Slave Trade - Paid in Full
Slave Trade
Paid in Full
copyright 2012
comidacomida
Despite Sidney's preoccupation with Lord Hector's command, the day passed much the same as the previous one. The slaves, led by Maern, went through their warm up exercises and continued to practice stances. Much to the fox's mixed-approval, the stallion also added some more components to the exercise including what looked like a series of punches and elbows. Sidney was pleased that they were learning how to fight but, at the same time, he was worried that they would have the need in far too short a time.
The gladiators-to-be did not practice in the middle of nowhere; even though the stables were not exactly on the main walkway through the estate they were still within view of the courtyard. A good number of passersby stopped to watch the training and the extra attention did not do much to ease Sidney's concerns. More than once, the fox could have sworn that he even saw some other slaves stop and gawk--- whether it was because they were curious, jealous, or sympathetic, he didn't know.
Despite the focus the fox gave to the day's events, he remained horribly distracted. Several times Dorias had to repeat himself when providing Sidney an update on the next project Maern had prepare for them. Each time, the Slave Master would acknowledge the plan and restate that he trusted in the stallion's choice of activities. In truth, however, he remained very insecure about the limited time they had to prepare. Moreover, however, as the sun began to set, Sidney realized that he had more immediate concerns-- dinner... and then the work shed.
As he and the other slaves sat around the fire Uraou and Choel returned to their good-natured jabs at one another, but Sidney barely registered it; he told them to stop only once the bear started backhanding the tiger on the shoulder repeatedly. It was at that time that his preoccupation finally drew attention.
"You've barely said a word all day, Slave Masta." Uraou spoke up, tussling the fur atop Choel's head before leaving the tiger alone, "What's the matta?"
Sidney shrugged and set his mostly-full bowl down next to the fire, "Everyone's going to get ready for bed, but I still have things to take care of." his answer was simple and honest, if lacking information. The bear pressed him further.
"More?" Uraou's rounded ears rose up in curiosity, "It's dark out... what more ken anyone ask done afte' the sun sets?"
Something about the question drew the fox's ire, "I have more responsibilities than just watching over your training." Sidney had been told many times by many people that they had no faith in him being aggressive or intimidating, but he was surprised at his own tone. He cleared his throat as he stood up, "Lord Hector asked for me personally."
"We can show ourselves to bed." Choel offered, "It's not a problem."
Sidney nodded, "Dorias and Uraou, you can clean up after dinner then go to bed." he turned to Maern, "Maern... bed."
The stallion nodded, "Good nite, Sid-ney." and with no other comment, Maern stood up and headed to his stall.
"Do you want me to wait up for you, Sir?" Choel's grin was as wide as his head.
"No, Choel..." Sidney's voice cracked, though whether it was from hesitance, or for having been given a good reason to not be as distraught about the work shed, he didn't know, "I need you and Tharis to come with me."
The tiger stood obediently, "Yes, sir." and, with that, Sidney exited the stables with the tiger in tow; he received several inquisitive looks from his slaves, but he was not pressed with questions. Tharis followed last, closing the door securely behind the three of them. Sidney started off toward the work shed, but the sound of the large bull clearing his throat caught the fox's attention, and he looked back.
"Here." the bull stated with no great ceremony, dangling the end of his lead in front of the fox's face.
Sidney did well to hide his blush, and quickly grabbed the leather loop at the end of the golden chain. With lead firmly gripped, the fox started off toward the work shed, shadowed by Choel and followed by Tharis. They crossed the courtyard at a leisurely but purposeful pace; even though Sidney was not at all eager to arrive at their destination, his master had ordered it of him, and the fox was not about to go against the word of Lord Hector.
The tiger walked beside him, languidly keeping pace step-per-step, seemingly oblivious to Sidney's inner-turmoil. The bull, on the other hand, trailed behind, taking one large step for every two of Sidney's, yet having little issue with matching the fox's speed... and, based on Tharis' steady, forcefully-calm breaths, the slave master had an inkling that the bull knew where they were headed.
"So where ARE we going?" Choel questioned once they were a good distance from the stables.
