roneal | (no subject)

Jerked into alertness, Shinjirou pushes himself off the wooden pillar he's been lazily leaning against for the past hours. He's one of the few slaves at this particular stand who sits with his legs apart, not caring to hide the bruises on his thighs, not interested in hiding that he's far from a virgin despite his age -- they sell much better, for a much higher price. His seller regards him with the same soured face as always when Shinjirou sits up straight, restraints clicking as he strains against their hold.

"You."

Should he even be surprised? Considering what he knows about Jade, maybe not, maybe that's the kind of place you should expect to meet a guy like him. On the other hand, what kind of unlikely coincidence is it that the two of them should meet again in a place like this? To happen upon Jade at some point in the future, at a bar or on the streets, somewhere ... sure. But now he's sitting here, as a cheap slave with little hope (on his kidnapper's part) that he's going to get sold at all, and Jade is a customer looking at the goods which he's a part of. No, he's never thought anything like this would happen.

Yet here they are. And once he's past the moment of surprise, he manages to frown. "Gotten sick of drunk one night stands?"

"Not at all." He continues to smile. "I'm hoping to find a housekeeper, actually."

His gaze rakes over Shinjirou's form without an ounce of shame, almost clinical as he studies his musculature, noting the bruises. He doubts Shinjirou is here of his own free will. Not that it matters; the slave trade had always been quietly tolerated, as long as the goods being sold were nobodies like Shinjirou.

Jade considers walking away. It's dangerous to get involved with someone he already knows and sees as a person, but he finds himself reluctant to leave. The thought of Shinjirou being broken down and moulded into one of the quiet, dispirited drones sitting next to him is...disturbing, for some reason.

He turns to the seller instead. "He hasn't been trained at all, has he?"

"This one? No, he's fresh from the streets," the seller says, glancing over at him with that look. The one he probably shouldn't be wearing when a customer is around. The one that makes it too obvious Shinjirou is trouble and not worth the money they're trying to sell him for. Shinjirou grins back. Whatever. If he's ruining an asshole's business, so be it. Actually, hell yeah.

The seller looks even more annoyed when he turns his attention back on Jade. "He's gonna need a firm hand. You get a whip for free if you take him the way he's now. Next time he'll be more submissive, promise."

Looking at the broad-shouldered guy next to him, Shinjirou cringes. Everyone around him, even the muscular ones like the one he's sharing the pillar with, stare down at the ground and don't make a sound. He's trying not get goosebumps, but naturally that doesn't work. Nipping on his bottom lip, he searches Jade's gaze. This could be his way out. Maybe he's giving Jade too much credit, but he wants to believe that he's right: that Jade would at least not be like the stupid brutes that ensure the slaves have the right mindset for their involuntary job.

He clears his throat. "You won't need that whip, promise."

He looks at Shinjirou's face this time, studying his expression thoughtfully. If he were to be compliant, he could be useful.

Or he could try to escape.

It's too bad he hadn't been with the slavers for a bit longer; it would be much easier to control him if he had a healthy fear of being returned to the market. But it's a risk Jade doesn't mind taking. It should be interesting, at least, although he knew it was morally incorrect for him to find entertainment in this manner. Perhaps he should feel guilty. But the only emotion he feels is a sense of anticipatory excitement, as if he's on the verge of a breakthrough in some months-long research project.

"I think I'll take it." He turns away from Shinjirou coolly. "I do enjoy a challenge."

All that's left is the haggling. Once they finally settle on a price, Jade pays, and the seller hands him the whip and the key to Shinjirou's chains. He waits patiently while Shinjirou is freed from the pillar and brought to him, hands still cuffed behind his back and a short length of chain attached to his collar.

Jade takes hold of the chain. With barely a glance backward, he begins to walk. "Come along now."

Sure, he's usually not smart enough to keep his mouth shut when it's necessary, but this time he realizes the importance and bites down onto his tongue instead. He decides to simply not look at the whip Jade has taken into his hand, as if ignoring it could snap the thing out of existence and with it the need to make inappropriate comments. It doesn't work as well as Shinjirou would like, but he does manage not to speak up until they're out of hearing range of the seller.

