Open A Search for a Buyer

[Aron De Soto]

First of Summer, 513 "Can we please go outside now?" Aron frowned as he leaned in closer to the ivory throat in front of his delicate nose, dark blue eyes narrowing. He gently clamped a replacement holder around a rather prettily cut amethyst resting against the throat of his newest pet. He brushed away the silver flakes he'd made from the boy's skin, then on second thought made a small glittering trail down one shoulder. He adjusted the gilt collar around the slave's neck, his eyes noticing the beginnings of stubble on the boy's throat. He would have to be sold soon. "I taught you to be polite, refined, and well-mannered Beron. Please act like it." Aron muttered, taking another strip of silver and securing the amethyst. There, now it wouldn't fall out again. "I've been cramped up in this stupid boat for a week now! You promised you'd let me out." Beron pouted, making an aggrivated noise when Aron poked him to keep still. "And if you continue to act like a petulant child I won't let you out." Aron told him, adjusting the collar so it lay just so, then sitting back to view his work. Beron had been ready for about a month now, and Aron had been putting out feelers into the very limited market he suffered here in Zeltiva. Six months ago Beron had been a street urchin, and now he was a beautiful fifteen year old boy with groomed hair and knowledge of how to act like a perfect gentleman. Unfortunately he rarely used it unless Aron gave him a nasty look. Beron was supposed to be a scribe and pleasure pet; the boy had a beautiful copperplate hand that Aron had spent weeks fostering. Aron took off his jewelers' glasses and looked at Beron. Five foot ten, not fully grown, dark hair, dark eyes, pouty bedroom lips. He stood the way Aron had taught him, straight, chin ever so slightly up to show off the collar at his throat. "I might have a buyer for you." Aron mentioned, setting his tools aside. "A glass merchant from Wind Reach. He's offered one fifty for you." "Seems a little low doesn't it?" Beron asked. "I thought you told me two hundred." "Two hundred I wanted, two hundred is not what I'll be getting. I sent him that sample of your writing, he was pleased and wants you to work in his household. I made him promise me you'd be treated like a gem." Aron said, running his hand over his trimmed beard. "Only a scribe? But I thought you were selling me to-" "As a pleasure pet, but only because that's what so many of these merchants want. Something pretty to drape over their arms at market and satisfy them on long journeys. This glass blower seems to be immune to your charms." Aron said, rising and cleaning his hands free of metal flakes in a small bowl of water. "If that's not what you want, I can always hold out for a better offer, but there's a beggar near the University I've had my eyes on. Pretty blonde boy, sharp. I saw him pickpocket a professor's assistant." Beron smirked at that and dropped his structured stance, leaning against the dark wood side of the ship. "Already on your next project?" he chuckled. "How much did training me cost?" "Eighty. Selling you for one fifty will make that back and give me twenty to live off of and fifty to get this new one set up. That is, if he doesn't starve to death first. I would have rathered seventy to live off of and fifty to train him, but such is life." Aron sighed and stood up, fetching the small bronze key that locked the hatch down to the lower levels where he had Beron sat in his tiny workshop. He walked out into the living area and began climbing a ladder, kneeling on the deck and giving Beron a hand to yank him up. Aron looked out over Zeltiva, the city of knowledge that he was quickly staining with the taint of his new enterprise. He had thought his very expensive slaves wouldn't have caught the eye of anyone in the bookish town, but it seemed books and the lust for companionship went hand in hand. He did have a concern. The city was growing wise to what he was doing, and with two other slaves currently awaiting buyers he was worried he was sending out too many vibrations. Vibrations guards could pick up. Perhaps he could take the blonde from the University district and move to another town.

[Leith]

The trip to Zeltiva was an exciting one, she had bought passage on a ship and it was as much fun as she had hoped. She learned quite a few things, how to tie good knots, lots of colorful words and even to dance, things she would probably not have thought of if it hadn’t been for her taking an interest in one old sailor's chores. Flying was somewhat like being on a ship, she was warned if she got sick she’d have to clean her own mess, but luckily for her she hadn’t. She had noticed a few people turning green, but wasn’t worried over much about their suffering. Once off the ship she went in search of a nice spot to make her new nest, Kaska had disappeared in the night one day and she supposed he just wanted to fly alone, she had understood.

