A storm was rolling in, but rain and thunderstorms never really did bother the Grim Reaper. Heck, sunshine didn't even bother her, although she always did have a preference for darker weather.

She looked at the grandfather clock in corner of the foyer, noting that it was getting slightly late. It was almost nine o' clock. However, it wasn't as if Ephemera could just go to bed. She was waiting for a visitor, in fact - a person out of very few that was willing to come near the villa.

His name was Cesar Oliver. He was a master that had come to her in dire need of assistance. He had a gang leader kidnap his daughter about two weeks ago. There wasn't a whole lot that Ephemera could do for the daughter, but upon Cesar's request to "do anything she could to bring her back", Death came for the kidnapper. After that, Cesar was able to safely retrieve his daughter.

Cesar was also a master, and he promised a gift to her. At the time, he didn't know what he was going to give her, but it wasn't until this morning that Ephemera received a written letter from him. He had found the perfect gift, and he was going to bring it to her Thursday night around ten in the evening.

No other details were given, which left Lady Ephemera to be quite curious, almost in a childish way. She was watching the clock anxiously, pacing around. What could he possibly bring the Grim Reaper that would please her? A home-cooked meal? Money? She didn't need any of those.

What could she possibly want that he could give her? She really had all she wanted.

...Right?

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Things had been a little tense at Master Oliver's manor for awhile, with his daughter gone Kiley got the brunt of his anger for the kidnapper. She had some rather delicious black and blues across her back from when she couldn't out run his fists. However the master had kindly covered those with make up in order to give Kiley as a gift to a new master or mistress.

She was dressed rather ridiculously in a white dress with little diamonds under the bust, she looked the very picture of innocence, an angel. She almost laughed. Despite being fairly well behaved, she could be a little sassy at times and didn't deserve the purity the dress suggested.

Kiley wasn't allowed to sit in an actual seat, her master had always treated her like..some rich women treated their little dogs. she was in the back of the car with him, her head resting on his lap, her legs folded demurely at her side. It didn't disgust her like she had originally thought it might, instead she enjoyed the closeness. She liked to pretend she was with someone who actually loved and cared for her. Someone who thought she was more than just property.

Suddenly the car came to a halt. The other female slave in the car hurried to open the Master's door. He stepped out and Kiley slipped out quickly as well. The Master nodded to the other slave and she placed a large white bow into Kiley's red curls, tying them partially back in a head band kind of way. She frowned a bit at the extra dollish fashion choice but didn't fight the other girl, she didn't want her getting hurt by her rude behavior.

The Master grabbed Kiley by the wrist and pulled her toward him, he pressed his face very close to the red heads and threatened her to be good or else. Kiley didn't need to hear this, she wasn't about to disobey someone she didn't know. She didn't like the idea of finding out new forms of punishment.

The other slave did one last look over Kiley, fixing a curl here and there and then gently pushed the girl to stand behind the Master as he headed toward the large manner before him.

DRESS

Lady Ephemera heard a vehicle pull up, and as she glanced out the window from the entrance hall, she saw that Cesar Oliver had arrived with a couple of pretty girls accompanying him. She could have almost scoffed. She hadn't known he was a bachelor, but she tried not to judge him for it. She just thought that as a father who seemed to love his daughter very much, he had a better head on his shoulders.

She stepped away from the window before her silhouette could be seen, and for a little bit longer, she waited, eyeing the time to see that he was five minutes late.

Ephemera hadn't a clue what to expect, and if there was one thing the Grim Reaper didn't like, it was surprises. If this was some sort of trick, Cesar Oliver would be in a world of hurt. There were just some people who couldn't care less about the favors that were done for them. They just wanted power, and it wouldn't surprise her if he tried to take it from her.

There was a knock on one of the large, wooden doors, and she took her time to answer it. As she opened it, she spotted Cesar standing there on the front porch, and she swore she saw a sliver of white and red behind him. Was that another person...?

"Lady Ephemera," he said with a curt nod, although with the deed she had done for him, she would have liked to see a bow. She was the Lady of Death, after all. Shouldn't she be treated like royalty? "I have brought you a present," he went on, then stepped aside a bit to pull the redhead girl from behind him. "A human slave to do any bidding you so wish."

