The Talk, a follow up to Family Politics and Izzy
A third piece set in the past of my as of yet unnamed colony setting. Part one was Family Politics and part two was Izzy. Eek, looking back at those I think my writing has improved since then, even if only a little.
Hurray for lunchwriting breaks.
Title: The Talk
Content note: Slavery, and a young slaver owner getting the sudden realization that his younger servant is in need of, "The Talk," that parents dread needing to give their kids. No actual sex.
The Talk
Izzy bowed to the lady of the house after he was shown to his master's new room, offering a soft, "Thank you ma'am." Waiting until she left to tug at his new uniform shirt. The staff who had swarmed him after the Chairman said to take him to be cleaned up, had taken one look at his old uniform and near as he could tell thrown it out while he was getting washed up. He had to admit the new uniform looked good on him but surely no one wanted them to be this starched.
Looking about the room Izzy decided it must have been intended as a guest suite. Every item seemed picked to be bland and inoffensive. No family photos, just a few paintings and a window that looked out on the mountains. Whoever was in charge of overseeing the cleaning did well enough. However much he checked he couldn't find any dust, nothing forgotten under the bed, not even a stray scrap of paper in any of the trash cans. In the end all he could find to do was arrange the toiletries in the bath to Master's preference and remake the bed to his own standards. This soon left him with nothing left to do and no permission yet to leave the room.
Okay, no more work to do. Only leaves two of Ma's rules. Don't be seen if you don't have any work and if you have to be seen, be seen behaving properly. He looked around the room again at that thought. With no more housework miraculously appearing he knelt by the room's desk to wait. Watching the door for nearly a minute before giving in and tugging on a shirt sleeve again. "First thing to do is find out how soon I can do laundry. If I let anyone starch Master's clothes like this I'll deserve a tanning."
Izzy sighed quietly. He'd heard some of the family talk about getting manicures and makeovers and wondered in the past what it was like to be the one getting all the attention. But if it was anything like the cleaning he got then they were welcome to keep it for themselves. Stripped, marched into a shower and all but hosed down. Then wrapped in towels and put in a chair while someone took a trimmer to his hair then sprayed it down so much he didn't think it would move if he walked out in a storm. As far as he was concerned the only good part was when someone spotted the callus that had just started to bother his left heel and put some cream on it that made it better in minutes. Have to find out what that is and keep some in case Master needs it.
They had spent so long fussing over him he was sure he would arrive to find Master already waiting. That would not have been acceptable. Well, he could admit the room was kept well, but it just wouldn't have been proper. Any new place he needed to arrive before Master or with Master. Maybe they had him out for a meal. Nothing to do now but keep watching the door.
* * *
Jayce would not have believed this morning that he would want to sleep again so soon. But while the talk between the chairman, his cousin and himself only took about an hour his great-aunt had insisted on fussing over him at least twice as long. As soon as he came through the door he was lead straight to a table and plied with food while she talked about what happened, talked about his studies, talked about what he ought to be eating. He wasn't certain but he thought she might have had arranged a date for him in with everything else she talked about..
Finally getting some time to himself he entered his new room finding Izzy leaning on a desk leg, half asleep. It looked like the boy got as much attention as he had. New uniform, new shoes, and someone had taken the time to clean and polish his collar so it nearly matched his hair again. He almost laughed seeing some poor fool had even tried to brush his hair straight, all the hairspray merely holding the curls in place.
"Hey kid, looks like you still clean up well." Jayce frowned at a sudden thought. "Nobody did anything improper with you, right?"
Izzy blinked, still trying to wake. "Oh. It was a little scary, but I behaved Master."
"Good." Jayce reached down to rub Izzy's hair only to find just how much the hairspray had been overused. The boy's worried face getting his attention. "Something wrong?"
"Master didn't really think I might misbehave?"
"No, you're a good boy. I just wanted to make sure the people you were sent off with didn't do anything they shouldn't."
"Oh."
