Completed [Kenash Auction Hall] To Purchase a Slave

[Shayna]

20th of Fall 513 The sun now rides high in the sky, through a slight haze as rain threatens but does not quite fall. Rain is nothing new in a swampy area, particularly in the fall when the weather begins to turn colder. The air is not cold now, but a comfortable if not slightly humid warm that spoke of a lingering summer. Today was auction day so the auction hall was fairly active, a low buzz of excitement all morning was present amongst the slaves and workers at the auction house. For the most part the excitement was a nervous energy, as the slaves began to prepare for the normal prodding and poking of potential buyers and eventual bidding or haggling. There were an unfortunate few that had not accepted their lot in life, mostly those who were sold into slavery recently or had to sell themselves into slavery to cover debts. Brought up from the basement stalls, into one of the rooms with a few other slaves ready for auction, Shayna stood by the farthest wall. Her hair was combed, her fingers had twisted the heavy thick black length in a knot at her neck. Tying the knot securely was a strip of raw ribbon, roughly made and remaining undyed and was the only thing that adorned the slave girl. Her body was petite, standing at only five foot tall and equally as petite is her body weight, but her arms and legs, shown off by the thin straps of her plain shift and the short hemline, were well muscled and her feet and hands were calloused to show she was not a pampered or lazy slave. Shayna's face was unusually painted, though not for the thought of making her beautiful instead rouge was applied sparingly across her cheeks and brow to give her pale skin a pink healthy glow and a slight coral had been applied to her lips to further the healthy glow appearance. This of course was applied by the auction house and not by Shayna herself, to entice more interest in the small slave woman. It was a marketing ploy nothing more and nothing less. Smirking slightly, Shayna looks around at the few other slaves in the room with her. Most were slumped, shoulder's bowed comfortably talking very quietly amongst themselves while they waited for a interested buyer to walk into the room. Not Shayna, she stood as tall as her body could be not leaning against the wall for support. No one would walk in the room and catch her slouching, not if she could help it. It was no way to gain the eye of a powerful Master or Mistress then to appear less then attentive, and first impressions were so important, freeborn or slave.

[Katherine Morealis]

Katherine strode past the large white columns of the Auction Hall, rosy lips pressed into a firm line. It wasn’t the first time she had gone to see the slaves lined up for auction. She had come to the hall several times in the past with different people to watch the biddings. However, this this would be her first time buying a slave for herself. And she has a big problem to add to that, too. For a member of an affluent family, Katherine was running on a tight budget. She knew it would be easier to just ask her father for a high-quality slave, he would be sure to give in to her demands anytime. But she had promised herself she would not depend on being a Morealis anymore on financial matters such as this. She has to prove she’s capable of handling her money well to the older members of her family. A marshal had come up to her and, learning that she wanted to see the goods before the bidding starts, offered to escort her to the meeting rooms. Katherine acquiesced to this and was promptly led to where the slaves where held for the potential customer’s inspection. It won’t do to bid so much on a slave only to realize later on that they’re actually defective. No, it won’t do at all. Dismissing the guide, Katherine entered one of the rooms, expecting a set of well-groomed slaves, only to be welcomed by the sight of sorry excuses for a slave. Whenever Katherine landed her eyes on another slave it elicited a disapproving tut from her. Was the quality of the Auction Hall’s laborers always this bad? She cannot afford to splurge on a more expensive slave whom she only plans to work in her gardens, as well as hand the occasional drudge work she cannot give to Iora. The young Inarta is her life-sized play doll after all, she can’t afford to break her under heavy work. The cinnamon-haired lady frowned. Perhaps this day was not a good day for slave shopping. There’s always the 20th, and the 30th, and the next nth after that. She just hoped her garden will last under her fiery-haired servant’s lack of a green thumb. As she was leaving, Katherine caught sight of a woman that had missed her notice earlier. She crossed her slender arms in front of her. “Why are you standing by the wall, slave? Come here.” She commanded, her voice filled with the smug authority of a high born. When the slave had obliged, Katherine ran her ice cold eyes down the length of the woman’s diminutive body before settling on her face. The slave was too small for the Katherine’s liking, and her lips a bit too wide. There was not a hint of prettiness in the plain face, except perhaps the unusual color of her eyes. But Katherine was seeking a laborer, not a comely doe for display, and so she just shrugged the woman’s shortcomings off. “Show me your hands.” She stared at the calloused digits coolly. They had worked this one well, that they did. Her only concern was the slave’s size. It’s not that she had a lot of heavy work at the shop, but she do want to get her money’s worth. Katherine took a step back, taking in the little slave once more. It was then that she noticed the woman’s the way she held herself in front of the Morealis lady. Unlike the others so far, this one’s posture was erect, her countenance hinting at the strong persona behind the puny body. Katherine raised an eyebrow, one corner of her lips quirking up into a smirk. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad day for a good find, after all. OOCFeel free to proceed to the bidding if you're ready.

