White Sheets - 7. A steady Flow

"Hey, Remy!"

Remy, who had just placed two fresh carafes of water in the girls' living room and was already halfway on leaving, turned back around. "Yes?"

Sarah, sitting at the table with Keira going over what looked like the beginner's folder, waved him over.

Joy and Claire sat together on the couch, with Joy holding a laptop on her lap, and didn't dignify him with a glance. They'd been discussing things in their shared field of study- Industrial Architecture- in a decidedly serious manner for hours now, because although Joy was new here at Hawk's Roost, she had at least a year's worth of knowledge ahead of Claire.

Bella sat meanwhile in a corner on the floor, amid a sea of papers and documents, looking a little lost. As much as Remy would have loved to help her bring order to this chaos, he knew there was no way he could figure out her system- if she even had one.

"Remy, take a look at this. This is the current campus map and I can't figure it out." Sarah shook her head and Keira said:

"I want to meet up with a couple of girls from my seminar group tomorrow and get a good look at everything already, and I asked Sarah, but..."

Remy stepped up behind them and leaned forward a little, raising his brows. "Oh my goodness, what happened to all those pretty maps from the last years?"

"If I only knew..." Sarah grumbled, "But I don't have mine anymore."

"Hmm. Shouldn't you be better at reading maps? Since you spend so much time playing video games of all kinds?" He gave her a well-intentioned wink and got a tongue stuck out in return. "Is that the director's office building there?"

"Yes, with the 1 on it."

"Then it should work better this way..." He turned the sheet 90 degrees. "Now north is up as usual. But the representation is still terrible."

"My word..." Sarah wrinkled her nose.

"So, what can you tell me?", Keira wanted to know, looking at him curiously from below.

"May I have a pen? Thanks. Here, here, and here are the bus stops for the line that runs two streets from here. You're studying physics, right? Then you're in luck, because right there is the Professor's House 2, where most of your profs should have their offices and where part of your labs are located underground. Mistress Therese also has her office there. Around the corner there is a coffee shop, which is a bit more expensive, but of good quality, many profs go there, too. There's a café that, according to Mistress Therese, makes excellent sandwiches and snacks, but bad coffee, and over there is the artist store. If you need more than cheap copies, go there. The owner, Catherine, is a friend of Mistress Ellen and her slave Oliver lived here for a few years. If you want to get your work and papers in good shape, this is the place to go." Remy gave Keira a few more tips, which Sarah added to, and then straightened up.

"Thanks, Remy." Keira's smile was genuine and he nodded to her, a smile tugging at his lips as well.

"You're always welcome. But now I should get to the kitchen and help Cain with dinner."

"Remy!" Claire interjected. "Bring us some fresh water, will you?"

"The fresh water is on the table, miss," he returned politely. Mistress Ellen had reminded them all that morning that they didn't have to give one hundred percent to the students- eighty would be quite enough, and Remy intended to stick to that. His devotion was first and foremost to his mistresses and the house, and only then to the girls (though there were still priorities involved based entirely on his subjective evaluation).

The fact that Claire pursed her mouth in annoyance and Joy also looked critically and disparagingly only reinforced his opinion.

He bowed slightly. "I have to see about dinner."

~
 

"Boys, one moment please."

"Yes, mistress?" Five pairs of eyes turned surprised to Mistress Therese, who entered the kitchen only extremely rarely. Remy, who had just been about to close the dishwasher, paused.

"You know the game for a new academic year. Cain, discuss with the girls the extent to which they want lunchboxes and point out to the newbies to check their schedules regarding lunch."

"Yes, mistress." Cain nodded seriously. For most of the first two weeks, the canteen was an awful mess, even though the faculties were divided into two groups with lunch breaks at different times.

"Remy, on the first Inara, take Claire and Keira to the Blessing Mass at the temple. Point out to them that Mass starts as early as six thirty."

"Yes, mistress." He nodded. Even the biggest morning grouches wouldn't miss Inara's blessing, who, after all, stood for wisdom and education, so there rarely arose any difficulties in leaving the house on time. "What about Joy?" Usually those who had changed universities also attended the Blessing Mass.

Mistress Therese shook her head. "Got the earliest possible appointment with Professor Ferris, so she can't attend. Flavius, see that you deliver Joy there on time."

"Yes, mistress."

"Marc, you've been assigned to assist with the beginner events. There's a preliminary meeting for that tomorrow afternoon at four in the canteen."

"Yes, mistress." Marc didn't seem very enthusiastic, and Mistress Therese also showed a sort of sympathetic frown for a moment- he had a problem with crowds. However, at big university events, the professors' slaves were brought in to support the university slaves, and eventually it struck everyone.

"Anduin..." Mistress Therese paused, her frown deepening. "Do you have a driving license?"

"No, Mistress." Anduin shook his head weakly.

"Hmm, all right, you go give Cain a hand and take care of the laundry while Marc is busy."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Remy, you take care of the girls' stationery and book orders. For the former, you stick to the Colorclub, got it? Take Anduin with you when you pick up the orders."

"Yes, mistress." Inwardly, Remy grimaced, his fingers tightening briefly around the edge of the dishwasher door. A quick glance told him that Anduin nodded seriously and obediently.

"Good. I'll be pretty busy the first few days of Inara, as usual, so turn to Ellen for anything other than university stuff." Mistress Therese nodded, reasonably satisfied, and the slaves nodded back.

When she had left, Marc sighed deeply, but he did not complain. Remy finally turned on the dishwasher and let his gaze roam the kitchen examining, while Flavius stretched until it cracked.

"I'd say the day is done. What do you think?" He grabbed his privates and grinned.

