[THE CAGED BIRD] i can see through souls where people cannot hide their fear

[deaths_head]

"...believe this is more than fair to compensate you for the, uh, matter at hand."

The Shade sat back in his chair, regarding the demon across from him with a stern, impassive expression as he took in Moyset's offering. She was a tiny slip of a thing, quiet and diminutive--obedient.

He wasn't sure how felt about that.

With a sigh, the Shade folded his arms and looked around the tavern. The city of Gehenna in Purgatory played host to a myriad of drinking establishments and other dens of inequity, but The Red Hart was one of the nicer ones--low light, good booze, and neutral ground. No realm held sway there--it even fluctuated between realities, existing both in the land of the living and Purgatory at the same time.

The Shade's business of the day was held in the back room, facing the demon that had taken a soul the Shade had already marked as his own. Rather than getting a decent payday from Satan, Moyset ended up with a debt to the Shade...and had just plain pissed him off in the interim.

Moyset claimed that he had an offering of restitution for the soul he'd stolen, but all he'd brought was a half broken succubus from the looks of it. She was lovely, sure, but there didn't appear to be any spirit to her so far...

"I'll be the judge of that, Moyset." the Shade rumbled, sliding his chair back and standing. Walking around to where the girl stood behind her master, the Shade towered over her. Here, in the back room, hidden from view, he didn't bother with his human guise: over seven feet tall, his hat and coat sat on the back of his chair. Snug leather trousers and a black tank put on display body that was trim, but solidly muscled, adorned heavily with tattoos that glowed with a pale grey light with a purple cast.

Glowering down at her, he just stood a moment before speaking.

"Look at me, child." he instructed, low and gruff. "Look at me, and tell me truthfully your opinion of your current master. Speak freely--you'll not be punished."

He paused, glancing at Moyset over his shoulder.

"And if you are, I'll dine on his eyes."

Comments

[nymphoingenue]

The succubus in question had kept silent, her eyes on the floor so as not to annoy her master. Moyset tended to be rough with his slaves and she had learned firsthand that fighting his orders was an invitation for pain.

She knew from the conversation that he was trading her, and that this other being scared him. That had to mean she was in even more trouble than before, she thought, until he gave her an order. It was counterintuitive after Moyset's dominion, but the succubus lifted her head and looked up into the Shade's eyes, taking a few breaths to steady herself and glancing from him to her master.

"Yes sir. He --" She had to look into the Shade's eyes to speak, "He pushes me too far. He laughs when I cry. He doesn't care about me." She purses her lips, wondering if the truth will hurt her even as she speaks it. "I don't like serving him." She hates him, it's clear to see in her eyes.

[deaths_head]

The Shade took her in, nodding slowly when she finished speaking. Damaged, but not broken--this, he could work with.

"This slave will do as downpayment." he declared, reaching up to catch her chin, firm but gentle, and tip her head back so he could remove Moyset's collar. "You still owe me for the soul."

"I beg your pardon?"

Making quick work of the collar, the Shade spun to face Moyset and lifted him out of his chair by the scruff of his neck.

"You bring me a damaged slave and expect me to be satisfied?" he snarled in the demon's ear. "For the human soul you took from me, this is hardly sufficient. I gave you a chance to satisfy the debt on your own, son...now, you're gonna bring me the head of one of Satan's attending or I'm gonna feed you to my lieutenant. That's the bargain now."

Dropping Moyset, the Shade dismissed him by moving to grab his hat and coat, circling back to where his new slave stood.

"I'll have your name, little one." he instructed as he slid his coat back on. "You're mine now, I gotta know what to call you."

[nymphoingenue]

This new being seemed to have no argument with her, and for a moment the succubus felt comforted as he allowed her close to him. Then he tilted her chin up and she felt his fingers brush against her throat, undoing her master's collar. For a moment her spirits rose, knowing that she might soon be away from the demon who had pushed her so far down --

Damaged slave.

She heard the description, and tried to will the blush away from her face with little success. She supposed she should have been considered nothing more than that, but if her new master saw her that way he might be no better than the old one.

"Yes sir," she replied, because she'd been prompted to. "My name is Sparrow, but you can call me whatever you'd like."

[deaths_head]

The Shade sniffed, straightening his jacket and donning his hat. Laying a hand on Sparrow's shoulder, his eyes flared white, glowing with power--

--and they were engulfed in a cloud of black mist, one that vanished as fast as it appeared, leaving them in the middle of a dusty little path in the middle of a bleak, pale landscape barely scattered with dry clumps of grass and plants resembling washed out joshua trees.

"In front of others, you'll address me as 'Lord Reaper,' my title." he instructed. "In private, 'sir' will do--'less I done pissed you off, then you call me whatever you like, I reckon." He paused, then beckoned her to walk alongside him as he started hiking down the path. In the distance, a signpost could be seen, and a small town beyond it.