Just from his voice Jayce could tell Izzy still didn't understand. "They didn't do anything but get you cleaned up, right?" It should have been an easy question. A quick no from Izzy, no more worry, and finally sleep.
"Um... Guess hair counted as cleaning. Oh, there was some stuff they put on my feet that got rid of all the calluses."
Jayce let himself fall back on the bed and groaned. "Yes, those both count as cleaning. I meant..." He stopped. Did Izzy have any idea what he was talking about? He wasn't about to give the Izzy the old bees and flowers talk. Maybe a video... Ugh, I'd have to give up on a nap. Hasn't he ever... If I know about it he had to know too. Jayce sat up looking over to Izzy again. "Izzy, you remember back before dad died, sometimes he would spend time with your ma?"
Izzy nodded. "Yeah. Master's pa was always nice too, when he was Master."
"Well. You know how sometimes they would go off in the storeroom alone? Do you know what they were doing back there?" At Izzy's blushing and nod Jayce fell back on the bed again. "I just wanted to make sure no one was trying to do that with you."
"Oh." Izzy was quiet for a minute or two. "But, they couldn't do that. I couldn't. I mean if someone said to do something I'd have to try, but I don't have the... the girl stuff."
Jayce stared up at the ceiling. The bees and flowers talk. He was seriously going to have to give the bees and flowers talk. Or at least part of it. Sitting up once more, giving up on his nap for now.
"Yes. There are still things they could do. No you don't have to. In fact I'm ordering you right now, you don't do anything like that unless I say you can first. You may be a slave but remember you belong to me. They want to do that they have to ask first and the answer will be no."
"But what could," Izzy froze and got a blank look, "Oh. Ew."
Jayce moved to the desk, shaking his head as he sat. "Guess it's time you got the Bees and Flowers talk. Stand over here where you can see the screen. I'll see if I can find the same video Pa used. It's, well it's melodramatic and corny, but that is probably the only way to get through it. And yes, there will be a test afterwards."
He looked over and laughed at Izzy's puzzled face. "It's a joke. Guess it was funnier when Pa used it on me. But pay attention, because there really will be a quiz."
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)
Hurray for lunchwriting breaks.
Title: The Talk
Content note: Slavery, and a young slaver owner getting the sudden realization that his younger servant is in need of, "The Talk," that parents dread needing to give their kids. No actual sex.
The Talk
Izzy bowed to the lady of the house after he was shown to his master's new room, offering a soft, "Thank you ma'am." Waiting until she left to tug at his new uniform shirt. The staff who had swarmed him after the Chairman said to take him to be cleaned up, had taken one look at his old uniform and near as he could tell thrown it out while he was getting washed up. He had to admit the new uniform looked good on him but surely no one wanted them to be this starched.
Looking about the room Izzy decided it must have been intended as a guest suite. Every item seemed picked to be bland and inoffensive. No family photos, just a few paintings and a window that looked out on the mountains. Whoever was in charge of overseeing the cleaning did well enough. However much he checked he couldn't find any dust, nothing forgotten under the bed, not even a stray scrap of paper in any of the trash cans. In the end all he could find to do was arrange the toiletries in the bath to Master's preference and remake the bed to his own standards. This soon left him with nothing left to do and no permission yet to leave the room.
Okay, no more work to do. Only leaves two of Ma's rules. Don't be seen if you don't have any work and if you have to be seen, be seen behaving properly. He looked around the room again at that thought. With no more housework miraculously appearing he knelt by the room's desk to wait. Watching the door for nearly a minute before giving in and tugging on a shirt sleeve again. "First thing to do is find out how soon I can do laundry. If I let anyone starch Master's clothes like this I'll deserve a tanning."
Izzy sighed quietly. He'd heard some of the family talk about getting manicures and makeovers and wondered in the past what it was like to be the one getting all the attention. But if it was anything like the cleaning he got then they were welcome to keep it for themselves. Stripped, marched into a shower and all but hosed down. Then wrapped in towels and put in a chair while someone took a trimmer to his hair then sprayed it down so much he didn't think it would move if he walked out in a storm. As far as he was concerned the only good part was when someone spotted the callus that had just started to bother his left heel and put some cream on it that made it better in minutes. Have to find out what that is and keep some in case Master needs it.
