|
 Slave PalmsHere are relevant references from the Books where the position of Palms, when kneeling, are mentioned. I make no pronouncements on these matters, but report them as I find them. Arrive at your own conclusions. I wish you well, Fogaban I was going to write a narrative on how animations in places like Second Life usually show a girl kneeling with her palms up while the books predominately show her palms should be down. And then I decided it probably wouldn't do any good. The rule is, should you kneel with your palms up, you are expressly asking to be used. This is explicitly stated in Quarry of Gor on Page 338 when a naked slave dares to put the back of her hands on her widened thighs, mutely begging a master to be put to his use pleasure.In any event, here are the 144 times kneeling and the placement of the palms are mentioned. She knelt in the position of the Pleasure Slave but her hands on her thighs had unconsciously, pleadingly, turned their palms to me, and she no longer knelt quite back on her heels. It was as though she begged to be allowed to lift and open her arms and rise and come to my arms. But as I looked upon her sternly she turned her palms again to her thighs, knelt back on her heels and dropped her head, holding her eyes as if by force of will fixed on the plastic beneath my sandals. Even the palms of her hands, naturally, now fell at her thighs, her left palm over her brand. "Kneel," said the Forkbeard to the girl, "legs apart, palms of your hands on your thighs." She half knelt, half sat, her head down, the palms of her hands on the floor of the cell. Yesterday the blond-haired girl had been permitted to walk about the deck. I had stopped near her and she had, immediately, knelt, for she was in the presence of a free man. I had walked slowly about her. She was very nice. I had then stood before her, and she had, suddenly, dropped her eyes. I saw a tiny movement in her hands, on her thighs, as though she would turn them, exposing the palms to me, but then she pressed them down her thighs, hard. The girl faced them, making herself small, kneeling, the palms of her hands on the floor, her head down to the stones. It excited me to see her in such a posture. She was a slave girl in the presence of masters. The girl rose to her feet and went to Kliomenes. She knelt before him, on the dais, and put her head down. Gently, softly, she licked and kissed his feet. She then rose again to her feet, backed away, and then, on the tiles, again knelt. She put the palms of her hands on the tiles, and lowered her head to the tiles. Then she straightened up, her back straight, assuming the position of the pleasure slave, though keeping her head bowed, deferentially. "How can you sell an unbranded woman?" asked a fellow of a slaver's man, indicating a freckled, fairly complexioned, red-haired barbarian kneeling frightened on a nearby block, the palms of her hands down on the wood. The girl, then, half stumbling, was brought forward. Rudely she was thrust down to her knees, where the fellow in the broad-brimmed hat indicated, at the head of the coffle. To her horror her knees were kicked apart. Her chin was then pushed up. In a moment she was fastened with the others. I looked down at the red-haired girl. The man in the broad-brimmed hat lifted her hair, displaying it to me. "It is long enough to braid," he said. "If one wished it," I said. I myself tended to prefer, on the whole, long, loose hair on a slave, tied back, if at all, with a headband or, behind the head, with a cloth or string. "She would bring a high price," I said, "in almost any market with which I am familiar." "I will be able to get five hides of the yellow kailiauk for her," said the man. "Oh, no, Master!" cried Ginger, suddenly, dismally. "No, Master!" protested Evelyn. "Please, no! Please, no!" The man in the broad-brimmed hat bent down and, one after the other, untied the wrists of Evelyn, Ginger and the red-haired girl. Ginger and Evelyn were trembling, half in hysteria. Yet they had presence of mind enough to place their hands, palms down, on their thighs. The palms of the red-haired girl, forcibly, her wrists in his grasp, were placed on her thighs. When her left hand wished to stray to her brand he took it and placed it again, firmly, palm down, on her thigh. "Come now, my pretty slaves," said Ginger, "kneel straight. Back straight, heads up. Back on your heels there! Spread those pretty knees. Yes, that is the way men like it. Put your hands, palm down, on your thighs. Good. Good. Excellent!" I watched them, kneeling, leaning forward, palms down on the grass, heads down, eating at the meat. Turnip knelt before me, the palms of her hands on the grass, her head down. I felt her lips and tongue, sweetly and softly, delicately, kissing and caressing my feet. "Kneel back on your heels. Place the palms of your hands down on your thighs. Lift your head. Put your shoulders back. Spread your knees." "It is Ligurious, my Master," said the girl, her head now down to the floor, the palms of her hands on the tiles. "You!" said the trainer, indicating another girl. She, too, hurried forward. She knelt before Drusus Rencius, her palms on the floor, her head to the very tiles. "I beg for love," she