In Which Mieve Considers Her New Purchase

[aldersprig]

First: A beginning of a story which obnoxiously cuts off just before the description,
Previous: In Which Amrit is Amazingly Eloquent.
Fae Apoc, approx. now.

Content Warnings: This setting, although not this ficlet, contains rape, mind control, and dubious consent situations.

This particular story contains kidnapping and slavery, bondage, and will eventually contain violence & Stockholm Syndrome.


The man in Mieve's back seat - who she had nicknamed Fuck You, since that seemed to be the only words he knew - seemed to be having trouble with the hood. He was squirming, clearly trying to get out of the shackles and chains, and rubbing his head against the car seat like a cat, trying to dislodge the hood. It was buckled on; it wasn't going to go anywhere.

“You might as well relax.” She pitched her voice louder than normal; the hood was very thick, designed to muffle sounds as well as light. “You're not going anywhere.”

“Uh oo.”

“I begin to see why they gagged you. Do you know any other words?”

“Uh oo eye-ay.“

“You certainly are eloquent.” The auction house hadn't specifically said he'd been Kept already, Mieve knew - but the gall of them selling a fae slave they didn't Own was pretty appalling. Then again, she'd just technically bought a fae slave she didn't, by fae law at least, Own, so she couldn't exactly throw stones.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Uh aw.”

“Yes, it was a rather rhetorical question.” She glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “I don't suppose you'd promise to behave within a set of agreed-on limits?”

“Uh aw.”

“So glad to see you've come up with a new phrase. Well, I guess it's the gag and chains, then.” Without the gag, he could just Work himself free - or he could attack her. Without the chains, well, there was nothing to stop him from walking off.
 
And he was new, he had to be - he was all fight. Most of the slaves she'd bought before had been Kept for a while already, long enough that they needed compassion, gentle handling, and a place to calm down for a while.

This one - well, if she survived a year with him, it would be interesting to see what he turned out like.

He was still struggling back there. That if was beginning to look like a very, very big one.

“Here we are.”

It was, considering the current state of the roads and the need for some level of stealth in route choice, a three-hour drive to Mieve's cabin. It had passed in silence; it wasn't so much that Mieve didn’t like talking to herself – she did that enough, when she was alone in her cabin for too long – as that she didn’t like doing it with an audience, and she certainly didn’t like doing it with a peanut gallery whose only comments were (as far as she could tell) “Fuck you” and “fuck off.”

Now they were “home,” though, the wards safely reset, and she could unwrap her new present, see if he was willing to learn any words other than his favorite sets.

First she had to get him out of the car. He'd cooperated enough getting in, but now that they were away from Fineus the Whoremonger and the rest, he had planted his feet and ass and was refusing to get out of the car.

“There's cold water and beer in the house,” Mieve coaxed. “You just have to get out of the car.”

He muttered something less comprehensible than normal and levered himself out, nearly kicking Mieve in the process. Once standing, he turned his hooded head left and right, as if trying to catch a scent or some sight through the thick cloth.

“This way.” He was likely to be nominally more docile still blinded, and Mieve had a feeling she would need every edge she could get. She steered him through the back door and got it shut and locked behind them, a weight coming off her shoulders as she threw the bolt. Her clearing was safe. Her cabin was a fortress.

And, of course, she'd just invited a tiger into her fort. Well, she'd done less wise things before, and lived to tell the tale.

Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/887320.html

Comments

[kuro_neko00]

I'm not quite sure what's going on here. She seems to be fairly heavily in doubt as to whether or not she is going to be able to control this guy even to the extent of keeping him from killing her. She doesn't seem the type that needs a slave or to be someone harsh enough to break one, so why doesn't she just release him? Or simply not have bought him at all? Does she have a death wish? This has always bothered me a little with Keepers who abuse their Kept or even just capture and hold them against their will, then release them. Aren't they worried the Kept is going to seek revenge? It'd be one thing if they didn't ever plan on releasing them short of death, but in Addergoole's case they have to be released, and in this woman's case, the fact that she mentions previous Kept, as well as 'one year' seems to imply that she follows the Addergoole tradition of only holding a Kept for a year. Unless she plans on killing him, which I find unlikely from the characterization displayed so far. I know I personally would hunger for revenge if that sort of thing happened to me. And I'm far from the most vengeful person in the world.

