Lucy was a shadow of her former self. Since her unsuccessful attempt to buy her freedom, she had dropped three pounds, and her troubled sleep was mirrored in the dark circles under her eyes. Even though the other girls had forgiven her, for now, she worried constantly how she measured up in their eyes. She worried that they knew she was worried, and perhaps thought it was because she was planning treachery. Lani in particular, who had once been so kind to her, scared her - she knew that the Mouse would eagerly kill her, if it would please the Lord.

She was frightened of the Lord, too, but for entirely different reasons. She had long ago accepted that the Lord could cause her pain, could kill her with a thought if he decided to. With feline grace, she had accepted this fact, and in fact doubted that her death was close: if He had wanted her dead, why not kill her the moment she defied Him?

No, she was afraid that she was rejected. Now that she had realized that she had worth in this place, that her work had meaning, she wanted to be the best pet she could. But how could she convince the Lord of her sincerity if he would not see her? She had avoided him, following the suggestion of the other slaves that she was in trouble and must wait until summoned.

Now - what if he never called for her? The most entertaining part of her constricted life was watching the Lord. Separated from all that she would otherwise desire, he was the focus of her heated imagination. Already, it was hard for her to remember his eyes, the only time she had dared to see them.

What if she remained a ghost, unwanted, a domestic drudge, spoken to only by the other girls... who were trying not to get attached to her until they knew the Lord's decision. Why bother to know a ghost? She meditated on these worries, even as she continued to follow her healthful routine - even taking a nap in the sunny afternoons, now that her free time was broken only by reading.

She absorbed herself in these books, trying to imagine herself in them: smithing a blade for the Lord, dressing in black and killing at his command, growing small trees into tortured shapes for his amusement. She studied the worlds of strangers, and she waited, and she wasted away a little more each day.

Lani had not been sleeping when she heard Lucy try and wake Sarah. Quicksliver eyes focus on the other girl with a hiss of indrawn breath. It was rare that the girl ever showed anger but this had her livid.

"Presumptious little cat." Lani slipped out of her bed and moved to Lucy's side grabbing a hold of her hair and yanking the cat-girls head back to stare in her eyes. "You are already his. You imagine to give him what he already owns?"

The mouse flung the other girl away from Sarah's bed. "You did not learn your lesson Cat. You have nothing of your own. You do not Give the lord anything. The lord will not take a selfish spoilt kitten to his bed because you have not earned that right."

"You are never to wake your sister when she is resting. She serves Lord faithfully and well. She has earned her rest." Lani was pacing now, trying to decide just what to do with Lucy. "Obviously you do not seem to think you need to sleep, so now I have a task for you."

Lani moved out of the dormitory expecting Lucy to follow her. She walked down the stairs each step growing calmer and more collected until she stopped at the kitchens. " You will clean the floors in the kitchen. You will do it on your hands and knees, and you will not complain." She moved to stand in the corner arms folded, still and silent now, watching and waiting.

His footsteps were like thunder through the halls as he approached the kitchen. He had already been awake, as he was working in his office. The top two latches of his tunic had been released, revealing the silver undershirt. His dark eyes narrowed slightly as the two girls were in the kitchen. "Is there a problem, girls?" His voice was low and dark, carrying with it a dangerous edge.