[Auction House] Here We Go Again

[Shayna]

She was vaguely aware of his eyes on her, just the tickling between her shoulder blades that told her he was watching her. She simply wrote it off as him trying to learn her as well as he him

"Black Swan Pond was near where my Mistress' shop is located." Shayna explained, "I was never allowed to go with her, anywhere other then on the river back to h- Blacksugar." Her words were matter of fact, and she struggled to keep her tones neutral too, not wanting him to see it was a point of bitterness. "Ms. Katherine was afraid I would embarrass her. She never let me be seen with her around Dynasty if she could help it." Again there is that casual wording, but she let another small amount of husrt enter her next words. "I was far too ugly to be near her. She often grumbled that she missed out on so much for having chosen me as hers slave." Shayna didn't mention that she was not particularly a willing participant, but kept going until they came upon a clearing in the outdoors park, there just beyond the well careful lawn were a cluster of Dynasty/ Now as as good a time as any to educate him.

"Freeborn are a step below Dynasty. There have been Dynasties such as the loraks that ultimately came from slave but those circumstances are few. Freeborn defer to Dynasty as Mr. or Ms if you know their first name..a simple odded greeting is sufficient." She stopped to allow Momaru to catch up without trouble, though she thought he could do that anyway. "I am not sure what they do here but form relationships. Relationships are what keep the dynasty working the way they have done so all this time.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru listened to the girl's words and the way she spoke them. It didn't take keen observation to see that she was troubled. Being left out of the circle and made to stay outside from the fun would upset anyone. It reminded him of the queens of the nest, those where the 'heads of house' for each family that lived in the nest. Much like they were here, they were the ruling party and had adviser and helpers known as consorts who were around them mostly. For the rest of the Dhani, they normally weren't allowed near them.

"And what of you Shayna, do you think you're ugly?" He asked, taking another glance at her small but attractive figure. The outfit she wore now was much more revealing and flattering upon her body than the other things he saw her in. "Be honest girl, I'll like to hear your opinion." He wanted to hear her thoughts, so far in one hundred years he had met only one other female who didn't think herself pretty, and she was only half Dhani. It had been close to the same situation with her, though her half Dhani blood did play a part in the reason the monkeys found her ugly.

He followed along until they reached the clearing and saw the flat lawn beyond it. It was odd to see grass cared for like this, no one else he'd known had ever done this, or felt the need to. Just exactly how bored are these people? He was also learning about the plantations and what was grown where. Again, not something he was used to and he wondered if any of them were marked by the Goddess of nature. They moved on and when she stopped, he stepped around her and looked around at the Dynasty members chatting.

"Well then, if forming relationships is what this place is for, I should get to it. I doubt they will seek me out so it will be I that does the seeking. And who knows, maybe we will make a stop at your old mistress' shop while we're out."

[Shayna]

Shayna hums just a slight note beneath her breath as she thought of his question. She wasn't really thinking about if she found herself ugly or not, but simply tried to decide what he wanted her to think. He hadn't indicated either way, so it only took but a moment for Shayna to just be truthful. Later on, when she got to know her new owner better she would be able to best choose what he wanted to hear then she is able to now.


"It doesn't really matter how I view myself M'Lord. It is how you view me. I myself could state that I am the fairest slave in Kenash, but it does not raise my value." Her green eyes tilted upward, one black brow rose over one eye, and someone might misread the expression as impertinence though in reality Shayna was just curious as to how her answer was being received. "I know that I was a disappointment considering who my Sire and Dame were. However I don't truly think I am so atrociously ugly that no one could see value in my physical appearance."

She does give him a smile, before she returned her gaze toward the Dynasty cluster talking. They were too far away for her to hear properly though, "I also don't put as much stock in the physical appearance. Sure I am short, and I have freckles. But long legs and creamy skin is not the only thing that is of value."

She indicates the smaller Konti dynasty, the woman was of flawless pale skin with a silvery hair color that almost made it hard to look at her with Syna gleaming down. "I don't know who that one is, but she is Konti so it is likely she is apart of the Konrath Dynasty. They are the ones in power this season, so she would be the one you should introduce herself to."

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru listened to the girl's words and she answered close to what he expected to hear. Learning people and places wasn't hard to do if one was willing to leave their prejudice at the door and fully take in what was around them. "It does matter." he stated plainly and with no emotion in his voice. "If you think that you are unattractive, then that means that you think that I would purchase an ugly slave. That I wouldn't do."

