"Yes, Master," Amy said in a dry voice.
Lina thought she was joking at first, but as she waited for a smirk or glint in Amy's eye to give away her reply as sarcasm, she saw Amy silently attempting to unbuckle the clasp in back of the collar. "Hey, you don't have to be so pouty about it," Lina said. "I'm just saying you probably don't want to look like someone's pet."
"If that's what Master wishes," Amy droned. "But I can't seem to get this off on my own."
The cold in Amy's voice sent a shiver down Lina's spine. Amy was usually seeping with emotion, but now she was talking like a robot. "Okay, I'll help you out," she said, trying to shrug off her weird feeling. She stood behind Amy and pushed her hair back, but she couldn't manage to unhook the collar. It was as if the metal fastener had fused itself together. "It won't come off," she said.
"But Master wants it removed," Amy noted. "And I can't obey."
"Okay, seriously, stop that. You're freaking me out with that slave shtick."
"Does Master want me to stop talking?" Amy asked, still in an unwaveringly calm voice. "Or does Master want me to keep the collar on?"
Lina was becoming very flustered and scared about Amy's behavior. It definitely wasn't in her nature to take a fib this far. "Both," she blurted out. "Wait, you can still talk. But will you please tell me that you're not just fooling right now? Do you seriously think I'm your master?"
"Lina is my Master. I must not fool Master. It would be very wrong to fool Master."
Lina went pale. She knew something was wrong with that strange shop, and this proved it. She noticed words printed on the leash attached to Amy's collar and took it in her hands. In silver lettering, which she was pretty sure was not there before, was a phrase:
"One Commands, One Obeys. A Master and Slave Until Death or Worse."