whispered. "I beg for love, Master." At the approach of the free men, Hermidorus and Drusus, they would immediately position themselves, usually with their knees wide, kneeling back on their heels, their heads up, their hands on their thighs, in the position I had come to understand was that of the pleasure slave, but sometimes, instead; kneeling with the palms of their hands on the tiles, their heads down, too, to the same tiles. There was one temporary, partial exception to this, which I will mention. After we had left some carpeted corridors, higher in the house, and were moving to the lower levels, and traversing heavy, flagstonelike tiles, we approached a slender, dark-haired girl who, on her hands and knees, in chains, with a bucket of water, cloths and a brush, in that portion of the corridor, was scrubbing tiles. As we approached, she oriented herself towards us, palms of her hands on the floor, and put her head to the tiles. But, as we neared her, she lifted her head, desperately. At his entrance Susan put the palms of her hands on the floor and lowered her head to the tiles, assuming a position of slave obeisance common with her in the presence of her master. Susan, frightened, with an effort that must have been painful for her striped body, knelt, with her head down to the tiles, the palms of her hands on the floor, in that form of obeisance apparently required by Ligurious of his women. I looked at him, startled. Quickly I scrambled to my knees before him, the palms of my hands on the floor of the wagon. I knelt before him, my head down, the palms of my hands on the tiles, in the fashion which Ligurious had required of his girls. I knelt before the guest, putting the palms of my hands on the floor and my head to the tiles. I then lifted my head, keeping the palms of my hands on the floor. "Did Master indicate an interest in Tiffany?" I asked. "Head down," he said, "palms on the floor." I immediately assumed this position. "Kneel, Slave," said Ligurious, defining the relationship between them. "Yes, Master," she said. "Is that the fashion in which I have my women kneel before me?" he asked. "Forgive me, Master," she said, and put her head down to the tiles before him, the palms of her hands flat on the floor. The woman from Venna, with a movement of chains, rose from her belly to kneel beside his desk. She knelt in the position of the pleasure slave, back on her heels, back straight, head up, knees spread, palms of her hands on her thighs. She, kneeling in her cage, had not been unaware, of course, of our progress. When we appeared before her cage, she put her head down to the blanket, the palms of her hands on the floor of the cage, beside her head, It is a lovely gesture of obeisance, and required by many masters of their women. "Head down," I said. Immediately, kneeling, she put her head to the floor, the palms of her hands, too, resting on it. "There are many ways to perform obeisance," I said. "I am a free woman," she said. "I know none of them." "I shall instruct you briefly in three," I said. "First, kneel before me, back on your heels, yes, with your knees wide, wider, your hands on your thighs, your back straight, your breasts out, good, your belly in, good, and now lower your head in deference, in submission." "Like a slave!" she said. "Do it," I said. She looked well. "Now that," I said, "may not be exactly a performance of obeisance, for authorities do not all agree, but for our purposes we shall count it as one. It is, at any rate, a beautiful position, and it is, certainly, a common position of slave submission." "Slave submission!" she cried. "Yes," I said, "and you do it well. It looks natural on you." "Now," I said, "and this is clearly a form of obeisance, bend forward and put your head to the mat, the palms of your hands on the mat. Good. Now lift your head a little and come forward, substantially keeping the position. Forward a little more." I looked at the whip. I leapt to my feet, in a jangle of bells, and hurried to the place where the book was. In a moment I had it and had returned, and, holding the book, knelt again before him. "Kiss it," he said. I did so. "Put it down," he said, "to the side." I did so. He then held the whip before me. "Kiss the whip," he said. I did so. "Kiss my feet," he said. I put my head down, frightened, the palms of my hands on the carpet, and kissed his feet. I then straightened up, and knelt back on my heels. "Put your hands, palms down, on your thighs," he said. I obeyed. "Apparently you do have some intelligence," he said. "Now, put your knees apart." "Please, no!" I said. "Perhaps I was wrong," he mused. Swiftly I put my knees apart. I trembled, kneeling, my head down, the palms of my hands on the floor. Swiftly we assumed a common form of slave obeisance, kneeling, the palms of our hands on the ground, our heads to the ground. Quickly I fell to my knees before Hendow, he in the great chair on the dais, and put my head to the carpet, the palms of my hands, too, on the carpet, beside my head, performing slave obeisance. I saw the legs of a man. I looked up, and then, swiftly, the palms of my hands on the floor, the cuffs on my wrists, put my head to the floor before him. Tupita and Sita, similarly, rendered immediate, fearful