"First things first: what I demand from a slave is far greater than simple obedience. I will punish you for glad handing, brown nosing, or otherwise tellin' me what you think I wanna hear. Be honest, be respectful, and you can say what you like. I may get harsh, but I ain't gonna raise a hand to you s' long as you abide by them two rules, that understood?"

[nymphoingenue]

She didn't move or respond when the Shade laid a hand on her shoulder for the first time, but when the black mist enveloped them Sparrow looked around and then to him, briefly, with curiosity. The landscape into which he transported them was strange and oddly colorless in her eyes, but the little succubus showed no outward reaction to it.

Listening closely to every word her new master says, she nodded at him with a frown on her face. Calling him by the name he demanded was no problem, but after taking Moyset's punishments for both real and imagined infractions Sparrow didn't understand what he meant.

"Yes, Lord Reaper," she begins, and follows that with a deep, bracing breath. "I'll serve you as best I can, but I don't understand." She bit her lip as she looked at him, then averted her eyes back to the ground. "You want me to tell you when I think you're wrong? Is that correct, sir?"

[deaths_head]

"Eyes up, little bird." the Shade instructed as they walked. "Head held high when you speak to me...as I said, I"m gonna ask you for harder things than simple obedience. Any idiot can jump when I say 'frog,' that's not what I want from you." He paused, then shrugged. "Well, that ain't all I want from you."

He glanced at the girl, paying closer attention to her as she walked--then snapped his fingers. Briefly, the same black mist coalesced around her body for a split second, then vanished. In its wake, a long, fitted black coat was now wrapped around her, covering the barely there little thing she had on.

"You dress for comfort from now on." he instructed. "You'll dress to please me later, after I've fixed you up to suit my needs."

When they reached the signpost, a man sat at its base. He was dressed in Western attire, complete with a hat over his face to hide his eyes as he seemingly slept. The Shade hitched up his sleeve and extended his arm, displaying one of his tattoos to the man. The man lifted his hat--and only then did his head become visible...or lack, thereof: in place of a head, a mass of shadow writhed, two glowing red fireflies darting to and fro as a chilling, rattling hiss escaped it before it set its hat back down over its 'face.'

Taking Sparrow's hand, the Shade led her past the guardian of the signpost and on towards the little town just up ahead.

"I'm guessin' your master didn't tell you much 'bout who I am, did he?"

[nymphoingenue]

When bid to do so Sparrow lifted her gaze without fully making eye contact, afraid to look directly at the Shade despite the order to. They hadn't even been alone for five minutes and it was the third time he'd pushed her to do something that made her anticipate punishment. Even with all her obedience, following his rules wasn't going to be easy for her. This man was clearly strange.

That was proven further by the gift (was it a gift?) of the coat. For a moment Sparrow was relieved, grateful for the warmth, before a new worry occurred to her. Was he uninterested in her body? It was all she had to offer, hence the hardly-there garment she'd been dressed in. What did he want from her if not her obedience and her body? Why did he want a "damaged slave" anyway?

The "man" at the signpost, her new master's glowing tattoo that let them pass, did nothing to alleviate her worry. He clearly was powerful and this was his domain, one that required markings to move through. She'd struggled enough to get along with her old master, and this one was clearly much more powerful. Would she even survive if she couldn't make him happy?

She shook her head, trying to look at him when she spoke. "He didn't tell me much about anything."

[deaths_head]

"'Course not...why ain't I remotely surprised?" the Shade sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, then lemme enlighten you: if you've heard a damn thing outta Hell, you've heard of me. I'm the Shade, Lord of the Vale and Reaper of the Wayward. I don't just rule here in Limbo, I'm one of the few men in Creation that's gotten the better of Satan 'n got away with it. Angels and demons alike walk these streets, and they do so as equals alongside the human souls I claim."

As they drew nearer to town, approaching the start of the small city's main thoroughfare, people began to recognize the Shade, stopping to wave or bow their heads respectfully as they passed. The Shade nodded and waved to each of them in turn while he spoke to Sparrow.

"And I've never kept a slave before--had a couple, now 'n again for a night, but never longer. I'll keep you, little bird, make no mistake: you're gonna be useful to me. But any idiot can do as their told, and any bigger idiot can win obedience with enough fear."

He finally stopped walking, turning to face her full on with his hands planted on his hips as he looked her dead in the eye.

"You'll learn to obey me in time, but that'll be a byproduct of what I plan to get from you," he drawled, voice dropping to a growl as he reached out to trail the backs of his fingers over her cheek, "and that's the complete, unconditional, willing surrender of your soul."

[nymphoingenue]

Every word the Shade said weighed down Sparrow's already-diminished spirit even more. The Lord of the Vale. Limbo. At least she knew with absolute certainty that if she couldn't make him happy she was truly fucked.

