Sorry my writing has slowed to a crawl. Real life has been intensely busy for me.
As always, please be sure to read the previous chapters, or this may make completely zero sense. There is still no sex, but instead just a master/slave making a journey.
I'd love to hear comments/feedback to have an idea of how to improve or continue. The ones left so far have been encouraging and are greatly appreciated!
***
Tali and her master spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. She knelt by his side, head resting on the floor, dozing slightly at his encouragement to not worry about anything for a few hours. He read for a while, though his mind wandered constantly to the events of the last few days.
It had been quite a while now since Tali received a real punishment, something to feel truly sorry over. He knew that the lack of such discipline could lead to irrationality, and that she would start to fray more if she couldn't empty out some of those emotions.
"Tali," he broke the silence. She took in a deep breath as she cleared her mind from the haziness of relaxation.
"Yes, master?" she replied, keeping her reluctance of the situation where he had used her name from her voice. She wished she could take it back, make him forget... make herself forget.
"I'm starting to get hungry."
Tali started and became alert at once. Had that much time passed? She always starting dinner without being prompted...
"I...I'm sorry, master, I lost track of time," she hesitated as she thought of what to say. The last time she made food for him, she failed miserably, assuming he only wanted food for himself, not that she had to make enough for two.
Still... it felt so wrong! She didn't want anything. She didn't deserve the same food her master ate. Training dictated that she never express desire for anything besides necessity, and even then there was a dangerous line to toe.
"Master..." she began tentatively.
"Yes? Don't you have something you should be doing now?"
She flinched, "yes master! I... I was just wondering if.. perhaps..." she trailed off for a moment, hating her question no matter how cautiously she could try to phrase it, "would it please you if I ... er.. made something for myself to eat, too?"
Miro thought for a moment. She said "something", implying it wouldn't be the same as what she intended to make for him. He sighed.
Tali's fingers extended themselves and spread wide on the ground as she bowed over at her waist, trying to stabilize her swell of self-hatred for thinking this could possibly be what he wanted. She worked to keep her voice free of what she felt for herself, "I... I'm sorry master! I didn't mean it, just... I don't want any food. I don't need any food."
"Make yourself enough of whatever I'm having to feel full."
She couldn't balance out her feelings. Surely she had done nothing to earn the privilege. She wanted to desperately to please him, though, she just had to make sure...
"Will that please you, master?" Tali asked softly. She would do anything that would please him.
"Are you suggesting that you thought of not doing what I said?" Miro asked, half in amazement and wonder. That half never made its message across to her, however.
"No! I mean.. no master..." but it wasn't true, she hadn't wanted to do it, "I... I mean, I want to do the right thing, and... and I don't know what..." her mind spun through what to say next rapidly. What the right thing to do is? What he wants her to do? What she's supposed to do? What... "what will make me the best slave for you, master," she finished.
"Hm... it would please me if we ate the same food today." He avoided responding to what would make her the best slave. That definition seemed to be changing and even he couldn't keep up with it.
She couldn't understand... why would that please him! She wanted to challenge his statement, but her compulsion to obey and please won over.
"As you wish. Thank you, master, for the food," she preemptively thanked him. She noticed the dodge but didn't pursue the topic further. He would talk about it if he wanted to. She stood up and moved to begin preparing dinner.
She would cook another of his favorites tonight. The thought of eating the same type of food as him was a little disturbing, as she measured out more of everything for herself as well. She didn't need high quality meat! It was a waste of money on her...
When she finished cooking, Tali found her master and knelt before him. She bowed her head, speaking softly, "dinner is ready, master."
"Good, I'm starting to feel ravenous!"
Miro made his way to the kitchen, with Tali a step behind. As soon as they approached the table, she sped up to pull the chair out for him to sit down. She then went to serve him his food.
She had prepared 3 items for the meal. Salad, steak, and scallops. She served him a healthy portion of the steak and scallops, with a little salad. Tali intended to eat mostly salad herself for dinner.
