Slave Fire Sale: Part 1

[Dantheman101]

Posting mainly on Literotica as Slave_and_hypno_lover, so that may be a better place to reach me. Hope you all enjoy, part 2 and 3 (and probably more) are on the way!

“Lexi, I’m not sure about this. It’s a brand-new store and they haven’t even built up a reputation yet. We don’t know if we can’t trust them or not, it could be one of those shady places where people go in a free person and come out a slave or are never heard from again.”

“You’re worrying too much Em. It’s part of the Sam the Slave Man chain and brand. Even if they’re new here, they’re respected everywhere else, and we’ve been wanting a closer location for so long!”

Alexis Smith, a tall and slender girl for her age, stood at 5’11” with perfect proportions. A tan complexion that made her always look radiant and glowing, while having that effect of not looking too much like any one ethnicity making you wonder if she’s ethnicity anything or everything. Light brown eyes, and black flowing hair that reached down to the bottom of her back blades. Firm and plump Breasts that sat at the larger end of a B cup, and a butt that was toned yet well within the proportions of her body. She was the type of girl everyone was jealous of, in looks, academia, and sports. She was the perfect girl, on the outside, but she didn’t give most people the time of day; all except Emma.

Emma Vieh was the complete opposite of Lexi in almost every way. She wasn’t very smart and wasn’t very athletic either considering she barely stood at only 4’11”. That enough isn’t too bad, but she often struggled because of the wildly out of proportion triple D breasts that looked so out of place on her small body that some people actually found her hard to look at. She had pure while skin, wavy bright blond hair that went down to her lower back, and piercing bright blue wide eyes that looked like they would glow in the dark they were so bright. She wasn’t as fit as Lexi with small amounts of pudge all around, never did as well in school as Lexi barely getting Ds in her classes, and wasn’t nearly as popular considering many people made fun of how wildly bizarre, she looked.

The two girls sat in a small-town cafe staring at the new slave store opened across the street in their small English town in the Cotswolds. Almost Every town, even the smaller ones, has a slave store in some way. And if they didn’t, there was always one the next town over, about a 15-minute drive away. but many women also realize that you never know if a slave shop is trustworthy. After all, a small-town store with no corporate connections only needs one really high value prospect to come by to take advantage of, then sell under the table to some tourists who no one will ever see again, and they can have themselves set financially for half a year.

“Yeah lex, I know but I’m just not sure anymore. You know corporate places, what if someone gets lost among the paperwork and accidentally becomes a slave because of corporate mishaps?”

“Em, you’ve been wanting us to get graded for almost a year now since you turned 18, and we finally have a store in our own town that we can trust. You know small town stores are even more dangerous than bigger chains! Especially around here! You go in for a grading, get graded prime plus, and a rich tourist comes by and buys them against their will that night, and takes them out of the country the very next day never to be seen again! That won’t happen at a big chain like Sam the Slave Man!”

“Alright, fine… I’d still like to wait a while until they actually build a reputation but if we have to…”

“We do have to!! If we really want to move to London to find work, we need to get graded ASAP! We’ve done slave yoga at home together, learned the positions, learned the commands, what’s the problem? You’ve wanted to get graded for so long what’s happened?”

“It’s nothing… fine, we’ll go tomorrow, is that ok? I just want to get myself mentally prepared.”

She started giving Lexi a look with those bright blue puppy dog eyes that Lexi knew she could never refuse.

Despite their wild differences, the two girls were best friends and so close that they were basically sisters, in more way than one. They actually were adoptive sisters. Growing up, Lexi and Emma’s parents were friends despite Emma losing her mom when she was young. But when Lexi was 9, her parents were involved in a fatal car crash, and with no other family available, she was taken in by the Vieh family and Emma. They were inseparable. When they both turned 12, Emma’s dad decided to retire from his real estate empire in New York and take the two girls back to England where he was born.

Lexi looked back at Emma with a sweet and caring smile and said “Good, it’ll be fun! I’m sure of it. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get a good grade!”

“Yeah… I guess we’ll just have to see…”

After finishing up their coffee, the two girls went to their nice storybook style Cotswold stone house and said hello to Mr. Vieh.

“Hi Dad.” “Hi Mr. Vieh.”

“Huh? Victoria? That you love?” he says as he turns around in his chair, looking away from the TV confused.

Emma looks at him somberly “No dad, it’s just me. Your daughter. Remember? Mom died right after I was born.”

“Oh, right. Sorry Victoria.” He says as he looks back at the TV to watch the football.

Lexi looks at Emma with a sad expression and says “His dementia is getting worse. What days are the Aid’s going to start coming?” Emma looks back and says “Starting tomorrow, they’ll be coming every day to take care of him. I just can’t stand to put him in a home…” “I know Em, Its ok.” Lexi says as she reaches for a somber hug.

They go about the rest of their day, make supper and tea for themselves and Mr. Vieh, and wind down at the end of the day. As they go to their separate rooms and begin to wind down for the night, Lexi comes into Emma’s room to ask a few questions.

“So, were still good for the grading tomorrow then?”

“Yeah… I guess tomorrow is fine. I’m a bit nervous, but I guess it’s time to finally get it done.”

Lexi smiles at Emma in her bed as she stands in the doorway and say “Alright, we’ll go for a late afternoon grading, how about 4:30 pm?”

Emma chuckles slightly. “Got it, 16:30. Sounds good.”

“Oh, come on, you know I’m never going to get used to that. It’s so much easier the way we did it in the states.” she says chuckling back.

“Goodnight lex, see you in the morning.”

Not long after, both began to lie in bed in their own rooms. Emma sat there tossing and turning, thinking about being graded, and how insecure she already was of her own body, scared of what a grader might say to her. What would she be? Prime plus? No, couldn’t be, she wasn’t even hoping for prime minus. She thought she would be lucky to get some form of Select.

Out of the 5 Possible slave grades, in descending order there were: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Utility. as well as within each category, a sub level of regular, Plus, or minus. Prime was usually reserved for the highest degree of pleasure slaves and treated relatively well to preserve the merchandise value, whereas utility were normally pure labor slaves, treated like livestock with no value. Select was the best Emma was hoping for given her low self-esteem and poor body image.

On the other hand, Lexi, despite the fact she seemed so eager and confident, was also restless in her sleep. She was confident she would get a decent grade but was worried about Emma. She knows how eager Emma had been for years about finally getting the two of them graded, even if she didn’t know why, and because she knew how low Emma’s self-esteem was, she was praying she got a good grade.