She had liked him though, but he had the skills to go take care of himself and really in the end she couldn’t deny him that. It did take away from her saying goodbye, but that was how it was in life. She even at the end got a dark blue bottle, her most treasured treasure as the blue was very unique. She didn’t feel like taking a home in the city, too many people and she liked her pile of bright coins to stay as big as she could get. The city itself was a wonder to her, clean and yet full of people. It was very different from Sunberth, but she was happy for that, she had left the city behind without a second glance. If she had her way she’d never see the place again, it held nothing for her now.

Hardly anyone noticed the raven flying above their heads, she was just one amongst thousands of other birds that resided in or passed through the city. She had her clothing stashed someplace for when or if she decided she wanted to scurry along the ground as a human to take in what was around her. The only thing that set her apart was her one blue eye, the few people who did spot her gave her a second look, but then ignored her as they just thought her a normal bird who just had odd mismatched eyes.|
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[Aron De Soto]

Aron chuckled when he saw Beron look out at the city, smirk, and run down the gangplank. He had trained sixteen slaves thus far, sixteen of the finest, most beautiful creatures he could find in the scum holes of Zeltiva. But Beron was by far the most grateful to be what he was. When Aron had found him he had been a skinny thing whose ribs you could count from across the street. But he had seen potential in those pretty dark eyes and had nursed him back to health. A month cradled in his arms learning how to be human again. Five months later, a creature with the body of a dancer. Aron dressed all of his slaves in similiar garb; a simple but tasteful sarong that sat low on the hips and fastened with a silver pin on one hip. It rested just past Beron's knees and let him tan his legs in the sun. "I'm old, don't go scampering around like a puppy." Aron protested when Beron called to him to hurry down the gangplank. He wanted to see what his new master would be like. Aron didn't have the heart to tell him that the offer was tentative and in no way written in stone. The man could just as easily change his mind. He smiled nonetheless at Beron. "Straighten up, remember what I taught you. Like a gentleman." he reminded him. "How am I supposed to act like one with a single piece of cloth around my waist and no shoes?" Beron chuckled. "You're a beautiful thing, Beron. All I'm asking for is a little decorum." Aron told him sternly, when something black caught his eye. He looked up to see a crow flying overhead, and frowned. Normally white seabirds were all that was seen in Zeltiva. Hawks preying on the seagulls perhaps, and while crows were rare ravens were rarer. "Did I ever tell you that my mother once told me that ravens were a sign of bad luck?" he asked Beron, who looked up himself at the raven. "You said they were bad luck, and to be pierced with the crow was to die." Beron said. Aron nodded. "Nonetheless...let's go find your buyer." he said, pursing his lips. Hopefully the crow wasn't a sign this business deal was about to go foul.

[Leith]

Being close to the sea meant plenty of wind to easily soar on. She noticed below a young human race from a ship with a red sail, she altered her flight to swoop around it landing on the wood to eye it. Red cloth, she liked the bright color, then she noticed the lamp and flew to it studying it. She was tempted to see if she could take it, but decided that would be more trouble than it was worth then flew off again to study the city again. Occasionally she would land on a windowsill and stare inside the buildings, but eventually lost interest and flew back to her clothing. Once she was dressed she walked, then ran down the streets dodging people with a grin on her face. Down on the ground her perspective was different, people didn’t interest her much unless they acted unusual or did something else to catch her attention. She didn’t even notice that her happy run took her past the two people from the ship.

She slowed down and walked looking around at the various people and buildings. She did eventually notice the kid and the older man, but didn’t really realize she’d already spotted them. She spotted the necklace the kid wore and was envious, she wondered where he got it. She noticed a shop just ahead of them and dashed to look in the windows, it was a bookstore, she was tempted to go in, but decided against it for now. She loved books just as much as she liked shiny things, but she was more interested in getting a look at the kid with the old man. Nipping a necklace was pretty much impossible, but she just wanted to look. When they were close enough she simply walked up and smiled up at the man. “Um...is it okay if I look at the necklace? Its really pretty...”

