Completed Not One of Them

[Ayviss]

16th of Fall, 514 AV

Ayviss finished tying her sandals, and waited for Hollard to open the door. After the trouble with the Dhani, her owner had been going on errands for his job alone. Ayviss wasn't really sure of what that meant, nor was she sure about what he was trying to accomplish by taking her with him. It was probably a test, as Hollard seemed to do very little more than to try and test her for every little thing he considered important, but she didn't actually mind. If the woman could prove herself to him, she would be one step closer to winning his trust.

"You look anxious, lass." the shadow under the living room table said to her, and Ayviss resisted the urge to scorn at it. That shadow - that she still hadn't learned the name of - wasn't hostile, but was far from helpful. All it did was state the obvious, and while it didn't hurt, it wasn't enlightening to hear.

"That's because I'm troubled." Ayviss whispered, and the shadow stayed quiet. The woman raised an eyebrow, wondering what that was all about. Malak, the shadow that wouldn't stop talking on her bedroom, said to her that it would do her good to befriend shadows. She wasn't sure about it. Malak was the one that she would consider her closest... shadow friend, and yet, it didn't tell her anything that she wanted to know. "Hollard is taking me to the Slave Market." she offered.

The shadow made a sound Ayviss thought it was a soft 'hmm', but she hadn't heard clearly. She sighed, and stayed quiet. Perhaps befriend the shadow would prove beneficial to her - and to the shadow, if Malak's babbling was to be believed - but it was hard to do so when she had no skills for it, and the shadow in question was being troublesome. Well, Ayviss liked a challenge, anyway.

"Let's go." Hollard's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she nodded, following her owner outside. She heard the shadow demand, before she was to far away to listen.

"Bring me something new."

Now, Ayviss scowled to herself, knowing Hollard wouldn't see her. The two shadows that had actually talked to her liked to demand things giving nothing back. And she had to obey if she wanted anything slightly useful from them. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her head. It was best to focus on her owner now. Her fingers touched the handle of her dagger, concealed by her clothes, assuring herself the weapon was there if she needed it.

[Ayviss]

They walked in silence. She expected it, and took the time to try to guess where they were going. Ayviss didn't know the city well - most of her life she had spent inside Hollard's house, cleaning, cooking, not getting any better at it and trying to escape. The realization hit her, and she took a deep breath. She had been planning how to escape too much, and not given almost any thought about what she would do once she actually escaped. She didn't know anything about a free life. She didn't have any idea how to go on about a job, and didn't even know the city well enough for surviving in it. Ayviss bit her lip, suddenly uneasy and uncertain. She wasn't ready to escape. She had her actual escape planned, but that was it. She need more, she needed knowledge, she needed more time.

A shadow under a bush snickered at her, and the sound made her focus once again on the present. Ayviss took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her eyes were fixed on Hollard's back, her steps following him almost automatically, but her mind was blank, as she tried to relax. After a while, her breath was normal again, and now she was only angry at herself for such weakness. This was exactly why so many slaves didn't escape. They were afraid. They feared freedom too much to try. But she couldn't afford this kind of fear. She couldn't afford any fear if she actually wanted to escape. And she needed to be free.

Later, later she could plan it through in her head. When they got back, when she finished whatever work Hollard needed her to do, she would plan a way. She would think about what she needed to survive after the escape. Ayviss knew she could do it. After so many years of holding herself back from just killing Hollard, she had to survive after her revenge. Otherwise, it would have been all for nothing.

Her attention was once again turned to her master and their surrounds, and she frowned when she noticed they were now on the middle of many stands, people talking loudly, negotiating, while many others (mainly humans) waited, hands and feet tied with iron handcuffs. Hollard had taken her to the Slave Market.

For a moment, she wondered if he had taken her there to sell her. She surely hope not. If it happened, she would just come back someday and take her revenge, but it wouldn't be as satisfying as what she was already planning. However, there wasn't really something Ayviss could do at the moment, so she just followed, trying not to think of herself in the place of the slaves that were being sold there, bruises and cuts all over their bodies, and smelling like they hadn't showered in months. Which was probably the truth.