The next morning came, and Emma woke up and walked into the kitchen where Lexi was already making breakfast. They both slept in well given how long it took them both to fall asleep, so it was late morning now.

“Morning Em! Just made breakfast for your dad, working on you and me now.”

“Thanks, Lex, you always do so much.”

“Of course! It’s the least I could do!”

The two began to eat their late breakfast and drink some tea as they prepared to get their day started.

“Did you make a reservation for grading online, Lex?”

“No, they didn’t have our location listed as open yet online. I think it’s still too brand new, and they might not have gotten everything set up yet.”

“Makes sense. I just hope we don’t have to wait long, or there aren’t too many people.” It was pretty obvious to Lexi that Emma was nervous about the whole situation and constantly scared of showing body to other people as well. Lexi tried to calm her down with a soft and sympathetic smile, and sat next to her at the breakfast table, putting her hand on top of Emma’s.
“I’ll be right there at your side. After all, what are sister’s for?”

Emma visibly cheers up a bit. It’s rare for them to refer to each other as sisters, but it’s always heartwarming to each other when they do. “I guess so. I look forward to it."

They went about their day and did some basic chores around the house. Both graduated high school last year and decided to take a year off before going to Uni; so, they both didn’t have too much going on other than taking care of Emma’s dad, whose condition had worsened severely over the past year.

“You said the new Aid is coming later tonight, Em?”

“Yup, from now on they’ll be taking care of him a lot better than we can, since they’re trained. Starting tomorrow, we can start focusing on looking at Uni’s to go to next year.”

Lexi smiles gently as she tussles Emma’s hair. They had both gotten dressed now and were ready to begin their brisk walk down to the brand-new Sam the Slave Man store. They both wore light and cheap clothing and stuff they wouldn’t miss in case they got damaged just in case. They didn’t want to risk the chance of anything valuable becoming “Misplaced”, just in case.

Lexi wore a short black skirt that went down to the middle of her thighs, and a plain white crop top, that covered her well enough. It would be considered pretty light clothing considering the nip in the air, but she was well aware of the fact that she would be wearing a lot less very soon and didn’t really care.

Emma on the other hand was dressed much more conservatively. She wore old jeans that fit her well, and a big baggy old woolen sweater. Despite how big and loose it was, there was nothing it could do to conceal the size of her enormous breasts; a fact she’d always hated.

A short 15-minute walk later, both were standing in front of the store, a small but detailed wooden sign over head displaying the ‘Sam the Slave Man’ name and logo, face to face with the clear glass windows where girls could be observed and inspected from the outside like meat at a butcher’s shop. Except there were no girls in the window. Perhaps the store wasn’t set up yet, or just didn’t have enough inventory to display yet, but it was surprisingly empty.

They walk in together, holding one another’s hands, and both decently nervous. They look around and see the front desk. Behind it is a short-haired blond girl that appears to be their age, looking like she is in a very bad mood. She sits there with an ancient looking shredder, just shredding away at documents looking like she wants to fight anyone who interrupts her.

“The fuck you two want? “Ere to buy or to become?” she says in a heavy west country accent after barely looking at them before looking back down at the shredder.

Emma gets quite nervous at her attitude and begins to back away, but Lexi hold her hand firm and looks at her quite annoyed and says back, “We’re here to get graded.”

The girl behind the counter stops shredding and looks up at them annoyed and says “Fine” before standing up and knocking on a door behind the counter. “Tracy, couple a Yanks trying to get graded here for you.” In an annoyed tone, still chewing some gum.

A couple moments pass before a woman comes out of the office with a smile. She looked to be about anywhere from 25-30, black hair down to her shoulders, fit, breasts that are on the larger side, and fair white skin. She was wearing a pencil skirt down to her middle thighs that looked quite tight, and a white collared shirt that was quite tight around her breasts; while sporting the Sam the Slave man logo above her heart. Most of all, she had an extremely friendly smile.

“Hello, loves. I’m Tracy, here for gradings are you?” in a posh, Eton accent.

Lexi responds first. “Yes, were here for gradings, are you available for those yet?”

“Of course, why don’t you two step into my office and we’ll talk details.”

Before she walks back into the office she turns to the girl behind the counter and says “Ashley, stop disrespecting customers or else I’ll have no choice but to let you go. We’ve only been open 3 days now, and you’re already almost scaring away customers.”

“I didn’t sign up for this job to be shreddin papers all day, I wanted to work on the slaves themselves.”

“Once you finish, and we’re hooked up to the main system, and our shipment comes tonight, then tomorrow you can start. But this needs to be done today. If it’s not, you’re done here.”

Ashley stays quiet and gets back to shredding on the derelict machine. Tracy then puts a smile back on her face and begins to walk back into her office and gestures for Emma and Lexi to follow.

Stepping into the office, it was immediately apparent just how much of a mess it all really was. Papers on the desk in massive stacks and still packed boxes all around. The room itself was devoid of any decoration or any personalization, but clearly, the building itself wasn’t new given the sturdy wooden beams supporting its structure.

“Now… you two loves are looking to get graded, yes?” She said in a rather peppy tone before looking slightly sorrowful. “I must admit, we’re off to a bit of a rocky start at the moment. I won’t be able to do it as quickly as normal and will have to give you an old paper certificate before we get the system up and running. Shouldn’t be more than a few days, and I’m willing to discount you both for the trouble.”

At the word discount, Lexi nudged Emma with her elbow, raising her eyebrows twice. Emma rolled her eyes with an amused smile on her face, both well aware the money wasn’t really an issue, but a discount is still a discount. “Sounds great!” Lexi finally said, eliciting a small smile from Tracy.

“Perfect.” She said before rummaging around in one of the boxes beside her desk, retrieving two, thin, silver collars and holding them up. “Now… it’s a bit unprofessional, but our collars aren’t fully operational since they’re not connected to any system yet. But they’ll connect to my tablet and will still lock and shock even if it won’t be able to give you temporary numbers from the national database. “Normally I’d refer to you both by numbers, but your names will have to do for today…” she said before looking to both and setting both collars down on the desk.