obeisance. I quickly knelt before the men and put my head to the floor, the palms of my hands, too, on the floor. I heard several of the beads touch the wood. I knelt on the rug at the foot of the dais, that surmounted by the curule chair of my master, Hendow, of Brundisium. My head was to the rug, the palms of my hands on the floor. I had been summoned into his presence. She then trembled, and knelt. But, in a moment, she had recovered herself. She looked at me, angrily. "You may keep your knees together," I said, "as you are a free woman." Swiftly she closed them, furious. "I hate you!" she said. "You may now lower your head, before a male," I said. "Never!" she said. "Now," I said. She lowered her head, angrily. "I have never, done that before," she said, lifting her head. "You may now put it to the floor, the palms of your hands, too, to the floor," I said. Trembling with rage she obeyed. Then she straightened up, and knelt back. "Excellent," said Aemilianus. Then he addressed the slaves. "You may perform obeisance before masters," he said. Both the girls then bent forward and, putting the palms of their hands on the deck, lowered their heads to the boards. "Yes, Master," she said, lifting her head a little from the dirt, where, before me, in the camp of Cos, on the south bank of the Vosk, north of Holmesk, she knelt, head down, the palms of her hands on the ground. I pointed to the sand before me. She immediately, frightened, dropped to her knees and again put her head down to the sand, the palms of her hands, too, on the sand. "Kneel back on your heels," I said. "Open your knees, widely. More widely. Good." I did not doubt but what she would recall that she had, back on the other island, days ago, when she had had power, the backing of numerous armed men, been the issuer of such instructions, not their recipient. "Place the palms of your hands on your thighs," I said. "Lift your head." I noted that the palm of her hands, so soft, so vulnerable, had turned on her thighs, so that they faced up. Among slave girls this is a common way of signaling need, helplessness, a desire to please. As she probably did not know that I took it to be instinctive, or semi-instinctive, perhaps a subconscious, or only partially understood, utilization of the symbolic aspects of the palm of the female's hand. One reason for thinking this is a very natural behavior is that almost all female slaves, in certain situations, will use it, even before it has been explicitly called to their attention by, say, a whip-master or trainer. Also, it is not uncommon, in certain situations, among captive free women, as witness the Lady Ina. In the repertoire of an experienced slave, of course, it is one of her nonverbal signals, one of those numerous signals, such as need knots, body touchings, and such, by means of which she may express herself, even if forbidden to speak. It may also be used as a begging, placatory behavior. "Why are your palms facing up?" I asked. "I do not know!" she said, startled. She quickly turned them down, on her thighs. "I did not notice, or hardly noticed," she said. "I am sorry. I did not mean to break position. Please forgive me. I do not wish to be beaten!" "That is not normally regarded as a breaking of position," I said. She now knelt back. I continued for a time to feed, in a solitary fashion. Then I picked up a piece of the fish and held it out to her. Swiftly then she leaned forward, parting her pretty lips and teeth. She kept her palms down on her thighs. I pulled back the bit of food and she looked up at me. When she had finished I pointed to the sand and she knelt there, putting her head down, her palms in the sand. "Thank you for feeding me, captor," she said. "This is a male," I said to Ina. Then she swiftly knelt before him, the palms of her hands in the sand, putting her head to the sand, in obeisance. He was young, but she, as she was a female, would put herself in obeisance before him, submitting her femaleness to his maleness. Immediately, with a rustle of chain, they knelt, the palms of their hands on the ground, their heads to the dirt. She had knelt with her head down to the street, the palms of her hands on the stones, making herself small, in a common position of obeisance. She knelt back on her heels, her knees spread, her back straight, her head up, the palms of her hands on her thighs. She then knelt before us, the palms of her hands on the stones, her head down to them, as well. "Kneel," I said to the female, "now." Swiftly she knelt. "You are pretty," I said. "Thank you, Master," she said, frightened. "Head to the pavement," I said, "palms on it." "Slaves," said I, "as you must now know, have many ways of calling themselves to the attention of a man, subtly, effectively, pleadingly, vulnerably, helplessly, deferentially, humbly." She looked up at me. "The palms of your hands are facing upward," I said. "Oh!" she said, and quickly turned them downward, and clutched her thighs. The rag she wore, given her knee position, that of a pleasure slave, was high on her thighs. Her hands, her fingers on her thighs, digging into them, as though they would anchor themselves there, half covered it. Her grip was partly through the cloth and partly on her