Dania, what is a collar after all?

[Toshiko]

There is almost no emotion on his face as he hands it to her, and after she takes it with shaking hands he walks off. With a sinking feeling in her stomach she looks down at the collar in her hands. It is real, she realizes. The metal is cool in her hands, shining as sharp and unforgiving as a blade in the light of the torches. She breathes deeply as she looks down at it. “Just for show, just for show!” she repeats silently over and over, as if to convince herself.

She feels scared and angry, but mostly she feels so very young and small and the collar feels incredibly heavy in her hands.
She hears him sit down and her throat tightens as she realizes: she has to put it on herself. Looking down at that hated collar she wants to throw it away and turn to scream at him: “You were supposed to have another idea! Anything but this, this makes you sad huh, imagine what I feel!” she wants to scream but she stands silent, watching the collar in her hands.

After a few moments of silent contemplation she opens the latch and and it gives off a clicking sound that echoes as it opens. Why couldn't he put it on? Why did he not let her pretend this was not her idea, her choice.
The collar is slowly warming in her hands and she feels something wet trail down her face as she looks at it. A few steadying breaths later she pulls down the hood of her cloak, avoiding looking at the collar. She feels every inch the child she still is, he said as much, and she wishes someone..anyone.. would come and tell her not to do it. But the tunnels are silent, no sound but that of breathing.

She finally raises a hand and pulls her hair to the side, setting the collar against her neck and quickly closes it before she is no longer able to. The click of the latch closing echoes with finality and she winces as she hears it.
It is heavy, and cold against the bare skin of her neck and her hands twitch, straining to return upwards and remove it but she straightens her back and pulls her hood back up instead. “It..it's for show” she whispers to herself.

She suddenly hears voices around her and realizes sister has returned with the orc. Sister who offered to skin every one of those wanting to enslave her, but he had told sister not to. He had agreed with what she had said, they could not always protect her.
And that was what this was..protection. She tries to push the sadness written across his face as he handed it to her from her mind.

“If it's for deceit, then don't think about it” she hears the woman calling her sister say and he responds hollowly: “It is”. The emptiness in his voice hurts her, I did this she realizes and with a sinking feeling she realizes this is probably harder on him than on her. It is after all his collar that she wears. That was why he didn't put it on her she realizes, the act of collaring her would surely devastate him.. right? She does not know if it's true, or if she is trying to convince herself it is. Maybe his voice is not hollow, maybe it is just his natural one, and now without her pretense of freedom he can now treat her for what she is..nothing.

Her hands furiously wipes at her eyes and nods and sisters voice breaks her train of thought.
“Then it's for profit, and victory!” sister says and he responds sternly: “Baleful Maw Ultrin”. She moves to respond “Xa..” her voice falters as she feels the collar rubbing against her throat as she speaks up. “Xas, Baleful Maw Ultrin!” she speaks more strongly and nods fimly. “Baleful Maw Ultrin” she hears her sister respond alongside her. She finally turns around and notices him looking at her.

She turns to sister as she hears sister speak: “Those who watch their back often meet death from their front. They will never see you coming”She nods sharply and she sees him slowly do the same. Sister continues speaking but he just watches them, silently. As sister leaves to hunt with the orc she sees him fold his arms and lean against the wall closing his eyes and she steels herself and wipes the last of the tears from her face.