The Manor

[Aela Talith]

The mansion was different. It was big, it was foreboding, and it was titanic.

It reminded Rett almost immediately of the Palace that he had served in for the past eighty years, except the differences were obvious. Where that had been a palace hidden away on the edge of a city within a desert, this was different. It was a mountain top fortress of luxury shied away miles away from the main population sector of Terminus.

The manor was found among trees and open fields, the very picture of nobility, the kind of summer home that a Queen might have, the kind of home that only a lady of Noble descent would dare to live in. These were the thoughts that occurred to Rett, that punctures in his mind and stuck with him more than anything else as he came upon the Manor.

It managed to be more ornate, more homely, but also more royal than the palace.

There was a bite in his stomach, a bit of bile that gripped him. He wasn't sure why, he wasn't sure why he felt fear towards the manor, why he was scared. He frowned slightly, the tips of his lekku curling in trepidation. He looked back towards Thalia and Enos.

They had directed him ahead of them, told him to look about the Manor grounds before they introduced him to the rest of the staff. That was what he was trying to do, but he...he couldn't. There was too much pressure, too much fear. He could stumble onto something unseemly, find a room or a chamber Thalia wanted to keep hidden, and it would be his downfall all over again.

Everything would go back to the way it was.

He couldn't do that again.

 

[Louise]

“Gardens, he likes gardens,” she said slowly, surely, perfectly plucked brow furrowing as she spoke. The latest addition to her staff had not exactly not been a chatterbox. No, he had been frightened and weary, perfectly understandable and wise but not fruitful for the intentions of Thalia Gorsceux.

“I believe there is a room available within the guard's quarters that affords quite a view of the estate, Madame,” came the ever-prompt reply of Enos.

They stood many paces behind her latest acquisition, and more importantly out of earshot. A niggle within the anzat's mind reminded her that she had not fed since they left the slave markets. Caught somewhere between a hunger and a craving, a necessity and an addiction, was it sustenance? Or a drug. Anzat were capable of surviving without their soup, there had even been a Jedi that prided himself upon never having tasted it, well, that was until he did.

Those iconic brown robes were promptly thrown out of the window not long after. It's not healthy to repress one's natural instincts. She was a predator species, and predators had to feed.

“We will have them train in the gardens, see if he will find any ease there.”

“I shall have landscapers organised immediately.”

The woman offered her advisor a small smirk, he knew that there were to be no expenses spared in her hunger games. Why have money if you're not willing to spend it? Enos immediately rushed off, there was work to be done after all and he was nothing if not a fantastic personal advisor, assistant and confidant.

Catching the look of trepidation upon Rett's face as he look backwards the anzat quickened her pace as to catch up to him, her heels clicking so satisfyingly as she did so.

“Are you alright, [member="Rett"]?” she asked softly, yet firmly.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

He looked worried for a moment more, the sound of her words biting into his skull and causing him to jump slightly, his skin crawling from the sound of her voice. Goosebumps skipped over his flesh stripping at him and biting slightly. He frowned, his lips rubbing against sharp pointed teeth that had never been looked at by any sort of medical professional.

The points cause him to bleed slightly, though he ignored it as Thalia got close.

“It is overwhelming.” Rett lied. “This place. It is far more open then the Palace.”

He could handle the openness of the place, he could handle the way it was different and that it changed. He simply did not want to tell the truth. That he was worried about getting caught, that he was worried about getting whipped and sent back to the slave cages, that he was worried about having to suffer through the first twenty eight years of his life again.

Rett had tasted hope.

He wasn't ready to give it up again.

After Enos had left him Rett had used the refreshers on the ship. He had cleaned himself for the first time in his life and he had found he liked it. He liked being clean. It gave him a sense of himself, a new sense. He had seen in the reflective surface in the bathroom what he looked like for the first time. For the first time Rett had seen his lethan skin, the real tint and color of it.

He had enjoyed it.

That sight had brought him hope. It had given him the inkling that maybe, just maybe, Thalia and Enos were telling the truth, that maybe he was to have a better life, that maybe he would get what he deserved, finally.

“I'm used to more...enclosed spaces.” Again he lied, the Palace had been relatively open, though not as green. Still, he hoped he sounded convincing.

 

[Louise]

Overwhelming?