“Alexis…” “Emma…” both said in order, Lexi looking at the collar with a degree of wonder, and Emma with clearly latent worry. “Lovely…” Tracy said before writing it down on her note pad before her and grabbing some paperwork from a stack. “I’ll need you both to fill out some paperwork as we go, name, identification numbers, all of the usual. Normally we’d have you do it electronically, but I’ll just have Ashley upload the information after the store is connected to the system. Please, have a seat.” She said gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk before setting two stacks of paper in front of each chair and a pen, sitting to complete some paperwork of her own.

It was… slow. Emma worked dutifully as she read and signed, eager to look over every word before signing to fill out any information, taking the subject of slavery seriously in every respect. Lexi… Lexi was far less composed, nearly nodding off a few times as she stared at the words in front of her. Temporary enslavement forms, and wavers of liability. God it was boring. Couldn’t they just skip to the actual substance already?

After some lengthy signing and a large delay as Emma read over every word four times, something Lexi was getting slightly irritated by, but understood well enough not to actually be mad over, Emma finally set down her pen and looked up at Tracy expectantly. “Perfect. Now that that’s done…” she said rising once more and walking out from behind her desk. “Both of you stand in front of me and begin to strip please.”

Both women stood but… both hesitated. Even Lexi who seemed so gung-ho about the entire process was a bit nervous now that the time had really come. Slowly, knowing Emma definitely wouldn’t act unless she did first, Lexi began to pull her crop top off, exposing her braless chest and slowly reaching down to pull her skirt down too.

Emma was looking on in shock. She’d not seen Lexi naked since they last took baths together as children, and seeing her smooth, tan and slender skin in front of her now only made her pause further. Not out of lust, but though she’s never admit it aloud, jealousy. What she wouldn’t give to have that body… but seeing her closest friend so willingly begin to strip spurred her on with greater confidence as she began to do the same.

Within moments, Lexi was nude, no bra, or surprisingly enough, underwear either. It definitely threw Emma for a loop, but she recognized the fact that it clearly didn’t matter in the end. Slowly, standing in only her own bra and underwear, Emma began to unhook her bra and begin to pull it off, freeing her massive breasts to the world… before immediately covering them with an arm, binding them back in place. Within moments her free arm she began to pull down her plain black panties, dropping them to the floor before covering her crotch with her free hand.

Lexi looked on, still amazed by her friend’s body. Though she’d often been teased and made fun of by others, especially the girls in their class, Em never really could comprehend that a lot of it was jealousy. What some women wouldn’t do to have breasts like that, and the boys who always stared? Well, some of them may have thought they were too big… but most looked on in what could only be described as teen boys staring at heaven. She’d never admit it… but Lexi did sometimes feel a twinge of jealousy when staring at her friend.

Tracy looked on in mild shock herself, at both of them, though especially at Emma. “Not bad. You’ll definitely score highly…” she said looking at Lexi as she grabbed the collars of her desk. Lexi was blushing, the feeling of being naked in a room with a stranger becoming a little too real but still smiling at the compliment. “But you?…” she said looking at Emma before letting out a small laugh. “You would sell for a small fortune. Do you know what any of the local farms would pay for a girl like you? Those are natural, are they? Farmers pay big money to pump enough hormones into the cow girls to make them get even close to that size, and still, they fall short.”

At this, both nude women seemed stunned. Lexi, though happy to see someone was so interested in her friend and trying to boost her self-esteem, was a bit taken aback to not be the center of attention considering she was sure she’d be the most valuable. Emma on the other hand was as bright red as a tomato. She looked like she’d shrivel up and die if she kept going… but also on the edge of her toes, strangely happy to have her own body shed once been so ashamed of, valued by an objective observer.

“Alright, enough talk though. Time to put you girls through your steps.” She said before wiping the impressed and friendly smile from her own face. “Back hands.” She said in a newly stern tone. It was easy to forget, with how polite and bubbly she had been before, that she was still very much in the slave business. And no woman could make it in the slave business without a degree of ruthlessness.

Without thinking, falling back into the routine both girls had practiced so thoroughly, they complied. Lexi’s hands at her side interlocking around both elbows behind her back, and Emma following quickly in tow. Emma’s face brightened even more, now that her most vulnerable parts were exposed before she could even process what she was doing… but still held her position.

Tracy walked forward, her manicured hands reaching forth as she grabbed at Lexi’s breast with an appraising hand. Squeezing and raising them up and down as if appraising a prized horse. “Firm, sizable, and well rounded.” She said, an impressed tone in her voice.

Lexi was beginning to turn as red as well now, or at least as red her tanned skin would allow. It was clear no matter how ready she thought she was for this day, the actual reality of it was enough to make anyone embarrassed. Still… she stood firm, eyes forward and trying to stay calm.

Then a well-manicured hand was suddenly rubbing against the slit of her cunt and Lexi winced. “Wet… very wet…” Tracy said as she dragged a finger slowly, from top to bottom before lightly brushing the now quivering opening. “Very willing. You would have a bright future as a pleasure slave if you’re willing to sell yourself.” She said as Lexi struggled to avoid moaning at her touch, the compliment going mostly unnoticed for the time being.

Emma was struggling to stand still. Feet fidgeting and eyes straining not to look beside her to the cursory examination of her best friend… but only a few moments later as Tracy pulled her glistening index and middle fingers free and inspected them, she smiled, and turned to walk in front of Emma, eyes wide as she stared down at the massive breasts and a very large smile on her face.

“You truly are something… special.” She said, struggling for a word before landing on the easiest. Both hands quickly reached out and rested underneath each breast, lifting them as if to weigh their heft. “I must say, I’d give quite a lot if I could incentivize you to sell yourself. You’d bring in a large sum at an auction centered around cattle. Even still, at a normal auction, you’d probably sell for quite a bit, especially to someone with some ‘large’ tastes.” Her own voice betraying a small amusement in her tone, happy with her little joke, all while Emma winced in discomfort.

Lexi stood still, recovering slightly from her own cursory inspection before her face twitched at the mention of Emma’s possible sale. Of course, she was upset at the idea of some pompous woman trying to sell her friend but… there was something more. Did the idea that Emma could sell for more than she could upset her slightly?… possible, but she quickly threw the idea out of her mind. Lexi refused to think such negative thoughts.

