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The market is, objectively speaking, a miserable place. Precious few of the merchandise are happy to be there, nude and bound and collared - sometimes even caged - free for every prospective customer to examine. Few of the customers are happy either. Prices are high, and the press of so many bodies create a stifling atmosphere.
All in all, it is exactly what Jade had expected. He strolls leisurely through the market, not particularly bothered by what is going on around him. It was one of the reasons he had been chosen for this assignment. Today is his first day at the market; he's meant to speak with the vendors, make connections, and walk away with a cheap but handy acquisition.
He's working on the last part now. It's surprisingly difficult to find someone useful and docile, but still with some spirit left - he does not trust the older slaves who are complacent with the system.
It's during his second time looping through the market that someone catches his eye - for all the wrong reasons. He stops, stares at the familiar figure in front of him, an uncharacteristically surprised expression flashing over his face.
Then he's smiling again. He's still unsure if this is a good turn of events, but perhaps he could use this to his advantage.
"My my, I didn't expect to see you here."
All in all, it is exactly what Jade had expected. He strolls leisurely through the market, not particularly bothered by what is going on around him. It was one of the reasons he had been chosen for this assignment. Today is his first day at the market; he's meant to speak with the vendors, make connections, and walk away with a cheap but handy acquisition.
He's working on the last part now. It's surprisingly difficult to find someone useful and docile, but still with some spirit left - he does not trust the older slaves who are complacent with the system.
It's during his second time looping through the market that someone catches his eye - for all the wrong reasons. He stops, stares at the familiar figure in front of him, an uncharacteristically surprised expression flashing over his face.
Then he's smiling again. He's still unsure if this is a good turn of events, but perhaps he could use this to his advantage.
"My my, I didn't expect to see you here."
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Something unexpectedly came up. I should be back at around 15:30. In the meantime, please fix yourself a meal and get started on your chores for the day.
There is a list under the message, almost identical to the chores he had given him the previous day.
Nothing about the house had changed. The closet is unlocked, the clothes within easy reach. The main door and back door can both are both unlockable from the inside. All in all, it's the perfect escape opportunity.
Of course it is. It's meant to be a test.
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For nearly an hour, he lies there and stares at the ceiling. The flashbacks squeeze the air out of his lungs. He doesn't notice that Jade isn't there the entire time. Only when he's calmed down enough to sit up and look around, and listen, does it become obvious. He gets up, legs wobbly as he makes his way over to read the note.
He's alone.
His breath hitches and he wipes at his face. He could get out of this. Pretend it never happened. Run away and ... and then? Have even more nightmares, be even more unable to look Aki in the eye. The note crumples up in his fist as he stands there, eyes closed, frozen to the ground.
A few moments later he drops the piece of paper and leaves the bedroom. He makes late breakfast for himself, fulfills every duty with great care and doesn't even try the locks. Stay busy, concentrate on the task at hand, whatever it is; don't think.
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Once he shuts and locks the door, Jade puts the bag down. With the dog in tow, he sets off to find Shinjirou.
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He flinches when he hears footsteps. Should he get up to greet Jade? Probably. It would be the polite thing to do. He stays in bed, as if rooted to the ground.
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Finally, he reaches the bedroom, and smiles inwardly when he sees the lump on the futon. "Stay," he tells the dog, who immediately drops to its belly and wags its tail. Jade gives it a light scratch behind the ears and steps across the threshold.
"Already worn out this early in the day?" He asks lightly, knowing full well that something else is wrong.
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There's not enough time to figure it out when Jade's obviously talking to him now. Squeezing his eyes shut, he nibbles on his bottom lip. No, the ground isn't about to swallow him whole. He's been waiting for that all day. Well, for years, today is just an exceptionally bad day.
"No. And it's not early."
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But that's not really the point here.
He sits on his bed again, much like he had yesterday night. Shinjirou is in his safe space, he reminds himself. As much as he might like to push and prod at him until he figures out what's wrong (not that it's hard to guess), he'll have to refrain from doing so. Or at least, keep it subtle.
First, though, he should try to get him out of his shell.
Casually, he says: "By the way, I brought someone home with me. Say hello to Irvin."
