, you're right Challah." She wanted to believe her advisor very badly, but part of her was worried that she hadn't made a good choice in buying Miki as her slave. Asha was very worried that Mimi would end up being a very unruly slave, and if Asha couldn't even choose a good slave, how could she possibly be fit to rule an empire?

The young empress was pulled from her uncertain stupor when Mili asked a question. She glanced back at the kitsune and nodded. "I can understand your worry. But the trip will only be a few days. We're leaving almost immediately, so you'll be back on land by tomorrow at sunset. In the meantime though, you'll be more comfortable than you were in that slave ship. You'll stay in my quarters for the trip and you'll get fed as much as you'd like." Challah stopped Asha with a hand on her shoulder and motioned to a dock.

The trio walked down the dock and stopped again in front a massive ship. It was beautiful, with red-orange sails that rested, furled up against the mast of the ship. The wood was lacquered wonderfully and shone beautifully in the light. Asha trotted up the gangway first, followed by Miki and then Challah. The deck was a bustle of activity, a few of the crew took notice of them, but most were too focused on their work. Asha nodded to Challah and smiled, "I'll take her with me to my quarters and let her get settled." She turned toward Miki and smiled at her, "come with me. I'll show you to our quarters."

Asha walked with Miki toward the below-deck of the ship. "I'm not used to this type of ship. The ones we have at home aren't this big, and they don't cover your head like this. At night, I like to look at the stars, but I can't do that because of the shape of the boat. But I can see the water, so that's always great to look at." She was guiding Miki toward the stern of the ship and eventually pushed open a door into a small room. The room had a few items. A small chest in a corner, a stack of books and papers next to it. There was a window against the back of the ship, but it was a small one. There was no clear bed, instead there was a light blue cloth hammock strung up. But there was only one.

Asha seemed to realize this a bit too late and frowned slightly as Miki entered, "uhm. Here, you can sleep in the hammock. You've been in a slave ship for two months and you need a good rest more than I do." She nodded to the ground. "I think I have a bedroll packed, so I'll sleep on the floor. It seems only fair." She moved over to the chest and rummaged through it a bit, producing a bedroll made of plant fibers. She unrolled it on the floor beside the door and nodded to herself. "There. That will work perfectly for both of us."

She glanced up at Miki as a thought dawned on her. "I haven't asked you your name. I'm so sorry. I want to know what to call you after all. You can call me Asha, what can I call you?"

 

[DancingRain]

Miki cocked her head to the left a little when she heard the two woman starting to talk in their own language. She listened closely, trying to see if she could figure out something from the tones. But the sounds were so different compared to her language. The only thing she did notice was that the one called Asha seemed to be a bit dejected. Though Asha soon was smiling and answering her question without any change in her behavior. So Miki just thought she had imagined the earlier scene.

However Miki’s mood turned sour herself when she heard that it would take a couple of days, at least two, before they would arrive. Letting out a frustrated groan, her ears laid flat against her head and her tails now dragged on the ground, showing how she felt. Because of that, she didn’t really pay too much attention to the ship she was boarding. This could have been the most beautiful ship in the entire world, to Miki it would still look the same as the slave ship she was brought in.

After all she was a Kitsune. Fire was her attribute. So naturally the one thing she hated the most was water. Especially large bodies of it. The fact that she also grew up in a city surrounded by a forest, she always had been able to avoid being on a river, lake or ocean. Now she would be once again forced to stay two days on the seas. So naturally she wouldn’t be happy. She swore that somehow the gods were mocking her. Having a laugh with her misery.

So Miki meekly followed Asha to her quarters. When Asha started to say that she loved to look at the water, Miki thought she was making fun of her. Especially because she had just been thinking how much she hated the water. “I don’t like water. Give me threes, grasslands, rolling hills. The smell of grass and flowers and a deer roasting above the campfire. The sound of said roaring campfire, giving of plenty of heat while around it musicians play their tunes and sing their songs. That is a lot better than the salty air and horrible smell of the ocean.” She explained.

When next Asha suggested for her to take the hammock while she would sleep on the ground on a bedroll, Miki couldn’t help but squint her eyes. “Why do I feel like you are setting me up. If I take the hammock, than that meddlesome women will come in and scold me and try to hit me again probably. Or someone else will come in and think I forced my way into the hammock and suddenly I’m being punished once again. So I’ll sleep on the bedroll.” Then she also looked at her tails and the hammock. “Besides I think with my tails, I won’t be able to lay comfortable in it.” She admitted as she stared at the small piece of cloth hanging there.

