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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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 Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:47 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to move.. it brought tears to her eyes, though she hoped that he wouldn't notice them. She didn't cover him with a blanket since that would hurt his wounds. After a moment, she went back to her chair and sat down. Perhaps she was becoming way too soft.. it was like all the emotions that she had kept hidden for the past couple of months were spilling out. She had no purpose or reason to live and now she simply wanted to make his life better.
Biting her lip, she pulled her knees back up to her chest as the kittens crawled out from under the bed silently and looked around before their mother joined them, licking the tops of their heads as she ushered them into the basket. Her own mother.. her mother would have made everything better. She had known how to keep the balance in this household. It had been so long since she had been here and even though Violetta had tried before to restore it, it had never worked.
Shivering a bit, she stayed quiet just the kittens, giving Brandon a chance to rest. He needed it more than any of them did. It didn't make any sense to her.. the worst thing a human being could do to another was put them through torture and it seemed like they did that every day.. every single day. Why? Did they find pleasure in it? It was horrible.. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. Brandon had given her a purpose.. and that was to make things better for him.. and for the other slaves of this home. For mine seems to have been destroyed. ((You can do a time skip if you want))
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:04 pm
Brandon stared out the window, looking down at the slaves below as they worked in the garden. He could see others working in the field. Even though the sun was beating down, the day itself was cooler. He was glad for that, for their sake. He knew how horrible it was to work in the fields on a hot day, nearly as miserable as working in the rain. However, his gaze darted down to his lap as one of the more adventurous of the kittens clawed its way up his pant leg to rest in his lap. Looking up at him, the kitten let out a mew. Unable to help himself, he smiled and ran his hands gently over its head, earning himself a contented purr.
Weeks had passed since he had been whipped. His back still ached but it was a sore ache rather than the fiery, burning pain that it had initially been. The wounds no longer had to be washed every day. The stitches had come out the week prior but the woman, Hannah, had still suggested he take it easy lest he risk ripping them open again. Now, he was finally fit enough to be up and moving though he still took his time and didn't make any sudden movements, though that was more to prevent any jolts of pain rather than to prevent more injury.
The seamstress was supposed to be seeing him soon, get him taken care of for his outfit for the upcoming masquerade ball. It would certainly be interesting, to say the least. He wondered half heartedly how the Master was going to handle the fact that slaves were actually attending. He knew how things worked. If the neighbors found out, they would spread the word and he could potentially be ruined. He hoped it didn't happen. If that happened, things would go downhill and chances were that he would have to be sold again. He didn't want to leave. He was happy there, with Violetta.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:25 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?As time had passed by, Brandon's wounds healed and Violetta saw her father more often at meals but besides that the two didn't talk a whole lot. She was tempted to give the slaves more freedom with her father's permission but she didn't want to push things too far. She knew that the masquerade wasn't exactly something that he was too happy about but she could only hope that things would go well. Violetta would defend her father if anyone dared to insult him... she loved him after all and he was pretty much the only family that she had left.
Thankfully Brandon had almost fully recovered and the date was finally set for the ball. Her dress had been made a while back though it wasn't exactly what she would have wanted it to be. Her father and her had argued about it for quite some time and she finally decided to give in to his will. He was allowing slaves to attend after all so the least she could do was obey despite the fact that she didn't want to.
Now though.. she was standing not too far away from Brandon. He looked happier and healthier than he had when he had first come to her home. She hoped he would improve more and.. that she would be able to let him go back.. back to his home. After all even if he was happy here, it was like having a caged bird. He would want to be free and perhaps he even wanted it now. Lowering her head, she sighed softly. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly. She was still trying to get him to speak, she was stubborn and she would probably never let it go but then again he probably was too. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:38 pm
Brandon was aware of Violetta's presence nearby, even though she did not speak. He was also aware of her watching him. He knew well the feeling of being watched. He'd come to learn it fairly quickly in his time at the slave shop. It wasn't a nice feeling but being watched by Violetta, he didn't mind it. It wasn't like the other gazes, the ones that looked at him with contempt, disgust and even self-pride, as if they thought they were better than him because of the circumstances they'd found themselves in.