She was a little dumbfounded, but before she could say anything, he spotted a manila folder in his other hand. She gave it a questioning look, which Mr. Oliver did not fail to notice. He looked down at it as well. "Ah, and all of the paperwork that goes along with her. It is proof that she belongs to you."

He then looked over to the slave he was handing over, giving her a sort of gesture to say something to Ephemera.

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The red head listened carefully to what her Master was saying, eagerly awaiting the sound of this Master or Mistresses voice. She couldn't tell which it was, her view being blocked by her Master's back but when she heard him call the person Lady Ephemera, she obviously assumed it was a mistress behind the man.

The idea of belonging to a Mistress was a fairly new one to Kiley who had only been a slave to a female child before she had passed away, and then sent to serve with the Oliver's. Despite this fact she did know a few things about serving a female from the few times she would serve upon Master Oliver's daughter. It seemed very different than working with a male, however each Master or Mistress handled their slaves differently so Kiley's day dreaming thoughts quickly snapped back to the present.

That's when she heard her Master say that he had brought her as a present, of course she had known that's what she was supposed to be, but hearing it aloud was a bit difficult. It was like she was a new puppy but worse, people usually loved their puppies.

He stepped aside and Kiley's green eyes shot quickly to the ground and she lowered her head a bit as was respectful. Kiley was panicking inside about how to address the new Mistress who was also a Lady as her Master discussed the paper work.

Suddenly he stopped talking and she felt his eyes on her, even saw the little gesture he made for her to speak. Eight years as a slave and the girl was suddenly struck with nerves. She could literally feel the importance of this Lady radiate the general area. Then, what must have been a gift from her angel mother above, Kiley had a moment of clarity and acted upon it.

"Mistress," She spoke clearly but with a soft tone, knelt on the ground before the Lady sitting back onto her feet with her head down, her dress floating out around her and folded her hands prettily in her lap. "I do hope this pleases you, Lady Mistress."

Kiley could have curtsied she realized after the fact but she didn't feel like that showed enough servitude. She wasn't a respectful daughter of this man she was a gift from him. A new pretty little doll for the Lady to play with and being on the ground at the Lady's feet showed that far better than a curtsy would have. She did fear for the lovely marshmellow dress however. She wouldn't want to taint it after all.

To say the truth, Ephemera never really had a real slave before. Many times, she heard about the underground slave trade; in fact, it was a reason why Death had been a bit more active than usual. Some of the slaves had been through sickness in their cages, and she eventually had to just put them out of their misery.

She never really thought that she would be a mistress. The idea never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it, it would have been useful. Someone to take care of things in the villa when she couldn't be there was something she certainly might need.

Ephemera looked over the girl as she spoke to her. She wore an achromic dress. Well, if this was to be her gift, she certainly couldn't be wearing that thing for long. The redhead girl would surely be expected to wear some darker clothes, whether she liked it or not.

Although she doubted that she even had a choice to wear that particular, white dress. Cesar Oliver probably just wanted to make her look as pure and ideal as possible.

In the long run, it worked.

"I accept your gift, Cesar Oliver," she said, looking back to the man. Then, she looked back to the slave that was now hers. "Come in, girl. We'll get you acquainted with the place." She then eyed Cesar for a final time, knowing there was one more thing he wanted to say.

"You don't want to know more about her?"

"I will know more from her, thank you. I know this pretty thing is perfectly capable of speaking for herself." The master almost looked surprised, but he said nothing more, and simply replied with another nod. With that confirmed, Ephemera bid him farewell, inwardly hoping he wouldn't bug her with anything else in the future.

Once she locked the door (the sound of the mechanism clicking into place had caused a slight echo through the foyer), she turned to fully face her, then walked past her. "Let's have a seat," she said as she made her way into the living room. There was a dark red set of furniture in here, and she helped herself to the chaise lounge chair by the black-curtained window, gesturing for the redhead to have a seat in the nearest armchair.

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With her head down, Kiley could only hear the mistress say that she had been accepted as a gift, she wished she could have seen the expression on the Lady's, her new mistresses' face and the reaction of her former Master's as well.

As the Lady asked Kiley into her home, the girl rose as gracefully as possible from her kneeling position and only her training kept her from looking back at Master Oliver's face before she stepped inside. She stood to the side of the first room she entered her head still lowered in the good-slave-girl way.
She heard her former Master's question and was utterly shocked by the Mistresses' answer.
Either this mistress just wasn't worried about Kiley's past or perhaps she wisely knew that the paperwork she had held all the information she needed to know.

