assisted her Handler with research. She’d always been drawn to other worlds and cultures.
Ragga, it appeared, had many surprises in store. Though at first the land seemed barren, Anin hadn’t missed the many signs of life around her. The colours of the setting sun had brought tears to her eyes when Set had sat with her to watch. The scent in the air was clean here, not tainted by synthetic chemicals and cheap perfumes.
All in all, Anin liked Ragga. She especially liked the closeness of Nu and Set’s family. Though she’d been rushed away from their parents, she liked what she’d seen. And she was especially taken with Nala’s clothing. And now my own .
Anin spent an hour studying the stitchwork in her garments, until she knew exactly how to make similar styles. She loved working with material to create things. The laundry duties on board Mara’s Light had been fun, because while cleaning and caring for the clothing, Anin had catalogued every stitch, pattern and stroke in the garments.
When her stomach growled, she put her remaining clothes back in the box and scrounged for something to eat. She didn’t see a food preparator, but found a small bowl sitting on a warmer plate. The stew inside tasted delicious, salty sweet with tender bites of meat. After eating, she cleaned her dishes by hand.
Others might have complained about the lack of technological amenities in the house, but Anin liked it. She loved doing for herself, small spurts of independence that clawed for release. Feeling worthy, able to contribute if even in a small way, gave her a sense of purpose. Since mending clothing was one area where she had no equal, Anin scrounged in Set’s room for work. It took her another hour to find the necessary stitching equipment to fix his shirt, and she finished in no time.
Then she neared Nu’s room.
She paused at the entrance, aware that although Set wouldn’t mind her poking around, Nu certainly would.
“Too bad he’s not here to tell me to stay out.” She swallowed hard and entered, aware of the differences between brothers. Nu had nothing out of place. A holo-vid of his parents sat on the stand next to his large bed. The lone sheet had been tucked around the mattress in military fashion. Nothing marred the stone floor, not so much as a speck of sand. In his armoire and dressers, his clothes were hung with care and folded neatly.
Nothing to fix for Nu. But a small inconsistency in the back of his armoire tugged at her. She pushed his clothes aside and pulled a small tab. To her shock, the back wall of the armoire slid aside, showing a hidden area. A small light glowed brighter until she could see what lay behind the secrecy.
“Stars and suns above,” she whispered as she saw a bevy of foreign objects. As she stared, she suddenly remembered where she’d seen some of these items before. Her Handler had kept a vid-guide on hand when he needed visual stimulus to help him sexually perform. Many of the pictures in that guide had been of women using some of these items in, to quote Synster, ‘deviously sinful ways’.
Whips, floggers, a ball gag and several dildos sat on several shelves. She couldn’t help herself as she leaned closer, studying one large neon blue phallus roughly the same shape as Nu’s. She cradled it in her hands, fascinated and wet at once. I wasn’t imagining things. He’s huge.
Anin replaced the dildo and sought an innocuous looking box. Wondering what Nu might hide within a hidden space, she brought the box down. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw and heard no one. Peeking into the box, she saw pictures, a lock of hair, a record of marriage and a few letters. Record of marriage?
Her curiosity caught, she read about Lita and remembered Set talking about her. Nu’s ill-fated marriage to this woman had turned him bitter. She could well understand it as she read some of the letters. Lita complained time and time again about Nu’s rough handling. Though why would she send him
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