Workplace

Shayla, as many other kajirae, is employed. Her job is good, many of her co-workers are also friends. The people there have little idea of the nature of shayla's relationship with her Master. If the subject is ever brought up, shayla simply says that 'he and i have a very old-fashioned relationship', and leaves it at that. Most of the time the person assumes she is talking about the interpretation of a marriage as it would have been, say, 60 years ago. Close, but still very far off-track.

Once, months ago, shayla came across an entry on a discussion board about a man's slave who had been speaking with his co-workers, and naively informed them that she was his slave. Apparently not much detail was offered, and the co-workers were left with their imaginations feeding off the sereotype society assumes when the hear they term 'slave'. Needless to say, the Master was not employed there much longer. A politically correct official reason was given, but it was clear to all involved precisely why it had taken place. To shayla's mind, this demonstrated idiocy of the most blatant kind. While it is clear to the knowing eye what shayla is even in public, for her to make it obvious in such a manner is asking for trouble. Such introductions need tact and the correct circumstances, not chatting over coffee with people you've just met.

The people shayla work with are good, honest, hard-working people, and a number of them are devout Christians. For her to make her true situation clear would cause a great deal of upset, uproar, and perhaps even an attempt on their part to 'save' shayla from her Master. So she is simply herself, and steers from the subject of her relationship to her 'husband', as many assume her Master to be. She hands them only enough information as necessary, and leaves their imaginations to fill the gaps that will answer questions and still leave them comfortable.

There is one man she works with, though, who has strongly suspected all along what shayla really is to her Master, and only a week ago confirmed his suspicions to her. Carl is a good man, 10 years younger than shayla, and one of the only people she works with who is at least as intelligent as she is. Though she can sense that Carl is not Master material, merely very perceptive. To him, it has always been clear what shayla actually is, though it has only been the past few weeks that any remote doubt in his mind had been removed. When he let shayla know he'd been aware, she was actually surprised, as he'd never given any indication that he had any idea. We talked about it for a while off and on as we worked. Carl's heard of similar alternate lifestyles before, and to him, that is all shayla's condition is, merely a different way of living from the normal. Shayla let him know that she's never thrived as well as she has since she's been here. He stated that he knew, and had noted the changes in her since she'd begun working with him. When asked if he was uncomfortable with the notion or working with shayla the answer was a definite no. He's always been comfortable with her, always known that she would do a good job and her best in whatever task was set for her. No, he wasn't going to blab to every listening ear shayla's personal life. To him, shayla's slavery has always been obvious. What surprised shayla was that he was perceptive enough to put together the various clues. Most people never seem to get that far.

And since then, shayla's not noted any change at all in her work environment. The same silly, fun people she's always worked with, who have no idea (or very little) of shayla's true condition. There have even been a few times that shayla has gone in on her off-hours, collar locked in place (though the padlock was turned so that it is to the side, hidden by her hair). Nobody's said a word, though a question or two about where shayla'd gotten her 'choker'. But no real questioning, no wondering. So while she is still every bit herself, flirtatiousness, devotion to service and all, she keeps tactful about her true nature and position.

There is no reason to let it be known what she actually is. Any questions can be answered with just enough of the truth to be honest, but no more information given than is needed. And there are times that it actually is fun to shayla, when her co-workers speculate what it is that her 'husband' does to cause her to be so happy, motivate her to lose weight and get into shape. Sometimes even going so far as to state that they wished their husbands would do the same to them as shayla's. And so often shayla sees her co-workers converse (even her supervisor) about strife in their relationships. While shayla empathizes and feels sympathy for them, she has to smile a little, as she knows she will never have to worry about that sort of thing in her 'old-fashioned' relationship to 'her man'.

shayla