The Owner Himself (2)

"Ryan," He said while giving her a slight smile despite the fact his face was all split open and bloody. "And it was hard to believe because he's like a God in this place. He never owns anyone and gives them the silver collar. Hard to believe a new Comer achieved it."

Very gently she applied pressure to keep him from bleeding anymore. "Is there a place where you can get treatment here? I'm afraid this is all I know how to do." She smiled sadly in return. "Well Ryan, I can't say I feel very lucky but maybe I should be looking at this from a different perspective." The fact that his face was in shreds while she stood there perfectly intact spoke for itself. She wouldn't complain to someone who had endured longer and was stuck low ranking all because of their blood.

Ryan winced when she pressed the cloth to his head to stop the bleeding. Of course it wasn't the first time he'd been struck with such an item, and surely it wouldn't be the last. He moved her hand away. "Thanks again. You take a shower. I'll wait for you outside. We don't want to keep him waiting."

"Okay." Ari pushed the towel into his hands so that he could clean himself up while she went to shower. It was strange trying to shower without any real sense of privacy; to know that anyone could walk in the door and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Every step she took left smears against the polished tiles. She would have felt bad if she wasn't a prisoner being held against her will by a bunch of assholes.

Stepping into the open stall she turned on the water. Even though she cranked it up to high heat the shower burst out with a chilling stream. She nearly squealed but covered her mouth quickly when she remembered Ryan was outside waiting. She took her time in the water, scrubbing away all the filth from her time there, watching as the water ran brown beneath her feet. Taking her to get every nook and cranny, even fingering combing her hair out which had begun to mat from neglect.

She grabbed a fresh towel and changed back into her clothes. They hadn't bothered to remember giving her new ones. Feeling refreshed after scrubbing down every inch of her skin, Ari joined her new friend outside the door. "I'm ready now."

***

On their way back she even retrieved a second bottle of wine so that she wouldn't forget. "Why do you think he told me to come back? We weren't even the right people in the first place," She grumbled.

"So we find someone else to pin it on again. There was this guy named John that beat me and took my sandwich when we were in the cages. Oh, maybe the chick that pissed on my face as I was sleeping because my master told me to break her finger. And I snore, so my uh, mouth was open. Caught every last damn golden drop." He made a face while they walked down the hallway.

"Don't get me wrong, they don't sound great and that's pretty fucked but I don't think I'd be okay letting someone else take the fall. None of us deserve to be trapped in this hell joke, so why make it harder than it needs to be?" Ari gently nudged him with her shoulder. "You said I'm pretty high ranking so maybe I can take advantage of that." She cringed at the acts he described.

"I hope so. Some of these guys around here don't care if you're high up or untouchable. They'll spit in the face of death themselves." He nudged her back and a patch of his hair fell onto her shoulder. They reached the door. "I usually knock three times."

She squinted at the tuft of hair on her shoulder, picking it up with just two fingers and offering it to him. "Do you...want this back or..?"

"No. I used to use it for toilet paper, but I'm not that low anymore." He whispered sheepishly while pressing both his index fingers together.

"Oh okay. Um I'll just.." She brushed it off onto the floor before wrapping her knuckles on the door three times. Better safe than sorry. "We've brought more wine."

The same man opened the door and glanced down at her. "Why did it take you so long?"

"You told me to bathe until I didn't smell like 'Pussy and ass'. I didn't want to taint your wine again." She wanted to call him a pompous piece of shit but she saved that for her thoughts. (1500)

His lips pulled into a grin of annoyance before he yanked the wine from her. "Good, you're learning." He jerked his chin to gesture for her to enter. "Come inside. He can stay out here."

Ari cast a look at Ryan and his injuries, deciding that was probably for the best. Whatever lay in store wouldn't be pleasant. He probably needed a break from the madness anyway.

When she stepped inside past the rude young man she nearly gaped at the interior and what she'd been forced to enter. There was a single pole glowing with neon lights from the inside that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Behind it sat a plush couch occupied by several men sipping wine from stemmed glasses. Flashing strobe lights lit up the dark tiled ceiling and floor painting it in spotted patterns and odd designs that hurt her eyes to stare at too long.