Then her eyes became wide in shock when Asha asked for her name. The reason for her shock was that the slavers had imprinted on her that when she would be sold, her owner would give her a new name or she would be forever called slave. Naturally she had planned to resist this and would have kept on sticking with her name. So Asha asking for her name was a shock to her.

After recovering, she looked at Asha. “Miki. My name is Miki.” She said softly before looking at Asha. “Are you sure I should call you just like that? I don’t want that other crazy women going crazy again because I don’t call you empress or something like that.”

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha smiled a bit as Miki described the forest and rolling hills. The beautiful imagery was clesr in her mind. "I'm sorry, my homeland doesn't have many forests. We do have tall grass plains, and there are some trees on those. Some of the trees grow massive, hundreds of feet tall with branches all over." She chuckled, "as a girl I would climb as high as I could and watch the sunset. I always love watching the sunsets."

She stared into space for a few moments, the shook her head and focused back on Miki. She gasped at the mention of deer. "You had deer? I've never seen one in person, I've read about them but I'd love to see one some day. Buy we do have campfires and roasting Zenzin. I think they're alot like a deer, I've never been near a deer so I can't give a very good comparison. But, maybe when we get home, you and I can go out together. We'll climb a tree to see the sunset and then spend the night by a fire and roast something. That will we fun won't it?"

At the mention of Miki's tails and the hammock, Asha frowned a bit. She tapped her chin and went to the trunk. "I know just how to solve that problem!" She reached into the trunk and took out a long slightly curved dagger. She moved swiftly past Miki and tore a hole through the hammock, widening it to accommodate all of the kitsune's tails. She used the fabric she cut to reinforce the weirder areas, wrapping it around them casually. "There. Your tails will fit easily now, if the hole is still a bit too small I can cut it wider."

She chuckled at the mention of her companion and shook her head. "Don't sorry about Challah. She's a bit much at times, but she has a good heart. I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon. If she says anything about it I'll speak to her myself and the crew of this ship is hired so they won't care who sleeps where." She put her hand on Miki's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "If she does anything rash, come and tell me. I know how to handle her... But, if you're worried about calling me by my name, you can just not use a title at all when we're in public. I don't mind. But, I would be more comfortable if you just call me Asha when were alone like this."

Asha looked Miki up and down. "You might get cold if you stay dresed like this. I don't think my clothing will fit you, but I do think I have a light cloak that could give you some coverage and a little more privacy. If you want it that is, I don't mind sharing." She smiled at Miki again, maybe the kitsune wasn't as bad as she initially thought.

 

[DancingRain]

Miki’s ears turned downward once again when she heard there were no forests in Asha’s homeland. The prospect of living in a savannah-like country really made her sad. Especially because it also would make it harder for her to escape. A forest would give more cover. And with her experience would be easier to use to lose any people tracking and chasing her. Not to mention it would be harder to gather food.

This last part was confirmed when Asha said they didn’t have deer in her country and she even hadn’t seen one in person. Something she couldn’t help but find strange. As she had always believed that deer were a common animal in every part of the world. After all those travelers from the west and south always seemed to recognize them. Though she also had to admit, she had never heard of a Zenzin. She couldn’t help but wonder what they’d look like. And she was also curious if they were as tasty as a deer.

“Well that doesn’t sound to horrible no.” She agreed. Even though she had told herself to be more open, more available to create a chance to escape, she couldn’t just pretend that everything was peachy in an instant. So Miki had to find a subtle line in when to show eagerness and when to be distant. “Perhaps when you set me free, I’ll take you to my home and show you a real forest and dear.” With this sentence, she still made clear she still hadn’t given up on regaining her freedom.

Though next moment when Asha said she had an solution for her tails and grabbed a dagger, Miki stepped back, grabbed her tails, bared her fangs at Asha and hissed threatingly. To her surprise Asha didn’t move to cut her tails but cut up the fabric of the hammock. This caused Miki to blush and look at the ground in shame. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” She finally said after the other woman was finished and shower her handy work.

Miki grinned up at Asha when she said she knew how to handle Challah. “If it wasn’t for these restraints on me, I also would knew how to handle her.” Her grin had a little evil twist to it. She imagined setting the irritating woman’s clothes on fire. Or cast an illusion spell over her, to make her go crazy for a moment. Though the soft squeeze on her shoulder brought her back to reality.
“Okay I’ll try to keep that in mind….Asha.” She tried to say the name but couldn’t help but find it weird coming from her lips.

