{ZeroGiven40}

I have changed Orga's name to Othonai as it sounds nicer. I will still translate to Wildflower but feels a little more feminine.

{Alex}

I had expected odd looks or for someone to call me a monster for buying people, but that didn’t happen. Most of the faceless masses just moved around us. Walking into Tailor’s shop, I put on my friendliest smile. It was far better for me to pretend to be a normal person than the dark lord that I knew I was. That's right, I was a normal person. Tailor smiled at me as she moved around the counter. The woman had to be in her forties, with a thin frame and boundless energy. She always wore brightly colored dresses that seemed both patchwork like a quilt and yet well fitting. It was like she was showing off her skill with her own clothing. Her long black hair was streaked with gray, and I knew she would dye it if she could. 

“Hello Alex, how can I help you?” She said, as she looked past me at the women. When had she learned my name? Come to think of it, everyone knew my name even though I kept mostly to myself. 

“I was wondering if I could get these girls some proper clothes.” I said, turning to the orc as she seemed easier to talk to. “Please get two outfits you like and something to sleep in. I will be back in a short while.” The last thing I wanted was to be seen as a creep by watching them get changed or having them put on some type of show for me. The orc woman nodded before turning to the clothing rack. “Also please try to keep it under sixty silver.” I added with a wince. She nodded again. “Bunny this goes for you too.” I didn’t even know their names. Would she think me calling her bunny offensive? Racist? Tailor looked at me puzzled.

“What else do you need to shop for?” Tailor asked sweetly. It was clear the woman was trying to get something out of me, but I wasn’t sure what.

“I only bought one extra bed. I need to get another one.” The thought of the two sharing a bed or hell forbid sharing my bed was amusing, but not on the table right now. Tailor beamed and bounced a little.

“I can have Marcous get that order placed for you. Now that you don’t have to go, would you mind looking at some of my pans? They need some love.” And there it is. She wanted me to fix something. It seemed a good excuse not to be here and watching the girls. She took me into the kitchen and pointed them out before leaving me alone. The pots and pans were slightly dinged, and one had a crack. They needed care and I could do that. Everything faded as I worked.

{Orthonai}

Orthonai started pulling at common brown dresses and looked them over. The old woman came back in and waved her over. Orthonai nodded and moved blankly to the older human woman. “Get four outfits each and some nice underwear.” The tailor said with a sweet smile. She winked at them and left them alone in the shop. Orthonai nodded and turned to Lily. “Is it okay?” Lily asked, her voice soft and full of fear. She had been through the deepest hell, but most of the slaves in the bargain tent had. They were the first beaten and last fed. Orthonai shrugged and went to a changing room. It didn’t matter to her if the woman was lying or not. All that mattered was the new dress was soft and felt nice on her disfigured flesh. She picked out a pair of soft boots and put them on with a sigh. It had been so long since she had worn shoes. The hours of walking on bare feet had made her feet tough, but wearing shoes was a dream she wished for. Even if he forced her to take them off, for now she could wear shoes. Her new master reminded her of a wolf now that she thought about him. Something in his eyes spoke of a true darkness. She had evil masters in the past, but something in her new one was wrong or broken on a deep level. She should be worried, but after being used as a toy, she couldn’t care anymore. So much about her life she had given up on. “Hey, try this one.” The bunny said. Orthonai nodded and took it.

“Feels nice.” She said speaking for the first time in days. Lily smiled and Orthonai smiled back. It felt nice. She was actually smiling. Maybe they could be lucky and actually eat today. He would want to test out her cooking skills and maybe she could sneak a bite. If she was lucky, she may even be able to get some for the bunny. “Try this one.” Orthonai said handing a white sundress to Lily.

“This is cute, but it would clash with my skin. Too much white.” Bunny said with a smile. It felt like they were normal women relaxing and shopping.

{Alex}

I came out and saw the girls in new dresses, the others lay on the counter. Tailor was sitting at a stool and smiling at the women. “They picked some good ones.” Tailor said with a smile. The orc had on a nice pair of boots that she seemed to be enjoying. The bunny was still barefoot, and I frowned at her. Why did it bother me that she was barefoot? 

“Did you want shoes too?” I asked. She squeaked and jumped as though I had screamed at her as she hid behind the orc.

