What is a slave to do?
As a slave there is no more fundamental law then obeying a Free. Our answer is “Yes, Master”, or Mistress as the case may be, never is our answer “no” when a command is given to us. This gives rise to some conflicts and issues that I have come across. What does a slave do when a Free gives them a command that goes against an order from their Owner or another Free responsible for them?
It happens all the time, in small ways and large and to the Free it is not something they concern themselves with, but to a slave it is a situation fraught with peril. We know that we will be disappointing someone and one the other hand a punishment most likely awaits.
Just such a situation arose recently for me. A meeting was to take place in the city, and after delivering a basket of delicacies I was ordered away by a Master until after the meeting was concluded. A simple order to comply with, so I took myself off and left to attend to some chores. As I was leaving I paused at the entrance of the building to greet other kajirae, while we were greeting a different Master arrived. He gave each of us an assignment, and after giving me mine turned and made his way to the meeting.
What should a slave do in such a situation?
There are two ways, essentially, a slave can handle these times when they happen to you, because if it hasn’t happened to you, can be assured it will at some point:
You can insist that you have other orders and refuse.
You can go along with it.
Keep in mind that while the Free are not always right, they are never wrong, and so the first option may not be your best option. It is possible to beg out of something while causing the minimum offense. She can beg for permission to explain that she has orders to be away, in the instance describe above, with the knowledge that the Master may still tell her to attend to his order. It is always wise to speak with your Owners about how you should handle just such a situation when it arises.
For myself, I said, “Yes, Master.” and went about my assigned role. The Master and I had a talk about it, this article is the result of that discussion.
Bear in mind that there will be times when there simply is no right answer for you. All that we can do as a slave is beg forgiveness and take our punishment with dignity and grace and learn from it. Learning from it does not mean that we are mistreated. They are Free, we are slave and as such have no rights to fair treatment. So whether you are a slave in character or are one in character and out, a kajira always strives to better themselves for their Owner.
There is no right answer, other than to never say “no” to a Free. In my situation, I said “yes, Master.” and prepared my assignment. Nothing was served at this meeting, but the question was raised to me, how does a kajira handle conflicting orders. When it comes up for you, how do you?
by kadri
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