At the sound of its name, the dog looks up, ears pricked.
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"Hello, Irvin," he mutters. Irvin barks in return.
Bark?
His eyes widen. Shinjirou throws the blanket back, shooting up. It's not a joke, there's an actual dog sitting on the floor, tilting his head at him. With actual dog ears and a dog tail and beautiful loyal eyes. Shinjirou has momentarily forgotten about Jade's presence and all the things bothering him. There's a dog.
He walks over, crouching down in front of him. "Hi, Irvin," he coos, extending his hand so the dog may sniff it. "You're so pretty, look how shiny your fur is. I'm Shinji."
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He stands a few paces away, giving Shinjirou his personal space. Much like his lack of understanding towards human relationships, he doesn't understand affection for animals either. Shinjirou's sudden turnaround is surprising, to say the least.
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"You're a good dog, right? Yes, you are. Good boy!"
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Jade observes it all with an amused smile. But his gaze is sharp and alert as he watches the way Shinjirou holds onto the animal, in a way that looks almost desperate. "He'll be staying with us for a week."
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"A week? You're going to stay with us for an entire week, Irvin? Yes?" Dogs are easier to talk to and Irvin is no exception. "We'll play together lots!"
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"I left some toys for him at the front door. Feel free to use them; you'll be responsible for looking after Irvin." He steps closer, intending to slip past them and out of the bedroom. "I'd like to have dinner at seven, but other than that, you're free for the night."
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"Why." First Jade is giving him a chance to flee and now he's giving him a dog to take care of and play with. He hasn't done anything that should earn him either of the two. Getting a bed is good enough. So ... this must lead up to something different.
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His blatant sidestepping of the issue also serves as a warning: Shinjirou isn't meant to question his commands and the reasoning behind them, much less demand an explanation. Jade has never been transparent and he isn't about to start now, especially not to his slave.
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There's too much he doesn't understand and the bits he does get, he can't accept just like that.
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But he knows how to be diplomatic. Shinjirou had decided to stay; now it's simply a matter of convincing him he made the right choice. "Is something the matter?"
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He gets up, slowly, leaving enough distance between him and Jade that the chain isn't within his immediate reach. Getting into a fight with a dog between them isn't a good idea, but he can't bow down now. Either that fire is going to be extinguished, or it's going to burn him down.
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He's hoping it won't come to blows, however.
"It's making you angry, I see." His voice is still steady, his expression calm. "You told me you couldn't control yourself when angry. Should I be afraid?"
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"Shut up." He takes another step back. Just to be safe. If anything, he doesn't want to hurt Irvin accidentally. None of this is the dog's fault. "Shut the fuck up."
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For a moment, Jade is quiet, wondering if he should back down peacefully. But he can't just follow Shinjirou's commands; that would cause him to be seen as weak, and he can't afford that.
"I shouldn't have to compensate for your deficiencies," Jade says coolly. This situation will have to be resolved someday; it might as well be today, when he hasn't invested as much time and effort into Shinjirou as he could have.
He's still hoping that this could be resolved peacefully. Perhaps if he turns Shinjirou's anger and loathing against himself...
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It's the voice in the back of his head that's making him the angriest: kneel, apologize, submit. He growls, staring back with his hackles raised. "Piss off. You don't know anything about me."
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"I know plenty." More than Shinjirou thinks, probably, but he doesn't see the need to reveal the fact he's been digging into his history. "You've told me plenty, and your behaviour now only confirms it."
He takes a step forward. "You're quite the hazard to those around you, aren't you?"
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His voice cracks. "I'm not a hazard, I'm just." Scared. Confused. And he has no fucking clue how to deal with it other than lash out. He knows that. It sucks, he hates it, but as long as he isn't around people, everyone is safe. Shit, he should have left. Live in the woods by himself. He grabs for the closest piece of furniture and throws it to the ground.
"Fuck off!"
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"You're doing an excellent job of proving my point." Shinjirou could have just as easily thrown that at him, Jade realizes. It seems his desire to not cause harm trumps even his anger. But just how long can he hold on to that tenuous control? "You're dangerous. You need to be restrained."
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