The particularly unsavory fellow happened to be known as Wilkes, and he was a roguish brute, to be sure. His eyes were dark, almost black as he turned them onto the pair. A smile that was more smirk crossed his lips as he raked his eyes over Tessa rather inappropriately before focusing on Erik - who obviously had the money.
"Are you looking for a slave or a dog? Because it sounds to me like what you really want is a dog. We've got strong, and we've got smart, but loyal is a rare commodity 'round here. I 'spose there's a well-broken in slave that could be considered loyal, or at least too afraid to do nothing about how much he hates your guts, but he'd be broken, which means he ain't going to be strong or smart anymore." Wilkes was all but sneering at this point - obviously he thought Erik was wasting his time.
"Wilkes, shush you. You're going to scare off the customers." A smaller, weaselly man appeared suddenly from nearby, smiling at Erik reassuringly. "You'll have to excuse him, we have to keep a rough sort around to keep the more unruly slaves in line, you understand? Now, you're wanting strong, smart, and loyal? Wilkes is right, it sounds like you want a dog! Which, fortunately for you, I have something that might suit just right. This way!"
He led them through the cells, some of which were rather crowded, until they reached a quiet cell on the end of the block. Tobias was sitting inside with his back to the cage, more or less ignoring them all and hoping they'd go away.
"Now here's a real treat, if you're willing to splurge just a little. Normally I would save such a fine specimen for a collector, but you wanted strong, smart, and loyal. I have the perfect solution, what you need is a werewolf. Stronger than an ox, make no mistake. Now, I'm afraid he's not educated, but smart is a relative term - he can follow orders, which is what's important. Right? Of course it is!" The man had barely paused to breath during his sales pitch.
"Now, loyal is a rather tricky request when it comes to slaves. Some can be a bit flighty or unpleasant, but they're also the ones most mistreated. You know? But if loyalty is what you want, well a werewolf is a man who's also part wolf and a wolf is just a wilder version of a dog, am I right? Of course I am. I do have to caution that this one here isn't exactly what we'd call broken. He's not trained yet. So you're going to have to handle all that yourself, but that's also the beauty of it at the same time - you've got a clean slate. I think he's just what you need. I'm sure a fine gentleman such as yourself will be able to win the loyalty of a slave with just a little effort."
The weaselly man glanced into the cage with a slight frown, but quickly went back to all smiles. Tobias hadn't moved or acknowledged them once during all that fast-talking. "So what do you say?"