The Slave Market (Open RP)

[Mystic Nightclaw]

Having just come out of her change, Sera almost didn't make it in time to block Sage's blade, the cold steel aimed for her chin. Moving a bit quicker than before, she raised her right arm, the sword pointed downward in a diagonal manner, the palm of her left hand pressing against the flat surface facing her as she pushed down and out, Sages blade not having a chance to make its mark. Then, seeing another move coming for her, she back flipped, the muscles and tendons in her legs provided the perfect force to make her back flip effective enough to where she dodged the second attack from the elven warrior. Sera landed on one hand, the other having the sword in it, and pushed off from the ground so that her feet danced upon the earth once more, but they didn't stay in that place for long as she instantly charged back at her mentor.

With steps being as light as feathers dropping to the dirt, she was upon Sage within a few second, her right arm arching over her head for half a second, coming back down in a slash that would have knocked any full grown man off his feet, even -if- he manged to block it. But, knowing better than to think this about any sort of elf, Sera knew that Sage would be able to block of dodge it, but there was little chance that she'd be able to get away from the blade without some kind of injury, whether minor or fatal. If fatal, the shape shifter would back off until her teacher said otherwise, but if minor, the girl would quickly execute another few strikes, one after the other, in a series of blows that would be equal to a thousands cuts being placed on the body, each cut placed only in areas that would cause extreme pain, but nothing more than that.

[Ilsabet Melarne]

Awe inspired the look of fascination stamped on her face as the doorway opened, an arcane brushstroke painting the canvas of their world with the picture of another. Ayessa stepped through the portal following Gabriel's lead, her hand tightening its grip around his. A mixture of fear and curiosity for the unknown hammered in her chest as she took a great inhalation of air into her lungs, paused to calm herself, then exhaled.

The muted shades of the world now encompassing her seemed to cast a blanket of depression over her eyes. She turned her sights to Gabriel, nodding her head at his warning and drawing herself closer against his arm. "No worries, m'Lord. I won't stray too far from your protection," she told him as she scanned the myriad of vendors plying their wares. As they strolled the grounds, Ayessa relaxed and even began to enjoy their outing as she pointed out various items she thought would suit her new rooms at the castle.

She'd even grown bold enough to release Gabriel's arm and venture off to admire various trinkets and baubles, choosing those that interested her and rejecting those that made her nose cringe in disgust. She hadn't realized how far she actually strayed from Gabriel's side and would continue to mindlessly wander about the Bazaar, despite his warnings, steadily depleting his fortune. Whenever she found something she thought she might enjoy, she'd simply mention Gabriel's name and immediately the merchant would wave her off with a nod of his head, her transaction complete.

Soft mewlings caught her attention as she rounded a corner. Tucked into a basket sitting on a corner of a table, were a litter of what looked like kittens. Her face softened as the corners of her lips curled up to form a smile. "Aww," she cooed. Ayessa's hands reached out to pick up the only jet black kitten when she froze. Her nose wrinkled up and she didn't know why she hadn't noticed before but protruding just at the kitten's shoulders were two bat-like wings, tufts of feathers aligning the edges of the membranous appendages.

At that moment, the merchant selling the creatures hurried up to her, his mouth uttering a string of archaic words she couldn't understand. He grinned at her, a hollow, toothless grin as his eyes seemed to dart down the pathways before reaching out and snagging her wrist in his meaty hand. She screamed, "Gabriel!" Her voice raspy as it caught up in her throat. Ayessa strained against him, her mind totally devoid of those simple words that would conjure up the protections magically embued into her dress. Eyes twisted madly in their sockets, eagerly searching for Gabriel's form, as the merchant jerked her up.

[Artemis_Bloodstorm]

The merchant would find his hand struck immediately, forcing him to release Ayessa's hand. The silver serpent that had sprung out of her dress immediately swayed in the air, hissing softly at the individual. The thing was made of pure magic, swaying slightly as it regarded the merchant and those around her. The threat posed to Ayessa had triggered it, and it stayed active, crimson eyes within the serpent of magic's head giving off a bloody, dangerous glow.

Gabriel was aware within a moment that something had triggered his protections upon Ayessa. He'd excuse himself from the conversation he'd been having with an old associate of his. The glabrezu merely clicked its pincer-like hands together and spoke in the harsh language of the Abyss. "I will return or send a missive to you," Gabriel said. "We'll discuss terms later." The glabrezu spoke again and Gabriel didn't even bother wasting time on running to find her. He hummed a quick note and teleported directly to her and the active defenses of the dress.

