'Yes, Master,' I said. 'I have never been taught to read.'
There was laughter.
'It is not that sort of school,' he said.
'Gentlemen,' said Aemilianus, 'and kind sirs, I thank you for your presence here this evening, and for your kind attention. Your comments, your thoughts and your counsel have been much appreciated. If any of you wish to remain the night, feel free to make use of the rooms which were put at your disposal before supper. Similarly if any of the slaves interest you, any of those who served you, or any other in the house, with the exception of our little Tiffany, take her to your room. She is yours for the night. If you are not fully pleased in the morning, let me know and I will have her thoroughly punished, and then sent to you for the week, that she may learn to improve her service.'
'I will take this one,' said a man, indicating one of the girls.
'And I will take this one,' said another.
These two girls ran to their masters of the evening and knelt before them. 'I would like to have the one you call 'Teela' licking at my feet,' said a strong, mature fellow.
'She will be sent to your room,' said Aemilianus.
'My thanks, Aemilianus,' he said.
'And what of this meaningless, squirming little pleasure bundle?' asked one of the men looking at me.
I was now kneeling before the table. I blushed. I did not know if I appreciated being referred to as a meaningless, squirming little pleasure-bundle. On the other hand, these were Gorean men and I knew that I, in their hands, if they wished, would find myself transformed into little more than just such a squirming pleasure- bundle. I had learned this from Tenrak on the floor of a slave wagon.
'With your permission,' said Aemilianus, 'I would rather she did not serve tonight. I would like her to get a good rest. I would like her to get a good start in the morning.'
'As you wish, Aemilianus,' said a man.
'I am not td serve tonight, Master?' I asked.
'No,' he said. 'You must get up early tomorrow.'
'Master?' I asked.
'You must get up early for school,' he said.
'Yes, Master,' I said.
27 School
I was pulled to the post, close to it and facing it. The heavy belt, with the ring on it, through which the loose post strap passed, that strap looping the post and threaded through the belt ring, was put about my belly, and buckled shut, tightly, behind the small of my back. I could now move about the post but, given the post strap and the belt ring, could not be further than six inches from it.
'When you are more experienced, you wrn not need harness,' said the whip master. 'Too, we will let you try sometimes with your hands tied behind you.' 'Yes, Master,' I said.
'Address yourself now to the post, Tiffany,' he 'Make it sweat. Make it cry out with pleasure.'
'Yes, Master,' I said.
'Next',' said the whip master.
I approached him and knelt before him. 'I wear your chains, Master,' I said, lifting them. 'Do with me as you will.'
'Again,' said the man.
I rose to my feet and, facing him, head down, backed away a few paces. Then I lifted my head again.
'Remember, Tiffany,' he said, 'he will.'
'Yes, Master,' I said.
I again approached him and knelt before him. 'I wear your chains, Master,' I said, lifting them. 'Do with me as you will.'
'Better,' he said. 'Next.'
'See how Tiffany uses the cushion,' said the whip master.
'That is good.'
A girl must know how to use the cushions, just as the chains and furs. These cushions are usually large and soft.
These are the sorts of cushions which are sometimes found at the foot of, or in the vicinity of' thrones and curule chairs, generally intended for the use of slaves. They may also, of Course, be found in private dwellings. Sometimes a slave must remain on her cushion. Sometimes she is sent to it for punishment. She is taught to kneel upon it, to curl seductively on or about it, to lie across it, on her stomach or back, to hold It in Certain ways, and so on. 'Good, Tiffany. Good,' said the whip master.
'You are all slaves,' said the whip master.
We all sat facing him, our backs against the wail of the training room. The palms of our hands were flat on the floor at our sides and our legs were extended before us, the ankles crossed, as though bound.
'If you doubt that you are slaves, examine your thighs and Consider your collared necks.'
'We looked at one another. We were not in doubt that we were slaves.
The only question now is whether you will be adequate or adequate slaves,' he said. 'This question, now that you are slaves, is basically a question of whether you will choose live or choose to die. That is your basic question. I suggest you face it. Each of you must make your own choice. I allow you against one mistake, One common to stupid or uninformed girls. That is the mistake of thinking that you can escape the full implications of your position by merely adopting what you think is slave behavior. That is not true.
Authentic slave behavior is motivated from within, and is the natural manifestation of the yielded slave herself. The will and consciousness within is that of a slave. This, then, issues in authentic slave behavior. There are many ways, responses to physical and psychological tests, and subtle behavioral cues, to tell if slave behavior is authentic or not. The choice, thus, is, in effect, one of whether you choose to become a total slave, surrendered and obedient, in your mind as well as your behavior, or die.'
'And this cut,' said the woman, herself a slave, though permitted a brief tunic, 'is called the slave flame. See how it comes down the back, swirling.' She illustrated this with a kneeling girl whose hair had been cut, trimmed and shaped in this fashion. 'This,' she said, moving to the next girl, 'is an upswept fashion. It appears sophisticated. It is a hair-do favored by some free women, but it is not outlawed for slaves.
Its pretentiousness, suggesting superciliousness and arrogance, contrasts nicely with the actual reality of the slave. The girl who wears this must watch her step, lest the master grow impatient with her. If you are permitted, to wear this hair-do, make certain that you, after an initial resistance, if he permits it' yield to him as a particularly low and helpless girl. This hair-do here, on Crystal, with the bun in the back, is favored by many free women of the scribes. It, too, however, like the upswept hair-do has not been outlawed for slaves. Its apparent severity contrasts nicely with sexiness required of the slave.
She may be freed of its severity, and brought into the natural modality of her yielding and submissive femininity, with as little as a single tug, thusly. In contrast, regard Tiffany, who has the shorn look. Some men like this in a woman. To be sure, her hair is now growing out a bit. This is to be contrasted again, of course, with the shaven head, commonly inflicted only on a girl as a punishment or to protect her from lice in close confinements, such as on a slave ship. Again, in the matter of hair-dos as in all my instructions' to you, whether having to do with perfumes, silks, cosmetics, ornamentation, or whatever, you are to consider the total effect, the entire ensemble.'
'Well done, Tiffany,' he said. 'You bring the whip well.'
He took it from between my teeth.
'Thank you, Master,' I said.
'Next,' he said.