The cold night air provided Sidney a moment of clarity as a cool breeze swept over him. He let out a breath, and answered in as calm a tone he could muster, "Slaves aren't supposed to ask questions, Choel."
"Ah..." he heard the tiger's tail thwap against the ground audibly, "Okay then..." the restless slave clacked his teeth together twice before adding, "...behaving then, like a good slave, I guess." and he remained quiet thereafter. Sidney was surprised how well the simple comment worked.
Sidney stopped only once they came to the door of the work shed, and gingerly reached up with his free paw to tap lightly at the door... but there was no answer.
"Lord Hector." Tharis rumbled behind him.
The fox jumped with a start, spinning to look at the white stag gazing at him from only a few paces away; Sidney wondered if he'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed his Master standing there? He realized his newest mistake a moment later when he felt a tug from the leather strap in his paw. "Sorry!" Sidney gasped, realizing that his movement had yanked at Tharis' nose ring. The bull readjusted the metal in his nose, but said nothing in response.
"Ahem." Lord Hector cleared his throat, immediately commandeering Sidney's full attention.
"Good evening, Master." Sidney went into a deep, deep bow, though he was careful not to yank Tharis' head down with him in the process.
"Master." Choel went immediately to his knees, pressing his forehead to the grass; Sidney felt a moment of relief over the tiger's response, but it did not last long as he saw Tharis' simple head-tilt to the stag. He was about to give a gentle tug on the bull's lead, but Lord Hector seemed content to let the poor acknowledgment pass.
"Tharis." the stag spoke up, regarding the bull. Sidney placed the slave's lead into his Master's waiting hand the moment Lord Hector motioned for it.
Tharis met his gaze, "Master." he acknowledged simply.
Sidney felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up at the complete lack of servitude from the bull, but he was simultaneously surprised at the lack of reproach from their Master. Lord Hector turned to Choel, "Stand up." he ordered, and the tiger complied immediately. "Now look at me." he directed. The slave's eyes rose as ordered, and the two met one anothers' gaze. The stag remained staring at Choel, who looked straight back, and they remained that way for longer than Sidney could bare to count... until Choel finally looked away.
"You wish to be gladiator, is that not true, Choel?" Lord Hector questioned.
"Yes, Master." the tiger acknowledged.
"Look to Tharis." the stag directed. Choel did as he was ordered. The two matched gazes and, almost immediately, the tiger looked away. Sidney certainly didn't blame him. "Is Tharis your Master, Choel?"
"No, Master." the tiger answered immediately.
"I didn't tell you to look away." Lord Hector stated, continuing to face the two as he waved Sidney away from the door. The stag unlocked the work shed and ushered the fox in as the two slaves matched gazes again. A few moments later, Choel's stare faltered again and he looked away.
"Are you unwilling to follow my orders, Choel?" Lord Hector questioned.
"No, Master," the tiger responded without pause, "I am yours."
"Then why are you not continuing to meet his gaze?" the stag asked casually, then looked straight at Sidney, who shrank back slightly at the attention, "Did I not tell Choel to look at Tharis, Sidney?"
"You did, Master." the fox nodded, quickly lowering his eyes so he could stare at the stag's chest instead of his face. Sidney admired the smooth, chiseled features of his Master's perfectly formed body, and the way that his tunic clung so enticingly to--
"Choel!" Lord Hector's voice came out almost like a bark, snapping Sidney out of his momentary fantasy, "Meet Tharis' gaze until I tell you to stop." the order came out slowly, clearly, and with a level of tempo-perfect enunciation that there was no way any slave would have confused it for anything less than an order that would be followed on penalty of death.
Sidney gazed out the open door at the tiger, who practically squirmed in place to maintain his stare at Tharis, who remained as disinterested as always, save for the piercing, will-wavering gaze he returned to Choel. The feline ultimately started shaking, appearing on all counts to be acting as if he'd just ran for miles overburdened with weights. The situation confused the fox; was Choel exhausted by just standing there?
"We are done." Lord Hector stated, "Come inside."
Choel let out a gasp as if he'd been holding his breath, and then fell to his knees, "Yes, Master." he murmured.