When the Lady stepped into her home and the lock sounded through the room, Kiley jumped a little in surprise she had always had an issue with sudden, loud noises but had been mostly trained not to show it.

Kiley wrapped her right hand around her left wrist a bit tightly and followed the mistress into the living room when asked to do so. She was about to sit at the Lady's feet when she clearly pointed to the arm chair across from her. Kiley's brows pulled together the slightest bit in worry but she tried not to show it as she curtsied quickly to show she appreciated the chair and then sat delicately on the very edge of the seat. She kept her eyes lowered and waited quietly to see what the Lady mistress would want of her.

Ephemera might have been considered one of the most powerful beings in the world. To some, she was a god. To others, she was considered the devil. No matter what her ranking and strength, though, she was a little dumbfounded with this turn of events. What was she expected to do with a slave? Could she really handle one? What if the one given to her was to run off one day and disappear? What if she was a pest?

As of right now, it didn’t seem very probable that the girl was one to be disobedient. She had perfectly good manners, almost as if she had been raised in the medieval days. Ephemera noticed the faint look of surprise on her face when she offered her a seat, and then, she quickly understood why.

Maybe some slaves usually sat at their masters’ feet. Well, as of right now, Ephemera needed to grow accustomed to the fact that she was now a mistress. She had responsibility over this girl, and she had a fair bit to learn when it came to what she had to do with her slave. She had always been too busy to really care about all of this until now.

The manila folder with the papers sat on her lap, but she didn’t want to read them to find out what she needed to know. She wanted to hear it from the slave’s lips. Conversation was a key thing to get to know someone. Not even a written biography about her would be enough for Ephemera. She wanted to hear it in the redhead’s own words.

”Tell me about yourself,” she said. ”Starting with your name.”

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The red headed slave pressed her white satin ballet flats together and admired the way they looked in the light of the room, almost shiny. She liked to try and focus on the 'fluff' of life sometimes, the littlest things that any regular free person would take for granted, became something sweet and special to Kiley Mackenzie.

Her possition on the edge of the chair although unsual was rather uncomfortable, she began to miss sitting on the floor. Of course it was her own doing, but in her mind it was the only way to show that she wasn't on the same level as her new mistress.

Her eyes were focused on her shoes when the mistress asked her to tell her about herself. Kiley rubbed her lips together, they felt slippery from the clear gloss the other slave had put on her, and then opened her mouth to answer the Lady's questions.

"My name is Kiley, Kiley Mackenzie Everette Lady Mistress," She wasn't quite sure what her mistress wanted to know but she figured her past as a slave, "I became a slave at age ten and watched after a little girl but she grew ill and passed away Mistress. Master Oliver took me from the family and I've been with him until now Lady Mistress."

Kiley wanted to look at this new mistress, she had not yet really seen much of her besides quick glances. She seemed rather important and Kiley wondered why it felt that way.

From what she was gathering, Kiley didn’t have a whole lot of experience when it came to being a slave. Ephemera couldn’t say how she felt about this. Were they both new to this whole thing? She was beginning to feel a little vulnerable, not knowing exactly what to do. Was it just what she wanted, or were there boundaries she couldn’t cross?

Not that Ephemera could really see herself asking for a whole lot. She had pretty much all she wanted, save for some company from time to time.

And a good cook.

God, she was horrible with cooking, save for the basic, frozen foods that really got old after a while. Sadly, delivery from Chinese and pizza places got tiring, as well.

Once the slave paused, Ephemera rose to her feet and moved a bit closer to her, observing her in the dim light of the lounging room. "You are a pretty thing..." she said. "It's hard to believe he'd want to give you up at all, even to someone such as myself."

Ah, right. Chances were, Kiley didn't even know who or what Ephemera was. The woman wasn't ready to reveal that to her just yet. "I've never had a slave before," she admitted as she straightened again, pacing a bit in front of the girl. "I'm not exactly familiar with what it expected of me as a mistress, I'm afraid. What did you do for Cesar Oliver when you were his?"

