" No. I have you for everything. And so that you can be able to handles everything I have a time table." She said. " Every morning you will wake wash dress and dust the house. Then I will wake and we will have breakfast and a lesson. Then lunch and whatever I want to do until dinner" She said calmly.

He nods looking back at her. "Then I will do my best to earn my keep misses." He says bowing his head a little. "I should get started with the cleaning then?" He says starting to back away from her.

Seeing that he was very uncomfortable she smiled " Yes you may. And Less.." She said walking to him looking up. " You may as well start thinking of things to say to me. I like conversations" She said.

She then walked off and poked to a box full of cleaning supplies. She had done her research on this slave before she actually gotten him. So she had set the entire tour up.

Walking to her office she observed some threatening letters... sat down and intertwined her fingers resting her chin on them...

Quickly hurrying back to where he was allowed to clean up Less showered and dressed. He eyed the shoes that sat on the floor beside his bed. Shaking his head he quickly hurried back to the sun filled garden room and started his work. He didnt want to upset his new master by not wearing shoes but since becoming a slave he was never given shoes and over the long years he had gotten use to not wearing them. He told him self to start practice wearing them tonight when he got back to his room.

Less covered every inch of the garden room making it spotless and perfect. He couldnt help frowning when it came time to moving onto the entryway. He wasnt use to working inside and wasnt exactly sure on how to do everything but he tried to do what he thought was right.

When he was finally done he looked over his work and began wondering why a woman like Anya, who seemed to be smart, would buy a slave who spent his days in the field and make him into a house servant. He quickly went back over the areas that he missed hopping he could finish before Anya came back to see the messes he left behind.

Anya walked into the area and caught him cleaning. Her hands were full of letters to send out and her face showed that she was frustrated. " Hmmm... Good. I will let you finish" She said kindly going to him and giving a pat on his chest for approval. She walked past the small areas he missed and went to the door. " You have another fifteen minutes before I am to return. We are to eat together. So be done and at least freshened by your hands and face." She demanded.

"Yes misses." he says quickly going to clean the spot he missed he hoped she wouldnt insist that he cook for her to nothing he knows how to make would be good enough for anyone who didnt live in a slave house.

When he was done he looked around at his work and hoped it would be good enough. He then hurried back to where he was allowed to clean up and washed the sweat and dirt from his hands and face.

When he thought he had properly cleaned himself up he ran up to the kitchen. The uniform he was given clings to his bag and shoulders, he thought it was hot in here and he wasnt used to wearing more then the cotton pants that he would wear when working in the field. He tugs at his shirt and wipes the thin layer of sweat that has already started to form on his forehead while he waited for Anya to come back.

Anya walked in wearing a fresh and simple red dress with black lace. It was very out of season. But she was not the type to care. When she saw Less she smiled as if she were to be walking to a friend. " Thank you. For an outdoor worker you do a fine job." She said ten seeing how he was sweating " You can remove the jacket and loosen the shirt when it is just us two. " She sat down in an ornate chair. Then pointed to a comfortable looking simpler char for him " Sit and drink as much water as you please. It is rather cool water" She said taking a sip herself

He stopped tugging on his clothes when she started to talk. He started to pull his jacket off and then stopped thinking that even with as hot as he was its better to sweat then to undress and possibly embarrass a lady. "Im fine thank you misses" he says taking a seat and gulps down the entire glass of water. He chocks and coughs as some of it goes down the wrong way. "Please misses...you dont mean for me to cook for you?" he says trying to hold back more coughing.

She giggled " No. I want you to eat with me. I get lonely. And I need to have a slave... Might as well have you keep me company" She said getting close and patting his back to help " Don't hurt yourself. And don't worry about being formal... The Name is Anya. If it helps Call me Miss Anya. And I know your name is not Less... isn't it?" She said now getting to her point

He clears his throat and undoes his jacket. "No..." he says looking down. My family used to call me Jacob..." he mumbles looking at her. "You can call me Less if you prefer Miss Anya he says forcing a smile. "Should we go and eat then?" he says standing up, uncomfortable by the subject.

" Jacob... Alright" She said nodding " Don't fake the smile. I can wait until you can smile naturally. I guess I should give you yard work and work you until you get sick... apparently being nice makes you feel odd." She said walking past him. This was her punishment. By making him feel that he was hurting her feelings

He frowns watching her get up and walk past him. "As you say Miss Anya...Ill get started now." he says putting the glass down and heads for the back door. He cant help being confused by her attitude towards him one minute she seemed like a stern slave master the next she was nicer then he was used to. He could only hope that by working hard and maybe keeping his mouth shut he would learn how to act around her.