The stag led Tharis into the work shed, moving past Sidney, who remained staring out at the tiger, who slowly picked himself up off the ground. Choel murmured to himself as he passed Sidney, walking into the small building last, "Close the door please, Sidney." Lord Hector requested, and the fox complied immediately. Sidney turned back in time to see his master's outstretched arm offering him Tharis' lead; the fox accepted it immediately.
Lord Hector slowly went around the room, lighting candles to provide light in the otherwise dark building. The structure was the same as the previous times Sidney had visited, except it felt significantly smaller with four bodies present. Only once all of the candles were lit did the stag come back to join the slaves and, when he did, all sense of emotion had left his face, "Why did you have such trouble following my orders, Choel?" the question was simple and without reproach; for some unexplained reason it made Sidney fear the discussion more than if his master had been angry.
"I..." the tiger paused, searching the floor with his eyes. The insides of the tiger's ears were reddened, as was the pinkish flesh around his nose; Sidney knew embarrassment well enough to tell that Choel was not pleased with his own performance, "It... it was hard to do, Master... like looking at the sun... or meeting your gaze... Master."
"And why is that, Choel?" Lord Hector asked, glancing to Sidney. The stag placed a small metal box on the table next to him, and then motioned to it.
The tiger's eyes went to the box for a moment then obediently back to the floor, "I don't know, Master." Choel admitted.
"It is because Tharis is trained how to defeat an opponent without even drawing a weapon." Lord Hector announced. It might have been Sidney's imagination, but he thought he saw the bull stand just a little taller at that. "Tharis was, at one time, in line for a title within the Prossian Gladiator Arena." and, at that, the stag took a seat in the room's single padded armchair, "And there are certain skills that one does not forget." a faint smirk appeared at the edge of Lord Hector's muzzle.
"Yes, Master." Choel acknowledged neutrally.
"Sidney... if you please." Lord Hector addressed the fox, who obediently picked up the metal box, and presented it to the stag. His master flicked his fingers in silent direction and Sidney, understanding the order, opened the box. Even with it facing away from him, the fox had no doubt what the container held, and, as the stag withdrew the metal ring, Sidney fought to avoid squirming.
"You have many things to learn about becoming a gladiator, Choel." Lord Hector examined the ring casually as he spoke, running one finger over each of the several emeralds that adorned it, "A willful gaze like Tharis' does not come without a great amount of study and many years of practice... isn't that right, Tharis?"
The bull grunted in what Sidney took to be an affirmative tone; Tharis' bearing was far from the disinterested disassociation the fox recalled from the first time he'd seen him in the work shed. Despite the fact that he held the end of the slave's lead, to any observer, Sidney had no doubt that it would appear more likely that the fox was being led by the bull and not the other way around.
"Now..." the stag crossed his hands in his lap, the ring resting on the back of his topmost hand, "Tell me about this agreement you've made with Sidney."
Sidney managed to avoid choking on his own tongue. If Choel was the least bit reserved about discussing it, he didn't let it show; the tiger started right in on it. "Sidney is still learning how to be a Slave Master and I offered to help him if he showed me something he WAS good at... I wanted to see how good a sex slave really is." and he added quickly, "Master."
Lord Hector didn't even blink, "And how are you helping him to be a good Slave Master, Choel?"
"I am being an ideal Slave for him, Master." the tiger answered.
"As opposed to...?"
The open-ended nature of the question, combined with the suddenly-stoic expression on the stag's muzzle revealed to Sidney that the question was not one that would be easily answered to their Master's satisfaction. Any slave knew that there was no acceptable way of being other than ideal. The expression of understanding mixed with fear suddenly played itself across the tiger's muzzle, "That was a question, Choel." Lord Hector added.
Sidney watched a moment of sudden inspiration flash within the tiger's eyes, "As opposed to testing his resolve and competence, Master." he offered up.
"Why would you feel the need to test his resolve and confidence, Choel?" Lord Hector's questions were unrelenting. The tiger squirmed beneath the interrogation, "To make certain he was worthy of the position, Master." his answer sounded uncertain.
