the rest is rust & stardust;

Even as she sat up a bit, Miss V kept her hand gently on Piper’s hip. She rubbed and lightly squeezed as she spoke. While this Mistress could seem cold out in the open she was truly far from it could an individual be smart enough for her to find worthy of softening for. Viktoria had melted rather rapidly for her Cupcake.

“You don’t...have to reassure me. I know what I am to you. And what you are to me.” Piper knew logically that Miss V wasn’t trying to hurt her - but the blonde always had that lingering self doubt that lurked in the back of her mind. What if she was being replaced, what if this...Sasha was much more lovely, or better in some way than her? Gently she shook her head because thinking up those questions and many others only stood to give her a headache. When she was still a slave she’d never been anyone's first choice. And when she was Davi’s claim - the struggle to adapt with another had proven difficult. A struggle she didn’t want to throw at anyone else. And even though she desperately tried to see things the way Miss V did - hold the same believes and opinions of such openness, she couldn’t. Piper was too emotional; she’d learned that early on. But she held strong in the midst of it, it wasn’t her place after all. 

“It doesn’t look like you can, though,” Claire made a fake pout, effectively imitating Piper’s originally worried and then dismayed expression. “I haven’t. I’ve only seen him around you, and with the skinny brunette. But they’re never doing anything that looks fun,” she criticized, her face shifting back to something more causal and less animated.

Clarissa could absolutely infuriate her sometimes, quietly. But Piper was on the verge of stomping her foot when the older blonde practically mocked her so openly.  She felt childish and yet down right annoyed. “They do lots of..fun things.” Piper tried not to allow her mind to wander toward exactly what those fun things were, but she felt the need to defend them. She merely hoped the mistress wasn’t curious enough to have her elaborate. 

Now that was an interesting story. “Let’s just say I was looking.” They kept it vague, nothing too revealing. Wouldn’t want to reveal all their secrets. Their slight overall smugness had faded once art school had been brought up again.

Piper’s green eyes lifted toward the ceiling and she nodded her head. She was all too used to vague responses. She merely rolled with it anymore and knew eventually she would learn more, hopefully. Some residents were invited and held a lot of sway, others merely had the money to do as they pleased. “Yeah, a lot of people find what they are looking for here.” She couldn’t compliment it too much, not with the unwilling parties down in the basement.

‘’you are an angel!’’ Roman said, just glad with the fact she would try to help him keep the promise he made about the cake. ‘’I’m originally from London, travelled a bit during growing up so pretty much lived everywhere until my mum was taken away when I was twelve. Went back to London and now I’m here.’’ Roman followed her, this being the first time he went to the other direction. Not knowing there was even a winecellar there at all. ‘’Just tell me which you need.’’ He said as he picked up one and blew the dust off it. ‘’I don’t know much about wine but this seems like expensive stuff.’’ Normally he’d smash it just for fun but now he didn’t not wanting her in trouble since she had been nothing but kind to him so far. ‘’How long have you been working here?’’

There was a sharp intake of breath and Piper sort of curled into herself for a moment as if Roman had slapped her with his compliment. “Bitte...don’t, don’t call me that.” She could take any other little nickname but that - it was much too triggering and left her feeling sick. But she focused on what he was telling her because it was much more interesting than where her thoughts had lingered. “Why was your mom taken away?” Piper’s brows knitted in confusion, but than she realize the question was more than likely inappropriate. “Nevermind -” She shook her head. “I’ve never been to London.” As Piper spoke, she watched him pull down a bottle before taking it from him. “Yeah - and they always put it on the top. It’s like they want me to accidentally break it or something.” Stepping in front of him, the blonde stood on her toes to reach for another. “Um...a few months now?” She said, stretching out her fingers as they just barely grazed a bottled. “Verdammt...”

“You know, I gotta say when I heard about this place I thought it was some practical joke. I thought I was being Punk’d or something.” A place like this was a dream come true for Scout, and you could imagine their excitement when they’d found out that it was the real deal. “This is so better than going to some dumb art school.” They grinned. Finally they were away from their overbearing parents and free to have some fun.

“How did you hear about it?” Piper asked curiously, eyes wide as she tried to wrap her mind around the ways in which some residents found their way here. For Miss V and Davi it was easily understandable for her, others not so much. “Art school?” She continued on in her line of questioning as she handed the other the drink they had ordered. Piper was mostly home schooled as she’d spent the last few years with her mistress. 

Roman laughed. ‘’Don’t ever ask me to speak german, I just understand some of it. If I have to speak it myself, I’ll just end up tripping over words and will need a dictionary.’’ Food, something people seemed to love holding over slaves heads so he wasn’t surprised when he got the promise of a meal. Though this gave him a chance of maybe keeping a promise. ‘’I’m hungry, kinda. I’m fine though, but if you can arrange a big piece of red velvet cake, I’d be forever in your debt. I made a promise to a girl here I’d arrange that for her, so you’d really help me out with that.’’ He flashed a smile when she opened his cell. ‘’I’m Roman, it’s good to meet you ba…. Piper.’’ He managed to correct himself though he knew he’d slip up again as it was a force of habit, stepping out of the cell when it opened. ‘’So, where to, fair lady?’’