[Ayviss]

When Hollard stopped, Ayviss looked at the small tend that had once been white, but now was dirtied with mud, blood, and things Ayviss preferred not to guess what they were. The man standing in front of it was a little overweight, greasy brown hair and eyes that shone with a very cruel pleasure. He greeted Hollard with a smile that wouldn't be comforting even if it wasn't missing most of the teeth, and he raised his dirty hand. Hollard, however, didn't smile and didn't shake it.

"Have you come to sell me this beauty, sir?" the slaver asked, sending Ayviss a greedy look. The half blood snarled at him, disgusted.

"No. Have you acquired the product I asked for?" Ayviss had to fight against the relieved sigh that almost escaped her lips. Instead, she kept looking straight, pretending she wasn't even there.

"Yes, yes, sir!" the man exclaimed, and pulled a chain, bringing a small woman forward. Her blue eyes were pretty, but dull and lifeless. Her hair, blond with very defined curls, was cleaner than anything else in the tent, and it was very clear what type of slave the girl would become.

Hollard took the chain from the slaver's hand, and shoved it on Ayviss'. The woman felt the heavy chain on her fingers, sensing all the responsibility, all the power she had over the other woman. True, they were both slaves, but she was the one holding the chains, and she was the one that wasn't a mere product, that still had wish to live and strength to search for freedom. Ayviss almost smiled, the knowledge she was better than this woman and the rush of power she felt over the other were very satisfying to her. Suddenly, she understood why Hollard worked as a slaver of sorts. Power was almost just as great as knowledge.

When Hollard began to walk again, Ayviss followed, her hand closed firmly around the chain, pulling the woman with them. People like that, that had no will, no strength in them, weren't more than simple tools to be used. She couldn't respect someone who was that weak. Ayviss had suffered too, and she hadn't given up.

"Help..." the woman whispered to her, her voice desperate. Ayviss ignored her, pressing her lips together, the plead just confirming what she had been thinking.

[Ayviss]

They reached the street near the Market, and Ayviss looked at the houses, taking in everything. They were, like many other places in Sunberth, old, decadent, and she could almost smell the darkness in the place. Well, she couldn't, but she could hear the sound the shadows made. And the laugh was kind of frightening, a snickers that seemed like the shadows were in there for some kind of entertainment they could not find somewhere else. This was a little distressing, and Ayviss tightened her grip on the chain.

"Pitying the woman?" Hollard said, misinterpreting her uneasiness.

"No."

"Hm. Funny how twisted that is." he said, walking towards her now. When he was close, he grabbed her chin, and made her look up, directly into his eyes. "You, her. In the same position. Exactly the same. Both completely and utterly helpless. Slaves, objects, nothing more."

"I'm not like her." Ayviss growled, and Hollard raised an eyebrow.

"Really? And why is that?"

It was a test, Ayviss was sure. She licked her lip, thinking. A wrong answer now would put everything to lose. She looked straight into Hollard's eyes, and smiled. The truth - or at least a part of it - was the right answer. She kept staring at him when she answered.

"She is weak." she said, simply, as if stating the obvious. "I may be a slave, but I'm not weak. I'm not afraid." of you, she didn't add, but Hollard knew by the look in her eyes exactly what she meant. And she knew he knew, by the way his eyes darkened for a second, before he released her and took a small step back.

"Maybe you are just the partner I need in this business." he stated, while turning around and heading straight to the door of one of the houses.

Ayviss followed, pulling the chain, thinking. That statement could mean thousands of things. It could mean that Hollard was thinking about allowing her a little more freedom, so she could help him with his business. It could mean he was thinking on setting her free, so she could be his partner. Not right then, she was sure, but maybe, just maybe, she was starting to win his trust.

As Ayviss waited with her owner on the doorstep, she thanked Akajia for the strength for keeping the secrets she was keeping, and thanked herself for being able to display the reaction she had when Dia died. Otherwise, she doubted Hollard would trust her even if just a little.

[Ayviss]

The door finally opened, and a huge man appeared, his muscles and face covered in scars.

"Who is this?" the man asked, his head pointing to Ayviss.

"A pupil."