thighs. Midway in her grip came the garment's frayed hem, pressed down on her fair, sweet thighs. The contrast was attractive, like slave silk against flesh, or a narrow cord sustaining such silk at the shoulder, perhaps an inch from a disrobing loop, or the metal of slave bracelets locked on small, downy wrists, a rope on a waist, snug above a sweetly rounded belly, or a collar on the neck. When near him she lifted her head slightly, hardly daring to meet his eyes, and then she knelt before him, as before a master, doing obeisance onto him, her head down to the stones before his golden sandals, the palms of her hands, too, on the stones. "Position," I snapped. Instantly Lavinia rose from her belly to her knees, placing herself in a position common among Gorean pleasure slaves, kneeling back on heels, back straight, head up, palms down on thighs, knees spread. "Stop," I heard, a man's voice. Instantly I stopped, my heart sinking. I turned, of course, immediately, and fell to my knees, putting my head down to the lavender grass, as was its color here, in this portion of the garden, the palms of my hands down, too, on the grass, beside my head. I was kneeling in the garden, on the lavender grass, as it was in that part of the garden, my head down, the palms of my hands on the grass. But I had scarcely entered upon the grass when I had heard a man's voice. "Stop," he had said. I had knelt, of course, immediately, and put my head down to the grass, the palms of my hands, too, on the grass. I knelt before him, my head down to the grass, my palms on the grass. I then, facing the strangers, the new comers, knelt before them, in position of obeisance, my head down to the floor, the palms of my hands on the floor, too. I continued to kneel before him, on the lavender grass, my head down to the grass, my palms upon it, as well. "Position," he said. So said, so simply, I straightened my back, and knelt up, straight, but back on my heels, my knees widely spread, for this was in accord with my kind within a kind, the palms of my hands on my thighs. I kept my head bowed, however. This sort of thing, I had learned, tends to depend on the city, and the man. It is safest to keep it bowed, unless one knows that it is to be held otherwise. His eyes regarded Tima and she flung herself to her knees in the grass, head down to the grass, palms of her hands on it, in obeisance, as I had been earlier. As his eyes fell then on Tana she, losing no time, assumed the same position. Then she was before him, as the others, her head down to the grass, her palms upon it, too, in obeisance. The three women, instantly, assumed the common position, kneeling, back on heels, back straight, knees wide, palms of hands down on the thighs. I looked up, again, and then, frightened, knelt forward, putting my head to the stone flooring, my palms, too, down on the stone, in a common attitude of obeisance. "Obeisance!" he said. Instantly I knelt forward, the palms of my hands on the floor, my head to the floor. So I knelt now before him, my back straight, my head down, the palms of my hands down on my thighs, my knees properly, widely spread. "Bring a whip," said a man. "I have one here," said a voice. It was handed to him. The woman shrank back, kneeling back on her heels, pressing the palms of her hands firmly down on her thighs. Inadvertently, without really thinking of it, my hand strayed to my own collar. I kissed my finger tips and pressed them to my collar. I envied girls their private masters. I belonged to the state of Treve. The pit master briefly glanced down at me. Frightened, I returned my hands, palms down, to my thighs. I straightened my body. I looked straight ahead. My knees were slightly spread, enough to show that I was a pleasure slave, but were closely enough placed to accord with the decorum of the praetor's court. I was pleased to understand that the pit master would choose to ignore my slight indiscretion. No one but a frustrated free woman would denounce, or punish, a girl for loving her collar. She knelt within the yellow circle, on the marble floor, before the curule chair on which he, robed, reclined. Her back was straight, but her head was down. The palms of her hands were on her thighs. She knelt in the beautiful position that had been taught her, back on her heels, back straight, head up, palms of the hands on her thighs. Immediately, kneeling, she put her head to the floor, the palms of her hands on the floor, beside her head. In this position the knees are closed. It is a position commonly assumed by a slave when a man enters a room. To be sure, this varies from city to city. In some cities all that is required is the common kneeling position, instantly assumed. In other cities, a complete bellying, instantly assumed, is required. Such things may differ, of course, from master to master. The girl is, after all, his. She knelt before him, in her collar, in the basic position of the Gorean pleasure slave, back on her heels, her back straight, her head up, the palms of her hands on her thighs, her knees spread, widely. She was then kneeling on the rug before the dais, on which reposed the curule chair, her head to the rug, the palms of her hands on the rug, too, on either side of her head. She