Philosophy of Slaves (Maya)

[Sayana]

Fall 3, 517 AV

The ravosala gave a shudder as Sayana pushed off from one of the buildings. The waters were still rocky from the storm that had raged all of the previous day. But now, instead of no one being out on the canals, it was as if there were twice as packed. Mere ticks later, she whipped her pole around to deflect an oncoming ravosala so that the boats only glanced off each other instead of crashing head on. Fortunately her current passenger was a short lady, and ducked at the swinging pole, otherwise it might have fared much worse.

As Sayana pulled up against the docks of the marketplace, she got a measly tip as the woman stepped quickly out of the boat. As the Eypharian counted out the coins on the palm of her high hand, something else suddenly came to her attention. Her hands, her skin had returned to its usual chocolate brown. Within ticks, she had her pocket mirror out and she realized that the entire effects of her earlier morphing had worn off. Her hair, no longer blonde. Her complexion, no longer a pale rosy colour. But just as she was about to slip away to somewhere private, a voice spoke from surprisingly close by.

“Well met, young ravosala woman. You’ve been difficult to track down over the last while. Shall we take short ride?”

The last question was not up for debate as the man stepped into the boat. The moment Sayana saw his face, her breath caught in her throat. Of course. It was the stranger who had been asking about information on Elias Caldera the previous season. The events seemed so long ago that she had nearly forgotten his existence, and also her promise to Elias to return with details on this man. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled Elias’s casual use of so much reimancy and was reminded how very much she wanted him on her side, not the other way around.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr… uh…” Sayana spoke, trying to prompt a name out of him.

“Don’t think you’re so smart,” he replied with a laugh. “But often I go by Alfred.”

As she pushed off with her pole and sent the ravosala into the canal teeming with boats, Sayana surveyed the man with much closer scrutiny. He was older, maybe in his thirties or forties. No grey hairs yet, but his hair was black and cut short. His physique was slim. Not quite wiry, but certainly not a muscled warrior. His garb was pristine and expensive. He certainly cared about the way he looked. Part of her wanted to identify him as Black Sun, but at the same time, he could easily just be a wealthy merchant.

“So, what did you manage to find out about Elias Caldera?” He asked pointedly once they were out on the water. There was a sharpness to his voice, as though he were annoyed that she hadn’t come to him earlier.

“I… um… you do know that he is a wizard, right?” She feigned in a timid and hushed voice. “And, and, he’s got friends but also enemies…”

“When did you find this out?” He asked impatiently, even though she hadn’t really provided any information.

“On the first night…”

“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner??”

“I didn’t know where to find you!”

Their voices had risen significantly throughout the conversation and only now did they return to hushed tones. Yet she was sure she had ensnared him into her trap. She needed to know more about this ‘Alfred’ or so he called himself. At last he relented.

“You can find me on any tenth day, tenth, twentieth, thirtieth… at the Black Waters around noon. Now tell me what you found out.”

Gold. The information he provided was pure gold. Schedule, time, and place. She couldn’t have asked for better. Trying to keep the grin off her face, Sayana replied.

“Caldera is a wizard, for sure. At least one magic. The only one I knew for sure of was reimancy, but he might also have auristics. And, and, he’s not well liked. Do you know a guard named Duke? Well they don’t get along. They have some history… Rivals? An incident? I still have to find out more.”

He gave a nod at Sayana’s carefully selected information. She needed to give him enough so he would still be interested but she didn’t want to reveal too much about Elias if she was going to properly befriend him.

As they drew up against the side of a dock, he promptly got up from the ravosala and stepped out. Dismissively, he tossed a few coins into the boat, which she gathered up with vigor.

“When you find out more, I’ll expect you to come to me.”

OOCPardon the length, but I'm trying to slip in a side plot instead of doing it in a separate solo. Got one more post after this.

[Sayana]

Her heart was still beating quickly as she set off down the canal. She gave a hard thrust against a wooden pier as she sought out a quiet place to restore her morphing. It left her feeling naked and exposed. Who knew when someone would next label her as a target and not just another ravosala woman.

As she slipped into a nook provided by one of the bridges crossing the canal, she grasped at her djed and focused on the skin of her high arms. Rubbing her hands over her arms, she pushed and pulled at her being to gently change the colour of her skin. Her lows and mids still remained beneath her cloak but she brought out the mirror to apply the same lightening to her face, neck, and ears. Perhaps too late, she glanced above to see if anyone was watching from the bridge, but fortunately the passersby seemed uninterested in what was going on down on the canal below.

