Public Punishment in Santa Dora

The town was quaint, the main downtown area was bustling with people, like the road into town the streets were made of cobblestone. The buildings were a mixture of old and new. The town was clearly a destination for tourists as there were many souvenir shops. It seemed as though only recently the downtown area had been renovated for the purpose of satisfying wealthy tourists. Different languages could be heard, mostly French and Spanish, but some German and some type of Scandinavian languages could be heard as well. In the middle of the town square, there was a beautiful fountain with two benches on either side of the fountain and four light posts circling the fountain.

"What a shit hole!" Ivy exclaimed.

"Be quiet, it's nice, I love it! You think every place, but Paris is a shit hole."

"Everyplace but Paris and maybe Vienna is a shit hole." Ivy expressed before brazenly and without warning walking through the doors of a fancy looking restaurant.

A man approached and spoke a strange dialect of Spanish.

"English, speak English!" Ivy rudely interjected.

The man bowed and shuffled off bringing back a young handsome Hispanic man.

"My name is Arturo, I will be your server." A new waiter said in a husky voice, English clearly wasn't his first language, but he spoke it well. He led the two ladies to a seat inside the dimly lit fancy restaurant. The low murmur of conversation filled the room, some of the men at the restaurant turned their heads to look at the two beautiful women.

Arturo gave the two ladies a menu bowed and said, "This restaurant we call "El Plato" meaning of course "The Dish" in your native tongue, it is a fine fusion of French and Spanish cuisine, much like the culture of Santa Dora." Arturo bowed and went to service some other customers.

"Check out that ass!" Ivy said licking her lips as Arturo walked away.

"Your horrible!" Blair interjected while looking at the menu.

Blair had noticed how attractive Arturo was as well. He was a Hispanic male with dark brooding feature he had nice full lips and piercing brown eyes. Blair practically wanted to kiss him the moment she saw him.

"I just wanted to suck his face the moment I saw him!" Ivy blurted out seemingly stealing Blair's thoughts and transposing them into words.

"The menu looks great!" Blair tried to change the subject.

"Did you see his ass!" Ivy was wasn't about to change the subject and was still smitten over Arturo.

Blair decided to chime in on the subject of the sexy waiter, "His accent, it's thick, but he speaks English well, maybe he has a contact in America, maybe New York or something." Blair suggested, realizing that Ivy's obsession with the sexy waiter wasn't going away.

"I am not interested in that, I want his ass. God, that accent, those lips. My mouth is watering!"

Blair rolled her eyes and tried to concentrate on the menu. Blair couldn't read the menu well as she never studied Spanish, she was able to make out a salad dish."

Arturo was back, "Ladies, are your orders ready?"

"Give me your finest most expensive wine, we want a bottle of it and can I have some Tacos." Ivy blurted out.

"Oh yes the wine, we will get you wine that is easy, but the Tacos, there are no Tacos in this restaurant."

"What do you recommend, then sir?." Ivy fluttered her eyelashes in an attempt to flirt.

"We have an excellent Padron Pepper dish," Arturo recommended.

"What is that?"

"It is this interesting pepper, you see most of them are not hot, actually they are somewhat sweet, but then sometimes you get a surprise, an explosion of spice. Very Hot!!!" Arturo smiled.

"I'll just have like salad I guess. Nothing spicy, I hate spicy foods!"

"I assure you the salad is not spicy," Arturo said smiling before turning to Blair, "And for you?"

"Ummm, I'll like have the salad too."

"Yes, of course, fine wine and some salads coming right up!" Arturo turned around to process the order when Blair interrupted him.

"You speak English. Did you spend time in America?"

"Oh yes, yes I did I went to Columbia University for two years to study architecture."

"Do you plan on going back? Blair asked inquisitively.

"Someday maybe, my mother needs me here now, she owns this restaurant. I was working and going to school in New York. It is a much different from life here, I am used to the easy life you know. This is more like old Europe than you would think by looking at these new buildings and fancy shops." Arturo said laughing nervously, before walking off to wait on some other dinners.

"That was interesting, he was a Columbia student."

"I don't give a single shit honey, let's drink some wine and talk about his body," Ivy said her eyes squinting lustfully.

