Dealings in the night (Part 2)

[Shayna]

When he asked her if it mattered her first reaction was to think she had finally found that line that every slave and their master hand, the line that a slave must never cross. However he didn't stop there and asked her why she wanted to know. "No M'Lord it doesn't really matter. I suppose it does scare me a little more yes." She answered just as truthfully, her eyes sliding away from his face finding her fingernails very interesting suddenly. "However, it is better to know I think then to just wonder and perhaps make things bigger then they are.." Though she honestly couldn't imagine anything worse then to be a snake-man's lunch.

If she knew that he thought she looked even a little bit appetizing she might have fainted. Considering he wolfed down badly cooked potatoes with ease, how much faster could he eat something that he enjoyed? Then again perhaps he really did enjoy burned, half raw potatoes. She waited to speak again until they were leaving his cottage, Shayna slowly regaining the color she had lost at his confirmation of eating people.

"What do you mean that it is not my life any more M'Lord?" She asked, referring to his comment about her not really thinking about what her type would be. "My life is easier I admit, and I enjoy being yours particularly after my former owner.. " As was her habit she was completely honest, working her thoughts and feelings out in her mind before she let them escape her lips. "But in the end I am still a slave, though more useful then I had ever hoped to be."

[Kalesserimamoru]

The walk to the auction hall wasn't long, the cottage was situated on the west bank along with the building they needed to visit which made the trek faster. Mamoru was in no hurry, even now he thought over scenarios, and possibilities that might occur should they find the girl, and if they couldn't. It would be rough to learn information beyond what he had planned, but he hoped that with new information learned, new opportunities would also arise. He was confident that he could solve the mystery with a little time and effort. It had been an interesting morning so far, and he and his pet had learned something new about the other.

She learned that he had consumed human flesh before, and he learned that she could make a mean potato crisp. Shayna had also admitted to being more afraid of him, which wasn't a bad thing. Mamoru had never intended to rule her by fear, but having that added effect would make sure that she didn't disobey him. For as much praise and petting that he gave her to show his appreciation for her being a good slave, there was nothing like fear to make a slave bolt up and act right. Of course he hadn't needed to punish the girl yet, but they were still so new together, and nothing was for certain.

"Still a slave hmm?" he said to her after she told him of her thoughts on her life. "Well I always thought of you more as a pet really, But I see your point. " He glanced at the girl as they walked, making sure to watched where he stepped so that he didn't get his white clothing dirty. "So you would say...your title defines who you are? If I'm correct, you were a gardener? But that is no longer your job, so what does that make you now? A gardener who doesn't take care of a garden? Hmm..something about that doesn't sound right, now does it?" They continued on, chatting and made their way to the auction house.

Mamoru was a bit surprised when he arrived and the place wasn't as busy as it normally was. There weren't any slaves on display as there had been before when he purchased Shayna. He stood for a moment waiting, looking for someone of note that could answer a few questions for him. That's when he noticed Peosa Radacke step out of one of the back rooms and he looked like he was about to leave, but Mamoru moved in to intercept him. "Hello again. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Peosa was a little surprised to see the freeborn back so soon, and when his gaze wandered to Shayna he frowned. "Oh, don't tell me you're bringing her back? I'll never be able to see her again." Disdain was written all over his face and it was plan to see how he felt about the teen slave. "No at all." Mamoru spoke up. "This one has done well, and she is worth every coin. For that reason I'm looking for another around her age. Perhaps with blue eyes, or maybe red hair?" He tossed in the red hair to cover his game. Red hair was as uncommon as blonde hair in most parts of the world, as far as he knew. "Does your selection run by age groups perhaps?"

[Shayna]

Shayna had learned that for the most part he didn't mind her questions, and often indulged her curiosity. It wasn't until she had heard her words out loud that they sounded almost ungrateful for what he had given her. That was not at all what she had wanted to convey, but his words didn't sound as if he took it in that fashion. They also drew her up short, first a smile at his admission as to thinking of her more as a pet then a slave. Of course it would depend on how one viewed pets, but for Shayna it seemed a step above slave. The rest of his words gave her pause for a moment.