"Yes?" He asked immediately. The serpent turned its gaze to Gabriel, hissed a few times, and disappeared back into the dress. The merchant on the ground immediately leapt to his feet and began chattering directly at Gabriel. There was silence from everyone around them as Gabriel turned to look at Ayessa, then at the merchant, and finally at those around them.

"The merchant is accusing you of stealing," Gabriel said. "He says you picked up one of the tressyms and was going to make off with it." The merchant pointed at Ayessa and chattered again, to which Gabriel just laughed. "And he says in response to the attempted theft that he'd claim you as his own property. The only question is how do I want to punish the merchant for being ignorant and touching MY property."

The temperature around them dropped by more than a few degrees as Gabriel turned cold, dark eyes upon the lower planar creature. "No need," a soft, sibilant voice said from behind Gabriel. "You've been gone for some time, Lord Shadowstar. We've missed you down here at the Bazaar. Vaxalais there has never seen nor heard of you before. Please, what can we do to smooth this over?"

Gabriel turned to regard the speaker. A Fallen, and one who was, undoubtedly, the merchant's master. Rare to see a Fallen solar, and this one wasn't unknown to him. He'd seen her on a few of his forays into Baator. "Lady Landryn," Gabriel replied, inclining his body slightly. Even a Fallen Solar would have to be handled carefully, since he doubted their bows lost the slaying arrows. "I'll have to ask my lady here what she'd like in recompense. Ayessa, did you wish one of the tressym?"

[Ilsabet Melarne]

The silver threads of her dress once again spread smooth against the crimson fabric, the serpentine embroidery dormant at the sound of Gabriel's voice. Ayessa's head spun in his direction, salted liquid streaming down flushed cheeks as she rubbed the quickly bruising wrist the merchant had been forced to release. "M'Lord," relief flooded into her.

A flurry of words rushed out of the merchant, his bulbous nose bobbing up and down from the effort as he spoke to Gabriel. Eyes widening, Ayessa's lips formed an 'O' when Gabriel told her she had been accused of stealing, "But, but I....I wasn't...I only wanted to look at the creature!" She shook her head, her arms held in front of her, palms up as she spoke to the merchant. Turning to Gabriel, "I..I wouldn't steal, m'Lord."

Another flurry of words from the merchant, who now pointed a finger at her, evoked a chuckle and a few words from Gabriel. Moments later, her breath was visible, misted plumes, as the temperature around her dropped measurably. Ayessa would tilt her head, watching her Master, with a mixture of curiosity and intense fear before he had been interrupted by another voice. One who knew him. She'd hoped the situation would be settled, and soon. Ayessa just wanted to leave this place.

As the pair conversed, Ayessa's mind wandered back to the curious creature she had been admiring before, surprised at how much trouble the animal had gotten her into. Ayessa shook her head, deciding she didn't like this place. When he asked her if she'd like one, she simply nodded her head before asking, "Can we go home now, m'Lord?"

[Artemis_Bloodstorm]

"Of course," Gabriel said to her. He didn't bother looking at the Fallen Solar or at the merchant. Rather, he let out a soft, humming sound. His eyes lit upon the tressym that she'd touched, the bond between them almost immediately noticeable to him. He'd let out a soft chirping sound and gesture with a finger. The creature she'd touched would begin to float from the container directly to her hands. "Hold him close," Gabriel said as his own arm slid around her waist. "He's yours to protect and take care of from this day forward. They're willful creatures, but he'll find the castle to be enjoyable. I'll teach you how to summon in food for him, too. Little rodents and the like."

Gabriel dismissed the others around him without a second thought, his voice hitting a low note that made the air around them ripple. Before them opened the portal that would take them back to their private world. "When the time is right, and you have fully come into your new power, I'll teach you how to do this. It's my unique doorway. It opens on to the enclave, and only I or one of my choosing can open it. It doesn't matter who else tries to enter into the world, if I do not wish it so, it will not be so."

Ushering her through the portal, it closed directly behind them, leaving them once more within the courtyard. "Come now Ayessa," he said. "The items will be brought forth in due time. They have to go about through normal ways and a broker of mine will ensure that the items are delivered soon. Until then you should rest. The experimentation will be ready soon. Time when travelling through the planes...varies quickly."

[Ilsabet Melarne]

As Gabriel's arm wrapped around her waist, Ayessa's wrapped around the soft form of the tressym, nuzzling her face into the animal's fur. She smiled and nodded at Gabriel as the creature purred, nudging her chin with the top of its furry head. She giggled, "Oh, aren't you just adorable!" Her fingers scratched the only gray patch of fur on the otherwise jet black cat. "I think I'll name you Regam," she told the tressym, smiling before planting a kiss on the animal's nose.