The meal went well, Blair enjoyed her shrimp salad and both ladies enjoyed their wine. Both women were slightly buzzed when they left the restaurant. The meal was expensive and the restaurant did not take credit cards, the women used up most of their cash on the wine. Blair stumbled a little when she got up off the table. Ivy waved suggestively to Arturo, both Ivy and Blair giggled as Arturo sheepishly waved back.

When Ivy and Blair exited the restaurant they both covered their eyes, they had gotten used to the dimly lit restaurant and now the sun was shining in their faces.

"You know what I am thinking?" Ivy said squinting her eyes.

"Designer shades!" Blair was now on the same page as Ivy.

***

Ivy and Blair walked into a small souvenir shop. Ivy immediately made comments on how cheap and terrible the sunglasses were. Blair eventually found some intricately carved small wooden houses. It was amazing how precise the carvings were, the detail was astonishing. Blair had never seen anything like this. Blair wondered if Dirk would be interested in it, Dirk had been collecting souvenirs for the whole trip.

"I bet Dirk would like this," Blair mentioned.

"Awww, look at that little miniature house." Ivy held it up to her face.

"I wonder how much they cost, I don't think they take cards here, we just spent most of our cash at the restaurant," Blair whispered.

"Hey price, price!" Ivy yelled out to the clerk.

"200 American, 200 dollar American, very special!" the clerk yelled back in broken English.

"Fuck, I only have like 75!" Blair whispered to Ivy.

"200 dollars, for this piece of shit! That's outrageous, they can't charge that amount!"

"They are really nice. Look at the detail!"

"Not 200 dollar nice, let's teach these greedy bastards a lesson, let's take a couple of them." Ivy had a wicked grin on her face.

"What? I can't do that?" Blair shrugged to Ivy, there was about eight artisan miniature houses on the shelf.

"Listen, we won't get caught, we don't look like thieves, they'll never suspect us. They are like overcharging! It's not a crime to steal if they are overcharging, it's like capitalism." Ivy was serious about stealing the souvenir.

"I'll take one, but I am going to mail these people twice the amount I owe them when I get back to the states." Blair knew full well that she would probably forget about mailing the money when she returned. Shoplifting had been one thrilling thing Blair had taken to doing. She remembered her and Ivy stealing clothing from the mall when they were 15, Blair missed the adrenaline rush and the feeling of getting over on someone.

Blair took a deep breath and put the 200 dollar item in her bag, she buried it under her swimsuit and her other pair of clothing. Blair's face immediately turned red, her heart started racing she turned around and tried to naturally walk out of the store. She held her head high, a burst of adrenaline shot through her body. She hadn't felt this thrill in years. Ivy quickly swiped three of the artisan miniature houses and followed Blair. Blair decided to turn her head as she was walking out of the shop to make sure no one noticed Ivy and she stumbled, the items in her bag went flying out. To Blair, it seemed to be happening in slow motion, her life seemingly flashed before her eyes. She had never been caught shoplifting, it would be so humiliating, so shameful. Blair quickly crouched down and in a panic started to put her items back in her bag. Just at this moment Ivy walked out of the store and not noticing Blair who was crouched over tripped over Blair and dropped her bag. It was a scene, two obviously wealthy tourists were scrambling frantically to conceal what was obviously stolen contraband.

"What a fuck you clumsy bitch!" Ivy said, looking at Blair with utter contempt.

"This was YOUR IDEA!" Blair snarled under her breath.

When both women finally but their items back in their bags they stood up and were confronted by four very strong looking policemen, each one of them was stocky men with bushy mustaches and aviator glasses. Stern Spanish words emanated from their mouths. Blair and Ivy stood there frozen.

"No,, speak Spanish, no speako Spanish!" Ivy said in a panic, she tried to turn around and walk away, only to be held back by the strong arm of one of the policemen.

One of the policemen pointed to the bag Blair was holding and motioned for her to give it to him. Blair now shaking gave the man the bag and buried her head in her hands, clearly indicating her guilt. Ivy was less cooperative the policemen were forced to restrain her and forcefully take her bag.

"Unhand me! This instant, my father is worth more than this whole backward country! This is an illegal search and seizure, I demand JUSTICE!" Ivy screamed, Ivy kicked and struggled.

"I was going to pay!" Blair said in vain, her lips and body quivering. Blair looked at the officer like a lost puppy dog, this had always worked with her father when she was caught doing something she should not have been doing. The non-English speaking police didn't seem to notice or care.

