[Black Diamond Cosmetics] Welcome ...Home?

[Shayna]

Timestamp: 20th Fall 513 The evening sun lay against the horizon in a fat orange blob, slowly beginning to slip below the treeline. The humidity had risen making the late afternoon a little bit heavy but not too hot that it was uncomfortable. The streets of Kenash was well traveled and this night it was no exception. Slave-driven carriages carried the gentry to and fro on their errands or social visits, freeborn walked the sidewalks and beneath it all was a feeling of a rigid class system. Outside the Black Diamond Cosmetic store front a freeborn worker earning a wage walks beside a slim but short black haired slave. Her steps were even and steady, though her unique green eyes were red-rimmed. Her chin lifted, almost proudly displaying her new brand of the diamond above the triple pillars. The flesh around her eye and brand was red and angry, and even though there was evidence of tears not long dried, there was no hesitation and no sign of fresh tears. The freeborn pulls up short in front of the cosmetic shop, checking a slip of paper and the address before speaking. "Well, here we are. Your Mistress' place of business." The freeborn worker remarks, not really to the slave but more to himself. Shayna boldly steps forward toward the door, causing the freeborn a moment of startled hesitation before he jumps forward as was proper to deliver the merchandise. "Hello there, a slave purchased by a ....Mistress Katherine Morealis? Set to be delivered today?" he speaks nudging the slave forward when the door opened.

[Katherine Morealis]

“What kind of flowers are these, idiot? They’re limp.” Katherine glared at her fiery-haired servant, Iora, who was fidgeting uncomfortably under her heated gaze. She waved the flowers in question in front of Iora, a pale petal falling from one limp stem. The Inarta stammered, “Th-they’re from your garden, Mistress Katherine. I tried to pick a good one, but they’re the best I can find.” The reply caused a perfectly arched eyebrow to twitch. “Maybe you didn’t look hard enough.” was the mistress’ swift retort. Katherine knew her garden was in bad shape, but she didn’t know it was that bad. “Anyway, just get rid of them. I don’t want to see them anymore. They’re hideous.” She shoved the flowers back to her young servant (who immediately went outside to dispose of the bunch) and wiped her hands on a clean piece of cloth in distaste. Katherine stared at the empty glass vase sitting on the counter, resplendent in its hues of violet and indigo. She had bought it on the way from a friend’s place, hoping it would add some manner of elegance inside her shop. But since she didn’t have a lovely bouquet to put on display, it can just sit on the side and pretend it’s a glass sculpture. The front door opened and someone, a man, announced the delivery of her newly purchased property. Katherine looked up from the counter, watching the newcomers carefully. There standing at the front part of her shop was the slave she had bought from the Auction hall bells earlier. On the side of her face was the mark of the Morealis family. Her family. Katherine beckoned them to walk further in the shop, standing up from her chair to meet them halfway. There was a satisfied look on her features as she looked at the two. “Mistress Morealis?” The man repeated, to which Katherine replied in the affirmative. He handed her a paper which she signed to confirm that she had received her delivery. With a nod, she dismissed the man who left after being handed a few copper coins for his services. Katherine turned to look at her new slave. She didn’t waste any time getting straight to business. “Alright, you’re now working under me so you have to follow my rules if you want to be fed. First of all, you are to address me as Mistress Katherine and nothing else. Know your place, slave. Are we clear on that?” She waited for a response before she continued. “Second, you are only to work in the gardens below. You cannot show your face here in my shop, especially when there are customers around, unless I tell you to do so. You are not to touch any of my wares lest you soil them. "You are not allowed to leave the premises except when we return to Blacksugar. You’re going to stay in the slave quarters there with my family’s other slaves. I expect you to be waiting for me every morning before the seventh bell by the river. We’re going to the city that way because it’s faster. If I don’t see you there when I arrive I’m going to leave you, and punish you when I get back.” There was an edge in her tone that attested she meant every word she had said. She looked thoughtful for a moment, searching her mind for anything she might have missed. “Right. I’ll show you where you are to work.” Katherine ordered the slave to follow her through the patio door, and led her from the breezeway, down the steps, and into her garden. Well, it was a garden two seasons ago, but now it’s just patches of greenery growing everywhere. There’s going to be a lot of work before it can be restored to its former beauty. “Your work for the first few days will be to remove all the weeds and care for the remaining useful plants. I will think of what to do next when the place is all cleaned up. Any questions?” Just then, Iora walked over to her employer, a curious look evident on her face. “Oh, Mistress, who is she?” The young Inarta chirped. There was a bucket half-filled with water in her pale hands. Katherine told her it was the new slave she had bought earlier, and that she was delivered just now. “What’s her name?” She asked next. That, she didn’t know. She hadn’t bothered asking what the slave’s name was, nor tried to remember what she was called at the Auction hall. “Slave, what is your name? I don’t want to keep calling you slave forever.” Katherine placed a single hand on her hip, cold blue eyes boring into the forest green of the slave.