As the hands left Emma’s breasts, one snaked ever so gently down to her own cunt, causing Emma to gasp at the slightly cold touch. “Wow… I was picturing you the timid one, but I suppose the timid ones are always the ones most hot for the block.” Tracy said as she drew her fingers up and exposed the glistening fingers. But… but that wasn’t right. Emma was just here to get this over and done with but… inside her own mind, she was being tormented by the fact that she was so wet and didn’t even realize it. This couldn’t be right…

*clap* “Very good.” Tracy said as she pulled her hands way and moved a collar into each hand. “Now… let’s start for real, shall we?” She said before her stern attitude and face returned. “Collar.” She said sternly, to which both nude women immediately dropped to the floor in a squat, their legs spread, and hands grasping their own hair, removing the hair from Tracy’s way.

It was swift, but with practiced motions, both women quickly felt the cool touch of metal pressing against their skin, and the sudden clicking sound as the smooth metal collar locked in place.

Lexi stayed still, her sense of reality crashing down on her as everything started becoming a little too real, but kept her composure regardless… after all, though she would never admit it, she was beginning to become a bit excited. The sudden restriction, her naked body exposed, and the lack of control was thrilling her beyond what she ever expected.

Emma was… less composed, a hand quickly letting go of her hair and feeling for the back of the collar, only to feel the smooth metal and a small crack where presumably, the collar locked into place. No keyhole, or seem to unlock it, meaning it must’ve been some form of electronic lock. Her panic began to surge but she managed to suppress her worry into mere fidgeting rather than flailing.

Seeing the expressions on the two girls, Tracy’s face softened, and a small but reassuring smile appeared on her face. “Not to worry girls. I’ve done hundreds of these. Not here obviously…” she said slightly exasperated as she gestured all around her before hanging her head in annoyance. Quickly, she recovers, her reassuring tone returning as she aimed to comfort both women. “We’ll have the both of you out of here soon and home in time for a late teatime. I know it can be scary… but just think, soon you’ll be home and can put the day behind you…” she said standing up and flashing a small smile. “Unless you both choose to sell yourselves of course. I promise I’d get you good block prices.” She said with a sly wink, before her stoic expression returned. “Stand and follow, slaves…” she said harshly, before turning back towards the door they first entered through and not stopping to see if they followed.

Lexi was quick, standing, and beginning to follow, while Emma continued to squat there, rather stunned, before being spurred into motion by Lexi’s moments, both following close behind as Tracy walked.

In moments, they were back into the rather empty entrance hall, where they were greeted by the rather shrill voice of the one other employee seemingly on the clock. “Finally. The hell you three been? It’s already Six, take that long for the illiterate meat to sign a few papers?” Ashley said as she jammed a very too large stack of papers into the ancient shredder, somehow still trudging along with a guttural sound as it crunched and shredded all of the papers she had shoved in.

“It’s a lot with the Wi-Fi down, Ashley. It’s a lot more difficult when you can’t just scroll and click.” Tracy said standing up for the two collared individuals following behind. “Besides, nothing wrong with wanting to be careful, especially if some paperwork isn’t signed properly and they suddenly become store property. I’m sure you can see the incentive to not just sign things without reading them.” Tracy said, crossing her arms in a power stance as Ashley appeared to get heated up.

“I’m taking the girls downstairs to grade them…” Tracy had begun until Ashley cut her off. “yeah yeah, I get it. Can I help at least or do something? I’m tired of shredding past paperwork and this ain’t the work I signed on to be doing!” She said in her heavy accent once more, before Tracy frowned.

“No… I need you to get that done first before the shipment arrives later. Then you can help with the new arrivals. Deal?” Tracy said, her voice still highly exasperated, before she shoved a new, even larger stack into the ancient shredder. “Fine. You grade the slags; I’ll wait for the fresh meat…” Ashley finally responded before standing and walking to the front entrance. “I’m goin on ma Tea break first for a Pasty for’ they get here…” she said dismissively as she walked out of the store.

“Ugh… I’ve had it with her. She’s not going to make it here…” Tracy said with a sigh as she looked at the two rather awkward standing slaves beside her, having been forced to watch the whole thing. “Hell, maybe instead of selling ya, I should hire you for some better company instead.” Tracy said with a laugh before walking forward to a large side entrance that seemed to go deep down stone stairs towards a cellar, as the two nervously chuckling slaves followed.

As they all parted, none of the four women noticed as the ancient shredder continued its slow chugging on the massive stack of papers, stopped in place. Most modern shredders would’ve shut down or stopped entirely or spat out the currently stuck and jammed stack… but the ancient shredder kept trying to spin its metal jaws, gears grinding, heat building, until enough heat was finally generated… to start a tiny spark.

———————————————

Arriving downstairs was a bit strange for both temporary slaves following in Tracy’s wake. In a lot of ways, it was much like any other building in town, that lovely yellow Cotswold stone running around the perimeter of each wall and the thick wooden beams supporting the ceiling… what wasn’t typical for other buildings was the rows and rows of slave crates that filled the cellar. Most of them were empty, but there were a few slave girls scrunched up on all fours, perking their heads up at the sound of new arrivals, before returning to their scrunched-up positions.

“We’ve only got 5 at the moment… it’s a bit… bare bones…” Tracy said, her own despair a bit evident. “I swear, you try and do one good thing, open up a reputable slave store in your home town so women don’t need to be scared of local stores, just for everything to go wrong… first they rush you, then they don’t even deliver the slaves at the right time!” she had begun to ramble, and both girls couldn’t help but look at each other in a sign of pity, finding the situation far too awkward to say anything.

“We’re lucky we did have a few volunteers…” she said gesturing behind her at the slaves in cages before sighing again. “Not that it matters… with no slaves to display in the windows, nobody in this… what’s basically a retirement home even knows we’re open or can check online to find out…” she said before locking eyes with both girls and blushing herself slightly. “Maybe that’s a good thing though… sorry. Rambling. Let’s get to it, shall we?” she said as she led them deeper into the maze of cages before opening a back door to what looked like… something completely different. It looked like a doctor’s office, white tile walls and a large table in the middle with gynecological stirrups. “At least we got this done in time…” she said with a proud smile as she stepped inside.

Both girls followed, a bit nervous already at the sign of so many medical supplies lined out, and even Lexi winced as she saw the setup. Neither girl was a massive fan of the Gyno apparently.

———————————————

After having each one rise onto the table and examining their most private parts more closely with the proper supplies, both girls, far more timid than before, were now standing in front of the beaming Tracy as she dutifully took notes on her note pad. “Both virgins… the marks really do just keep getting better and better.” She said as she looked back to the girls.