That reminded Remy that Bella had invited him, and an expectant tingle spread through his body. He nodded to Flavius with a faint smile. "The kitchen looks good."

Cain nodded as well. "I agree. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the shower."

Remy's smile grew into a knowing grin, which Flavius and Marc returned. "Wash yourself thoroughly."

Cain merely raised his middle finger in greeting.

~
 

"You smell like sex."

"Probably because I've had some." Taking the silverware basket out of the dishwasher, Remy gave Anduin a cool smile.

Anduin looked at him appraisingly. "Was it good?"

"Yeah." Remy turned away and put the silverware in the appropriate drawer. "I wouldn't do it otherwise." Except for the first one or two very tentative nights, things were actually always good with Bella; Sarah and he weren't a very good match in that regard.

"Glad you can have fun out of it..." Anduin said quietly, and Remy nearly dropped a fork. With a frown, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't tell me you don't enjoy good sex."

"Oh, I do." Anduin smiled wryly, nodding and shrugging at the same time as he moved closer. "But I'm serious, Riri. I'm very glad you're enjoying it. I've met slaves who were... treated similarly, and they never... Well."

Remy swallowed and lowered his gaze. Painful memories tightened his chest and he winced when Anduin touched him on the cheek. "When I came here, it took me a year before I could say yes to any of the girls," he whispered, and strangely, shame rose in him, when he had been proud of himself at the time for leaving the old ghosts behind.

Anduin kissed him gently on the cheek. "But now you can enjoy it, can't you? That's what counts, after all. Without our past, we would be nothing, but we can certainly leave it behind." His lips brushed over Remy's cheek to his mouth, pressing a feather-light kiss to it.

So much for leaving the past behind...

"Don't..." Remy whispered tonelessly, his hands still full. Part of him wanted to throw himself into Anduin's comforting arms as he wrestled down the memories that had risen, but this was certainly not the place, nor the time. "Don't..."

But Anduin gave a tiny sigh and pressed a second kiss to his lips, more firmly this time, before stepping back anyway.

They looked at each other, Anduin smiling faintly, somehow sadly or at least wistfully, and Remy...

Remy hastily turned away and put the cutlery away. He heard Anduin turn to the dishes as well, and then they worked in silence until the others arrived.

"My, my... you're busy already." Flavius yawned.

"Well, I still remember my household duties even with a naked woman next to me," Remy returned, not really hitting the casual teasing tone he had intended.

"And I thought serving the girls naked was part of the household duties." Marc grinned good-humoredly and tore open the refrigerator.

"It is." both Remy and Cain said at the same time.

"Did you serve?" Flavius asked, turning to Cain, who smiled.

"Only to myself."

They laughed quietly and Anduin accepted milk and eggs from Marc; Remy grinned at Cain and retrieved two bowls of cornflakes from the cupboard.

"But let me tell you something, Anduin, your mistress is damn demanding." Flavius yawned again.

Remy paused and glanced quickly at Anduin, but he shrugged with a grin.

"One reason we don't get along so well in bed."

"Then you should be careful with Sarah," Marc remarked, slamming the fridge door with enough gusto that it clanged inside.

"You've been with her?" Remy wanted to know and Marc nodded, then grinned wryly.

"I considered feeding you guys to the sharks, but hey, I like you. Joy's not into dicks."

"And Keira?", Cain wanted to know now, hiding some interest with difficulty.

"Try her," Anduin returned matter-of-factly after Marc shrugged.

"I will."

They prepared their breakfast and ate, telling each other women's stories, half of which Remy didn't want to believe, but they could relax and laugh. The day after tomorrow was the first Inara and from then on the mornings would be far less pleasant for the next few months.

~
 

Tired, Remy climbed the stairs and carefully moved his aching fingers. Having allowed himself a mocking remark about Flavius and his talent for ironing, which fell on Mistress Therese's ears of all things, he had now spent half the day at the ironing board.

"Remy?"

One foot already on the first step to the second floor, he paused and turned to Keira. "Yes, miss?"

She smiled cautiously. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?" Questioningly, he looked at her.

"Oh, well, Sarah said you usually smile more." She shrugged. The rest of her smile disappeared and seriously she looked at him, but didn't come closer. "My offer stands. Both of them, I mean."

Remy nodded back seriously, though for some reason the corners of his mouth twitched. "Thank you, but I'll stick to my own rules."

"Which are?"

"New girls generally get a no for the first two weeks."

She looked puzzled for a moment, then chuckled. "Good concept, really. I like it. Still, if you want to talk..."

Why is she so insistent?

"Thank you." he repeated simply. He didn't even know why, but although on the one hand he appreciated the offer- who was really, sincerely, interested in the problems of a slave? - on the other hand, something inside him struggled against it. And perhaps it showed, for Keira raised her hands almost placatingly.

"Please don't misunderstand me, Remy, I don't want to impose. For now, though, I can still offer a neutral point of view." She hesitated. "My family has a slave school, and while I'm not interested in the field, I've picked up a few things. It's not just Sarah who sees it working in you."

A slave school, great.

Remy wrestled a smile from himself. "That's-"

"No, please, don't get me wrong. I don't want- oh, damn it." She sighed deeply. "This is exactly why I'm studying physics and not psychology."

That made his smile genuine. "Thank you, Miss Keira." But despite the smile, he shook his head. "I'll keep both offers in mind, if that's all right. I prefer things well warmed up."

With a renewed smile that seemed almost as confident as usual, she nodded. "Like I said, I like your attitude. Good night, Remy." If that slip up, or whatever you wanted to call it, embarrassed her, she hid it well.

"Good night, Miss Keira." Remy indicated a bow and watched her go to her room. A faint smell of cigarettes lingered- along with the strange feeling that there was more to Keira than met the eye.