[Shayna]

Though her head did not move, swivel or even twitch as she moved through the door toward her Mistress, Shayna's eyes took in the room. The clean atmosphere, the quiet ambiance was stored away into her mind to peruse later when she had less pressing issues at hand. One hand carefully swiped back her hair from the side of her face with the glaringly fresh brand, seeking to keep the painful wound free of strands of her hair. Her shoulders were squared, but as the other woman begins to speak her attention turns to her one brow arching and a half smile turns up her lips. "Of course Mistress Kathrine." She responds with a half nod of the head, just a quick dip out of deference but not so much as to be too showy. However as her Mistress speaks further, the second dark brow joins the other in an almost surprised gesture at the words and the tones being spoken. Shayna was used to being ignored, to being discounted as nothing more then a slave, but she had never been treated as if she did not know her place in the world. She prided herself on the fact that she was a quick study, that she rarely had to be punished, but she also had to remember that she had not proven this to this woman just yet. But she will. So instead of speaking out, she responded "As you wish Mistress Katherine, I serve you in whatever manner you deem fit." Trying to give just enough respect in her tones, but not so much that would mark her as a mindless docile creature. As with everything Shayna does, even following her owner out the door to the gardens below was calculated. Just a step behind, not lagging but not barging ahead either. Shayna did not plan on being relegated to the fields or gardens long, and if it meant she had to dig around in the ground and make the most fantastical garden that her Mistress had ever seen, then that is what she would do. But she also intended on displaying other talents, to prove her service was wasted in the gardens. Snapping out of her own plotting in her mind as she steps out, she falters just a little bit as she viewed the expanse of the 'garden'. Garden was used loosely, as there [i[were[/i] some plants and flora amid the weeds, thorns and debris. It would take more time then she had thought. "Mistress Katherine, all you have to do is give me the plants you wish to grow, and I will ensure that your garden will grow and be plentiful. What I do not know I will tell you, to be sure. If, of course, that is agreeable to you." The last is added, even as the other woman shows up eagerly chattering. Immediately Shayna's demeanor went from servile and respectful to almost suspicious and guarded. Her green eyes move from Katherine to Lora, sizing up the other girl almost as a fighter sizes up an opponent. Only to be jerked back toward the other lady, her gaze raising to meet her Mistress' eyes fully. "My name until the day you purchased me is Shayna, Mistress Katherine. If you should so desire you of course could change it, and I will be called whatever will be easier for you." Again her eyes cut toward Lora, not quite challenging her but definitely did not show any sign or warmth. "if I might ask Mistress Katherine, when we return to your Manor will I have duties there as well?"

[Katherine Morealis]

Katherine waved her hands nonchalantly. “No, Shayna is fine.” It’d be a bother to think up of a fancy name just for a slave, Katherine added in thought. So far, this Shayna seemed passable. She was respectful, as a slave should be, and she didn’t seem to be a total dimwit, as most slaves turn out to be. However, it was still too early to determine if her first impression of the slave turns out to be correct, so she will have to reserve further judgments for now. At Shayna’s inquiry, her mistress’ head inclined to the side, arms crossed in front of her chest. “Hmm… I suppose so.” Katherine never liked lending her possessions to other people, but if the family demands it she wouldn’t have any choice but to comply. “When we are short on capable hands during a large harvest, you might be sent out to the fields to help. You will probably be asked to help at the gardens of Blacksugar if you prove to be a skilled gardener.” She turned her nose upwards, giving the impression she was looking down on the puny slave. Well technically, she is looking down at her. Shayna just had to be that short. “Would that be all?” While she was laying down the rules to Shayna, something interesting had caught her attention. The way her new slave kept glancing at Iora screamed of so many unspoken, flavorful words for the young Inarta. Competition between slaves are just as common as rivalries between the dynasties of Kenash and within its individual families. But to think that a mere slave seemed to think of contesting a freeborn, a class multiple tiers above her, was highly amusing to Katherine. She knew Iora was not one to contend against other people, but if her beloved mistress’ attention was on stake… A devilish smirk spread across Katherine’s features. Perhaps the two can make a good show out of this. She moved to return to the shop but, pretending that she had suddenly remembered something important, turned once more to the two young women. “By the way, Shayna…” There was a beautiful smile on her painted lips, and her tone was sweet and taunting. “In moments when I am not around, you will defer to our lovely Iora here. She may be young but she has a good head on her pretty shoulders.” Most of the time, anyway. “She is a freeborn who has been working for me for more than a season now, so she has a good grasp of the ins and outs of the business. Treat her well and respect her, for she is above you. That is all.” And this time, she finally went back to the shop and closed the patio door behind her, not really trying to stifle a cackle from the reactions she had elicited out of the two. Iora, who was motionless (and mouth agape) after her beloved mistress had praised her in front of the newcomer, finally managed to catch her breath. A toothy grin was on her face as she tried to process what she had just heard. Her mistress trusts her! A warm feeling was spreading inside her chest as she tried to introduce herself to her fellow employee. “Hello! Mistress Katherine had already told you my name but I still want to introduce myself personally. My name’s Iora, I’m so happy to have another person here at the shop, Shayna. Let’s both try our best for our mistress!” She extended slender hands towards her, too happy to notice her effect on the other woman.

