He was in for it this time, and he knew it. Alsake had lost. What made it particularly bad, however, was that he lost on purpose. His undefeated streak was over, but voluntarily so. Of course, Alsake's master was fuming all the way back to his holding cell. As soon as they arrived Alsake was forced to his knees by a pair of guards while his master grabbed a crude wooden club that he seemed to have been saving for a moment like this. Without saying a word, his master swung the club into the side of his head, the two guards holding him up so that the blow wouldn't knock him down.
"Refusing to kill is one thing," his master said. "But purposely losing? That's something else."
His master then started beating him with the club until the only thing holding him up were the guards.
"I've gotten my mileage out of you anyway. You've already made me one of the richest men in Essyrn even with the losses I just suffered by your defeat. You won't be cheap of course, but no one in their right man would pay such an amount for a slave in your condition."
Alsake was then clubbed a few more times for good measure. His stomach, chest, and even the side of his face were covered in nasty bruises. Just the fact that Alsake was still conscious was a miracle, but he was used to physical abuse.
"If no one buys you, I'll have no choice but to put you down."
His master grinned evilly, making obvious that this was clearly his intention.
"Let him go," his master said and kicked Alsake to the ground.
The next day in the middle town, Alsake was included among countless other slaves being sold. The crowd whispered and mumbled amongst themselves and several pointed in Alsake's direction. Many were interested in the birdman. However, when he was next to be sold and they heard how much his master wanted for him the crowd fell silent. Champion gladiator or not, no one would pay that much for a slave in such poor condition that could barely stand on his own. His master grinned.
"Looks like nobody wants you. There's a surprise."
He put a hand on Alsake's shoulder and began leading him away.
Lady Cynthia Arun was on her way back from one of her business deals when she noticed the large crowd of people gathering in the road. As she got closer, she could tell it was a slave auction. Of course the crowd just had to gather directly in Cynthia's way, to the point where she would have to force her way through the crowd in order to get where she was trying to go. Irritated, she began to push past people, taking a look over at the slaves being sold while she walked in case any would catch her interest.
As far as she could tell, however, it was just a lousy bunch of humans. They were pretty much worthless to her, the whole lot of them. She had enough ordinary human slaves as it was.
As she walked on, she watched the slaves get sold one after another, passed on from one filthy human to the next. She always did find it amusing how even humans thought themselves to be fit for servitude. It was even more amusing when humans thought themselves superior to another race, though rather annoying as well.
Cynthia glanced back over at the slaves being sold. The current one was a large man, visibly beaten and injured. The look on his face spoke to how broken he was, both inside and out. Not to mention the asking price was absurd for a slave in his condition. She was about to turn away when the man who appeared to be the slave's owner turned him around. It wasn't until then that she could see his wings. Ah, now there's a refreshing change.
Cynthia pushed her way to the front of the crowd, raising a hand and calling out to the man. "Wait. Bring him back over."
Alsake's master immediately spun Alsake around at Cynthia's request causing Alsake to wince slightly from the pain caused by such sudden movement on his battered body.
"You looking to buy," Alsake's master asked.
"Perhaps." Cynthia said with a grin. "Let him unfold his wings."
She wanted to see exactly what she was dealing with. She knew she was likely overpaying anyway, but something interested her about this man.
The slave owner raised an eyebrow. That had never been requested before. Then again, he had never tried to sell Alsake before.
"Um..Yes," he said. "Of course."
The man then began the lengthy process of removing the brace that held Alsake's wings. Once it was finally off the man took a step back.
"Alright," he said to Alsake. "Let's see 'em."
Alsake tried, but his wings had remained immobile for so long that the joints were locked up.
"Can't," Alsake said.
"Yes you can. Now do it."
"They stuck."
His master sighed irritably. If Alsake didn't want to do it himself, then he would do it. His master grabbed ahold of one of Alsake's wings and pulled it open. The wing cracked and popped as the joints which had remained immobile for so long were suddenly forced to move. The process was extremely painful for Alsake, but he knew better than to make a sound.
The wing itself was a shadow of its former glory. The feathers were frayed and tattered and it was covered in dust and even cobwebs.
"I'm sure he'll look just fine if you clean him up a bit," Alsake's master insisted.
Cynthia waited with feigned patience as the man took the brace off. As the man pulled the slave's wing open, she frowned at the condition it was in. However, it was only to be expected. It was nothing she couldn't fix. "Oh, I can assure you, someone else will be doing the cleaning for me."