“Well I had clothes but well they were taken from me when I was captured. And the spells I know to heat up my body are useless because of these restraints.” She said and then accepted the cloak. “Thank you for offering the cloak. I’ll happily take it.” A gentle smile now on her lips as she wrapped herself in the warm and comfortable piece of clothing. Her ears had perked up and her tails were wagging a little in happiness as she stared at the hammock.

For a moment she wondered if it was safe to go lay in it. After all how could she be sure that the hole Asha had made didn’t affect the integrity of the hammock. But Asha seemed to be confident that she decided to give it a try. As she fit her tails through the hole, she lowered her body further and sat down. Though as soon as she lifted her feet from the ground and put her full weight on the hammock, she could hear a ripping sound.

It happened so fast that before she knew it, Miki was suddenly laying on her back on the ground. Above her were the two pieces of the hammock flapping. Slowly she raised her body a little so that she could stare at Asha. “See that it would have been better for me to take the roll.” She said before laying back down. As she stared at the two pieces of cloth, the left-overs from the hammock, still attached to their posts, Miki couldn’t help but start laughing loudly. Why she didn’t know but somehow this really was funny to her.

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha chose to ignore the line about Miki's escape. She still held out hope that Miki might find happiness in her new home. Att he mention of overracting to the dagger, Asha chuckled. "Don't be sorry Miki, it's an understandable miscommunication." She sat down on the bedroom and crossed her legs, "maybe one day Miki, I'll plant a forest, just for you. A big one, massive, in fact. Big enough for you to walk through it for an entire year and still not see everything."

She jumped a bit as the hammock tore, but when the kitsune laughed, Asha laughed with her. "I suppose I'll have to have a hammock designed for you, until then, I don't think either of us will have much use of it." She continued giggling until a knock came to the door and it swung inward. Challah stepped inside and raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

Asha nodded, "yes. I wanted to let Miki sleep on the hammock, since she's been in the slaver's ship all this time, so I cut a hole in it to accommodate her tails and she fell through."

Challah looked from Miki to Asha and cracked a smile. "I'm glad I brought an extra bedroll then. But that's not why I came here. I came to tell you that the captain is planning on departing soon, and the galley cook will be preparing an evening meal. I came to see if... Miki." She struggled a not with the uncommon name, "has any dietary restrictions I should warn the cook about." Asha turned to Miki expectantly, after Challah had an answer, she left with a promise to return later with another bedroll.

Asha lay down on the bedroll that they had and slide over to one side. "Here Miki, come and sit for awhile while we wait." She put her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. "When we get home, we can look at the stars all night. It's a beautiful sky at night, you can see all the constellations. I can teach them to you, I know them all." She smiled softly and turned to face Miki. "Tell me abut kitsune. I know you're magical and you have tails, but what else is there? Do you worship any gods? I've never met a kitsune before you and I'm eager to learn." She smiled at Miki with genuine curiosity.

 

[DancingRain]

Miki slowly stopped laughing when a knock came on the door and Challah entered. She listened to the conversation between the two exotic women. “Vegetables! I don’t like vegetables at all. Meat is what I prefer. Fish will do if there is no other option. But no vegetables.” She said and the cringing of her nose at the thought of vegetables made it clear she really didn’t like to eat them. It wasn’t like she was allergic to them and would die eating them. Just the taste wasn’t well tasty.

After that she slowly joined Asha and sat down next to her. She simply nodded when the other woman talked about going to watch the stars and teach them to her. Unlike Asha, Miki really didn’t have a special love for the stars. They were just there at night to brighten up the dark night sky. Nothing more, nothing less. So if she were to learn about them or not, either would be fine.

What did surprise her was Asha’s next question. Nobody had ever asked her to talk about her race. The gentle smile and the curiosity on Asha’s face made it hard to resist. “Okay I’ll tell you but promise me that whatever I tell you, you won’t use it to hunt down more of my kind and turn them into slaves. And with promise I mean the kind that you swear your life on.” She stared at Asha with a very serious face.

And she kept on staring until the other person made the promise. Satisfied with Asha’s words, she still drew a bit closer and lowered the sound of her voice a bit. They still were on a ship and you never knew who might be listening. Even though she was talking in her own native language, you could never be too sure.

