SataiRolePlayingGuy

They had different outlooks naturally. He had known no other life, been destined for this path since birth. He could somewhat understand Aliana's shame though, having been part of the defeated army, and now in this state. Perhaps she would have found it more honorable to die in battle? "I will not expect you to change your mind so much so quickly." How close had she been to the other soldiers, who they had killed? That was a bitterness that would take some time to heal. "But you are part of this army now. We have to fight together. You will in time likely see a side of the world you have not seen before." These lands were surrounded by mostly other human kingdoms, if not for Vanoria's presence it may even have been peaceful. He had seen other things though as part of the army. There were hostile lands and strange creatures on some of Vanoria's frontiers. Monsters Aliana's people might only considered legends, as well as other peoples, similar to humans, but different. He believed the strength and aggression of Vanoria had value, even if some people might be hurt, even if some had to be enslaved.

After a little while of giving them all attention, Amy looked to Skye. “You can lay around here for a while if you have started to like that. When you are ready, we can go for the walk again. Maybe I’ll even take two of you this time.” She looked to the lab, curious to see how both he and Skye might react to being walked together, now that they had their new bond.

It was just the two of them getting clothes at the moment. Mirina simply carried the dress and watched her mistress choose other things. She was not bothered by the choices and was likely to wear anything Anahel chose. The two girls waited to see what else she might buy, the other girl curious to see what sort of fashion sense the angel might have. Anahel at this time did not have much reason to buy clothes for herself, but it interesting to see what she might choose for others. "Choose as much as you would like." One of the merchants spoke up. "For you who saved this city, and may save our kingdom, I will give you a great discount." He would just give everything away, but he was willing to sell very cheaply to the angel who had blessed him with his presence.

Mirina was not especially picky. She was doing this mostly because Anahel wanted to. She supposed she saw some value in having more clothes, assuming they were able to transport them conveniently when they started moving again. But she not really picky about which they were. She glanced over some of them. Nothing really stood out, but she expected a little push back if she tried to avoid picking anything. “Maybe this.” She answered, looking over a plain dark blue dress. Not fancy but decent enough in material and quality.

It took a little while to find anyone selling clothing. They finally find a small unofficial market area. The options were fairly limited and basic though. “…With so few women left in town, there are not many others buying, but that also means the selection is rather limited.” There was a little specifically for women, mostly fairly simple dresses. Of course, they could also get stuff suitable for men or women. The other woman ignored the eyes on them, from a respectable distance. They got attention, just as now rare women, but Anahel of course drew extra attention.

Mine having been going better than I thought too. I’m not so good at writing without a partner, was surprised I won the first one I did and happy I’ve been getting either first place or at least tying for it since then.

Ashley spent a few moments looking back and forth over each. It was a little hard to choose one of them. They all did have the sort of feel she was looking for. “Should I just change here, when I pick one? Do any of them have any tricks to putting them on?” Having never worn a dress before, she was not sure if there was anything she should be aware of first, especially with more elaborate ones like this. While waiting for the answer, she lingered a bit on the third one, she had not made a choice yet, but was leaning a little towards that one.

…The ties just keep getting messier.

Maxim had long been an adventurer, a man who sought thrills, adventure, challenge. He did not care about gold or other rewards, as long as he could keep himself fed and have the necessary equipment for his travels. This time he was entering a dungeon, there was legends of a monster never before seen, a creature of power and beauty. It was said any who captured it and brought it to the king would be given the princess in marriage. While he did not care so much about gold, this felt like a worth cause. He had fought through many levels of beasts, cutting down a variety of creatures, from goblins, and rats, to demons and dragons. At this depth, you never knew what you would find. The mortal world linked with other realms, some unholy. As he got deep, his torch was growing dim, but he was caught by surprise. There was a light coming from the end of the cavern he had entered. It seemed to shift in color. It was risky, but he tossed the torch and aside and walked toward the light. What he saw, was a thing of beauty. The creature shifted from side to side, as if constantly celebrating its own existence, constantly changing color. He wrestled with the mystery of what to call such a holy creature, the only words that came to mind were…rave…blob? It was as if it beckoned to him. He could not help but approach, could not take his eye from it. It was like he was under a spell. Its eyes stared intensely at him. He desired to capture it to take it to the king and marry his daughter. He no longer felt capable of that. Instead, he walked behind it, he slid his pants down and plunged into it, so soft, yet firm, warmly surrounded him. He had no idea if such a creature was male or female, if it even had a gender. But as he began thrusting in and out, it swayed even faster. As if it wanted this. He loved it too, it felt so much better than a human woman. He had never felt anything like it. He wanted to remain with this creature. That was what drove him, as he mated with it. Trying his hardest not to be drawn in. He kept at it until he came, watching his seed merge with the creature. Was that what it wanted. Was it maybe a female after all, and it needed males of other sorts for reproduction? He did not think he would get an answer today. But maybe, just maybe he would in the future, He could not abandon the being of light and warmth he had been drawn to. He would protect it from the beasts down here. Those on the surface would believe he disappeared or died, but he did not care. He had found something to live for.