"My decree is not good enough?"
Choel fell to his knees and pressed his forehead against the wooden boards of the floor, "I only wanted to help, Master."
"From where I sit, it looks like you were hoping to take advantage of the kindness of your Slave Master." Lord Hector replied, "I assume you aren't used to seeing kindness in Slave Masters... is that the case, Choel?"
"Yes, Master." the tiger spoke into the floor, "Slave Masters are not kind."
"Then you do not approve of having Sidney as your Slave Master?" Lord Hector questioned, "Should I return you to Wragol?"
"No, Master." the words were immediate and, despite the fact that Sidney knew that it was more a dislike of Wragol than a like for him, the fox somehow felt a moment of pride at the tiger's announced preference.
"Very well then." the stag nodded, "You will remain in Sidney's stables."
"Yes, Master." Choel continued to remain where he was, "Thank you, Master."
Lord Hector began casually rolling the ring along the backs of his fingers, "And I trust your behavior under his guidance will be based on how well he followed through with his side of the bargain?"
Choel nodded against the floor, "Yes, Master."
"And your time with him was... acceptable?" the way the stag spoke the final word sent a shiver up Sidney's spine, "How did you judge his level of success?"
"I..." the tiger faltered slightly, "I uh... came several times."
"So... you would say that he was successful because he brought you to orgasm more than once?" Lord Hector inquired casually.
"Yes, Master." Choel confirmed.
"And, as such, you would rate your number of ejaculations to be worthy of excellent service to him?" the ring stopped its trip across his fingers, caught between his index finger and thumb, "I assume the more times you found release the better you planned to exemplify what it means to be a good slave?"
"Uh... I..." the tiger paused, "Yes, Master... that's right, I guess."
"Excellent." the stag announced, standing up suddenly with the word. Sidney gaped when Lord Hector's outstretched hand sent the ring flying toward him, "We will see to it that you are the most dedicated slave to ever have existed..." The fox's heart sank the moment his fingers closed around the ring; there was no doubt in Sidney's mind as to what was coming. "Tharis... you will help Sidney tonight."
The bull's ears went up at that; Tharis seemed obviously surprised. Choel, who remained on the ground, glanced back at the bull and then to Sidney, a questioning expression on his muzzle. The fox had no explanation for him-- the tiger would find out soon enough. "Yes, Master." Tharis acknowledged, and moved over to rotate and raise the Sardassi.
Sidney shivered the moment he saw the device, but his attention didn't remain there for long. The large bull standing next to the Sardassi suddenly became the focus of his gaze; the faint, glowing lines that Sidney had seen on Tharis the other night had suddenly come back. The trails of light emerging from the bull's body were of a consistent thickness and luminescence from start to finish, but they were not straight lines in the traditional sense-- they appeared to follow his musculature from his wrists to his shoulders.
The ring within Sidney's grasp suddenly gained his attention by tickling his palm. Looking down, he saw a faint aura of green light leaking out between the cracks in his fingers; it was the same hue as the strange energy emerging from the bull... and emanating off of the shackles on the Sardassi itself.
"Stand up, Choel." Lord Hector announced, immediately reclaiming Sidney's attention. The fox turned to regard his Master, who had sat back down in his armchair. The tiger got to his feet obediently, at which point the stag looked to Sidney, "Lead him to the Sardassi and get him ready, Sidney."
"Yes, Master." the fox acknowledged. Choel looked quizzically to him, but was keen-minded enough not to ask any questions... not that Sidney would have answered them at that point.
The Slave Master led his charge over to the artifact, mindful to keep himself as far from it as possible. Choel didn't put up a fight, doing as he was directed and laying back against the stone slab. Sidney felt the soft vibration of the tiger's purring, and saw one of Choel's vibrant green eyes wink at him, licking his lips for good measure. Upon doing a double-take, however, Sidney realized that the slave wasn't even looking at him, and he cursed the experience as an affect of the ring.
