Spirits of the Earth

Tags to @DragonSong !

---

Skies were scorched with the bellowing cries of men, their faces slick with the sweat and dirt of work, and their voices laced in blood. What had begun as a peaceful rally in the castle square outside the front of the Grand Duke's palace, in a far away land... in the North... in Connlaoth, turned into something wicked. It was a poison he could only preach against. And though his eyes burned with the pain of those suffering in this war, he could not stop what it had evolved into. Not after the Grand Army stepped in, their guns spitting fire into the crowds of many.

'Men are Fools. And I am but one of them. Yet I can only continue on the path in which ignites me.'

As the men screamed in agony, carrying on for an end, for peace, and for more blood....
He had to wonder...
'Oh, Angsar.... Forgive us all but we are men plagued with hatred so consuming its spread like a wildfire and plagued every inch of this blessed nation. And here we stand, to speak of peace, when all sides can do nothing but call out for war. I ask for you to forgive them, to help them see, that we are but men, not untamed beast. And that the illness of war be banished. For this to you, I fervently pray.'

He witnessed the horror first hand as the cannons of the army boomed into the crowd in Reajh. Blood and arms splattered across the square, breaking up cobblestone and bones.

"What are you doing!?" the priest's eyes were wild.  What was happening!? Why were the men attacking with war weapons when the people only protested with angered words, and a few- stones? "There are women! There are children!"
But the screams of soldiers and the cries of the fallen swallowed out the logic as the square was soon swollen in dust.

How many more canons would fire? How many more innocent would die? A bullet singed his shoulder, the closeness ringing in his ear as he let out a cry and gripped his shoulder as blood came warmly through his fingers. He nearly dropped the Book of the Word of Angsar from where he stood, bracing himself against his make shift pulpit. More canons were fired, and the ground shook, threatening to over turn him.

He couldn't believe this madness. He didn't want war. He wanted peace!

And despite the insanity that thundered around him, he got back up again onto his pulpit, words spitting from his mouth until he could no longer scream-

"WE ARE HERE FOR PEACE!" he bellowed. "WE DO NOT WANT THE BLOOD OF OUR MEN ANY LONGER! WE RALLY FOR PEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAACE! FOR PEACE IN THE NAME OF ANGSAR! IN THE NAME OF OUR PEOPLE! WE CALL OUT FOR NO MORE BLOOOOOOD!"


But perhaps it was all for nothing? Perhaps it was foolish to think that, even with a just avatar as Angsar, his own empire had been built on blood. War... it was a funny thing. A necessary evil, perhaps. But this evil... this war...
He lost sleep at night, tossng and turning over the very idea of it as his stomach burned him from the inside out. This was a war he knew even Angsar himself would condemn.

But he couldn't give up. He couldn't run away. And the sight of those who suffered carried him through the fray, that even long after the dust began to swell, his hoarse voice called out...

"Peace! We are here... here for PEACE!"

And it was the sound of boots crunching across the broken cobblestone that had him turned. And there he saw a group of soldiers look at him. They were angry, they were worn, and though they were armed with weapons, and he had nothing but 'Angsar's Bible' in his arm, he turned to them stlll, and used what voice he had left.

"It is never too late!" he croaked. "Peace must come to Connlaoth! Peace before the death of our brothers. Peace before the death of our sisters, our mothers and our wives. Our children! Peace before.." he went on shakily, weak. "Before we make our own nation fall! And Angsar's heaven turns to Hell."

And he wondered if the men had pitied him, staring at him as he was half draped over his pulpit, as they simply walked by.  By then, the square had emptied...
and what was left in the dust were the simple soldiers to clean up the mess that a rally of peace had erupted.


But his story hardly ended here. In fact....


This was only the beginning. For though the day had come and gone and more riots begun to errupt soon after, he retired to his lakeside home near the Matron. And from his porch at night, he watched the moon waver against restless waters. Clouds were moving in, but they did not snuff out the stars, the stars in which he looked upon, to stars to which he prayed.

He had gone out to his porch, the soft chirp of crickets, though calming, only reminded him of the calm before a storm. And even through it, he heard the foot falls approach. But he did nothing. The candle along the railing had nearly gone out by now. But he didn't think it would matter to replace it. And when the foot falls stopped, he tensed, but did not turn around and kept his eyes upon the lake.

"Father Danning Gates?" came a gruff voice from the darkness.

For a quiet moment, the priest enjoyed the tranquility of the Matron lake, and how the stars danced across its surface. It was peaceful, but it was just a reflection. The real peace was in the stars above. And he had to wonder when that peace would come to earth. Or were all men doomed by the damnation of anger that tainted their blood?

"Yes? I am Father Gates." he replied. And those would be the last words he'd speak in a good long while.



----------

A lethargic, creaking moan lulled him awake, into a world where everything, even his vision, hurt. And when the same creak came again, he felt himself being rocked in a new direction. There was something cold, and what sounded like a metal rattle, though in the same breath, it also had a sweet chiming ring to it. But it was when something tickled his arm did he jerk around to see...
A rat! A rat on his arm! He let out a cry, and jerked even more, despite the protests of his body, and the apparent, heavy metal chains that bound him, upside down int he hall of the boat...
With a hundred other men and women bound like himself.

His eyes were wild, and he moved futilely against his chains, as he simply swung back and forth at his own avail- and at the mercy of the slow rocking of the ship. And though he spent countless days.. weeks in the hull....
The worst part of these days where to watch the sufferings of men.


He didn't know when the boat had stopped rocking, or when there was the call of birds at the bank their ship had now perched. But when light flooded down into the room, those weary men in chains who remained alive could only lift their heads blindly, as they were released from where they hung, and whipped to walk, even though most were too weak to even stand.

Outside the boat the sun burned hotter than he'd ever known, and the world glowed yellow, an ironic contrast to what he pictured might be hell. There were trees with throngs and strange birds with long legs, and as he stumbled across the gang plank onto land....
Despite the thick grasses...
There was sand. Sand all around.

----

He closed his eyes at the memories that brought him here- and that fateful day he was tossed into the arena, sentenced to die after surviving so long a treacherous journey at sea. But it seemed, in some strange way, his prayers to live, to carry on the peace giving words of Ansgar, would save him. But he had to wonder where this would all lead- for this was a world in the sun, so far away from his land shaped by winds.

Perhaps he should be thankful he hadn't died, but those who had captured him were giddy and greedy for the coin they could fetch from such a man. He was unarmed but somehow survived in the arena, protesting in his own native tongue, while the rest of the world laughed in their's.

Perhaps that was why no one had bothered to purchase him- he was seen as the crow that never ceased, for all day he had cried out, voicing his thoughts on peace and tryign to gather what he could of the language- but would it be in vain? It seemed no matter what words he tried, foreign or not, he was laughed at- and whipped and flogged until he was shaking and spitting out blood. And the burns around his neck and wrist began to break open again- the raw flesh as horrid as the burned flesh he had gotten from the sun and sand. But this day in the busy streets of Essyrn was hardly over- and the only thing that had silenced Danning was when he was forced to drink an elixir that had him swaying and collapsing against his own volition.

It was only when the elixir began to fade away did he blink and a figure of a tall woman with dark skin stood before him, looking down at him as if he were some chop of meat.

"He looks like a burned pig," she commented, tilting her head calmly to one side. "But..." she sighed, staring down into his face. "Those eyes are raw... jewels of blue. And he looks strong enough. Surely his survival in the arena will make him pricey... but do you know what this foreigner can do?" The woman asked, and gestured to one of her men to begin their inspection.

Danning had been seated, but a quick tug to the chain round his neck forced him to his feet, and he let out a grunt of pain through bared teeth. He swayed a little, but two guards kept him upright, while his meager skirts were lifted as the woman began to inspect his goods.

"I guess he was left in tact for breeding?" she went on, gesturing for the men to drop the skirts and to bring him closer as she gave a gesture of her wrist. He was dragged forward, and he found his chin being pinched between the woman's hard finger nails.

She had orange eyes. He had never seen orange eyes.

"How much?" she asked. "To have him cleaned and delivered?"

"For you, Lady Kahalla? No less than three thousand gold I'm afraid."

The woman stiffened.

"Do you really think this scrappy pig would sell in the thousands?"

"I've already go some bids today. You... ought to place yours. We're eager to sell him. That is.. if you're interested. Three thousand or he goes to Lord Brau."

"Lord Brau?" Lady Kahalla wrinkled her nose and sighed. "I suppose I'll put my bid at three thousand." And she looked to the man." But nothing more. If someone wants to waste more gold, let them have him. Not sure I'd want him to breed with my stock... but.. I suppose foreigners have their own unsightly charm."

With a snap, her men returned to her side.

"I'll return before the sun sets to see if this jewel is mine."

And all Danning could do, was find himself staring back at the woman's retreating form, his tongue still swollen from the elixir, but he began to feel the prickling, tickling awakening of his limbs just as he was thrown towards a trough of watera nd commanded, "DRINK!"

Though no animal by any means, he was parched beyond belief. THankful they at least let him drink anything, he dunked his head into the water, and began to lap at it like a thirsty dog.

"Your bleeding heart is going to get us both killed."

Darius shot her a look that clearly said he was unimpressed with her attitude. "Hush, Mina. We need someone to replace Lizabet, why not...well, adopt a rescue, as it were?"

Tamina snorted. "Because you want to save them all and we can't afford it. A trained whore would bring in more money anyway."

"Oh? And what if I'd taken that attitude when I found you, Miss Heartless?"

That shut her up, if only because it took her so long to think of a comeback that her employer had nearly disappeared into te crowds of the slave markets. Swearing under her breath, she hurried after him.

The foreigner caught Darius's eye immediately, not least because he was certainly I end the sorriest looking pieces of humanflesh that he'd ever seen. He approached slowly and flagged down the slaver who seemed to be in charge. "Excuse me. How much?"

Tamina could have slapped him.

The man in charge of his chains peered up and a smile split across his face as he addressed, "Darius Farahn, it is a pleasure to see you. It has been sometime." He gave a respectable enough bow before turning his gaze to Tamina, before returning his attentions to the man.

His question had his eyes going to Danning, before he gave a short laugh and looked back to Farahn.

"This foreign pig? The one who laps water like a dog?"

It was here Danning lifted his gaze, waters dribbling down his face and eyes strained and burning, but their blue color was unmatched, even against the sky over Essyrn.

His seller gave a gently kick at the back of Danning's head, forcing him to hit his face off the water in the bowl again and make him sputter as he inhaled some.

"At least five thousand..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully at the man. "He is in tact.. if you wish to see.." And before he even agreed on it, Danning was forced up on his knees, and his skirts, yanked aside to reveal him all. Then he dropped the skirts, then the man.

"I thought you were into a different sort for your brothel... aiming to make a change, Darius Farahn?"

Darius fought the urge to wince in sympathy for the man- or punch the slaver. Either seemed like good options.

By contrast, Tamina gave the foreigner a calculating, up and down look. Well, he wasn't bad, maybe a little food, a bath... He might be serviceable.

"Something exotic always draws in customers," Darius said with a charming smile, rocking back on his heels. "But five thousand..."

"We won't go any higher than two," Tamina suddenly cut in. Darius closed his eyes- the girl could never keep her mouth shut, despite the fact that women weren't allowed to conduct business. "Two thousand is more than generous for someone untrained."

"Ah, forgive me, but the bidding for this slave has gone up much higher than that. If you do not wish to pay the price.... I have other slaves who may be of interest to you," he went on, flashing a toothy grin.

Danning appeared like a pink, withered stone. His white skin was rashed and burned, and also appearing sickly- no doubt from a long voyage on the sea. And he had many unsightly bruises and a very haggard appearance. But when one were to look into his eyes, as Danning did so now as he peered up, those blue eyes piercing at Tamina, there was a whole other value brought to the surface.

"Eyes like sapphires," the slaver chuckled. "A rare enough thing. Definitely a potential at five thousand gold."

"Five thousand for blue eyes?" She snorted. "You're out of your gods-damned mind-"

"Deal."

Tamina gaped as Darius smiled politely and fished about in his pockets to retrieve a purse. "I'm afraid I'll have to pay some of it in credit, but you know I'm good for it. I can bring you the gold tomorrow."

"Ah, yes, for that I know. But this slave has two others of interest, so if neither are willing to,pay more than your five thousand, then we can discuss payment tomorrow."

"More than five thousand?" Even Darius balked a little at that. "How much more?"

Tamina three her hands up in frustration. "Fine. Be an idiot. I'm going to find somethings that will actually make us some coin," she snipped at him before turning on her heel and stalking away.

Tamina would come to a lavish stall. Silks. Jewels. A man done up in lovrly wonderful clothing and a woman, wearing many layers of a sheer silky material, jewels sewn into it. A lovely creature to be sure. But the man was growing restess. Two days now they'd been out here.

Two days.

But the girl was expensive and while a rare jewel the story that came with her - cursing those around her with infertility - made most people not so keen to add her to their stock.

Even now every look to the silver hared girl had the murmurs going. A sneer and Serenity ducked her head down, afraid she'd never be sold now.

"Miss!"  Serenity remained still like a doll, not looking at who her seller was speaking to. "I noticed you up there, chatting about that filthy young man," he also recognized the owner of the whore house he frequented.

"Might i interest you in this gem?" He moved to the girl, ushered her to stand up and removed a veil, the tickling of gems sounding like gentle raindrops. "Fully trained for a harem, untou-"

"Make you infertile that one!" Came a shout from another seller, "cursed she is! Killed her own sisters baby!" Serenity drew into herself, shoulders hunched slightly.

Her seller sneered, "i know what you do. She and her curse would he perfect for your establishment. 7k. Flat. Any profit you make off of her would be your own and trust me," he removed the rest of the veils and gave Serenity a command to do a spin, "shes very well trained and gain you a significant amount of profit." He chuckled, "why, you could probably auction off her first time for as much and you buy her for!"

Stupid rumours.

Tamina paused and glanced over the girl as she was called over. Though colder on the surface than her employer, she did have to bite back a snarl at the way the slave was treated like a particularly plump prize hen.

They were people, after all. Just because she'd wanted someone in the shop who could actually turn a profit didn't mean she didn't value their employees for who they were.