Both of them would see her odd colored eyes, her left eye was a sky blue as if someone had taken a piece of it from above them and placed it there instead and her other was a deep brown almost black. Her hair was a straight silken mass of glossy black hair and she was built lithe, lean and athletic, slender and petite, her hands were graceful, long fingered and clean. She looked like someone who was used to travel, who didn’t have a lot of money, but dressed well enough for being a vagabond. She was pretty, but it was her eyes that really made her stand out and if one watched carefully they’d realize real fast that her blue eye was merely blue, not blind. She watched them intently, picking up every movement, traits not quite unlike what one would expect for a pickpocket, but no pickpocket announced their desires or walked boldly up to someone either.

She looked sixteen, but really she was much younger, a Kelvic grew faster than humans and though she was only a couple years old by bird standards, her human form looked older than that. She also decided she liked the kid’s clothing, it looked easy and comfortable, she wondered if he got it somewhere within the city.|
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[Aron De Soto]

Aron walked calmly through the streets with Beron at his side, letting the kid strike up easy conversation. He knew the burning questions Beron wanted to ask but he had no answers for him. Despite the ship he had never left Zeltiva, never roamed the seas as others of his kind had. He used it as a floating home and teaching studio and not much more. He kept his eyes open as they walked past, he had a special way for his clients to attract his attention, a red piece of sailcloth tucked into a suitpocket. It was quite distinctive and easy to see. He was looking for the man he had been communicating with via messenger when a young woman came up to them. He immediately saw the value before his eyes, and the blonde disappeared from his mind. She was a beautiful creature, with the mismatched eyes he could charge three times as much as for Beron. He caught Beron looking at him and knew the pet was thinking something similiar. Beron chuckled and lifted his chin. "Go ahead." he said, chest puffing out with pride at the large amethyst glittering on his neck. Likewise, his sarong was a deep purple, accentuating his creamy skin. Aron watched the girl closely. Zeltiva had some clever pickpockets and thieves, and he wasn't about to let her steal his gem and sneak off. He swore under his breath, he had no capture collars on him. He had devised a rather nasty little device to take control of unwilling slaves. It was a solid iron collar padded in leather, enchanted to weld itself closed once around a throat. Of course, then he had to pay a blacksmith to get it off but he would have a slave on a very strong leash on a very strong collar.

[Leith]

She was allowed a good look, but kept her hands behind her back, she saw the wary look in the man’s eyes. The kid seemed very proud and she stood up after getting a good look, she was envious “Whoever made that did a nice job, do they work here in the city? I like your clothes too, maybe you could point me in the right direction?”

Sometimes it was better to do things the right way and not take, but she hoped it would be cheap as she didn’t want to blow everything she had just for a shiny trinket. She decided the older man reminded her of a hawk, he was a bit intimidating, but she didn’t let it show. Like in the wild it never did one any good to show that one was afraid or even intimidated. She flashed them both a smile “You new to the city?”

She wouldn’t let on that she was new herself, that would be inviting trouble, but she had no worries about asking them if they were. She had learned all sorts of things in Sunberth, many from just living there and a goodly amount from her red haired friend. Her eyes held a light to them that one would see only in the eyes of a bird’s, mysteries and laughter, but also innocence. Yet she was crafty, wary and seemingly just enjoying herself just from standing before them. As if them paying attention to her was the most natural of things. Her smile was sweet, yet mischievous, as if she was playing a prank on them both and having a blast.|
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[Aron De Soto]