Tharis casually took hold of one of Choel's arms, "Be careful, Tharis," Sidney spoke up, "He's still healing." The bull nodded mutely at that and pressed the tiger's wrist to the metal clasp on the device. Choel jumped in surprise when the Sardassi secured his arm in place, and did so again when Tharis secured his second one while the tiger was distracted by the first manicle. "Good." the fox nodded once he saw that the movements hadn't caused any pain to Choel, "Thank you, Tharis." The bull snorted in response, and began tending to Choel's feet.
"The best thing you can do is relax." Sidney stated and, for a moment, he almost found the humor in the statement as he recalled having heard those exact lines any number of times before he had a penis pushed into him. The only response he got from Choel, however, were perked ears and a questioning glance. The tiger's ears rose even higher as Sidney began to remove Choel's loin cloth.
"How successful were you last night, Sidney?" Lord Hector questioned, tipping a decanter of an amber-colored drink into a chalice, "How many times?"
"Five, Master." Sidney answered, pulling Choel's loin cloth free of him; the fox was surprised to see that the tiger was already very, VERY erect.
The stag nodded in thought, "We're going to double that, tonight."
"Double?" Choel questioned Sidney, the word coming out half-suspense and half-eager. The fox didn't address the question, choosing instead to be rid of the ring by allocating it as directed. Holding onto the tiger's flesh, he quickly pushing the metal loop into place, no longer surprised as it sized itself perfectly, sliding effortlessly down to the base of Choel's member. The tiger responded with a simple, "W-w-woah...", a faint greenish glow sparking in his pupils as his eyes went wide.
"Turn it to the first setting, Sidney." Lord Hector directed, taking a sip of his drink as he reclined in his reading chair.
"Yes, Master." the fox acknowledged, moving away from the tiger, who growled lightly after him, nipping the air and whispering promises of things he'd do to, with, and for Sidney if he climbed into his lap. The slave master did his best to ignore the Sardassi-induced comments, but his tail bristled slightly at some of the suggestions-- he wondered for a just a moment if Choel had been holding back during their night together.
Sidney's mind was snapped back to the here-and-now the moment he pressed the first button. The tigers yowl was insistent and immediate, and the fox barely had a chance to move to the side before several thick blasts of semen nearly struck him in the side of the face; he hadn't even realized that he'd been leaning over Choel's groin to activate the device.
"Hm." the stag noted thickly, "He will make a very good breeding slave if he performs well in the ring." but, other than that most-basic assessment, Lord Hector remained quiet. A few seconds later, the Sardassi started its cycle in earnest... and that silence was immediately broken by Choel.
The tiger arched his back, snarling like a feral beast as crackling lines of jade-colored lightning created arcs across his body. He screamed, but his cry was quickly drowned out by the electrical hum of energy replacing the sound of Choel's voice, and tears began to stream down the tiger's face.
"His arms, Master." Sidney spoke up, motioning to both of the tiger's shoulders twisted at odd angles. The fox grimaced, inching away when he realized that the Sardassi's jolts of energy forced Choel's bones out of joint again.
Lord Hector said simply, "Tharis." and the bull clamped his huge ham fists on either side of the tiger's neck, and, with a single, purposeful thrust downward, Choel's bones popped back into place; Sidney nearly passed out at the sound-- Choel did entirely.
Tharis sighed and shook his head. Wondering at the bull's reaction, Sidney jumped in surprise as the Sardassi blasted out a surge of reddish energy into Choel, creating spider-webbing balls of lightning that crept their way spray across the tiger's body, sparking out reddish motes of energy amidst the smoke and steam that waffed off of him. The shock had pushed Choel back into consciousness with a painful scream. Sidney looked away, unable to watch any further... but Choel's low, full-chested moan drew his gaze back.
The fox stared in amazement as he saw arcs of lightning reminiscent of fingers 'scratching' their way across the tiger's shoulders. Everywhere a jag of electricity struck the muscles beneath Choel's hide rippled and squirmed as if he were infested with enormous worms seeking an escape. The imagery neary made the slave master gag, but he was transfixed, watching in surprise as the muscles slowly settled down and smoothed over; unless Sidney was mistaken, he was almost convinced that the Sardassi had healed Choel's injured shoulders. He lost any chance of focusing on it when the tiger was driven into his second orgasm.
