The year is 1843, it has been been six years since Victoria took the throne and only last summer she and her husband took a train to Bishop’s bridge. Though two people have tried to take her life she has stood strong in her belief. Progress abounds and hot air ships are seen in the sky. For a small sum one can catch a half hour ride in one over the country side.
But all is not well in this beautiful kingdom there are still rumors of treasonous plots and vile plans afoot. The dark under belly of the city breeds for the rats.

Marissa sat in a small bed room in a brothel, he wasn't allowed to use a normal sized room since he never did anything. Now and then the men would take him out and try to teach him, they'd give him things to practice with. But honestly those things terrified him more than the idea of being used for physical pleasures.

Today however was a strange day, the owner of the brothel had announced that Marissa, if he behaved would be sent out to another home. One that would suit him better.

So there he sat in his tiny room, in his best lace and satin gown waiting for his new master to come evaluate him. With his long brown hair, slim figure and long eyelashes he looked everything like a small girl. It was only the way he walked sometimes that gave away his gender.

Looking around the parlor Angelo sighed. It had been years since the last time he had been in here, and last time it had been for the same reason. He had like the one that he had gotten here. Now the little boy was grown up and off on a business of his own. Angelo had been putting of coming to the Painted Dove, it was not because he was hiding who he was, no. He did not come here to the Painted Dove often because he always wanted to take all the boys home with him. In each of them he could see a bit of himself, or what he could have been.
“A greetings Sir, it is good to see you once again.” The owner a plump woman walked out from behind fine curtains that hid the back rooms. This house had once been a boarding school but now housed ladies and gentlemen of questionable natures. Pulling his chestnut hair back into a tail Angelo sighed. “Have you received my posts of late? I had much worried that you would not come for this one. Knowing that your other one is…. Old.” Angelo raised an eyebrow at the owner.
“I have received you posts but at the time had no interest in them. Did you find them good homes?” many of the young ladies that passed by this house would scoff at the thought that their man might pay for one of this ladies or men, they would have died if they know that some of them bought their lovers and kept them on their estates in the country.
“I did, I did my lord, and they are most pleased with their new posts.” She lead him down the hall and up into the attic of the building. In fact it was not the true attic but where she kept those that were not performing the way that they should. The True attic was held for the few that were love by her and her along. “It is this one that I am afraid of, his is a lap dog that was brought to me not to long ago. His master has gone off to school and the family was moving from their home and could not keep him. He had become distressed for his master and I do not know what to do for him. I thought you might be able to train him, and then find him a better home.” She opened a little window in the door to look in on the room.

Marissa looked up from his lap, he had been sitting in the chair like some sort of porcelain doll. His small hands pawing at his skirt and petticoats.
For a brief moment he looked up at the man, his own soft gray eyes meeting with the other's green ones. But in that same moment they shot back down to his hands.
Was this it was the Madame going to sell him off to this man. Marissa had nothing but respect for the Madame... and had only wished she could train him in some other trade.

He trembled and stood up slowly still starring at the floor, "My given name is Garrick..." He said softly as he introduced him self, "Though I prefer to go by Marissa if it so pleases you sir..."

Moving the Madams hand for the door knob Angelo walked into the room. Slowly he walked around the young man. He was smaller than he had expected for being raised in a well to do family. Picking up a strand of limp hair he shook his head. “he is not like my usual ones, but as you said I am without one at the moment.” Angelo looked up at the Madam before asking the next question. “dose he know any tricks?” the madam’s eyes flashed to Marissa’s then back to Angelo, almost daring Marissa to deny the clime.
“Oh yes my lord many. But as you see he is not fit for my humble home.” The Madam waved a hand at Marissa appearance. “His fur is just not the right shade.” Angelo looked back at Marissa, a slight look of disgust on his face,
“Leave us I wish to look over him without you in the door. You make him jittery.” Waiting for the Madam to leave Angelo gingerly sat down on the bed.

Marissa blinked a bit, his gray eyes following the man, "Does the master not like my hair?" He asked quietly as he wrung his hands a little.
He wasn't sure how he felt about this man, his looks, the way he spoke, it unsettled him a little.
Those eyes darted curiously over the man's figure, and he desperately hoped the madame wasn't selling him into the same job he'd had here.

“It is not your hair Marissa but the condition it is in. it looks like they used lye soap on it, which just ruins it. It will take some time for it to look its best.” Watching the madam go Angelo shook his head. “That Man, lording it over every one. You would think that he would get the point that I don’t like the way he describes those that come to this home.” Setting his cane on the bed he reached out and gently pushed Marissa’s face up so he was looking at him. “I do not care what that man who thinks he looks better as a woman has told you but I do not like being called master.” His voice was soft and soothing, and his touch gently. “if you do not wish to call me by my given name you may call me sir. I will answerer to Lord Angelo, Sir Angelo or just Angelo.” He waved for Marissa to stand up and turn around. “so what can you do? I am guessing that you are not trained in the Art as the other boys here are.”

Marissa blushed brightly when the man touched him, he spoke such soft words, words he hadn't heard spoken since he'd lived with the family. He had fooled himself into thinking they had loved him, and then they had gone and sold him like this.

"What has madam told you that I can do...sir" He said softly, he didn't want to go back on what ever the Madame had told the other.

“I do not want to know what the Madam has lied about; I want to know what the family taught you before they got rid of you.” There was a slight tone of bitterness to his words as he thought of what his master had done to him. “I want to know what I can count on you to do. What are you willing to do.” Then thinking about what he would have said at the slave pens just to get out of there he smiled. “Do not worry I am going to take you from this place, I just need to know where I am going to put you.” Angelo did not know about this timidity that he showed but maybe he could find a place.