At her words, Lexi only blushed heavily, her own face turning away from Emma slightly. Emma couldn’t help but turn her head fully sideways, staring at her in open shock. Lexi? A virgin?… that couldn’t be right! All her boyfriends though… she was about to ask before a gentle *Ahem* from Tracy drew both of their attention back. This was still an exam after all, no matter how polite and casual Tracy was being…

“Next… I’ll put you both through your paces. You both indicated you had done slave yoga before, correct? Now I’ll examine just how much…” Tracy paused slightly as she heated the rattling of a cage from the door behind her. One of the slaves in the room? Strange. A frown began to grow on her face before she shrugged it off. “It’s not feeding time yet, so I don’t know what they’re getting so worked up about… the cages will shock them if they get too riled up though…” she said before Emma boldly entered with a question.

“Wouldn’t they just yell out?…” before quickly closing her mouth, knowing it’s not a slave’s place to speak, even if only for an exam. Tracy saw the sudden concern on Emma’s face from her own speaking out and waved it away as if it were no great concern. “They probably would, but we keep all of the slaves in the store de-voiced with Devox. Store policy. You two should be Devoxed as well, but, well, perks of giving us some business as we still set up.” She said with a small wink before listening closer.

No more sounds were emanating from the room behind her and so she smiled triumphantly. “See? A quick automatic shock and they’re back in line. They won’t be trying that again for a simple request…” Tracy said with a triumphant power pose, hands on both hips. Turning back to the girls before her, she smiled once more. “Right, now, positions!” She said with a satisfied smile.

———————————————

Though Emma was reluctant to do any of this in the first place, both her and Lexi had been practicing slave yoga in their rooms for weeks by this point, so despite her reservations, she followed in line with Tracy’s instructions at the same quick and natural pace as Lexi did. Both girls had seemingly entered a flow state where the shame of their nude bodies seemed to fall away, and their inhibitions were let loose.

“Present.” Tracy said, as both temporary slaves dropped to their knees, legs spread, head bowed, hands resting on their knees with palms facing up. The speed at which they complied made Emma’s unbound breasts bounce with every little motion, so much so even Tracy couldn’t help but stare.

“Belly.” She said next, causing both temporary slaves to get on their belly, ankles crossed, wrists crossed behind their backs. Though the position was a simple one, the large breasts below Emma clearly made it a more arduous task, actually lifting her head off the floor a few inches as she tried to remain still, her large breasts spilled out and squished beneath her.

“Alright… that’s thirty minutes of positioning…” Tracy said as she noted a few more things down, before finally commanding “inspection!” Causing both women to jump to their feet, legs spread and chests puffed out, fingers interlocked behind their heads and elbows jutting out to the side. “Good job ladies… very good job.” She said finishing her notes. “I must say, it’s rare I get two so highly qualified slaves at once, even back in London, so the two of you have truly outdone yourself.” She said causing both girls, still holding to their positions to look at each other with relieved smiles.

“Alexis, I think you’ve hit prime quite easily. With a bit more training, I don’t see why Prime Plus couldn’t be in your future.” She said writing down her final score. “And Emma… while your body isn’t quite within the objective standards to reach prime, I think choice plus is an understatement of your value, and I’m definitely marking you down for a special grade.” She said, writing down her final score for Emma next.

The puzzlement on Emma’s face was evident when she finally spoke. “Special grade?…” Emma said softly, clearly unfamiliar, causing Tracy to look up with a soft smile. “Special grade is something you add onto a slave’s normal grade, so technically, your official grade is ‘Choice Puls, special.’ It means in addition to your standard grade, you have qualities that the ordinary grading scale doesn’t account for and therefore, can’t reflect your true value.” She said with a satisfied smile. Though Emma couldn’t see it, a small frown appeared on Lexi’s face as she heard that, knowing she didn’t qualify for anything that unique.

“It’s usually reserved for those qualified as geniuses, with special skills, or physical qualities normally not seen in the general populous, let alone slaves. It’s a big deal.” Tracy said with a satisfied smile. “Alright girls, you can drop the positions and take a big breath. You’re done!!!” She said clapping her own hands as she smiled at them both.

Both Emma and Lexi looked at each other and let out massive sighs, rushing towards one another to embrace in a hug… before quickly pushing away from each other remembering and embarrassed by their stark lack of clothing. “Right right, we’ll get you girls upstairs, get those collars off, and get you back into clothes. But really… I must try and ask you both to just consider voluntary slavery, even for a short, contracted period. It would truly be a waste not to…” the sound of rattling cages was getting louder again. Much louder. It sounded like every slave in the back was trying to rattle their cages all at once.

“Ugh. Every 2 minutes they just kept up that stupid rattling! Didn’t they know I was conducting an exam! I swear I should have punished those insubordinate sluts!” She yelled. Clearly, the periodic interrupting of their poses by more and more rattling of cages was beginning to seriously get on Tracy’s nerves, but out of principle, or to make sure slaves knew people wouldn’t give into their demands, Tracy refused to open up the door to see the commotion. Now ALL the cages appeared to be rattling, and it was time to see what those slags were complaining about.

Within an instant of rushing to the door and opening it, the smell of smoke was obvious. The building’s walls may have been mostly made of Cotswold stone, but with papers strewn about and wooden support beams on every ceiling, it was a fire’s dream come true. The smoke from the staircase was filling the room fast, and the ceiling was well and truly on fire now… the slaves we’re desperately rattling on their cages, suffering shock after shock as they struggled through to try and get Tracy’s attention in vain. As the door opened and they could see her, each one practically jumped against the walls of their cages in joy just to be shocked again.

Eyes wide in panic, Tracy looked back to her two temporary slaves as she shakily muttered out the only words she could think of. “Run!” Before she rushed forward for the cages in front of her.

Though both girls were quite obviously stunned at the suddenly burning room before them, Lexi was much more centered. While Emma tried to reason out how the clean room and closed off nature of the grading room kept them from smelling smoke, Lexi had grabbed Emma’s hand and began to run, dragging her best friend towards the stairs. The air was already hard to breathe in and the heat was getting intense, but Lexi was determined to run to safety with her friend in tow… until she felt Emma stop in her tracks and look back at Tracy, desperately trying to press a key card to a lock to free one of the trapped slaves.

“We can’t leave them!” Emma said, those poor blue eyed puppy dog eyes Lexi hated seeing so much shining through. God, she hated those puppy dog eyes… “this is your problem! You’re too nice!” Lexi yelled, letting out an exasperated sigh before running back to help Tracy with the slaves.

