i am finished with you [mini-arc]

[LYSSA CARMINE]

her knees ached, her back felt like it was on fire, and she was developing a cough from inhaling all these chemicals but she didn't stop cleaning. if she stopped cleaning or even opened her mouth than she would be beaten, or worse, killed and so she continued polishing the banister of the long flight of stairs, the other slaves doing the same.

she paused for a moment to brush her hair from her face before continuing, polishing the spot she was at for the fourth time. she did not want another punishment for the banister not being clean enough and once she had finished with that, she moved up a few steps to do the whole process over again.

she eventually became lost in the simpleness of the entire thing, causing her mind to do the one thing that she wished it wouldn't.

wander.

she had been a slave for so long (over thirteen years) that she didn't know how to do anything else but she wanted nothing more than to be free and to see her "masters" dead, preferably by her own hands. she paused for a moment, her mind going back to all the cleaning chemicals she had collected that were stashed under a loose floorboard in her "room" (it was really more of a closet, but it was bigger than most other slaves as she was one of the "favorite") and she had to hang her head to hide the smirk that was blooming on her face.

maybe today would be the day that she would finally gain her freedom with her own hands?

at that thought, she picked up her cleaning once again, planning and plotting for the day ahead and schooling her features into her normal emotionless mask.

she wasn't going to be a slave any longer.

[FLOU]

"Lyssa? Lyssa?! Where are you?!"

The female called out as she paced down the corridor, her high heels making loud taps against the clean tiled floor. She frowned, the wrinkles of her face made difficult to spot due to the immense amount of make-up that she wore. She was rich as hell, after all. Who cared if she used too much make-up? She could just buy more. Besides, they made her all the more beautiful, so, why should she not use them?

She turned into another corridor, clicking her tongue as she did. And then, in a low voice, she muttered to herself.

"Tch, where is that useless gi--" She cut herself off just as she entered the room Lyssa was at, halting in her tracks with a loud commanding snap of her heels. Her eyes widened slightly in shock, as a wide smile came upon her face. "--Ah! There you are!"

She exclaimed, emphasising on her satisfaction by bringing her hands together in front of her chest with a soft clap. She chuckled, the blue gown that she wore swaying only so slightly with the movement. Then, she stretched forward her right hand, jerking it inwards to gesture her to come closer. She did not want to have to waste her breathe talking loud enough so that she could hear. Not that it made much of a difference, for once Lyssa came close enough, she would speak in a volume that echoed in the room.

"Quick, girl. It's already evening. Go prepare dinner. Alexandra is demanding that you make that lasagna you made last time. Do so, and you better do it good, okay?" Despite the clear threats behind her words, she smiled warmly nonetheless, even to the extent of tilting her head.

[LYSSA CARMINE]

lyssa blinked, tilting her head to the side as she heard someone call her name but after listening for a few more moments she didn't hear anything else and so she continued her cleaning, still plotting and scheming. she instantly stopped though at the sound of a very familiar voice and a loud click signaling that the owner was wearing high heels.

she grimaced, placing the rag in the bucket of water and wiping her hands on her dress, before turning and scrambling towards the noble in a graceful way, bowing once she was at a respectable distance and making sure that she kept her eyes glued to the ground more out of fear than respect.

she may be a favorite but if she showed any signs of disrespect than it would not turn out well for her.

"yes ma'am," she said clearly after the woman had told her to make dinner - lasagna - and that it had better be good. she knew that the other slaves weren't feeling any ounce of pity for her and, honestly, she wished that she could be cleaning instead of cooking since they were always much picker when they were eating.

that is, until an idea crept its way into her mind and she would've grinned if that wouldn't have gotten her punished. as it was, she kept her features in an expressionless mask as she waited for the woman to speak again or to dismiss her.

[FLOU]

"yes ma'am,"

The mistress nodded her head, that smile never leaving her face. At least, for the moment. She would stay silent then, watching the red-haired slave before her stare at the ground between them, still in her bowing-stance. Slowly, her arms would slide back down to her side, her eyebrows furrowing. And then, the true visage of her lack of beauty made its presence known, as her smile faded into a frown. She placed her left hand upon her hip, as she leaned against her left foot. At the same time, she raised her right hand, gesturing it towards her, as if demanding something.