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The sound of the new mistress rising from her seat to come closer had Kiley a bit weary. She was extremely used to a heavy handed master and it would take awhile before she would get used to anything else.

Only her training kept her from moving, she held still, almost like a doll herself, as the mistress looked her over. She couldn't help the quick flash of her eyes up to the mistresses when she said Kiley was pretty. She sort of realized she must be good looking to be able to be given as a gift to someone else, she must be some what attractive shouldn't she? However she didn't hear it from others very often and therefore couldn't help her slip of manors. She hoped the mistress wouldn't be displeased, perhaps it was better anyway, she doubted the mistress could haven gotten a good look at her face with all that she had been trained to keep her eyes on the floor.

Curiosity could be a very dangerous thing to a slave, but Kiley could barely help but feel it when the mistress said she had been surprised Master Oliver had given her up, however the second part of that sentence was the one holding her captivated, such as herself? What was she exactly? She hoped to find out eventually, but didn't have the courage to ask quite yet as it wasn't her place.

She wasn't about to tell the new mistress that Master Oliver hadn't exactly liked Kiley all that well. She really didn't know why, she had always tried her best to be well behaved whenever he was around, but no matter what she did, he had always been harsh and angry when dealing with her. She didn't want the new mistress to think she was ill behaved or damaged goods however, so she kept her thought to herself.

Her face instantly went into the safe expression. The one she had practiced for ages in front of a mirror since she had become a slave. It was a way of protecting yourself, if you let your emotions show too clearly, then you were more vulnerable, and far more likely to get yourself into trouble.

She hadn't been expecting such a thing to be said to her, this important woman, for she could feel it even if she didn't know why, had never had a slave before? It was unheard of!

Kiley instantly grew uncomfortable when she was asked of her duties in the Oliver household. She knew she'd say far too much, but she didn't really know how to condense her answer.
"I did a great many things for Master Oliver Lady Mistress," She began and refolded her hands in her lap before going on, "If I were with Master Oliver, I was sort of like a pet. He always wanted me beside him, my head in his lap. I did some cleaning and cooking for him as well, but mostly I was the pet and sometimes he," She paused very briefly, the only flaw in her training being slight embarrassment, "Sometimes he used me for pleasure as well Lady Mistress. He often grew angry and took it out on me as well, it was my job to be used as he pleased Mistress. I was sometimes told to look after his daughter as well and then I did much of the same. Although she liked to dress me in different things, as if I were a doll." Kiley blushed, she couldn't help herself, she was beginning to babble and was having a difficult time stopping. "I'd brush out her hair and help her dress and even she sometimes used me for pleasure. She never punished me as he did though." She blinked and then refocused on who she was speaking to, "Of course it is the right of every master or mistress to do exactly as they please with their slave. I hope to be of help to you Lady Mistress." Kiley pressed her lips together tightly to stop herself from speaking. She needed to stop if she was going to keep anything of her past life private, and she didn't want to be giving the new mistress ideas about beating her regularly like Master Oliver had.

She only hoped the mistress wouldn't be too displeased when she found out that her new slave had hidden bruises all across her back. Some people didn't like their toys pre-played with and Kiley did not want to return to the Oliver's. She was sure she wouldn't recieve a warm welcome if that were to occur.

There were so many feelings oozing from Kiley, and Ephemera could feel it. She was curious, and she was nervous. There was something about her that made her come off as uneasy, and Ephemera could understand that. However, she hadn't though that the redhead would necessarily be trying to cover up any dark truths. If Cesar Oliver had been wrong to her, it wouldn't have made Ephemera think any less of the girl.

After all, she was still trying to get a grasp on this mistress thing. She had no idea what made a perfect slave, even if that was likely in the eyes of the beholder.

The woman listened as Kiley spoke about her services to Cesar. For the most part, she was a lap dog of sorts, and Ephemera had to admit that he wouldn't have minded letting her lay her head on her lap. That was just more for the sake of company, however, as Ephemera had always been a bit of a solitary woman.

She had already assumed that Kiley had been used for sexual pleasure. She had imagined that most slaves were. Although she hated to think that the pretty girl had been a victim to his anger. Even Ephemera knew the short temper that he had.

Kiley continued on with her services to Cesar's daughter, as well, but Ephemera only listened. It was part of her duties to serve him, after all, even if details weren't all that necessary.