With similar urgency, she ran her fingers through her hair and felt her magic tingle all throughout her scalp. She focused on light sandy colours like straw or yarn. When she held up the mirror, her hair had transformed to an array of colours, but mostly it could pass for blonde except for a few dark undertones.

Once more she felt safe within the guise of Sophia, a young blonde woman with a pale face. Her cloak still kept her arms covered, while only using her highs to wield the ravosala pole. Her fine red and black dress was that of Sayana’s, yet it still presented the appearance of wealth fitting for an elegant ravosala ride.

Finally feeling more calm, as well as focused from the mental task of conducting the magic, Sayana poled her way out from beneath the bridge. She half wondered whether she could track down Alfred to his home, but by now it was surely too late. Time to get back to work.

Choosing a crowded platform to head towards, the Eypharian used the pole to thrust against pier, brick, and dock alike.

“Ravosala!” She called out in a light airy voice as she stood up from her seat. The red plush seats were inviting as she glided across the water and the deep charcoal wood was striking in its contrast against the water.

[Maya Lark]

Maya walked over to the slave and kicked him as hard as she could in the gut. With a groan, he dropped to his knees. Clinking sounded when the man tried to curl his arms against his abdomen to keep it from being hit again. Backing up the woman panted watching as the head of her father stepped forward and questioned the man about his loyalty. Crossing her arms the dark haired girl had her hair up in a ponytail with her hair off her neck. She watched as the man spit on her father's face. Growling the dark haired girl stepped back up as he waved her up going to sit once more. There were several other slavers there in case the girl got tired or hurt for whatever reason.

“Again Maya. Break him any way necessary,” the elder lark called out.

“Yes, sir,” Maya stated nodding.

It took several more hours before the slave finally began to submit. Smirking the girl stepped back with blood on her hands from punching him in the face. Stepping away, the woman cleaned up as her father began to recondition the man's mind. Returning to her place among the other slavers in training taking mental notes. Not only would the small group of family members learn to break the mind and body, but also how to retrain the creatures and humans from that point. Crossing her arms, she tried to not yawn while watching and learning. Soon enough the group was dismissed for the afternoon as he was dragged away. The woman followed her father as he slipped towards the back; the soft laughing and excited voices could be heard all over the room.

“I did well?” Maya asked looking up at him.

“Yes, your uncle will be very pleased to hear of your progress,” he stated while rubbing her head.

Pouting the woman fixed her hair before heading outside. Covering her eyes for a moment, she looked up to the sky with a soft smile. The girl needed to go to the church and pray to Rhysol again before continuing on with the next several days. A shout caught her ear making her slip through the crowd towards the canals. She turned spotting the blonde haired, fair skinned woman that was calling out offering rides in her ravosala. Whistling the girl waved her down and got in with little difficulty.

“To the Temple of the Black Sun,” Maya stated while getting settled.

[Sayana]

As the ravosala drew into the docks, Sayana caught sight of some movement within the bustling crowd, shortly followed by a whistle and a wave. She spotted the young brunette woman with the fashionable garb of a member of the upper class. After several prods against the wooden platform with her pole, Sayana managed to slide the boat in alongside dock. She was about to offer a polite hand to her passenger, but the brunette was already stepping into the boat with ease.

“The Temple of the Black Sun it is.” Sayana replied politely as she pushed off a wooden pier with a slight wobble to set them gliding along the canal.

For a couple ticks, Sayana was quiet as her eyes flitted over her passenger. Young woman, proud, self-confident. Her posture revealed those clues. Sayana had once more taken her position seated on a plush chair rather than standing like some of the more skilled ravosalamen. She wasn’t yet sure whether her passenger preferred talk or a quiet ride through the canals.

However, as they rounded a corner, the sharp crack of a whip sounded and Sayana immediately turned locate the source. It was soon clear that they hadn’t quite left the influence of the Lark family. High up on a platform, almost like a pedestal, there was a male slave tied to a post with his shirt removed. In its place, were a multitude of lash marks. As the whip struck again, his scream echoed across the canals, drawing attention to the public display. Sayana couldn’t help but slow the boat a little in fascination, yet there was also a grimace upon her face.

“Crude, isn’t it? There are better ways to train a slave than resorting to physical brutality.”

She let the comment hang, and instead built up a small surge of djed in her gaze. She focused on the image of the sun being blotted out with a dark void, a phenomenon she had witnessed less than a season ago. Still watching the pitiful form of the slave, she waited patiently until he turned his head and their eyes met for an instant. An instant was all she needed and the flash erupted in his mind. For a moment she was satisfied by the look of surprise and horror as she was certain he had witnessed a momentary image of the Black Sun upon the beautiful Syna above. What had she accomplished? It hardly mattered, since the slave had merely been her momentary plaything.