But seven thousand...

She frowned and crossed her arms. Ignoring the slaver, she said brusquely, "You, girl. How old are you?"

A hesitant look to her seller who nodded at her. "Nineteen ma'am, " Serenity opened her mouth to say more but quickly closed it, eyes cast downwards again. "Nineteen, just turned it! Wont be twenty for almost a whole year," the seller replied intent in getting this wench so hr could finally go home.

Tamina gave her another once over. "Six thousand."

Where Danning was kept he was able to look down on the area Tamina had vanished. He was tired, sitting and leaning against a railing as he studied the pair in silence.

Evidently ignoring his companion- she'd do what she wanted, Darius had no doubt- he tilted his head at Danning, then the slaver.

"I can give you four thousand now," he told the man. "The rest will have to come tomorrow."

The seller frowned.

"6500. Final offer. Been here two days. Just want her gone so i can go home," Serenity cast a curious look to the man that looked over at her and tilted her head. Frowning slightly at how... unsightly he was.

The seller rubbed his chin in thought.
"Four thousand now you say?" That was a guaranteed greater sell, even if the man never came back but...
"Four thousand now then, and I'll clean the slave up for you to collect tomorrow."
He wasn't about to let the slave go without full payment. He'd been burned too many times from it.

Danning seemed none the wiser, he knew common, but not Essyrni, so the language was lost on him. Not that it mattered anyway. His fate was a dismal one, and when Serenity caught his sight, he sighed and turned away. He felt wretched, and turned his blue eyes back to the seller and Darius, wondering what they were talking about, and what other illfated plans were in store for him.

He found it strange. He had always dreamnt of travel...
But now this? This made him realize how human he was, and just how large the world really was. Even still, he was not broken yet, and took his eyes towards the skies, where he studied the strange birds in flight. Although one kind seemed common-
Seems pigeons were everywhere.

"Very well." Darius narrowed his eyes slightly as he handed over the purse. "But I expect a full return of my money if he's not here tomorrow."

He cast the slave another glance, for the first time meeting his eyes for longer than a moment. A flash of pity, mixed with an attempt at a reassuring expression crossed his face, then it was gone.

Across the way, Tamina nodded sharply. "Done. Here's your money."

"Pleasure doing business with you," the seller said, voice turning oily and silky smooth, he drew the veils over Serenity again before grabbing a roll of parchment. A signature with a bit of ink which he turned over to Tamina to sign. "She's officially yours," he smiled and nudged the girl forward.

It was all the info they had on her. Or at least all the info they wanted people knowing. Serenity gave the woman a gentle little smile before bowing forward, a little relieved she didnt seem violent or angry. Serenitys main concern was being hurt. She was never really fond of violence. "Where would you like me, Mistress?" She spoke softly, eyes downcast, looking at her delicately slippered feet.

Tamina signed the paper quickly, then crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the girl.

Nineteen. A little old to still be a virgin, at least in Essyrn. "You've really never been touched, huh?" she mused- not accusing, more taking stock.

She beckoned her forward, away from the slaver. "Just stick close to me for now. What's your name, kid?"

The seller gave Darius a greasy smile.
"A pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to you returning tomorrow for your foreign slave. Now you can boast you're the only brothel with such stock. He looks hardy enough and is a thorough bred Connlaoth! A rare find so far south! You won't be disappointed. I'll clean him and soak him in fine oils, I recommend do to the nature of his pale skin, that you treat his skin the same, less it begins to peel and look unappetizing. If you wish to keep him pale, keep him out of the sun. Northern stock gets quite ill, and water him frequently, both his body and for a drink. And if he starts to smell, use more oils on him and bathe him extra, males up north are known to be quite sweaty creatures."

Serenity nodded, "I have a sister. Out master used her with the intention of selling me, worth more, he said." A little nod, stating facts. As Tamina told her to Serenity stayed close, head down, movement like a graceful swan. The jewels and shiny bits sewn to her outfits jingled and she tilted her head, "I am called Serenity." And she smiled again, looking up at the deal going on ahead.

A foreigner. Far more foreign than she.

"Hmm." Tamina put a hand on the girl's shoulder and steered her closer to her side as she approached Darius again.

Just in time to hear him saying, "Very well. I'll be back tomorrow- make sure he's treated well until then."

She gritted her teeth and grabbed his elbow, hissing in his ear, "I can't believe you. How much money did you waste on your charity case?"

He gave her a cool look and pulled his arm away. "It's not a waste, and it comes from my own pocket, not the shop's." His eyes flicked to Serenity and his expression softened. "Hello, love. I take it my assistant hasn't really explained to you what's going on, has she?"

Explained what was going on, why would she beed to do that?

"I've been sold with the intention of auctioning off my virginity," Serenity tilted her head, eyes on his lips - eye contact was rude - and then tilted her head, "but beyond that no. But Ive been sold and am noe yours so I will live to make you happy." She paused and turned to the woman that bought her with hesitation before giving the foreign man a brief glance.

"I speak common, if you need it of me," she smiled at them again and once more ducked her head down.

Seeing how the buyer lingered, the seller cleared his throat and moved to excuse himself. He had work to do. And soon Danning was jerked along like a dog, and disappeared with the seller into his tent, where only the men's feet could be seen.

"A translator, eh?" Darius perked up, seeming to only focus on that one piece of what the girl had said. "I speak a bit of Common myself, but if you're more fluent than I it will be quite useful."

He glanced around, then beckoned for the two women to follow him. "Come. The stink of this place is making me nauseous. We can talk back at the shop."

"It was my first language, Sir." Of course she took notice he didnt say anything about her previous words but she kept her gaze low, watching the tent the blue eyed man went behind and tilted her head ever so slightly. Serenity, ever obedient, stepped behind Tamina, with the intention of following.

Another glance at the tent and she ducked her head again. Talking back at the shop. Serenity had never been fond of talking.

Arriving at The Stray Cat didn't take long at all, but Darius ushered his companions around through the back instead of using the main entrance. It was a faster route to his office, which he gestured for Serenity to enter and take a seat.

"Mina, would you head out to the front desk and take stock of things? Oh, and thank Lilia for me for looking out for the place while we were gone."

Tamina nodded at him, slipping the papers that were the proof of her purchase in the slave markets onto his desk as he sat behind it. "Sure. Oh, and I'll set up a room for the new girl." She turned to leave, laying a hand on Serenity's shoulder and offering her a very small approximation of a smile.

"Welcome home, sweetheart."

Serenity followed quietly, silently slipping into the offered seat before she watched curiously, turning her head slightly and looking at Tamina with a tilt to her head. "Thank you, ma'am," her voice was soft and she turned back to the man.

"Do you wish to inspect me?" She questioned, like perhaps he'd like to shak her hand. "I've only have the best training, Sir, i can assure you that I'm untouched simply because my Master had two of us. I do not bite."

Darius quirked an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary, I believe you." He propped his elbows on his desk and rested his chin in his hands. "Actually, I would like to simply talk to you, if that's alright. You see, I run things here a little differently than you may be used to-"

A sudden barking cut him off and Tamina's voice called through the door, "Sorry, I forgot we kept them in all day!"

Before he could reply, two large jackals, one more gold in color than the other, came bounding into his office and nearly leaped over the desk in their effort to reach their master.

"Oof!" Darius had one canine on his lap and the other nudging and pawing at his legs before he could blink. "Oi, down boys- I'm very sorry about this, they're a little excitable," he apologized sheepishly to Serenity. "Now, if we- Ifrit, sit!"

The golden jackal whined and plopped his butt onto the ground, which effectively prevented him from climbing onto the girl's lap as he'd been attempting to do.

Serenity froze. Lilac eyes wide while she stared at the beasts. The one that had been trying to climb on her was met with little residtance. These were the masters pets. Which meant she was their pets. Her eyes snapped to the master and then down to.. Ifrit.

A pause and she chewed on her lip, "I have harem training," anothet gance at Ifrit and her fingers itched to pet, " I cant read or write, but... I'll make you happy you bought me, Master, excuse my forwardness, but i noticed the blue eyed man. I imagine he speaks common so... I could help you with him as well, you purchased him, yes?"

"Yes, I imagine he does. A translator would be quite helpful." Darius's eyes crinkled at he corners as he fought a smile and he added kindly, "They're quite friendly, you can pet him if you like." Ifrit's tail thumped against the floor in encouragement at the word "pet".

Sin had curled up on his lap, too big to really fit so he was nearly falling off, but his tail still wagged and he was panting happily.

Darius leaned forward again over the desk, eyes kind. "Listen, Serenity, was it? There is plenty of work here around the shop. If you'd like to entertain customers I certainly won't be upset about it, but if you'd prefer to do something else we can work that out."

He nodded to the door. "Tamina started work here as a prostitute, but we found that her skills are better suited for helping me run the business, so that's what she does." Well, she took a customer occasionally, but he got the distinct feeling that was more to work out her own tensions than anything else. "Do you understand?"

Serenity's fingers pushed through fur when she was given passive permission and she smiled down at Ifrit and his happy puppy tail. Listening she glanced at Darius and caught his eye for a moment before she looked down at his desk, fingers working around Ifrits ears.

Did she understand?

A choice?

"I was trained to please my Master," she glanced at him for a moment, "I would like to do that." Was it a trick question? Her hand retracted back to her lap and she took soft breaths. "I dont know how to do anything else," a tilt of her head.

Hmm. He got the feeling she was too well trained to really understand the choice in front of her.

Oh well. Perhaps some time in the Stray Cat would help open her mind a bit. And he certainly wouldn't object to the added revenue.

"Very well." He smiled and nodded at her. "If that's what you'd like. Now, I'll give you a day or two to adjust to life here before I ask you to start taking customers. Your pay will be...hm... Considering your- well, ah, condition of purity, shall we say, we'll see how much money we can get for your first time. If that is enough to pay the cost of what Tamina spent to buy you, then from that point on half of each customer's pay will go to you. If not, you'll work to pay it off, then half the pay will go to you."

He tilted his head at her. "Understood?"

"No," she answered honestly, tilting her head frowning slightly before trying to smile. Did she do wrong? What was she supposed to do with pay? Serenity cleared her throat, "but i'll try to learn." She tacked on, looking back at Ifrit and dragging her fingers through his fur again. A little bite of her lip and she looked up again briefly, "may i rest now, master?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Of course, I'm sure you're exhausted." His hand gestured toward the door. "Mina will show you to a room. I have some work to get done here. I'll have to be out early in the morning tomorrow, so if you have any questions ask Mina or one of my other employees."

He looked down at the paperwork on his desk, then added belatedly, "Oh, and don't be worried if Ifrit follows you. He'll grow bored after a day or so."

Serenity gave a little nod.

So far she decided Ifrit was the best person she'd met. Her fingers scritched at him again and she stood up, graceful as ever. "Grow bored?" She questioned softly, mostly repeating it and being surprised at how disappointed it made her feel.

A brief bow to Darius and she exited out the door seeking the familiar woman to show her where to rest. She was much more tired than she realized.

Bathing was a blessing through Hell. Tossed into a pit, waters tossed over him and heavy brushes taken to his skin. This new pain had him singing, wearing his voice out raw. Then waters came again, a subtle relief but once the chill washed away, the heat returned.

His skin was on fire, cracking and bleeding in places unreal. But he at least felt relief enough in being clean.
Tied back in a slavers stall, he watched the sun set in quiet. It seemed the sunset was beautiful everywhere. He scratched at his beard with a wince. He was never fond of facial hair, an itchy inconvenience of men.

When his sellercame back, the priest simply stared at him, trying to figure out his language through his mannerisms. All he got from it was the man was pleased and Danning given a hard roll and bowl of water for dinner.he ate it greedily before finding himself drifting off to sleep with the coming of night.

He awoke to a woman's cry, but as He tried to twist around from where he was bond, he managed to trip over himself, instead. From where he was on his knees he could see his seller and a woman bickering, and when the woman turned his way he saw her orange eyes.

Tamina caught te girl's arm quickly and tugged her along up a flight of stairs, chattering briskly. "You'll be staying with Adaara and maybe Serryn, if I can't find him another place to sleep. Through this door here."

She stopped and gestured. "If you need anything, my room is on the first floor, next to Darius's. Sleep well." She gave her a rather forced smile and patted Ifrit'a head before turning to leave.

In his office, Darius felt his eyes drooping and had to shake himself to stay awake. Honestly, his mind was still in the man at the markets. He'd be back in the morning for him, but even a few hours in the salve markets could be deadly.

Gods. The foreigner didn't stand a chance.

He couldn't tell what time of day it was, but it was dark.

"You sold this pig for how much?!"

"Nearly twice as much as your offer, Lady Kahalla. You know how business is."

She grit her teeth. "I know very well how it is." She looked towards Danning. "I hadn't considered youd get another offer.." She looked the priest over. "Who was it that bought him?"

"Darius Faharn."

The woman's eyes darkened.

"Darius?" And she said not another word, leading her entourage straight to the man's brothel and the group filtered right into his office.

"Oh good, you're here," the Orange eyed woman went on, pushing back her sleeves. "We need to talk."

Darius blinked and suddenly shot to his feet. Sin was off his lap, hackles raised as he growled at the intruders. He put a hand on the jackal's shoulders and rubbed gently, murmuring, "Easy boy."

He cocked a hip to lean against his desk and offered a charming smile. "Why, Lady Kahalla, to what do I owe the pleasure? It's past usual business hours for a lady such as yourself- and I'm afraid Rose hasn't been feeling well, I gave her the week off."

He smirked at her little entourage. "Of course, if you're here to treat your employees, I'm sure we can work something out."

"Oh, that's hardly why I'm here and you should know it." Her hand went to her hip. "You were at the market today and made a few purchases."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I did. What of it?"

Sin was still growling, low and quiet, and his fingers tightened in his fur.

"There was a man slave, a foreign man slave I spoke coin for. But when I returned for him, I find that you had bought him for near double!"

"Ah." Darius spread his hands with an innocent smile. "I'm afraid I was not told he was spoken for. And as you say, I've already paid. I'm not sure what you'd like me to do."