She made eye contact with the slave owner then and smiled. "Your price is ridiculous, but luckily money is just an object to me. I'll take him."
If the slave owner was surprised, he did a fairly good job of hiding it.
"Good," he said. "He's yours."
As soon as the money was in his hand he shoved Alsake toward her, Alsake barely managing to stay on his feet.
"You might want this too," the man said nudging the brace over to her with his foot. "He was flying around when he was nabbed. You probably don't want him flying off on you."
With that, Alsake's former master walked away satisfied. He wouldn't have to deal with Alsake ever again and he could live in luxury for the rest of his life.
Alsake stood next to his new master staring at the ground. He didn't know what to do, so he simply didn't move. He would wait until he was told to do something. It was a great relief to finally have that brace off, but it didn't really matter. His wings were too stiff for him to move, let alone fly. Hopefully his new master would be nicer than the last.
She left the brace where it was. It was quite clear his wings would be useless for a while. Besides, should he ever attempt to fly away, she would simply bring him down with her lightning magic. "Well then, let's be on our way."
She turned and began walking the way she had originally being going, expecting the slave to follow her and turning her head to make sure he would do so.
Alsake followed behind obediently. People looked in awe as Alsake trailed behind her without heavily armed guards escorting him as his old master usually had. In all honestly, Alsake probably could have ran away. However, he had grown so accustomed to life as a slave that the thought did not occur to him. He just did as he was told. He no longer knew anything else.
"We have a little bit of a walk ahead of us." Cynthia said, analyzing her new purchase. She eyed him over, noting his injuries as well as the nicer qualities, like his muscles. "So, how much common can you speak?"
"A little," Alsake told her.
Alsake took the time to examine his new master. The first major difference was the fact that his new master was woman. She was a very attractive woman too, but Alsake didn't dwell on that fact. She was his master after all. The second difference was that she had not restrained his wings. His old master had forced him to wear it nonstop, but his new master had left it behind. Perhaps she would be nicer than his old master? He doubted that it was very likely, but he could always hope.
"Well, that's plenty, so long as you can understand it at least decently." Cynthia said, turning back now to look at the road in front of her. She had slowed down for a moment so that she was now walking next to the man. When he was close enough, she reached out and gently touched one of his wings. "Such a shame that your previous master let these go to waste."
It had probably been the first time in ages that he had been touched by someone that wasn't aiming to cause him harm. Maybe his new master was kinder.
"Master no want me flying away," Alsake told her.
"Maybe once you would have." Cynthia said with a wicked grin. "It's quite clear you no longer can, at least for the time being."
She sighed and shook her head. "If I'm going to purchase something with wings, it's because I intend for them to use their wings. Otherwise I'm paying for something that's worthless."
They reached the edge of the city where Cynthia had horse-drawn cart waiting with one of her guards. The cart itself was rather extravagant, with enough room to comfortably sit around ten people. It was completely enclosed and painted white with golden designs on it. A slave opened the cart for them to enter. Cynthia motioned for Alsake to enter first, following him and being followed by the other slave. The guard then took his place in charge of the horses and they were on their way.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone called Alsake worthless. His old master had done it all the time. Still, using his wings? Did she intend for him to fly? He didn't even know if he'd be able to. His wings had been bound for so long, and they're in terrible condition.
When the cart arrived Alsake looked at it with wonder. He had never seen such a thing before. When Cynthia motioned him to get inside he did his best to squeeze through the door and find a seat. Sitting down wasn't exactly easy either as his wings made it extremely difficult. Though this was his first time ever riding in a carriage, he already didn't like it. He looked over at his new master.
"You mean, I fly again?"
"Perhaps." Cynthia mused. "Should you even be capable of it. I'm sure I can find a use for your wings."
She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs to get comfortable. "Now that we can talk without all those other dreadful people around, I want to make one thing clear. If you don't disappoint me, your life will be simple. However, I have a rather short temper. Consider this your warning not to test it."
She then grinned again, staring at the man, her eyes scanning every inch of his body. "What did your previous master use you for?"
Alsake wasn't sure what use there would be for his wings besides flying, but he feared that it might be something sinister. The warning she issued to him afterwards only reinforced that thought. Maybe she wasn't so nice. She then wanted to know what his old master had used him for.
"He make me fight," he told her. "And kill."
Though it would be quite clear by the look on his face that he did not enjoy either of those activities.
