Firestarter [M] [Goblin]

[Juno]

Georgiana could only feel disappointment at the obvious distance that seemed to still be between them. Why he should have changed anything was not something she could speak to, though. She was still the wretched woman that kept him a slave.

"No, Rene, I do not," she answered finally. Setting her brush down she moved slowly toward her things to rummage through for something a bit more conservative to change into for the day so that she might have no need to explain her bruises.

Looking to him once she'd chosen a dress she realized that she truly had no need to feel any shame or embarrassment in his presence over their situation. Without a word she got changed, though the occasional hiss of surprise escaped her for the smarting of a strained bruise she was not previously aware of.

"We return home today," she announced, uncertain if she'd informed him properly of their plans the previous day. "You may wear what you like to breakfast, though."

[GoblinFae]

Rene bowed slightly at the waist at her instructions but was slow to move to dress himself. It was not that he had an interest in seeing her change her attire nor was it that he was shy of his own body. It was more out of self-preservation. While at the moment it seemed obvious to him that she was unable or unwilling to mete out a punishment upon him for his deeds of the night before, that did not necessarily mean that they would not catch up with him later. Such things always did, it was only a matter of time after all. The clothes he did select for himself though covered more than the previous night but not by much. He donned another pair of harem-styled trousers, these without slits though, and a gossamer tunic that left him all but naked from the waist up.

[Juno]

It was impossible not to admire him while he concealed so little of himself, but she only allowed herself a few moments to greedily drink him in. Rene was a beautiful man, she could not deny that.

"You did well yesterday," Georgiana praised, though whether she meant more the dancing or the sex she wasn't entirely sure of herself. Would it offend him either way to be given praises from his mistress? She would allow him to see it as he wished. If he did not want to acknowledge their tryst she would deal with that another time and in another place.

"I'm sure you might have a few...admirers. I expect you to be on your best behavior, though," she warned him. She could only hope the mild threat would be taken seriously enough until she had him back under more strict 'control' at home. "When you are ready we can go."

She was already heading to the door, her hands wringing absently. The noblewoman would not admit to herself how nervous she was putting herself at his mercy socially. Of course she would deny anything damaging if he tried to say it, but he was still an outspoken man and it made her uncomfortable to know he still held such power.

[GoblinFae]

"Thank you, Mistress," Rene replied quietly, feeling a bit more relaxed now that it seemed he was in the clear for the moment and free of her ire. His shoulders relaxed and his overly stiff posture melted into a more fluid one befitting his own natural grace that bled into the way he walked, only a few steps behind her.

"Yes, Mistress I understand," he replied again, nodding to her that he was ready and would behave. Had he known her worries, he would have been more cocky and sure of himself with something to lord over her. However, he did not and was resigned to remain the perfect docile little slave for fear of what she could do to him not only for the previous night but also any additional transgressions incurred in the interim.

[Juno]

"Right," she sighed, rolling her shoulders a bit and fussing over her dress and hair for a few more moments before she opened the door to allow for their exit.

They were not late, exactly, but certainly some of the last to file down to the dining room where breakfast was being served. The distant, muffled sound of Caroline's voice and laughter reached her ears as she led him through the halls. Natasha's also rose above the hum to reach her ears and Georgiana was cringing at the thought that they in particular would likely know how she had left the hall the previous night to disappear after her slave. Yet, she knew that she would be throwing herself to the wolves if she dared show any weakness about it. She paused at the door to take a deep breath and cast one last warning glance to Rene before entering to the chatter around the table.

Several pairs of eyes turned their way but few lingered on her as most were drawn to the man she'd entered with, to her surprise. Natasha waved them down with gestures to their seats, and once Georgiana was seated she immediately began drinking from the glass at her setting to keep herself busy between picking at her food.

Natasha leaned closer and reached a hand around her sister to rest warmly on Rene's arm for a moment to try and catch his attention. "Rene you really were so lovely last night," the younger girl praised, her eyes bright and cheeks flushed to be giving him such open compliments. "You really must dance for us again soon," she pleaded, glancing to Georgiana as if to ask permission even as the elder sister all but ignored her.