knelt, obedient to the protocols of her condition, slimly, beautifully, back straight, back on heels, knees spread, the palms of her hands on her thighs. "Kneel," said Peisistratus to the girl, "now, instantly! Back on your heels. Spread your knees!" "My knees!" she cried. "Yes," he said, "widely. More widely! Straighten your back, place your hands, palms down, on your thighs, lift your head, look straight ahead!" Cabot noted that the slave cast a look of misery at Peisistratus, and that the hands on her thighs lifted slightly, as though she would expose her palms to him, but then she quickly returned them to her thighs, palms down. Cabot had then fed her by hand, she in primary slave position, and with her knees spread, as she was that sort of slave. He also, in hand-feeding her, had required that she keep her hands, palms down, firmly, on her thighs. He ignored her plaintive whimperings. She struggled to keep the palms of her hands down on her thighs. Clearly she would have preferred to turn them, so that her small, soft palms would be exposed to her master, in a slave's mute appeal. She did not notice that the other slaves, of which there were several, like herself, naked and collared, were kneeling in their cages, heads to the floor, palms of hands, too, down on the floor, in first obeisance position. They knew themselves to be in the presence of a free man. The next time Cabot visited the tiny cage of a brunette slave, she knelt as the other slaves had, with the palms of her hands down on the cage floor, and her head down to it, as well, in first obeisance position. "Spread your knees," he said, "kneel straight, back on your heels, head up, palms of your hands down on your thighs." I had told from her manner of kneeling, of course, that she was not a pleasure slave. There are a variety of ways in which a pleasure slave may kneel, but the most common is back on her heels, knees spread, back straight, head up, the palms of her hands down, on her thighs. Sometimes, when her needs are muchly upon her, she may kneel muchly like that, save that her head may be lowered humbly, daring not to meet the eyes of the master, and the backs of her hands, not the palms of her hands, may be down on her thighs, which exposes the delicate palms of the hands to the master, a lovely hint of hope and petition. As is well known the small, soft palms of a woman's hands are sensitive and alive with nerve tissue, though far less so than what they are symbolizing, the moist, pleading tissues of her begging, heated belly. The position of the Tower Slave is respectful, and demure. Further, she is usually well tunicked, or even robed. To be sure, her collar must always be visible. It would not do to confuse her with a free woman. The position of the pleasure slave, of course, is also respectful, but it is also provocative, and inviting. It must leave no doubt in the observer's mind as to what sort of slave she is. The palms of her hands are usually down on her thighs, and her head up, but, if she is petitioning caresses, as is not uncommon, the palms are usually up, the backs of the hands on the thighs. The palms of a woman's hands, as is well known, are unusually sensitive, as might be noted, for example, if one were, lightly, with the tip of a finger, to trace the form of a "Kef" on them. The palms, then, so offered to the master, with their exposed, sweet, sensitive cupping, the backs of the hands down on the thighs, as though bound to them, as though not permitted to leave them without permission, present a sign not difficult to read. Too, at the same time, the girl's head is usually lowered. This makes clear her humility and need, and how much she is at the mercy of the master, for the least touch. Variations, of course, occur. Sometimes, perhaps in markets, the girl will kneel with her wrists crossed behind her, as though bound, or will have her hands clasped behind the back of her head, or the back of her neck. This lifts the breasts, nicely. In first obeisance position, often assumed by a slave in the presence of a free man, she kneels with her head to the ground, and the palms of her hands down on the ground on either side of her head. The girl struggled to nadu, kneeling back on her heels, her head up, her back straight, the palms of her hands down on her thighs. In nadu, as the back is straight, the shoulders are back, and this accentuates the delights of the bosom. The widening of the knees suggests the vulnerability of the slave and displays the softness of the open, exposed thighs. The placement of the palms down on the thighs, apart and down, to the sides, suggests that they will be held as they are, and thus are not permitted to fend or thwart a caress. The kneeling position itself is symbolic of submission. The head's being up displays the beauty of the master's property, the beauty of the features, the slenderness of the neck, and such, and, too, of course, in this attitude, the badge of his ownership, her collar, is well exhibited. To be sure, this can differ from master to master. Some prefer the slave's head to be submissively lowered. The slave's eyes may or may not be permitted to meet the master's eyes without permission. This differs from master to master. "Nadu," whispered the