His expression was perfectly harmless, but there was a subtle change in the air around him as he straightened up slightly, an aura of unmistakable warning, a predator on guard.

"I am not here to cast blame, Darius Farahne. I'm here to strike a deal, with the very newly purchased male slave with blue eyes."

"I see." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And what deal would that be, milady?"

"To make you an offer on the new slave, of course," she went on, smiling prettily, but growing tired of these games. "I didn't think much of the slave at first, but I've come to negotiate his value to you to see where we might be able to work out a price."

Darius gave her a broad smile, for a moment flashing the fangs he kept so often hidden. "I'm afraid that's not an option. I've purchased the man, he's mind. You'll just have to live with the disappointment."

Her smile faltered, but her orange eyes never once left his.
"Even if I offered double what you paid?"

"Even then." He shrugged. "Why are you so invested in some grubby foreigner anyhow?"

Her eyes became pointed.
"I could ask you the same question, but I'm not a nosy merchant as much as some would like to believe."

"Very well." Darius beamed at her and gestured to the door. "In that case, I trust you can show yourself out. Of course you are always welcome, milady, and if you'd like I could send you notice when Rose is feeling well again. Oh-"

His smile turned into more of an expression of bared teeth. "But I must ask that you never come barging into my office unannounced again, Lady Kahalla. It is certainly not becoming of someone of your standing- not to mention who knows what might happen to you if I thought you were some sort of intruder."

Her eyes cut into Darius as she frowned.
"I would have hoped you would recognize I am a merchant princess, and no such intruder." She regarded him a moment, then his dog, then gestured to her men. "I might come again. But not to see Rose." With a snap of her fingers, she turned from him and saw herself out.

Hm. He'd have to keep an eye on that one.

With a tired sigh, Darius slumped back into his chair. Sin whined and nosed his hand, licking at his fingertips. He patted the jackal's head. "It's alright, boy. Just need some rest..."

Rest he just wasn't going to get. By the time he'd finished the paperwork he'd been putting off, dawn was breaking and Sin had curled up on his feet, fast asleep.

With a huff, Darius gathered a coin purse and slipped out of the back door of the brothel, leaving a not for Tamina telling her to mind the shop while he made his way to the slave markets to pick up his purchase.

Danning had barely fallen back to sleep when a jerk on his chains forced him onto his feet.
"Your new owner is here. Show some respect and get on your feet."

He loved the position of his booth for he could see potential buyers coming long before they could see him. He scooped a fresh cup of water and dumped it into Danning's bowl, before moving away from the stalls to greet Lord Faharn.

"Ah, a lovely day for business, wouldn't you agree?"

Oi. This slimy bastard. It was far too early to be dealing with this.

Darius smiled and shook the man's hand. "Yes, I believe I would. I trust everything we discussed is in order?"

The man was all smiles.
"We cleaned him up well for you, have a look," and he stepped back, gesturing towards Danning who remained standing, and quite evidently weary, in his stall.

It took a lot of his self control not to go over and offer the poor man a shoulder to lean on. "Yes. Excellent, thank you."

He grinned and passed over the coin purse. "There you are, as promised. Now, I believe I'll take my purchase and be on my way."

The man greedily weighed the pouch in his palm, and moved to unlock the chains on the man's wrists, replacing them with thick rope, which he then handed over to Darius.

"Here, I hope you are happy with your purchase. We hope to get more in stock from his lands within the months." And he bowed to the other man before stepping away, and into his little make shift office where he couldn't wait to count out his gold.

"Yes, yes, wonderful." As soon as the man was out of sight, Darius dropped his smile and frowned at the rope in his hand.

In slow, heavily accented Common, he told Danning quietly, "I'm afraid I need to keep this on you until we get back to my residence, but it won't be too much longer."

Danning had been clumsily following behind his new master. He wasn't used to walking around without shoes, nor was he used to wearing so little. But there was a hardiness to him, something evidently bred to those of the North. So he was able to keep up as they walked, but when his master to be began to talk in common, he tripped over his own two feet and stared at him with wide eyes.

"You.. you speak common?"
It was the first time he had spoken to any person here that he truly believed could understand him, and the hope in his eyes was more than evident; as was the natural peace his disposition brought about. There was no evidence this man was a fighter-f or he had no real hard muscles to prove just that. And his skin looked too soft.... and his demeanor.. almost child like in innocence.

Darius smiled at the man, trying to look reassuring. "Yes. A little. There is someone back home, a girl. She speaks more. She can translate if you need her."

This sudden change, this new way to actually communicate relit the priest's hope as he stumbled along. He had somuch he wished to ask, but kept his questions guarded. He still needed to see where he was going, and why.

It didn't take long to get to the Stray Cat, and once again Darius ushered his companion through the back door.

For the second time in as many days, he found himself gesturing for a slave to sit opposite him at the desk. "Here. I assume they didn't really feed you, would you like something to eat? Water?"

It took a grand amount of bravery for her to listen for the new arrival and even more to the office she'd sat at yesterday. Even more still to poke her head through the door way and step into the room. As always, Serenity was picture perfect, not a hair was out of place and every wrinkle and fold in her clothing was intentional. If it could be called clothing. It covered barely anything and if a breeze blew by she'd be bare to all - not that she cared.

Under the impression that she was going to help talk to the new man, the foreigner, she remained by the door, head down, quiet as a mouse, occasionally stealing glances to her newest master and her fellow slave.

The unique scents of the Stray Cat weren't lost to him, nor were the carefully polished bead curtains they passed through. The lighting was even strange, keeping things dim despite the time of day, and when he was gestured to sit,he moved to obey, but sitting like a normal man in a normal chair was a lot more difficult and painful than he'd realize,a nd he released long breaths of wheezes as he sat and tried to get comfortable.

At the mention of food, he trembled a little, until his eyes moved over the form of someone new and he found himself staring at a woman with barely a thing on. Instantly his cheeks heated to pink and he turned away, towards - who he could only suppose, was his new master, and then began to see past him to....

He instantly dropped his gaze. He might have been a man of Faith, but he knew well enough the implications of a whore house.

A whore house. Had he just been sold into a place of prostitution?

"Ah, Serenity!" Darius beamed and beckoned her over. "Come on, don't be shy. This is Serenity, our sort-of-translator. Serenity, this is-"

He stopped himself short, then suddenly laughed and looked at Danning with a smile. "Forgive me, I've completely forgotten to ask your name."

There was a scratching at the door, then suddenly Ifrit came charging through to bound to his master's side, then circle Serenity's legs happily, tongue lolling. Darius rolled his eyes at the jackal.

Serenity movrd closer, silent steps before she was standing next to Danning. "It helps if you pick a new name," she said simply in common, trying to smile, "this Master seems nice, you should feel lucky to have such a kind Master," and then Ifrit was there and she smiled at the beast, crouching slightly to pet the top of his head before smiling kindly at Danning again.

The fan fare within this new environment was a bit too much for the priest to take in. He felt dizzy and a bit jarred, and it took him a few times to gather his wits about him before speaking.

"I... So... I've been sold... to you?" he asked, voice still raspy, and it was evident each word spoken brought him pain. But his eyes were clear as he looked at Darius, still not certain what he ought to make of this entire situation.

Master? Slave? Ansgar's name....
He'd never thought he'd find himself all the way in these lands, and in such a state!

He still wasn't here sure where here really was..
He could only presume Essyrn.

"Yes." Darius gave him a rather sympathetic look.  "Yes, I'm afraid that's the situation." He patted Ifrit's head absently as the animal sat between him and Serenity, nosing at them both anytime the petting started to die down.

"Let me try to explain." He rested his chin on his hand. "My name is Darius Farahn. I own and manage this establishment, and yes, I bought you. But this may not be what you think. Your skills will decide how you work in this shop, I won't force anything from you."

A chilled, rippling curdled down his veins and settled into his belly, tying it into a knot. This was not what he thought? How couldhe know what he was even thinking? He wasn't from these lands!

"So I'm your slave..."
He cringed the moment the words left his tongue, and there was a sort of hurt looking expression consuming his face. He shook his head, then buried his face into his hands.

"By Ansgar's name..." he muttered to himself. How could this be?

Raking his hand through his dark rooted, but still bright blonde hair, he released a long heated breath and raised his head.

"Is there no option for me to appeal this? This... being your slave? I'm not even from here, I don't even know where here is!" he went on, voice straining as it was evident it was hard for him to keep it all together. Blue eyes wavered with tears as he went on, "I am a man of God! A preacher and student who only belongs to the God, Ansgar!"
His voice began to rise up a bit harsher and more desperate sounding than he wanted to-
But he felt like some cornered animal- and he was not about to simply roll over and concede.

Oh dear.

Darius sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, biting at his lower lip as he watched the man break down.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Truly I am. But this...this is how things are. I've lived in Essyrn long enough to know there is no appeal court for slaves- they won't care that you're a foreigner, as far as this city is concerned you're property."

He tried for a bit of a smile. "It could be worse, you know. I'm hardly a saint, but I treat my people well."

He tilted his head and got slowly to his feet, not wanting to startle the man as he crossed to stand in front of him. He knelt to be closer to his level. "Would you tell me your name...Father?"

His common was a little rusty, and it took him a moment to come up with a title that might be appropriate to address a priest.

Serenity stared between them for a moment. Having been such a young age since she was taken from Serendipity she blinked wide lilac eyes and the word 'father' crossed her path and she gasped audibly. "Master," she looked at Darius, "hes your sire?"

Then she frowned, "why dont you know his name?"

"Um, no." Darius chuckled and gave the girl an almost charmed look. He slipped into Essyrni as he tried to explain. "I was trying to- do northerners have any specific title to address a priest?"

It was too much for him to take in. He was trapped, no better than the hull he was confined to when dragged here. And when his master approached him, standing and trying to be at his level, Danning tried to do the same, when suddenly he grew light headed and swooned.

"Oh-" Darius bit back a curse and swooped in to catch the man under his arms, trying to lower him gently back to te chair. "Easy, easy," he murmured.

His eyes flicked to Serenity. "Could you get some water? And Tamina, if you see her."

His attention turned back to the priest. "Here, can you look at me? How's your head feel?"

Serenity stared at him, wide-eyed.

Quickly enough she rushed away, calling for Tamina and pressed a hand to Taminas back when she spotted the woman. "The foreign one has fallen ill," she said, holding out the cup of water for Tamina to take into the room.

Still reeling, Danning groaned and allowed himself to be guided back to his chair. A hand went to his head, to keep the world from spinning but even then, it was hard to digest his fate.

"Darius? The new girl said you needed me..."

Tamina trailed off when she saw her employer crouch beside the foreigner. He really did look sick. She passed the water over without a word and Darius pressed it into Danning's hand.

"Drink," he urged quietly. "It'll help."

He needed a drink so bad he did just that, downing it all, but not without a few chokes along the way. But the water felt good, and grounded him enough to peer back at the people around him with hazy vision.

"F...Father," he went on, licking his lips. "Father Danning Bengin Gates, is what they call me. My full name.." he was panting some after his drink. "And title."

Tamina, who had a rudimentary understanding of Common at best, cast Darius a confused look. He mouthed "more water" at her and she nodded, slipping away.

"Hello, Father Gates." Darius smiled and sat back when it seemed the man could support himself. "Welcome to the Stray Cat."

Even though thoroughly exhausted, the priest couldn't help but frown at his welcoming. This was not how his life was to be. This was not the path he studied for, gave his life for....

He shook his head, closing his eyes and just trying to stay calm.

"The Stray Cat?"

The name made him frown as he looked from Darius then over to Serenity. Again, he saw right through her attire and looked down, shame faced. And he was shaking his head again.

"This isn't right. It can't  be. It mustn't." And his blue eyes opened to look over at Darius.

"I was born free... all men were born free, deserving the rights of any and all other men!"

"That's a nice sentiment, Father," Darius sighed, leaning back against his desk. "But I'm afraid the reality is very different." He shrugged. "I believe you- you don't need to preach to me. But the fact is, this is the way the world works. You can either fight the tide and die young, or learn to make the current work for you."

"Are you giving me the option?" he asked, eye hardening at the very idea behind it all.

Darius spread his hands. "Sure. I won't keep you here, you can walk out that door any time you like." His eyebrow quirked up. "But the people out there will break you, Father. You're best chance is here with us."

Serenitt stepped forward from her place at the door, standing beside the Father so close thay her arm brushed. Sounded weird. She wrinkled her nose at the title. "He isn't lying, Danning," her voice was soft, "I was lucky to never experience it but I know there are far more cruel Masters. The people here seem content, there isnt much more I could have hoped for." She placed her hand on the priests shoulder.

"I am Serenity. I was purchased only yesterday and I hope that you and I could grow to be friends," she smiled again , leaning closer, clearly having no idea how personal space worked.

It was hard to gauge if this were some sort of a trick, but he sighed after realizing his fight did not belong here. None of these people were hurting him or forcing him into anything...
Except...
He frowned at the idea. Accepting slavery.

It didn't matter how it was angled, he just had a hard time swallowing it. He took a moment, drawing in a long breath before releasing it. But then he felt a touch at his side and his eyes moved to the new woman, curiously. Although her attire still made him quite uncomfortable, he was aware enough to avoid it. Instead, he looked into her eyes.

"I have no doubt any of your words," he spoke, not just to Serenity, but to Darius and the others listening as well. "But I wasn't born, or raised to accept such ideals..."

It was then he spied Tamina and recalled her from the other day.

"Food and water... I suppose to rest more and have real food and clean water to drink might help me take all of this new information in. If you'd please," and he bowed his head humble, and low.

Darius smiled at Serenity, grateful she seemed to have taken it upon herself to act as ambassador, while Tamina just rolled her eyes.

"I suppose that's my cue," she said, stepping forward. "Serenity, stay with us so you can translate. Tell him I'm going to take him to get some good, then show him where he can sleep."

Serenity nodded.

"She said she's going to get you some food and then take you somewhere to sleep," Serenity ran her hand up and down his arm and looked back at the pair. Slavery wasnt that scary was it? Serenity held out her hand and tried to smile, "I dont remember the north but I'll try to help you adjust."