He pointed and gestured with his hand as they moved along to all the buildings and homes around them. "I don't carry the wealth that you see here and I don't have coin to just throw away. I have to make smart choices and see to it that I am well served for the coin that I pay out." It was another thing to get used to and understand, the mind set of a slave. Many could say what they thought, what they perceived through stories and the like. But only those who'd had experienced the life could really say.

Standing by the lawn, Mamoru looked out at the others. He could see her points and how others would prefer the pale skinned woman with long legs to someone short like her. "In that case I suggest you put more stock in the physical appearance. Looks are very important to many people. Why, over the years I have learned that the right look can get you almost anything and anywhere." His voice slipped into silence and he paid attention to who she pointed out amongst the group.

The Konrath Dynasty were the ones in power, and the Magistrate of whom he was the new body guard for. It would be a good idea for him to get to know them all, although none of them would know that he worked for their Magistrate. To them, he was just a freeborn. Mamoru nodded and took a step closer to Shayna and placed a hand on her shoulder as he leaned down to speak to her.

"Remember this my pet, I need someone who can do what I tell them to do, and to the best of their ability. If you're worried that you aren't good enough, then you're only putting half as much effort behind the job, and I don't like excuses. Now.." he paused giving her a light pat on her rear. " Let's go out and make friends."

[Shayna]

Shayna tilted her head, and bit back a grimace as her neck shifted. It was going to be a long few days before the brand healed, but in retrospect she thought perhaps she was glad for the neck brand rather then her cheek. Especially in light of his words, which caused her dark lashes to widen. Both in surprise that he did not outright discount her flaws as making her less attractive, but also that he might consider the fact that she was aware that many people thought her to be less attractive as a failure.

A failure was not what Shayna viewed herself ever being, and having been returned once she was determined to not fail again. "Of course M'Lord. I will do better." She assured him, a touch eagerly and fought the urge to lower her head. If he wanted her to believe that she was not merely plain, but could be attractive then she would have to act like she believed such. Unfortunately Shayna had over time become accustomed to her perceived deficiencies and it would take her some time to grow used to ignoring these flaws.

Before she could really focus on that thought his hand came to rest on her shoulder, and he was leaning toward her to speak, once more the term he used in addressing her sent a curious satisfaction through her that she did not understand. Perhaps because a pet could sometimes be seen as a step up from a slave? She wasn't certain but it bore tucking the knowledge away so that she could pick it apart when she was alone and could afford to spare the thoughts.

His pat on her rear earned him a slight noise in her throat, a surprised sound that was aborted quickly enough to only be emitted for a split second. "You won't be disappointed M'Lord." She assured him, one hand smoothing the tunic style blouse over her hips so that her new clothing was straight. She was his slave, and as such she reflected upon him. While Ms. Katherine had thought she would negatively impact her social status, her new owner seemed to be confident enough that she would at very least not hurt his social status. "It would help M'Lord, if I knew a name to tell someone should they ask who my owner is." She murmurs this so that the Dynasty group that was growing closer might not hear her address him openly.

She tried to watch the stance of the women of the group, the way they carried themselves. She would have to mimic some, but not all, if she was to portray a slave that was confident in her appearance and standing. Yet she didn't want to convey the haughtiness of the high born. She settled for slowing her walk to a more sedate pace, her chin lifted just and she avoided fidgeting with the hem of her garments. Her eyes were carefully placed at a respectful distance between the ground and the faces of the group.

The Dynasty group stopped when they neared the two, it was a small group of women who looked over the male in a fashion that only a woman who was shopping for something could accomplish. There was the Konti, but the other two were human, all three were impeccably dressed and styled. The Konti turned, her blue eyes taking in first Mamoru's form, appreciating his height, though she missed the bulk that the Akalak of her family carried. The slave was dismissed after a glance, though she did linger for a tick on the fit of the breeches and the color.

"Good afternoon, " She greeted with a supremely relaxed tone, the other women gathered behind the Konti. They didn't deign to giggle, but for a moment Shayna imagined that they might. "I don't believe I have had a chance to meet you, are you new to our city?" The Konti spoke with the tones of someone used to being obeyed. He was obviously a freeborn of some means, to be able to afford to squire around a slave..a new slave by the marking of the brand, and dressing her in more custom attire. "I am Ath'lea Konrath, I trust you have found the city to your liking?" Her eyes flicked again to Shayna but didn't stay before she raised them once more to his odd green-yellow eyes.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru wasn't the most practical of beings, and in a way he probably wasn't the best suited to owning a slave. There were things, favors he would ask of Shayna that many would say were normal for a master to ask of their slave. But more so than not, his needs would be more provincial. Whether for the influence of Ionu, or the making of his own enigmatic mind, the trickster sought to change the world rather than enslave it. If he entered a gathering where everyone ate red apples, he would be the one to introduce a green one and offer it up as the more tasty of the two.

