Thalia Moore

“We don’t like to admit it, but the idea of losing control is one that fascinates controlled people such as ourselves more than anything.”

Thalia had always been good about appreciating, or at least speaking like she appreciated, what privileges he allowed her. He gave a small nod of approval when she thanked him. His eyes traveled unashamed over her long body while she washed her hair, and he listened both to her words and her thoughts while she answered him.

Emmanuel had been a part of her life for as long as she had been attending this school. He was her first teacher, her first boss, perhaps even her first rental. It scared her that his voice sometimes replaced the voice of her own family sometimes. Whilst in some ways she had become accustomed to him, in others, she knew, she would never be able to fully relax in his presence.

Emmanuel had been a part of her life for as long as she had been attending this school. He was her first teacher, her first boss, perhaps even her first rental. It scared her that his voice sometimes replaced the voice of her own family sometimes. Whilst in some ways she had become accustomed to him, in others, she knew, she would never be able to fully relax in his presence.

“Can’t say I was prepared for this,” he replied, off-handedly gesturing to their surroundings. Though maybe that was partially his fault, perhaps he’d overlooked all of the obvious red flags because he needed something good for once. Of course the cushy, well-paying, island job had some sort of catch. Why wouldn’t it? “Though I suppose I don’t really got much to complain about, do I?” Luc’s eyes dropped to the woman’s neck as he absentmindedly rubbed at his own, as if confirming that there wasn’t a collar secured around it. “Just shifters,” he admitted. “Wasn’t much of anything else where I’m from. ‘Least not any that I knew of.. But I suppose I’m not all that surprised by the rest of it.” Luc didn’t think much about Thalia’s line of questioning, and chalked it up to a pretty girl taking a little bit of interest in him. Which was more than welcome in his book. He’d been having a bit of a dry spell since arriving at the island. “When you watch a man turn into a bear, witches and vampires don’t seem all that far-fetched anymore. What about you? You seem to be takin’ all of this in stride. You grow up around supernaturals?” The word sounded odd coming out of his mouth, like he was still getting used to the idea of it all. “I’m sure you’re right. I’ve made it this far without gettin’ torn to shreds, I’ve probably got another few good decades in me.” Luc let out the slightest, little chuckle at the irony of her sentence. “How about you let me worry about what is and isn’t fair?” The woman was a grown adult with no real control over her own autonomy, letting her pick what they did for the next few hours was literally the least he could do. “Well will you look at that? You’re able to make decisions all by yourself, who would’ve thought?” It wasn’t meant to sound like he was making fun of her. Luc wasn’t the type to poke fun at someone that didn’t honestly deserve it. He just had a strange way of poking fun at things that didn’t particularly rub him the right way, like the whole master/slave thing, for one. It was easier to make fun of their situation than to face the gravity of it all. “Tired of you? I could listen to you talk all day, gorgeous. Lead on, I am at your mercy.”

“I think you can prepare for this, even if you read about it before”, Thalia admitted. She had not seen any advertisements or brochures from the school but knew that no A5 leaflet could ever capture the complexity of this system. His – probably rhetorical – question made her hesitate. “I don’t know… do you?” Thalia didn’t think she had much to complain about but her fellow slaves still did on an almost daily basis. “I’ve been with many Masters but I don’t think I ever understood what it would really be like to be one” A faint blush covered her cheeks as she said so, unsure if this amount of information was considered oversharing. Luc already offered her – a stranger – a meal and some refuge from the cells. The last thing he needed was to hear her waffle on about the island dynamics.

Paris noticed everything. It was something his students often joked about, until he was critiquing the details in sculpture, what was wrong with their hands, or how the tendons they were trying to highlight were a centimeter off from where they should have been on the human body, or the delicate intricacies of the wrinkles in hands. All that to say nothing went past him - even if it took him awhile to acknowledge. "What every master wants to hear," he said, somewhat flippantly before beckoning her over with his finger. "Come along now." He expected her to follow as he climbed the stairs of the basement, out to the light of day, as he headed into the nearby gardens. "So, elaborate for me - you're not like what usually?"