It wasn't until she mentioned the North as a location did he realize she was also a foreigner as well. He had kept his eyes from her so as not to give her reason for shame, but his eyes did meet with her's. She seemed a sweet thing, a bit quiet and withdrawn, but at least she was another person here to identify with that was not hostile.

"Thank you," he told her, his smile turning warm. "Do you know where you're from?"

An odd question.

"Serendipity," she supplied, voice soft and thoughtful then she frowned, "Darken Vei maybe. It was north. I was very young, " she smiled at Danning again, eyes warm. "But that was a lifetime ago. I'm here now, and its my job to please my Master," she turned back to smile at Darius, pleased that she could claim such a thing.

"You could learn a place too," she tilted her head, giving Dannings arm a squeeze, "its not all terrible."

Serendipity. He could have easily guessed that by her looks.
"I'm afraid my only position in the world is to preach the word of Ansgar's and the priests before me. And I doubt there'd be such a position here," he went on, affording her a tired smile.

Evidently tired of not understanding the conversation, Tamina gave a brusque, "Let's go," and beckoned for the two to follow her.

Darius settled himself back at his desk and gave the priest an apologetic sort of smile. "She's not as scary as she seems, promise."

Serenity smiled at Danning, cupping his cheek in one hand and pushing his hair from his face with the other. "We'll find you a new one," Serenity tilted her head, thumb stroking his cheek and smiling, "and while you're here you'll be a different you. To be safe. And maybe one day you can be the you from the north." Serenity looked up at Tamina for a moment and nodded.

Pulling away, she smoothed her 'clothing', frowning and adjusting her top and in the process gave everyone in the room a free show of her breasts. Pushing her hair over shoulder she curled her arm around Dannings and smiled. "I'll help you, if they ask it of me."

Danning had no idea how to deal with such a suggestion, but he simply shook his head. No, he'd have no other job, no other purpose before his God...
But he had to wonder, why did this woman feel her purpose was here? Did she really believe this was the path her life fated her to? He could not believe it for an instant. No one was destined a life without freedom.

He stumbled along behind the women, his legs still feeling quite strange- not to mention a natural reaction to the showy-ness of his translator. But such primal instincts were easily cast aside, and tiredly, he followed the two women to who knew where.

"Here." Tamina led them through the winding back rooms and halls of the Stray Cat. This early in the day, the brothel was fairly quiet. Ifirit trotted along behind them, sticking close to Serenity's side.

"In this room." She opened a door that led to one of the smaller rooms and beckoned Danning through. "Serenity, do you remember where the kitchen is? See if you can scrounge up some stew or something, anything that will be easy on a northern stomach."

There was a small smile and a nod. She gave Danning a squeeze on the shoulder and Ifrit a pat on the head before heading to the kitchen. Having been denied nothing she helped herself to the food, without worry and filled a bowl with stew - before the spices were added - and found a peice of left over bread. It was a few minutes before she returned and it was with a hesitant smile, stew and bread in hand.

"I didnt add any spices," she said simply, a little smile on her face, "should eat slowly though, too much on an empty stomach could make you sick."

Following along in silence, Danning's eyes strayed towards the dog that followed them. A curious creature. It was actually happy here int his environment- and normally animals were not ones to hide their emotions. It was at least a good sign and he smiled towards the dog before he heard some sort of direction given by Tamina. He nodded to her, and knew enough what she wanted from her pointing and bowed his head to her before passing through.

His blue eyes searched the room. It was dimly lit, but it didn't need much lighting. He could see just fine, thoughthere was not much to see. Turning back to Tamina, he gave her a smile and it looked as if he might say something, but then Serenity appeared, and Danning turned away.
It wasn't polite to stare.

When the food was offered he looked over, bowed his head to the girl and said, "Thank you." He helped her set the things on a nearby table before he took a seat and gestured to them both, "Are either of you hungry.. err.. would like something to eat?"

He did not know how to ask Tamina directly, but he did his best with a pantomime but after a moment, he sighed sheepishly and dropped his hands. she probably thought he was crazy.

Tamina found herself laughing- not the harsh, bitter bark that was common of her, more of a gentle chuckle.

In incredibly slow, heavily accented common, she shook her head at the priest and said. "No. You...eat. Food...for you only." She cast a half glance at Serenity as though checking to make sure she hadn't inadvertently said something offensive.

Ifrit pranced around the younger's girl's legs happily, then bounded over and shoved his head against Danning's leg.

Tamina rolled her eyes and said to Serenity in Essyrni, "Could you tell him to just shove the damn dog away when he gets annoying? He's not gonna bite or anything."

"Ah." He gave a sheepish smile and bowed his head. "Thank you." And he moved over the food, bowed his head low and prayed.

Serenity smiled pleasantly at the pair again, moving over to Ifrit and kneeling beside him. She'd notice his inability to look at her and she frowned down at herself. She was used to people looking and the clear avoidance was making her worried. She adjusted the top again and fan her fingers through the jackals fur, looking up at Danning from the ground.

"She says to push him away when he begins to annoy you," she turned to the animal, "his name is Ifrit," she supplied before looking back at the man. The Stray Cat felt more homey. Before she was one of many girls. A unique one in the sense she lived in the harem and was to remain ... unsoiled by a mans lusts.

Now she was here and she'd been petting a puppy almost all day and she smiled brightly. "Danning," she said simply, looking at him before she stood up, "do i repulse you? If you'd like I could stay away and simply translate from beside the Master and the Mistress." The idea that her state of dress and how much flesh showed was the cause of him heing flustered was clearly beyond her comprehension.

Danning smiled at the comment about the dog.
"I'll take note of that." But at her latter inquiry, he frowned.
"Why would I be repulsed?" he honestly had no idea how she could have believed that one. She had been nothing but helpful in his short time here, and he smiled again to see the dog growing so fond of heel
"They say animals can sense the truths in people. And all I can see is a rare gem among the desert dusts."

Sensing he was being talked about- and hearing his name- Ifrit barked happily and bounded around the two new slaves' feet, tail wagging.

Tamina, on the other hand, was getting rather tired of not being able to quite tell what everyone was saying. Her common was rudimentary at best, and they were talking too fast for her to follow.

"Alright. Well." She gave Serenity a look. "Tell him I'm leaving. I'm not going to lock the door or anything, but for his own safety he should probably just stay in here."

Serenity gave an apologetic look to Tamina, giving a little hesitant nod and smiled. She wasnt in trouble. Even though her skin prickled and she was getting ready to endure being yelled at. It had been a fear of hers, with a new master.

"Mistress Tamina is going leave us," Serenity translated, "she said the door isnt locked but for your own safety you should stay in here," she drew an imaginary picture on top of the table, leaning forward slightly, silvery hair curtaining  over her shoulder.

"You quickly look away from me," she continued from before, but still she smiled, remembering his compliments, "my sister and i were raised with a kindness," kindness her sister seemed to have forgotten, "I didnt expect to end up in a brothel, but perhaps a kind rich man will buy me from the Master and I could be his wife. And his other wives wouldnt mind so much because i am kind," She had a dreamy little smile, looking off into the distance, "do you sew? Or cook? I doubt youre trained to please a man."

Danning cast a look to Tamina when he was informed she was to part. He frowned a little, but Serenity quickly drew his attention back to her. And at her question, he studied her face most seriously.

"It is not you, my lady, that makes me uneasy. But the way you dress. Where I'm from... such attire is considered unlady like and not something fit to be worn in public." Aside from the fact it was too windy and cold for such a style. Either way, his cheeks burned at the notion, as did his ears.

But as she went on about the other things, he smiled more easily.
"Kindness is a rare gem taught and learned but not always kept." He took her hand and gave a gentle pat to the top of it. "Keep that kindness in mind throughout all of your life. It is one of the greatest gifts you could have been taught."

But as she asked him about his skills, he gave a sheepish small in return.
"I can cook and sew, very well actually. And some say I can sing well too. But my true skills lie in my prayers, in what I teach through my sermons to those willing to listen."

The way she dressed? Serenity frowned slightly and looked down at herself. The bits were covered. She cupped her breasts and adjusted her top again, frowning when it did little besides have the fabric more. "Its hot here," she stated, "I was raised in a harem," she smiled, "usually i dont even cover my top." Serenity couldn't imgine his face if she had been completely topless.

To her there was nothing embarassing about her body. If she was allowed to go nude she'd probably do that in a heartbeat.  His hand on hers caught her off guard and she smiled at him with wide oddly innocent eyes, a tilt of her head and she smiled and nodded, fond of how she acted now.

"Prayer?" She questioned, she'd done that a few times but not being a wife - or even used - made it not mandatory for her to join her previous master in his prayers. "I imagine sewing and cooking would be more important," she shifted again and stood up, adjusting the loin cloth and resting her hands at her hips, "do you wish to rest?" She questioned, smiling, "he never used me but when my sister was sick sometimes my master would sleep on my lap. You could do thay if you like."

Danning gave her a soft smile. The more time he spent with her, the more he saw her like a child.
"No, but thank you for the offer. I think I'll take the time to eat the food you so graciously brought for me." And he bowed his head towards her in thanks. A prayer was said over the food, and he moved to enjoy the meal. And enjoy it he did. He didn't realize just how hungry he was and it was gone before he knew it.

He smiled up from the food and bowed his head again towards Serenity.
"The food was very good. To whom.. ah, would I send my compliments to?"

Serenity shrugged.

"The kitchen help? Im new here myself and dont know anyone besides the Master and the Mistress," another brief smile and she looked around, "and you, Danning." Serenity looked down, shifting her weird and plucking at the fabric of her clothing.

He seemed nice. A little odd, but nice, "have you ever been with anyone? Perhaps they could auction off your virginity, too!" He'd said he was religious, the northern ones generally didnt touch or anything. It seemed like a splended idea, at least to her, as was evidence of the bright excited look on her face.

And such a suggestion had him choking on his food, sending him into a violent coughing fit and his face quickly turning blue as he clutched at his throat for air.

Oh no.

Serenity would be sold for sure if this one died.

Um.

"Don't died!" She cried, hands out, like telling him to wait would fix the problem. Serenity moved quickly, "Master!" She cried, voice loud and carrying, "Master, Danning is dying!" She raced back to Darius office, no doubt her outfit askew and looking worried and flushed.

Darius suddenly jerked his attention from Tamina- who was sprawled over his desk lazily, her fingers trailing up and down his arm. The woman rolled her eyes.

"That girl is skittish as a sparrow, I swear," she muttered as she heard Serenity's shouting.

Darius frowned at her and got to his feet. "Easy, child, easy. What's wrong? Show me."

"He's dying!" Serenity whined, realizing she'd interrupted too late but the matter too urgent to apologize for. "I said maybe we could sell his virginity too and he started to make an awful noise and hold his neck and now he's turning purple!"

"Sweet gods above." Darius dragged a hand down his face, torn between trying not to laugh and an exasperated groan.

Tamina had no such struggle. She burst into guffaws, doubling over and clutching her stomach. "Oh gods and demons I wish I'd been there to see that!" she chortled. Still giggling, she waved to Darius and Serenity and sauntered toward the door. "I'll check on him. Keep the girl here, just in case she shocks him into a heart attack."

Serenity gave Tamina helpless look, reaching out a hand as if to grab her before she let it fall back to her side. Head down, she gave Darius a woeful look and simply stood there with her head down. "I didn't mean to," Tears welled in her eyes and she pressed a hand to her face. She felt awful. Danning could suffocate and it would be all her fault. Serenity didn't sit, but she crouched in the doorway, hands over her face and cried. Though, there were a multitude of reasons to cry, almost letting her new foreign friend die was going to be the excuse should anyone ask.

And by the time Tamina made it to the room, Danning was more than a little purple, and was just about to fall over, being without air for too long making him faint.

"Sweet gods above." Tamina rolled her eyes and crossed to the priest, wrapping her arms around him from behind and squeezing to dislodge whatever he'd gotten stuck in his throat.

Darius was at a loss. He usually didn't hire people as young or vulnerable as Serenity- his employees were hardened, the Stray Cat a refuge for them. He hovered, then awkwardly patted her shoulder.

"Er. It's alright? No need to work yourself into a fit, I'm sure he's fine..."

And just as it seemed he was about to faint dead away from lack of air, the food shot out of his mouth, sailed across the room and knocked a candle over, splattering it's wax across the table and floor, and catching a small fire on a piece of loose tapestry, which began to smoke and make an unsavory smell.

Danning, still in Tamina's arms, was weakly breathing, too weak to really move as he slumped away, appearing to faint, almost, into the woman's arms.

"Ah, fuck." Tamina had to readjust her balance to prevent the man from cracking his head against the floor.

She was stronger than most women her size, and the priest wasn't exactly the bulkiest man in the world. She managed to cradle him awkwardly in one arm while she reached for the cup of water, tossing half of it at the smoking tapestry and splashing the rest on his face.

"Oi. Wake up."

Danning jerked awake, crying out in alarm as his arms flailed and his limbs suddenly clung to her in quite an awkward manner. And soon he was staring at her clean in the face, before he stammered, "Wh.. what happened I-" But he felt dizzy and kept his hold onto Tamina so he didn't out right fall to the floor.

"Easy, take a breath," Tamina said in Essyrni before she paused, rolled her eyes, and switched to stilted Common. "You...choking. Serenity got help. Okay now?"

Danning simply stared at her, the Essyrni lost on him, but her broken common was not. He gave a weakened smile and nodded.

"Th.. thank you. I, I owe you my life." And hesitantly, he attempted to take the weight off of his rescuer while still trying to get a hold on his spinning vision.

Tamina gave a noncommittal grunt and helped him sit up. "There. Try some water," she said slowly, pouring another cup from the pitcher.

He nodded and stuttered his thanks, taking the glass and began to cough on the first gulp, needing to turn away and pound a fist against his chest in attempts to calm his fit. But by then his face was still a purplish red, and his throat, still irritated and raw.

She had to swallow a chuckle- it really wasn't funny, it was just the ridiculousness of the situation. "Look, what...happened?" she asked, her head tilting to one side.

Finally he was able to get more of the water down, but he still coughed once or twice while doing it. He tried clearing his throat a few times, but before he took more to drink, he looked at her when she posed her question.