"Didn't think you were really going to do it." Despite the collar and chain linking him to ... ugh, his new owner, Shinjirou stays close by. He may not be like most of the other slaves sitting around, but that doesn't mean he likes the market, or being naked with old men and women looking him up and down like a piece of meat they consider consuming for dinner. Jade's different in that regard. Less hunger and more curiosity, Shinjirou thinks, which in turn makes him curious too.

Jade spent a bit too much money for this to be a joke, so Shinjirou doesn't quite expect to be released the moment they leave the area. On the other hand, he can't fathom why Jade would want someone like him to be around 24/7 and he would really like to ask and get a proper answer, but knowing himself, knowing how he'd phrase the question, he's sure he won't get an answer at all. Silently examining Jade for any hints doesn't get him any further though.

"So, uhm, a housekeeper means I gotta clean up after you?"

He doesn't take any great pains to shield Shinjirou from wandering eyes. If anything, he angles them so that his new purchase is fully on display, free for anybody to stare at if they care to. He'll have Shinjirou doing much worse soon enough; why not get him used to it now?

"Cleaning in general, yes. You'll also be doing the cooking, the gardening, and entertaining my guests. I hope you're up to the task."

If not, there are always books he could learn from. Jade doesn't plan on doing any teaching.

"I can cook," he spits out, a bit too fast. That sounds easy enough, with one job out of those Jade mentioned that he can already do well. He knows nothing about gardening, but that can't be too hard and working all day would definitely keep his mind off darker thoughts. "I'm not very entertaining, though. I think you already knew that."

It's the only part that makes him suspicious. How exactly is he supposed to entertain anyone? Maybe Jade's friends like to be glared at? No, that seems plenty unlikely. Any other ideas Shinjirou got about this entertainment he's supposed to provide send shivers down his spine and they're not of the pleasant kind. It doesn't help that there's too many pairs of eyes staring at him in the meantime.

With his hands restrained behind his back, he can't protect himself from their leery glances. Keeping his own eyes firmly set on Jade helps, thankfully. "So what am I supposed to do for your guests? Can't dance or sing, you know."

"What can you do?" Jade returns, having no intention of divulging his plans so soon. "Surely you don't spend all your time cooking."

They're at the outskirts of the market by now, joining the trickle of people who had finished their shopping. Many of them have a freshly-bought slave in tow, sometimes more than one, but unlike Shinjirou, those slaves walk with their heads low and their mouths sealed. Jade watches, expressionless, as one of the masters shoves his slave into a waiting car, climbing in right afterwards. Judging by the sounds emanating from the vehicle, it would seem like he's decided to enjoy his new purchase right then and there.

"I beat people up. Doubt your guests find that a lot of fun." It's not a very slave thing to do and those close enough to hear his suggestion make sure to distance themselves from Jade and him. Shinjirou, of course, hardly minds.

The breath of fresh air is nice and cool on his hot skin. Sitting pressed against a dozen other guys in a room full of people isn't a lot of fun if you need to breathe. Shinjirou closes his eyes for a short moment, but his nakedness prevents him from imagining he's going to be left alone now.

"And you damn well know what else I can do."

"Nothing else? How disappointing." But he's grateful for it. Simple, straightforward people are easy to deal with. He hasn't forgotten how painfully sincere Shinjirou had been on that first morning after - Jade doesn't fear waking up to a knife in the back, not from him.

He opens the door to his car, ushering Shinjirou inside. There's a light blanket waiting on the seat. Unless Shinjirou protests, Jade drapes it around his shoulders before buckling him in, leaving his hands cuffed. He's not about to risk any incidents while on the road.

"Nah, nothing else. There's a reason I was that cheap."

He doesn't even know how long he's been naked, with no clocks around to check the time. It's great that he's finally not completely bare to everyone's eyes any longer, even if the state of his body is still something out of his control. Looking out of the window as they drive away, he tries to find out where the hell they are -- but no, he's not familiar with the district.

"And you know, you can always throw me out. No hard feelings."

"I'm afraid not." Ever the responsible citizen, he keeps his eyes on the road. He doesn't bother concealing the route. Shinjirou wouldn't want to return to the market anyway, and he's already familiar with the area around Jade's house. It would be easy for him to disappear if he escapes; which makes it all the more important to secure him inside the house properly.