Stepping through the portal, she'd turn to look behind her. The female Gabriel had been conversing with was staring at her, narrowed eyes that seemed to shoot arrows into her. The woman's lips were moving, whispering to the sniveling merchant. Ayessa smiled at the woman, who would then turn to strike out at the merchant. He cringed, pudgy arms rising to shield his bloated face, and then the portal closed.

As Gabriel led her through the courtyard, she cradled Regam, who seemed rather content nestled against the warmth of her bosom. Her other arm rapidly moved as she excitedly described to him the items she had bought. "And it has swirls that swoop up like so," her fingers twirling, creating an ornate arc before her. Entering the foyer, she allowed the squirming Regam to slip to the floor, swishing his tail as those onyx wings gave a quick flutter before coming to rest smoothly against his back.

A long, deep inhalation of air, her eyes rolling beneath drowsy eyelids before pressing the back of a hand to her lips to stifle the yawn, "Ahh, I'm...so...sleepy. But, it was worth it," she smiled, nodding her head towards Regam. "A strange world, I must say, but I thoroughly enjoyed it." Her lips drew taut, a slight pout pursing them. A thread of annoyance hinting in her voice as she paused to reconsider, "Well, almost all of it. I can't believe he thought I was trying to steal from him!" She shook her head, an animated attempt to erase those memories.

Turning to Gabriel, her cheeks flushed as she gathered the courage to give voice to other thoughts that had plagued her mind for the better part of the day. Ayessa was the bastard child of a Nobleman and a pleasure slave with no destiny, no purpose save to fulfill the sadistic fantasies of masochistic nobility. Until now. Until Gabriel. Her mind failed to form the words she felt so she settled for simplicity, "Thank you, m'Lord. For..for everything." Regam added his voice as well, a low guttural resonance in the back of the creature's throat, as the winged feline brushed his head against Gabriel's leg.

[Artemis_Bloodstorm]

"Don't thank me yet, Ayessa," Gabriel said softly. "We still have yet to see how the experiments will take. You may not live through it. But it has been a pleasure to be around you so far. It's reminded me of better times in my life." A hand went down to pet along the tressym's fur for a moment, scritching between its wings in a most sensitive spot. "However, now is not the time to discuss such things. You need rest. Your first foray into a new world!"

Gabriel would walk with Ayessa through the castle until they reached her rooms. Opening the door, he'd walk her and her new tressym inside. "Hopefully your items will be delivered in a day or so. So I suggest you rest for now, and perhaps eat when you awaken. Or eat now, if you so desire. But build up your strength. Given the way time changes between the planes, I believe we should be ready to start the experimentation. I don't want you at anything less than your best, though, Ayessa. I've never done this before, and I don't know how you'll react to it. It's dangerous."

Gabriel bent down to plant a gentle kiss at the edge of her mouth, a smile in place. "But I'm sure everything will be fine. My spells will ensure your safety, and your will will ensure you change only how you wish to change. So I shall let you rest, and when you awaken, we will begin. I know not how long it will take, it may take a few days or a few weeks. In any event I will be here and your new pet Regam shall be as well."

[Explicit_Prose]

In the dark places of the world, there stirs a hunger so deep, so profound, nothing can satisfy. From the gullet of such a place comes creatures only whispered about late in the night. They are the forms of terrors siblings scare the youngsters with; the beasties parents tell their children will come and whisk them away should they be disobedient. Most only see such rare things in nightmares, or when it is too late.

On the rare occasion, they can end up here..

'People. A disease among the world.' They walked around, trampling the earth in their wake. Nothing could stop them. Nothing would try. Only one such species could be so depraved they would sell their own into servitude. Only such a species has shown such intent on destroying itself. The main stage was always busy. Shouts of rates and bidding wars went on from dawn, well into the nighttime. Seldom did this place quiet down, for any reason.

Off to the west of the main butcher block, near the shops where animals and other creatures of the Gods were peddled away, there stood erect some wooden stakes. Most were used to secure mounts and other beasts of burden. On one, far from the covered shops, laid a lowly creature. A weather worn rope was secured to the stake, tied in what appeared a hurried knot. Bits of twine were fraying from the leash-like appendage, all the way down to the noose fixture securing the animal. It appeared a canine creature, rather large, thought it was difficult to tell with the way it was curled up on itself. Scarcely breathing, and bone thin, it looked almost dead.

The dirty, leaf-littered coat gave no hint to coloring. Only hints of black stood out from the dusty film marring it's true tones. The occasional passerby would approach, and toe with a booted foot at it, pushing lightly. There was no rank smell of decay, so it must be alive, right? When toed, a muffled, throaty growl rose from the furred mass, and the person would abandon further investigation.

Then the animal would silence.