Without prior knowledge of his previous home Thalia had to be left presuming that the twi'lek's last place of residence was rather on the cramped side, well at least from the standpoint of a slave. Of course, then he confirmed that fact in saying he was more used to enclosed spaces.

Poor thing.

“I like open space, [member="Rett"],” she said, attempting to shift this nervous pitter-patter into more of a conversation, “large doors and windows that let the light flood in. There are no dank little dungeons to be found here, no, I would not have it. One is not to feel oppressed here.”

Another mild hunger pang, and a slight frown flickered upon her face for just a fraction. Patience, she could wait. She looked to Rett's yellow eyes with her own emerald green, half still trying to fathom the creature and the other half still trying to pacify his fears. It was never going to be easy to extinguish twenty-eight years of hatred and fear.

“Would you like me to give you a tour of the estate?”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

He bristled.

What kind of Mistress was she?

Clearly she did not intend to be cruel, at least not yet. Did she want him to let down his guard first? Did she want him to be friends with her so that her betrayal would sting all the more? His sharp pointed teeth punctured his inner lip again, letting a small amount of blood drip onto his tongue. Rett looked to Thalia, and then back at the house.

Denying her could set off her rage.

No.

Best to stay on her good side. He nodded to himself, as if making a quick decision regarding what he should do now, what he had to do in order to keep her happy. Plus this would be a good way to see the estate, to document in his head where he could escape from, what paths there were. He already knew they were close to a city.

He could disappear there.

“Please.” He said finally, giving a bow that seemed to be very practiced, and very rigid.

 

[Louise]

His stiff bow sent her brow furrowing beyond belief, it was an expression of mild annoyance, but also a degree of amusement. “Rett, would you mind easing up? I'm not going to eat you.”

Let's all take a moment to laugh at that statement. Are you ready? Ah ho ho ho. As the great Jedi brick wall of emotion Hal Terrano would say, LAUGHTER INTENSIFIES.

“You do not need to bow to anybody, not even me. I am not royalty, [member="Rett"], I am your employer. This manor may be imposing and beautiful but I do not have such illusions of grandiosity that you need ever bow,” Thalia took a pause for breath, being sure to hold unwavering eye contact through her clarification before her face broke into a small smile. “Now, shall we begin?”

Without further ado she strode forward, up the granite steps and through the large main doors. No technology here, no great whooshing for the doors to slide apart. No, great thick wood that took quite a pushing to open revealed to them the lobby and main hair.

High ceilings and a grand chandelier. More wood, fine wooden flooring, with warm hand-carved panelling on the walls complemented by a simple royal blue wallpapered finish. It was a far cry from the modern cityscape of Terminus, the cold unfeeling apartments of gunmetal grey and surgical steel. The lobby greeted you with warmth. Not too overly saturated with decorations either, a couple of paintings, all framed with the same ornate gold faire and a single white marble bust of a figure that Rett would have no way of recognising.

“This is the main hall,” she stated with a flourish of her gloved hand, “and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

The first thing he noticed was the smell.

It smelled different.

It was a smell that he couldn't really identify, one that stuck in his nose and permeated through his mouth, giving him an almost pleasant taste.

Rett didn't like it.

He frowned slightly as they entered the main hall, her words about bowing still very much in his head. That had caught him by surprise, more so than her words about eating him. No bowing? That was simply against everything he had been taught. You always bowed to your betters, always bowed to those who stood above you in station, and while he may have no been technically more free, Thalia was still very much his better.

He knew that.

He would always know that. She was a lady of some sort, even if she denied it she had some air about her that equated to royalty or majesty. She was in charge, and she very well knew it. His eyes dropped away from her and to the floor, fine wood that cost more money than Rett had ever seen.

“Who is that?” Rett asked spotting the marble bust.

Please her. Rett thought. Ask questions.

 

[Louise]

“That is my grandmother,” she responded quietly, sparing a fond glance towards the marble bust, “I had it commissioned upon her death.” Of course, the circumstances of dear old granny's death was kept off the table, she went how most elder anzati went. Dying for the hunt. As time goes on for a species so addicted to their soup, the older one gets the harder it is to satisfy one's urges.

You want a bigger, grander feast.