[Shayna]

After a little while Shayna's neck and lower back started to become stiff, as she never allowed herself to relax her posture. There were but few purchasers that came through, and none had caught her fancy. Because they had not caught her fancy, Shayna had slid backwards, never losing her posture but trying to make herself appear smaller. When it was males she would not look up, for her only intriguing feature was the odd coloration. Otherwise she was passed over, with little interest in her other then a passing view. For this Shayna was grateful. If her ploy did not work, and someone of those lesser freeborn had taken a fancy to her then she would have had no recourse but of course become their property. Shayna had almost resigned herself to being put in the line. This is where she did not want to be, for it would have been far more difficult to distinguish herself up on the dais, or to discourage interest either. Neither did she want to remain unsold, labeled as unwanted or worse reduced price, and taken back to the underground stalls. Shayna would cut her tongue out before she would allow anyone; Slave, Freeborn, or High born find her slight discomfort in the dark. Her weaknesses would stay hers, as long as she could hide them. Then came in a woman, of a rather interesting shade of red hair color, instantly catching Shayna's attention. Still standing by the wall, but this time not shrinking back but allowing her green eyes to follow the woman's walk. One can tell a lot about a person by the way they carried themselves, and this one walked as if she was commanding the entire room. A good sign that she might be a little higher on the social ladder then simply a freeborn citizen. Another came when her voice rang out through the room and Shayna couldn't quite contain the gentle upturn of her lips before she composed herself at once. The way she walked and talked, of course was no indication of ambition or power but they were all Shayna had to go on. Now came the tricky part, trying to read this woman to try and anticipate what she was really looking for. In Shayna's opinion there were three kinds of slave holders, the first were the ones that ignored slaves and expected the slaves to not bother them or speak. The second were those who wanted just a little fire to the personality, but not rebellious or disobedient. The third and final wanted to break the slave, wanted to feel as if they are wresting control so they enjoyed the slave that was disobedient at times so that they could exercise such control. The last tended to be the bullies and rarely got far in the political and social realms, not what Shayna hoped for. As she moved forward to stand in front of the woman, Shayna quickly accessed and gambled that this woman did not wish to have a quiet door mouse, she might be wrong but it was either one or the other. Coming to a stop, Shayna lifted her slightly pointed chin, raising those oddly colored eyes to not quite meet the gaze of the woman, but elongating her neck and defining her stance. She tensed her muscles, to show that she was not a weak slave, giving the lines in her arms and legs definition though not so toned as to be muscular. One brow quirks as the woman demands her hands raise, and she does so without hesitation. Her fingers spread wide so that no callous was hidden, but also demonstrating the length of her fingers and slenderness, good for delicate work. She remains silent, but there was nothing demure about the way her face was set, instead there was a hint of pride and confidence that was carefully cultivated by Shayna. If the slave girl felt that this woman wanted a mouse she would have cultivated a shy and humble appearance. Again it was calculation on Shayna's part, something about the woman's appearance, stance and tone of voice was far better then the few that came in earlier. As soon as the woman had called the slave over, the bored worker who was put in charge of the slaves in this room jumped and trotted over. His brown hair disheveled but a grin was on his face, his blue eyes sparkling at the thought of a sale. "Hi there Mistress! Come to buy a slave have you?" he asks eagerly, watching her expression as she peered over the slave. "Her name be Shayna, though of course if you not be liking that you can be changing it any time. She's been specifically breed, her Sire was a large healthy field hand and her Dame was one of the loveliest of breeders. Though me thinks she is the runt of the litter, don't let her size fool ya! She is strong one, and if ya be wanting something softer then she cleans up right nice too." As he speaks the worker deftly reaches over and snags the ribbon from Shayna's hair, freeing the curling but damaged hair from its bounds to fall to her waist, tangled but black as midnight. Just put a little paint on those freckles, and she might be even called cute. She has been taught a little bit of cleaning, a bit more to garden. She is one of the better ones at spotting things like bugs and pests on the plants. A real green thumb this one is....The question is, what would ya pay for this little filly?"[/indent/