"My title is what you say it is M'Lord. To my former owner, she kept me as a gardener because that is the skill I had excelled in my training. So I was a garden slave. I.. am no longer a gardener because as your slave I do not garden." She tried to correlate what he was saying to her point that beneath the fringe benefits she enjoyed by being his pet beneath it all she had no choice when it came down to it. "However the title slave is far different. It is not something that you change from owner to owner. My point was, even if I decided I had a type what would I do with it M'Lord?" She stopped there, feeling that she was bordering on impertinence.

As the Auction house came into view, Shayna became more the slave he had first bought. She quietened down, slowed her steps just slightly so that she was not walking directly beside him, though she didn't move behind him proper either. She really did not like this place, and had hoped she had seen the last of it the last time. It did cross her mind that it might not have been a very good idea to be quite so free with her chatter when they were on their way here. What happened if he found a slave that appealed to him more while doing this job?

At Peosa's words, Shayna simply closed her eyes for a tick or two longer then really a blink usually lasted. That was the only outward sign that she showed any reaction to the mild insult. She had heard worse. Her hands clasp in front of her and she focused her eyes on the ground however her ears were open.

Peosa Radacke scratched his head a little, he hadn't pegged this freeborn to have had the money to buy one slave let alone two. However the last time he had underestimated him he had proved him wrong so he wasn't going to do so again. "Uh. We have two red heads..but neither have blue eyes. They also are new slaves, not trained yet."

[Kalesserimamoru]

"Ah yes, you were the perfect garden slave for your mistress and she kept you outside where you could do your best work. But now that is over, and I am interested to see what skills you excel in from my training."There was a gleam in his eyes, as if he was already picturing a skill that he wanted to see if she could excel in. "My point is, young Shayna, things change in this world and even a slave can prosper." He appeared thoughtful for a moment, but he didn't make eye contact with her. "You will find that I can be generous at times, and if you serve me well, the rewards will be worth the trouble." He let the lecture end there and allowed her to think over what he said and how it could apply to her and her type.

Mamoru noticed her change in demeanor once they reached the auction house, it was hard not too. She was a lot more comfortable at the cottage and open with her affections. Even on the walk from their home, she spoke with him easily but now, she had gone mute. The girl knew her place, to her credit, something Mamoru always had a hard time doing. Peosa Radacke mentioned the new slaves, but he didn't seem to say much about them. Curious, for someone in the business of selling slaves..The Dhani would have thought he'd attempt to do so. "I see and are these girls around the age of this one?"

Peosa Radacke hadn't said one way or the other, and Mamoru wanted to be sure that he was getting the right information from the man. "Yes, around her age...a little older. We don't have any others here that fit that description better." He had already assumed that the girl wouldn't be up for auction. If she had been there for years, she was likely already sold, the question was to whom? "That is sad to hear, you wouldn't have any slaves of your own that fit that description that you'd like to get rid of, hmm?"

"No, no I don't but I'm starting to think I need to bring in more of this kind. Just last season another freeborn purchased a slave of the same type, and now you want two. I'll have to look into that." Peosa pondered on it at once, thinking of the best way that he could get the most out of the deal. Mamoru was more concerned with the fellow that had purchased a slave of the same type recently. From what Berk had told him, his daughter had been there for years so it wasn't impossible.."Excuse me, would you happen to remember who this fellow was?"

Radacke arched a brow, angry that he had been interrupted in his thought process. "No, some freeborn, last I heard he was staying in the traveler's apartments, but you're wasting your time. He was so happy to get this girl...He won't sell her to you. Now, unless you're going to buy I have things to take care of." Mamoru nodded and turned to leave the building. It appeared that Peosa didn't have the girl, or at least she wasn't for sell. If that was the case, she would be more guarded and it would be harder to get to her.

Unless she was already gone. That brought him to think of the other freeborn who had bought a slave of the same type, could it really be her? "Come Shayna, it seems we have need to pay a visit to the traveler's apartments."

[Shayna]

Shayna listened to the conversation, but she did mull over her master's words. She knew that slaves for powerful masters prospered, but that generally meant they ate better, slept better and had status amongst the slaves themselves. His giving her this idea to mull over almost made her terrified, someone who was raised with no choices in anything right down to what clothing they would wear. The idea of having to choose something, completely unrelated to what her master's wishes would be was unsettling.