It was in his nature, his being to alter reality of the world and to change the perception that people had. Growing up as one of the grunts in the nest, Mamoru never had aspirations of being in charge of others, but he did seek change in his life. The journey to Kenash had been an eye opener, and now that he was getting a taste of what it was like to be in command, he was starting to like it. There was still a lot that he didn't understand, and with his love of violence, he would have to be careful with his and everyone else's slaves.

He didn't respond when she spoke the words, but Mamoru didn't expect that she would disappoint him. There was ambition in the girl's eyes, he could see it. When he first met her he hadn't been sure exactly what it was that seemed familiar about her eyes, but that was it. Eyes flaring with ambition and promise, something they both had in common. There was something she was after and he could wager that it was something to do with her status. When she asked he smiled, realizing that he hadn't yet given her his name.

He was used to keeping that quiet. He was a morpher for one and he preferred to work in the shadows and rarely took credit for anything. As long as it was done, he didn't really care who claimed the fame, especially when what he had done normally wasn't to many Dhani liking. "If they ask, tell them that your master is named Mamoru. Tell them, he is a man of modest means just looking for a good business venture." There was truth to his words, he didn't have a lot of coin, and as far as the business went..Kenash was now his business.

Mamoru stepped forward when the women came and he looked them over as they examined him. There was the pale lady, the Konti Shayna spoke of and two other women. The looks in their eyes weren't cruel and their demeanor wasn't hostel. This was his opportunity to try and work his way into the good graces of the family. His job with the Magistrate withstanding, he needed to make a name for himself as well. When the season changed Reno would be no more and another form would be assumed to keep the trust and secrets safe from family to family.

"Hello ladies." He said in a friendly tone and nodded towards them. "Call me Mamoru if you will." He smiled and now the games would begin. The trickster worked his djed to stir and awaken with in him. He pushed the focus of the magic into his hands, eyes, and mouth. He smiled pleasantly and looked to the Konti first. "Lady Konrath, you honor me with your presences." Using his magic again, he pushed the feelings of familiarity and lust into the woman's heart. She seemed like she might be interested in him and he saw fit to take advantage while he had her attention. "I am new to this wonderful city, and yes I am very much enjoying myself...even better by the moment."

The trickster pushed more this time, slipping the feeling of affection and lust into not only the Konti but the other two women as well. "How are you this day? Entertained I hope."

[Shayna]

Ath'lea eyes widen just slightly at his introduction, both her gills and her nostrils flared slightly as an unfamiliar sense of feelings swept into her mind. Her blue eyes remained locked on his, and for the moment she forgot that she had her friends -well acquaintances- with her, forgot that there was a short little slave tagging along after him. That was very unusual for Ath'lea, unusual enough that she blinked, broke contact with his eyes and stepped back.

The void was not vacant for long, the red head of the bunch stepped in smoothly, her ruby lips part into a smile. "I am Trina Lynnit, cousin to the Head." Trina was a conventional beauty, anyone who wanted to define beauty but Kenashern standards could look at her. Five foot seven inches tall, red hair that curled and coiffed gently down her back, smooth skin that barely needed but a smattering of makeup just to enhance her brown eyes. She knew this as well, and while freeborn were not normally her brand of male that she preferred there was something about him that made her tingle. Unlike the Konti, Trina was not cool or aloof, instead she ignored all sense of personal space to attempt to capture Mamoru's arm with hers against her body. "I know that you can't have been here long. I would have remembered you, tell me what are you doing here in Kenash?" Surely someone who piqued her interest so much had to be someone important.

Shayna watched this all quietly, mulling his name over in her mind but at the same time watching the reactions of the women. She used everything she had learned in her almost eighteen years of being a slave to watch and wait, not missing anything without seeming to be too nosy. It was interesting to note how quickly these aloof almost snobby women turn into simpering fools...well except the Konti. She looked bemused but she wasn't falling over herself like the red head. No Ath'lea was watching her master with a certain scrutiny that Shayna didn't like. Perhaps it was simply because scrutiny from a Dynasty tended to go badly for slaves, or maybe it was just picking up on a vibe but Shayna shifted beside Mamoru. The shift might have seemed like just a restless slave to the three Dynasty women, but in reality it was simply so that she could bump the arm that wasn't being preoccupied with the red head in warning.