A Jedi, or a Sith. Sometimes you kill them, and sometimes they kill you. By the time her bucket was kicked the woman was well over a thousand, she had lived her life and she had lived it well. The stories she had been told of her grandmother's wicked ways and wiles as a child had enchanted her. The modest statue did well to capture the anzat in her prime. One could catch the resemblance between the two but the bust held none of Thalia's physical innocence.

“Thank you for noticing,” the woman said with a warmer smile than previously held.

Then they were on the move once more, onto the dining room. The décor didn't shift further remaining wooden with the same royal blue wallpaper. The main feature of the dining room had to be the excessively long dining table, which was currently being polished by a young woman.

“Good afternoon, Sara,” Thalia announced as she came click click clicking into the room. She knew their names, all of them. They were valued after all, weren't they.

The girl looked up, revealing a face half-scarred looking as if it had been burnt, whether by fire or by chemical was up in the air, neither you or I are well versed in dermatology. However, upon laying her eyes upon Thalia a small polite smile came to her tarnished features. “Good afternoon, Madame.”

A gloved hand indicated to [member="Rett"] who stood just a fraction behind her, “This is Rett, he is to be the latest addition to my guard. I'm sure that you will make him feel very welcome here.”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Sara stared at Rett for a few moments, then gave him the same hello that she had offered to Thalia. Rett looked at her uneasily.

This one was no threat.

That was the assessment that immediately came to mind when he looked at the girl. A harsh thought, but one that had been beaten and trained in to him. That of course didn't mean that Sara couldn't be putting on airs, but from her meekness and the way she carried herself Sara seemed to be genuine, standing there and expecting to be struck.

He frowned slightly, looking to Thalia.

It didn't appear that she was expecting Thalia to harm her, simply that she had been mistreated in the past, like he had been.

“Hello, Sara.” He forced himself to say her name, pushing the syllables past her lips. The servant smiled at him, giving him a thankful nod before quickly scurrying away. Perhaps that one could be useful in trying to get out of here, she seemed to know the manor well. Rett reminded himself that no one could be trusted, then turned to Thalia expectantly.

There was more to be seen.

 

[Louise]

As soon as the young woman was gone, Thalia turned to the twi'lek and remarked, “Sara was the latest addition to my staff, well, until you, of course.” There was a pause, a moment for the anzat's gaze to become distant and concerned. “Remarkable girl, she has been to Chaos and back and can still bring a genuine smile to her face.”

There was a frown, a moment of concern.

“I do not expect my employees to be happy and to smile everywhere they go, I will never force that upon you, you should know that, Rett. You have all come from horrific backgrounds that I can scarcely fathom, you will find peace when you find peace, I only hope to help you there.”

A green eye turned to the dining table, observing the reflection of the high ceiling that it offered (being so well cleaned after all, you go Sara). It reminded her. Food. Not just of her own personal life-essence cravings but in a stomach fulfilling sense too.

“I do not suppose that you have a favourite food, [member="Rett"]?”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

“Food?” He said it like the word was foreign to him. He had subsided on a diet of nutrient paste, bread, and water for his entire life. The concept of having actual meals with bantha and other such creatures was completely foreign to him.

He was a slave after all.

Why would he get actual food?

That made sense to him. It was an odd thing that it did, but it was a fact. Rett didn't deserve food, and he had never considered that he would be getting food under the house of Gorsceux. In fact the very question seemed to scare him slightly, as if he wasn't exactly sure what to say. Again he forced his tongue to move, made it speak.

“N-no.” He stuttered out, still afraid of giving the wrong answer. “Were weren't given much more than bread and water.”

He said we, referring to the other slaves.

For some strange reason Rett did not want to set himself apart from them, not yet anyway.

 

[Louise]

Was this how every conversation was destined to go?

She would quiz him about something and he would just repeat it back to her like a lost little lamb looking for its mother? If so this tour was going to become very grating, very quickly. Not that she would let it show, or blame him. Was it [member="Rett"]'s fault that he was treated so horrendously? Of course not.

“Well then, that is going to change. We have proper meals here, and we eat them together.”

The scale of time Thalia estimated that it would take for the creature to relax and trust her got longer every time he spoke. It could even take years. If he wasn't a runner that is.

Indicating to a large set of double doors within the dining room she turned to him once more and spoke. “Through there are the kitchens,” Thalia said matter-of-factly, “there are an entire team in there hard at work making supper for us all, I do not wish to disturb them at the moment, not while they are so hard at work in such a hectic environment.”