A smile spread across Piper’s face. “But it might be funny listening to you try.” When she woke up in a cell herself all she would speak was her native tongue - panic tended to make her forget her English. Very few had understood her, and even less cared to. “Where are you from?” She asked, trying to strike up more of a conversation, make him and herself feel a bit more comfortable. As he mentioned cake, Piper nodded her head eagerly. “I can talk with the kitchen staff, see if I can get a slice or two brought down.” It was the least she could do, really. As he stepped from his cell, Piper took an instinctive step away but reached out to tug at his arm and gesture down the hall. “I just need a few bottles...” As she spoke she led him down the hall, pulling open a pair of heavy doors that lead into an expensive wine cellar just off from the cells. 

Roman chuckled, the guards amused him, even if they didn’t respond to him at all. Maybe he was just easily amused and here that was actually a blessing or he’d probably lose his mind from boredom. ‘’Entschuldigung? Been a long time since I’ve heard anyone speak german.’’ He said while turning towards the girl. ‘’I can help you with many things babe, just not from in here, but I’m sure you can fix that?’’ Roman smirked slightly while pointing to the locked cell door. ‘’I promise I’ll be really good.’’ The smirk didn’t leave his face, knowing there were several ways to take his words and it was up to her how she would take them. 

Piper rose her brows at the males response. “Do you speak German?” It was usually a shared language between her mistress and herself. But residents, employees, and slaves a like came from all over. She gave him a quiet once over as if judging whether or not she should let him out. “I’ll get you something to eat after....” He could easily run from her, escape and do any number of things. But the promise of a meal might change his mind, if that’s the direction it was even headed. Maybe he was there willingly She couldn’t tell. “You did say you were hungry, right?” She asked, trying to ignore the slight flirtation in his tone. Quietly, she pressed her finger to the scanner. The machine beeped to approve her fingerprint and the cell door slid open. “I’m Piper; what’s your name?” Because she knew Babe just wouldn’t do.

At first Miss V hadn’t been completely sure of her mission. She was half asleep herself. Still in that liminal stage where nothing felt especially real. Touching Piper — wanting to please her and see her sweet face express all she felt before she came was what her mind had woken up wanting. Awake or asleep, she hadn’t gotten that far. She hadn’t been trying to be particularly stealthy.

Piper felt the movement of the woman beside her and then the warmth of her body as it hovered over her. There was very little point in keeping up the act now, but she was still half asleep, an in between calmness that made her lazy. Though, the skillful way in which Viktoria continued to tease caused Piper’s hips to roll against those fingers on their own volition as a small whimpered moan was coaxed past her lips.Kisses caused her head to turn and green eyes fluttered open and she worked to focus on the brunette above her.

Viktoria woke earlier than Piper. She nearly always did. And when she didn’t she was happily woken up by her – at least most of the time. Small kisses to her face and body or little giggles and whimpers in impatience out of the need for attention, entertainment, or some combination of both. 

Piper was dreaming about chicken nuggets...Dreaming was the nicer term for it because what started off as Miss V feeding her the delicious chicken turned into nightmarish leafy green stuff. And then there were some ninjas and mermaids somewhere in the middle of it all when the Archduchess turned into the Evil Queen. She would blame this on Clarissa later with all her talk of fairy tales and her own twisted imagination. Through this dreamy, somewhat erotic struggle, the small blonde had thrown off her covers. But come morning she had settled into a peaceful sleep - unaware that Viktoria was doing a little more than merely admiring her form. 

As accommodating as Viktoria could be there were certain places that she would likely never bend with her subs. Piper knew this was one, and in a way, it was impressive that it didn’t stop her from presenting an argument to be the big spoon. This was what Miss V had always wanted, someone smart who knew what they wanted and weren’t afraid to ask for it. It was a delicate balance of being independent and not overstepping perfect, unwavering lines drawn by the Archduchess. Piper was a skilled navigator.

As a gentle kiss was pressed to her nose, a small, slightly worried smile spread across Piper’s mouth. But she wasn’t sure why she was worried, at first figuring maybe she’d done something wrong. But Miss V’s voice was so calm and reassuring that the blonde was sure the older woman knew without a shadow of a doubt the inner workings of her mind. Of course they had spent years together now; that said a lot. So she laid there, listening quietly and nodding her head. Miss V had spoken of Sasha fondly, but Piper had never met her. 

When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it.

Viktoria moved to gaze at Piper as the movie ended. They sat in Piper’s room in the staff house. The second bed was unoccupied as of late – no more roommate so Miss V had been coaxed to come and cuddle the blonde in a much tinier bed than usual. It wasn’t entirely awful. It was kind of amusing for the two of them to try and fit with ease on to a twin mattress but now that they had found their regular positioning all seemed well. “Mein Liebling, brauchen wir ein Gespräch zu haben.” She said in that warm voice that always came when they were alone together. Telling Piper this news in her own territory seemed like a more comfortable option for the blonde curled into her.