They had spent so long fussing over him he was sure he would arrive to find Master already waiting. That would not have been acceptable. Well, he could admit the room was kept well, but it just wouldn't have been proper. Any new place he needed to arrive before Master or with Master. Maybe they had him out for a meal. Nothing to do now but keep watching the door.
* * *
Jayce would not have believed this morning that he would want to sleep again so soon. But while the talk between the chairman, his cousin and himself only took about an hour his great-aunt had insisted on fussing over him at least twice as long. As soon as he came through the door he was lead straight to a table and plied with food while she talked about what happened, talked about his studies, talked about what he ought to be eating. He wasn't certain but he thought she might have had arranged a date for him in with everything else she talked about..
Finally getting some time to himself he entered his new room finding Izzy leaning on a desk leg, half asleep. It looked like the boy got as much attention as he had. New uniform, new shoes, and someone had taken the time to clean and polish his collar so it nearly matched his hair again. He almost laughed seeing some poor fool had even tried to brush his hair straight, all the hairspray merely holding the curls in place.
"Hey kid, looks like you still clean up well." Jayce frowned at a sudden thought. "Nobody did anything improper with you, right?"
Izzy blinked, still trying to wake. "Oh. It was a little scary, but I behaved Master."
"Good." Jayce reached down to rub Izzy's hair only to find just how much the hairspray had been overused. The boy's worried face getting his attention. "Something wrong?"
"Master didn't really think I might misbehave?"
"No, you're a good boy. I just wanted to make sure the people you were sent off with didn't do anything they shouldn't."
"Oh."
Just from his voice Jayce could tell Izzy still didn't understand. "They didn't do anything but get you cleaned up, right?" It should have been an easy question. A quick no from Izzy, no more worry, and finally sleep.
"Um... Guess hair counted as cleaning. Oh, there was some stuff they put on my feet that got rid of all the calluses."
Jayce let himself fall back on the bed and groaned. "Yes, those both count as cleaning. I meant..." He stopped. Did Izzy have any idea what he was talking about? He wasn't about to give the Izzy the old bees and flowers talk. Maybe a video... Ugh, I'd have to give up on a nap. Hasn't he ever... If I know about it he had to know too. Jayce sat up looking over to Izzy again. "Izzy, you remember back before dad died, sometimes he would spend time with your ma?"
Izzy nodded. "Yeah. Master's pa was always nice too, when he was Master."
"Well. You know how sometimes they would go off in the storeroom alone? Do you know what they were doing back there?" At Izzy's blushing and nod Jayce fell back on the bed again. "I just wanted to make sure no one was trying to do that with you."
"Oh." Izzy was quiet for a minute or two. "But, they couldn't do that. I couldn't. I mean if someone said to do something I'd have to try, but I don't have the... the girl stuff."
Jayce stared up at the ceiling. The bees and flowers talk. He was seriously going to have to give the bees and flowers talk. Or at least part of it. Sitting up once more, giving up on his nap for now.
"Yes. There are still things they could do. No you don't have to. In fact I'm ordering you right now, you don't do anything like that unless I say you can first. You may be a slave but remember you belong to me. They want to do that they have to ask first and the answer will be no."
"But what could," Izzy froze and got a blank look, "Oh. Ew."
Jayce moved to the desk, shaking his head as he sat. "Guess it's time you got the Bees and Flowers talk. Stand over here where you can see the screen. I'll see if I can find the same video Pa used. It's, well it's melodramatic and corny, but that is probably the only way to get through it. And yes, there will be a test afterwards."
He looked over and laughed at Izzy's puzzled face. "It's a joke. Guess it was funnier when Pa used it on me. But pay attention, because there really will be a quiz."
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)