Testing My Luck in the New World

Volume 1 - Chapter 26a

"N-No... He usually just made one of us slaves do whatever he wanted done... I even had to go get him food a couple times."

"Well, there you go!"

An arrogant, slave house running bastard like him had to have his slaves handle all his errands. It only made sense. That's basically the whole point of slavery, to force someone else to handle your shit.

"Yua, would trespassing count towards making me a Thief?"

"Um, I don't know. Why?"

"Because I'm half tempted to just teleport into his place, check if he's hiding under his desk laughing at us, so I can drag him out into the hall and beat him over the head with the gold and..."

Fuck. I can't do that either, as tempting as it sounded. Regardless of whether or not he was there, I'd be outing myself for knowing a teleportation spell, since I could accidentally land right in front of him or another member of his staff. That wouldn't be too bad if it meant paying him off, we could just run away somewhere where his influence didn't reach after anyways, but the risk would be too high. If it turned me into a Thief, I'd be handing myself to him on a silver platter before we could even try to pay the debt back. No to mention my knowing that spell would just up the price he'd be able to ask for me, assuming he doesn't keep me around just to gloat once he's turned me.

My magic is useless here. It's still better to just run.

"He's fucked us, then fucked off and left to make sure it stuck!"

Dejected, rejected and for the first time since we've met, looking utterly broken, Yua's hands slipped off of mine and I instantly regretted what I said when her shoulders started to shake. Yua knew more than I ever could about exactly what kind of bastard Alphonse was. She was just trying to look on the brighter side of this shitty situation. Getting mad and yelling at her for trying to calm me down wouldn't solve our problems any more than beating myself up over them would.

The one and only good thing about all of this was her. I don't regret buying her, not one bit where just getting to know her was concerned. But after all our effort, all the times we had to put our lives on the line just to make back what I owed, just for him to pull this shit. It's like I made a deal with the literal devil. I honestly can't believe I ever once compared myself to that man.

"I'm sorry. It's just... I don't want to lose you."

"I don't either. But if he's not there right now, all we can do is wait and hope."

I let out a sigh, positive that I must have looked like a child on the tail-end of a tantrum in the middle of the street as I tried to calm myself. Despite my yelling and the uncomfortable attention it brought on us, Yua took my hand in hers, this time lacing her fingers between mine. This lasted for maybe a second before we embraced each other. I couldn't' be sure which of us broke her rule first, but knowing myself...

Yua didn't fight me on it. Didn't complain. Didn't say a word in protest when I held her as tight as I could, squeezing out as much of the comfort she offered as I possibly could and tried to give as much back. She was almost a full head shorter than me, but for all the strength she put into us just to hold me upright, she might as well have been the older one here.

Her ears gave a cute little involuntary flicks when the heated breaths escaping my nostrils pushed them around. Her tail, limp only seconds ago, now almost seemed to be trying to lull me into a hypnotized sense of relaxation with the ease in which it floated through the air.