"What... happened?" he repeated, then realized what her broken common was and his eyes widened. "Oh! I.. well, I... embarassingly enough, inhaled some of my food and I-"

And that's when he realized he was speaking too fast and with too many words. Right. She wasn't Serenity. She knew little of common. He paused and tried to say it again, much more simply.

"My food.... I swallowed it bad."
He wasn't sure how else to say it, but he felt somewhat like a child needing to speak to her int his way. Still, he gave her a small smile for it, and a look of relief too to have spotted her own smile from earlier. He supposed the situation was a bit silly.

Tamina couldn't hold back the chuckles anymore and she shook her head at him, eyes glinting crimson. "Figured. Serenity...panicked. I meant...what happened- made you choke?"

At a loss of what else to do.

What if Danning died?!

What if Tamina couldn't save him!

Serenity shot up and she wrapped her arms around Darius's middle, tucking her cheek against his chest and tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry! I didn't know he was delicate! I won't go near him anymore. I don't want you to hate me because I killed your new slave," Serenity pulled back to look up at him before her face crumpled again and she pressed herself tighter against him.

"Oh... I.. Well, I was.. surprised," he went on, flailing to explain. How else could he simplify it?

Darius patted the girl's head awkwardly. "It's alright, I'm sure he's fine," he tried to assure her. "Why don't we go check on him?"

Tamina rolled her eyes and sat back. She might have made a sarcastic comment if she had a better grasp of his language, but she thought better of it.

"Okay now?" She got to her feet, trying to help him stand as well.

"I.." he moved along with her, testing his legs, but misstepped, somehow his foot finding the piece of food he had once choked upon and stumbled forward, arms flailing, grabbing and pulling Tamina with him- and as his back fell onto the bed, he was winded; and it didn't help he had the weight of Tamina upon him as he had taken her down with him!

Serenity nodded against Darius before turning and going back to Danning and Tamina. It was with a shcok she found them on the bed and she stoos in the door way, mouth open. "Danning?" Her voice was soft, "Tamina is Danning dead?" Her hand was over her chest, heart pounding. Why else would she be on him on the bed?

Tamina swore quietly in Essyrni as she found herself suddenly sprawled on top of the foreigner. "Here, just- hold on, let me-" She tried to roll off him to give him room to breathe, but Serenity's voice stopped her.

She rolled her eyes heavenward. "Gods give me the strength not to strangle this girl," she muttered.

Darius strolled up behind the girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smirking. "Look, see? He's fine, Mina's taking good care of him." He winked and Tamina made an obscene gesture in his direction.

Somehow Danning managed to sit up, hands moving to help Tamina to her own feet as he sat there now, red eared with embarrassment. He didn't know what everyone was saying, but the look Darius made towards them had his ears burning painfully hotter as he cast his eyes shamefully to the ground.

"I am sorry, please forgive me for my clumsiness," he told Tamina, head remaining lowered in shame.

Flustered- which was a rare occurrence for her- and rather discombobulated from constantly switching between Essyrni and her rough Common, Tamina snapped, "Fuck you."

It was meant for Darius, but she realized Danning's voice had drawn her attention and she was looking at him. "Oh- no, I didn't. No no you, fuck him." She gestured back and forth between the two men awkwardly, trying to cover her slip in Common but probably only making it worse.

Darius was laughing now, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest.

Danning was surprised, but as he watched the exchange, he afforded her a worried smile.
"It's alright," he told her, taking her hand and patting it lightly. But really...
To think of all the common she knew...
Fuck had to be one of the words!

Serenity found she liked the warmth of his arm.

There was a moment of mourning when he moved away, though she remained in the door way and watched curious. A moment and she gave a little nod and looked to Darius, smiling slightly before ducking her head back down.

Things seemed to be in order, so she gave a smile to Darius - unsure if she was seen - and did her best to slip away.

Darius frowned slightly as the girl moved away. Where was she off to?

He glanced at Tamina, who finally seemed to have righted herself and seemed to be in the process of making sure she hadn't broken any piece of the fragile northerner when she fell on him. "You have things in hand here?"

She nodded and he slipped off after Serenity.

"Sorry about him," Tamina told Danning gruffly. "Makes bad jokes."

Still a bit flustered, he nodded.
"It's alright." He turned to look at his food, still half eaten.
"I'll... try to finish this without.. choking," he went on, gesturing on what he meant to do and offering her a lopsided grin.

Tamina smirked. "Maybe I should...stay. Watch you. Make sure," she muttered. Her general expression didn't really lend itself to levity or kindness, but she tried to show him she was just gently teasing with a small flash of a smile.

Danning blushed. He got the picture. It was some relief that they were able to communicate in this way, even if very little.
"Thank you," he told her, his eyes gently twinkling. "But I'm not... uh, keeping you from your work?"
He'd hate to be a bigger burden, but he did enjoy the quiet and less distracting company.

She shook her head. "No. I am...babysitting, for now. Until you- comfortable?" That was the word, right?

She smirked a bit and leaned back against the wall, arms folded, and added, "I do not do what you think. Probably. Well, not all the time. Not a whore." She gave him a long, considering look. "Not always. Only when I...want to. Darius is good like that."

And just like that, Danning was coughing over his food again. Perhaps he should have been careful when he went to eat. This was a place he'd definitely need some time to get used to!

"Gods and demons." Tamina swore quietly in Essyrni and moved forward to pound him on the back soundly. "Breathe."

It was a lot easier for his choking fit to calm down than his last one, but still... it was no less of a scare! Gasping and trying to clear his throat, he groaned softly before shakin ghis head and taking a deep drink of water. He coughed a few more times, but turned to Tamina when he felt better.

"Thanks. You saved my life.." He gave her a crooked smile. "Again. I should call you my Angel. It seems you were sent here to protect me.... Or rather, to save me from myself."

"Angel?" She frowned slightly and leaned her hip against the table with a tilt of her head. "What is- I do not know this word."

Ah. He should have known that. His face brightened.
"A savior. One sent by the Gods."

Tamina blinked.

Then she laughed, throwing her head back and shoulders shaking with mirth. Oh gods, if he only knew...

She took a few breaths, wiped at her eyes, and said through chuckles, "That is...a nice thought. But I am thinking you are wrong."

Strangely though, she felt almost...guilty. Like she'd be disappointing him. Her hand reached out to touch his cheek lightly almost without her consent and she turned his head gently so she could better see his face. "You...are not bad, for a northerner," she decided softly.

Suddenly she sat on the edge of the table, perched like some kind of hunting cat. "Your gods. Tell me more."

He hadn't seen such enthusiasm to learn about Ansgarism in a long while. Her energy was refreshing and he smiled at her and set down his cup of water. He blushed, just a bit at her comments, but said nothing in reply, but went on to explain,
"I worship just one God. His name is Ansgar, and most in the North worship him also," he paused a moment to see if she was following.

"He was once mortal-like, like you and me," Danning went on, gesturing between them. "He could bleed, and he could die, but it was in his death that he returned to the realm of Gods. His death, you see, was just as important as his conquests- the things he did."

She frowned a bit as she listened to him, trying to understand. "He was...human, your god?" She shook her head slowly- not in denial, more out of confusion. "That is...strange. How would human become god?"

"Well... " he went on, giving her a smile at how much she seemed to understand. "He saved us, all of us of northern blood. And through his death, he took his place among the Gods, and became our God in the north."

"Hm." She tilted her head at him, almost birdlike. "That is...a nice story. Different from the ones here."

Absently, she poured another glass of water and pushed it toward him. "Sounds like your God cares about people. Nice thought."

"Yes, he does," he went on, expression growing grim. "I felt the calling, to learn from him and preach his word; and to use it to teach." His frown deepened, a sadness shone in his eyes. "Up North, my people are at war with themselves. So many are dieing, brother's killing brothers. I had been hoping to use my teachings and the knowledge of my God for the good of my people..." His voice trail off before he looked down at his cup of water, hesitating before adding, "But my efforts only got me here." The last part he added quietly. He wasn't even sure if she could understand all that.

Tamina frowned softly. She wasn't so good with...comfort. That was Darius's, or hell, even Serenity's forte, not hers.

But she gave it a whirl. Hesitantly, she laid her hand on his shoulder. "Here is...not so bad. Not perfect, but... No war. People die, people kill, but you...can be safe here."

"Thank you." Her efforts were truly appreciated but...
"I still need to go home." He wanted to,a nd his eyes shone that.

She sighed and slipped off the table, kneeling in front of him. "Danning. Father?" Her head tilted to the side again and she rested her hands on his knees. "Here is safe. Darius can do lots of things, but getting you home..."

She shook her head. "I am sorry."

He smiled at her and moved to place a hand on her shoulder.
"No need to apologize." It was a sweet gesture. "I can figure this out on my own."
It wasn't entirely their problem anyway but...
He felt lucky, and some relief. It seemed at least those that 'owned' him weren't so cruel as what he had come to expect. At that, it made him smile, even if it were a bit sadly. He knew he'dbe here for a good while, even if forever. But he'd keep his faith, and keep his prayer and always, always hope.

Tamina bit her lip as she watched his face. She could see some of his emotions- he was quite expressive.

A human empathy she hadn't felt in a long time, or at least had repressed when it surfaced, rose up in her chest. It really should be Darius here, or someone else, anyone else.

She didn't know how to do comfort. She only knew...

In an act of almost desperation she pushed herself up, hands on his legs and leaning forward until her chest pressed to his, kissing him quickly.

The action was most unexpected, and he hadn't a time to fully register what she was doing until her lips pressed softly, albeit it briefly, to his and his blue eyes widened. He remained frozen, simply looking at her, confused.

Then slowly a scarlet heat inched across his face as he thought to how Serenity was dressed and...
Was Essyrn lingo always so... sexual?

He pulled away and lowered his eyes. Such strange customs, maybe a kiss meant something else here? Their language was broken and she had made no real advances beyond it-
Even still, her hands on his legs had him uncomfortable, and a bulge rising and tenting his loin cloth.

Tamina watched his face, trying to judge his reaction. This was what she'd did, what she'd done for a long time before Darius found her. Serenity may have been trained as a harem girl, but Tamina had whored herself to survive. She knew how to read people.

He didn't dislike it, she could tell that. Her hands slid a little further up his thighs, toward his hips, and she leaned in to kiss him again, letting her lips linger against his.

If the first kiss caught him off guard, the second one did so, doubly so. And if his tent wasn't protruding enough, it was at full attention now. He pulled away from her lingering lips and froze, staring at her as he felt the strange prickling sensations of heat and arousal move through his veins.

What was she doing!? His eyes searched hers as his heart pounded, and body grew clammy with sweat.

Tamina leaned into him, moving forward until she was almost perched on his lap. "Tell me no," she murmured. "If you want me to stop..."

One hand slid from his leg to brush her fingers against his arousal and she kissed his neck. For her, it was simply the best way she knew to calm him down- people were always more relaxed after sex, particularly men. And perhaps human contact would be comforting to him. He must be feeling very alone.

Huh. She normally didn't consider things like that.

Aside from his rough inspections from the slavers who had captured him, he had never been felt down there before-a nd certainly not by any woman. It was a new sensation, a strange one, and it made him feel more vulnerable than when he had been in chains. The Gods knew he needed this, but at her words...
It brought him momentarily out of the heat as his hands touched her shoulders and he gave a weak shake of his head.

"P...please, I'm a priest."

But his body was begging in another manner at her touch. And his mind was flip flopping too much for him to realize he needed to say No.

She frowned. That didn't mean anything to her, at least not as far as this was concerned. "So?" She started to rub gently, shifting forward until she was straddling his hips. Her lips fluttered kisses over his face, much more gently than she normally would.

"I can make you feel better," she promised quietly. "Even just...a little while."

With her on his lap, he had no doubt in her words. He felt drunk off the attentions and it had been so long since he had any release...
But he was a virgin, he vowed and let his body become owned by the church. Even still, it took him a moment before he could sober and his large, warm hands rested on her shoulder.

With his face pink and his body being able to barely lean back from her's, he gave a shake of his head and told her softly. "N-no... as a priest, I can't."

But there was some reluctance to the way he said it. Oh how easy it would be to fall into sin here-
And such propositions had nearly killed him from Serenity! Thoughts of the other, nearly naked woman only made his hard on throb at the very idea...

Did all Essyrni women just want sex? Oh.. but Serenity was an outsider, muhc like himself....
He had so many questions to ask, and so many urges to fight.

"Priests.... can't... do this," he explained, gritting his teeth at how painful his sex was for release.

Tamina sat back, her hands wrapped loosely around his neck. "Why not?" Her head tilted again. Then, perhaps the more pertinent question: "What...can't you do?"

Her lips quirked up on one side. "Lots of things can make you feel good. Doesn't have to be just..." She waved a hand airily.

Danning blushed at her words and felt the heat become painful to his ears. He looked away, ashamed.
"I can not be with a woman... or anyone. My body is to remain pure." He paused, releasing a held breath before looking at her. "My body, mind and soul... All of me.. " he went on, taking her hand and pressing it over his chest, so she could feel the warmth there, and the beating of his heart. "I belong to God."

She frowned again, eyes fixed on her hand on his chest. "But why?" She looked back to his face, a little frustrated- not with him, but with the fact that the only thing she could do that was close to comfort didn't seem to be an option.

"You said...your god is about love. Why is this bad?"

"For.. for this we.. we would have to be in love," he fumbled over his explanation, and clenched his teeth. "But as a priest.... I can't." How could he explain that to her? Especially when it was so obvious both their bodies needed it.

Ansgar help him! He had never dreamed to be in such a situation! But surely his time here would be a test. He could not let himself fall prey to his basic desires. He was above that. What would his words mean, his faith, if he simply just let himself succumb to this?

"You're beautiful.." he assured her, knowing woman could be very self conscious. "But I can't."
He wouldn't, even if his body protested with an eager quiver beneath his loin clothe, which sat askew on his lap, exposing the tip and the soft glistening of precum.

Yes, there was no doubt his body knew how to react....
But there was more to this than heat and need.

He moved his hands to her shoulder and shook his head again.
"I'm.. sorry."