"Well? Is the dinner supposed to cook itself? Get moving, girl." She spoke out, her voice once again bouncing off the walls, adding a sinister echo to it. The fact that she stressed on the last word didn't make it any more friendlier. She crossed her arms as she finished speaking, her blue eyes glaring straight into Lyssa's head, or eyes if she were to look up.

And once she was gone, she would sigh and shake her head. Once again clicking her tongue in frustration, she would uncross her arms, and wander back towards the living room. "Honestly, the stupidity of these people amaze me sometimes." She muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Alexandria, the aforementioned daughter, was once again wandering around the house in her red frilly dress, accompanied by a middle-aged butler. Within her right hand, she dragged along her brown teddy bear by the leg, caring not for its state, knowing that she could just get the slaves to get it washed anyway. And she was located in between the kitchen and Lyssa's initial location.

[LYSSA CARMINE]

"well? Is the dinner supposed to cook itself? get moving, girl."

lyssa nodded hurriedly, scrambling backwards (her eyes still trained on the floor) and grabbing her assigned bucket before moving past the woman, nodding a few more times in respect as she did so. she could only sigh in relief once she was in a different room from the woman, her grip on the handle of the bucket tightening for a second before she loosened it.

like most slaves, she kept to the shadows of the hall, before slipping into a hidden doorway that lead to where her room was. dinner would be late, but she needed to change out of her shabby clothes and into something more realistic for cooking (not to mention, she had to grab those chemicals of hers).

it didn't take very long to change and redo her hair into a tight bun before she once again returned to the main hall and made her way towards the kitchen, her freedom hidden in the many pockets of her designated apron. she hoped that she could get in the kitchens without any trouble but that hope was quickly dashed when she rounded a corner and saw her actual master, alexandria, dragging a stuffed rabbit behind her, despite the fact that the woman was older than lyssa.

steeling herself for an undoubtedly painful encounter, she said, "hello, ma'am. is there something you needed?" in a polite, clear voice that showed none of what she was thinking or feeling.

[FLOU]

Alexandra stopped in her tracks upon spotting the red-haired slave, a scowl making its presence known upon her face. She halted in her approach, staring at the girl. Then, she tossed her teddy bear back, the butler catching it rather skillfully. Obviously, it was something he had grown accustomed too. And then, Alexandria crossed her arms as Lyssa proceeded to greet her.

"hello, ma'am. is there something you needed?"

Alexandra scoffed, raising her chin slightly so that she looked down upon the slave. Unlike her mother, Alexandra was considered beautiful by most. Enchanting, even. She was a true princess. Nor in title, but her fame, wealth and beauty could be compared to one. The female carried many suitors, and each addition to that list only served to expand her ego. To say the least, she was spoiled. And she enjoyed every minute of it.

And she felt even more powerful everytime she witnessed Lyssa. The girl was pathetic. Ugly. And that red-hair of hers was just so unruly. Unsavoury. Unglam. She was the complete opposite of Alexandra, in the blonde's eyes. And she enjoyed tormenting her. She may be a favourite of her father's, but she wasn't Alexandra's, no.

"Yes, I need you to get out of my way, and stop ruining my home with your stench, you pig."

Alexandra proudly replied, ending it with an arrogant scoff.

[LYSSA CARMINE]

"yes, ma'am," lyssa said, bowing low at the girl's words for a moment, before straightening and walking past the girl, her eyes trained on the tiled floor.

she only hoped that this wouldn't bring any punishment down upon her head, though, if her plan failed than she would ultimately be killed for treason, or so they called it. "but even death is better than a life like this," she thought, though it was full of fear.

she didn't want to die but she didn't really want to live, either. not like her current life was much of one, though. swallowing thickly, she continued to walk, not faltering, towards the kitchen, knowing that at any time alexandria could call her back to do, well, anything and she couldn't do anything about it.

so she futilely hoped that the noble would go on her merry way and go torture some other poor soul and leave lyssa to her own devices, which meant cooking the family's (hopefully) last dinner that they would ever eat.

of course, she tended to be life's punching bag and just as she was about to enter the kitchens, she tripped over the corner of the rug in front of the door and fell, landing painfully on her elbows and knees. she wasn't worried about that, though, but the fact that her only chance for freedom was laying in front of her. eyes widening, she quickly picked up the bottle and shoved it back into her pocket, hopping that no one had seen it before pushing herself up so that she was once again standing.