When Violetta spoke, he didn't jump like he would have when he'd first arrived. Since his injuries, he had settled in quickly. He was no longer skittish or shy, although he still refused to speak. Even though he spent most of his time with Violetta, the few times he'd gone down to eat with his fellow slaves, he had sat with Hannah. Though he didn't speak, he found he liked being surrounded by conversation. A few times they would even try to draw him into it, try to get him to speak, but he wouldn't react unless they were simple 'yes or no' questions that allowed him to answer without speaking.
Turning his head, he looked up at his mistress. Was he hungry? He looked down at his stomach before looking back to her. Since his injury, he had also noticed that his appetite had increased. Even though he would still refuse to eat until Violetta had, he was eating more, about what a healthy male his size should have been eating. He was also sleeping better, though he was still occasionally plagued by nightmares. They were becoming fewer and farther between.
Even though he knew Violetta was trying to get him to speak, he simply smiled and nodded. She was stubborn, so was he, in his own quiet, submissive way.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:52 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?Violetta looked out the window for a moment before her eyes returned to him. Now that he was better.. she couldn't help but think that he was handsome as well. Of course their relationship would probably never become more than friendship, even if it became that. She knew that he trusted her more now than when he had first arrived, he was also a bit more relaxed as well.
Thankfully her ex never returned as far as she knew. Her father had made sure of that after all. She now knew that the two weren't on best terms and she wasn't exactly sad about that, she was happy though she wouldn't admit it. Running her fingers through her loose hair as he turned to look at her, she couldn't help but smile at him. It was nice to see him respond to her questions even if it was a simple nod or a shake of his head, it was something.
"Let's go then." she said softly. They could eat in the palor down below. The sun was high in the sky and there would be plenty of light there. She didn't bring him into the dinning room yet since her father wouldn't be too pleased about that and she didn't want him to take out his anger on Brandon. That would not end very well.
"I'm still convinced that you can speak.." she told him as she glanced at him, heading towards the door of her room and opening it. Biting her lip, she headed down the stairs. Her spells of dizziness had disappeared by now and she was feeling a lot better as well. Rubbing her neck, she wasn't quite sure what the cook had made today but she was sure it was good. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:04 pm
When Violetta spoke again, Brandon looked down at the kitten, picking up the tiny creature and setting it on its feet on the floor. The kitten seemed to glower at him but he only smiled and, carefully, pushed himself to his feet. He straightened out his clothes -a plain white button-up shirt and black pants- before following her towards the door.
When she told him that she was still convinced he could speak, he merely raised an eyebrow at her. Of course he could speak. Had he ever given her any reason not to think so? Well, aside from the fact that he didn't speak. That was the key word, 'didn't'. He could speak very well, he simply chose not to. He found that people tended to leave him alone that way, well, usually. The mistresses of whatever household he'd been bought to seemed to find it a challenge. Usually, that ended up with him in physical or emotional pain but he still kept hold of his silence. It was one of the few things he had control over. He wasn't about to give that up.
As they left the room and made their way down the stairs, Brandon kept close to Violetta. Even though her dizzy spells had become fewer in the same way his nightmares had, he still worried about her falling. He didn't want her to be hurt. He didn't like seeing others in pain, unless they deserved it. But, as far as he could tell, Violetta had done nothing to deserve being in pain. But she had been. He wasn't blind. He had seen the pain she'd gone through while he'd been healing. Even now, he was touched by the way she seemed to care about him so much, and not just because of the possible things he could do for her like previous mistresses had been. She seemed to genuinely care about him. And he was more grateful for that than she would ever know.
((I have to go gonk Bye and, again, Merry Christmas.))
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 1:39 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?Sighing, she gestured towards the palor where he could go sit, she was going to go to the cook and see what he was preparing. The cook was the one of the few people she loved being around but he rarely had any free time on his hands. Walking into the kitchen, she avoided the maids that were cleaning. "What's for breakfast?" she asked him, they rarely spoke formally to each other, it had been that way since she was little.
"Eggs. Bacon. Fruit salad. That's all that is left. You should come down here earlier." he told her, shaking a finger at her and she just laughed in return. "It's fine, that will do." she responded as he filled two plates. He was used to the fact that she ate with Brandon if she didn't appear with her father in the dining room before that. Placing them onto a cart, he wheeled it over to her.