———————————————

Tracy was struggling. Panicking, more like, as she tried desperately to press her key card to the cage locking mechanism. Shit. This was the problem with no internet, they barely got the cages working as is, and now she couldn’t even unlock them. She nearly jumped and hit her head into the cage above the one she tried to open when she felt a hand land on her shoulder from behind, spinning around to find her two charges, petrified looks on their face, had come back for her.

Taking a deep and Smokey breath, Tracy firmed her resolve. Not only did she have to save these two girls but get the slaves still cages out. Despite what some people say, Tracy always believed a slave’s life is still and always a life worth protecting and so protect them she would. “Take this key card and try to open the other cages… I’ll try and save this one…” Tracy said with a worried look, handing the girls her key card as she looked down at the still pancaking young and thin red head beneath her… this was going to hurt…

Hearing, the thankfully relieving sounds of cages buzzing open behind her, Tracy took a small joy in the fact that it was just the cage in front of her malfunctioning… and she decided to do something about it. Slaves might not be able to generate enough force from inside to break the cages open, given the fact they were squished into a position that made them rest on their thighs in a loaf like position all day… but from the outside?… just maybe…

With all her might, she grabbed the bars of the cage, placing her feet on either side and began to pull… pull… PULL on the cage door, when the automatic shocking function kicked in. Instantly, Tracy let go, and flew back, her back landing hard against the stone cellar floor. Ooowww… she’d feel that one for sure, and so would the poor young ginger slave writhing around in pain on the inside, clearly shocked as well. Shit… no choice, but to bear it.

With another tentative but firm grip, Tracy gripped the bars, watching as slaves began to rush from their cages from behind her and rushing towards the stairs, strangely stopping at their water troughs, she felt secure in knowing that all they were waiting on now was her. ‘Ok Tracy… you can do this…’ she said to herself as she tried once more. She yanked, and yanked harder and harder, and this time when the shock came, she was barely able to endure the torment before the lock on the latch seemed to bend far enough that… *Pop* it slipped out of position and opened the cursed latch. Stumbling backwards, Tracy hit her head on one of the newly opened cage doors, causing her already pounding head to seethe with agony. Oooowwwwww…

Looking up she saw the two temporary slaves… Lexi and Emma, she thought, her mind already fuzzy, helping the limp body of slave in the cage out, and beginning to drag her away. The busty one… Lexi… or no, Emma? Stopped, helping Tracy to her feet. “Come on!!! We have to go!” She said before dragging Tracy’s own seemingly weak body forward. “We’re going to dunk her in the water, so she doesn’t burn. Do the same and just get yourself out of here!” The slender one yelled, before the busty one returned to her side, grabbing the other limp arm of the ginger slave and beginning to drag her towards the troughs. Smart… even in her delirious state of mind, Tracy could recognize a good idea when she saw one and realized that was a good one.

Quickly, Tracy stood up, head pounding harder than ever now that she had to stand, but… where was her note pad?… it was on her a moment ago… after a few moments of fiddling around on the floor, she found it, grabbing it and taking it as she walked confused over towards the troughs, where the three soaking slaves were now rushing up the stairs. The busty one looked back with worry, blue eyes piercing as they stared at Tracy, the look of concern evident, but she waved them off. She’d get there just fine. Once they were up the stares however, a conveniently timed wooden beam from the ceiling decided that was the perfect time to fall and smash all the water troughs. Terrific…

Finally regaining some small sense of step, Tracy began to make her way up the stairs. Thick smoke making it hard to see as she climbed, arm on the wall for support until she made it to the top. Crap… this was going to be an insurance nightmare… all the paperwork was burning, the ceilings and the floor and the boxes upon boxes of flammable… and a strangely charged hunk of metal that seemed like a shredder that seemed to be burning the hottest. Moving faster now, Tracy rushed for the door, closer and closer, flames licking at her legs, but not long enough to burn, before the entrance was in reach… finally!… it was over!

Stepping through the burning entryway, Tracy rushed out, just in time to see the lights of the local fire brigade rushing around the street corner. Safety! But as she crossed the threshold of the door, the wooden sign, brandishing the name and logo of same the slave man decided this would be the perfect time to come crashing down… darkness was all that followed.

———————————————

As Emma and Lexi quickly splashed water on themselves and the unconscious ginger slave beneath them, they each lifted an arm as they dragged her up the stairs. Emma looked back, eyes scared as she saw the stumbling form of Tracy only inching towards the stairway. “I don’t think she’s going to be ok…” Emma said softly as they began the arduous climb through the smoke. “We don’t have time to worry… this place is coming down now!!” Lexi yelled as she took one step forward at a time. The y heard a large crash from behind them, like a wooden beam shattering and falling free, making Emma realize as much as she didn’t like it, they already had their hands full. Literally.

Reaching the top of the steps, Emma was thankful for Lexi’s idea of using water to soak themselves, as it definitely mitigated the heat that followed… but as they looked around for a clear path to the exit, both of them couldn’t help but hesitate when they saw the absolute crackling mess that was the derelict shredder. Though they kept moving, a quick glance at each other confirmed at least they knew what the cause of this fire was.

Reaching the outside, Lexi was already cursing how useless the fire brigade was in the fact they weren’t here yet… but noticing that the walls of the old Cotswold building seemed to keep the fire mostly contained to the inside… until the room caught that is. Sitting outside and throwing the unconscious ginger slave into a small patch of grass beside the other four panting slaves, they both sat, tired and terrified. It hadn’t even crossed either of their minds that right now, they were outside and in public, looking no different than any of the other naked slaves outside… but that was an issue for later.

As the fire brigade began to wind around the corner, and Emma got more and more antsy, the familiar form of Tracy finally poked out of the door, both arms raised triumphantly, as she held her notepad in her hands… both girls and even the slaves behind them were so happy to see her safe, none of them even noticed the sign falling right on top of her, crashing into her back, knocking her forward and head hitting the stone walkway, note pad sent flying.

Emma was the first to react, rushing forward and quickly grabbing Tracy’s splayed-out arms and pulling her free from the now shattered, and thankfully, not that big sign. Lexi was soon after, rushing forward and helping drag Tracy into the grass with the other slaves. The back of Tracy’s white Sam the slave man shirt was now smoldering, and a small part of her pencil skirt as well.