Stepping outside he pulls his jacket off and hangs it on a rose bush before kneeling in front of the flower bed and starts tending to the garden.

She stood close to the windows. Giggling a bit. She came out and went to him " I said that I should give you work but I never gave you the order. You must eat. The after dinner you do what you like. If you so please lets us go eat. This way I can just tell you what I expect and why I am how I am... Will that make it easier for you to understand?"

He looked up at her. He nodded wiping his hands off on the grass and then followed her inside as he pulled his jacket back on and buttoned it back up.

She lead him to teh dinner table. The plates set and the steaming hot food looking delicious. She took a napkin and turned to him wiping his face and hands. She then sat down and patted the seat near her. " Now Its time for me to tell you about myself. So sit"

He did as she said and watched her with his hands folded in his lap. He didnt want to touch anything he had never in his life been invited to sit at such a fine table before not even when he still lived with his family. Over the past years he normally either ate in his room in the stable, in the common room that he shared with the other slaves of ate outside when it was to hot to stay inside, there were no windows in the upper floor of the stable.

She served him a cup of wine and had her kitchen helpers serve him a plate of lasagna salad and garlic toast " You may eat. " She said getting her own plate, She sat down and had gotten comfortable " When was the last time you gotten a plate of food this well cooked?"

He poked at the food in front of him with his fork. He looked at the food for a minute and then looked at her considering her question. "Me and the men I shared space with in the stable would come up with some tasty dishes...but not like this. he says looking around the room.

" Well that was very good. Now to my point before I continue. I am not like the others. I don't belive in constant hard labor. I know you need time to be... human. So I am here to give you that chance when deserved. Like hot dinners and a softer bed in a warm room. And if you keep up your good work you will be allowed to make it more personal... learn to read write... and have free afternoons..." She said

He couldnt help thinking he was dreaming as he listened to her. "Learn to read and write." he mumbled. He pinched his knee under the table trying to wake himself if he was dreaming. "Free time... What would I do with free time? he asked rubbing his sore knee.

" I am not sure... nor do I care. Your time is yours not for me to delegate to you. Only when your on my time." She said eating her food " Eat get strength... not everything here will be easy... or free" She said sitting up right " I am not lenient... I just understand men needs to breath as well"

Thinking about what she said he eats quietly. When he was done eating he sits back and looks at Anya. "What am I to do then? You said you would tell me what you expected."

" I want you to forget your last master and what he did. And what that pig woman did. They are not the type a want to be associated with. Nor will I be troubled to bend my life to how they treated you. I want you to learn diversity. And how to go beyond that of a slave. Do your indoors chores weekend Gardening and your studies. Complete that and we will talk more then" She said...



((((**** time skip**)))

He nodded but wondered how easy it would be for him to just forget everything he had gone through, he had been with his last master for years.

He excused himself after they had finished eating and returned to his room. He put his shoes on and walked around his room for a while trying to get use to them while he looked through one of the books Anya wanted him to read. He did start to learn to read when he was with his family and going to school but it was never a talent that he bothered practicing specially since he had first been solid into slavery.

He yawned and sat up. He had sat down on his bed next to the light in his room to see the words better but most of fallen asleep. He picked the small book up off the floor and put it back on the shelf. He couldnt tell the time down here but figured it was probably time to get to work. He quickly cleans himself up and starts his chores.

He cleaned his way from one room to the next trying to catch everything that he missed before moving on to the next room. As he got to a room with a window he looked out only to see that the sun was just lightening the sky. He sighed and considered going back to bed but decided it wasnt worth the risk of not waking up in time.

He stretched trying to get his blood pumping and shake off the sleep thats starting to build in his eye. "I just have to get back to work." he mumbles to himself and quickly gets back to cleaning.

Early morning sun cuts through the windows making the entire house seem to glow from the light. Hes cleaned his way to Anyas bedroom door. Starring at her door for a minute he quickly goes off to another part of the house.

The sun glittered through her purple curtains and onto her face as she opened her eyes. She yawned and gave a smile. She sat up and thought of what Jacob was up to. She slip off the bed and looked into teh mirror to be sure her face looked clean. She threw on a sating white Robe and walked out her room.

It didn't take long to see him cleaning she quietly watched him. He looked tired and The house looked great. She smiled at that and decided to let him finish before saying anything.