[Katherine Morealis]

The young Morealis turned her head towards the worker, eyes lit up at the mention of the slave’s apparent ability in gardening. That’s the only important thing that had gone from his mouth. The rest are nonsense, most of them are probably tall tales anyway, added to spice up an interesting sales talk. How could someone so small and so plain come from high quality stock? However, she did not see any reason to voice the thought out. She came on a business, and she just want to get the business done with as soon as possible. “Where is Marshal Sitai? I would like to meet with him and discuss my purchase personally with your master.” Katherine quipped. After a few moments, the auctioneer was summoned before her and, his countenance all smiles and charms, beamed, “How do you fare today, Lady Katherine?” He reached out for the young Morealis’ hand, kissing the back of it with easy gracefulness. “You are as beautiful as they say. It makes me so delighted that you chose to grace this place with your presence. How can I be of service to you, milady?” Katherine smiled, extremely pleased with the compliment. “And you, Mister, are truly a charming smooth talker.” She drew her hand back and folded it in front of her skirt. “I would love to enjoy more of your company but I find myself a bit pressed for time. Please, let us skip to the matters of my purchase. I am interested in buying this one from you.” Katherine glanced at the plain-faced slave in order to make her point. “I will take her for 300 gold-rimmed coins.” Marshal Sitai rubbed his chin, appraising the slave a rich customer had chosen to buy from his stock. After a few short beats, he replied, “For 350 gold mizas, it’s a deal.” “I assume you would not go any lower than that?” She asked. “I’m afraid not, Lady Katherine. But you’ll find that all of my stocks here are of good-quality, and I am sure you will be satisfied by this young one’s services as well.” And she soon found herself believing him. ”Alright. I will hold you to that, Marshal. Katherine smiled a pleasant smile. They gradually wound up out of the meeting room as they discussed things further, with the brunette lady paying for her purchase in full. ”I expect to have the slave delivered to my shop before evening falls today.” “I will have that one prepared and delivered to you promptly. It was nice meeting you, Katherine. I hope to do business with you again, next time.” The Auctioneer said, to which Katherine chimed, “And to you, too. I will come to you when I need more of your services. Until then, good day.” She gave him a graceful curtsy and, with a guide, retraced her steps back, out past the large white columns of the Auction Hall and into the streets. There, she hailed a coach and headed to her next destination. Breaking in the new slave will have to wait until later in the day. There were more important matters at hand - afternoon tea parties. Receipt-350 GM for Human slave laborer, female.

[Shayna]

Shayna watches as the lazy brown haired man-boy ineptly tried to speak up of her qualities, her eyes narrow just a little at the runt comment but she does not speak out. She still does not drop her chin, nor does she attempt to make direct eye contact with either of the two though it does cause a little sound in her throat when the purchaser sends the little inept salesman away. She wasn't even trained in the arts of salesmanship and knew that he had flubbed it up pretty good, it was almost an insult really. She did eye the ribbon that the man had slipped from her hair, and let out just a little sigh as he drops it onto the ground. Her fingers interlock comfortably in front of her, relaxing the stance not enough to let the posture go, but so that her small muscles were not bunched. Her ears perked as the pricing haggle began, and was a bit perturbed at the low price that was settled on. Shayna felt that she was worth far more then the mean amount of three hundred and fifty gold Miza's, though she acknowledges she hasn't had the time to prove that. By this time next year she was confident that her new Mistress would be well pleased at the bargain she got in purchasing her newest slave at such a low price. It was only after the lady had paid the price that Shayna let her lips part in an ever so gentle smile, not particularly toward her Mistress, but undeniably a smile. The next few days would be rough, Shayna knew, the largest hurdle to get past was the branding. The thought of that sent a shiver through her but she straightened her spine, and pushed that from her mind. She would not focus on that, instead she would need to learn about her Mistress, to learn her habits, to ingratiate herself within her Mistress' life and family. For this 'relationship' to profit Shayna at all she would need to be much more then just a simple laborer, and she had big plans. Big plans. But for now she will have to start small. Without a glance toward the Marshall, Shayna allowed another of the worker to lead her away in preparation for her delivery, to her Mistress' place of business...to her new life.

[Poppy]

...because you've EARNED it!

Shayna :

+2 Observation
+1 Planning

Attempting to Pick the Right Buyer
Being Purchased

Katherine :

+1 Observation
+1 Negotiation

Inspecting Slaves
Purchasing a Slave

-350GM
+1 Human slave, Shayna

Notes :

Short and to the point.

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