Doubly so- because he could kind of feel her frustration and from where she was perched on his lap...
the heat between her legs was driving him insane.

She huffed and crinkled her nose, rolling her eyes. "Silly," she decided. She didn't try to force herself on him, but she didn't move off his lap either.

She leaned in to kiss his cheek gently, almost sisterly- which was rather odd given their current position. "Silly," she repeated with a small smile. "But okay."

She shifted back off his lap, leaning against the table again. Her eyes flicked down to his obvious arousal and she arched an eyebrow. "You want to take care of that? I can leave."

Embarrassed, he hid his erection beneath his hands but nodded. He would have to. It hurt too much to simply ignore it.

She really shouldn't tease, but it was in her nature. Tamina moved toward the door and tossed over her shoulder with a smile, "Sure you don't...want a hand?"

and now his face was red. He shook his head, smiling nervously.
"Just please close the door." His embarrassing.

Tamina chuckled and nodded. "I won't be far... Want more food?" she offered as she slipped out into the hall.

No, no food. But he was relieved she finally left. For a moment, he was too mortified to try and masturbate, but remembering how it felt with her on his lap, and how beautiful Serenity was with her well endowed body... And what both women proposed of him....

His hand was soon pumping down his length, and a moment later, he was sighing a bit too loudly of his release. He had made a large, pooled mess in his now empty bowl, which he sat aside on the desk near the bed before collapsing onto the bed. Soon after he closed his eyes, and sleept more peacefully than he had in quite a long time.

Serenity had snuck off, going to her assigned bed and curling up on it. To feel awful and let herself process the whole situation, pretending to be asleep when Darius - at least she thought it was Darius - came to ask her something probably.

It wasnt long after she got up from her Not Nap and slunk back downstairs to check on Danning, quietly moving closer to peek in on him. Though she jerked back at the gasp, seeing nothing but having an idea of what was going on. Serenity snuck into the room, mouth open, ready to speak.

Instead she grabbed the bowl, gave it a little frown and left Danning to his nap. Quickly enough she sought out Darius or Tamina - whom ever she bumped into first. "I think Danning is sick," she said in a hushed voice, "he left white goo in his bowl. Thats bad, right?"

Dear gods someone was going to have to get the girl a damn bell.

Tamin had sought out Darius in his office, but she was barely there for a minute when Serenity found her way in. She glanced at the bowl and rolled her eyes. "Just throw it out, girl."

Darius gave her a look, then smiled at Serenity. "He's not sick, sweetheart. He just choked on his food a bit, he's fine. Mina took care of him."

Serenity gave Tamina a look and then Darius and gave a dumb little nod. "What is this then?" She wiggled the bowl at Tamina, eyebrows up and curious.

"I'm not having this conversation. Just throw it out," Tamina sighed, dragging a hand down her face.

She looked to Darius. "The girl shouldn't be a whore if she doesn't even know that."

He shrugged at her. "She seems sheltered. She'll learn."

Serenity frowned, looked at the bowl and then back at Tamina. "I'm very well trained, thank you, just..." she frowned, "never in practice." A brief glance to Darius and Tamina and she bowed her head. "Sorry to be a bother, I'll leave you both alone for the rest of the day," and she slowly backed out of the room, headed to throw "it" out. Whatever it was

By the time Danning finally awoke, he was drowsy, but had to piss. Not knowing where any chamber pots were, he reached for his bowl- only to find it wasn't there. Sitting up, he looked around, but didn't see it inside his room anywhere.

Frowning, he recalled his owner saying he could do as he pleased, and peeing was kind of a do as you need, so he hurriedly made his way through the place the best he could, only to find himself walking in on a client and woman in mid-fuck.

His face went white, and he closed the door with an apologetic muttering before he felt himself turning red again as their noises inside the room intensified. Right.. he had to pee. He continued on his search, only to find himself stepping out into a common room where many patrons were sitting aside sultry women, most of whom weren't even dressed! He stared a moment, bawking at the show before turning around only to find himself running into one of the whores.

And she was decidedly not dressed!

"Oh, I uh, I'm new here and er-" his voice came out a lot squeakier than he'd have liked and the whore, who also knew little of common, grew coy as he backed away, and she only advanced.

"Oh... new?" fingers curled into his exotic hair as her smile grew and she guided Danning towards a wall where.....
Were her hands? His face went red- she was all over his cock and looking quite pleased with it!

Ansgar, help him!

Darius frowned at Tamina, earning a "What?"

"You could have been a little gentler."

"Oh, she's fine." She waved her hand airily. "She's been sheltered, she'll learn how to navigate the place."

He rolled his eyes and sat back at his desk. "Well, you better be the one teaching her. I need her and the priest in my office, quick as you can manage."

Tamina scowled at him and muttered a few curses, turning to waltz out of the room and making an obscene gesture over her shoulder as she called, "Fuck you," pleasantly.

"Fuck yourself," he shot back, though his lips twitched up on one side. Good to know she wasn't mad at him anymore.

Tamina chuckled and set about looking for their two newest employees. Fortunately- or perhaps unfortunately- she came across Danning first.

"Nateiri." She folded her arms and frowned, snapping at the woman in Essyrni, "He's not a customer."

Nateiri stopped and turned around.
"No?" she looked down at his tented loin clothe, then back to Tamina, as if uncertain to believe her.

Danning was relieved as he stumbled forward to approach Tamina gratefully.
"I was looking for a place to relieve myself and I... this place is quite a maze. I need ... a er.. chamber pot? Or er.. no..."
What did Essyrni's do when they had to pee!?

"No. Darius bought him yesterday, and a girl- silvery hair, petite thing, very sweet. If you see her send her to the office." As she spoke, she moved forward to take Danning's arm, then placed herself almost protectively in front of him.

Switching to her rough common, she took his hand as one might lead a child and started leading him back down a hall as she said, "I will take you. Then to Darius, he wants to see you."

Danning sighed with relief, muttering a sheepish, "Thank you," as he blindly followed along.

She led him down a few halls towards a section of back rooms that were almost cut off from the rest of the establishment- they actually had to step out under an awning that connected the small set of outhouses with the main building, the scent of perfumes and oils thick in the air around them.

"There." She pointed. "I will...wait here."

Relieved, he made quick work of it, surprised to find such a small house for a commoner's relief, but he was glad for it and was out of there fast enough.

"Thank you," he went on with a bow of his head after closing the latched door behind him. "I er.. didn't mean to make any trouble back there," he went on honestly. He felt so out of his element here, but maybe with time, he'd adjust. He hoped so. He felt like he was having a heart attack at each turn.

She shook her head. "No sorry. Not your fault. You look...different. Foreign. The others will think you came as customer." She shrugged and offered her hand again. "Darius will probably say something. Introduce you and Serenity officially."

"Introduce?" he looked at her, frowning slightly. He wondered what he would be introduced as....
He most certainly was no whore...
But what else could he do to be of service while he was here?

"Yes. Introduce." She took his arm. "C'mon. Taking you to Darius, then I have to find Serenity."

At the mention of Serenity, he perked up.
"Is she alright?" Thoughmaybe that was a foolish question.

Serenity glided up behind them wearing little more than the jewels she was bought with and a loin cloth. "Yes?" Hair up into a silvery waterfall that trailed down her back. There was even a string of bells tied around her waist, "did you need me?"

The sound of soft, sweet bells drew his eyes her way and there she was- in all of her glory, showing off all the soft, curvy skin he had envisioned when jerking off to earlier-

And all he could do was stare, words momentarily lost.

"There you are." Ignoring the priest's evident stupification- she'd seen worse- Tamina took the girl's arm and ushered them both into the office.

"Ah, hello." Darius looked up with a smile. "Thanks for find them so quickly, Mina. Please, sit down, both of you.

Serenity smiled brightly at Tamina, giving her hips a sway to make the bells jingle. She was led easily away and sat just as easily, smiling at Darius and tilting her head curiously. A brief glance to Tamina and she gnawed on her lower lip before looking to Danning, giving him a hesitant smile.

It was only after Serenity sat that Danning turned to Tamina.
"Don't you wish to sit too?" There seemed to only be two seats, and he wouldn't want to take a seat from a lady.

Darius's right hand arched an eyebrow at him and shook her head with a lopsided smile. "Take it," she murmured, not realizing she spoke in Essyrni. Then she blushed when Darius cleared her throat and corrected herself to Common, repeating the offer.

"Actually, that was partially why I asked you both to be here," Darius said, leaning back against the front end of his desk. He gave both slaves a smile. "I was thinking, until permanent occupations can be assigned to you, Serenity may serve as a good tutor to the father here. Teach you some Essyrni so there's less of a communication barrier. I also-"

Here he turned and gathered a sheaf of papers and a fine quill, wetting the tip with his tongue before looking up at them again. "Wanted to have a more in depth discussion with the both of you about your lives here. Serenity is pretty well sorted, but I need my translator here just in case something I cannot explain properly comes up." He gave the girl a soft smile.

Tamina rolled her eyes and said in her mother tongue, "The man will not be a whore. Something about his god and purity. Not even almost-sex."

"Ah." Darius looked from her to Danning and back and raised his eyebrows. "And you know this from experience?" He spoke in Common to the best of his ability in an effort to keep Danning in the loop.

She nodded.

Half the conversation had been in Essyrni, and what was in common he still didn't quite catch.
"Serenity is really good at translating. If there is a job for that... Perhaps that is what she ought to be rather than..." he frowned, trying to think of a non-barbaric term for a whore. "Anything else."

Serenity looked down at herself, smoothing her hands over her breasts and giving the bells a little ring. "But.." she tilted her head, "I wasnt taught to do that." A brief glance towards Tamina and she squared her shoulders, "I can do both. I'd like to pay you back for buying me," ahe nodded to her Master, "I can also teach Danning Essyrni."

"Thank you." Darius nodded at the girl and smiled. Eyes flicking to Danning meaningfully, he said with a bit of a pointed tone, "Your work here will be what you are comfortable with."

Fixing his attention on the priest completely, he added, "As will yours. I can think of two jobs for you around here- well, three, but from what Tamina has told me of your...limits, I'll narrow it down to two." He folded his arms and asked curiously, "How strict are your...purity laws, for lack of a better term. exactly?"

The priest stood there, a bit dumb founded at the question before blinking, and blinking a lot.

"Purity... laws?"
He looked from Darius, to Tamina, then to Serenity, then back to the man.
"I'm a priest..." He made a face. Was... there no such sacred pureness in Essyrn?

Tamina rolled her eyes and said to Darius in Essyrni, "I think, from what little I've got from him, northerners view sex as...unclean? He said something about needing love-" a short scoff as if it was the most ridiculous idea in the world- "but then he just babbled about being a priest again. He obviously wanted it, he's choosing to deny himself."

"Hm." Darius was a bit more worldly than his employee and perhaps had a better understanding of Danning's view. He smiled at the man and nodded. "I understand. In that case, I really only see one option for you here."

He leaned forward a bit with his best inviting smile- which shrunk quickly by a couple molars when he realized he'd inadvertently flashed his fangs a bit. "Tell me Father, do you like children? Have you had much experience with them?"

"Oh." Tamina blinked. "That's not a terrible idea, actually."

"Children?" From what he'd been through so far, he couldn't help but let his mind go there.
"Yes, children are a marvelous gift but, but I... It.. It would not be appropriate for .. for me to make any I..... I... I've made vows.. Vows of chastity I..."

Ansgar help him! Was his only option here sex!?

Realizing how that must have sounded, Darius said quickly, "No no no no, you misunderstand me." He smiled and clapped Danning on the shoulder lightly. "There are- well, we take precautions, but sometimes there are slip ups, or one of my girls simply doesn't care if she falls pregnant-"

Tamina moved forward and said simply, "Nursemaid." A glance at Serenity. "That is the word, yes?" She looked back to Danning and tried to explain Darius's rambling. "When a girl wants to come back to work after having a baby, we...normally hire a nurse. Care-er? Whatever. But, if you like children..." She shrugged. "You could watch the little ones, yes? Only three right now, two boys and a girl."

Danning paused, looking between all three of them who seemed to have their eyes glued on him. He cleared his throat, smiling a little sheepishly before asking, "You... want me to be the caretaker of... the children... here?"

"If you are comfortable with that." Darius shrugged. "It seems like the best solution, no?"

There was a soft scratching at the door, then it opened a crack as Ifrit pushed his way into the room, making his way to snuffle at Tamina and Darius's hands before he sat directly on Serenity's feet, evidently quite content.

Darius mock glared at the animal. "Traitor." He focused on Danning again and murmured, "I know you are not happy here. But I think this could be good, for you and my other employees."

Danning couldn't help but smile, but still, he was confused.
"So my er.. duties here are to tend to the children that live with you and your...er... women?"
He needed to find a better term for whore. Even employee felt like a degrading term.

"Yes." Suddenly Darius smirked. "Do you...think I only employ women?" True, they were definitely the majority, but he had several men on staff, all of them quite talented.

Danning blushed and dropped his gaze.
"I... can't say I know much about your culture." His head lowered further. "I'm sorry for my ignorance."

"Well you don't need to sorry- er, apologize." He frowned a bit at his clumsy common and tried to cover the slip quickly. "It's alright, Father. Your ways are strange to us, too. We may learn a lot from each other."

Tamina rolled her eyes dramatically and said in her best Common, in an effort to keep the priest comfortable,"You and your learning. Will kill you one day."

Danning stared at Tamina, not sure what she meant before raising his brows. He gave her a sheepish smile.
"Priests... can not... should not kill," he corrected her, presuming she meant something like what he had to endure in the arena.

Her expression suddenly closed off, the brightness in her crimson eyes dimming. "No one...should kill," she said bluntly. "It happens anyway."

Darius glanced at her, then offered Danning an apologetic smile. "That was directed at me, Father. Mina believes my curiosity will be the death of me one day. Don't mind her, she's prickly."

Tamina slapped the back of his head and he yelped.

"Ah... I see.." And he looked from Tamina to Darius. "She.... must care for you a great deal." His smile brightened. It was a nice change, to see one care for another so- even if it were in a somewhat childish manner. Perhaps... he could get used to this place. But still....
He had promised himself to the church, to his God....