[GoblinFae]

Rene remained poised and respectful as they moved through the halls and into the dining room. His eyes remained lowered yet his posture definitely reflected how much in his element the felt. The stares did nothing to deter him from going forth with confidence all the way to Georgiana's seat. There he did what he thought was expected of him and moved to stand behind and to the side of her chair.

When Natasha reached for him, he turned his head enough to look at her from the side, wary of drawing his mistress' ire or of insulting the younger lady. "Thank you Little Miss," Rene replied softly with a gentle smile. "I intend to dance when it pleases my Mistress again," he acknowledged with a nod to Georgiana before he resumed his position behind her.

[Juno]

Georgiana listened to their conversation and while she was pleased with his answer it was getting to be more and more unnerving that he was not in the empty place beside her as she had silently wished him to be.

Clearing her throat she turned slightly in her seat to look back at him. "Rene. Please sit down with us," she told him evenly, though there was quite a spark in her eye and warning quirk to her brow as she felt he was purposefully standing to defy her.

"You are welcome to breakfast, too," she explained.

[GoblinFae]

The slave flinched in surprise at Georgiana's voice in addition to her expression. He knew he was in trouble now and for the briefest of moments he wondered if he was about to be publicly punished for his transgressions. Unwilling to give her cause to unleash her wrath upon him, Rene soundlessly and gracefully as if made of fluid, melted into his seat beside her. He sat there tense, back as straight as it had been when he stood behind her, and unwilling to so much as breathe too loudly for fear of her snapping her attention back his way. As long as he remained as virtually out of sight, out of mind as possible the safer he felt he would be. The scents and smells of breakfast though called to him and he felt his empty stomach rolling and begging to be filled. But as a slave who had been ordered not to embarrass her, Rene did not know what was the correct protocol. In hopes of not shaming Georgiana, he made no move for the food and instead trained his gaze into his lap as if the food held no sway over him.

[Juno]

Georgiana relaxed a little once he was seated at last but turning back to the conversation with her sister wasn't enough of a distraction from him either. The younger woman kept glancing at her slave with the saddest eyes and pitiful pout and she bristled to feel as though others were staring as well.

Looking over at him again she observed the way he stared at his lap and, seemingly, denied himself the food she'd told him he was welcome to. Now it was not so much a freedom as a demand. Clearing her throat she set her utensils down with a soft clang. "Rene."

She reached out to snatch one of the small pastries off the tray nearest to them. She almost set it on the empty plate before him but thought better of it and sat back in her chair to offer it right in front of his lips instead. "Must your mistress feed you as well?" she asked in a whisper, amused more than anything at his suddenly docile behavior.

[GoblinFae]

His head snapped up to attention the moment she uttered his name with a quiet, "yes, Mistress?" He did not recoil as she placed the sweet-smelling pastry before his lips but he did look at it somewhat warily, as he was unsure whether she was teasing and tempting him or if she truly wished to feed him by hand herself. Taking a breath to strengthen his patience and his resolve he finally worked up the courage to answer her without hurling venom her way as he desperately wanted to. In his eyes it was nowhere near his fault for not knowing what she wanted and expected of him nor was it his fault desiring to escape punishment. "If it is my Mistress' desire to do such things then that is her privilege. It is not the slave's place to say."

[Juno]

Several pairs of eyes had been drawn to them once more, though they mostly lingered on Rene. She paid no mind to them, though, and continued to hold the food before him in offering. "I said you are welcome to breakfast. Is that not permission enough for you to eat? Or does the food here displease you?"

Her eyes flickered to their hostess, a cruel smile curling at her lips to see the slight hurt in the young woman's eyes for it to even be hinted that some of her guests were not happy with breakfast. Leaning in she whispered at his ear, "Eat."

