Keshathra Part 1, Chapter Fifteen

****Carol****

As customary at some appropriate moment those bearing guilt are dealt with.
"George, you are required to met with me down stairs."
He was clearly puzzled but compliantly frisking himself for his notepad and pen, Jerry became agitated and Diana just carried on relieved I didn't announce her as well. I dismissed them to their leisure and joined George, inviting him to my table.
"Why are you here?"
As he searched himself for an answer desperation arose to panic and he wrote asking me if he was responsible for the accident. I assured him that it was mutual fault, his irises flexed with this information. Synapses fired within he thought ' then why no arrangement for me to pay.'
"Slaves don't pay free citizen's bills, George they are too busy paying their own debts. Do you know what else slaves don't have the privilege of doing? Arguing with free citizens. George, what is it that you are especially not allowed to do?
Agitation flared in his nostril, his eyes hardened, and the wrote, "communicate, Reformer?"
I struck him and pronounced " 'No Plotting'. What business was it of yours what that man said or did or how the outcome would go? Did you think you'd be in trouble for an accident? Did you fear your embarrassment? None of this is your responsibility, I believe that you argued out of impulse, George and I mean to teach you that your mindfulness needs to improve. " I let him ponder, while I smoked. As the dawn of understanding embered, I continued. "You did do well, don't get me wrong. I am pleased with your understanding and acceptance of fault, and the observations, and all that you are proud of also.
But there is a valuable lesson deeper than these." Iris's flicker, we both sit back and ponder, another cigarette. Followed by moderate administration of a twase to George's bare posterior.

During the middle of punishment he whimpered "wait reformer", and abashedly thought 'please stop'. I did, he turned himself to face me and I nodded approval, he lowered his cloth as I laid the twase on the bench and gave him breathing room.
" I accuse you of unfairly exercising your authority on the free citizen Reformer. If we are at fault why is his disregarding me cause for you to make him pay for both our vehicles?"
"What do you suggest then George?" He answered that he felt he owed the man service in return, he had auto body skills to trade for the payments.
"Doesn't that work out to your being paid for labor George? Wouldn't that be an abuse of your slave authority to your advantage? So we either keep the bargain the man agreed with, or we confess to the man and let it go. Because what sense is there is you paying for him and him paying for you? So we make some other arrangement, such as you fix his and yours or you press charges on me. I am fairly sure it is not as consequential as reporting brainwashing, starvation, torment, and rape but if you wish to use the phone it is your right." He absorbed my reason and answered back.
"You think my valuable purpose is undercover reformation investigations, don't you?" I let my approval show.
" Yes George I very much believe you have expert potential. You are, much to Jerry's nightmarish chagrin, unbreakable. And you are in desperate need of training and proper education before you become poisoned entirely by megalomania. And though I know your sentence is up in a matter of months, I would like you to consider career training at my school. And yes we have stale-mate again.
Let me encourage you to remember that I am still your reformer and hope to be for quite a long while, do not abuse your privileges again. Do not doubt that I am capable to taking your privilege of communication next time." His ego glazed eyes, returned to surrender, and he waited for me to dismiss him.
I rejoined Diana in the living room, Jerry followed his habit of retreat when he can't monitor my handling of his best friend property, and George retired to his room, she was excited to see George's liberation from silence but her mind milled and churned.
"You may ask what you wish Diana."
"It's... well Mistress I thought....." She blushed to herself, being taken charge with a side of reasoning she was ill practiced with. "If you meant to honer him why didn't you share that moment with us? We miss him too, and suffered with him."
" I didn't mean to honer him. I mean to intensify his reformation and for that he needs to be able to speak." 'oh' is all she could thoughtfully respond.
I turned the tv station and watched a game show called "do you know this song?"

Jerry was high again, and had himself worked up outrageously that I was unjustified in punishing George. Diana had started to try to tell him that as far as she had understood George's meeting with me was only an interview. But I gave her a sternly amused 'hush' look. And she observantly knitted while Jerry laid out his indigence.
"I mean, Mistress that George did everything you instructed him to do and you STILL took him down stairs?" and he paused, to let me get a breath in.
"You have become quite judgmental as of late Jerry, haven't you? First let me say this. Obedience, is not surrender. The second ritual of breaking.
And this, you have just earned yourself a trip downstairs boy."
Where I made no pretence or lecture, I whipped him and sent him to his room and bade him to write out his reconsideration of his accusations due in three days.