Racists, sexists, slavers, swindlers. Eypharians saw themselves as a beautiful and superior race, but that didn't stop them from acting perfect amongst those that were foreign. In fact, quite inversely, they would often treat foreigners with disrespect. It wasn't rare to see young Benshiran girls dressed up and bid upon at the slave market. Rak'kena had often been there just to watch at those delicate small specimens shivering in their indignation and fear. Oh, how he wanted a slave, several slaves. Anyone of rank and class had slaves. Servants to massage the kinks out of your neck, woman who had no permission to guard their cunt if you so demanded it, young men doing physical labor for no pay except food in their mouths and fancy collars to mark their ownership. Rak'kena had a strange disgusting hunger for such a dominant control over someone like that, someone who owed you everything they had, and were. To take advantage of someone weak and relying on you, it was erotic. But here he was, a single man working towards an impossible cause. He knew if he was going to advance, he would need contacts, people he could trust, people he could take advantage of that would be too frightened to double cross him, too attached to abandon him, or too hungry to not do what he wanted. He knew he was a rare breed amongst humanoids, but amongst Eypharians he was a bit, not much, but a bit more common.
Rak'kena turned his head as he heard voices. Arunemic, Eypharians were talking about a slave, a prospect. It was hushed, but as he just stepped past them he caught just a brief phrase of their message. They were planning on abducting somebody. Rak'kena hesitated for a moment. Here in Ahnatep, it would be frowned upon to capture and sell a brother or sister Eypharian, not to mention dangerous. Many were associated with the Houses of Four Winds, to take one of their own could be a death sentence without mercy or trial. But, a foreigner, such as a fresh, young, lost, and fragile looking Benshira, that was a different story, but it was this story. Rak'kena followed the gazed of these two Eypharian men, and sure enough they were setting their sights on a brand new target. Kamari was that target. Rak'kena wasted no time in changing his direction, following the two men, who were now swimming through the crowd towards this newcomer, ready to grab her and jump into an alleyway. Rak'kena honestly couldn't care less if that happened, except that he could in fact come out of this with something of his own.
The two Eypharians grabbed the woman just as she was walking past an alleyway, and just as he saw it happening in his mind, they ducked inside. Luckily for for the woman, perhaps, Rak'kena had his sword at his hip. He followed after them, sword drawn and ready to spill blood for the sake of progressing his own desires. "Chupra! That's mine you sand drinking lizard. The Benshiran girl is property of me. Begone unless you want to die here." The two Eypharian men, thinking they were either unseen in their devious action or ignored entirely, were shocked to see this, one of their own kind was standing in their way. They were, however, unarmed, and seeing as Rak'kena very much had a blade on him, gave him the upper hand.
"Come." It was Shiber, crude and heavily accented, but it was about all he knew. A few important words here and there, surely she was intelligent enough to realize that she was being rescued though. However, even the wisest of people couldn't claim to know his true intention. He had lied, claiming her as his slave to the other Eypharians, but he had intentions of making her owe him. The two men, not wanting to get poked needlessly, continued to back down the alleyway until they moved around the corner and vanished. Rak'kena sighed, almost wishing they had tried something. "This place is dangerous for your kind little woman. You should stick with me if you plan on living as a free person for long. Come, we aren't staying here." Rak'ena sheathed the gladius sword at his side and took a hold of Kamari's arm and led her back into the moving crowds, who weren't even ashamed to stare at Kamari as if she carried the plague. To even the peasants of the Eypharians, a Benshira was worth about as much as dirt. |