"I see." Cynthia said, noting his expression. "Well, I doubt you'll be doing much of that for me. Though that does bring me to the question of what I am going to use you for. I haven't quite decided yet."
She looked out the window and noticed her estate start to come into view in the distance. "We're nearly there."
Alsake perked up. No more fighting? No more killing? Whatever else she had in mind, surely it wouldn't be as bad as being forced to kill. And the possibility of him flying again? It was almost too good to be true.
The carriage arrived at the gate to the estate and came to a stop as the guard at the gate opened it so they could pass. A few minutes later they had arrived at the manor itself and the carriage stopped again. This time another slave opened the door for them to exit. Cynthia went first, waiting for Alsake at the doors to her home.
Alsake was glad to finally be out of that cramped carriage. He walked over to where Cynthia was waiting for him and looked up at her home. It was huge. Though surely he wouldn't be living inside. There was probably a holding cell or something somewhere like with his old master. He stayed where he was and didn't move any further or speak, awaiting instructions.
"Come." Cynthia said, beckoning for Alsake to follow her. She headed down a small path that went along the front of the house towards the pool of water that was just out front of the manor. There were two young, female slaves nearby tending the garden, both of which Cynthia beckoned over. When they got to her, she simply pointed to Alsake and said, "Clean him up."
The slaves nodded and each one took one of Alsake's arms and began leading him towards the pool.
Alsake obeyed and followed Cynthia once more. When they got to the pool of water he was shocked. When Cynthia told her other slaves to clean him up, he was even more shocked. He couldn't remember the last time he had done anything that closely resembled hygiene in any way.
Alsake was comically much larger than the slaves that led him, but he didn't care. He just wanted so desperately to be in that water. When he stepped into the water it was the most amazing feeling in world. It reminded him of how he used to swim almost every day in the ocean back home, even though the water in this small pool only made it up to his waste. He left the other slaves to do whatever it is they had to do as he just enjoyed the feeling of actually being in water.
While the slaves cleaned Alsake, Cynthia looked out at her garden. The small pool Alsake was in was connected to another larger pool by a small waterfall, which was then connected to a river that went all the way through the rest of the garden on this side of the path. In this garden there were many kinds of herbs, vegetables and fruits to be used for medicine and food. The different colors and smells were refreshing and thrilling to the senses and the flavors were even more exquisite.
It reminded her that she needed to check in with her chef when she brought her new slave inside. She would need to make sure there was a meal prepared soon. After a moment of thought, she turned back to see how her new slave was doing. "Make sure to clean the wings as well as you can."
Though being cleaned as opposed to washing himself was somewhat awkward, it still felt wonderful after having gone so long without bathing at all. He was used to having his wings washed by others though, as he had always needed help with that. It was hard to reach his wings to clean them effectively on his own. However, his wings need to be opened, which was still painful for his poor stiff wings to manage. The slaves had to pull them straight in order to clean them, but Alsake didn't mind the pain. He was just glad to have his wings finally taken care of after so long. Hopefully they would be gentle and have at least a slight idea of what they were doing with his precious wings.
The slaves did the best they could, though Alsake was decently taller than them and cleaning wings was not something they were used to. They were at least attempting to be gentle but knew better than to take too long. After a few more minutes, one of the girls looked over towards Cynthia. "He's clean, mistress."
Cynthia motioned for them to bring him back over to her. "Good. Follow us back. I will need the two of you when we get there."
She then turned and began walking back to the entrance of the house, the two slave girls still escorting Alsake.
Alsake was feeling better than he ever has in a very long time. It was amazing how something as simple as being clean could feel so refreshing. His wings had also loosened up a bit and he could move them a little, but not much. He would have to rebuild the muscle that he had lost during his wings' incarceration.
When they arrived back at the entrance to the manor one of the slaves at the door opened it for them. Cynthia walked in and motioned one of her guards over. While the slaves were of all different races, most of the guards were elves. She decided if she had to pick a race to favor it would be the elves due to their natural beauty.
When the guard was close enough for Cynthia to talk to him, she gave him an order. "Get my new slave ready. I have some matters to attend to."
She waited for the guard to take Alsake before turning to the two slave girls and whispering something, sending them scurrying off. She then headed upstairs while the guard walked Alsake down the hallway.
Of course it was only a matter of time before an armed guard became involved. It was a bit concerned as to how a guard would get him ready. Elves being naturally tall creatures, this guard had come the closest thus far to matching his height, but Alsake was still a bit taller. As to what this guard planned to do with him, He was unsure if he wanted to find out.