Perfectly plucked eyebrow perked, she looked at the twi'lek quizzically.

“Unless you have a desire to see the kitchen right now?”

As if he would.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

The wonders of food encapsulated him for a few moments. He thought of the lavish meals that the lord had had. The food that he had seen thrown away, the meals he had wanted to eat, the banquets. He thought about it all for a few moments, getting lost in the thoughts. He frowned slightly, his eyes falling closed for a few moments before he suddenly opened them again.

Bright yellow found Thalia.

No.

He couldn't get woven in.

Not yet. Trust was not yet earned. She would try to ply him, get him to be calm and good, then she would turn on him like they all had. That was how she would get him. Build him up, make him comfortable, and then destroy him so that he would never rise again. Yes, that was her plan, it must have been.

He couldn't let on that he knew.

“No.” He said quietly. “No, thank you.”

Rett looked at her, studying for a moment. Did she want something from him? Did she want him to ask for something. “May I see the gardens?”

He made a presumption.

 

[Louise]

In that moment Thalia Gorsceux truly wished that she was a mind reader.

What was [member="Rett"] thinking about? Right there, that moment in time where he closed his eyes, what took him away, even just for a moment? It was likely that she would never find out. Always having to do her best not to pry too far, more often that not the privacy of the thoughts in own their heads were all that her acquisitions had left when she bought them. She could never take that away, not if she sought trust.

Finally the creature was so bold as to make a request of his own. Lips curled upwards, happy at the prospect like a mother watching her toddler walk for the very first time.“Yes you may,” she replied, beginning the relatively short walk back outside, rather thankfully he hadn't posed that question while they were halfway through the manner.

So they went back the way they came, into the main hall and out the front door, following a sandy gravel path that lead them around the side of the manor. Large perfectly manicured hedges marked where the gardens began and where the finished, bordering the luscious land all the way around.

However before they ventured forth Thalia herself stopped, lifting a hand palm upwards as if to command one to stop and take in the majesty of the foliage, the handy work of course of the two slave turned gardeners at her service. They were milling around here somewhere.

“If you would like, I will take my leave and you may explore the gardens on your own. It would give you a chance to gather your thoughts and just breathe for a moment, after all there has been a lot to take in for you, and there is so much more to come.”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

The gardens were huge, seemingly stretching as far as the eye could see. Though that may have just been an ocular illusion given the large hedges and even larger bushes of flowers and vines overgrowing soft wood. He eyed them for a moment, and felt a sense of peace flow into him as he saw the natural vegetation and growth.

Rett had not been lying.

He truly did enjoy Gardens.

The Slave had never a day in his life worked with plants or anything of the sort. His old Lord had always had a paid gardener for that, someone who was trained in such things and someone who did them well. Yet Rett had always enjoyed the way the gardens felt. How they lived, how they survived and sometimes even thrived in hot desert air. The strangeness of some plants and the beauty of others.

They gave him a certain clam, a calm that he could not find anywhere else. A calm that he now felt, even when he was only in sight of the plant life. For a moment he didn't register that Thalia was even speaking, his mind drifting off into relaxation until he suddenly jerked into attention.

He couldn't let himself get lost yet.

“Yes.” Rett said to her question, nodding somewhat eagerly. “Please.”

Alone time? Was he to run so soon?

 

[Louise]

With nothing more than a small nod, Thalia allowed the twi'lek to wander forth into the gardens before them. Her gloved hands were clasped together at her front, generating a guise of pleasant calm about her. Once he had wandered off out of her vision she would leave, perhaps see about grabbing a small snack before supper. Yes, that would do nicely.

The garden began at one side of the manor, spreading all the way to the back and then around to the other side. It was also divided into small segments, each showcasing the flora of a different planet. A practised botanist would have a field day identifying what was native to where. Perhaps there might have been flowers that Rett himself even recognised, if Terminus had the climate for it.

At the very back of the manor the centrepiece was not in the flowers themselves but in a large fountain surrounded by luscious green grass perfectly trimmed by the centimetre.

Hard at work in their grounds were the two gardeners, hard to believe that only two could provide such upkeep, but they did, and they were proud of their crafts. A human and a gamorrean who went by the names of Darryn and Tork, no guesses as to which name belonged to who.