He considers explaining further, but rejects the idea. There would be plenty of time for that later. For now, he'd rather have some fun. "Surely you don't believe I'm that generous."

"No, not really." He catches himself grinning just in time and quickly puts on a less good-natured face. Chewing on the insides of his cheek, he sinks deeper into the seat, no longer caring about the roads outside the window once he's able to orient himself.

Just sitting around on his bare ass gets boring fast, unfortunately, and his mouth opens before he thinks his words through. "Didn't think you'd be lazy enough to rely on whips to get what you want. Doesn't that just take the fun out of things?"

His behaviour is almost endearing. Jade smirks, even as he wonders if he had made a mistake in choosing Shinjirou. Things are always so much difficult when emotions such as fondness come into play, particularly in his line of work. But he's confident in his ability to compartmentalise, to be manipulative and ruthless as necessary.

He'll have to teach Shinjirou to hold his tongue eventually, but for now, Jade indulged him. "There's no reason to turn down a free gift. Besides, I was hoping to use it as positive reinforcement instead."

It's a pity the blanket isn't wrapped around his head and therefore unable to muffle his gasp and hide the color rising to his cheeks. Maybe it's not an advantage at all that Jade knows him intimately already. Too late to undo that night -- and that damn morning, with him sober and still so easy to read. Easy to lead, with the right approach.

He fidgets and stays unnaturally quiet for a bit, staring at the buildings rushing past them. "If you like having things for free, why didn't you just pick someone up? Too exhausting or what?"

Edited 2014-09-23 15:15 (UTC)

He hadn't been entirely certain if Shinjirou would find the idea appealing, but his reaction tells him everything he needs to know. Jade smirks again, but refrains from saying anything, concentrating on the drive instead.

By the time Shinjirou speaks again, they've almost arrived. He parks and switches off the engine before he replies.

"I'd like to see where you can find a free housekeeper." Jade reaches out, running two gloved fingers along the edge of Shinjirou's collar. "Don't forget why you're here."

"Tch. Pretty sure you're going to remind me of that should I ever forget." His seller would shake his head at him staring right back with a dark grin on his lips, but that guy is far, far away now. Thank God. Jade isn't half as annoying. He's actually kind of--

With a snap he turns his head away, pulling his shoulders up in an attempt to shove Jade's hand away. "So let's get home, so I can start vacuuming the living room or whatever." And get out of the cuffs. They've been bothering him for a while now and hey, you can't clean with your hands bound behind your back.

Still smiling, Jade allows Shinjirou to have his space, at least for the moment. He unbuckles him from the seat and takes hold of the chain again, leading him into the house. The whip dangled casually from his other hand.

The garage is clean, but the interior the house is spotless. If Shinjirou bothers to glance out of a window, he'll see that the "garden" is little more than a flat lawn, already mowed and just as immaculate as the inside of the house.

Jade shuts the door and locks it.

"I'm going to release you now. I do hope you're not planning on making a break for it." He knows he can overpower Shinjirou, but having to fight is always such a bother, especially when it's against someone he'd rather maintain a cordial relationship with.

With quick, precise movements, he steps behind Shinjirou and unlocks the handcuffs, allowing them to clatter to the floor.

Even if he were interested in escaping already, he wouldn't try anything: running out onto the streets without clothing is always a dumb idea. Docile as he can be, he waits until he hears the cuffs meet the floor before he moves. Lifting his hands up to his face, he investigates them for any cuts or bruises the restraints might have left on him. Looks fine to him.

Rubbing his wrists, he turns to face Jade, one eyebrow raised. "Doesn't look like there's anything to do for me here. Uhm. Apart from making dinner? That gonna be my first task?"

Shinjirou taps his fingers against the collar, pushing one beneath the leather. It's not too tight and he doesn't have the key to unlock it anyway. He can deal with a bit of collar and leash, he guesses, and drops his hands down to his sides. In a way the leather clinging to his skin is reassuring, not that he'd admit to it.