[inventrix]

I have some hypothetical answers!

"She doesn't seem the type that needs a slave" - She mentions having had several in the past; clearly she does have a need.

"so why doesn't she just release him?" - She already paid valuable goods for him, it would be unfortunate to lose that. Also, he'd probably try to kill her.

"Or simply not have bought him at all?" - Her past experience with purchasing slaves appears to have consisted of receiving rather beaten-down, unhappy ones. I'm sure she assumed he would match the pattern.

"Does she have a death wish?" - No, see, that's why she can't release him. ;)

I'm gonna leave the tangent alone, except for commenting that I think you are reading too much into the "one year" remark.

[kuro_neko00]

At this point she hasn't done anything except buy him. "If I promise to release you free and clear will you promise not to hurt me" is the one promise she could likely get him to agree to.

As to the need. Yeah, I was thinking about it further while I was at work and the comment regarding how she talks to herself so much might imply the need is that she's lonely and wants companionship. If she's an Addergoole grad, and most of the remaining fey community is, then she could very well have trust issues precluding having an equal partner as a companion. She wouldn't be the first the school has done that too. Or she may have trust issues regardless. Addergoole hardly holds the monopoly on trauma.

I may very well be reading too much into that 'one year'. Though its pretty obvious she does eventually release her Kept, since she's mentioned having several previously yet we're at her home now and none of them are evident.

[inventrix]

Sometimes I feel like "traumatic history" and "Ellehemaei" are almost inseparable characteristics, sometimes, which is like... good job, faerie culture, you have raised generations of emotionally unstable super-powered beings! *slow-claps*

[kuro_neko00]

If this comment system had a 'thumbs up' or a 'like' I'd give you one. I agree with this statement. It's a good observation.

[inventrix]

ahaha I still love this so far. :D

I wonder if/when he'll start cooperating at least a little.

[aldersprig]

I have a pretty nice Stockholm arc laid out in my head. Mieve is not above bribery at all. :-D

[inventrix]

aw yiss I love me some nice Stockholming

[aldersprig]

*grin* Unsurprisingly, me, too

[kuro_neko00]

Is that true-stockholm Thorburn style? Or the kinder, gentler psudo-stockholm a la Cya? If it's the former then I think I'll bow out of this story now before I get emotionally invested. I've seen that once already with Cenwein and I'm not really interesting in seeing it again, especially since this being faeapoc the Keeper is unlikely to be punished. If it's the latter I might stick with it a while longer.

[aldersprig]

*ponders* I'm not actually sure where you draw the line, so a little more clarification would help.

I was going to ask - since it's clear that you don't really enjoy Stockholm stories, should I mark them at the beginning, the way I do triggers?

[kuro_neko00]

I'm not sure how to define the line myself. Cya is controlling and kind, with the intent of building her Kept up. Thorburn is controlling and cruel, with the intent (conscious or otherwise) of breaking his Kept down. I guess you could draw it at would a objective third-party viewer approve of the Keepers actions (minus the whole holding them against their will part of course) or not. No one with a decent moral compass is going to approve of the way Thorburn treated Cenwein, but other then the kidnapping/unlawful confinement there's nothing to really object to in how Cya treats her Kept.

As to the trigger warnings. I don't really object to Stockholm stories, but only if there's a happy ending in the end. And I define a happy ending as the victim getting rescued and the perpetrator getting punished. Unfortunately in faeapoc that's very unlikely to happen. It has in fact only happened once as far as I can remember, with the Caspian/Shahin situation. I suppose you could possibly count Akaterina and Bowin as well, since they were rescued, except their abusers weren't punished. So I don't know. How well do you know the ending when you start a story? If you know there's going to be a happy ending then it's fine. Otherwise yeah, I'd appreciate a warning. Thanks.