“When you can get into a slave’s mind, understand how they think, and make them believe that you are their true savior… That’s when you know who is the mistress and who is the slave.”

[Maya Lark]

The woman pulled out a journal kept in her bag. She often kept a record of what she had learned and what techniques seemed to work best when breaking a slave. Popping her neck as the woman of fair skin and wheat colored hair pushed from towards their intended destination. Tightening her back a slight pop could be heard as she relaxed into place once again. Maya did not care one way or the other if the driver wanted to speak during the trip.

Digging through her bag, the girl took out a pencil and began to write down what the man's apparent age and weight. She did not know the exact measurements so most of her calculations were based on her own weight and her father's age. Most appeared to be closer to the young woman's age if not directly between the two. As a member of the Lark family herself, the woman almost didn't pay attention to the sound of a slave being beaten. It was not until the driver said something about it being crude.

“To some perhaps, there are some that refuse to learn,” Maya said as a hard look appeared in her eyes for a moment.

Turning the woman caught the briefest glimpse of the exchange between the two. Though she was not sure what exactly was happening before her. They appeared to just be staring at each other as if seeing an old friend or enemy for the first time in ages. Narrowing her eyes some the woman tried not to laugh when the lady spoke of being a “savior” to the slave. There was no way the person would ever truly believe in a master. It was by a show of force, nothing else had ever been proven to the family.

“Savior? That is a laugh. The only thing they understand is who has the power and strength to back it up,” Maya stated leaning back into her seat. She made a note of what the woman had said planning to ask her mother what she thought. The young Lark knew her father would laugh in the woman's face if she asked for even a moment.

[Sayana]

“Ah, but it is not impossible, and the two are not mutually exclusive. One can be a savior yet also have the power and strength to back it up. Let me explain.”

It seemed to her that she had struck a chord of interest from the woman, even if it was a small one. Sayana, herself, was plenty interested in the topic and as the sound of the lash cracked through the air, a shiver shot down her spine. This time, however, it was unclear as to whether it was of disgust or pleasure.

“You see, a slave needs their master just as much as the master needs his slave. Hold on, hear me out. A slave is dependent on their master and needs to be cared for. Otherwise they wouldn’t have become a slave in the first place. If they could look after themselves, be civilized in society, and hold down a productive job then they wouldn’t need a master. Now I’m sure you’re thinking that some slaves think they can do all that, or that they did it in the past, but can you really trust the judgement of a slave?”

“We-- Well, maybe I overstepped. I own a slave. I’m not sure if you’ve ever owned a slave. But I’ve trained my slave well. She understands her place, knows how much she needs me, and she even saved my life once. It was an unfortunate situation, to be sure, but she did not slit the throat of my unconscious body.”

“But here I go talking about details of slavery and advanced training tips when I should really be getting you to the Temple. My apologies Miss. We will be on our way.”

Another scream echoed across the canals, as Sayana gave a hard shove with her pole. The boat wobbled with the uneven force but skimmed onwards across the water. As she neared the other side of the canal, she aimed the pole for the edge of a dock to start zig-zagging back across the channel. It took a few light taps to find a solid hold but then they were gliding once more.

[Maya Lark]

Maya looked at the woman as they sat still within the canal. The sound of the tortured slave still ringing out behind their conversation. As the woman with pale skin seemed to shiver in either pleasure or disgust, Maya wanted to understand where she was coming from. Looking on, she listened with intrigue as the girl explained her “philosophy” on the matter. It was true that the young Lark had no experience with owning a slave personally. What little interaction she had was from the family slaves at the house that already knew their place or the new slaves that needed to be broken.

“I see. I will be honest, I do not own a slave. I come from a family of slavers, the only ones I have experience with is our house slaves, which know their place, and the new ones brought in who must be........ taught their place,” Maya stated listening to the girl.

She was interested to see if there was a better way to deal with the people that did not include getting her hands dirty. And by that, the woman meant literally as there was still some blood under her nails from before the ride began. The dark haired woman had never been taught another way to deal with them so a different perspective certainly interested her. The girl turned to where she could see the driver as the pair traveled down the canals of the city. Hating to be called miss, the young Ravokian decided it would be best to give the driver some kind of name to call her. She was uncertain how to address the situation or what to call herself.

“Call me Aya. I hate the word miss. It makes me feel old,” Maya stated looking up at the girl.

[Sayana]

It seemed as though Sayana had acquired an attentive audience. The well-dressed lady appeared to take in much of what she was saying, almost at face value. Almost. Sayana still suspected that her passenger was skeptical of the alternate way of looking at slavery, yet the woman seemed more than willing to listen. As she explained that she was from a family of slavers, Sayana gave a slow nod of understanding. There lay the interest in slavery yet also the inability to defend the harsh treatments to slaves.