“Check for burns or injuries!” Emma said quickly, quickly pulling the shirt free from Tracy’s torso, and Lexi pulling her skirt free, both tamping them down and slapping them against the grass to try and put out the shouldering flames. No underwear under her uniform was certainly a shock, and highly highly irregular for someone working in the slaving industry… but it was hardly their first concern as the fire brigade began to set up their hoses and begin to spray on the building.

“Slaves, anyone left inside?” One fireman asks as he ran up, looking at the two closest slaves to him. Both Emma and Lexi looked around in confusion, and back to the other slaves, all looking at them expectantly given their inability to talk, before Lexi finally put together what was actually happening here. Oh shit… oh shit oh shit oh shit… this looks bad. “We’re not actually slaves…” Lexi answered quickly before Emma could actually process anything. Before she could say anything more though, the fireman was upon her, thick and muscled black hand reaching for her hair, grabbing it and forcing her eyes to look at his. Lexi let out a large yelp of pain while Emma looked on in confusion and obvious worry. “I don’t give a damn what you are, Slag, are there any people or slaves left inside?!?” The man asked in a clearly frantic tone.

“No! No one is inside, we’re the last!…” Emma yelped out, quickly beginning to follow in Lexi’s footsteps of understanding, and terrified for her friend. The fireman looked to Emma before looking back at Lexi, and dropped her, Lexi shivering with obvious shock and fear. “Next time a person asks you a question, you answer it slave.” He said quickly yelling out to the other members of the fire brigade that they can delay any search and rescue efforts and shift fully to containing the growing blaze. “Keep yourself warm. We’ll be needing a reward for saving your precious home, slag.” The fireman said before storming off, leaving both girls in a stunned heap. Shit. Well, this was not good…

“It’s ok… it’s ok…” Lexi said, putting her arms on the shoulders of the clearly panicked Emma. “When Tracy wakes up, she’ll be able to let us go, ok? It’s ok… be strong Em…” she said before pulling her nude companion in for a hug. After a few moments, they returned to their search of Tracy’s body, still highly curious why she wasn’t wearing any underwear, but ignoring it for the time being. Her body was… shapely. Pale while, dark hair, large breasts, firm ass and a thin body. After turning the limp body over a few times, both women were able to confirm that there were no visible injuries aside from the obvious head injuries. They tried flagging down a fireman to help several times, but with no luck… while they were naked and collared like livestock, they were paid just as much attention.

“Let’s get her dressed first. It’s probably important they don’t think she’s a slave as we-” “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!” Lexi’s words were cut off by a familiarly shill voice. Before either girl could begin to redress the unconscious Tracy, the shocked and clearly distraught form of Ashley stormed up to the slaves gathered on the grass. “Where the hell is Tracy?!” She barked out once more before freezing in place as her eyes fell upon the unconscious form of Tracy, face up on the grass beside the glaring Emma and Lexi.

With an obviously worried and rather shocked face, Ashley began to ask “Is she… de-” “no! But she’s definitely injured after an overworked and unmatched shredder set fire to the whole damn store!” Lexi yelled out rather impatiently, causing even a few of the nearby fire brigade members working to tamp down the blaze to look over in confusion. Immediately, though somewhat far away, all three girls could hear the words “Shredder” being repeated, and Ashley’s face went pale. Clearly the implication of her having caused this fire was beginning to set in and as she paced back and forth in raw panic, her worry was evident. “No… no no no no no no no… this isn’t right… I can’t get blamed for this?… can I?… what’ll they do?… enslave me?!… no… fuck!!!” She finally exclaimed, hands buried in her hair before hearing the sound of another large Lorry approaching the already packed street… a large box Lorry, with the words “Sam the slave man” written across the side with the logo as well. It would seem the slaves that were SUPPOSED to be delivered to the store were finally here.

Ashley was pale now. Mind racing as she thought of a way out of this situation before looking back down at her naked and unconscious boss. Finally, she paused. Unseen gears beginning to shift in her mind, as she looked down at both Emma and Lexi sitting beside her unconscious boss. “You both… Yur the ones here for the grading, yeah?” She said finally taking control of the situation. “We ain’t got paperwork that says it not slaves since that’s been burned, so those there men are going to think you are.” She said a wicked smile beginning to appear on her face.

Emma’s scowl began to drop into a face of pure horror, as a Lexi’s scowl deepened. “If ya don’t want them to take ya and fuck ya for a few hours while they wait for corporate to sort this shite out, yur gonna do just what I tell ya… got it?…” she said with a smile and a raised eyebrow gauging the two girl’s reactions. Emma looked terrified… but hopeful, while Lexi simply leveled a glare that looked like it could murder. Finally, they looked at each other before finally nodding their heads. “Deal…” they said in unison, with a varied amount of vitriol.

Ashley smiled, clearly happy, as she routed around in her pockets for something… finally finding the small bottle, she ordered both girls to open wide as the Lorry cabin doors began to open on both sides. Reluctantly, Emma complied, opening her mouth wide as Lexi sat there with a scowl. As the men hopped out of the Lorry, Ashley began to let a small trickle of sweat run down her forehead as she waited and hoped for Lexi to comply as the men began to get closer. Finally, she did. Eyes glaring the whole time. A massive smile washed over her face as Ashley quickly moved the small hand sized bottle towards both mouths, Lexi first, then Emma and sprayed, causing both of them to instinctively real back after it was done, coughing heavily.

The coughing was intense… but then… it lessened. Lexi quickly moved to ask ‘Now what’ only for no words to escape her lips. Clutching at her throat Lexi looked to Emma to see much of the same on her end. Devox? What the fuck? What the hell was her plan? Before they could finish processing, the two nude girls watched as Ashley quickly reached down, opening Tracy’s mouth and spraying a large spray down her throat as well. “Serves ya right ya dumb slag. Shore boss.” She said before looking at the other two confused and increasingly angry girls. “No worries slags… I’ll have ya sorted and right where ya belong in a moment.” She said, quickly leaving the two befuddled girls to sit in painful silence as Ashley ran to deal with the Lorry drivers.

Multiple times, Lexi and Emma tried talking to one another, only to find their voices silent, looking at each other with further and further worry as they could see Ashely spinning whatever tale it was that she was spinning. Eventually, as uncomfortable with their newfound nudity as they were, the two hugged, foreheads pressed together as they tried to reassure one another that all would be alright… surely… it had to be.