Amy might have to train the others to not go after animals like that. She would let them chase any squirrel that showed up, but might have to keep an eye on how they would react to the others. She did not know if she would get any as a pet, but it might be cute to see Skye play around with any of those that managed to get into the yard. She would wait a little though before taking Skye out again, like this. Instead she let the others come up, get a little attention from her. Some light petting and scratching. It gave her a chance to study how the others acted around her. Still friendly enough, just a little different, an acceptance of what had changed, that she was the lab's mate for now.

The two did have some similarity, both slaves and soldiers, maybe that would appeal to Aliana, though they had differences too. "Vanoria conquered my homeland in my grandfather's days. I was born a slave, as was my father. I did not choose to fight, unlike you, though I have not seen many women who fight either. Still, my life has a purpose. I can find meaning in fighting..." He paused for a moment, he knew enough about life as slave that he asked a question he already knew the answer too. "You told the general, your master, that you would fight for him? A slave would not be given a sword otherwise. You were a soldier, you must respect their, our, strength, in some way. Find peace through the sword, we will fight our share of enemies you would have wanted to fight anyways." Would she open up a little, find a soldier here she could respect? He believed she could learn to be proud of fighting for Vanoria in time, though naturally there would be some bitterness at first.

It was only a matter of time, they all heard the word. They had permission to have some fun with her. Of course there was another possibility, Aliana had not considered. Other slave soldiers, like her. This was a fate more common for male slaves than female. Sometimes they were used for suicide attacks, but like Aliana, some masters did not consider them completely expendable. One of these men had an eye on Aliana. He would have a foreign look to her, a man born from slaves, in a land conquered a few generations ago, far to the north. The whole process was different for men, but with a somewhat similar result. At least in how loyal they were to their masters. But unlike female slaves, there were few opportunities for sex. He had a chance here though. He intended to take her. Only the details were uncertain. ”Just going to wander around here aimlessly?” He asked her. He would try to take a friendly approach. Maybe she would be more open to a fellow slave, who might fight alongside.

Honorious knew she would keep her word. More importantly, even if she had tried, he warned her her sister would be punished as well. Lilana was still sleeping for the moment. Honorious felt generous enough to let her keep sleeping in his bed for now. He was in a mood to give them both small rewards for how well they did last night. He still had to think a little about extra duties for her. He would remain in the tent to wait for her to wake up for at least a little longer. Out in the camp, the others soldiers watched Aliana with some curiosity. They knew the basics, one of the survivors of the army they just defeated, now their general's slave and one of their soldiers now. At least some of them would fight at her side later. They watched her for now, seeing how she reacted. To being a soldier of the army that just defeated her. Some of them could not move of course. Guards would not leave their posts, there were people support jobs as well, repairing equipment, giving out supplies, tending the wounded. There were some who were as free as Aliana was at the moment. They were not slaves, but soldiers had restrictions too. Confined to the camp, but mostly free on where to go. There were a wide variety of people there too, not just from the Vanorian homeland, but other peoples who had been conquered and brought into the empire over the years, though not as recently as these lands.

She would become more enthusiastic later. Honorious was sure of that. He would let her simmer in defeat for now, until she learned. A few minutes later, the guard came back, with several others, a sword and armor placed at the slave's feet. To prove just how confident he was in his victory over her, the mage was there too. After a moment of soft chanting, Aliana could feel the spell that weakened her get undone. "Put the armor on, take your sword. For now, wander around the camp. Get to know the soldiers you will be fighting alongside. Go wherever you want, as long as you stay in the camp. Feel free to be as friendly with them as you want." He was giving her permission to mentally escape, find peace in pleasure. He had told the guard to spread the word too. Until he said otherwise, the soldiers had permission to share his older slave. They were not to hurt her, but especially if she desired it, they could have some fun with her. They were going to fight together, they might as well get closer.

"You were very enthusiastic, about the things you said you would do and how you felt about me." It sounded like Aliana did not completely remember. Honorious would not repeat what she said word for word, but he would hold her to her word and as she woke up, maybe she would remember more of what she said and did, how much she did in fact enjoy it. "You enjoyed it much more that time. If only a man could keep going longer and did not need sleep." He looked over her with a satisfied look, almost gloating. "You can be happy, I am allowing you to be a soldier again. You fight for me now though. For OUR empire." Her home was conquered, soon the last outposts of her kingdom would fall. Even if she was not a slave, she was Vanorian by conquest now. That is what she would fight for. This was the realty of war, if she would keep fighting, it would be for the enemy that defeated her and her people.

Honorious had a hard time guessing the slave's state of mind, not sure she was entirely awake yet either. He smiled and slid out from between the two sisters and out of bed. "You did well last night. I am a man of my word. You will now serve me in another way." He walked over to one of the guards outside the tent, giving him instructions. "You are my soldier too now..." He had another surprise for her too now, that he had not mentioned last night. "You will also be one of my bodyguards from now on." She wanted to kill him so recently, now she would be the one protecting him from would be assassins. He knew she would do it too. He did not know how much denial she was now in, but he knew those feelings last night were genuine.

