As such, she was used to going by train, and rather liked it. The idea of being able to stay still while being transported elsewhere appealed to her, and it allowed her to ease the strain of her tired muscles. No matter what sort of endurance she might have gained since Ranma Saotome had brought her, she wasn't the sort of girl who wanted desperately to rough it. And being able to watch the landscape outside pass by was rather pleasing, as she got to enjoy views that were ever changing and frequently enjoyable.
Of course, she didn't miss the looks that many of the men gave her when she would get onto the car. They weren't hard to miss, as stealth wasn't a skill that was generally among them, not that it seemed that they wanted to hide it that badly. One look was all that they needed to know that they would want to keep watching her, and she'd long grown familiar with having guys leer at her like that.
It wasn't exactly like there wasn't an expectation that they would do so, and that didn't even have to do with her own looks. Oh, she certainly knew that she was attractive, as genetics could make anyone appear desirable. These guys just tended to run down a mental checklist and see that yes, she had a pretty face, big breasts, a slender waist, a tight ass, and long legs. What her personality was like didn't really matter to them, but she was pretty sure that a lot of them would try to make a guess about it. More than likely even something close to the real thing would be twisted into something that appealed to them, at least in their minds, and they wouldn't see a problem with it.
This was, after all, a world where these so called 'men' could go out and buy a girl to suit their needs if they so desired. Younger girls were popular as they fit into all sorts of stereotypical desires, like tempting schoolgirls and inexperienced innocents. With all that untouched soft flesh available, all that they had to do was take it, and they would be able to satisfy their desires. Some middle aged office worker would be able to arrive at home, kiss his wife on the cheek, check on his child's homework, and then head to his private room where his teenaged slave toy was waiting to be used in whatever way he wanted. Such things did happen, and it was terribly disgusting in more than a few cases, but that was the world that they lived in.
Most of the time though, she just reveled in that sort of attention, pleased that even guys twice, or perhaps, three times, her age would want her so much. Her looks could be used as a tool to get a bit more out of someone than they might have otherwise wanted to give, but she wasn't above flaunting it from time to time. No one was going to get hurt, and she knew that it was only natural that they would want to look at a pretty girl wearing cut off shorts and a tight short sleeved tee. On top of that, noticing that she was a slave could excite some, as they could even imagine buying her on the spot and whisking her off to go for some illict usage of her nether regions.
Fortunately, her Owner hadn't beaten any of the ones who actually had made requests to get her, but it had come close a couple of times. However, they should have realized that he wasn't about to give up his property so easily, and that one guy should never have suggested that Ranma treat her like a party favor. Her Master's reaction pleased her though, and she always did like the idea of travelling on local metro lines, as they were crowded. They might have been stuffy and given opportunities for jerks to pinch her ass, especially during rush hour, but she rather liked how it kept her Master close up and against her body.
Yet, her mood was determinedly depressed, and she didn't even try to hide her disdain as she saw one office guy shoot her an appreciative glance. Usually, she would have played up his interest, knowing that only Ranma Saotome would touch her, but now she didn't feel like pretending that this guy had even a chance with her. She had better things to do than to play those sorts of games... such as consider what exactly it was that she was feeling about recent events.
Not that she was all that put out over the idea of being able to live with a roof over her head. Perhaps she'd get a room of her own, or she could wind up sleeping in the dojo. Maybe she might be able to even sleep in her Master's room, staying with him like all the rest of his property. But she was also aware of a sudden ache in her chest that seemed almost familiar. She knew enough about herself to be aware that it wasn't a horrible thing, but she knew that there wasn't anyway that she could escape it even if it was terrible.
The thing was that she still had vague memories of what had been. Memories danced in the back of her mind of her father practicing the Art, and knowing that he was the leader of his school. She could see the child faces of her sisters, who were now long gone into their own slave lives. And she could even remember her family home through the fogged lens of a child's eyes and the passage of years.
All that was in the past though, having been taken away from her years earlier. Even though she was going back to the same ward, there was little chance that she would actually go back do her old home. No matter if she did, it wouldn't be the same sort of place, as she couldn't remember what had happened to her father, and she'd been separated from her sisters all those years ago. More than likely, there wouldn't even be a home to return to, as someone had probably brought her house, maybe even living there with their own happy family.
Somehow she rather doubted it, and figured that there was probably a large mansion built on the property now. It was a depressing thought, but that was the way of things there. Why leave perfectly usable, and valuable, land sitting vacant when you could build a series of small apartments or boarding rooms on it. At most, she might be able to walk through the neighborhood, but she hadn't been there since she'd been in pigtails, and they'd taken her away. The truth was that she was probably better off not going, which would be easier, since she could only go where her Master allowed her to.
So, she let herself indulge in pointed looks at the mildly lecherous man, and found herself satisfied when he made a show of adjusting his glasses so that he could look elsewhere. Being willing to be fantasized over wasn't that bad, but she didn't need it now. Things were too stressful to even tempt someone into something like that, and she didn't even want to consider the possibility of needing to get rid of another would be lothario.
Having her Master look at her with a bit of concern was welcome though, and when he moved to stand closer to her, she felt a bit better about the situation. Old memories might have been brought up, and her Master might have been overly possessive about her, but she couldn't argue that she wasn't protected. Problems would likely come up, but he was there for her, and for that, she was happy about that.
Besides, her Owner really liked having her around, and that intense acceptance was a warm balm for her soul. Despite her own desire to seem ready to take on the world, she let herself move in closer to Ranma, allowing his presence to comfort and protect her. Words weren't needed, and she felt safe there with him, while:
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(Posted Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:51)
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