[Shayna]

The moment Mistress Katherine words spoke on the overly excited girl, Shayna realized her mistake and a mask of solemn studiousness settled across her features. Carefully composed she smiles a very soft smile upward toward her new Mistress, with a look that was suppose to inspire thoughts of loyalty and servitude as she speaks clearly toward her owner not looking back toward Lora. "Of course Mistress Katherine," her tones were laced with honeyed sweetness. "I would never presume otherwise." Black hair falls forward, over one shoulder as she bent her neck gently, in a respectful slight bow toward her Mistress and then watched in stoic silence until the door was firmly shut behind the Morealis woman. It was not until Shayna heard the click that she turned toward the other woman. Shayna knew that Lora was freeborn, the brand spoke for itself, but Shayna was observant of people, always had been and one thing about Lora that screamed volumes was weakness and prey. From the way she seemed so eager to please, and not for any reason other then wanting to make her employer happy. It seemed to Shayna, in this instance at least, that Lora would be happy in her lot in life to remain in the same station working her tail off and as long as Mistress Katherine smiled at her occasionally she would consider it well paid. That, for some reason not quite known to Shayna, annoyed her. Perhaps it was an unconscious envy of freeborn status, Shayna did not even think on why, but the fact that she did not like this girl was something she accepted. However, her Mistress gave her a direct command, and she was correct on social station in life. Should Lora bring up grievances against Shayna then more like as not Shayna would be punished accordingly. Finally, deciding on a course of action in her mind, Shayna smiles a super sweet, almost syrupy smile. When she speaks, her tones are laced with over the top servile attitude, just bordering on mocking. "Good morning Ms. Lora.Please do not be offended if I do not shake your hand. It is not fitting for such a person as me, to touch such a.. person as you." Her sickly sweet smile turned into a harder one, but she dips her head prettily. "Indeed, I have my work cut out for me if I am to make this mess productive. Someone obviously had no clue as to what they were doing." This last slight jab was again, just conjecture on Shayna's part, but she didn't think Katherine Morealis would have actually gardened, so it was likely that the neglect was on Lora's watch. If so, then the jab was out there, if not ...well then no harm done. Turning her back to the other woman, this taking every ounce of control to turn her back on what she perceived as a rival, Shayna settled on the ground, sitting on her knees. Her fingers deftly begin snatching the smaller weeds, then working on the larger weeds, clearing the very first plot of soil for a good plant.

[Katherine Morealis]