"Mamoru you say your name is?" Ath'Lea speaks up, clearing her throat at the audacious behavior of Trina. Trina backed away but grinned beneath hooded lashes before she took her place behind Ath'Lea. The Konti was not the wife of the Head of Household but she held a large amount of sway within the house, it was best to stay on her good side. "I think my friend Trina is right to wonder, what exactly are you doing in Kenash?"

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru noticed the pale blonde women shake off his hypnosis and pull away. She would be one to watch. The woman had either been hypnotized before or had some sort of power of her own to reject it so easily. However, before he could think on the matter further, a very attractive woman with red hair latched on to him. This one seemed to be taken with his hypnotic powers and he imagined if he laid her right, she could be useful in the future.

"That's kind of you to say. I'm a traveler of sorts you could say. Looking for new land to discover." he added with a wiry grin. The woman was friendly to say the least and he could feel her heart beating through the arm that she held between her breasts. This one seemed hooked, but the pale blonde wasn't. She was fighting his magic and that only made him want to push harder. Mamoru was just about to try another technique when Shayna bumped him.

It was only for a tick when the soft, warm flesh on her hand brushed his. There was nothing obvious about it, but inside something told him she had done it on purpose. Perhaps these weren't the right women to try and hypnotize after all. He would ask his pet about it later, but for the time he would lay off just in case. Mamoru released the flow of djed and allowed it to settle back into his being. In the future..soon, he and the Konti would have a date, and if he got her alone maybe even the red head, but for now he wouldn't push.

The trickster didn't pull away from the women, he didn't want them to think that he suspected something, if something was afoot. Instead, he glanced back at Shayna to get her reaction on the women. Turning back around, he offered them all a bright smile and slowly pulled his arm free. "Yes, Mamoru is the name. As I said, I'm a traveler looking to put up roots where I might find friend and land alike. I thank you for the welcome to the city. It is a very find city. So full of wonders and beautiful women like yourselves."

He kept his eyes on them fully, but reached his fingers out towards Shayna. He used the same hand that she had just bumped, and if she would take it. It would be easier for her to warn him by squeezing his hand if she thought something was going wrong. He wanted to do this right, take the amount of time he needed and win them over. However if his life became threaten by a bunch of swamp brats who didn't know better, he would end them all.

[Shayna]

It took all the training of slave etiquette to keep from gawking at the red head. Training, but also watching the Konti who seemed a bit more then suspicious. Dynasty just didn't act this way to a freeborn, at least not a freeborn that hadn't made a reputation for himself. Oh Dynasty had trysts with freeborn and even married them, making freeborn Dynasty, but those were cases of political power brokering. Dynasty did not simply throw themselves at Freeborn on a whim.

When his fingers moved towards her she understood what he wanted, it made sense, without hesitation Shayna slipped her smaller hand into his. Her hands were hands used to working in the ground, they weren't the lily soft hands of someone pampered and spoiled, but they were clean, and well taken care of. She felt no self consciousness at the callouses that made her palms just a little rough, she was a slave and before him her owners kept her in the gardens.

She didn't speak, it would not be proper for a slave to enter a conversation between Dynasty or Freeborn without a direct invitation to. However she also fought the urge to shrink at the gaze of the Konti when she spotted the entwined hands of the two. Instead she forced herself to relax and lift her chin, still careful of her eyes though, as if she were used to standing in an elite park with her master holding his hand. The best way to keep wagging tongues from wagging was to make it seem as if it were perfectly acceptable. The only reason the Konti was likely questioning the move was because it might make Trina feel as if she were slighted by a slave, even though it was she herself that had disentangled herself.

Ath'lea smiles, adjusting the shawl that she had draped loosely in the crook of her elbows. "A traveler you say, I can't imagine the sights you might have seen. I, myself, am contemplating a trip to visit Mura. Being born in Kenash I have never seen the island that my grandmother came from." Her tones were still conversational, there was nothing in her words that spoke of anything but polite interaction. It was simply the way her eyes continued to slip back and forth between Mamoru and Shayna that made Shayna wary. She didn't squeeze his hand though, surely he knew that the Konti was sizing them up.

The red head seemed a little confused, but she was no longer simpering or smiling at Mamoru. She was no longer composed as she had tried to seem before her encounter with Shayna's owner but she was no longer fawning with her eyes. "Indeed.." She said almost as if she had forgotten what she was saying, "A traveled man like yourself must have interesting stories to share." Now her words were starting to return to normal, a slight hint of flirtatious but nothing that promised more.