“Well we’re a complicated race. We’re serious but also playful. Harmless but harmful. It all depends on the situation. Our nature is to be tricksters. We love to use our magic to create an illusion. In the past this was mostly used to do harm, cause mischief amongst the other races. Now we use it more for entertainment uses as we found it is more profitable. And the older a Kitsune is, the more they’ll realize this is a good way of life.” She started to explain.

“Talking about age, we can grow up to be thousands of years old. I myself am considered still pretty young at the age of 312 years. Calculated in human years I probably would be somewhere around 24-25 years old. No longer a pup but well also not very aged. You can tell because my tails still haven’t reached their full form. They will still grow a bit larger and well more fluffy. But no touching them. Never touch them because they are very very sensitive. A good way to ask for your own dead, is grabbing a Kitsune’s tail. We’ll bite open your throat if you ever do so.”

Immediately she reminded the horrible scenes in the slave ship where others grabbed a tail or stepped on one of them. A shiver went through her body at those memories. “That’s another typical trait for us. We can go from very calm to ready to kill you in an instant. It’s something in our blood. And no matter what happens, this will always will be the case. Though I only react violently when provoked. When I feel I’m slighted.”

“About what we believe in. It’s different than your believes I think. We believe in the Gods. But the Gods are well everywhere and everything. The moon, the sun, the sky, the air, nature, flowers, food, water, fire, earth, live, death and so on. They control everything and are in everything. Sometimes they even walk amongst us without us even knowing it.” She tried to answer the questions Asha as best as she could without still trying to reveal to many things that would be able to be used against her.

After that though her mind wondered back to her village. She really hoped they were all safe. That they didn’t do anything stupid in their search for her. As the silence fell, she really had to admit she missed the woods, she missed home. The soft ground beneath her feet and all those lovely sounds. Wrapping her arms around her tails and hugging them, she turned to look at Asha. “Did you mean what you said before? Would you really create a forest for me if I asked?” Her voice with a little hopeful but also showed how fragile she was feeling right now.

 

[CatScrezatio]

Asha frowned a bit as Asha made her swear not to use the information for nefarious purposes. "Of course I promise. I just wanted to know because you're the first Kitsune I've met." She listened intently, gasping and covering her mouth at every description of their brutality and gazing intently at Miki the rest of the time. As she finished her stories, Asha noticed her face fall and the way she hugged her tails to her chest.

Asha put her handa on Miki's shoulders and gently pulled her in for a warm embrace, being careful not to interact with her tails much and to keep her throat as well protected from the Kitsune's fangs as possible while in such close proximity to the tails. She held Miki there for a few seconds before she spoke. "Of course I would, Miki. If it makes you happy, I'll make a forest for you. I want you to feel happy, and if a forest helps you feel happy, then I'll give you the most beautiful forest I can." She smiled and let Miki go, laying back down. She was glad that Miki seemed to be acclimating, at least moderately well. She hoped that Miki would come to like her new home and maybe even enjoy spending her time with Asha despite her enslavement.

Challah came back awhile later, she gave them anothwr bedroll and also two plates of food. Asha's had more variety than Miki's, which was a plate filled with cooked meat. The two are in their small cabin room, the boat had been under sail for a little while, the surf was supposed to be very calm during their trip. "Maybe if this keeps up we'll be home sooner. It would be great if we could be there tomorrow, I know you're anxious to get out of the ship after all."

Asha smiled sweetly at Miki, once again noting the beauty of her slave. She was certainly exotic and she seemed to be getting along well with Asha so that was a plus. Once the queen was finished, she set her plate aside and grabbed one of the books she had in the chest in the corner. Ahsa had read this tome so many times that she knew exactly what page to flip to for each story. She glanced up at Miki and smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't think I have anything translated in your tongue with me, but I'd be happy to read to you Miki, what kind of story do you want?"

 

[DancingRain]

Miki couldn’t help but flinch a little when she suddenly felt Asha embrace her. After all she still remembered what Asha had said when she first listed the reasons why she had bought her. Being her concubine. Luckily it only lasted a few seconds before Asha moved away again. Immediately Miki relaxed once again. Because of how sweet Asha was being, she decided not to bring up that if she was right and only wanted her to be happy and have a magnificent forest, the only thing she needed to do was set her free.

Instead she just calmly waited until the food came. It was better than to make another scene. She had to admit she was getting hungry. However when Challah came back and put a plate in front of her, she looked up from the plate to the other woman and back. Leaning in forward she sniffed it a few times before pulling back with a disgusted look. Still she didn’t want to make a point of things before she actually tried it, so she took a little piece of meat in her fingers and stuffed it in her mouth. Instead of the lovely taste of meat, Miki discovered the meat had barely any taste at all. Not to mention it was very well wet and soggy.