Iora was very happy that she could work with someone other than her mistress. Often Lady Katherine would shoo her away when she is busy working in her laboratory, and at times like those the Inarta felt lonely. There was no one to talk to, and she can’t leave the shop without the express consent of her benevolent employer. However, there was something about the new girl that kept her on edge. She looked amiable on the outside, but she really didn’t seem to be too… friendly. There was hard-eyed look in her, even bordering on hostile. Iora thought she didn’t like her, she was just too scary. Why did Mistress Katherine have to pick her out of the hundreds in the Auction Hall? Katherine, on the other hand, found herself seated comfortably in a chair behind the counter. There was a quill in one of her hands, and her philtering journal resting under the other. On the top of the journal’s page, the word ‘Garden’ was written in clean script. What do I plant? I need plants -flowers- which look great for people to see, and plants -probably herbs- which I can use for the products, Katherine mused, eyes glued to the glass vase she had bought earlier. She noted its smooth curves, and she could tell the craftsmanship was really good. But. She really need to place something in that vase, for the vase’s sake. It looked ridiculous all on its own. Shaking her head out of her reverie, Kat flipped through the earlier entries in her journal, peering at her notes closely. Lavender, she thought. I need some lavender since I use them a lot. She read the footnote from an entry she had written back when she was first trying to extract the oil from its flowering tops. “Refreshing aroma, water-like in consistency, and clear in color. Hmm, let’s see…” She ran a finger against her handwriting, skimming the page absently. “It has relaxing properties, good for skin problems such as acnes and common burns, etcetera etcetera. Ah, it does wonders to insect bites and some very minor wounds, too. Alright then, let’s add this to the list.” She flipped back to the ‘Garden’ page and started writing the words ‘Lavender’ in careful strokes. She was writing why she wanted it in the garden when the east door opened and iora quietly entered the shop. Katherine looked up from the journal, lips pulled down in a frown. “What did I say about knocking?” “Sorry, mistress.” Iora made a quick dip of her head, and looked apologetically at Katherine. As if she did not hear the apology, Katherine proceeded to ask, “What do you think of Shayna?” Her voice was nonchalant, almost sounding bored. “I, um, Shayna is okay, I suppose…” The fiery-haired girl muttered. “Can’t you, err… send her back and choose another slave to work in the gardens? Someone who’s nicer?” It was tentative question, but Iora knew she had to get it out, somehow. Katherine leaned her head on her knuckles, of which her elbows was resting on the counter. “You have such a worried look in your face Iora. Why, are you scared of her? A mere slave?” “N-no! Why would I be scared, Mistress Katherine? I’m branded a freeborn.” But the sound of her voice said otherwise. “Branded a freeborn? Nonsense.” Katherine chuckled, her tone filled with taunting mockery. “A brand is just that. A brand. Easily erased and equally easy to replace. You’re a free woman now, but in a matter of bells you might just find yourself bound in shackles. That’s how things work in Kenash, darling.” Katherine placed the quill on top of her journal, stood up, and walked over to her bewildered servant. “You have to work hard to stay where you are. Shayna, she’s a slave, but there’s this fire in her eyes. She doesn’t like being at the bottom. She has ambition. And she wants to bring you down so she can rise above you, and she just might be able to.” Her last words were uttered in just above a whisper, as if it was a secret known only to her and her naive Inarta. Iora’s eyes widened in horror at her mistress’ words, and she was unable to think of what to say. She knew the new girl didn’t seem to like her, but did she dislike her enough to do that? But if her mistress said so, it must be true. “I… but that-” Katherine ran her fingers through Iora’s hair and down to her cheeks. She patted them reassuringly. “Hush, sweet child. Things may run like that here, but you have a leverage over her. You’re a freeborn, and she’s not. You have a pretty face, and she doesn’t. You are above her in these things, but you have to prove that you’re more useful to me than her. Prove to me that I made the right choice in keeping your freeborn status in this city.” She patted the girl’s head with deliberate gentleness, and Iora nodded eagerly. When the girl ran back to the garden, the smile on Katherine’s face faded. That girl may be smart, but she’s still too naive for the lot here, she thought. Back at the garden, Iora chose a spot away from Shayna. She dropped to the ground and wordlessly began picking at the weeds with a pair of clumsy hands. She’s not going to lose to her, especially after what her mistress had said. She absolutely won’t. OOCfeel free to use iora in your next post!

[Shayna]

Shayna didn't show any outward acknowledgement that Lora had left the gardens, but she noted in her mind the step of the other girl and the struggle the girl had on her face. Shrugging she returned to her work, her fingers slipping beneath the blades of any salvageable plant to pull at the roots of the weeds. It was not her responsibility to coddle people, and it did not bother her in the least to hurt another person's feelings. If it meant she would have a better lot in life, then so be it. No one was there to look out for Shayna, except Shayna herself. If that twit Lora didn't figure that out yet herself, then that is Lora's problem.

When the other girl comes back out, and goes off by herself, Shayna cuts her eyes over to her watching her even as she continues to rip at the weeds, and at the same time turn up the soil for future planting. She was freeborn marked, this is true, but the girl did not hold herself as a freeborn. She had too many qualities of a pampered house servant, and in Shayna's opinion few of the brains. And while Shayna did not care much for affection from her new Mistress, she did care about status, and power, well power for a slave. And she knew that she would not get that without doing something about the twit.

