<div class="floatright">(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wc5MEVdQy4M/maxresdefault.jpg)</div><br/>Miyuki affirmed the instructions of the servant as she thanked her. The water was perfect for Miyuki, warm and slightly hot as she felt her pores open, sweat forming on her body as she began to perspire. A tip of her hand dumped the liquid soap into the tub, the water turning into a light creamy color as the bathing turned it into a denser mixture. Off came her underwear as Miyuki hung them by the side, before using her feet to test the water, affirming its temperature as she slid herself in with a resounding sigh. Her skin began to itch a little, but Miyuki gently swished the water over them as she soaked her body in the tub, allowing the cleansing solutions to do their work.<br/><br/>Miyuki listened to the words of Dawn, nodding as the bard was slowly becoming impressed by this girl. She was no simple slave, so much different from those back home! Where they would feel dejected and resigned to their fate, Dawn here was an epitome of everything even a member of the lowest caste Miyuki believed should be. Educated, able to fend for themselves, and enjoying basic rights with everyone else. The only restrictions Dawn seemed to have was money, and possibly several other things, but she seemed to get along well enough, another sign of her resilience.<br/><br/><strong>"Well, home was never the city for me."</strong>Miyuki said, her gaze fixed on Dawn.<strong>"I was brought up within the walls of a shrine, but thankfully books from overseas came to be in the vast library. I learnt a lot about other cultures, and truthfully, my home would be considered a terrible place as you imagined. We do have beasts roaming the lands, raiding villages... killing people.. but we know that the Warrior-caste, led by several leaders called 'Daimyo', or Retainers in the Common Tongue, were the guardians of the common folk. Society was divided into the main castes of the Warriors, the Priests, the Commoners and the Slaves. The Warriors rule over all of us, but they possess a sense of reverence to the Priests who comfort their mind and bodies with prayer and blessings from the gods. Most of my customers were Warriors, or linked to them."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Slaves were people without right. Simply, people given basic food and lodging and made to work the fields and labor until they were spent. In the eyes of the warlords, Slaves were expendable, and anyone helping a Slave would be condemned that they would rather spend their energy helping a nobody, than one of their own kind. The Warriors possess such power because they wield swords, they carry and mete out death to anyone who disobeys and disrupts the fabric of peace. Legends has it that the reason why the Warriors became chaotic, was because of the lack of a Shogun, or Ruler. Only a man with extraordinary charisma and power could take up the role to unite us into a single people, restore peace and justice, and lead us back to greatness. However, we have no had such a leader for several hundred years, and the people suffer in silence."</strong><br/><br/>Miyuki splashed the water a little, moving her hands along her body as she cleaned herself, sighing in the warmth of the water. It had been too long since she enjoyed a proper hot bath, resting in a tub. Konayama Miyuki could lie in a bath for nearly three hours, such was her love for this sensation.<br/><br/><strong>"It could be seen that we were all submissive, but people like... me... I went against the will of the Warriors, and escaped. The people once tried to rebel against the warlords, but they required a warlord of their own. Splinters formed, and more independent leaders appeared, leading to more and more bloodshed. Entire villages were razed during a period of Great War, clans slain, because two men could not agree on where food should go to, and their squabble turned a clan into two warring factions. War was our way of life, and sex was the men's way of relaxing after a day of killing. I must say that I was not proud to serve some of these 'warriors', although majority of those who held me in their arms were of a chivalrous nature. Warriors in the city often carried themselves better than those in the plains, although the persecution of castes remained present."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"In such a warring culture, the weak had no place among the people, and it includes people defeated in war. That was the unfortunate way of our life back home, and it does make me feel glad that people out here were much more civilized. Perhaps my people were backwards, and I could have been like them has it not been for the gods who planned for my knowledge, my caste, and the freedom and strength to strike out on my own..."</strong><br/><br/>Miyuki turned to Dawn once again, giving her a smile.<br/><br/><strong>"Does Dawn think that Miyuki made a mistake? Running away, coming to Laelith... instead of fighting back with those who sought a change?"</strong>