A year ago? That time frame piqued her interest. Many things can happen in a year, plus staying at the travelers inn for a year was costly. Why would someone buy a slave and stay a full year in Travelers Inn? Shayna thought it would be very unlikely that he is still there. She turned toward the door as her master commanded, waiting until they were very clear of the auction house before she spoke again.

"It is unlikely that the freeborn that bought a slave that might resemble someone that your looking for is still at the Travelers Inn, M'Lord." Shayna offered, her voice still subdued so that anyone passing would hear a respectful slave speaking to her master. "Last season the Magistrate made living in temporary shelters within the city like tents legal. If he didn't have the coin to rent a permanent dwelling, and is still within Kenash he might have sought a cheaper venue such as that. The travelers inn caters to the merchants that come and go, but charge enough so that they don't..just stay."

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru exited the building and paused for a moment to look around. He was still learning his way and there were many places that he didn't know about. He had an idea, a memory of seeing the places that were closer to carts and merchant stalls. The Dhani moved in that direction first, deciding that he would take the chance, and turned back around if he was going to the wrong way. Shayna spoke up, and he glanced at her shortly before bringing his eyes back on the road ahead.

"I think you are confused my dear. A season ago isn't a long time. This season, the season of winter has only just begun. Our friend at the auction didn't give us a time line to go on either so it's still possible that the man could be there. I find it hard to believe that any freeborn with enough coin to afford a slave would be living his life inside a tent. However, if he has moved on, let us hope that someone there remembers him and knows where he went."

The trickster moved swiftly now, realizing that time was working against them and the day was moving forward. It would have been a good idea to get up earlier, but with Shayna laying on top of him, he didn't want to move. Still, with lively movements and good luck, they should be just fine. Once they reached the Traveler's Inn, Mamoru looked around slowly. He noticed a man just leaving the building and stepped up to speak with him. "Good day, Have you seen a girl around here, dark hair, blue eyes..? Does the name Selena, ring any bells?"

He figured he was safer to ask such things from travelers, they weren't likely to be from Kenash and they certainly weren't of the Dynasty." I have a message for her, it's important." he added with a smile. The man he spoke to was on the shorter end, balding hair at the top of his head and a growing belly at his waist. He only blinked at the trickster, having no clue who he was talking about. "Nah, never heard of her. Excuse me." It really was too much to expect so soon, but there was always a sliver lining. As Mamoru questioned him, he noticed a slave, an older woman who seemed to be cleaning carts, suddenly stop and glance back when she heard the girl's name.

The woman quickly ducked her head back down to continue her work but she had been spotted."Shayna?" He called while pulling the girl closer. and leaning down to speak in a soft tone. "There is a woman across from us cleaning a cart. Do you see her? I think she may know something about the girl we are searching for. Go and ask, will you?"

[Shayna]

Shayna blinks and realized her mistake immediately. In being caught up thinking over his words before the auction, she mistook the Radacke man as having said that the girl was sold last year rather then last season. A year would be expensive to live in the Inn, but a season was easily manageable for anyone with a little income. "Oh, forgive me M'Lord." She says quietly, she doesn't mumble or sound abashed, simply asking for forgiveness for her lack of attention.

She keeps her eyes ahead of her, though she is aware of him as always, trying to anticipate his movements. She paid little attention to people they passed, enough to store their faces or other glaring notings in her mind but nothing else. As he picks up speed, so does she though her much shorter legs had to take more steps for his one she didn't mind. The further they got from the east bank the more relaxed she became, the more like the slave he knew in his cottage. On the west bank where the travelers inn was located things were, more relaxed, the people here less fussy about propriety. While she never lost sight of what would be appropriate or not, she became less conscious of how things appeared to others.

So when he pulled her close, her body curved against his easily enough her hands raised to lay against him while he spoke. Green eyes turned to see the slave he spoke of, and though her lips curled slightly she nodded and tipped her chin up at him. "Of course M'Lord, I will be back shortly." Shayna slipped away from him with a little reluctance but she went. Her clothing was of a little better quality of the other slave, having been dressed in homespun dress that was clean and tidy but was not as tailored. She watched Shayna warily, typical of all slaves she had noted that Shayna was a slave, and that she had entered with the man asking after Selena.