[aldersprig]

*more pondering*

This'll be interesting, because your definition of a happy ending doesn't fit with my favorite sort of Stockholm story. In that situation, I generally consider a happy ending (Inasmuch as I do happy endings anyway) the two of them finding a way to work together against outside forces.

[kuro_neko00]

Well, yes, 'happiness in slavery' or equal partnership are also valid happy endings. But Stockholm is not happiness, it just looks that way. Stockholm is a defense against mental stress. You and I may be using the term Stockholm to mean different things.

[wyste]

From what I've heard from Lyn, you probably should bow out of reading this one, or at least of expecting this one to be to your tastes.

[inventrix]

"It has in fact only happened once as far as I can remember, with the Caspian/Shahin situation."

This remark interests me, because that wasn't Stockholm at all! Stockholm syndrome is specifically when a captive empathizes and sympathizes with their captor. Shahin had no positive feelings towards Caspian at all; from what I can recall, she had hardly any feelings besides drug addiction.

So a proper Stockholm story with what you consider the happy ending would essentially be a third party arriving, enacting retribution on the captor and retrieving the captive against said captive's will. Because a Stockholmed captive will want to help their captor. And to be honest, I don't think Lyn's written anything that fits that description.

[aldersprig]

Ri and I did a RP that way once.

Luke ended up Really Really Grumpy.

[kuro_neko00]

Yes, sorry. I meant to clarify that but I was in a rush to get to work. I don't consider Caspian/Shahin or Agatha/Bowin to be Stockholm, they were straight up breaking through torture. Akaterina, maybe, maybe not, we didn't really get to see a lot of what went on behind closed doors in that relationship. I was just referencing more general cases of abuse where I got a relatively happy ending. And I agree, there hasn't been any stories that I recall where someone was seriously Stockholmed and was rescued. The only case of Stockholm where we got any focus in-story that I recall was Thorburn/Cenwein and she wasn't rescued, he let her go at the end of the year.

I have to disagree with rescuing a person suffering from Stockholm as against their will. A Stockholm'd person isn't in their right mind and can't really give or deny consent for rescue in that case.

[inventrix]

"Crazy" people have wills too! The word just determines to an ability to make decisions. Whether or not they're considered valid is a question of legal and personal moral judgements, but they do in fact have the ability. So, it may be morally right and justifiable to rescue someone who is Stockholmed, but if they fight it, it's still against their will in the literal sense.

I think the divergence is that you're interpreting my usage of "against their will" as "without their viable consent" when that's not what I meant, but now that I've clarified it I think we're probably good?

[aldersprig]

Speaking of squicks and triggers... "they're too crazy to listen to their decisions" is a huge issue for me. I don't... to say it makes me uncomfortable is an understatement.

[anke]

I would appreciate such a warning.

And... would asking for a warning for unwilling slaves be too much? Or do these tend to be Stockholm stories in your mind anyway?

These days these "let's break someone's mind" things can upset me to the point of imagining myself clawing the skin off my face, which I find kinda disturbing. :/

[aldersprig]

*ponders* It would be quicker for Tir na Cali & Fae Apoc if I noted the cases of willing slaves.

"Mind breaking..." I can probably work with.

If you're not already reading Foedus, you might want to skip it.

[inventrix]

I think a blanket warning on all Cali and Faepoc stories of "this setting contains rampant slavery" would probably be a good idea, especially for new readers.

I also think a rape tag on relevant Unicorn/Factory stories would be nice, though I don't know if that would leave enough of them for me to try reading anyway? >.>

[aldersprig]

Hrrm.

I thiiink I need a story beginning/ending template.

[anke]

I'll go and second that.

Anecdata: At some point I encountered someone in chat who'd considered reading Addergoole. After I talked a bit about it, they said from the promotion they'd seen they'd gotten the impression it was "just" a magical boarding school kind of story, and that the slavery and dubcon-or-worse would have been things they would not have liked to be surprised by.

I'll be over here wishing I was better at skipping stuff that shows up on my watch feed.
Last week I caught myself trying to read the ingredients list of a chocolate bar just because it was in front of me. I can't even read Hungarian X)