“Darling, did you have to get help from that robot? You know I can’t stand the things. Absolutely no style or panache.”
Wormwood shuffled her feet as her master chided her. She hadn’t asked for any help, but it was impossible to argue with the butcher. He was far too intimidating with that huge knife of his and his terrifying smile. She wished he wouldn’t make faces like that at her, but, she knew better than to expect unrealistic things of humans. They had ideas of their own about how to act, and, who was she to be upset with how her superiors acted. She reached up and fiddled with her collar, her anxiety redoubled as she remembered what he said today.
“I’m sorry, Madam, I, um, I tried to tell him no, but, um-”
“Oh, my little poppet, I know.” Master reached down and gathered her face in her hands. Worm felt her long, fake nails against the back of her head. She wished her master wouldn’t do this. She wasn’t even sure she realized how long her nails were. It was so, so terrifying to think about anyone’s claws so close to her throat. Still, she was her master, and she knew that her life really was in Master’s hands. She owned her and, if she wanted to, she had the right to do anything she wanted to her. She tried not to tremble as her master continued. “It’s so hard for you to speak up when you should. But, look, you got the meat for my little darlings and it all turned out ok. So, don’t worry, darling, you did fine. Not great, but fine.”
She let go of Worm’s face and stepped back. Her bright shawl swirled around Wormwood as she stepped away, giving the yutu a brief moment of technicolored confusion. The heady scent of perfume and powder overwhelmed her nose and she shook off the urge to sneeze and cover her nose.
“Now, where are my darlings? Come see what mommy got you.”
Wormwood bowed to her master as she backed out of the hallway. She was not needed fight now. She was free to get back to the cooking and cleaning. She was much better at those than picking up deliveries for her master. She pulled her bright purple apron off the wall and tied it over her house dress. She wasn’t a fan of how her uniform looked, but it kept her dress so much nicer. The less times she had to change her outfit, the better. There was enough laundry to do as it was with all the changes Master went through every day. She was a woman of high fashion and would never settle for one style per day. That was unheard of in the household.
A dark figure lowered from the ceiling, huge and draped in shimmering silk.
“How did it go, Worm?”
She yelped and stumbled backwards as the glospiker chuckled and landed on the ground. She would never get used to living with a spider. She was so unpredictable, even if she was a good friend. Wormwood reached up to smooth her fur down in an attempt to feign some air of calm.
“Oh, um, it, uh, it was ok. I got the meat for Master.”
The glospiker leaned over and draped a silk scarf around her neck. It was smooth and cool over her fur, much nicer than the constrictive vinyl her normal clothes were made from. She exhaled and wrapped her hands around the scarf as her spider friend clicked a few times.
“Did you talk to the butcher again?”
“Uh, I mean-”
“Did he seem like he’s killed before? I heard he kills people and sells their bodies at meat in his shop.”
She shook her head as much as she could manage, nooo, no, she didn’t want to hear terrible rumors like this again. She’d gotten an earful from Dharma last week, she wasn’t ready to hear even more reasons to be afraid of the butcher.
“Dharma, please! Please, why are we talking about this?”
“I’m just curious. Besides, I want to make sure you’re prepared for any dangers the city has to offer, my dear friend. It’s not safe to be a slave out here.”