Ayviss frowned, but remained silent when the man opened the door wide, allowing them to enter. Hollard went first, and Ayviss followed him, pulling hard on the chain to make the woman slave move. She was terrified, wimping now even more than before, tears running down her face. It was disgusting, more than anything, and Ayviss tried to control the urge to kick the woman.

"She is pretty."

"You asked me for it." Hollard answered, sitting in the couch and accepting the drink the bigger man offered him. "Wasn't even troublesome to get. The client could just have gone there himself."

"He had his reasons." the other shrugged, and began to talk about the next assignment.

It wasn't informative, really. Just someone who wanted a more exotic slave, and Ayviss found that the shadows' talk was more interesting to hear. They moved, touching the woman, despite the fact that she wasn't aware of it, and they talked to each other, laughing cruelly.

"Such a beauty, isn't she?"

"There isn't one like this everyday."

"She won't be this pretty for much longer, however."

"Oh, no, she won't." the shadow laughed. "The knife will make sure of it."

"And you brought her here. You sealed her fate." a shadow whispered at Ayviss, but the woman ignored it. There was no way she could answer while Hollard was still in the room, but it wasn't like she cared. The fate of the woman could only be decided by her. Ayviss brought her there, true, but that was all. If the woman was strong enough, she could do anything she wanted. Otherwise... well, it certainly wasn't her problem.

"Another Dhani?" Hollard growled, and Ayviss began to pay attention at the talk again.

"It's big money. They are popular right now. Take the job if you want to. I have others who would accept."

"Fine." Hollard raised, yanked the chain from Ayviss' hand and threw it on the ground. The woman looked up, and tried to run towards the door. It was as simply as take the chain and pull hard for Ayviss to stop the woman, as she felt into the ground, gasping for air. Hollard only raised an eyebrow again, before turning to the door himself. "Let's go."

"You should come by again." one of the shadows whispered. "Bring us something to entertain ourselves."

[Ayviss]

They walked back, in silence, for a while, before Hollard finally talked, still walking.

"In this business, there are prerequisites. There can be no pity." he said, and Ayviss watched him, carefully. "There can be no hesitation, no compassion, only determination and the knowledge you are better than them, that they are nothing more than objects. You fit all these."

The woman wondered if the failed attempt at escaping had been a test. Hollard couldn't possible know for sure if the slave would try to escape or not. Well, if it hadn't been planned, he certainly didn't waste the chance to test her, anyway.

"When you train them to do what you want them to do, is not very different of training a horse, only you can show no compassion, otherwise they will try and take advantage of you." Ayviss disagreed, but remained silent. To her, a little compassion could make the slave trust a little, making it easier to train her or him. "Know them like you would know an enemy. Learn what they are thinking, what they desire, so you can anticipate their actions..."

Ayviss smiled to herself, as Hollard kept talking about the work. He hadn't followed his own advice very well, had he? She was certain her owner didn't know what she was thinking or planning, and this was where her biggest advantage laid. It was a good advice, but one Hollard had managed poorly. Her smile broadened. Better for her.

The rest of the path, they walked, side by side, Ayviss analyzing and listening, Hollard talking about how to win trust, how to bend the slaves to do the owner's will, how to negotiate with slavers, how to find the best fit for what the client wanted...

When they entered Hollard's house, Ayviss could see the shadow under the living table move, greeting her.

"What's new, lass?"

Ayviss didn't answered. She waited, as Hollard finished his small lecture and left the living room, locking himself inside his office. For a moment longer, Ayviss thought, about what she had been taught, about the power she had felt when she had hold the chain in her hands, hold someone's life. It was pure control, pure knowledge, and intellectual game where secrets were being kept and those who could not uncover the secrets of the other lost.

"Listen." she whispered to the shadow, sitting near the table and beginning to talk. Shadows would certainly be useful to her, later.

[Shakune]

 

Ayviss

SKILLS
Planning, 1
Observation, 2
Subterfuge, 1
Intelligence, 2

LORES
Shadows can be demanding
The difficulty of befriending shadows
The need to conquer one's fear
Hollard: fuelled by power
The power of holding a slave's chain
I am not a weak slave
Hollard: doesn't take his own advice

I really enjoyed this! I like Ayviss' mindset and determination, and tried to reward as many lores as I could to represent this.

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