[FLOU]

"yes, ma'am,"

So pathetic. Alexandra smirked at her reply, once again relishing in her moment of superiority. These people were under here. Her slaves. Her workers. Her dogs. She could get them to do anything, and like the pathetic slaves that they were, they would obey. Hell, if Alexandra probably ordered them to lick the floor clean, they probably would. As Lyssa walked away, Alexandra placed her finger on her chin. That would be a rather interesting sight, would it not? Seeing that little red-head girl licking the floor like the dog she was. She mused to herself, chuckling softly, her personal butler simply standing there.

Mr. Claude was his name. And from when he was young, just off the teat, he had already been under the service of the family. He had watched Alexandra grow into the girl she was now. And though that may have created some sort of family-like relationship between them, the man actually despised the girl. Just like Lyssa, he too was a slave. And watching the poor girl getting tortured like that without being able to do anything simply shattered Claude's heart, or whatever remained of it. He simply swallowed it, looking over his shoulder towards Lyssa as she departed from their sight.

And for what it was worth, the male mouthed a soft sorry towards her direction, though it would only go unheard.

The kitchen itself was relatively empty, and Lyssa would find her blunder unnoticed by anyone. After all, only a few were allowed in the kitchen. Lyssa was one of them. Where were the others? Well, they were probably out on errands, or somewhere else in the large mansion, having their own tasks to carry out. Whatever Lyssa had planned to do, she was rather safe.

At least, for the moment.

[LYSSA CARMINE]

not noticing mr. claude's mouthed apology, lyssa brushed the front of her dress down before entering the kitchen, noticing that it was almost completely empty, save for a figure sitting in one of the darker corners of the room. she gave it a weary glance, before rolling up her sleeves and pulling various pots and pans from various cupboards and going over everything she would need.

she set them on a the pristine counter-top, before grabbing all the needed ingredients and setting to work. it would take her well over two and a half hours to make the lasagna that she had been ordered to cook but, today, her masters could wait. they could live just a bit longer and she felt a grin growing a the thought.

wasn't she so very thoughtful? giving monsters like them a few extra hours to live before she killed them herself?

she easily found a rhythm in her preparations for cooking, but she stayed silent and didn't make a sound besides the usual sounds of someone working in a kitchen - the clanking of pots and pans, the sound of a knife hitting wood, etc.

she had become so caught up in her work that she completely forgot about the figure who was sitting in the corner when she first came in and any noise other than the ones she was creating would cause her to drop the bowl of tomatoes she was currently placing on the table...

it it was too sudden, that is.

[FLOU]

And there, the man stood, staying in the shadows, watching as the red-haired female walk in. A wide sinister smirk came upon his lips, the individual choosing not to make a sound as Lyssa began to prepare the family's dinner. Who was he, exactly? Well, if the light ever managed to be directed towards his position, off the reflection of the pans and pots, one would see a seasoned man wearing a suit. He carried a stubble that crawled from one sideburn to the other, a slight scar running across his right eyebrow. His tongue would slither out from behind his lips, and travel across.

Wesken was his name, and he was, so to say, the family's 'head-of-security'. He was a bounty hunter of years of experience, who chose to work under the secure payment of the family, instead of hunting the scum of the seas. It was, after all, a much grandier job. He was provided for. And he loved this life. What he enjoyed as well, too, was watching these slaves struggle under their boots. And recently, Wesken had grown a slight interest in making them struggle in a different manner. He had only acted upon one other slave before, and now, his eyes were set upon Lyssa.

As she carried the bowl of tomatoes, Wesken finally stepped out from the shadows he hid in. He knew who Lyssa was, of course. A young red-haired girl, one of the few trusted to cook the family's food. And someone with a rather remarkable figure. Wesken licked his tongue again.

"Well, hello there, Lyssa. What are you up to, hmm?" The words slithered out from between his lips, as he made slow steps towards Lyssa, seeking to trap her in the corner of the kitchen. His hands were outstretched, fingers running across the counters and tables. Whatever answer Lyssa would give, it served not to distract or satisfy the man.

He was here for a different reason. As soon as he had managed to trap Lyssa in the corner, the man would leap, reaching forward and pinning both of her hands against the wall, a wide smirk on his face. "Their dinner can wait, I'm sure. For now... I shall allow myself to dig in into your cuisine, hmm?" He taunted, as he reached forward, his tongue sliding up the side of her neck.

It was evident then that unless Lyssa found a way to dispatch of him, she would be going nowhere. And even worse, she would get found out.