Amy was not surprised or bothered by that. She would have been more surprised if Skye had thoughts of hunting, but could not rule it out with her current nature. “Well you are a tame dog after all, you don’t have to feel any pressure to hunt. Treat it as a challenge, though the bigger challenge is their speed and your body. You can’t run like the boys. You might occasionally see a rabbit too, or a stray cat. I’ve never seen anything bigger in the area.” She led her back to the fence, let her in and relocked it, as she waited for Skye to undress and return to dog mode. “We go out again later, for a proper walk.” It was a little more risky. But she was not that worried, with how far her nearest neighbors were.

There was the curious question. It was natural enough to do that as a dog. Though with her body she was very unlikely to succeed. "What do you think you would do if you caught one?" She did wonder if Skye had thought about that. She certainly was not going to discourage it, if Skye thought the idea was fun, or if she felt like a hunter, there was no issue with that. Though she was curious if Skye had thought about it. Amy did not really care about the answer, whether it was considered fun, a challenge, or a hunt, but she did want to know which answer it was. She had a feeling what the others would do, and they had more chance of success, but she wondered if Skye would be the same.

Amy led Skye around a little longer. It was a nice area. Wooded, no other people in sight. The occasional small animal, but nothing Amy had ever felt would be a danger to her or any of the dogs. She liked it, it meant a longer drive to get to work or anywhere else she needed to go, but it was worth it. “Have any temptations for things you might do if you out here naturally?” She was curious if she was having dog like desires that she might have acted on if they were walking like that out here.

Amy had been optimistic she could trust Skye, but still cautious. But after walking with her outside the year for a bit, she felt much better about it. No longer having any doubt she was happy to stay. Some care still had to be taken, she could let anyone know, outside of select groups, like they would find at the show. But as long as the secret was kept, there did not appear to be anything left to worry about. She continued to walk slowly for a little bit. The trick was to keep Skye somewhat used to it, so she did not look too strange around others, but not too used to it. Keep her feeling the living like a dog was her true self. "We can keep going a little. Let you look at the area around here a bit. Might take you out again later too, but on the leash. Let you explore more naturally." She did sometimes walk the others out here too, either one or two at a time. Skye was ready to get walks outside the yard now.

Mirina did not have much idea of what should be done to fix the place up. She would have been fine with that idea whether or not she was a slave. She nodded and let the other two lead the way. The other girl had to consider their options here, figure out where to go in what order. “We can probably find all these things. Though it may take a little longer. With all the clean up and chaos from the the occupation. Though we can probably start with the clothes.” Since Anahel seemed to be fond of that idea, and Mirina probably could use more, it seemed best to start with that, then look for the other supplies later.

It was a good question. The place had been beaten up some and mostly looted. In the long run there was a lot of work to do. Eventually the fields would have to be replanted, new animals brought in, but fixing the place up was the immediate goal. The other girl looked over the house. “Replacing missing material, wood for the fire, pots, pans, silverware, little things like that would be important. Very little was left in here.” Other than the walls themselves and the bed, she was not sure even left here that Mirina may have much attachment to. Little of sentimental value. Still it was her home, and she would help the slave try to regain her old life as much as she could.

Mirina did not say anything, about how she would not be in the town long term. Just here as long as her mistress was. The family farm was convenient as a place to sleep while they remained here, but after that she would follow them wherever they went. Likely to end up living somewhere rather different long term. “Well, I can help. We can rebuild it a little. But both of us will need more help long term. A farm really should have more hands on it.” The other girl offered her thoughts as they walked back to the house. In her case, she figured she had to try to find a husband soon. With so few women left, there was not much competition, but carrying the child of an enemy soldier complicated things. Normally she would have thought Mirina needed the same, but now she wondered what would happen long term between her and Anahel.

Mirina was a little surprised it was still that and not looking for the Prince. She had to wonder how much longer they were going to remain here. Though she figured the Prince would come look for her mistress if he felt it was time to go. "Usually just work around the farm. Housework, caring for the animals." While she was explaining this, the other girl from yesterday came up the field, a bit of a strange look on her face. Carrying the bedding she had said she was leaving to get. "Ah, sorry I did not make it back last night. I got tangled up with work back home. I brought the new bedding, like I said. You will have cleaner things to sleep in tonight." In truth she had tried to come back last night, but heard some noises of the things the two of them were up to and did not dare interrupt, quietly sneaking back home. She kept that to herself though, now walking over to the house, to give the two of them fresher sheets and pillows.

Mirina had not really expected that. It did feel good, the rubbing of her head and the gentle touches of her body. The actual washing was a little strange feeling, she let it happen though, the first proper bath to that degree she ever had it. It felt a little strange, but she could not really complain. Soap and shampoo was something she had been aware of but had little experience. After her mistress was done, she sat there with the towel, drying herself slowly as the clothes were cleaned, getting used to the feeling of being washed. She was not bothered by the idea of wearing other stuff too, that was not new. But once they got moving, she wondered how often she would be able to change. They could not carry too much extra stuff, though maybe one or two spares for when things got wet or dirty. That was her belief at least, though she had no knowledge on how armies worked or how much supplies they would be able to carry around.