The guard walked with Alsake down the hall until they got to a place where the hallway came to a corner. There were stairs to the second floor, but instead of going up them the guard went to the side of them and opened a door, which appeared to lead to some kind of closet. The guard grabbed a single pair of white pants and handed them to Alsake. "Put these on."
Meanwhile, Cynthia was in the main dining hall talking to the chef about the night's meal. When the arrangements had been completed, Cynthia came back downstairs and started heading down the hall to where Alsake was.
Alsake looked at the guard and then down at the pants. He reached out and took them, though somewhat hesitantly, and then put them on in place of his old pair. A bath and new clothes? This was definitely far more than his old master had ever down. Wearing a shirt was, of course, impossible for him due to his wings, so pants were all that was really possible. His feet were still bare, but he had never in his life worn shoes, so he didn't really care. He wondered what was next.
When Cynthia arrived at the end of the hallway Alsake was already dressed. She dismissed the guard, who returned to his duties at the entrance of the house. She looked at Alsake and smiled. "That's much better. I simply can't have you looking all dirty and beat up, you see. It would make for a terrible sight for my business partners, as well as my other guests."
Alsake examined himself. He did look in a lot better shape than before. It would be even better once the bruises faded away. It was then that his stomach growled. Alsake put a hand on his noisy abdomen and looked away. His old master always got angry when that happened and complained about how he was already feeding him plenty and that he had no reason to be hungry. Though he could always hope, he wasn't expecting to be fed.
"Come with me. I'll explain to you how this house works." Cynthia said, turning down the hallway away from where the entrance to the manor was, thus taking them further into the house. "Pay attention and learn the layout of the estate. It shouldn't take more than a few days for you to figure out."
As they walked, they passed many rooms on each side, all without doors. "These are the slaves' quarters. You'll share a room with two others. I assure you that these living conditions will be far better than whatever was provided for you by your last master."
She walked over to the entrance to one of the rooms and beckoned Alsake over so that she could show him the inside of the room.
Alsake wasn't so sure about learning the layout of this place. It was huge; much larger than any building he had ever been in thus far. Well, besides the Colosseum, but that wasn't someone's home. This was. She then assured him that the living conditions would be better than what he had before, but considering what he had before that could very well not mean very much. Cynthia then stopped in front of a door that would he guessed would be his room. He wasn't too keen on having to share it as people usually didn't take to him very well, but at least he would have something.
When Alsake arrived next to her, he would be able to look in the room and see that, while it was no where near as extravagant as the rest of the house, it was still quite something to behold for a slave's quarters. There were no beds, instead a large mattress that could easily fit five people of Alsake's size, with space left over, took up most of the space in the room. In the back right corner there was a large wash bin for the slaves to clean themselves. "Though they are both occupied right now, you will be sharing this space with an elf and another human."
Alsake stepped into the room with eyes wide with shock. This was far better than what he had before. There was even a place for him to clean himself. The single mattress concerned him though. Despite being as large as it was, Alsake's wings made him take up the space of two people. He walked around the room slowly, taking it all in. There was even a window. Though simple to a normal person, this was luxury to him.
"At the end of the hall, there is a larger chamber for the slaves that need to learn a lesson. That's likely closer to the conditions you are used to. Don't do anything to get yourself there and you won't have to worry about it." Cynthia said, turning to leave the room and motioning for Alsake to follow her. She then turned back down the hall the way they came. "If you forget which room is yours, I'm sure one of the other slaves will remind you. It shouldn't be hard for them to keep track of you with the unique characteristics you have."
Alsake certainly hoped he didn't do anything to end up in that room. Of all things he had been shown thus far, there was one thing he hadn't yet been told. What would his job be.
"What you have me do," he asked.
Cynthia thought for a moment before answering, though it didn't result in much. "I have to figure that out still. I don't want to waste your strength, after all."
She then paused to think again. When she reached a conclusion, she added, "For now, you will attend me personally."
Attend to her personally? Alsake guessed that such a thing would involve following her around like he already has been doing so far anyway. Not wanting to waste his strength made sense as she would want to make the most out of what she had paid for him. Alsake knew full well of his strength, though he didn't like using it for violence. Perhaps his job would simply be to move heavy objects.
They walked on in silence until they reached the stairs again. "Since you will be following me, there will be plenty of time to show you the rest of the house later. Come with me upstairs. My dinner is almost ready."
With that, she started walking up the stairs. "I'll show you where you will be eating on the way."