"It's nice to see you eating again." he said in a low voice. It had taken her a while to get back into the regular meals. "Yeah.. I know." she murmured. "Thanks for the food." she added and they exchanged small goodbyes before she headed back to the palor. Biting her lip, she walked up to the small table that was there and placed the plates onto it. For mine seems to have been destroyed. ((Same to you ^^ ))
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 1:50 pm
Brandon looked over at Violetta when she motioned to the parlor before nodding and walking in. He glanced back at her and watched as she disappeared from sight into the kitchen before taking a seat at the table. The place wasn't as nice as the dining room where the Master had his meals but it was certainly a lot nicer than the hall where the slaves had their meals.
As he sat there, waiting for Violetta to return, his mind wandered. It wasn't often that he thought about the people in his past but, when he had a minute or two to think, they were usually what he thought about. He had to force himself not to think of his past mistresses. Thinking of them made him sick to his stomach. Occasionally he would think of his parents, wonder where they were, what they were doing, if they missed him as much as he missed them. But, most of the time, he wouldn't think of any of them but two different people. Even though he had only seen them each once, he wondered where they were, if they were being taken care of, if they were happy.
When Violetta returned with the plates, he was staring at one of the walls with a thoughtful but distant look on his face. In fact, it was only when she placed the plates on the table that he even realized she was there. Blinking, he looked over at her before smiling, the only form of thanks he could give her.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:57 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?He was definitely thinking about something but she knew he wasn't going to tell her. Sighing, she sat down and noticed him smile. Returning it with a small smile of her own, she slowly began to eat, thinking about the upcoming events. For today Brandon would have a tailor come over.. and she guessed she would be helping her father with the invitations. She still wasn't quite sure who he was inviting but who knew.
Her fork stabbed a grape and she brought it to her lips as she looked out the window, falling silent for now. Things had been improving more.. but they still weren't back to the way they used to be and she doubted they would ever be that way. At least James seemed to have disappeared for good now and she didn't have to worry about him.
Eating slowly, she knew that Brandon most likely wanted to go home. After the masquerade ball.. she would give him that opportunity again. Sure he was a good companion but.. he probably didn't want to spend the rest of his life here and she understood that. If it was a job, maybe he would stay but he would live somewhere else. She cared for Brandon and she knew what it was like to miss her family though she had never been a slave. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:17 pm
Brandon watched as Violetta took her seat and started eating before he started eating as well. Just as when he had first come, he absolutely refused to start eating before she had. Plus, it was also manners. The master -or mistress, in this case- always started eating first. Another of those lessons that had been beaten into him early on. Even after all those years, he still had the marks to prove it although they were fainter, barely noticeable lines running horizontally along his hands.
As he ate, he allowed his mind to wander. He was excited about the upcoming ball but he was nervous too. He hadn't attended something like that -at least, not without being there to serve the guests- since, well, ever. When he had been free, his family had been lower middle class, at best. They couldn't have afforded to send him to something like this. On top of that, how would he get around his self-induced silence? Surely people would want to speak to him, unless they happened to find out he was a slave.
Perhaps he should just skip the whole thing. ...No, he couldn't do that. He was Violetta's companion, to be there for her when she wanted him and he knew for a fact that she wanted him at that ball. His was his duty to be there. But he still dreaded the thought of someone finding out he was a slave. That would not reflect well on the Master or Violetta and, as a slave, trouble almost always ended up heaped on his shoulder, more or less literally.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:31 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?Violetta cut the eggs on her plate up and slowly ate those after she had finished off some of the fruit salad. Since the thought of James had come up.. she knew her father expected her to marry someone soon enough.. but who? Marriage wasn't something she was looking forward to since there was only the high class that she could pick from and most of the time it was the men that got to decide who they married. Family.. she couldn't even sort this one out and she doubted she would be able to create her own.
Her appetite suddenly left her and she set her fork down, staring into the plate. She had.. fallen for.. someone but she knew that it would never work out as much as she wished it could. She had never brought it up and she never would for various reasons. Swallowing, she shivered slightly before getting up without a single word and walking away. She tried not to think about it but she had let her mind wander at the moment. Rubbing her arm, she lowered her head so her hair framed her face as she rushed down the hall, planning on going out into the garden where no one would find her or hear her.
She had been so childish to fall for him in the first place and she had never meant to accept those feelings either.. it had just happened. Her brisk walk soon turned into running as she fled from her own emotions and from everyone else. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:45 pm
Brandon continued eating, letting his mind wander over the concept of the ball. Even though he had no choice in whether he attended or not, he was trying to force himself to look forward to it. He couldn't get out of it -not that he really wanted to, he was just nervous- so why bother sulking about it? Not that he would really sulk either but that was beside the point.
