Word Count :: 1092 HA! Sie, I see your 1004 word post and raise you 88! X.x This was purely by tired rambly brain, I assure you. I hope it's not as disjointed as I think it is. And FYI, just so you know Tit, the dock isn’t actually built yet, she’s just now gathered the wood. So they’re on the land by where the dock will be placed. I just wanted to note that because your post made me think you misunderstood and that they’re on the dock. 
Or maybe I misread…
Her storm cloud eyes bulged with surprise at the way the insolent slave talked back to her. Everything she ever felt about the wrongness of slavery suddenly flew out the window. With all the time she spent posturing herself properly for those ranked above her she wasn’t about to let this fool get away with that kind of disrespect. Well, maybe Salsoa did have the right idea when it came down to most of these clowns.
She was also slightly hindered from her vague yet increasing understanding of the English language. She wasn’t very familiar with phraseology and took words literally most of the time. Her eyes narrowed in a pinch and her lips drew back with distaste, not realizing the semantics behind the slave's words. A drumming pounded in her chest as her body reacted to the contempt she felt for the man, the man who had the very wrong idea about who he was in this pack. She wanted to rip that nose ring right out and then tell them he did it himself so he'd have to suffer through getting it pierced again.
Her fingers curled into fists and she snorted a laugh, “If I vere you I'd think twice about what I say. Stoopid slave does not know his place in pack. Belongk to no one, pah! You belongk to Salsoa, you either belongk to one person or to everyone, and that means you obey to me too!” She straightened her spine, drawing herself up to her full height – which, at 6'2, wasn't necessarily all that tall for a Luperci but at least she wasn't on the short end either.
Slipping around him, she bent down and grabbed a plank that was compact enough to hold in one hand while sturdy enough to make a viable threat. “Now you listen to me,” she commanded. She was so tired of being pushed around that she was finally ready to push back, especially to this slave. Her ego so bruised by it all that she didn't even seem to pause to survey and decide if she could win against this man in a fight. “You vill make up for your disobedience one way or another. You – start sorting this wood,” she motioned to the pile, “or you answer to Salsoa for your disobedience. Use brain if you've got any. Good wood there, okay here, bad over there.” She gestured to each spot in turn; it was at her last hand motion that she saw the dark shadow move nearby.
“No!” She breathed the word to herself and the plank landed heavily on the ground with a thud. A hand flew up to cover her mouth as she watched the Dark Lady emerge from the brush, horror marring her features. Not again! You've done it again! She thought to herself as she felt a cold lump settle in her stomach, and she was sure for a moment that she was going to be sick. She watched the second in command move over to them, barely holding back a pitiful whimper. She'd done this once before when she hadn't realized that there were personal slaves among the pack, too. In fact, as she understood it, the man she angered that day was the madam's mate. Now she had done it to the Dark Lady herself. How could she ever make up for it? She was likely to be made a slave herself at this point...
And then she caught sight of something else... someone else who clearly carried himself as a proper slave should. The man's eyes stayed properly averted from Eris's, but he didn't even raise them to herself. It was another slave. Well, the lady might have many slaves, but perhaps... perhaps...
She dared a glance at the woman's face and nearly moaned with relief when she saw that there was no malice towards her. Whatever had happened, whatever reason the woman was here, it was not to admonish Liliya for lipping off to the slave. She was so happy she thought she might cry. She took a deep, relaxing breath after holding it for so long, and did her best to recover from the scare.
“Madam Eris,” her voice was a little shaky, but she gathered every last bit of her Russian pride and pieced it back together. Again her jaw dropped when she heard the thread to the slave, and again she straightened herself back up – only to stand taller than the bondsmen.
The apology from Eris was more than she ever needed to melt away the last tidbit of fury she felt towards Cassius. In fact, the moment she heard it come from the woman she tried to memorize each note so she could call upon the memory of the honor any time she needed to. She couldn't help a gentle smile of glory, and nodded once gratefully. “Is okay, Madam Eris, is only slave. Is why we stand above - is why they need us - they do not know any better, and some need more lesson time than others.” A few weeks ago she wouldn't believe that she could speak these very words and mean it so sincerely as now, but she could brood on that fact later. The man had proved he wasn't worthy of her sympathy.
Her eyes moved over to the wood pile as Eris drew the subject around to it. She inspected it for a moment, wishing that she had already gotten the wood sorted, but hoping Cassius would 'oblige' and start now so it looked more like a gathering of materials rather than a pile of junk. “Is land paradise in the water there,” she said, motioning with her hand to the island in the distance. “Salsoa is stuck here but does not have to be the way. This vill get us there. This is lumber for dock,” she waved her hand to display the wood. “Is not all dock here, but is start. I vill be needingk a lot more vhere this came from, but is no more, so I vhill have to find it. After dock comes rowboat, and then Salsoa can have island and its wonders, too. But the goingk will be slow, I am only one woman and is big project. But it vhill be done before end of fall I should think.”
A moment of modesty overcame her, “Of course, vhill not be huge dock. But vhill do in a pinch.”
Image courtesy of 24730945@Flickr; table by the Mentors!
<style>.liliya-d04 { background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/btR5k.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position: top center; background-color:#B3783D; width:500px; margin:0px auto; text-align: left; padding:285px 0px 10px 0px; color:#2F1F0E; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:12px; line-height:18px; border:1px solid #FFF3CC; outline:1px solid #000000;}
.liliya-d04 b {color:#FFF3CC; }
.liliya-d04 p { text-indent:20px; padding:5px 15px; margin:0px; }
.liliya-d04 p.ooc { font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:11px; }
p.template-credit {text-indent:0px; text-align:center; font-size:10px; font-style:italic; width:425px; text-align:center; margin:0px auto;}
</style>
[/html]