Shinjirou might seem docile, but Jade doesn't relax yet. It would be foolish (or desperate) for him to make a break for it as soon as he was free. It's more likely that he'll wait until Jade's guard is down.

At the question, he raises an eyebrow in return. "What are you talking about? The floor hasn't been vacuumed today yet."

He bends down to pick up the handcuffs, placing them on a nearby shelf along with the whip. Then he slips off his shoes and pulls at the length of chain again, tugging Shinjirou deeper into the house.

"I assume you're familiar with the place. At least, I hope you are. You'll be cleaning all of it everyday, except for my study. I can take care of that myself."

He doesn't keep anything sensitive within easy reach, but he does have a meticulous organization system in place, and he'd rather not risk having that be disturbed.

"Are you a student?" He asks suddenly.

In his opinion, the floor is void of any dust. Everything looks like ... well, like Jade already has a housekeeper. If he doesn't and did all the cleaning up himself, then he can't be half as lazy as Shinjirou thought he was. He tries to find a spot that isn't clean as he stumbles into the house, books or clothes lying around, but there's nothing.

"Yes, I'm familiar with it." Actually, he's having some not so chaste flashbacks. Hugging himself, as if it could contain his thoughts, he shrugs. "Okay, no study. Got that."

He wonders if he's allowed to sit down. Or what the rules in this game, job, whatever, what they even are. Is he supposed to find out by trial and error? He's not very good at not making mistakes and he doesn't want to make the learning curve too steep for himself, just because he's a fuck-up.

Jade takes him out of his worries with a question Shinjirou really didn't expect. His eyes widen, but then he snorts. "I'm not going to school."

"Hmm." He supposes he'll have to find some other way for Shinjirou to spend his free time. But it's good that he isn't a student; this way, there's less chance that someone is searching for him. He plans to keep Shinjirou confined inside for the foreseeable future, but it's always good to have less things to worry about.

For now, though, he threads his fingers through Shinjirou's hair, tugging sharply. "Stand up straight, arms at your side." He instructs in a clipped staccato, devoid of his previous amusement. "I'll tell you when you can act naturally. Right now, we really need to work on your discipline."

The hand in his hair makes him drop his guard for a second, letting both uncertainty and excitement shine through. Before he can put his angry facade back on, Jade's voice cuts into the heavy silence.

Without thinking about it -- he's too surprised to snap at Jade and disobey -- he drops his hands to his side, jerking up straight. He does frown once the first shock at the sudden change in tone has passed. "Discipline? I, uh, thought I was supposed to vacuum?"

Jade briefly considers reprimanding him for talking back, but he doesn't truly wish for him to stop. If he wants someone utterly obedient, he would have purchased someone broken in properly.

"Don't you need discipline for that?" He counters. "It would be such a bother if you did a poor job of it. And besides, that's not going to be your only duty."

He takes a step closer, reaching out to toy with the collar again. With adept movements, he hooks two fingers under the warmed leather, brushing his knuckles right against Shinjirou's throat.

"I need your help," he said, voice low, hoping he hadn't misread Shinjirou entirely. "But you'll have to let me help you first."

He's been there before. He knows how intoxicating it is, how safe it feels to allow somebody else to take control entirely. But only if it's someone trusted. He very much doubts that a bond like that exists between him and Shinjirou.

No matter. He'll find a way.

No, he doesn't think you need discipline for that, but then he's been living on the streets. What does he know about housework and how much discipline is needed to do the job properly, or rather the right, Jade way. He barely manages not to say it out loud, chewing on his bottom lip and the tip of his tongue.

Jade's knuckle pushing into his skin, he swallows hard, his throat shoving back. "Help me?" With what, asshole, he wants to spit out, but then again ... there's plenty of things he could need help with. What if, Shinjirou thinks, what if he became more disciplined, learned to control himself? What if it saved someone's life. He can't resurrect Ken's mother, but Jade might just help him prevent a thing like that from ever happening again.

"Okay." It's worth a try. He feels an odd, calming heaviness in his chest that he doesn't want to explore any further. Letting it settle, he curls and uncurls his fingers. It's surprisingly hard, just standing there doing nothing. "So, uh, are you going to tell me more about those duties yet or how's this going to work?"