“This the one?…” someone said, having approached quickly, a much older man with a heavy Scottish accent. “Yes, this is her.” Ashley said calmly as the 50 something year old man with a beard and large beer belly walked closer looking down at Tracy. Both Emma and Lexi breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Ashley actually identified Tracy as the manager, or at least tried to, the Devox making it soundless. “She’s lucky. Could’ve been a heck of a lot worse…” the man said reaching down and quickly snapping a familiar silver object around around Tracy’s neck. A thin, metal collar, quickly locking in place as the man pulled out a large tablet. “She could’ve broken a hell of a lot more than just her collar in the fire. Don’t worry missy, we’ll make sure they’re all registered properly…” the large man said to a beaming and grinning Ashley.

Emma and Lexi were both dumbfounded. Shocked as they watched what was happening. Huh? Before even thinking things through, Lexi was to her feet, rising and ready to walk over, to do… something. She wasn’t sure yet but the anger overwhelming her was evident. Before she could take even a single step though, a sharp and sweeping pain covered her whole body, shooting out from the center of her spine. She collapsed in a heap only a moment after the pain had finished, her already sore muscles even weaker than before.

“And I’m guessing these two are the trouble makers?…” a central London accent asked from beside the two girls. A young man, around 20 or so was standing there, a cattle prod in his hand, clearly having been just used. Upon Emma looking back at him with a scared and furious expression, even the young man blanched at the sight of the massive breasts before him. “Woah… think I’ll have that one.” He said, an already obvious bulge beginning to form in his khaki shorts. “Shouldn’t have tried to escape after the fire love. Bad move.” He said as he stepped closer to get a closer look before pausing. “Back off boyo. Cow’s neither of ours… though she’d be mine before I ever let you touch er.” He said raising the discarded notepad not far away from where the fire brigade performed their work. “The runaway manager’s notes say they’re both ‘fresh’. Least the slag got there grades down before running away after sparking a fire…” he said thumbing through the notes.

“Not sure why she’d do something so stupid anyway. Place is insured. No fault on her anyway.” He said as he began to read the notes, clearly it was runny and a bit hard to read after so much water was sprayed so close by. At the mention of the place being insured, Emma could see Ashley’s face go pale once more, as if realizing just how stupid all of this truly was… but a woman looking to escape any fault was probably going to do anything to avoid pissing off a slave corporation, even if it was stupid.

“Prime… and Choice Plus, special…” he said in his heavy Scottish accent pointing to each one in turn, gaze lingering on Emma’s breasts before saying “Seems accurate…” under his breath. “Think there was something at the top about their enslavement status, but the ink’s all runny. You can confirm they’re actually enslaved, right lass?” He said turning to Ashley once more, the color returning slightly as she tried to process everything. “Y-yes, course they are. Uh… guess they had second thoughts of volunteering after the fire…” she said, allowing her final chance to walk everything back crumble into dust with a nervous chuckle after a confused look from the younger man.

“Right, if ya say so.” The older man said, clearly intent to get this shit show on the road. “We’re gonna have to stay here a few hours, get them all checked by a vet for any lingering fire damage, then probably get sent back to Edinburgh, or maybe they’ll divert us to London.” The older man said as he watched Lexi struggle to get back onto her shaky hands and knees. “Jack, get them in the system proper, and I’ll chain them together, so we don’t have the two runaways getting any more bad ideas…” he said, making his own way back towards the Lorry, presumably to find some chains, before leaving Jack to pull out a small tablet.

As he approached, the younger man, Jack, reached out, grabbing the still struggling Lexi by her hair, and pulling her back, pressing the tablet to her neck. Lexi tried to gasp in pain, but let out no sound yet again, only able to hear the sudden *ding* from the tablet. “No information… let’s change that, shall we?…” he said calmly before dropping Lexi back to the ground. After a few quick button presses, it was done, and a quick ding sounded off once more and Jack smiled knowingly. “Slave 896-891-001, prime.” He said before pressing the tablet to the still stunned and unmoving Emma. “Slave 896-891-002… Choice plus, special” he said proudly before pressing the tablet to the unconscious form of Tracy’s neck. “Slave 896-891-003. Grade… well, guess I don’t know yet, but sure looks prime…” he said as he stares down at the nude and limp form of Tracy. Finally, he looked back at the two slaves staring up at him in shock and anger respectively before smiling. “Wi-Fi in the Lorry reaches all the way over here. It’s great, innit?” He said with a small chuckle before moving on to the rest of the scared and huddled slaves. Looking back, he decided to fire off one last cheeky remark… “Welcome to slavery, 001, 002, and 003…”

[Dantheman101]

Some quick background. This story stars off long enough as is, and I don’t want to bore anyone too much! This story is set/inspired/based off similar stories by the likes of Joe_Doe_Stories, GentalmanMariner, Katamaran789, and many others. Some of my absolute all-time favorite stories are the spectacular Slave Yoga Stories by Joe_Doe_Stories. Marie’s Slavery Adventure by Katamaran789, Accidentally On Purpose by GentalmanMariner, and From Vacation to Slave Training by Gary. All my inspirations for writing and though this is a very rough start to my writing journey, I hope to one day make stories that could even hope to compete with the likes of the greats!

This story started years ago, and I had written parts of it periodically so some of the writing styles may change here or there, and it’s far from the finished product. This past week I finally decided to sit down and commit to the first story I decided to write, even though I have a full wellspring of ideas and scenes in my mind that I want to explore. There isn’t a whole lot of eroticism in this one, unless you like the slow and inevitable creep towards the moment the noose it tightened like I do, but I do promise that the next instalment that I am actively working on will have a lot more eroticism and some ACTUAL sex scenes. I just like to write, perhaps a little too much, and struggle to get to the point (Clearly, lol, but backstory is important to me!) Down the line, the various characters involved are likely to split off to enjoy some solo adventures as well, or at least adventures away from the starting cast.

Lastly, I hope the accents here and there aren’t too much. I’m a duel US UK national, but the vast majority of my time is spent in the US so while I’m familiar with a lot of places, accents, and phrases, this PARTICLAR story was set in the Cotswolds where we were visiting grandparents, so hopefully it isn’t too much, though many future stories may be set in America, African, the Middle east, or Asia.

TRUE Lastly, hope you all enjoy and anyone with comments, questions or suggestions is free to reach out. I might not be able to respond to all of them, but I hope to make time for some, especially one of the greats if they see this!