“Mmmmmaster. Cannn I?” her voice was so soft I could barely hear it. When her mouth opened; I saw cute buck teeth that added to her overall bunny look. It made me smile and my heart rate ticked up a little.

“Yes. Shoes now.” I said turning my back to her. Her collar glowed, and she quickly moved over to the shoes and started trying them on. The collars glow when an order is given. This was useful information. She found a simple red pair of slippers she liked and came back to me as though asking for approval. "Good job.” I said hopefully giving her a less creepy smile. Tailor smiled, folding each outfit, and putting them in cloth bags. Each girl had her own bag, and I felt a little self-conscious not caring their things for them. I know that I was their master, but I was still a man. “How much do I owe you?” I asked Tailor hoping to distract myself. She frowned at me as though I had just taken a shit on her table.

“Like hell I’d charge our hero.” She said sweetly. I rubbed the back of my neck inwardly screaming. I’M NO FUCKING HERO!! She pushed the bags at me and shoved us out the door. Well, being a hero did have an upside apparently. The walk home was quiet and mostly uncomfortable as the bags were heavy. I had no clue what to talk about or what to say to the women I now owned. They looked at each other as we walked in. I know my house is rough and dirty as hell, but that is why they were here.

“Can I know your names?” I asked, feeling really uncomfortable as the bunny was looking around my house from behind the orc. She was now dressed in a cute long gray dress that seemed to swallow her up. Like a child wearing an oversized shirt. It made her look even cuter if that were possible. The orc was wearing something that looked like a yellow sundress with a belt around her narrow middle. It left her badly carved legs exposed but was open enough to let her move freely. The orc looked at me blankly as I stood there.

“Orthonai.” That is all she said, and her voice was monotone. The bunny peeked around at me and whispered so low I could barely hear her.

“Lily.” Her voice was cute and seemed to fit her overall cute aura.

“It is a pleasure to meet the two of you. Lily, would you please start cleaning while I take Orthonai to get stuff for supper?” I said hoping to break the ice. Lily nodded and hid behind Orthonai until we left. I took Orthonai to the store leaving the outfits in my spare room. “Orthonai. You are free to speak your mind at any time.” She just nodded at me, but didn’t say anything. The walk to the store was mostly quiet. “When you need food for the house, feel free to come here and get more.” I said to the quiet woman at my side. We picked up what she needed and returned home to find it spotless. I was actually impressed by the bunny woman. “Amazing job, Lily.” I said with what I hoped was a warm smile. She squeaked and hid behind the wall barely peeking out.

“Ttttt thank yyy you m m mm master.” She was actually shaking with fear. It hurt my heart seeing her cower like that. Orthonai just walked to the kitchen and started cooking like she couldn’t care about anything. I went to my room and started working on a new Doll that I had thought about on the walk home. After a while a nice smell worked its way to me making my stomach growl. It had been a few days since I had eaten, and it was starting to show. There was a knock at the door, and I turned. It was Lily and she peeked around the doorframe at me.

“I take it, dinner is ready?” I asked. She nodded and darted away from me quickly as though I were a wild animal that could attack her at any moment. Following my nose into the dining room I found an amazing meal was on the table and ready for us. Both women just stood in the kitchen as I sat down. “Are you going to join me?” I asked not sure what they were waiting on. Orthonai spoke slowly as though not sure if I were going to be upset.

“It is not normal for slaves to eat with their masters.” I frowned at her words and growled not happy with the way people were treated in this world.

“Fuck that. Get over here and get some food.” I said coldly. Their collars glowed and both moved to the table stiffly. Soon all three of us were eating although it felt forced. Lily picked the place furthest away from me and Orthonai sat across from me. She was still hiding her face with her hair and that kept getting in the way. “You don’t have to hide your face, Orthonai.” I said hoping to reassure her. She nodded and pulled her hair back, tying it into a bun, showing a nasty scar covering that side. It had taken her eye and left that side of her face disfigured. I felt bad for her. Why did I feel bad for her? I didn’t do that. It wasn’t my fault. “Thank you, Orthonai.” I said reaching over to touch her hand. She looked up at me blankly and I pulled my hand back. “I know that must be rough to deal with.” I added, not sure why I was trying to help her. She just nodded and went back to eating. Lily was looking at me oddly like I had just grown a second head. She jumped when I turned to her. “You’re safe here.” I don’t know why I said that.