As they walked Alsake did his best to make note of landmarks, such as paintings, vases, and whatever else he could use to navigate this maze. He hoped he'd be able to find his way around in a timely manner.
When they arrived at the top of the stairs, they arrived at the entrance of a grand dining hall. There was a table a hundred feet long in the center with chairs lining the sides. At the far end, an exquisite chair made in the shape of a dragon rested at the head of the table. "This is where my guests and I, as well as some of my guards, eat. Depending on what I decide your job shall be, you may or may not end up being in here."
Alsake looked around the dining hall in awe. He knew that there were rich people in the world, but the fact that someone could be so wealthy as to be able to afford all of this mind boggling. To him anyways. Though she said it was a possibility, he highly doubted he would ever be eating in here. He was just a mere slave after all.
Rather than walk down the dining hall, Cynthia turned to the left and began walking. When they reached the wall, she opened a door that revealed another dining hall, though no where near as exquisite. The walls were bare, the chairs and table simple wood, and the table was far smaller. That's not to say it wasn't still nicer than the majority of other, less wealthy, people's. "This is the hall where the slaves eat. Two meals a day, prepared by the chef,"
She smiled, knowing the prospect of a meal prepared by a chef would likely be a complete shock to Alsake. "You see, money is just an object to me. It is far easier to just ship in large quantities of food that I use than to go out of my way to find food for the slaves."
Though not as impressive as the first dining hall, the one for slaves was still much, much better than the arrangements he had had before. And two meals a day? He had only gotten one a day from his old master, though it was quite more than what normal slaves got because he wanted to keep Alsake in fighting shape. Looking at the chairs though he would probably eat standing up as his wings would interfere with sitting in a chair. Still, this was certainly better than before. It almost seemed too good to be true.
"Some slave owners don't understand how to command obedience." Cynthia said. "Once something is broken, it no longer cares what happens to it. If one of my slaves forgets their place, I simply take away these luxuries and break them. Once that happens once and they are given these luxuries back, they never want to lose them again."
She sighed. "I would simply advise you never do anything to lose these privileges in the first place."
That was certainly not how his old master had handled slaves. Alsake certainly didn't want to lose these luxuries.
"I do as told," he assured her.
"That is good." Cynthia said with a nod. "Come with me, I need to go talk to my chef."
Alsake followed obediently behind Cynthia wondering what the chef would be like.
It didn't take long to arrive at the kitchen and when they entered Alsake would be able to see the chef working away at dinner. She was a beautiful elven girl with purple hair, blue eyes and fair skin. When she noticed Cynthia enter, she paused what she was doing for a moment. "Ah, Lady Arun! Come to check on dinner?"
"Indeed, Airi." Cynthia said to the elf. "It looks like it's coming along quite well."
Set out already, there was a large roast boar. Aside from that, various fruits and vegetables were arranged into baskets to be brought out with the meal. The smell of herbs and different foods flooded the air.
Alsake inhaled deeply through his nose and took it all in. It was perhaps the best thing he had ever smelled. Is this what he would be getting to eat? If it was then he hoped there was plenty because he could eat quite a bit.
The chef that Cynthia had referred to as Airi smiled. "It is indeed! It shouldn't be much longer now."
Cynthia nodded and smiled. "I'll return in ten minutes, then."
She turned to leave the kitchen, motioning for Alsake to follow. However, she paused at the door for a second. "Oh, and do prepare something for my newest acquisition. I need him to be in top condition."
Alsake followed behind Cynthia once more. He was certainly doing much more walking than he ever had. His old master had kept him locked up whenever he wasn't fighting or training. Things were so much different now with this new master. What else would change, he wondered.
When they were out of the kitchen and back in the dining hall, Cynthia sighed. "Well, ten minutes isn't enough time to explore any further. I suppose I'll go relax on the balcony."
From the dining hall Cynthia opened a door and stepped out onto a large balcony that ran the entire length of the dining hall. There were many individual tables out here for when Cynthia and her guests decided to eat outside. For now, she took a seat and waited for her dinner.
When Cynthia simply sat down and didn't do anything Alsake was unsure of what to do. He decided to just stand nearby and wait, making sure to be out of the way.
Cynthia could tell that her new slave was uncomfortable, at least in the sense that he wasn't exactly sure how to handle this situation. That was good. It meant he wasn't used to having down time. "I assure you, after I decide on your tasks there won't be this much sitting around doing nothing."