taverner, and the girl went to position, back on heels, knees wide, back straight, the palms of her hands down on her thighs. She kept her head down. Commonly, in nadu, the head is up, the gaze straight ahead, that the beauty of her features be displayed, and that she be in a position to better detect the slightest nuances of her master, either in tone or expression, but neither the taverner nor the stranger exacted this small adjustment. "Do not arouse the slave," whispered the taverner. He then said to the girl, "Keep the palms of your hands down on your thighs." "Yes, Master," she said. Sometimes a slave in nadu begs, turning her hands about, placing the back of the hands on the thighs, this exposing the soft, delicate, sensitive palms of her hands to the master. It is a way of supplicating a caress. She knelt with her knees closely together, clenched together. The palms of her hands were down, on her thighs. "Keep the palms of your hands down on your thighs," I said. She knelt then before me, as before, back on her heels, head up, back straight, the palms of her hands down on her thighs. Suddenly one fellow said, sharply, "Position!" Instantly, reflexively, Iole and Alcinoë, frightened, knelt, back on their heels, knees spread, back straight, head up, looking ahead, neither to the left or right, the palms of their hands down, firmly, on their thighs. "Backs straight," I said. "Lift your heads. Peer straight ahead. Shake the hair behind your shoulders." I looked about, from one slave to another. It was pleasant to do so. "Shoulders back," I said. "Suck in your belly. Palms of your hands down on your thighs, firmly. Feel them there." "First obeisance position," I informed the slaves. Both then went to first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the floor, palms of the hands down on the floor, at the sides of their head. She was before me, in position, kneeling back on her heels, her back straight, her head up, looking ahead, the palms of her hands down on her thighs, her knees spread, this making clear the nature of her bondage. "Get your heads down, to the carpet," she said, "and place the palms of your hands beside your head." We were thus kneeling before her in what I would later learn was the first position of obeisance. Suddenly the door had been unbolted from the outside, and Tela, first girl, entered. All of us in the small room immediately, went to our knees, and put our heads to the floor, the palms of our hands on the floor beside our heads. "First obeisance position!" snapped one of the instructresses. Swiftly I knelt, my head to the floor, the palms of my hands on the floor, at the sides of my head. Should I assume obeisance position, first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the tiles, hands to floor, perhaps second obeisance position, belly to the floor, palms down beside my head, where one might reach inch forth to press one's lips to his feet? I quickly knelt down before the man and, the palms of my hands down on the street, pressed my lips to his sandals, kissing them. "First obeisance position," said a voice behind me, sharply, a male voice, "switches in your teeth." The two laundry slaves swiftly went to first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the ground, palms of their hands on the ground, the switches crosswise in their teeth. A bit later the door at the far end of the room opened, and a large-handed, brawny fellow, bearded, with a leather cap entered, carrying a lidless tool box by its triangular handle. As soon as we saw that the entrant was male we went to first-obeisance position, kneeling, head to the floor, hands, palms down, at the side of our head. I was before him in the position of the pleasure slave, in nadu, back straight, head up hands palm down on thighs, belly in, shoulders back, kneeling back on heels, knees spread. This was common nadu. In the common nadu, as required in the complex, and insisted upon by Nora, the hands are to be visible and the head raised. Some say the hands are to be visible in order that the slave cannot conceal within them a package a pellet a powder, a weapon, or such. One supposes that may be a consequence of the position, but, one supposes, as slaves could scarcely have access to such things, that one must look further. Aside from the aesthetic aspects of the matter, namely revealing the small, sweet loveliness of a woman's hands, the small wrists, almost asking to be bound, and such, it facilitates a common begging gesture, one which is lovely and subtle. One merely changes the position of the hands, by turning the backs of the hand to the thighs. This exposes the soft, concave, curved tenderness of the palms, open, sensitive, and vulnerable, to the master. "Position," I said. She went to position, kneeling back on her heels, her back straight her belly in, her shoulders back, her head up the palms of her hands down on her thighs. One does not break "position" without permission. So, cold, wet, and shivering, miserable, we went to "position," kneeling back on our heels, our backs straight, our heads up looking ahead, our knees spread, as the slaves we were, the palms of our hands down on our thighs. "Position!" he snapped. Instantly, reflexively, I went to