 This girl was making something inside me want to protect her. This wasn’t like me at all. What the hell was going on? We ate and shortly after the bed showed up. Woodcutter and his son brought it in and put it in place in the spare room next to the other new bed. “Thank you for helping me out. How much do I owe you?” I asked the pair. Woodcutter put his hands up and smiled at me.

“Nothing. My wife would tan my hide if she heard I took a copper from you.” He said beaming at me. What was he so happy about? This was getting old. I am not a hero. I followed them out and noticed their cart had a bad wheel. The best thing I could do is pay them back a little. I quickly fixed it and went back into the girls. The sun was setting, and I was getting a little tired. Lily had cleaned the table and was doing the dishes. Orthonai was sitting on the couch and watching out the window.

“You two are free to do whatever you like for the rest of the night.” I said heading to my room. My new Doll was almost done and I wondered if Meathead would like to play with it. I felt bad that they had to share a room, but I only had the two. Maybe I would have to invest in an expansion to my house. It would raise the value, but did I really want to spend the time in an inn for the work to be done? Not right now. Maybe when I left for the convention. The fading light hit my wrist and I looked down. My new bracelet had fifteen goblin cores and was gold plated. It made the evenings work much easier and faster, but I still needed more mana. I smiled at its shine and stopped. I did have an evil smile, but watching it reflected in gold made it far tastier. I licked my chops and put the Doll aside. The sun was nearly gone, and I needed to lock up. 

Leaving my room, I saw the women sitting at the table. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but hoped they were happy. “I’m going to bed soon. Is there anything you two need?” I asked with what I hoped was a happy smile. Lilly looked very worried as she jumped from the seat retreating to the corner. Fear was clear on her face. “Sorry you two have to share a room. I will try to get that fixed soon.” Orthonai just nodded. I made sure the windows and doors were locked and went to my bed, locking my own door behind me. We were safe and my house was a little fuller. It was like they were my roommates for now, but maybe one day things could change.

{Lily Cottontail}

Lily just watched him go, her heart racing. He made her feel like the little bunny she looked like. He wasn’t mean or harsh, but he scared her. His house was small and very dirty, but she was able to clean it easily. He had even thanked her and said she did a good job. He give them nice clothes and the only time he got mad is when they weren’t eating with him and when she hadn’t picked out shoes. She looked down at the bright red slippers that matched her eyes and smiled.

Now that he was gone, she felt better as she looked around at the small house. He made sure the house was safe and even locked his own door. So, he wouldn’t be picking either of them tonight. Did this mean he didn’t like them? No, his heart increased when he looked at her. Lily went to her room and got changed before it was too dark to see. She wasn't sure if he would get mad if she lit a candle. She had picked a white nightgown with red flowers. She thought it looked cute and hoped she would be allowed to keep it. Orthonai followed Lily and just disrobed putting her clothes in the dresser. It was indecent that the other woman slept in the buff like that, but who was Lily to judge? What if someone saw her though? What if he saw her? What if he chose Othonai over her? What would he do if he liked Orthonai more. “Hey, what do you think of master?” Lily asked, hoping to fill the void.

“Nice. Cold but nice.” What the hell did that mean? She jumped into her own new bed. It was soft and clean and new. It smelled fresh and even the straw was new. She sighed wondering when he would change into the nightmare all men were. Closing her eyes, she let her ears tell her every sound in the house. He was in his room and snoring softly. Orthonai’s breathing slowed and Lily let her own slow as she fell into a light sleep. For all she knew, he could wake and demand her fill his bed at any moment.

{Alex}

The next morning, I woke before the girls and went to work. It was the first night I didn’t have to drain my mana to get some sleep and I felt great. It was nice having others in the house. Something felt right about it. My mind drifted to Yen, and I wondered if she would have been happy in my house. 

Boss was waiting for me on the floor and smiled as he stood next to a large male orc. This guy was huge with long tusks poking from his lower jaw. His dark green skin was covered by a simple shirt and pants. His bare feet showed off long clawed toes. A slave collar jingled as he looked at me “Runt, this is Gorloth, he is your new battery.” Boss said slapping his shoulder. I smiled at Gorloth as he looked down at me slightly worried.