She paused for a moment, thinking of what uses she could have for him. He was definitely an intimidating presence, at least size wise. If his personality matched, she likely would have used him as an overseer for the other slaves. However, she couldn't have an overseer that felt bad for the slaves that he was responsible for.
His muscles could be used for transport of heavy objects and large construction projects. She did have a project in mind lately...
"Do you have any experience with building?"
Alsake shook his head. He had never built a thing in his life. He wouldn't know where to begin. Hopefully she wouldn't have him try to build something. He would surely fail.
"Well, surely you're capable of some heavy lifting." Cynthia said with a grin. "I feel that might suit you better."
Alsake looked down at himself. It did seem apparent that he had a talent for lifting heavy objects, but what objects were they?
"What I lift," he asked.
"Building materials, furniture imports, all kinds of things, really." Cynthia said with a shrug. "Often my business requires the transport of many objects or a few large, heavy ones. It's hard to say for certain, I'm involved in many different kinds of work."
"I carry it all," Alsake insisted. "More than anyone."
Alsake was more than happy to simply carry heavy objects around if it meant he didn't have to hurt anyone anymore. Not to mention carrying things was incredibly easy to accomplish and was pretty much impossible to mess up. This new master was definitely better than the last one.
Cynthia couldn't help but grin at the slave's statement. "Good. That enthusiasm is what I like to see."
Often slaves took a while to get adjusted to the new atmosphere but her newest acquisition seemed to be adjusting just fine. It was rare for her to come across a slave as obedient as this without her having to break them in first. Maybe he would end up being worth the money she spent on him after all.
It was then that a young slave girl came out onto the terrace and called out to the two of them. "Dinner is ready, mistress."
Cynthia stood from her seat and began walking back into the dining hall, motioning for Alsake to follow her.
Alsake followed behind Cynthia for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He still could not get over the sheer size of her home. Why would one person even need a house this large? When they arrived he assumed that he would probably be escorted to the slave dining hall, but that was fine. It was still far better than anything he's ever had before.
When they arrived back in the kitchen, Cynthia turned to the slave girl that had come out to get them. "Vera, take him to your dining area. Show him how things work."
With that, she continued off to the kitchen where she would let the chef know whether she was satisfied with the meal that was coming out or not.
The slave girl smiled at Alsake and began walking. "This way."
It seemed like he had yet more following to do, but it was another slave this time. She was taking him to the slave dining hall. Now the challenge would be sitting down with his wings in the way.
It was only a few seconds before Vera started to speak. The way she talked betrayed her innocence and naivety. "So, you're new? What's your name?"
"Alsake," he replied. "How long you here?"
He figured he might as well try making friends. It couldn't hurt to have people who would be willing to help him adjust to his new life.
Vera smiled brightly as she talked to Alsake. "I was born here. My father is one of my mistress's guards and my mother is one of her other slaves. My name is Vera, by the way."
Born here? Born a slave? That didn't sound very fun, and yet she seemed so happy. Was it because she had never had any freedom to miss?
"You like here?"
"It's not bad." Vera said. "As long as I don't upset my mistress she's normally very nice. I've heard from others that they came from places that were a lot worse, so I'm grateful I have never been in that situation."
She looked over Alsake curiously as they continued to walk, blatantly staring at his wings. Finally she just asked the question, "What's it like to have wings?"
"Fun to fly, hard to sit," Alsake replied simply.
He didn't really know how else to describe having wings to someone without them. It's kind of like trying to explain color to a blind person.
They arrived at the dining hall then and when they entered they could see that there were already many other slaves eating their meals. Vera walked towards the far end of the table and found a place where there were two seats so that they would both have a place and then took a seat. "You can stand if you would like."
Alsake looked at the seat and thought hard. How could he make this work? Then he thought about making his wings parallel to himself instead of perpendicular. They would stick out to his left and right, but they wouldn't interfere with the back of the chair.
He decided to give it a shot. Though it made him take up enough space for two people, he managed to sit in the chair. Hopefully he wouldn't be in the way too much.
Vera looked over at Alsake and smiled kindly. "I'll be right back."
She then walked to the other end of the table and grabbed two plates of food from a large tray, then walked back over and took a seat near Alsake. She placed the second plate in front of him. "Here you go!"
Alsake's eyes widened as the food was set before him. This was better than anything he had ever gotten before. He immediately dug in and started eating with his hands, because he wasn't used to having silverware. The food was gone almost instantly and he turned to Vera.
"I allowed more," he asked hopefully.