After just one bite, the disgusted look came back on full force as she gently pushed away the dish. “I can only hope that we’ll arrive sooner. Then I can taste those Zenzin. Or at least don’t tell me this is one of those and how you always prepare them?” She looked back at her plate in disgust. “Because if it is, I think I’ll pass on future tastings.” She really didn’t understand why people would boil their meats instead of roasting it. Boiling them just ruined their taste and structure.

She could understand why they did it, a fire on a ship was a not something the sailors were waiting for. And boiling meat would preserve it longer. She understood all that. But that didn’t mean she could find herself forcing to eat such things. Not after having been stuffed that same horrible kind of food down her throat for months now. So she looked up to Challah. “They perhaps don’t just have some dried meats? Nothing cooked and boiled.” Miki asked hopeful. “It even doesn’t have to be much. I would be grateful for a single strip.”

When Asha asked her what kind of story she liked, Miki thought about it. Instead she looked at Asha. “A story about your country. I told you about my race, where we live and such things. So why don’t you tell me about your country. What is it like to live there? What kind of people live there? After all the people that came to us, were always those from the west. I never actually heard anything about the south except it being very exotic.”

 

[CatScrezatio]

Challah raised an eyebrow when Miki asked for different meat, but as she explained herself Challah nodded and picked up the plate. "I'll see what they have." She left the room without another word.

Asha smirked at Miki, "see, she's already warming up to you. But those aren't Zenzin. They're usually roasted, it preserves the flavor better." She leaned back and closed the book with a soft thump as Miki requested a story. "Well, I already told you about the plains. It's relatively flat where you and I will live. The palace is relatively large, I'm not sure how it compares to others. But it's nice. We are a little while away from the ports so there will be a short trip back home." She frowned a bit, "there is one forest... But nobody goes in there. It's called the Sable Jungle, the trees are made or black wood, so tough that they can't be cut and the leaves are a golden color. People have gone in before but, nobody comes back out again."

There was a long pause before Asha turned to Miki and took her hand, "I need you to promise me, I know you want a forest but... Just... Stay away from that one. It's dangerous, some people say it's haunted, some people say cursed. There are legends about it, if you'd like to hear them."

She sighed and leaned back, not releasing Miki's hand from her soft grip. "Well, once there was a goddess, Koriah. She's the goddess of love and passion. Well, she fell in love with another goddess, Vespin, the goddess of wanderers and navigators. The wayfinding goddess. They loved each other in secret for years, until they were discovered. Akam, the trickster found them together and used his magic to separate them. He led Vespin astray and stole her walking stick, the object that she used to find her way and he built a massive structure around her, a colossal maze guarded by fierce monsters. She couldn't find her way through the maze, even after years of searching. Korean eventually seduced Akam and he let slip where Vespin was being kept. The God became angry with himself and before Koriah could save her lover, Akam made a magical forest grow around the fortress. A forest that could not be cut or burned, one that kept people from leaving. He filled it with dangerous beasts and when Koriah arrived, it was too late. The forest was grown and her lover was trapped deep inside."

Asha smiled weakly, "the poor goddess was so distraught that she wept and wept until she had cried so much that she had formed a lake, in that lake she could see a reflection, a reflection into other lakes and other water. So she came to people, appearing in the reflection of clear water and begging them to help her and find her lost love." She sighed, "it is said that Koriah still appears, in moments of passion between lovers, but I've never been able to gaze upon the goddess. I doubt I ever will. Nobody's seen her in a thousand years."

She sighed again, "many people have been lost looking for Vespin. Some people theorize that the Sable Forest might not even be the right one. That they've all been searching in the wrong place." She shook her head, "I still follow her, Koriah. Most people back home follow the goddess. My mother went as far as to become a priestess on Tambur, an island off the coast. It's the home of the largest temple dedicated to Koriah, with a pool as large as this ship dedicated to her."

Asha glanced at Miki, "I'm sorry. That probably wasn't the best story. Challah tells it better, she was always very good at that. I always liked that one, but it made me sad... To be locked in a maze, or begging others to save your lover, kept away from one another for centuries. Maybe someday, it will have a happy ending." Asha slipped her hand away from Miki's as the door opened. Challah entered and quietly set down a plate piled with dried meats in front of Miki and left again. Asha smiled triumphantly, "see? She's warming up to you."