Would [member="Rett"] encounter them in his journey?

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Rett began to wander.

It was difficult to say where he was going or what intent he had. The idea of running was still in his head, but he knew that such a thing would be foolish. He had no money, no idea where he was, and absolutely no idea if the people of this world even spoke the same languages as he. For all he knew Thalia had taken him across the entire galaxy, and now he was in the middle of no where.

The name of the planet meant nothing to him.

Terminus.

It sounded evil, foreboding. Like a world meant for death, for the end. Terminus. He tried to remember something about the planet, tried to remember where it was from the times he had actually seen a star map. It had only happened twice in his life. He scowled slightly as he realized that even losing himself in deep thought would be no help. He simply had no idea where he was, nor did he have an idea of how he would get off this world.

No, running was not an option, not yet. With that realization coming to him Rett decided to enjoy the Gardens. The sights, the smells, the sounds of insects crawling through the plants. It was calming, so very calming. Nerves that had been standing on edge quickly returned to normal, anxiety that had been blooming quickly wilted, and thoughts of escape dwindled.

The gardens spoke to him.

For a moment he was bewildered, the sound of voices breaking through his ears. Then he realized it was not the plants, but something else.

“Hello?” He called out, walking towards the voices. Two of them, one very guttural.

 

[Louise]

“They wanna do what?!”

“Make area for guard fight.”

A bold green and sweaty brow furrowed, seemingly very annoyed by this turn of events. “So I guess they're gonna tear up the green then, eh?”

“Tork think so.”

The pair heard the voice and stopped, one tilting their head in the direction of the weary greeting, the other merely standing stock still before itching his arse. It was walking towards them, finally coming into view. The view of course, frightened the bottom scratcher, pointing at the twi'lek and shouting:

“WHAT THAT?!”

Tork had never seen a twi'lek before.

The Gamorrean didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused by his stupid human friend, folding his thick arms across his barrel chest before finally responding to his startled friend.

“That's a twi'lek, Tork,” the large pig-like man said very slowly, “they're like humans, but with big head tails.” There was a snort, half a giggle, half a realisation. “Oh! I'm sorry! Hello!

You must be the newest member of the staff."

[member="Rett"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Thalia Gorsceux"]

Rett watched the two creatures for a time. A human, and a species that he had never encountered before. It was large, and looked rather like a pig, something he had seen before. The Twi'lek Observe it for a few seconds, even though his first instinct was to run.

He was reminded of what Thalia had said, what she stated about the nature of the slaves here.

They were all like him, all beaten and broken, all trying to be rehabilitated. That must have been why the human spoke so strangely, a head injury or something similar that damaged him. Rett looked at him, his head tilting then shifting back to the unknown alien. He realized that he was probably being rude at this point, not having spoken after the large pig thing had greeted him some time ago.

“Hello.” He said cautiously, not coming any closer to either the human or the pig. “Yes. I just arrived today.”

It hadn't asked him a question, but he decided to answer anyway.

He knew already that the human likely wasn't the more intelligent of the two. He thought perhaps once again that he had a head injury. Rett thought back to the conversation he had heard, a Guard Fight? Were they allowed to do such things? Destroy the Gardens? No. Not Destroy entirely, just this small area.

Rett frowned. It seemed an awful waste.

 

[Louise]

“New garden friend?” Tork asked, exceedingly stupid features screwing up to look more perplexed than prior, if that was even possible.

“No, not garden friend,” Darryn said before turning back to regard the newcomer.

Always one to try and be friendly and polite, the gamorrean wiped a large dirty hand upon his own gardener's clothing before offering it to Rett to shake, although given where Thalia got her staff from, he only half expected a response.

“I'm Darryn,” he boomed in his friendly baritone voice before snorting again and indicating to his much more primitive friend, “and this fella is Tork.”

Tork, seeing the handshake gesture from Darryn quickly wiped his own filthy hand upon his clothing and offered it out to the red creature. He didn't understand why, but operated on a monkey-see monkey-do system with his good friend and comrade in the bushes, Darryn.

“We're the gardeners,” he beamed with certain pride.

“What you think, head tail?”

“It's what do you think, Tork, and don't call him head tails, that's rude," he scolded, not wanting to offend the latest addition, "although I would also like ta know what you think of the gardens."

[member="Rett"]