Did Ansgar wish for him to do so here? It was a hard path to fathom.

Tamina blushed deeply and glared at the two men but Darius just laughed. "Oh, don't let anyone else hear you say that. Mina is very proud of her- oh, what's the word- hardass reputation. If people know she cares about anyone, it'll be ruined."

"I know where you sleep," Tamina growled threateningly.

Now it was Darius's turn to roll his eyes, then he looked back to Danning and spread his hands. "So. What do you think?"

He bowed his head humbly.
"I.. I don't know what to say except.. Thank you.. Thank you." And he raised his head, blue eyes dancing. But after a moment, he remembered... and turned to Serenity.
"But.. what about Serenity? She... I... I don't think she should be treated like the other girls. She.. she should have a choice as well. A.. a real, choice."

Serenity pouted.

"But I want to. I trained my whole life to be a perfect lover," a shuffly pout and she ran her fingers over Ifrits fur, looking thoughtful. "Besides, i can only translate, I cant do much else." She looked woefully at Danning, "do you not think i could be pleasing?"

Danning ignored her question.
"I'd think youd do wonderfully with children. You're patient... And kind. It would be suitable work, proud work and you could teach the children."

"Danning." Darius touched the other man's hand lightly to get his attention. He lowered his voice slightly and said kindly, "This is what she's been trained for. It is not shameful work here, in fact it is considered honorable by some. Our priestesses are what northerners may call prostitutes, some of the time."

Tamina added in a normal tone, "Serenity is kind, but you may inadvertently insult her, expecting her to want to make a different choice."

"Insult?" his brow furrowed as he turned to Serenity and asked her most sincerely, "Are you sure this is what you want? Just because you were trained in something, doesn't mean you must choose that life. Why i," he went on, smiling tenderly and taking her hand. "I wasn't taught or born as a priest. If I chose the life I was born into..... I'd be a different person. But Ansgar s will compels me. I had a drive...a true love in life meant elsewhere."

Serenity looked at Danning and then at Darius.

"Could we auction me?" She ventured, "then i could help Danning?" She tilted her head, and she smiled, "perhaps both?" Clearly she didnt understand what Danning wantes, " I could help him teach the children common and perhaps take only  a few customers," a tilt of her head and she smiled, thinking he just really wanted her to work with him.

Danning looked between them both, still not catching all of their dialogue, considering they were speaking in Essyrni again. It was then he took her hand, eyes pleading with her, "I... I think you should try working with me, first. Please." His eyes were begging her. If he could save her from such a fate... it was the least he could do while he was here.

Serenity turned her hands in his to press her palms to his.

"I... They bought me to auction off my purity," a a tilt of her head, "I... Do you think I couldnt? That I'm worth nothing?" She rubbed her palm to her chest, looking worried between Tamina and Darius.

Tamina rolled her eyes and Darius huffed. It was clear the man's preconceptions would not be swayed. "If you'd like to work with him, Serenity, you may," Darius said. "I certainly will not force you either way, it is your choice."

"It's just how northerners see things," Tamina tried to assure the girl. "He thinks using your body to make money is...impure, or something." She did her best to continue speaking in Common, as Darius had.

Danning frowned.
"N-no, I have no doubt in your ability but I.... where I come from, saving your virtue, your Purity, is a great gift, and a noble intention."

Tamina rolled her eyes and switched to Essyrni a she spoke to Darius. "As if a man's cock was so important that a woman losing her virginity somehow makes her impure, changes who she is. Rather arrogant, if you ask me."

Her employer laughed and tried to turn it into a cough, replying in the same language, "Don't mock him. It's just a different way of looking at things."

Serenity looked around, shoulders hunching forward, arms folding in front of herself. She'd never really felt naked before and now she did, a brief look to everyone in the room and she nibbled her lower lip. "I... I dont know," a woeful look to Danning and Darius, "Master?" Lilac eyes wide on Darius, "what should I do?"

He didn't like not knowing what was fully going on, but he truly feared for her. What she was raised to do.. It wasn't right. He reached for her hand, gently touching her and giving it a squeeze.

"Serenity... please, the choice is yours but all I'm asking for is time. Time to let you think... To figure out what you want. Not what you were raised to do..."
He feared she didn't understand, didn't have a choice, and he turned his attentions to Darius and moved to get on his knees before him.

"Please, let Serenity have a choice. Let her decide, rightfully, what she ought to do with her life here. I know.. thi sis asking a lot, and outside of whatever powers I have here, but I beg you, as one man to another, as one human to another, Let her have her choice. It's her body... her life, It is only right she can decide, and decide in truth, not in ignorance."

"Oh- please don't, don't do that." Darius winced, and pulled the man up by his shoulders. "Look- I don't know what you think you can do. Her beliefs are as deeply ingrained in her as yours are in you."

He sighed, then added, "But. If you would like her to work with you, and she would like to do that as well, I have no objection."

Tamina snorted and rolled her eyes. In Common, she said bluntly, "You may think her a victim, Father. You may even be right. But she has gotten off a hell of a lot better than some of us in this life. She is not ignorant, only raised to believe differently from you."

It might have been a reflex reaction to defend her fellow female, her hand patting the girl on the shoulder and squeezing lightly.

Still confused, Serenity shook her head, looking between them all. "I... I just want to please you," she looked to Darius and then back at Danning. So confused now. "I dont... I dont know!" Looking to Tamina, "help me choose?"

Danning gaped, and turned to Tamina. He moved to take Tamina's hand now, getting to his knees before her.
"Tamina.. Please.. You'll speak to her, won't you? You can tell her... Tell her she has a choice."

"No, stop that." Tamina knelt so they were on level. "She knows she has a choice. I'm not going to force her either way- please don't kneel."

She looked to Serenity. "You know whatever you do will please Darius, yes? Whatever you are comfortable with, that's what he wants you to do."

Danning reached for Tamina's hand, squeezing it gently, but firmly enough to let her know of his desperation.
"What did you tell her?" he asked, voice but a breath.

"I said she should know she has a choice. That whatever she is comfortable with will make Darius happy," she murmured, squeezing his hand in return automatically. Then she shrugged. "But you must understand how this looks to her- if we flat out deny that she can work as a..."harem girl", you are telling her that she has no worth."

She laid a hand under Danning's chin and lifted his face to better look at her. "You and I both know that isn't true. But that is what she sees. It is all she knows. Be...careful with her." Her eyes had a soft glint, something like understanding, or old pain, or both.

"Then let me teach her, please. Let me show her what else there is in life. Let me show her her other choices."

Tamina shrugged. It wasn't her choice to make.

Darius spread his hands open. "You may try, Father. It is not my place to tell her she must listen to you."

Serenity gave a little moan, looking between the bunch of people. "I... I could try working with Danning," she said softly looking between everyone. Heartbeat picking up, eyes falling closed, she hunched her shoulders and ducked her head down. "I... I dont understand," she rubbed her fists against her eyes, a wet wobbly sigh, "Am i not desireable?" She looked to Danning and then Darius, "is that why Master sold me?" A few shuddering breaths and tears dripped down her cheeks, "I wasnt... good enough?" She stood up and swallowed thickly.

"Danning, why... I... I..." Serenity crouched down, curling her arms around Ifrits neck, snuggled her face against his fur and cried.

Tamina sighed. "I told you. Now she thinks she's worthless," she murmured to Danning. Her hand squeezed his again, the gentle gesture at odds with her sharp words.

Darius rubbed at his temples. He was doing his best with this situation, but he still had a business to run, and this was slowly consuming all of his time.

"Serenity, honey." He knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "That's not what he's saying. You are a lovely, lovely girl, and you have done nothing wrong."

Danning frowned, not understanding her distress.
"It is not that you're not desirable, it is quite the opposite, and many men would take advantage of that. I am afraid for you, Serenity. Men who buy women for pleasure... they are not the sort you ought to want from life; but a man who would respect you, and desire you as much as you'd want to desire him. So you are both equals, and no money could equal the purity of love you'd share."

Serenity was jusf confused now.

What was this business about love?

She curled her arms around Darius's shoulders and snuggled in, looking only briefly to Danning before turning her face away. "I don't... I never learned that," she grumbled and turned away, loosening her arms from Darius and turning away.

"I... I'd like to rest now," she whimpered, head down, taking a few steps, "I'd like to help Danning learn Essyrni. For now. But... I..." she shook her head once and turned away, moving to leave.

"Here, I'll walk you to your room," Darius said as Ifrit whimpered and licked the girl's face and hands, shooting Danning a miffed look- well, as miffed as a jackal could be. Darius glanced over his shoulder and said, "Mina," with a meaningful nod to the priest.

"I will show you where to sleep," Tamina told Danning, pulling him gently to his feet.

"Thank you," he said, and quietly followed.

She led him down a hall, turned a corner, down another hall, and then stopped at the last door. "Here." She opened the door an ushered him into a room that looked like it hadn't really been intended for sleeping- it was bigger than some of the others, with plenty of open floor space, but no bureau or even shelves, and the bed was rather haphazardly pushed into the back corner.

Tamina pulled a face and tried to explain, "Darius thought you'd probably want to work with the children. This is the...what is word- nursery? But you may sleep here. If you prefer to move, you will probably be with Fahrim and Isara."

She shifted a little awkwardly in the doorway, then muttered, "Will bring you proper clothes and introduce you to the kids in the morning."

"Nursery?" Danning's expression brightened. "Oh.. so they're not here right now? Where do the children sleep? Do they stay with their mothers?"

She nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes. The two boys' mothers room together, and Ashanti is with her parents."

He smiled and gave an understanding nod as he bowed towards her.
"Thank you, for everything. You've been very helpful and welcoming of me. I understand this is not the what your culture typically does, and I thank Ansgar I had been fated to be bought from you than anyone else. Er.. or rather, Darius." He looked Tamina over thoughtfully. "Are... you a slave of his? Or do you simply work for him?"

Tamina gave him a real smile for that. "Darius doesn't keep slaves. You'll be paid for your work here, just like everyone else."

She hesitated a moment, then leaned toward him and patted his shoulder lightly. "I am...sorry. But you will be treated well here."

"Do not be sorry," he told her, his hand resting over her's. "This is by no means your fault. And I do aim to make my keep. As far as I can tell, I owe a lot to Darius. I just hope what I am.. who I am... That I can be of help to him."

His eyes lingered on Tamina for a brief moment before he said, "This place.... It's like he buys slaves to employ them, but keeps that truth a secret?" And he looked at her, trying to gauge her expression. If this was true, then perhaps he was sent here for a purpose.

"I...suppose you could say it that way," she murmured. "What Darius does...not really common here. He has to fight. A lot. For us, to keep us safe."

She cleared her throat and glances away, for some reason feeling like she may have said to much.

Despite their language barrier, he could always read a person's body language. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

"I hope I will be a help to him. And grow here in my own faith." And here he hesitated, eyes lingering on her. "Tamina... about earlier. I.... this culture is very strange to me. When you.... when you wanted me.." he went on, cheeks heating pink. "Please know it is not because you are undesirable, but that because of my religion, I can not seek out those needs. I am forbidden." His eyes remained on her's as he frowned. "I'm sorry. I bet you make many men happy." He gave her a more sheepish smile before adding, "And you've got a strong beauty about you. Such beauty I haven't seen since I have been in the North."

Although Serenity looked more appropriately like the Northern beauties, Tamina's personality reflected a lot of what Danning had seen and interacted with with the people in the North. Strong willed and true to their faith- and true to their people.

Tamina would have been a fine Connlaothian, had she been born there,.. in another life.

Tamina actually blushed a bit, brow furrowing. "I'm not- I didn't-"

She huffed, then muttered, "I- thank you." She knew she was attractive, his rejection hadn't really offended her for that. But for some reason the way he said it made her feel...younger. More innocent than she was.

Shaking her head, she added a bit snippily, "Still think it's silly. It's just sex."

He gave a nod, and a small smile.
"In the North... we believe it to be much more."
Or, at least those who regarded it as sacred.
"It is why marriage is a sacred affair up North. You pledge your whole being to just one love, one purpose, one life."

"Hmph." She shrugged. "Strange."

Well, he wasn't anymore likely to change his mind than she was. "Rest, Danning. I'll bring the children to you in the morning."

"Sleep well." he said with a bow of his head.

"Um..." It took a few moments for her to translate that in her head, then she nodded quickly. "And you?" That was an appropriate response, right?

Not really waiting for an answer, she almost fled back out into the hallway.

Danning smiled as she left,and moved to make himself comfortable on the bed. Although nothing impressive, he'd slept on worse, and certainly wasn't going to complain now. It was better than shackles, better than dirt, and better than the hard floor of a cell.

It didn't take long for exhaustion to over come him, and soon the priest was fast asleep.

"Danning?"

Tamina was at his door again early the next day, knocking lightly. Two women and a man accompanied her, all employees of The Stray Cat.

Danning slept surprisingly well, so at first, the priest hadn't heard the knocking.

Tamina sighed, then banged the flat of her palm against the door. "Northman! Up!" she called, and unceremoniously knocked the door open.

Her companions hesitated in the hall, casting each other weary glances.

Danning made a noise and moved to sit up, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he apologized.
"Is it morning already?"
He felt as if he could sleep for days.

"Afraid so." Tamina glanced over her shoulder and said something in quick Essyrni, and the three prostitutes moved forward.

It became apparent that each held a child, or- in the case of one of the women- ushered one forward between their legs. They all smiled at Danning, polite if distant, and Tamina gave them a brief indication with a wave of her hand.

"The two boys are Sun and Narim. The little girl is Ashanti."

The moment he spotted the children, a smile blossomed. He rose slowly, but not with uncertainty, and looked each child over. He took in what he could of their small introduction and got to one knee and said softly, "Hello." His smile was like the warmth of the rising sun.
"How do I address them in Essyrni?" He knew children so small would be unfamiliar with his northern tongue and if he were to spend most of his day with them, he ought to learn their language to at least some extent.

Tamina knelt beside him with a very small smile. "Marhabaan ya 'atfal," she told him quietly.

To the oldest child, the boy clinging to his mother's leg, she said softly, "Hadha hu Danning, waqal 'annah sayatimm yuraqib kharijaan lak."