There were speakers in each corner of the room pulsing with an almost hypnotic beat that made the room come alive, the very floor vibrated from the bass. Is this why they'd asked her if she could dance? Creepy assholes. Now she was only more sure to stick with her gut feeling in this place. But if he really cared that she said no, why was she there? For eye candy? She cleared her throat, "I probably shouldn't stay long. I'm sure I'll be missed soon."

"Missed soon?" The man asked, tossing his ivory hair over a sturdy shoulder. He was behind her, already with a glass of wine in his hand. Across the room was his twin sister. Same white hair. Same blue eyes and facial features. She was standing on top of a person's back wearing six inch heels. It dug into their skin, their blood running red lines down their spine. "I'll let them know you were with me."

His sister laughed, a bubbly sound. "Is she a dancer?" Her blue eyes shifted to the pole amidst the stage.

"No I don't dance. I was just bringing the wine that was demanded." With the man behind her there was nowhere to run to. "Was there something you needed me to get for you?" Ari took a step to the side to move out of the way, standing rather awkwardly amidst the private party. The person beneath the woman was probably their previous entertainment who did something displeasurable and became a stepping stool for it. Her arms wrapped around herself, eyeing every flicker in the shadows warily as if more people with whips lay in wait.

"No, you do dance." The man said while grabbing her by the arm and looking her in the eye. His pupils expanded then shrunk back to their normal size as he said. "Go over there and slowly strip your clothes off. You will dance until we say stop. Even if your hands blister and bleed as you twirl on the pole." He released her and waited.

The urge to defy his order bled away with one look into those cold blue eyes. All that existed in that moment was the need to dance and free herself from the cage that was her clothes. A veil curtained her mind, still conscious and aware, but unable to penetrate the heavy suppression of the order given. Shame, horror, and revulsion forgotten as Ari stepped into the center of the room; a newfound sway in each step. Her heart took over the beat of the music that seemed to flow through her, filling her with the melody's fullness.

First was her shirt. Lifting it up and over her head while swaying from side to side, tossed off to the side. After unfastening the button on her pants they fell easily. Ari stepped out of them leaving them behind in her beeline for the pole. Bare before the twins in nothing but underclothes which hid the most intimate parts of herself away.

A myriad of colors lit the room while patterns played across her smooth skin. She was no longer just Ari but an extension of the room. Its vibrancy her lifeline while her fingers coiled around the fixture, shifting her weight so that she spun around it. She didn't want to be a doll for their entertainment though she knew wants and needs didn't matter. Every sensual curve of her body accentuated with every dip, twirl, and spin. Her only prerogative was to dance until they were satisfied. Even if she could feel calluses begin to form on her palms and sweat drip down her temple making her skin shine in the darkness.

The two laughed as Ari stripped her clothes and started dancing like a professional around the pole. Every twist and turn was commanded inside the depths of her mind, push and pulling like the moon tugged on the waves. The white haired man took his shirt off, drunkenly dancing her way as well. His sister was two steps behind, hips swaying. She pushed Ari forward where her palms landed against her brother's chest. Grinning, he caught Ari's chin, leaning forward to attempt to press his lips against hers while his sister tilted her head, mouth open to sink her teeth into her neck.

Everything moved in slow motion. The multi colored lights flickering all around, in between the blinks of light was darkness. Before the white haired man's lips or his sister's teeth could touch Ari, the door flew from its hinges. Riding on top of it like a surfboard was Alaric, his tail coat whipping around as he went up into the air. He came down, the edge of the door hitting the woman in her back. She flew to the side, catching herself by digging her long nails into the wall. Chunks of plaster flew upwards, raining down like warm snow drops. Immediately her brother threw Ari and charged forward, grabbing Alaric by the shoulders.

Alaric bared his teeth as he was lifted into the air and slammed back down.