Some of the fear must have shown on her face, because he stopped to drive in the last point. This time she did meet his eyes, although she flinched when he raised his hand to brush her cheek, bracing for a strike that never came.

"But you already own me," she said when she found her voice. "That has to include my soul, if I have one. I don't understand."

[deaths_head]

"I may be your master, little bird, but I don't own you yet." he replied, hand drifting to smooth over her hair, petting her before he beckoned her to follow when he started walking again. "You're damaged goods, Sparrow. Lookit yourself: that heavy handed sumbitch has you jumpin' at shadows. I frighten off lovers regularly, that's why a slave will be useful. No, little bird--if you're gonna be of any use to me? I need you strong. Before I train you to truly serve me, I gotta train the fear outta you first. Once you feel easy 'nough to sass me regular, we can get to work."

When they reached the end of the road, the Shade led Sparrow up to the largest house and ushered her inside. When the door was locked behind him, he led her upstairs and into the bedroom, but stopped her in the center of the room.

"Now here's where we start." he explained. "You need to understand what I want in a slave, so today we'll...well, let's call it a demonstration. You start by doin' what I say: stand there. Don't you move. You can touch me, but only if I touch you. Understood?"

[nymphoingenue]

That wasn't at all what Moyset had said. To hear him talk she didn't have any claim over herself anymore and he had complete control. It didn't surprise Sparrow to learn that he hadn't told her the whole truth. The Shade's distaste didn't seem focused on her, at least. She stayed still while he petted her, feeling rather like a lost puppy.

"Why do you need me strong?" she asked as they made their way toward the house. "If my m-- if he said I was, he was lying. I was the weakest he had." She didn't know how long she'd stayed with Moyset, but it hadn't been long enough to learn or refine any skills but the sexual. And she was a succubus, so that didn't make her anything special.

When they get to the bedroom, things felt more manageable. She understood sex, she understood taking orders, and had been reaching to peel off her coat when the Shade ordered her not to move. "I understand, sir."

[deaths_head]

The Shade didn't answer her question, only watched as she fell into the familiar. He hands dropped, and she merely stood, waiting for what was to come.

She had no idea what she was in for...this was his favorite part.

He circled her with slow, measured steps, taking her in without touching her. She was pretty, easy on the eyes, but he had to admit, grudgingly, that she was cute as hell. He liked the purple hair, that uncertain little pout she had...

Stepping behind her, the Shade ran his hands over her shoulders, making no move to undress her yet.

"Funny thing: purple's my favorite color." he murmured, running a hand over her hair again. He did that for a few moments: stroking her hair, running his hands up and down her arms, once or twice sliding low enough to span her waist with his hands before moving back up again. He did this all without removing her coat, all standing behind her where she couldn't see him, couldn't anticipate his movements. When she relaxed a little, he tugged her gently back to rest back against his chest, but went no further.

She had a nice, lean body, pleasant to run hands over--but mostly, he was fair good at this part. In life, he'd had a good touch for horses, and at the moment she was no different than any skittish mare unwilling to be put in tack. A little patience, a little gentle petting, and he'd slip the bit into her mouth soon enough.

[nymphoingenue]

Sparrow certainly didn't know. At first she'd expected that he wanted to watch her strip, but that order never came; he just studied her before standing behind her and complimenting her hair.

"I'm glad you like it, sir." The Shade had told her to dress for comfort now, and she wondered if he would appreciate it if she wore the color purple more often. Pleasing her master usually meant things were easier for her. This one didn't appear to have any anger for her yet, though.

She closed her eyes as the Shade stroked her hair, trying to remember the last time someone had touched her so gently. This wasn't even foreplay, this was just petting. It was as if she was some nervous animal he had just taken home, which was more or less accurate.

Was that all he wanted for now? Sparrow's tense stance softened as he stroked her shoulders and her sides, shivering a little as his large hands encircled her waist. He tugged her back against him and she leaned back, letting her head rest on his chest as she breathed in. If he wanted a pet, fine; she could get used to this.

[deaths_head]

The little shiver was encouraging, as was the way she leaned back into him. There was a deliberate way she had in how she rested her head against his body and drew a deep breath, but he'd get to that.

All in due time.

"Tell me something, Sparrow," he murmured, the low sound vibrating against her as it rumbled low in his chest, "and I want absolute honesty: what's your favorite part of sex? Your weakness, your favorite act? What could I do with this beautiful body of yours that'd make you come so hard you faint?"

He let a hand come to rest on her shoulder, holding her steady as he moved back just enough to bend over so he could brush his nose over the delicate curve of her ear with a gravelly sigh, cool air from his lungs feathering across her skin.

"Because I'm gonna do that to you right now. Would you like that? Answer honestly."