Master and two of our friends were seated at our dining room table. Me, i was serving, dressed in a very revealing French Maid's outfit that Master had bought me on-line. A black corset with a very short attached skirt, the boning on the corset and the edging on the skirt was white. There was a little white bow right in the middle of the top of the corset. i even had on black fishnet thigh highs, spiky heels, and a little bit of lace in my long red hair. i wore my training collar.
Dinner was over. i had cleared the table and served up creme brulee for dessert and drinks, both of which i had made myself. i stood behind Master's chair, on his right, my head bowed, and my hands clasped in front of me, watching and waiting in case anyone needed anything. They were talking about things, computers, politics, physics. i wasn't really listening. It's not that i couldn't carry my own in a conversation like that, i can. It's just that intelligent conversation wasn't my job for the evening. Serving was, and most of my attention was captured by the amount of food on people's plates and anticipating their needs for napkins or refills.
Everyone looked as though they were through with their plates, so i moved forward quietly, unobtrusively.
"May i take your plate, Master?" i spoke quietly, as i leaned forward and touched the plate.
"Yes, thank you," Master said. i removed the plate, fork, and napkin, but left his drink. "The problem with the current understanding of nanotechnology is that the general public doesn't realize that the mere presence of nanoparticles is not in itself a threat. It's only their mobility and increased reactivily that make them risky, and then only if some of their properties were harmful to humans or the environment."
i moved to the next person. "May i take your plate, Sir?" i leaned forward.
He nodded and continued speaking, in counterpoint to what Master had just said. "We don't actually have enough data to know for sure if nanoparticles could have an undesirable effect on the environment, although carbon nanotubes practically soak through skin, and can be carcinogenic."
My interest was piqued, but i said nothing. i moved on. "May i take your plate, Ma'am?"
She nodded, and i leaned in to pick up the plate as she said, "Yes. You've got to consider the nanoparticles that are released during production or as waste accumulate in the soil, plants, or water. And in addition, manufactured substances end up being disposed of as waste or recycled. There's just not enough information to know if some of the nanoparticles will end up being non-biodegradable."
i couldn't help myself. "But the benefits outweigh the risks. Considering the information we do have, it's unlikely we're going to end up with a grey goo scenario. In fact, since scientists are aware that they don't know, they can take steps to reduce the risks even further," i said as i straightened up with her plate in my hand. All three of them stopped speaking and stared at me. i blushed bright red, straight to the roots of my hair.
Oh no. i dropped my gaze immediately, my arms full of dishes. "i'm sorry," i whispered.
"We'll talk about this later," Master said, taking another sip of his drink. "Get into the kitchen and clean up."
"Yes, Master," i said, hurriedly, and bobbed a quick curtsy. My heart was pounding hard as i rushed into the kitchen. Once there, i barely managed to set down the dishes before i burst into tears. Stupid stupid stupid! One job tonight, service, and i couldn't manage to do it without messing it up. All i really had to do was keep my mouth shut. That was it.
i couldn't indulge myself with tears for long, though. i knew i only had a short amount of time to do clean up before i was required to return to Master's presence. i didn't want to mess that up too. i wiped my eyes, cleaned up the kitchen, and returned to the dining room, where Master and his guests were finishing their drinks and their conversation.
