Is She Yours?
We walked last night for a time, wandering Ar . I am fascinated by the night and
watching people on the streets. Since coming to Gor I rarely ventured outside
alone except to go to the gardens or waterfalls and even today only go to those
places and the arena on my own after dark. I go to the Teiban Sul Market almost
every day for something, but last night was the first time I was there at night.
He tethered me to him to prevent my becoming separated in the crowd . I felt
several touch my thigh and also saw a girl pulled from the street into the
darkness of a doorway. Even if I had gripped his tunic, I could have easily
become pulled from him in the press of people.
He allowed me to eat some vegetables wrapped in flat bread while I knelt at the
side of the road. When I moved to drink at the slaves fountain, two tarnsmen
watched me. I did not look directly at them, but knew they stared and commented.
They asked him, as many people do, "Is she yours, Poet?" He answered as he
always does, "She does not wear my collar."
Later, at the Keep, we spoke for a time about things such as this between men
and women ... between Masters and slaves. He asked me, reminding me again in
this short question of who and what I am, "Who is slave?" "Joy is slave." He
continued, but changed the question from his usual phrasing, "What fellow
masters Joy, an intelligent barbarian?"
I spoke the truth then ... "You master joy" and then spoke my heart aloud for
the first time. I told him I knew I did not wear his collar, but that when I
heard the question, "Is she yours" if I were allowed to answer, I would say yes.
I would not go back even if given the choice. I would not exchange what was for
what is.