Choel roared through the entire release, wheezing at the end as the flow from his member trickled down to nothing, and the Sardassi began to slow its energy output. The tiger went limp in his restraints, gasping for air as thin rivulets of saliva began to escape his muzzle, "Sid--" he began, his voice a soft croak, "Slave Master..." he murmured, "I... I'm ready... let me... let me inside you..." his tone gained in volume until he was almost growling, and the tiger suddenly lunged forward, but his restraints held firm. In fact, they responded in kind.
The slave screamed, so much energy flowing through him that Sidney could have sworn he was almost able to see an outline of the tiger's skeleton amidst the flashing blast of green light. The fox took another step back as the metal clasps burst into life, becoming the burning-yet-freezing loops of tangible energy he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried.
Choel's cries became undecipherable at that point, seemingly speaking in tongues as he pulled against the restraints. Sidney attempted to calm him, telling him that he should relax and it wouldn't hurt as much, but the fox's voice only seemed to drive the tiger into more of a frenzy. It wasn't until Sidney, in a fit of helplessness, shouted, "Choel! Stop struggling; that's an ORDER!"; the tiger immediately went slack... all except for his erection, which began twitching uncontrollably.
Sidney took a step closer, but timed his movement poorly, having just enough warning to close his eyes as the tiger unloaded for a third time, jet after jet of sticky fluid spraying all over the fox's face. The slave master fell back, blinking several times before he was certain he didn't get anything in his eyes. "Always be mindful of events around you, Sidney." Lord Hector's calm voice spoke from somewhere behind him.
"Yes, Master..." Sidney acknowledged, slowly standing back up, "sorry, Master."
The ministrations of the Sardassi continued to be unkind, working Choel with increasing tenacity as the tiger worked to remain as still as possible. Despite the slave's best efforts, however, his willpower finally began to flag, and his hips quivered through his fourth orgasm and, by the time the device had coaxed a fifth from him, he was panting, desperately squirming as it began working on his sixth.
"The Sardassi is a very tenacious artifact, Choel." Lord Hector noted, refilling his now-empty glass, "You'll find that Sidney will be able to use it to great effect if you so desire." he took a sip from his newly filled glass, "We did say ten... did we not?"
A spark of fear lit up the tiger's eyes before he closed them in pain; the Sardassi's cycle was starting up again, and it was all the slave could do to keep his hips from violently thrusting out against the ring's vibrating presence. As if fighting to find his own voice, Choel whimpered out, "Yes, Master." Sidney couldn't decide whether he heard fear or anticipation more clearly in the response.
* * * * * *
It was past midnight by the time the Sardassi had coaxed the last, agonizing release from Choel. After the seventh, Lord Hector had Sidney increase the machine to its second level, and the response was instantaneous. For the tenth, Choel was subjected to the third level. The tiger shuddered through his final orgasm, wincing as the device clenched his testicles in an electrical grip, forcing him to surrender contents he didn't truly have. Sidney's teeth were set on edge when he saw that the still-copious amounts of ejaculate were tinged with red.
"You may release him." Lord Hector noted, turning away from the events; Sidney realized the stag's tender heart had apparently lost its will to bear witness to the tiger's plight.
The fox was all to happy to speak "Sardassi'en ee'nu." to the device. Tharis grabbed hold of the barely coherent tiger before he could collapse into a pile of immobile flesh; Sidney didn't miss the fact that Choel's member was still rock hard-- he compassionately removed the ring, and the flesh deflated immediately, quickly gaining an unpleasant-looking purpose as it did so. Sidney shuddered anew.
"Make certain he is given a lot of water before he's put to bed." Lord Hector announced, picking up his decanter and his drinking glass, "He will need rest... and more water in the morning."
"Yes, Master." Sidney acknowledged.
The stag moved to the door then paused, glancing over his shoulder, "And Sidney--"
The fox looked up from the limp tiger immediately, "Yes, Master?"
His master locked gazes with him, "If he is not well behaved remind him of your deal."
"Yes, Master." Sidney quickly looked away from the hypnotizing eyes.