So before Shayna could even open her mouth the older woman hissed at her quietly, "You go right back to your master and you tell him I ain't seen nothing, that I ain't did nothing, and that I ain't heard nothing." Shayna was not perplexed at the woman's tones, she understood the fears. Being a slave, it is much easier to be disposed of if they displeased someone. She looked back toward Mamoru then returned her gaze to the older woman.

"I understand. The thing is, my Master, he is a hard man. I can go back to him and tell him you wouldn't even talk to me. He will likely punish me, but he will most certainly come and just ask you the questions himself. He will probably be in a bad mood when he does." Her words are bland, Shayna did not really believe that he would punish her if the woman refused to talk. He might if she didn't even try to get her to talk though. But worse, he might just be disappointed that she hadn't obeyed him.

The woman looked from the short slave to the taller man, eying him trying to size him up. Shayna recognized what she was doing, and bit her lip before she raised a hand to pull her tunic off one shoulder, displaying the criss cross marks that the whip had left on her upper back. Of course her master was not responsible for them but the older woman didn't know. Once she was certain the older woman had gotten a good look she raised her shirt back into place. "All he wants to know is if there is a slave named Selena here. That is really all he want's to know."

The older woman narrowly eyed the scars, before she grabbed Shayna's arm and half dragged her back a few steps, even further away from ears that could over hear. "I didn't tell you this. I didn't! If you or your master tries to say I did I will call you both liars, namely you. The man that will be displeased will make those scars you sport look like beauty marks when he is done. She is named Teena now. That is what he calls her, but it took her a while to remember that name. New slave."

Shayna nodded, it was not too unusual for a master to rename their slave if they did not like the name that they came with. She should have realized that her name might be different so she could tell her master. "Is she still here?" The cleaning woman looked around and whispered, "Yes but he is very odd with her. He wont let her leave the room, and insists that only the same person cleans the room no one else. That's all I got to say." Resolutely the woman marches off, not looking behind her once.

Shayna shrugged and turned to return to her master's side. She looked around, waiting until she could speak privately to him so that none over heard. "She was scared of whoever has the slave. But there is a slave who used to be named Selena, goes by Teena now." Shayna relates what the woman had told her, leaving out how she got the other slave to talk.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru watched as Shayna walked away, then turned back to the man who was now going through a chest he had placed in the center of the cart. He lightly tapped the man on his shoulder and offered him a goofy smile when he turned around. The trickster was a ham of an actor, but at times it was this off-putting nature that got him what he needed from others. "I don't mean to be a pain, but how is the lodging here? I may be staying in this city for the rest of the season, til the cold front washes away, and I'd like to spend that time in comfort."

The short man looked Mamoru over with an arched brow." What did you say you did for work again?" he asked very curiously given the questions that he had been asked. "A courier sir." Mamoru answered quickly. It was the best excuse he could come up with for needing to get the girl a message. "Well.." the man started while scratching his head. "I'm not sure this is the best place for a courier. It's pricey, but suit yourself. It's a nice enough place, clean room and comfy bed. I'll tell you this, if you do stay, keep away from the guy in 4B. Strange fellow, barely leaves his room, and he never has company or speaks much with anyone else. But, if you go near his room..well, I've heard he lashes out."

Mamoru was very interested in what he was hearing. It had nothing to do with his search, but it was an interesting story just the same. "Just take my advice, and stay away from that guy and you'll be fine. There's all kinds of rumors about him, but I'm not sure how long he's been here. Just got in this season myself." The man gave Mamoru a pat on the shoulder and shuffled passed him to continue on his way. By this time Shayna had returned, and the trickster was glad to see that she had gotten the information. "That's interesting, so it's safe to say that she is still in the city."

Then a thought hit him, and he wondered if there was a connection between the two stories. He didn't have enough information to go on, he was simply trying to peace together a puzzle inside his mind. "Did she say anything else? It's not a lot to go on, but at least we do know the girl is still in this city..but where?" Mamoru fell silent for a moment, yellow-green eyes wandering to the merchant who was leaving the area. "I just had an interesting conversation with that man there. He tells me there is a man staying here who likes to stay boarded up in his room and doesn't speak friendly with the rest of the people staying here. I wonder what that is about?"

