The man known as Stavros DarKoven walked into the Golden Keg tavern in the Dwarven District of Stormwind, and retrieved his room key from the innkeeper, who had kept it for him while he did some exploring. His long black hair gleamed wetly; he had returned from one of the bath houses, where he had been soaked, shaved massaged, and finally eaten a light breakfast of honey croissants and fresh nightpairs, imported from Suramar. He wore well-oiled dark green leathers. His left eye was covered with a leather patch, the souvenir of some deadly conflict. He wore a long sword and dagger on a baldric slung around his waist, just above his belt. Other knives were tucked in his waist and the top of his right leather knee-high boot.
He had purchased several bottles of Mananelle's Sparkling Cider and a small container with Mana-Poached Eggs and a double order of thick crispy bacon. He unlocked and entered the living area of the inn room. He put the breakfast package and the bottles of the sparkling cider on the table, and went to the open doorway to the bedroom. The bed was still occupied by a beautiful Ren'dorei with purple hair. Lithe and slim, yet well-muscled, he stood there gazing at her perfect form. The only thing she wore under the bedclothes was a black leather collar with a mithril ring, and a mithril plate that said in Thalassian "Property of Stavros DarKoven".
He was still admiring the view of his property when a knock came at the inn room door. He shut the bedroom door to not disturb his lover's sleep.
Stavros opened the front door and gazed at the Ren'dorei lady who stood there, awaiting admittance. Stavros had gotten a letter from this lady the sister of his collared slave, who expressed that she wanted her sister freed in no uncertain terms. he looked at her carefully, softly assessing her. Her hair was a deep blue so dark it was almost black, and it fell straight down her back, almost reaching her butt. Her figure was almost boyish; where his slave had delightful but slender curves, her sister was short and narrow of build, with svelte hips and small, high breasts. She looked as if she might need to ear lead shoes in high winds, that anything might topple her over, but Stavros new such body types here deceptive, like the slender steel of a rapier blade - underestimate their strength and one would find oneself swiftly cut to ribbons. Her blouse was belted at the waist, and her long flowing skirt obscured her legs.
"Lady, I bid you welcome. Please, enter and be at ease. May I offer you some sparkling cider?" he began, a smile on his face. While he didn't imagine that his smile would stay there long, he refused to begin this meeting on an antagonistic tone.
The woman didn't so much as smile. "I don't think so. I would much prefer to take my sister and leave."
"Perhaps we might talk about that, before you make any... unilateral decisions," Stavros said, still attempting to be pleasant. "if your sister doesn't want to go with you, for example? What do you do then? I am not keeping her here, I am not chaining her to the bed... well, most of the time. Sometimes her wrists just cry out for chains, and who am I to deny her what she craves?"
The sister of his submissive sneered. "She has always been an attention whore, dressing like a slut. She is a shame to the family name!"
"Is she now? I understand that you are a researcher in the Rift, studying void magic - and that led to your and your sister's corruption by Void magic, and your exile from Silvermoon?"
The sister nodded cautiously. "Yes, what of it?"
"And your research? Who funds it? Who pays for your clothes, your food, and your research expenses?" Stavros asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer. "Your sister sells her services with sword and firearm so that you can continue your researches, yes? And you are worried that your golden ticket has given herself to me..."
The sister had the grace to flush a deep violet color before spouting her denial. "That is untrue! I care for her - she's my sister, damn you! I want her to be safe and happy, not at the end of your goddamn leash!"
Stavros chuckled. "Sister of my Beloved, you are a mage - you can probably freeze me in an icicle or flash-fry me to ash in a second. Well, maybe a few seconds, give that you spend most of your time in research, and not in combat... still, you are powerful and talented," he said. "Your sister has told me that the two of you were taken into a Sin'dorei House, and that she was immediately put to work training as an armsman, drilled in blades, and firearms and stealth. You were allowed more freedom, and discovered your calling in the House library, studying the arcane. As you are skilled and deadly with your magic, she is a magician with her heavy blades, and an artist with her firearms. My point... is that if she didn't want to be here, with me, I'd be a cold corpse faster than it takes a paladin to pray."
"Then why the collar? Why do you call her your slave?" the sister asked.
"Your sister... has needs that need to be fulfilled. Needs and cravings that make her happy, that are very potentially risky. Like the two of you, I am also... quite capable of taking care of what is mine. Did you know that I did not put the collar on her? I made it for her and gave it to her... but it was not until she knelt before me and asked me to put it on her that she became mine. I own her heart, which is a much more valuable thing that owning her body, delightful though it is. And she owns mine - I would rip my own throat out and bleed to death in a Stormwind alleyway before I would let any harm come to her. You tell her that she looks like a slut and a whore - that is because she wants to be treated like a slut and a whore, which can be quite perilous on her own. I give her the freedom to have the experiences she craves, and keep her safe. It is not about money - it has never been about money. it is about letting her scratch those itches she has, while being safe and feeling loved and adored by her Master - me."
"So, she is free to leave anytime" the sister asked.