"FUCK YOU, I AM AN AMERICAN, I WILL SUE YOUR ASSES!" Ivy cried out as the policemen easily held her at bay.

The shopkeeper came and spoke quickly and intensely with the police officers, hand gestures were flying every which way. The conversation ended with the policeman shaking his head and looking at the two captive thieves, there was a small hint of lust in the policeman's eye, this terrified Blair. Ivy was too busy protesting her detainment to notice any subtle body language from anyone. Before Blair knew it she was being led to the town square, Ivy was being dragged kicking and screaming. Blair's head was spinning. What was to happen to her?

***

Ivy and Blair were brought to the fountain in the town center. The fountain was old, it looked like it dated back to the baroque period. A maiden with a crown of flowers stood in the center of the fountain, cherubs surrounded her shooting water out of their appendages. Ornate indents and patterns were chiseled in the stone, water flowed freely through the fountain.

The policemen gestured for the two women to sit on a bench in front of the fountain. Ivy was slightly calmer now, hoping now to be arrested so she could call a lawyer to intimidate the local authorities. Ivy was still red in the face with indignant anger. Never once did it cross Ivy's mind that her crime was an offense worth any sort of consequence. Blair crossed her legs and held her face in her hands, covering it so that bystanders wouldn't see her. Blair was mortified that people would see her as a common thief. A small crowd of curious people had gathered around the policemen.

"This is bullshit! I can't wait to call my lawyer!" Ivy was breathing heavily.

"Be nice Ivy, maybe they will let us go," Blair whispered, hoping to get the humiliating ordeal over with.

"Be nice! They manhandled me!" Ivy was exaggerating, as the police had tried to be gentle with Ivy as she kicked and swung her fists at the officers.

There were four policemen standing in front of Ivy and Blair now. The police were looking through a booklet, and pointing at something in it. Two of the officers left in different directions, two of the officers stayed. One of the officers who stayed ran his hand through his hair and looked around nervously, the other one smiled quite creepily at the two women as they sat on the bench.

"What the fuck are you looking at!?" Ivy said looking directly at the creepy smiling officer. Ivy flipped him off with both hands. Ivy turned away when the stare still persisted through her protests.

"I wish I could call my dad," Blair mentioned.

"Oh I'm calling father as soon as possible, I'll own this country when I am done with them, our lawyers will sue their asses so hard, this is so against the constitution!" Ivy exclaimed unaware that the U.S. constitution did not extend into Europe.

One of the police officers returned with Arturo the waiter for the restaurant. The handsome waiter stood before Ivy and Blair. This was even more humiliating for the two women. The waiter both of them had recognized as being deliriously handsome was now seeing them as captive thieves.

"Hello, ladies I will be your interpreter, you must be scared. I have been told to tell you what is happening to assuage your fears. I am apparently one of the only people in this place that speaks the English language." Arturo spoke in his husky accented voice.

"Yes, we're terribly scared!" Blair blurted out.

"They should be scared of me!" Ivy said defiantly, crossing her arms in a huff.

"Okay well apparently according to these officers you two ladies stole some valuable goods, worth over $700 dollars? Is this correct?"

"I am terribly sorry!" Blair blurted out, red in the face, her long legs nervously quivering.

"I am not admitting to anything until I talk to a lawyer!" Ivy said with disdain in her voice.

"Okay, well there are no lawyers here, we have a very old legal system...well actually we had a very old legal system recently reinstated... it is actually somewhat shameful...to...me...to many people here, you must know many of us are against this. It nonetheless is our law and it looks like you are going to have a somewhat public punishment here." Arturo gulped and let out a sigh when he was done talking.

"What do you mean, public punishment?" Ivy stood up a stone cold serious look cast upon her face. The officers stepped towards her and she sat down again, intimidated by the stocky men.

"Well Ma'am, this is what we are working out, there are some rules in our book of the law, we are not so sure of. Like I said we have a very old law system that was recently reinstated and the police here are not comfortable administering your punishment. Our laws are quite frankly sexist, terrible old laws." Arturo wiped his brow, he was now perspiring.

"YOU TELL THOSE OFFICERS, I WILL NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST!" Ivy got up and stomped her foot on the cobblestone. Ivy's raising of her voice had caused the crowd of curious onlookers to grow. Sitting down again, Ivy regretted causing the crowd to grow. Blair now increasingly nervous started chewing on her nails, before she realized what she was doing and stopped. Tears welled up in both of the captive's eyes.