A gleam in Shayna's eye, and a rare real smile spreads her lips, and she stands moving over to stand over the girl who was trying to weed. Clearing her throat just slightly, she put on a less syrupy tone but still a somewhat pleasant one, "Forgive me if we got off on the wrong foot." Smiling, though the hard glint in her green eyes was still there, "Here, if your going to be doing this let me show you how to do it." She paused just for of minute, then added a differential "If that is pleasing to you." One brow raises, and she leans forward clearly at least outwardly, attempting to mend fences. She plucks the smaller weeds, then moved to the larger weed. "The smaller ones are so much easier to get out, and they soften the soil to get the larger ones out." Smiling again, Shayna moves back to her own original row she had been working. If Lora was observant she might note that Shayna was, herself, working the largest ones out first, then carefully extracting the smaller ones. This would save the integrity of any root systems of plants that are suppose to be in the garden. Doing so the way Shayna had shown Lora was likely -though not certainly- damage any roots from near by plants.

ℬ

[Katherine Morealis]

Weeds were haphazardly uprooted by small, pale fingers, accompanied by frustrated groans from an occupied Inarta. Iora had followed Shayna’s suggestion, and things seem to be going well. She seemed less scary than she was earlier. But her mistress warned her about the slave. She was much conflicted on what to feel at that point. Katherine walked out into the breezeway, journal in hand, and wordlessly staring at the spots where she would place the plants she was planning to buy. Aloe, lavender, and geranium, to name a few. She was poring over her written list when a high-pitched yelp broke her concentration. Katherine peered at the gardens below and saw her servant bent over the ground. “Can’t you keep it down? I’m not paying you to whine, now am I?” Katherine raised her voice irritably, but not quite shouting. Proper ladies do not shout. “B-but mistress! Other plants are coming off with the weeds I’m pulling, especially when I’m pulling them hard. Most of it break and leave the roots still buried in the ground. At this rate, they’re going to grow all over the place again.” “Well it’s not my fault that you’re an idiot, is it?” Katherine snapped. “If it’s breaking like that, the soil is probably too hard. Pour water on it to soften the ground. Seriously, use your common sense.” Iora hastened to carry out the order as her employer, leaving the journal on the counter back at the shop, went down the steps and into the garden. While waiting for the Inarta to finish watering the soil, she eyed Shayna and her progress. Before she was able to throw a snide remark, a smiling Inarta drew her attention away from the slave. “It’s easier to weed now. Mistress Katherine, you’re really smart! It didn’t even cross my mind to do that.” Katherine’s eyes narrowed at the comment. “You would have thought of it if you were using your brain. At least Shayna knew better not to damage the useful plants' roots.” Despite herself, Katherine’s expression turned pleasant when her eyes turned to the wet soil. “Ah, let me see…” Katherine bent down to the ground, careful not to let the ends of her skirt touch the dirt, ignoring the surprised looks of her employees. She might have hated doing it before, but weeding is actually quite satisfying, especially pulling the weeds out with the roots. You see, it’s a lot like pulling someone’s head off with the spine intact. Katherine inched to one of the larger weeds within reach and grabbed it at the visible part just above the soil. She pulled it carefully, twisting the body meticulously until the it came off the ground. Hah, I’ve just pulled Dimitri’s head off! And the spine’s still attached to the head, too. Katherine smirked, moving to a smaller weed beside it. And this one’s Rowan, always overshadowed by the better sibling, her thoughts echoed as she pulled the offending weed like she did to “Dimitri”. As she did so, a triumphant grin spreads across her face. Ahhh… who knew pulling weeds was this therapeutic? When Katherine lifted her eyes from her work, she noticed Iora gawking at her delighted expression curiously. “What? I depend on an herbal garden for my products, so of course I know how to weed.” Kat glared at her, and then at Shayna, abruptly standing up from her crouched position. “I’m done here.” She huffed as she tried to shake the dirt off her hands. “I remember seeing poison ivies before and I won’t risk touching one barehanded.” Whether there really were such poisonous flora in her garden, she was not sure. It’s been a really long time since she tended to them herself. “I will be buying gardening tools when there’s time in the near future. Until then, continue with your work Shayna. As for you, Iora,” Katherine turned to the redhead, gesturing for her to come, “Bring my chair down here and close the shop. Get me a clean piece of cloth as well.” The girl nodded eagerly, glad to have been removed from the more strenuous task of weeding. While Iora was away, Katherine used the moment to mess the slave up. “So, what do you think of your new place of work?” She smiled, but there was not a hint of warmth in her icy blue eyes. In an innocent voice, she continued, “I assume you're one of those born and raised to be a slave of the fields? After all, they didn't put much effort in grooming you for the auction early this afternoon.”

