Retrace bxbxb

Unwise

Harper didn't go far. He was painfully aroused, though he was absolutely confused as to why. Men were attracted to women, not watching to other men... do things. His face burned as the scene replayed in his mind and he ducked into a linen closet that barely fit him, then dropped to the floor. 

Unable to push away the images, Harper awkwardly slid his hand into his breaches. He got himself off as fast as he could, trying hard to be absolutely silent besides his needed panting. When he was finished, he wiped himself clean with a pair of socks he found in a small box with several other pairs, then shoved them to the back of the closet before standing back up and straightening out his clothing. 

Not a moment after he'd stepped out of the closet, someone was calling for him at the other end of the hall. Thankfully, it was a female voice, and when he turned, he noticed an unfamiliar maid walking toward him with a hesitant smile on her face. 

"Excuse me, but are you master Hari, that just arrived with lords Rule and Arthur?" She asked, drawing a small frown from Harper at the use of his old name. And he wasn't sure why she was calling him master. He clearly wasn't one. 

"Yes, miss?" He said, his words sounding more like a question than an actual answer. 

The maid looked nervous as she clasped her hands together in front of her modest black dress and bowed her head slightly. "I have been instructed to ask you for your assistance out in the stables, if you are available, sir." 

Odd. 

"Uh, sure." 

He carefully made his way down the stairs, then outside, being careful to keep an eye out for the two lords and keep as much weight as he could off of his leg. They seemed to have disappeared... or not left the room at all. Their perverted images began running through his mind again, but Harper forced them away. He couldn't embarrass himself in front of others! 

As he stepped out the door, he paused, looking to the side where his shovel silently leaned against the wall. The sight of it reminded him of the fun old woman who'd given it to him. Well, I am outside. I might as well take it with me. Maybe it will be of some use. He thought as he picked it up, then headed off toward the stables. He began using it to help him walk, already smiling that it was coming in handy. 

There was only one boy working when he stepped into the large building. "Hello?" Harper called out as he approached, not wanting to spook the boy, who was loading a cart full of hay with a pitchfork. 

Ah, my poor shovel will be of no use for such a thing. 

The boy looked up a moment later, giving him an odd look. 

"You... asked for my assistance?" Harper pressed, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. If the boy had not asked for him, then who had? 

The boy's expression changed abruptly as recognition lit his tired eyes. "Ah. Yes, master Hari?" He asked, earning a slow nod from Harper. 

He pointed over to a sturdy ladder built into the ceiling, that had been dropped down to allow for climbing up into the hay loft. "Two people were hoping you could give them a hand up there for a few moments." 

In the hay loft? 

As a female, he'd never worked much outside. It still seemed odd to ask specifically for him, when they had no idea who he was, but having been a servant for so long, he couldn't find it in himself to disobey. 

Holding his shovel firmly in his left hand, he carefully climbed the ladder upward. It definitely wasn't a pleasant thing to do, but thankfully his foot wasn't doing too badly. At first glance, the loft looked deserted as he used the shovel to help himself stand, but then a figure appeared from behind a large stack of bales at the far end.