position, kneeling back on my heels, back straight, head up hands palm down on thighs, looking forward, not meeting his eyes, knees spread. Two of the raiders then strode toward us, who were aligned, kneeling. We quickly straightened our bodies, and lowered our heads. Our hands, palm down, were on our thighs. It is a lovely position, and, of course, a common submission posture. "Knees even," said Aeson, "back on heels, back straight belly in, head up, hands, palms down, on thighs!" When he had taken the whip from me, I knelt, in position, back on heels, back straight, belly in, shoulders back, head up hands down, palms down, on my thighs, my knees spread, as befitted the sort of slave I had learned I was. "First obeisance position," I said, unpleasantly. Their backs were straight and the palms of their hands were down, on their thighs. Even kneeling so, so modestly, I found them fetching. "First obeisance position," I said. Instantly the slave assumed first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the floor, the palms of her hands on the floor, beside her lowered head. She was, after all, in the presence of a free woman. In the position of the pleasure slave the woman kneels as an obvious pleasure slave. There is no doubt as to what she is for. Masters may, of course, instruct their slave as to how to kneel before them. Most commonly she kneels back on her heels, her head up her back straight, and the palms of her hands down on her thighs. The palms of her hands, I noted, were not down on her thighs, as is usually prescribed, but the backs of her hands were on her thighs, and the palms were exposed to Pertinax, almost pleadingly. "Thank you, Master," said Cecily, freed from the chain. She went gratefully, unbidden, to first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the ground, palms of her hands beside her head. Momentarily, she seemed about to cover her body with her hands, perhaps a reflex dating back to the time of her freedom, but withdrew her hands instantly, and swiftly, unbidden, frightened, knelt in first obeisance position, head to the floor, the palms of her hands on the floor, on each side of her head. I knelt back on my heels, my head lifted. My back was straight. The palms of my hands were down, on my thighs. My knees were closely together. I went to the first obeisance position, kneeling, my head down to the furs, my hands, palms down, at the sides of my head. I tried to kneel better in "position." I was back on my heels, my hands, palms down, on my thighs, my back straight, my head up. My knees were closed. After a time there was a tapping on the kennel gate, and I rose to my knees, and put my head down, to the floor of the kennel, the palms of my hands beside my head, in first obeisance position. "Nadu," he snapped, and I assumed position, as well as I could, being back braceleted. I knelt back on my heels, my body tall, my back straight, my head up, my knees spread. I could not place the palms of my hands down on my thighs, for the restraints. He then, as I knelt, reached to a cloth to the side, of the sort that might serve diversely, as a bond, as a gag, as a blindfold, and dampened the cloth in the bit of water remaining in the bowl, and then, as I kept the palms of my hands down, on my thighs, in position, he gently dabbed my face dry and clean, removing the water and the residue of gruel. I realized, suddenly, that I had turned my hands on my thighs, so that the palms were no longer down on my thighs, but up, displaying the small expanse of the nerve-ready, sensitive, vulnerable tissue of the palms to the master. It is a slave's begging gesture. Quickly, reddening, shamed, I turned the palms of my hands down, again, quickly, on my thighs. I trusted he had not noticed this inadvertent self-betrayal of my needs. Keep your hands, palms down, on your thighs," he said. "Now," he said. "And now, back on your heels, place your hands, palms down, on your thighs. Get your back straight, get your head up." We both went to first obeisance position, kneeling, the palms of our hands down on the floor, beside our head, our heads to the floor. "Keep your palms down, on your thighs, not the backs of your hands," warned Drusus Andronicus. "Yes, Master," said Paula. "Forgive me, Master." Paula had turned her hands in such a way that the small, soft palms, so open, so sensitive, and tender, were exposed to her master. I did not know if this had occurred inadvertently, or intentionally. It is a begging gesture of an aroused slave. The blanket partly about me, I went to the first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the ground, the palms of my hands at the sides of my head. "Nadu, slave!" he snapped. I then knelt at the auctioneer's feet, facing the tiers. I knelt back on my heels, my back straight, my belly sucked in, my shoulders back, the palms of my hands down on my thighs, my head lifted. "Widen your knees more," he said. We all turned to face the voice, and knelt, back on our heels, our backs straight, our shoulders back, our heads lifted, the palms of our hands down, flat, on our thighs, our knees well spread. As soon as I had heard the curtains parted I had gone to first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the floor, the