Thalia did not recognize the Master but the confidence with which he spoke and took her away with indicated that he was at least familiar with the system here. Perhaps in the future she would learn that he was related to other Masters she had been with in the past, such as Dmitri or Selene. His comment felt like a miniature cut – painful at first but easy to recover from. “And what would you like to hear instead?”, the red-haired slave returned the question in a sudden moment of boldness and curiosity. His harshness gave her a bit of comfort. At least she thought she would know what to expect from this type of Master. “I mean… I usually don’t complain so much, not like this. It must be all the new changes that are getting to me”, she admitted. “I am very well behaved normally”

"It's just hair," she commented with a shrug. "It'll grow back. Besides, you can always dye it a second time." Tilly's heat tilted to the side, looking at the girl's hair. "On a second though, apparently redheads have a harder time maintaining color. At least, that's what my hairstylist told me when I went red." Blondes were alright with it. The question made her feel so complimented, and she smiled. Typically she'd follow up with a little twirl or something to show off an outfit, but she didn't have much pride in her current closet. She was slowly going to build it back up, even if it killed her. Even if... oh god, even if she had to work for it. "I am," she said, proudly. "But I've always really enjoyed it. I modeled before, so I've been a dress up doll for others - I figured it was time to be the one dressing." She'd still practice on her own, using herself as the model. Tilly browsed through more clothes, keeping closer to the girl, on the other side of the rack, as they conversed. "Well, now's the time to figure out what you like," she told her, somewhat absently, but the following sentences were the ones that really caught her attention. "What do you mean, no other humans?" she asked, leaning forward so slightly. "Isn't it usually the opposite?"

“Just hair?” Thalia felt stupid for repeating the words, but couldn’t stop herself in time. Her appearance had utmost importance at home. Her family had made her believe that this was the only thing she was good at – apart from pleasing others, for which you had to be beautiful to be appealing. If she had uttered such a phrase at home, they would have locked her up for weeks. “I thought everyone cared about their hair. Girls at least” A nervous smile crept over her face. Thalia had slowly escaped the vicious circle of self-limiting beliefs but never quite stopped believing the truths within them. Maybe she could be more than simply being pretty, but did that mean that appearances weren’t important? She ran a hand through her hair. “I’d look like everyone else if my hair wasn’t so distinctly red”, she admitted quietly. The other did not seem to mind her vulnerability and Thalia was in fact glad that she still took an interest. She had never been to therapy. Talking to others was what helped her the most. “My father was an incubus and I lived with his family. So, I was the only human in the household and their guests were usually demons too”

Emmanuel didn’t think this rental was anything more severe or intense than other rentals he’d done, but then again perhaps knowing he could inflict whatever damage he wanted was making him more reckless with her. He didn’t want to damage the slave’s beautiful body, nothing too bad anyway, when she had always been so obedient for him.

In the many years that she was forced to know Emmanuel, he did not seem to have changed very much. The mind games, the taunting, even the open abuse of her body did not surprise Thalia in the slightest. She couldn’t even remember at what point she stopped trying to escape his touches. And therefore, she let the man wash and fondle her body in silence.

In the many years that she was forced to know Emmanuel, he did not seem to have changed very much. The mind games, the taunting, even the open abuse of her body did not surprise Thalia in the slightest. She couldn’t even remember at what point she stopped trying to escape his touches. And therefore, she let the man wash and fondle her body in silence.

Luc shared her chuckle when she informed him that the rowdier residents would be keeping them busy. “This place is kind of a shit-show, huh?” It was more of a question than anything. Luc was certain that what he’d seen thus far paled in comparison to some of the more “exciting” days on the island. And while he was less than eager to find out for himself, he also wasn’t keen on being blindsided. “Yeah, seems like it,” for the most part. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He did seem human, most of the time. It was probably safer for both of them if Thalia wasn’t privy to too much about the shifter. People might see them out together and assume she knows more about them than she does. Call him paranoid, but it was the right call. “Wouldn’t have offered it if I did, gorgeous.” Luc wasn’t one to do things that they didn’t want to, and really, what better use was there for his time than to try to seduce the island’s residents? If there was one, he sure as fuck couldn’t think of it. “That’s me, just your regular ol’ upstanding citizen or whatever.” For a brief moment, Luc could’ve sworn he felt worry. Not the kind he felt for himself, that sort of paranoia lived inside him all of the time. This was different, for someone other than them. Part of him wanted to tell her that he wasn’t all she thought he was cracked up to be, that even people that seemed nice could be dangerous. But just as quickly as the thought had occurred to him, he shut it down. Since when were they the kind of condescending asshole that went around telling people who they should or shouldn’t trust? Thalia was a big girl, she didn’t need him around to figure shit out for her, she could do that herself. “Luc, it’s a pleasure.” Trying to mask the sudden shift in his mood with a smile, the bear shifter grabbed his tool bag and stood up. “Well, gorgeous, the world’s yours. Sort of…. What do you want to do with your time?”

The smile barely left Thalia’s face – something she would ponder and be embarrassed about later. “Oh, I don’t have to tell you…”, she trailed off, only to find her eyes searching for his again moments after. “I always thought the Masters were more prepared for it, however. I hope it hasn’t been too much of a surprise?” Having 4 years under her belt, she had seen and participated in unthinkable acts. But like many others, she had grown to survive and thrive in this alternative society. The fact that she had never experienced ‘normal’ likely helped with the transition.

