Not far from where the slave caravan's procession slowly wound its way to the market, a man and a woman met for the second time in their lives. They greeted each other warmly as though they were old friends, their manner and dress inconspicuous. "The raven takes wing. " The man said, smiling as the pair embraced briefly.
"And my pockets feel lighter," The woman remarked with a chuckle as they parted. "It is good to see you, old friend."
The man nodded, " It is , indeed. I'm surprised you showed up."
The woman shrugged lightly, " A little bird told me there was to be a special occasion this afternoon. I thought I'd come see it for myself." She smirked, her dark eyes twinkling with mischief.
The man laughed. He was older than she by a considerable number of years, small and frail with age but his voice was quite powerful for his size and doubly merry. He slapped a weathered dark hand over her shoulder and laughed, " Still up to the same old, eh? Well, my dear. You're in for quite a treat! "
The woman grinned broadly, " Oh? What do you have?"
The man laughed and shook his head, laughing and holding out his hand expectantly towards her. "Oh no you don't, miss. You know the rules."
The woman smirked and slipped a knife concealed cleverly within the breast region her skimpy outfit. She cut a coin purse tied to the sash that held the outfit together and pressed it into his hand. "I think you'll find the payment more than satisfactory."
The man pulled open the pouch and emptied the diamonds into his palms. He tried not to look so surprised. " You're feeling very generous today, aren't you?"
The woman stood in front of him, blocking view of the contents in his hand from any curious eyes, " You might want to put that away, " She cautioned gently, slipping her knife back to its place of concealment in a swift, but subtle manner. Her movements were so naturally practiced, much like the flow of water.
Nodding, he licked his lips and hastily poured the diamonds back into the bag.
"Inside. " He told her simply and gestured for her to follow him. Wordlessly , she did.
Once indoors and in private they both relaxed, "What are you after this time, Rajini?"
The woman named Rajini cast her gaze about the room, " I was informed that Sufjan would be making a special appearance today to make a rather substantial purchase. I don't suppose you'd happen to know anything about that, would you Aarif? " Now she looked at him inquiringly.
Aarif licked his lips and nodded, " Your source is accurate. He will indeed be present here in the market. From what I've heard, he is looking to purchase some new playthings this afternoon."
Rajini's expression was one of contempt and her tone dripped of it equally, " That pig. I shouldn't be surprised. Don't suppose you'd know where the bastard is staying tonight?"
Aarif smirked, "You know that I do. He is to be a guest of the Shah tonight. He claims to have an extravagant gift. A large golden mirror from Serendipity. Very beautiful design encrusted with emeralds, sapphires, diamonds even. "
"That would make a lovely edition to my collection. "
Aarif's expression turned to one of dread, "Please tell me that you're not considering what I think you are?"
Rajini winked at him, "Very well, my lips are sealed!"
"Rajini! You can't! The ...palace? The Shah!? You-"
Laughing , the woman leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. " You worry too much, friend. You also forget who you're talking to."
"But it's just a mirror! It's hardly wor-"
Again, Rajini did laugh. It was a beautiful, musical sound, " You think I want some silly old mirror? "
Dumbfounded, Aarif could only stare at her. Yes, he had thought so!
"Come now, you know me better!"
"But there is something else that interests you. I must know what is so important that you would come here at such risk."
Rajini turned away and walked out , " I'll tell you later. I promise!"
~
She wove through the bustling crowd like a dancer, with perfect fluidity and balance. Never once bumping into rush of women passing by with baskets and bowls resting atop their heads and children playing chase . She narrowly avoided a man hastily pushing his hand cart towards a fruit stall, "Excuse me, Miss!" He bellowed and Rajini politely , quickly sidestepped out of his path, snatching one of the fruits from the cart as he passed her and his back was turned. She meandered towards the center of the market where the slave caravan had come to a stop and the slavers were herding their wares out of their cages, one by one to stand before an eager crowd of potential buyers.
Rajini kept her distance from it all , her eyes scanning the crowd for Sufjan whom was not hard to miss. He was the tallest one and always dressed the most garishly out of any of the lords and his snakelike visage boasted a rather long and twisted little goat's beard.
To Rajini's pleasure, Sufjan was indeed present. Perfect. She paused to take a bite of the fruit though as she looked down she noticed its shiny red surface and scowled. Of all the things she could have stolen, she had to go and pick the one fruit she hated most. She tossed the apple over her shoulder with a snort and folded her arms over her chest as the first slave was brought before the crowd of overprivledged, chauvinistic, drooling imbeciles.
The first slave was just a girl. Seeing her brought back painful memories. She'd only been a girl herself and she was sure she'd been just as vulnerable and afraid as this child looked now as she could do little more than stand there and be bid on.
One by one the slaves were sold off. Several went to Sufjan and the final one she couldn't see for by the time it came for him to be sold, quite a crowd had gathered and tall men had moved in front of her, blocking her view. No matter. She could still see Sufjan and it looked as though he were going to win the final bid...