palms of my hands on the floor, on either side of my head. "Kneel up, slave," said a male voice. "Nadu, nadu." It had not been the voice of Addison Steele! I instantly went to nadu, kneeling up, back on my heels, my back straight, my head up, my knees spread, the palms of my hands down on my thighs. The commands of a master are to be obeyed immediately and unquestioningly. Hesitation or reluctance can be a cause for discipline. His back had been turned toward me. He was in converse with two others. When I, sent to his table, knelt to inquire his order, he had turned about. "Why did you start?" he asked. "Look up at me. Move your hair back, to the sides, slave." I did so, and then lowered my hands. He fastened his hand in my hair. I lifted my hands, without thinking, to my throat, my collar. "Hands down, palms on thighs," he said. I assumed first obeisance position, kneeling, head to the floor, the palms of my hands on the floor, on either side of my head. "Nadu," he snapped. Instantly I went to nadu, knees spread, widely, back straight, head up, hands palms down on thighs. "Such palms look well in nadu," said the subordinate, "when a naked slave dares to put the back of her hands on her widened thighs, mutely begging a master to be put to his use pleasure." "First obeisance position," I said. She put her head to the floor, the palms of her hands down, beside her head. Her hair fell forward, dropping to the sides of her neck. I saw her smaller hair at the back of her neck. First-obeisance position is more common, where the girl kneels, head down, with her hands, palms down, beside her head. "Nadu!" I snapped. Instantly she spread her knees, widely, knelt back on her heels, back straight, palms of her hands down on her thighs. "Get your head up," I said. Commonly in nadu, the head is lifted. In this way the least expression or movement of the eyes, lips, or face is visible to the Master. In this position the slave is well-displayed, both with respect to her beauty and her vulnerability. In this position the slave is in little doubt that she is a slave and what she, being a slave, is for. The nadu position is that of the Pleasure Slave. Tears of gratitude coursed down the cheeks of the slave. I noted that she had dared to turn her hands, putting the backs of her hands on her thighs, this exposing the beautiful open softness of her palms, the sensitivity of which tender, concave, living tissue is such that a mere touch can make her cry out in need. It, like the soft bondage knot in the hair, is a way in which the slave may appeal to be noticed, may beg for attention, may mutely make known to her Master the desperation of her need. "Palms down on your thighs," I said. She scrambled about, to face us, still in nadu, which position she had not been permitted to break. "Keep your hands, palms down, on your thighs," I said. When we appeared from about the corner of the inn and she glimpsed Aetius, she, trembling, went immediately to first obeisance position, kneeling, her head down between her extended arms, the palms of her hands on the ground. Her knees were placed closely together, the palms of her hands on her thighs. Who has not seen a woman so knows little of how beautiful a woman can be. "You know how to prepare a slave," she said. "Am I not now to be ordered to nadu?" That is the common position of the pleasure slave, kneeling, knees spread, back straight, the palms of the hands down on the thighs. One man, followed by two others, entered the tent. He conducted the collared, barefooted, tunicked Talena, bent over, held by the hair, her head at his left hip, into the tent and released her before Decius Albus. Instantly she fell to her knees, knees closely together, head down, palms of hands on her thighs. I sensed that Bakron had returned. I went to my knees. He was behind me. I knelt with my knees closely together. I did not dare go to nadu, the position of the Gorean pleasure slave, kneeling, knees spread, back on heels, back straight, palms of hands down on thighs. "First obeisance position," he said. I put my head to the grass, kneeling, the palms of my hands down on the grass, on each side of my head. Second obeisance position requires the slave to lie on her belly, prostrate. I, kneeling, but now with head up and palms of hands on my thighs, looked ahead. My knees were still closed. I hoped, one day, to be ordered to nadu. How vulnerable and exposed, how primed, how ready, is a woman kneeling so before a man, a Master. Instantly, from our knees, as we were in the presence of free men, we both went to first obeisance position, our heads to the deck, palms of our hands flat on the deck beside our heads. "Now, up on your knees, facing away from me," he said, "and put your head to the boards, and your hands, palms down, on either side of your head." Then he said, "First obeisance position!" I went to my knees, my head down between my hands, their palms pressed to the ground, on either side of my head. "Nadu," he snapped. Instantly automatically, without the least hesitation or thought, I went to nadu, as best I could with my bound ankles, back straight, head up, knees split, the palms of my hands down on my thighs. |       | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