Mamoru stared at the building, his pupils almost dilated as he thought over this new puzzle. "I wonder..what is he hiding in there. Though I suppose it doesn't matter."

[Shayna]

Shayna raised a hand to push her hair back off her shoulder, tucking a thick strand behind her ear as she looked over her shoulder toward the traveler's inn. "I do not know M'Lord, she did not tell me. She was.. reluctant to tell me what she did." Returning her gaze to him, when he related the story the merchant had told him.

They were similar, and to Shayna it seemed obvious that the strange man in the merchant's tale was the same in the slave's. This meant the job was done, or at least the teen slave hoped so. Something about this didn't feel quite right. There was a sense of danger that she couldn't shake. The look on her master's face only increased the sense.

"M'Lord. This has to be the same man, he has the daughter for unknown reasons but it is likely that this is she." The dark haired girl raised a hand to lay on her master's arm, "Please, let us go tell this Mister Berk his information. Let him deal with it. You said all you needed to do was to find out where his daughter was."

The slave who didn't want to tell another slave even the name of a tenant's slave was a warning flag to Shayna. In a city where slavery was the backbone of its economy there was no shame in keeping a slave. So why was he hiding her? If from Berk why not leave the city? She was his slave, he could do what he wanted but he hid her from view. Something didn't add up.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru thought over the situation, and even though he knew that he needed to get back to work, but for some reason he felt that he needed to take a look inside the travelers room. Shayna's words confirmed his choice and the trickster looked at her in mild surprise. "Is that what the slave told you? This tenant has a slave girl?" It was an interesting note to learn. The merchant hadn't mentioned a girl, only that there was a guy living there who wasn't to be taken lightly. This information from the slave told him that a tenant there had the girl slave Selena, but was it the same guy? "This is very interesting...very."

He could hear Shayna's pleas, wanting to be done with the job as soon as possible, but he couldn't stop now. The trickster wasn't an expert spy, but even he knew that he couldn't leave so many loose ends. With the information that he had, he could only say that someone had Berk's daughter, but he couldn't say who. Even for him, it wasn't a good enough answer, he needed to find out who..for himself if nothing else. Mamoru had to know for sure..

"Come along Shayna, let us go in and see this girl for ourselves. We have to make sure she is still here and I want to see this man for myself. If he's half as dangerous as these people think he is, I'd like to meet him." The trickster smiled and headed inside the building with a renewed zest for the job. He entered, making sure that his pet was close by and moved further in. The place looked a lot like the other buildings on the inside. Wooden structures and plush carpets. There was a desk not too far from where they stood and a woman stood behind it. In front of her were two others, a man and a woman, who were having a conversation with her about something that seemed serious.

Mamoru could see that it might take a while, and he didn't want to wait. He also wasn't too thrilled about them seeing his face, in connection with whatever they were about to do. His trickster ways kicked in, and Mamoru put his gnosis to use. He used the power of illusion to paint over himself and over Shayna to change their appearance. He hadn't studied the merchant outside for long, or the slave that Shayna had spoken with, but their faces were held in his memory enough to make the change. Of course close inspection would show a very telling difference and anyone who knew them would be able to see that they weren't the same people.

But for this he didn't need the exact and he was working on limited time. Mamoru only needed to get himself and his pet passed the desk and towards the tenant's rooms. One arm reached out, wrapping around Shayna's hip and he leaned down to speak with her again. "Do exactly as I say, just follow me. Don't look around, or make eye contact with anyone. Just walk.." He removed his arm then and started around the bend, making no eye contact with the people at the desk, and behaving as if he belonged there. Once they were clear, and found the rooms in front of them, they needed to find the right one.

He looked around for a moment, his eyes locking on a cleaning cart situated by the far wall. He wouldn't have looked so hard but the glint of light from the lanterns touched something on the cart that caught his attention. A closer look would prove that it was a key. He was suddenly reminded of Zinrah and how all the cages in the torture room used one key, a skeleton key. For a place like the one they were in that had slaves to clean, they had to have some way to get into the rooms. Multiple keys seemed like extra work. In truth it was only a chance that he was right.."Shayna? Do you see that? The key on the cleaning cart? Would you think that key led to each room here? If so why don't you wander over there and get it for me..It would make getting into the room much easier."