Beron smiled and looked over at Aron. "Well, he's the finest jewelcrafter in the city. Miss, meet Aron de Soto, a very good friend of mine." Beron said, and Aron doffed an invisible cap and bowed to Leith. Aron straightened and smiled at her charmingly, his dark blue eyes carrying a spark of curiosity in them. He definitely wanted her as his next project but here? While he was on the way to meet a client? He didn't dare lose her, Zeltiva was a giant city and there were thousands of women. But he had a client to meet and he wouldn't dare tarnish his reputation by being late. His jaw tightened ever so slightly and he caught Beron's eyes. The boy was completely unworried. Beron cleared his throat and looked over at a man, who was wearing a piece of ripped, red sailcloth. Aron took Leith's hand, smiled, and decided to roll the dice. "Come to the docks, I will show you beauty befitting a creature of your delicate structure." he smiled warmly, his face not betraying the worry he felt. "But for now my lady I must go." he nodded to her graciously and approached the client. He was an aging man with bright red hair, though he had a kind face and promised emphatically to treat Beron well. Beron threw his arms around Aron's neck, kissing him on the cheek. Aron knew it wouldn't do to have the pet cry in front of a client. He kissed Beron's forehead and put his hands on the pet's upper arms. "Serve him loyally, serve him well. And know if he ever mistreats you, you have a home with me." he said softly, seeing Beron take a deep breath and try to still the tears in his eyes from dropping. "He's got a lovely hand, and he's very healthy." the trader said happily, though he was a bit shaken by the displays of emotion. He handed Aron the money wrapped in the red cloth as ordered, and Aron gave Beron a reassuring smile. The boy would be alright. He turned and left, feeling an odd weight leave his shoulders. Now he would have another project in this girl if she came to the docks tonight.

[Leith]

She watched the two walk up to an older man and his red hair brought her a bit of nostalgia, but she pushed it away. She explored the city some, but decided to go to the docks to wait. She amused herself by chasing the seagulls and laughing at them as they scolded her as they flew up in the air. She perched on the edge watching the water and caught a few flashes of fish. Laying on her belly she reached into the cool water teasing the surface with her fingers. A fish darted up to inspect her enticing digits, but never got close enough to snatch which was a pity. Bored once again she decided to tease the sea birds again, their cries of frustration highly amusing.

One could watch her and think she had no care in the world, that she was just happy doing as she pleased. In a lot of ways she was, but she also liked being near people, she was a social creature and the wilds were not enough for her all the time. She eventually just wandered around till once again she was before the red sailed ship, she eyed the lamp too, but didn’t dare try and grab it. Instead she walked to the edge, sat down and just listened to the water. She liked the way the ships made noise with the waves, loved the scent of the ocean and all the sounds of the city.|
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[Aron De Soto]

Aron came back to the ship fairly late in the afternoon, a few select gemstones in his pockets. A large piece of lapis lazuli, ready to be cut and shaped, and a smaller piece of topaz. Both were going into the pets. Lapis for this pretty black-haired girl, and the topaz would go to the blonde if he still lived. It was ambitious, cutting into his living expenses in order to take on two projects at once. But he hoped it would pay off. He approached her as she was playing with the fish, smiling. Certainly a carefree little creature, wasn't she? He knelt next to her, looking down into the depths. "Pretty little things aren't they?" he asked. "Want to see what I bought?" he pulled the lapis out of his pocket, rolling the deep blue stone in the light, then sticking it back into his pocket. "Come with me." he straightened up and walked up the gangplank. "Would you like something to drink? I have some simple green tea if you'd like, and some biscuits? I have to make most everything myself." Aron chuckled and offered a hand to help her onto the ship from the gangplank.

[Leith]

His steps on the wood caught her attention and she smiled at him when he came up. When he brought out the gem she had to keep herself from reaching for it. She followed after him readily enough, but shied away when he reached for her, she walked easily up to the ship eyeing him closely. “Never did tell you my name, its Leith, Leith Mournlith. Its a pleasure to meet you mister Soto, what is tea? Yes, I’d like something to eat, thank you.” Then without hardly a pause she eyed his pocket “What’s that blue stone called? Its the same color as a bottle I have, I like blue.”

She noticed that the ship he lived on was the same red sailed one with the lamp “So you are the one who’s boat is the one with the pretty red lamp and red sail, I had wondered. You can see it from all sorts of places...”

She didn’t have hardly any trouble standing on the boat when it rose and fell gently beneath her. Her mismatched eyes never left him, her attention was all on him.|
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