In the end, there was only one of the girls that Ranma could rationally choose. He'd seen the tension slowly leeching out of her posture as both he and they pondered the question, and even Hentai had to agree that "second best" in this case wasn't a loss by any stretch of the imagination. And unlike the others, she had a real use outside the bed and the dojo - his father would be thrilled if he got a trained cook for them. Now, how to break it to the girls? Well, keep it simple, stupid!
"I choose Kasumi," he announced with a nod to the girl in question. She hesitated only briefly, almost too quick for him to see, before rising and bowing to him.
"It shall be my honor to serve you, Master."
The others eyes communicated a curious mix of relief, sympathy, apprehension and...disappointment? From both of them? That was too weird. Kasumi gracefully straightened, then walked around the table and knelt beside him while he took out the small jewelry box that his father had gotten when they first decided that they were in the market for a slave. Contained within was a small earring with the Saotome crest, such as it was, on it, marking the wearer as their slave. Convict slaves were tattooed too, with a small, intricate mark that a knowledgeable viewer could use to identify the individual slave, his crime, the convicting authority, and the length of the sentence. Even convicts whose sentences had passed were usually kept on, but with a normal contract, instead.
Despite being such a simple ornament, the slave ring itself could communicate much information depending on exactly how it was worn. A slave with a limited contract, or who wanted to hide her status as a pleasure slave, would wear the ring in the left earlobe. In some circles - notably the lowest levels of society, whose only chance of getting near to such was normally to become one - pleasure slaves were viewed with some derision, as the general interpretation was that their only use was on their backs. For a skilled street person to be passed up for someone whose only purpose, in their view, was to perform a service roughly half of the population could do just as well was an insult to them.
A ring in the right ear, on the other hand, broadcast the status of pleasure slave for all to see, which had benefits of its own. A pleasure slave could go anywhere his or her master could - even places where others couldn't. There were upscale clinics for the exclusive use of pleasure slaves, whose checkups were by agreement legal substitutes for the one in the bi-annual audit, which for pleasure slaves - publicly proclaimed ones or not - was an embarrassing and uncomfortable procedure. At the clinic, the master and slave set at least some of the terms, and the hands of the clinic doctors were gentler.
Still, Ranma was surprised when Kasumi without hesitation presented her right ear to him.
"Are you sure, Kasumi? It won't be true. I'd never require that of you," he asked in a hushed voice. Her eyes flickered his way for a moment, but she held firm. A short, sharp hiss was her only reaction as he pierced her earlobe with the heated needle and he marked her with the ring, tucking the redundant sharp point into a recess in the crest so it couldn't scratch her. With a steady hand, Kasumi sealed the agreement with her stone hanko, and then smashed the piece with a hammer. Now, nothing remained of Tendo Kasumi, as she had become the slave Kasumi to the Saotome household. It was over.
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(Posted Sat, 17 Jul 2004 12:21)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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