"Of course it is the right of every master or mistress to do exactly as they please with their slave. I hope to be of help to you Lady Mistress."

Ephemera managed a smile, then sat up a bit to provide room on the chaise. "Come and sit with me," she told her. "I'll tell you now that I would not hurt you like Cesar Oliver did." She then paused, contemplating for a moment before continuing. "I do have a secret to tell you, though."

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After a few seconds Kiley began to wonder if she had some how messed up. However when she lifted her head to see if the lady was upset, she found a smile on her face and Kiley couldn't help but return her smile.
She watched with wide blue eyes as the lady moved over, as if offering the girl some room to sit beside her. When the mistress asked her to do so, Kiley stood, her hands smoothing out the white dress before she hesitatly lowered her body to the spot beside her new mistress.
The mistresses words about not hurting her, had Kiley's eyes flashing up to the ladies face with a look of weary, hoprful, surprise.
No more beating, random bouts of sharp words or angry grabs? No more bruises, cuts, or injuries? It was too much to hope for, and Kiley found herself feeling like she couldn't quite believe the lady. Only time spent with her would make her totally believe it.
The girl's eyes grew curious when the mistress told her that she had a secret to share.
Would it be why the lady felt so powerful? Or perhaps she was about to find out what kind of random jobs she would encounter while living here? She may have been just alittle bit scared, but her curiousity out weighed her fear.
"What's that Lady Mistress?" She asked timidly.

Lady Mistress. In a way, the title the slave had given her was a little amusing, but at the same time, it made Ephemera feel all the more powerful. Sure, she had always known that she was a strong woman, capable of taking lives with the blink of an eye, but this was a different kind of power. This was the kind of power that gave her respect, and that mattered more than anything she ever had before.

"Between you and me," she said, gently placing her hand on Kiley's knee, "I've never owned a slave before." She wasn't even registered to the trade, in fact. She could easily do it now, because Cesar Oliver had also given her a registration sheet inside of the manila folder, which now sat on the table in front of her.

She wasn't ready to do all of that just yet, though. She had plenty of time to do that, and really, what were the hunters going to do if they found out she was an unregistered mistress? Kill her? Arrest her?

Yeah, she would have liked to see them try.

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The red headed girl almost smiled at the conspiratorial way the mistress was speaking to her, as if they were girlfriends sharing a secret. However that didn't make Kiley forget her place and when the mistress told her that she had yet to own a slave herself, Kiley wondered why she'd tell her something like that.
Surely it didn't help the mistress any to have Kiley know this, if she were someone else, a disobedient slave perhaps, they may have tried to take advantage of her. However Kiley wasn't about to do that. Not only could it be a way to test her, but she really just wasn't one to go around pushing and testing limits. She preferred to learn the rules and then perhaps figure out how to be a little more like herself and less like the robot doll she currently acted like. Of course that didn't mean that she'd ever be disrespectful, just more Kiley.
She smiled when the mistresses hand rested on her knee and she looked at the important woman before her through a curtain of her red hair.
She tilted her head to the side, curiously and then regained the doll facade and sat up strait.
"Does that mean well..do you need me to do anything Lady Mistress?" She was a bit confused about what that meant for her.
Did it mean that Kiley was her guinea pig and she'd be the one that the mistress tried all her mistress powers on? Even the thought seemed ridiculous to Kiley. She smiled at the mistress, still shy, unsure of herself because the floor under her feet could fall away at anytime and tried to figure out what the mistress before her wanted.

As she thought about it, and as the confession slipped from her, the Grim Reaper slowly realized that this might be a good way to test this girl. Just how well-behaved was she? She realized that some slaves would probably take advantage of her lack of experience as a mistress, but then, they would highly regret crossing her.

As Kiley sat up straight and asked if she needed anything, Ephemera simply smiled. She could have taken advantage of this herself, but she wasn't sure what to ask of her. Her inexperience probably showed, and she worried that it might have.

"As of right now, sweetie, I just want your company." Maybe that sounded odd, especially when coming from someone as powerful and wicked as she was, but Kiley had yet to know what she really was. "If I need you to do something for me, I will let you know."

She was stalling. She didn't want to admit it, but she was honestly stumped. There was no cleaning that needed to be done. She looked at her, then tilted her head a little. "Did you want to do something for me?"

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