Ath'lea rolled her eyes at the red head, shooting a thin look, the iridescent scales on her brow shimmering just slightly. "Forgive Trina, apparently she must have gotten into her fathers wine cabinet again perhaps?" Trina blushed as the reprimand, but she didn't have the courage retort back.

Then the Konti turned her gaze toward Shayna, her head tipping so that her silvery hair fell to the side. "A newly acquired slave, did you have to save up your Miza's to buy her, or was she one of the defective ones that were sold at a discount?" Her barbed remarks, that both implied that he were not wealthy enough to purchase a decent slave without much money management, but also that he was desperate enough to possibly buy a slave that was devalued. Dumbness, blindness. deafness and a myriad of other ailments that made a slave less then desirable. Of course she was simply testing his political prowess, would he try and put her in her place possibly upsetting the Konrath family, or would he let the slights on himself -and peripherally Shayna-slide?

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru continued to smile at the woman, and speak in a kind voice. He was probably over acting, but he hoped they would first see him as just odd rather than have suspicion that he was up to anything. It was better to be seen as less than more, less could be over looked and underestimated. But more? More gained for too much attention, especially for someone who wanted to remain somewhat unnoticed until the right time.

When Shayna took his hand, he smiled on the inside. It was so much easier to work with those that were smart. Being silent and observant wasn't a flaw and would serve one much better than being loud and assuming. Her small hand fit neatly into his and he could feel the warmth on his cool skin. Dhani body temperatures were a lot lower than humans even when they were in human form. Mamoru was attracted to Shayna's, to all their heat in a way that was primal as well as perhaps a bit lustful. They were from two different worlds, and even the most simple things were different.

To him, the girl's hand was soft and smooth enough, he was Dhani, a creature who's scales were hard enough to withstand arrows. It was a part of his make, and even the most beautiful of Dhani women, those with smooth scales, they were still hard. Mamoru knew beauty and he had seen constrictors that were as lovely in their Dhani form as their human form. However when it came to humans, he had a not too subtle curiosity with them. Shayna may not have been the most beautiful woman in the city, but he didn't care about that. The trickster hadn't stopped in the city to find a wife and when it came down to it, as pretty as they were, he was still prettier.

It was the way his mind worked and there was no stopping him. Mamoru was a proud and vain creature, and if anyone thought themselves looking better he would simply morph himself, or use illusions to look like them and fix the flaws in their features upon himself, so in the end..he really was the prettier one. But this wasn't about looks, it was about politics, and pride and not for a moment would he consider a human or Konti to be better than him.

Still, he would continue to play the part of the awe-struck traveler for as long as it was needed. Through it all, he remembered his little pet and wouldn't leave her out. Mamoru was a trickster and a showmen. It wasn't like him to leave anyone out while he worked his magic. Though he didn't speak to her, he did brush his hand against hers and slide his fingers between her much smaller ones. "I have indeed." he said with a smile to the suggestion of a traveler seeing the world. He knew better when it came to women to address them all so that none felt left out. Unless there was a noted hierarchy amongst the group then he would pay more attention to who ever was in the highest position.

In this case, it seemed to be the Konti, and while he wasn't yet sure why she was turned off by his charm, he wasn't done yet. He had laid the seed in their minds, and although the pale blonde hadn't been as pliable as the red head, she still had been touched. Hypnotism didn't work fast on everyone and sometimes it would take days or weeks to get a person to succumb to it. This woman could be such a case and luckily for her, Mamoru had the time to spare to make sure that she arrived. "Yes, I do have many stories to tell, but some of them are not for the ears of such fine ladies like yourself."

Mamoru started to work his djed again, this time instead of pushing, he only gave simple suggestions of a friendly nature to all three women. No lust or flashes of intimate encounters, just feelings of friendship. "Oh not at all. I hope you ladies will forgive me however, you seemed to be in the middle of something and I interrupted you. " He turned his glance towards Trina for a tick and offered her a smile. She seemed more at ease with him, and he looked to use that in the future.

When the Konti started in on Shayna, Mamoru didn't blink, but he did continue to play finger games with the girl while his hand was behind his hip. "Goodness no, I had no intentions of buying a slave when I came here. It just seemed like a good idea after I decided to stay for a while. This girl here was returned, but I hope to fine use in her."

Her barbed remarks were noted and dismissed, she hadn't said anything worse than what he'd heard from constrictor females and to show Shayna that he wasn't bothered, he twirled his fingers with hers and rubbed his palm against her own, as if to say he was already bored with them. "This is a nice park, does it hold a meaning I'm unfamiliar with?"