Arturo turned around and seemingly told the officers what Ivy told him to tell them. Ivy slammed her fists on the bench when the two officers started laughing. Ivy again folded her arms and pouted. Ivy hated the feeling of helplessness that was creeping over her.

Arturo took a deep breath "Okay ladies, listen I am here because the officers wanted me to tell you what the book of law says, the other officer went to get our chief of police who is also our mayor, she is our head of state in this small autonomous region. She knows some English, but you cannot protest with her, she will make your punishment worse! I implore you, do not cross this woman!" Arturo looked nervous.

"I'll protest all I want to that bitch, she might be the mayor or whatever, but she's not as important as me!" Ivy still being defiant said with her fists clenched.

"What is our punishment?" Blair said meekly, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Okay, it is even hard for me to say and I am afraid to tell you, but I must. You must.. forfeit your...your...clothing for your bodies to be displayed, here in the town center."

Ivy's eyes almost bulged out of her head, her mouth agape, for the first time in the day she was speechless.

Blair screamed into her hands and kicked her feet against the ground, she was completely overwhelmed by the prospect of being naked in public. Ivy was now clutching her sun-dress looking around, her face was growing redder by the second.

"No, no, no!" She muttered under her breath.

Arturo spoke deliberately and seriously to the ladies, making sure to make eye contact, "You ladies, you must not make this worse, I was brought to tell you the punishment and to tell you not to cross our leader, whose name is Fatiana, she is very strict, please I implore you, do what she says!"

Blair now shaking her head in disbelief, her eyes getting increasingly close to tears muttered, "I will do what she says... but she must know that there will be repercussions, our families are very powerful and they will not stand for Ivy and I to be humiliated." Blair was desperate, she did not want to hold up her status to get out of her predicament, but she felt that this situation required it.

Ivy's eyes narrowed with hatred "Where is this bitch?" she said her voice quivering with anger and fear.

"She is coming very soon, please ladies, do as you are told." Arturo looked nervous, he took out his waiter's napkin and wiped perspiration off of his forehead. Blair tried to hold Ivy's hand to find some comfort but, Ivy batted it away.

"This is your fucking fault, for tripping you clumsy slut!" Ivy looked at Blair with rage.

"It was your idea to take the fucking little house things to begin with," Blair said, both women let out a long sigh and looked away from each other. Both were angry at the other, neither of them was willing to take any responsibility.

Arturo was pacing around having an animated conversation with the guards when suddenly he stopped in his tracks and spun around to talk to Ivy and Blair again.

"Here she comes! Remember what I said, please!" Arturo sounded desperate.

The crowd was silent the local people stood up straight and saluted, each one of them seemed slightly scared of the woman making her way through the crowd. The crowd slowly parted in an almost choreographed fashion, then suddenly a tall woman, definitely over 6'0" tall in her early to mid-thirties appeared, she was dressed in an elaborate military outfit. She was beautiful and refined looking with wavy medium-length black hair, with deep-set eyes, and high cheekbones. The woman had a riding crop in her hand as well as a pistol on her hip in a holster attached to her belt. She stood in front of Ivy and Blair who were both intimidated and were looking away. Blair felt the woman's riding crop touch her cheek, pulling her head towards the piercing blue eyes of the woman. The woman did the same to Ivy, but Ivy resisted, refusing to look at the woman. The woman quickly hit the bench hard with her crop, jolting Ivy into looking at her gaze.

"I am Fatiana Delatorre, seven-star general, mayor, chief justice, chief of police and leader of Santa Dora. Address me formally as Alto Reina Delatorre." Fatiana's accent was strong, but her voice was commanding.

"I am here because, you two have unequivocally broken a law, the items you stole are a treasure to my people and they are worth a considerable amount of money, enough to qualify you for a shameful punishment."

"Have mercy, please! We are not aware of the customs of this land!" Blair blurted out clasping her hands together looking at Fatiana with sad eyes.

"I am sorry, but the law is the law, you must have known that stealing is forbidden." Fatiana smiled slightly and sadistically, then continued, "You two ladies will have to rid yourself of your articles of clothing. You may do it by choice, or you may choose to have your clothing ripped to shreds by some of my policemen."