“Let’s just say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.” Sayana answered amicably. It was not her intention to cause strife with her passenger, hence not wishing to completely turn her world upside down. But to keep the door open to new ideas… well there was value to that for both sides.

As she started to make some real headway down the channel, the lady introduced herself as Aya. The Eypharian was surprised at the resemblance to her own name and began to reply, “My name is Say-- Sofia. You can call me Sofia.”

Inwardly she cursed her momentary slip-up, since she had near forgotten her pale features and cascading blonde hair. “Ravosala woman on the Ravokian canals. And perhaps a dreamer to one day truly enter the slave market. If anything, I could imagine entering the slave trade as a consultant, a trainer, to deal with troublesome slaves or do the first break-ins…”

Her tone was wistful as if she had actually given the concept some thought, rather than merely acting it out as a persona for ‘Sofia’. As they continued along the canal, Sayana steered them into a right turn as she pushed off the far buildings with her pole. The sounds of water lapping at the side of the boat could be heard in addition to the splashes as it changed direction. It wasn’t a long trip to the Temple, and soon they would be getting close.

“There is another thing that inexperienced slavers often forget.” Sayana added, keeping to the same topic. “It is the power of hope. All you need to do is channel a glimmer of hope, in just the way you want it, and you can have a slave aiming for a lofty goal to try earn their freedom. Or the freedom of their children. Most will never achieve it, but if they do? Well maybe by then they are old and senile and not worth it to be your slave anymore. Or maybe miraculously they achieved it while still in their early years, and then all you have to do is change the rules. After all, who is the mistress and who is the slave?”

As the Temple of the Black Sun loomed into view, Sayana decided to make one small enhancement to her casual conversation. Prepping herself in a moment of quiet, she gathered her djed and focused it on the tip of her tongue. It was always more challenging to speak one thing, yet hypnotize an entirely different idea into someone’s mind.

“It’s too bad there’s not time enough for a demonstration,” Sayana commented and gestured to the approaching Temple. But at the same time, she used the words and a brief moment of eye contact to transmit a sudden thought. ‘Sofia could pick me up once I’m done at the Temple.’

The idea would feel as though it came from Aya herself, spoken in her own voice within her own thoughts. It would be sudden yet related to Sayana’s last words.

As the boat glided up to the wooden platform in front of the temple, the Ravosala woman used her pole to bump up against the deck several times, turning the boat in the process and avoid crashing the dark wood against the dock.

WC: 636

[Maya Lark]

She instantly heard the stutter from what sounded like one name to another. Her eyes narrowed for a second before looking like she did before. The woman made a note of the name that the woman had chosen to give her. Turning back around looking where they were at, the young Lark wondered how close they were to the temple. The young woman who was driving had the pair going at a good solid pace. Popping her neck, Maya took out a notebook taking note of the girl's name and appearance before closing it so that the girl could not spy over her shoulder at it.

“I think it is strange when someone doesn't like to give their real name. Makes me feel like they are trying to hide something important,” Maya said quietly seeing some strange looking people trying on clothes in a store off to the side.

The dark haired woman was being as discreet as possible without just calling her out on the mistake. Yawning Maya stretched out her legs before her feeling her knees pop. The sound that followed was just as sickening and loud. She had grown used to the feeling of her bones popping in the mornings and becoming more often in the afternoons. Her mother had told her it was nothing to worry about so long as nothing was left with a lasting pain. The young Lark had accepted her mother's diagnosis without much after thought or concern.

A young child ran across one of the bridge just before they went under laughing. The young woman had thought of having children, but there was still so much that she wanted to do before hand. She had thought out becoming a mercenary or an assassin. Father planned on her becoming the next head of the slave markets, while her uncle wanted her to take over as an owner of a business.

NaNo Count319

[Sayana]

Sayana paused a moment as if to consider the woman’s words, while the boat remained where it was at the edge of the dock.

“I would tend to agree,” she replied simply without any further acknowledgement to her earlier stutter.

The Eypharian carefully set down the pole horizontally on the gunnels of the ravosala and adjusted her cloak before reaching out a high hand.

“Miss, your fare? It will be four gold mizas. We are here at the Temple. Now if you could kindly step out of the boat…” She spoke with formality and politeness. Her earlier casual chatter was gone and her eyes watched the young lady like a hawk.

For half a tick Sayana wondered if her morphing guise had started to fail her, but the slight tingle of djed upon her skin and face was enough to reassure her that the magic was still in effect.