“Master Runt.” He growled down to me. He had to be nearly the same height as Yen, but his body was sturdier.

“I like him. I still plan to use Battery to get more done. Gorloth, I hope we can be friends.” I said to the huge orc who smiled. Taking him over to the worst of the damage, I had him put a hand on my shoulder as I worked to fix it. I made sure to leave Gorloth with a sliver so he wouldn’t pass out the way Battery did. My favorite tool was looking at me and Gorloth. I couldn’t tell if he was relieved or scared. His face kept switching. With Gorloth here, the amount of work I could get done doubled if not more. The big guy was very talkative and happy even if his Common was a little broken. Wait? Common, not English? I wasn’t speaking English here. Interesting. The grunts seemed to be unsettled with the way Gorloth and I were talking, and it was a little confusing to me.

“Runt, why be friends with Gorloth?” He asked as though worried about the answer. I shrugged at his question.

“Why not?” I asked back.  He laughed and slapped me on the shoulder. It hurt, but not too bad.

“Gorloth is orc. Runt is human, maybe?” I laughed, a real one and he joined me. “Maybe not human. Still look mostly human. Humans, orcs fight.” Gorloth stated and I milled over his words.

“Why would I fight someone who is helping me?” I asked, hoping to point out that I didn’t see him that way.

“I no want fight Runt.” Gorloth said as he nodded at me.

“I don’t want to fight anyone. I want to live a peaceful life building these things.” I said, waving my hand at the Knight. The sun was starting to set and with his help I was able to fix up one of the Knights. That still left one, but I could fix it tomorrow. It was a gleaming green with an ornate head. I would have to build a Doll of it tonight or maybe just the head. It was the only real interesting part. “Good night, friend Gorloth.” I said as he slapped my shoulder. If he kept doing that, I may need to wear armor to work. That may impact mana flow though. The metal would force the mana to stay mostly inside. The only reason Meathead was able to give me the mana that day was due to a safety feature. In the pointer finger of each Knight. It would allow the Knight to be powered or release mana into a battery. With my metal magic would that really matter though?

“Good night, friend Runt.” My new friend said with a wave. It was a nice walk home; the air was clear and slightly warm. On entering I had hoped for dinner to be ready, sadly no. Both women were sitting at the table, bored looks on their faces. The house was clean, but past that little else. I wondered what I could do to help them.

“How was your day?” I asked the pair. Lily jumped up and ran to hide behind Orthonai who just looked at me blankly. “Did you two have a good lunch?” I asked, hoping to break the tension.

“No, you didn’t tell us we could eat.” Orthonai said as though she were just telling me about the weather. I started yelling at them. It was a bad call with Lily as she cowered behind the larger green woman.

“YOU TWO ARE REQUIRED TO EAT THREE MEALS A DAY!!” I took a deep breath. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner. With or without me. Am I clear?” Their collars started to glow, and both nodded Lily cowered behind Orthonai who looked slightly startled. She nodded and started cooking. “Orthonai please make a large meal for us as I forgot to eat today too.” I said, hoping to smooth things over. She looked at me with her one good eye and nodded. Suddenly she walked closer to me sniffing. What was she picking up? “Oh, we got a new worker. His name is Gorloth and he is an orc like you.” I said, slapping my head.

 She looked at me puzzled before returning to the stove. I went to my desk and started crafting the head I had seen earlier. It somehow felt more relaxing than the night before. I would need to get sorting drawers for the parts if I kept this up. My stomach roared its displeasure when the smell of cooking food came to me. Lily came to fetch me again but didn't speak to me for the rest of the night. Clearly, I had scared her badly. I'm such a fuck up. She kept hiding from me and I wasn’t going to push her. Dinner was amazing and the girls joined me without complaint this time. It felt like we were a family, a bit strange, but nice. With a happy smile, I locked up and went to bed.

{ZeroGiven40}

Sorry I didn't get a chapter out last night. Work was a little rough. I hope to get a fair bit done this weekend. All that being said, what are your thoughts about the new name for Orga? What would you do if someone like Alex was treating you the way he is treating Gorloth or the other two? For those who didn't notice, he doesn't trust humans, but nonhumans he treats like people.