"Let him know that we can always renew your agreement... if he is not behaving well then he obviously needs more..." Lord Hector's gaze fluttered over to the Sardassi for just a moment, "...incentive." The stag left, leaving the fox to shudder in revulsion at the thought... but moreso at the thought that somewhere deep down a small part of him enjoyed the prospect of another performance.
Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Sidney turned back to Tharis, who had a towel in one hand and was holding a semi-conscious Choel up with the other. The fox took the towel from the bull, who surrendered it without objection. The slave master began cleaning off Choel, making certain to be through, but his task was halted when he reached the tiger's groin. The slave let out a pitiful whimper the moment the cloth so much as rubbed against his sheath and testicles; Sidney revised his plan and decided he'd remind Choel to wash in the morning. He glanced to Tharis, who was staring at him.
"Huh?" the fox questioned, wondering if he'd missed a comment from the bull. Tharis took a clean towel and blotted out Sidney's vision, covering the fox's head with the palm of his hand. The bull rubbed the cloth against the Slave Master's fur vigorously, and the scent of Choel's fluids suddenly regained its strength. "Oh... right." Sidney blushed, and realized he'd have to clean himself up as well.
He took the towel from Tharis and gave his fur another once-over, then began focusing on the work shed itself; it was not going to be an easy clean. Taking it upon himself to tidy up, he directed the bull to keep any eye on Choel, and to give him water whenever he appeared coherent enough to be able to drink it without choking... which he did, as often as not. Finally, Sidney folded the last towel and glanced to the bull, who was seated on the table with a passed-out tiger in his lap.
"Done?" Tharis questioned. Upon a nod from the fox, the bull hefted Choel up and onto his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of grain with no effort at all.
"I guess we go back to the stables." Sidney offered, glancing around the interior of the work shed with a critical eye; he was pleased with the cleaning he had done. The Slave Master left the building content to know that, if nothing else, he was able to be pleased knowing that his Master would approve of the cleaning job. He also hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with the Sardassi again any time in the near future.
So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Sidney jumped in surprise when he felt a loop of leather press up against his palm. Reflexively grabbing, the fox took hold of Tharis' lead. He glanced to the bull, who was looking straight forward, eyes on the stables across the way from them. They walked several more steps before Tharis spoke up, "You like it."
"Huh?" Sidney came to a halt.
"The Sardassi." Tharis clarified, turning to gaze down at the fox. Sidney was instantly able to appreciate the difficulty Choel had suffered when trying to meet his stare; he looked away immediately.
the fox's muzzle scrunched up in revulsion, "It's a horrible thing... it's... it's..."
"It is life." Tharis snorted, "...for me."
The ichor left Sidney's tone immediately, "I... mean..."
"You like watching it." Tharis reiterated.
"It's gruesome..." the fox felt his body tingle at remembering the way Choel writhed on it, his supple, masculine form moving needfully, beyond the tiger's control. The fox shook his head, and started walking toward the stables again.
"and?" the bull pressed, following easily with his long gait.
"I've been in it before." Sidney objected, "It hurts... it's horrific... it's agonizing... you hallucinate... and it makes you lose all control..."
"and?" Tharis repeated himself.
"...and I can't stand it." the fox murmured.
"You will use it again." the bull spoke.
Sidney surrendered to the inevitable with a long sigh, "I know..."
"...on me." Tharis added.
The comment made Sidney stop in his tracks. He turned to gaze at the bull in disbelief, as if Tharis had just informed him that he expected to die at the fox's hands some day, "I--" the Slave Master stutter-started, then came up with the first objection he could think of, "What about Finneas?" The bull shrugged without comment at the inquiry. "That's horrible!" Sidney gaped.
"That is life." Tharis countered.
"But... Finneas has more experience." the fox grasped at the only objection he could think of, "He'd do a better job!"
The bull glanced down at him for just a moment before looking away. Tharis continued walking again, speaking in a surprisingly quiet voice for such an immense slave. His words were so quiet, in fact, that anyone without Sidney's astute hearing would not have heard him say, "I do not agree."