[Shayna]

Her back hunched, but again deliberately hunched into her work, to show the graceful spine but also to hide her expression. She does not let her Mistress' entrance distract her, instead she continues to work as if she was not paying attention at all to anything around her but the pesky weeds. However inattentive is not what Shayna is, instead she was watching from the corners of her eyes, careful not to tilt her head any further.

A quiet smile lifts the corner of her mouth as she hears the other twit of a servant complain to her Mistress of the difficulties. Really, the red head needed a severe lesson in how to please one's owner. Whining about how hard something was, this was high on the list of what Shayna thought of as "especially nots" when listing what not to do. If one wanted to be useful, to be valued one had to show that one could do anything asked, no matter the distastefulness of the job.

Even as Katherine bent down to weed, Shayna does not stop her work, though her mind stored the information in its depths for later pondering. The state of the garden proved to Shayna earlier that her Mistress did not spend much time here, but the almost savage enjoyment of the weed spoke of something else. What, Shayna was not sure yet, it was something to think on.

It was only when the Mistress addressed her personally that Shayna sits back on her heels. Her eyes raise, but not too much not enough to meet her Mistress' blue ones, no it would not do to look as if she was challenging her. Yet it was also not going to do if Shayna played the part of a empty-minded twit. Obviously Mistress Katherine was not completely pleased with the one she already had.

The words about her appearance rolls across Shayna with little more then a tiny jab. She understood that she had been hoped to be a beauty like the woman that had given birth to her, unfortunately she took more after her father. While not blocky, definitely not dainty, unfortunately she did get two things from her mother, the very short stature and the odd green eyes. But Shayna does as Shayna always does in her life, makes the limitations work for her. Because she is not classically beautiful it is unlikely that she would be put to use as a pleasure slave, which is a huge plus for Shayna, and women like her Mistress would be threatened if they felt the slaves had any kind of beauty at all.

"The gardens are rough Mistress Katherine, they have been neglected. However, I do enjoy the work so it won't be long before they are back in shape. If ..." She pauses as if she was conflicted about saying something when in all actuality she had already planned what she was going to say. "If Iora would leave well enough alone. It is clear that she is not...adept at this." Her head tilts again, and her dark tail of hair falls over one shoulder, the shoulder that lifted in a little shrug. "I was bred to be a slave Mistress Katherine. I serve you in any capacity you wish. Field, garden, or house."

ℬ

[Katherine Morealis]

Katherine chuckled. The slave had a quick wit about her. It showed in the way the slave evaded the insult meant to put her out. She knew Shayna would prove useful if trained well, and Kat found herself wanting to do just that. She’s definitely different from the mindless cattle meant to work at the fields. It’s too bad she did not have half the classic beauty of her Inarta pet. Shayna would have made a formidable weapon in her hands. “Of course, Iora wouldn’t know very much about plants.” The words rolled off her lips in a casual tone. “She’s not meant to spend her days in the garden, after all.” Katherine stared at her perfectly manicured fingernails as she spoke. “I hired her because she’s such a lovely little dear. She’s such a pleasant girl, and people easily like her. It’s amazing where beauty alone can bring you. Don’t you think so, too?” Ah. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, causing the corner of her lips to quirk up. I’m a beauty specialist. I could actually use Shayna to prove my ability to make those with the plainest of faces, beautiful. “If given the chance, would you like to become beautiful, Shayna?” She blinked at the slave curiously, a playful gleam showing in her eyes. “This afternoon, back at the auction hall, your handler said your ma was a very lovely woman, right? With some work, I can make you as pretty as her, lovelier even.” After a small pause and a shrug, she added, “Well, probably. In painting, you need a good canvas to draw a good picture. It’s the same with make up. You can only improve on what you already have. In your case, there’s only so much I can work with.” She sighed, shaking her head in mock disappointment. “But enough about that. Since you’re going to work directly under me, I’d like to get to know you more.” Not really. But Katherine didn’t feel like watering the herbs herself for the day, so when Iora came back with the clean cloth and the chair, she sent the girl to do the task instead. Wiping her hands thoroughly with the cloth, she continued with a smirk, “What do you expect now that you are Katherine Morealis’ private property? I want an honest answer, just like how I want a straightforward slave.” She sat on the chair, crossing her long. stockinged legs in front of her.