Marissa fidgeted, "Madame says there isn't a place for some one like me..." He said softly sadly, "But.... I can read and write, I know some history and some mathematics... I was tutored along side their son." He said softly.

He trembled a bit and tears bubbled up in his eyes, "I t-thought they liked me..." He sniffled a bit, "b-but no one likes me... I'm...I'm so weird! No one likes some one like me" He trembled and his small hands reached up covering his face as he tried to hold back sobs.
The events were still fresh in his mind. Just talking about them hurt him.

Gently reaching out Angelo tried to comfort the poor child. “the Madam lied to you. He would say that because he was trying to get you to do some that he know you would not do.” Gently brushing Marissa’s hair with his hand he tried to think of a way to make thing better.

Marissa looked up at the man for a moment and chewed his lip a little, "I..I'm not very skilled though.." He whispered softly, "In anything...I don't have any talents..." He muttered.
There was so much self doubt there now, he'd forgotten about mending the boy's clothes, forgotten about working in the gardens, and how very much he loved to bake. In the time he'd lived here all of that had been pretty much beaten out of him.

“if you are untrained then we will just have to train you in something you will like.” Pulling him closer he tried to be comforting, and not like the other men here might have been. Whatever this Marissa was to become for Angelo right now it was not a lover.

Marissa blinked a bit as he was pulled close. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond.
Instead he just sort of caved in, he fell against the man and closed his eyes. Those promises sounded nice, anything that wasn't selling his body sounded nice.

He was going to get out, that much he knew.
"P-please! Please I don't want to live here anymore..." He pleaded softly.

“with the way the madam talks about the boys and girls here I am surprised that your one of the few that do want out.” Gently reaching down he picked up Marissa and held him in the bridal hold. “just relax and we will have you to your new home in no time.” Angelo knew that he was going to have to keep this one close. There was no way he was going to trust the other boys to him. but where to go so that he could have him near.
As he walked out of the room the Madam was standing there hands clasped in anticipation. “so you will be taking the little pet? As I said I would keep him but he just dose not match.”
“yes I am going to take Marissa, he is wasted her e any ways.” Owner smiled a nasty little smile as they walked down the hall.
“and the payment?” one could almost hear the madam adding up the tidy little sum.
“it will be paid in full by the end of the night. If not you know where to find me.”

Marissa blinked, completely caught of guard, he'd never been held before. Well not like this anyway.
He buried his face against the man's chest as they passed by the Madame. He deeply hoped that the man wasn't being swindled. He was aware of how business worked here. Madame would sell under trained boys she did not want to invest time in, to people for high prices.

As they reached the door the madam opened it for him. “It is so nice doing business with you, please do come again.” The false cheer that the madam put was bitter sweet. Walking down the steps Angelo did not answer till he put Marissa into the waiting carriage.
“As long as he is selling boys I will do what I can go save them.” nodding to the driver he climbed in. “now that you are out of there, how about some new clothes? These seem a bit cheap, even for that old goat.” Angelo wanted so much to hold the boy close to him and tell him everything would be better. But he knew that the boy would not believe it till he had lived it for some time. And with his back ground would probably thing that he was laying the whole time.

Marissa nodded a bit and chewed his lip, "I wasn't allowed to have the really nice things... this is my nicest dress. One of the workers gave it to me out of pity..." He muttered softly as he pulled on the fabric a little. He did like the little maroon number.
"I...I like dresses though sir.." He said softly as he looked up at him with a nervous smile, "I like petticoats and all that as well..."

“I will happily buy you nice dresses and petticoats, but I ask one thing of you.” Sitting acrossed for Marissa Angelo tapped twice on the top of the carriage with his cane.

Marissa looked at him curiously. He worried what the man might ask him his hands resting on the soft cushions.
He glanced down at the now taking in all the little details of the vehicle. But he had been brought up not to bring these things up, as it was annoying when you lavished people endlessly with praise, and made your family look bad.

He looked back at the man now, "What would that be sir?" He asked softly.

“That when I request it you will wear the outfit of a boy” holding up a hand before Marissa could say anything Angelo went on. “I am not going to ask it of you that often. Only no nights that I have guests over which will not be for some time as I am only now recovering from an illness that has left me sensitive to the sun.” moving the curtain aside he looked out then said as if an afterthought. “also I would like it if you did not go with the other boys of my employ. I do not think they would take kindly to you for some time yet.”

Marissa opened his mouth to complain about the idea of wearing pants, He hated pants. He hated all the little buttons and how they made him look.
He sighed a little and frowned at the floor, he couldn't say anything bad, this man was giving him a decent home after all.

He nodded a bit at the final request, that would be easy enough to uphold, he wasn't planning on going after any of the other boys anyway.

Angelo looked back at Marissa. “you were about to disagree, why?” his voice was kind and caring. Something Marissa probably had never heard in his whole life. “Do not worry you will offend me. I wish to know why you do not like the wearing of boy’s clothes.”

"I don't like pants..." He said rather plainly, "and er... for that matter... I don't really...want...to" He fidgeted a bit, "I don't really want to be a boy..." He said quietly.
He was nervous, usually when he said that he was hit.

Reaching out acrossed the carriage Angelo gently lifted Marissa face up so he could see his eyes. “it is a sad time when one is trapped in the body of what you do not wish to be. But you do know that women are now also wearing pants?” Angelo lightly ran his finger along Marissa’s jaw line as he removed his hand from his face