She silently placed his plate in front of him on the table, bowing respectfully to signal that she hoped he was pleased.
"Thank you," he broke the silence.
"I... err, it's my pleasure, master?" she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say, but also added, "I hope you like it, there's more if you want."
"Where's your plate?"
"I.. I was going to eat what was left, after you had your fill, master."
"Make yourself a plate and sit down with me."
"As you wish, master." Tali had anticipated that he would require this and had prepared herself mentally for exactly this moment. She retrieved a plate for herself and filled it with salad, in case her master wanted more of the meat himself.
After she sat down, she picked up a fork and stared at her plate, pushing around the leaves a little, slowly spearing them in a bunch one at a time. She didn't want to be in the middle of chewing a huge mouthful in case she needed to get him something.
Every so often, she glanced at her master's plate to see if he seemed to be enjoying his food.
"Why aren't you eating? Do you find my company displeasurable?"
"No! Of course not, master!" Butterflies fluttered through her stomach, "I... just want you happy, and... and hope you enjoy the meal," she glanced at his plate and noticed the scallops were gone.
She stood up and started towards the extras being kept warm, "let me get you more, I made plenty of food for us both!"
When she got back to the table and was about to slide them onto his plate, he held up his hand to stop her, "save some for yourself, girl. I can tell these are the last of them."
Tali grimaced slightly, "I have enough salad to stuff myself silly, master, I made these for you! Please, master, I want you to have them." The guilt she felt over her master paying this much attention was hard to bear. Why did he care anyway? She was nothing.
"I insist, have some for yourself."
In a flare of defiance neither could have predicted, Tali pushed, "I don't want any, it would just get wasted." She looked away to make her point, as if shunning the food.
Silence stretched. All of a sudden, Tali slowly started to look back towards her master, but the closer she got, the more it dawned on her just how she was behaving. She was scared out of her wits with what she would find staring back at her. She forgot to breathe as she was caught in his stony gaze.
"Is that what you think of me?" His tone chilled her to the core. She shook her head in a silent plea but he continued, "I want to give you something and you deny me?"
"Please..." it came out barely a whisper and her throat seized up. The blood pounded in her head and her eyes kept losing focus as her head spun.
He pushed on relentlessly, "do you think I will just sit here and let you disrespect me?"
She started to scoot her chair back so she could get out and kneel.
"Stay where you are!" he spat. He let his anger flare.
Tali started shaking. She wanted to obey him, why didn't she just do what he said? She hated denying him anything... what happened? She didn't know what to do. She put her hands spread, palms down on the table, trying to submit, trying to stabilize the situation.
"Eat a good portion of everything you made tonight. I will determine after the fact whether what you ate counts as 'good'. Do you understand?"
"Yes master."
"After the meal, you will clean up then meet me in the room."
"Y...yes.. master... may I serve the food for myself?" Tears were running down her face and dripping off her chin, some making it down her neck. This time her punishment would be her own fault.
He almost felt sorry for her, but steeled himself. Comfort would have to come later.
"Yes, of course, how else do you plan to carry out my orders?"
"I..I'm sorry, thank you master," she got up and quickly served herself what looked like more than enough steak and scallops for herself, then put some more salad on his plate.
The rest of the meal was finished in silence. When he finished his food, she asked, "may I take your plate, master?" Tali wasn't sure what to do... she normally wasn't eating when he finished and was able to clean up as soon as he was done.
"No, you can clean it up altogether after you're done."
"Yes master, thank you for teaching me," she replied, though the thought of leaving his dirty dish there unattended clawed at her mind. She should have taken care of it immediately! He had told her otherwise though...
As she finished her own meal, Tali began dreading what was going to happen afterwards. Her chewing slowed, then sped back up as she realized she was delaying the inevitable.
When Tali finished cleaning everything up after the meal, she dried her hands on a towel... then dried them again on her shirt as she walked because they were moist with sweat again. It had been a long time since she approached the room knowing that she had made a real mistake.