[GoblinFae]

"On the contrary, Mistress, if the food is as delicious in taste as it is enticing in smell then I am sure it is quite a treat," Rene placated, hoping to assuage the hurt to their hostess that Georgiana had created. "I simply am unaccustomed to the expectations awaiting me in such refinement. It is not every day after all that I am honored with such privileges as to sit at my Mistress' side and dine of her food."

He bowed his head slightly again as if in apology even as he fought not to shiver with the way her breath puffed against his ear. His mind drifted back to the prior evening when other sounds made by her had echoed in that same ear. As delicately as an expertly trained pet, he leaned forward enough to lightly sink his teeth into the pastry hovering at his lips. Before he drew back to slowly chew on the bite though he made sure to allow his tongue to teasingly lick Georgiana's thumb. If she was going to play such games then he would play his own.

[Juno]

While it seemed clear enough to her that the ladies gathered around the table were quite fond of the Maoin's delicate manner of speaking Georgiana was not so easily convinced of his sincerity.

He'd been damning her as his jailor since the day he'd arrived. Even though she'd cleaned him up nicely and bestowed him with all manner of luxury and the freedom of expression within the confines of her home she'd still yet to feel an ounce of gratitude from him and at this point she expected it would just never come. It didn't even seem like the sincere promise of eventual freedom would be enough to please him.

The unexpected touch sent a jolt through her that nearly caused her to pull back her hand, her eyes narrowing accusingly as she studied his face. "Very good," she praised softly, lips still at his ear as she perched on the very edge of her seat to afford them as much privacy as was possible in a social space.

Turning the pastry over in her grasp, though, she presented the other, unmarred side of the tiny morsel to him. "Another," she prompted him once it seemed he'd more or less finished with the first bite.

[GoblinFae]

With the next proffered bite, Rene did not hesitate to partake as he did before although he did lean in with the same unhurried slowness. He met her gaze in a bit of a challenge as he gently sank his teeth into the pastry. To continue with his teasing efforts, the slave allowed his teeth to graze her index finger enough for to feel it without causing her any pain or damage. "Thank you, Mistress," he breathed almost imperceptibly once the second mouthful had been savored and swallowed. "You are indeed most kind."

[Juno]

She hadn't missed the light, almost pinching sensation of teeth. Georgiana raised a brow but didn't question him about such an obvious thing in front of mixed company. Even with the light chatter around the room resuming she heard him speak, though. A smug little smirk played at her lips as she hummed, leaned away to right herself in her seat, and carefully popped the remaining center of the pastry between her own lips.

It certainly got her a few looks and she heard the moment of deafening silence that followed that told her all she needed to know about how many had been eavesdropping and observing them as a pair. Once she was finished she merely smiled, quite pleased that she'd gotten him to "behave" in public for once.

"You may eat more if you wish," she prompted him, gesturing at the rest of the choices upon the table. "Anything you like. Speak with whomever you like so long as you remember who your Mistress is." With that she returned to her own plate to continue speaking quietly with her sister.

[GoblinFae]

"My Mistress is most generous," he praised her aloud all the while internally mocking her. His grin though was as sweet as spun sugar as he watched Georgiana through innocently lowered lashes. Only then did he at last claim a few morsels for himself to slowly and delicately savor.

While Rene did make some small talk with his neighbors he mostly held his tongue in favor of listening and observing. He knew quite well from his experience at home how powerful such actions could be as words held a power few truly mastered. Any knowledge he could gain about anything could potentially one day be used as a weapon or a shield in turn for his own existence.

Bored with most of the flighty conversations of the morning he soon found himself a new opportunity to torment Georgiana. After careful and meticulous observation of her food choices he daintily lifted up a pastry that seemed to be her favorite. Holding it aloft with a smirk across his lips he waited patiently to draw her attention back to him before proceeding to raise it in front of her lips. "Mistress," he murmured softly in offering.

[Juno]

Once she realized he seemed he would actually listen to her instructions, at least in part, Georgiana began to relax and let her guard down once more. The flow of quiet conversation around the table was a balm to her nerves, pleased that none of the ladies around the table found occasion to make Rene's presence awkward. In fact, they seemed quite eager to welcome him judging by what looks and attention she noticed he was getting.