He was about half way finished with his meal when he heard the sound of something being set down. Lifting his head, he spotted the abandoned fork before lifting his gaze to Violetta a moment before she got up and left without a single word. Eyes widening in worry, he too abandoned his meal and hurried after her. Normally, she wouldn't just leave the room without saying something. That just wasn't her. She may not have been the most sociable person in the world but she at least excused herself or told him where she was going and when she would be back.
As he hurried after her, he could hear her just ahead of him, always just ahead of him. Quickening his pace, she, coincidentally, did the same at the same time. Forcing himself into a run, he went after her. This wasn't right. Something was wrong. Oh gosh. He hoped she wasn't planning on trying to run away again. That had been bad enough the first time. Plus, he would have to accompany her and he really didn't want to be beaten for 'trying to run away', again. That too had been bad enough the first time.
As he ran, he could feel his muscles starting to ache, especially those in his back and legs. Since the whipping, he hadn't done much, if any, physical exercise and it was starting to catch up with him.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:00 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?Why did he have to go after her? She heard the footsteps as she pushed open the door and ran out, going into the maze of roses and different kinds of flowers as well as trees. She didn't want him to follow.. not this time. Her heart was beating quickly as she rounded a corner and then went under an oak tree, sitting down on one of the roots as she hoped she had lost him with her different turns, she was shivering even though it wasn't cold.
Crying wasn't something she liked to do and yet she could feel the tears in her eyes as she closed them, bringing her hands up to her face before she tugged lightly at her hair from frustration. Why did this have to happen? Biting her lip to hold back any noise that could possibly escape, she sat there quietly in the shadow of the tree.
Her heart had been destroyed.. and when it had been restored it just decided to go down that same path once again. She didn't think she would be able to handle it and the only thing she could think of doing was filling her mind with other thoughts.. making sure she was always busy.. something to distract her. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:17 pm
Brandon didn't know how long he could keep it up. His back and legs felt like they were on fire. His lungs too. But he kept going. He could only hope that he would catch her before his body forced him to stop. As she burst through the door, he reached the doorway just in time to see her disappear into a maze of flowers and trees. Oh, you've got to be kidding me, he thought. Taking a deep breath, he followed after her. But, his short pause at the door had given his muscles the chance to stiffen, meaning that the fastest he could go was a quick walk.
He didn't know how long he searched that blasted maze, probably just a few minutes though his muscles' pain made it seem longer, but he finally found her. Breathing heavily, he leaned a hand against the trunk of the oak tree, fighting to catch his breath. He hated seeing her cry and longed to comfort her but first he had to catch his breath. Once he had, he walked over to her, taking a seat on the ground beside her. As per usual, he didn't say anything. He simply placed a hand on her back.
The fact was, he wasn't very good at comforting people. At least, that was how he felt. The fact that he couldn't speak made him feel like he couldn't comfort anyone, even though when he needed comforting, he didn't want the person to say anything. Actually, when he needed comforting, he usually wanted to be left alone. But, what he wanted and what he needed were two completely different things. That was also how he justified to himself going against her orders.
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5Bulletproof-Marshmellows
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:28 pm
Tell me, what is a human worth without a heart?Her fingers dug into her dress when she heard him. Why did he have to follow her? Why? her face was hidden in the material of her dress, her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn't want to be around anyone or talk to anyone and yet he had followed her. Shivering, she bit her lip, her eyes closed though her eyelashes were already wet from the tears. "Leave." her voice cracked when she spoke despite the fact that she had tried to make it sound confident.
Feeling the hand that was on her back, more tears streamed down her face. She didn't want him around when she was like this. "You'll be able to go home anyway.. soon enough." she told him, trying to get him to not care about her. It would only be harder then. "You'll.. get a family.. and-" she bit her lip, not wanting to burst into tears again. "Just go!" she snapped at him though she didn't raise her face. Her arms tightened around her legs and her muscles were tense.
Violetta wanted him to stay at the same time.. and yet she wouldn't allow herself to say that.. to spill open everything. It wouldn't be fair to him and she didn't want to make him feel like he was obligated to stay because of her.. a rich girl who had a roof over her head and food whenever she asked for it. She had everything she could ask for.. except one thing.. one thing that was extremely important to her.. No.. she wouldn't say anything to him. Ever. For mine seems to have been destroyed.
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