Markus had been out exploring the new cells. He was a little curious as the other half lived. These were certainly a few steps up from the dark and gloomy cells they had once been. he had to know how the slaves lived in general so he could know how to entice them more to come to him. He was inside of a cell looking at it when he heard someone launching into a bit of a tirade about being stood up by whoever it was. Curiosity getting the better of him he made his way out and around to see who it was. "oh I'm certain you did not look like a fool." Markus said looking the woman over. "I'm sure said master looked the fool to stand you up. You could be lead naked by leash through the campus and not look foolish. I'm sure the only looks would be of envy." he said simply leaning against the cell wall looking at her. "So as a foolish master forced you to waste your free hour I'll take you out."

Thalia smiled to herself, but remained unconvinced. “Nobody looks good being discarded”, she argued quietly but not without caution. Here she was presented with another conflict: To stand her point or to leave a good impression on this Master? As much as being stood up wasn’t a good luck, being strong-willed and resentful wasn’t much better. These were unladylike and very un-slave-like traits. “But I appreciate the pick-me-up”, the girl therefore added politely.

Ste closes his book and offers her a sympathetic smile, her words were understandable, especially when you didn't know who would be the one on the other side of the cells door. "Who said you should be happy?" He shakes his head, moving to stand up and rest against the frame of his cell entrance. "Nothing wrong with a ramble now and again, but isn't it better to be stood up than stuck with someone cruel?" Ste asks with a small shrug.

“I don’t know… They do?” Thalia wasn’t quite sure who they were and that already demonstrated the point the other slave was trying to make. She smiled to herself, a little embarrassed. “Or I did. I just assumed that most of us would be happy to be away from the Masters, especially the ones we don’t know. I shouldn’t make this personal”, the girl reasoned. “Sorry to burden you with this”

“No, no, you’re alright,” he attempted to reassure her. Why he even bothered, was a mystery even to him, but he wanted to. Maybe he just felt bad for her, getting stood up sucked, but getting stood up and having to return to a glorified jail cell had to take the fucking cake. “That was – totally dick-ish of me, I’m sure it feels like shit getting stood up. On behalf of whatever dumbass left you hanging, you have my sincerest apologies.” Finishing the patch job, Luc wiped the dust off his hands against the fabric of his jeans and offered it to her in kind. “Must be the magic users are all too fuckin’ smart to get suckered into doin’ this job, so I was the next best thing.”

“No, you’re fine. I was completely out of line”, Thalia assured him with only a hint of uncertainty. She meant what she said and she figured that was precisely why they ended up in this awkward series of apologies. Maybe it was on her to break this cycle that she caused with her complaining. Yet it appeared equally important to make assure him that she was not ill-mannered, or at least not as rebellious as some of the other slaves. In the end, it was him that moved the conversation along. His comment made him chuckle and appreciate him as a conversation partner. When was the last time that somebody made her laugh? “Or too busy breaking things. You’ll be busy for a long time”, she smiled. “Does that mean you are human too?”

@thaliaxmoore

Thalia let down another deep frown as she realized that nobody was listening – or cared. And that seemed to be enough. Tantrum over. It felt good to let out her frustration. Normally, she wouldn’t have been allowed to do that. And she realized too that it was fortunate that nobody took notice. This was very uncharacteristic and ungraceful of her.

Ste was kind of glad the old cells were destroyed, ever since he returned to them he hated the sight of the place. Now, everything had changed and it helped to ease some of the ache he felt now Frankie had left. He kicks his feet up and opens a book to distract himself when he hears a voice and it steals his attention. "So you got stood up?" He asks curiously.

Thalia sighed deeply and nodded. “Yes” The man summed it up pretty well. The simple fact was that she got stood up. The reasons didn’t need to concern her and similarly, her feelings about it weren’t of concern to anyone else. “I don’t know. I should be happy, right? That Master could have been incredibly mean”, the girl admitted eventually. “I guess I’m still a bit on edge with all the new changes recently. Sorry about the ramble”

Emmanuel couldn’t help his amused smile when he saw just how weak and trembling she already was. This was going to be a fun rental with her, and he had plans to make sure she would never forget it. “What was that?” he asked quickly when he heard her comment under her breath, but knew she wouldn’t have the energy nor the courage to repeat it.

Thalia simply shook her head, not wanting to pick up a fight so soon. Being with Emmanuel never failed to remind her how weak she really was. How deluded had she been to think that she stood a chance? That she was still working for him should have been enough evidence for that.  

Thalia simply shook her head, not wanting to pick up a fight so soon. Being with Emmanuel never failed to remind her how weak she really was. How deluded had she been to think that she stood a chance? That she was still working for him should have been enough evidence for that.