Natasha seemed eager to regale her with what had occurred throughout the rest of the night, graciously not mentioning how she'd noticed her elder sister and the Maoin disappearing from the party, though it was obvious in the way that she spoke of things.

It wasn't very long, though, before Georgiana sensed the movement before her. She was smart enough not to visibly startle from it, but her eyes went wide as they snapped to focus on Rene instead of her sister. The younger noblewoman slowly let the conversation fade once she realized what was happening, her mouth slightly ajar as she watched in both awe and amusement. Several other pairs of nearby eyes also settled upon them, curious how their fiery-haired friend would react to such a thing.

Georgiana studied him, eyes narrowing slightly in skepticism of his sincerity as she looked between his face and the offered pastry. For the sake of shared company she mustered up a fake, sweet smile of praise that didn't reach her eyes in the slightest. She understood a challenge when she saw one and it seemed clear enough he was vying for control over her yet again.

"Thank you, Rene, how kind of you," she murmured sweetly, leaning forward slightly to daintily eat from the offered food in his hand. She was tense, though, her movements rather rushed and jerky as she fought to remain the image of composure at the table with so many eyes upon them. It was of the utmost importance, after all, that she maintain the facade of a perfectly kind, gracious, and reasonable woman who could not fathom the slight her slave was dealing to her now.

"Delicious. What a fine choice," she praised softly, flashing a brief smile after she'd eaten her bite. She leaned slightly away from the remainder lest he force her to finish it, but she was desperate for him to release her from his attention so she might return to the chatter around the table like it never happened. Of course, by the time she realized she was waiting for his choice to come it was far too late to hide the fact that she was at all from anyone else in the room, showing a glaring weakness alongside her obvious obedience.

[GoblinFae]

"Only the best for my Mistress," he replied softly with a slow blink as if intoxicated by her mere presence. Rene did not force another bite on her, allowing his hand to lower slightly so that she could pause and chew before he raised it again invitingly. "Would Mistress care for another bite? Your humble slave would not wish Mistress to become unwell because she did not eat enough because she was too concerned over such an undeserving as myself." Rene bowed his head as if out of humbleness rather to hide the smile he was fighting. He found he quite enjoyed this battle of wills when there was nothing Georgiana could readily do to stop him.

[Juno]

"How thoughtful, Rene, thank you," she sighed, forcing another smile even as her eyes burned dangerously. She bowed her head to take another bite, chewing hastily and hardly tasting the treat at all in her simmering rage.

Lifting a hand to reject the rest, though, she settled it upon her stomach with a light pat and rub. "Thank you, I truly can't eat another bite." She was willing to feign fullness for the sake of not exposing herself to any further embarrassment at the table, being at his mercy as she was. Perhaps it had been a mistake to have him sit so near, but Georgiana thought it equally as dangerous if he was allowed to freely choose his breakfast company among her inner circle.

Of course she would never admit it, but she didn't want to open herself up to jealousy like that over a slave she already had enough trouble getting the attention of. Blessedly Natasha took pity on her then, drawing her elder sister back into their conversation even though she clearly saw how openly distracted the redhead was.

[GoblinFae]

Years of maintaining a facade of poise and discipline was all that kept Rene from allowing the bubbling mirth beneath the surface to burst forth. It was as obvious as the fire in her hair that she was highly displeased with him. If looks could kill he knew he would be with his Goddess a lot sooner than he ever hoped to be. Blessedly though that was not the case and Rene basked in the knowledge that he had managed to innocently perturb his Mistress publicly and there was nothing she could do about it.

With an unfazed shrug he slowly nibbled on the rest of the pastry. It was all innocent fun as he focused intently on the sugary treat as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever eaten. Rene licked his lips between each bite, not wanting to miss a single morsel now that Georgiana had decided she had had enough of it. When at last it was gone though he begin to meticulously clean each sticky digit, his eyes fluttering with pleasure as the last vestiges of sweetness were savored and devoured.