His smile was still unsure, but he at least gave it a try, "Marhabun ya 'atfull". His northern tongue easily tangled up some of the vowels, which made all three of the kids give a shy smile or laugh.

Tamina covered her mouth with a hand to hide a smile. "Forgive him, silly northerner," she said to the kids in Essyrni, making them giggle.

The youngest, a two year old boy, started to fuss when his mother moved to put him down. Ashanti clung to her father's neck and her lip started to quiver.

"Come now, we'll see you in a few hours for a noon meal," Kiilla murmured to her son, kissing his head gently.

Danning knew their plight well enough as he smiled even if a little sadly. It was never fun to leave a child, even for a short duration.
"Do the children have a favorite toy.. or perhaps a game they like to play?"

When Kiilla tilted her head at him, Tamina translated as best she could and the woman smiled, then said something in quick Essyrni, hands gesturing.

"Sun likes hiding games," Tamina told Danning, indicating the youngest child. "Ashanti likes to draw. We give her charcoal and cloth to play with, usually."

Narim babbled something at her and she smiled, pulling the child onto her lap. "He says he's too old for games, but he likes stories."

"Thank you," he went on with a gracious nod. "I know you must all be very busy. Please... Do not worry about their care. They will be safe with me." Language barrier or not, there was something universal about children that Danning was interested in testing. After all, they were the innocence of the world.

Tamina nodded and stood. "They are learning Common and Thanati- Darius wants them to be well educated. Feel free to make them practice."

Despite his age, Narim knew enough Common to understand the gist of that and started complaining in rapid Essyrni. His mother frowned and cuffed his head lightly, then leaned in to kiss Tamina's cheek. She gave Danning a small wave and a smile before slipping away.

Kiilla gave a smile of her own and said haltingly, "Thanks you. Gods...bless." She nodded, then took A'lcarn's arm to lead him away once he'd given Ashanti a quick kiss goodbye.

He was left to tend to the children for hours, and though awkward at first, it seemed the language barrier grew meaningless as Danning went through all sorts of universal means of entertainment to keep the children occupied. Though not always successful, drawing in the sands kept some of their attention, and also kept them mildly amused since Danning's abilities weren't half bad, and the drawings of northern birds were their favorites (until the sand drawings eventually got mostly trampled on by other running activities). Shadow puppets too, seemed to keep them enthralled, for Danning kept to actions over words until things quieted down and the two youngest were sleeping, and the eldest he was now teaching some of the northern tongue, as well as some more common.

It had been an exhausting day, but he enjoyed- no doubt a brightness in the dark path that befell him when he winded up in the desert of all places.

OOC: I was thinking draccy could post next, but I don't mind if both girls show up too XD just figure I'd check in with @Draconian on this one since she hasn't gotten a chance to post in a while!

Serenity had spent the day cleaning.

Or cleaning what she could find.

Her silvery hair was up in a ponytail and she was dressed in her, perhaps too revealing, clothes. She supoosed she should find the priest. He'd wanted to learn essyrni and Serenity was the most fluent in both languages. So it was later in the day that her waterfall of silvery hair and of course, her head popped around a door way and she smiled brightly at the priest.

Him thinking her not good enough to sell still hurt her feelings but... She was biger than that. "Hello," a pleasant wiggle of her fingers in greeting, "I thought I'd teach you some essyrni if you arent too tired "

The children had already been returned to their parents at this point, and the day was growing late, the sun setting low. The world was cast in long shadows, which he admired from the small window he perched near at the back of the brothel house.

He barely heard her coming, but felt no need to fear that someone would be sneaking up to kill in such a place. But it was nice to see Serenity again and he turned to her, bowing humbly. And as usual, he kept his eyes clean and focused on her face, rather than the loose layers of too revealing clothes.

"I am never too tired to decline the offered help of others." he gave her a smile, and he might have looked tired, but again, it was evident he was happy to see her again. The children had been exhausting and well, it was a nice change of pace to speak naturally.
He approached her. "How was your day?"

Serenity smiled widely.

Shifted a little to display, perhaps, a little too much of her body. It was a dirty game, but she was determined for him to at least see her at least as pretty. There was no intention of doing anything but some little piece of her told her that if she couldn't at least make him look at her with desire she wasn't doing her job right.

So, pushing her silvery hair over her shoulder she walked into the room, little bells on her hips jiggling while she walked. "My day was easy, I just cleaned a little," She moved until she was standing beside him, subtly pressing her breasts to his arm and looked around the room. "Do you need help? We can practice Essyrni while we right the room?"

He was moving to do just that, when he felt the heat and softness of her breasts through the sheer fabric that did little to hide (or nothing, rather) the details of what she was. It caught him a little off guard and she might have felt him jump, but he turned to her, eyes avoided her chest while looking clear to her eyes as he smiled.

"Some help would be most appreciated, thank you." He released a sigh and got to one knee, fixing the dusty carpet on his floor from where it was left askew.

Fetching a broom from the corner of the room, Serenity wandered past Danning. Her movements were fluid, meant to draw the eye to the more interesting parts of her body. Every moment was like a dance, practiced and precise.  Only a few notches above erotic. Serenity was blissfully unaware of all of this while she swept the stuff out the door - that was how people cleaned, right?

While she cleaned, she prattled on in Essyrni, repeating it in common and then going through the sentence again and breaking down the words easier, getting Danning to repeat her. Finally the sweeping was done and she stretched her arms high over her head, grinning. Hmm... "Danning," She said softly, "What's it like where you're from?"

He was a quick learner, an eager one, so even her attempts of distraction (as natural as they were) were not a deterrent. The sentence was repeated until he began to figure it out, broke it down to each word and stored it solidly to,memory.

He thanked her for the lesson, and smiled as he took a seat on the bed and motioned for her to join him as he patted a space beside himself.

"I can assure you its much different than here. A lot.. Colder, and there is,more weather, more trees and a lot more wind."

The seat was accepted gratefully and Serenity sat down slowly. Calculated. There was never a time where she could look frumpy or out of place. While she listened to him, she arranged the fabrics of her clothing to sit perfectly and the pale locks of her hair to spill over her shoulder in a lovely wave.  Curiously she took his hand between hers. Her own were soft and well manicured, like she'd never worked a day in her life.

Which was accurate.

"Colder?" she shivered at the idea, unable to imagine it being cold. "Did you like it there?" She ventured, playing with his hand while she spoke, "I imagine it wasn't too grand, if you ended up here." There was a pause and she held his hand to her lap, his palm to her upper thigh, "You could learn to like it here."

Instincts had him retracting his hands, if only to keep hers and his on his lap.

"I didn't come here by choice," he told her softly.

A gentle squeeze to his hand and Serenity sighed.

"I know. But you could learn to like it here," a little smile and a tilt of her head, "I have."

He smiled too and looked into her eyes.
"I'm sure I will. God has a plan for me and I must remain faithful and see this fate through." Whatever it May be.

A little squint of her eyes and she looked down to their hands where she began to play with his fingers again, pressing them palm to palm to test the size difference.

"What do you think it is?" She tilted her head, smiling and looking bright eyed, "I can't wait to make a man happy. Or a woman, I suppose," She looked thoughtful for a moment, "But I wasn't trained for that. Mostly how to please a man. I was supposed to end up in a harem, I think but..." She shrugged and looked at their hands again, smiling, "This could be nice."

He blushed.
"This could be nice?"

Serenity smiled.

"Sure. Should Master choose to auction me off that... May pay for what was spent to get me. Then I could simply... Work, I suppose." Serenity looked conflicted at the idea of working, having not really a clue as to what it entailed. "Pleasuring someone could probably be nice, too," She smiled, "I heard the women talk about it all the time and none of them seemed unhappy with it."

He studied her a moment in silence.
"And that's all you've known," he murmured thoughtfully. He then took her hand, and entwined their fingers together, and gave her a warm smile. "If you were to choose your own fate.. to learn and do anything, even without having the knowledge or the skills figured out... Do you know what you'd do with your life?"

Serenity blinked at Danning owlishly. Head tilted, mouth pursed.

"I... would be a man's only wife," she nodded looking bright and cheery at the idea, "Its selfish of me to want that but... yes. I'd do that. I'd be me but I'd make one man very happy. Instead of like before..." she licked her lips and looked a little nervous, "or like now. How will I learn what someone likes if its never the same person?"

His gaze unintentionally tightened as a lump in his throat formed. It was nice to hear her say that, as way the way things ought to be. It was just strange how he reacted to it. He hated to admit his human flaws, but it was a great turn out for a woman to profess just wanting him and him alone. Except the woman did not profess only wanting him, she just wanted someone, and well...
His duties were married to his church.

Even still.. some priests could marry under certain divisions of the church itself. He himself, was not exactly married to the whole of the church, just it's ideas (for some ideas, radical, and over embellished by those he believed, misinterpreted the words of Ansgar greatly)- were not page laws he abided.

Was he sweating? A little, but he'd ignore that, and any tent growing in his pants. He supposed it was, again, only human to be attracted to such an idea- and though he'd outwardly turn it away, she too, was attractive. He supposed if he were lucky to marry, someone like her.. might be a dream wife, if he had to state his deeper desires.

But as such, this was not the way of things, and he could only prey she would, perhaps one day, find her perfect match.

He squeezed her hand again and placed a hand on her shoulder.


"It's a fine dream... to be the only one for another. I too, have a similar dream, a respect for a woman I'd love, to love only her, and be only for her." He sighed and hoped that could calm himself down, but he was already too riled up over the idea, and perhaps, it was time for him to just deal with his pent up frustrations that night. He was, after all, surrounded by too much sexual stimulation. He was surprised that so far, he hadn't... tried to calm himself during the nights.

Today was different. Perhaps he was already getting comfortable here. A strange thing- to be sure.

He patted her shoulder, ignoring his internal thoughts and assured her, "You will figure things out. You're smart, and though one could never argue you are not well trained, this only proves you can do so much more than what others desire to have taught you. You should embrace your own curiosities, not just those taught to you, but ones you wish to teach yourself. In that, I believe, you will achieve a freedom here beyond money values, or those of the values of men."

The pale gaze was curious when Serenity looked at him, slowly she moved her hand in his, drawing it away while he spoke. Her palm flat on his thigh and she looked at his groin, then back at him, a curious tilt to her head. Everything she knew was through talk. Books. Pictures. Serenity blinked at Danning, a little tired looking still from his ordeal.

If there was on blessing in disguise it was that Serenity had been too young to really process her slavery. One day she had a family and the next, she was in a harem being trained to be the perfect lover. Then the next, her sister was chosen and she was sold. Serenity licked her lips and shifted where she sat to face Danning, leaning towards him, pressing her breasts to his bicep while she leaned in. The shoulder of the loose top slid off her shoulder, almost revealing her breast but it was still just the outline.

"Danning," She whispered, mouth close to his ear, "I'm curious about you," her voice was soft and  indeed, curious, "Is that what you mean?" And her hand moved over his lap before she started to push him down onto the bed, an arm on either side of his chest. Her pale hair a curtain around them, "You could tell me about your home and I can... Teach you how to please a..." No. Not a man? Maybe a man? "A woman!" She smiled at him, looking like she'd come up with a genius plan.

By the gods in heaven. If there ever was a moment be never thought he'd desire,it was what this woman seduced. He knew his body needed her, to feel all of her sinful curves and skin and to... To learn and get pleased and mindlessly indulge in this overwhelming heat.

It was blinding as he knew they were both almost naked now, because his breath hitched as he realized her movemwnts caused his loinclothe to,slip away, and his rock hard dick was now fully exposed.

But then her explanation had him jumping as he sat up and shoved his loin clothe over his erection.
"P.. Please.. We... You... I think this lesson needs to be over."
Because this fever scorched him,all over.

When he jumped up, Serenity stared wide eyed at the empty space between her arms, confused.

A purse of her lips and she tilted her head, a pout. She'd seen his need, she knew that it was supposed to be satiated. Had been told that it was bad for it to be like that. Of course, the harem women could have been lying but...

Serenity removed her top, let it drop to the bed, breasts exposed before she stood up as well, moving her hands over her naked torso while she looked at Danning and gave a pointed look to his groin. "The lesson was over," She stated simply, not quite understanding.  She brushed her hands over her nipples and shivered, eyes falling closed for a moment before she took Dannings hand and pressed it to one of her breasts, "Now it's time to be curious, isn't it?"

Being curious was perfectly natural! Serenity smiled at him, not ashamed or embarrassed. It wasn't anything nasty or wrong. Not here.

The day had been long, and it seemed it was about to get longer. Tamina grumbled to herself as she made her way to Danning's room. Darius had sent her to check in the northerner, seeing as no one but the children had really seen him all day.

She didn't know why he couldn't have sent Serenity. The girl was obviously dying to be useful. Speaking of, where had she gotten off to-?

With a cursory, "Priest, it's me," she bumped the door open and stepped into the room.

And froze.

A growl suddenly ripped through her throat and she lunged forward, grabbing Serenity's shoulder and shoving the girl behind her protectively, eyes flashing red as she bared her fangs at the foreign man while she snarled insults in Essyrni.

Of course. She should have known. They were all the same, just waiting for the chance to take advantage of an innocent. She should have known!

By Ansgar's name he needed saved! But the way it happened was not exactly what he was expecting (then again, he never expected anything that happened in Essryn!) He was spun away from the advancing woman, who had been pulled back behind Tamina, that of who's feet he now laid in a heap before.

It took him a moment to reply, clutching onto her with relief before that relief turned to fear nad confusion as he jerked away, fearful the woman might bite off his face!

Why- why was he clinging to her?

Slowly, Tamina's eyes faded from red to their normal color and she looked between the two. Carefully, she ground our, "What. The hell. Happened?"

Serenity frowned, hands on her hips.

The loose top still on the bed.

"Danning was curious and aroused so I was helping," her arms crossed her front and she looked at Tamina, "am I not supposed to? We weren't going to have sex..."

Of course, Danning was too mortified to speak, and though Tamina's eyes faded from red, Danning's face heated to that color clear to his ears.

"Demons above and below, what is going on here?!"

Tamina closed her eyes and cursed under her breath. Of course.

Darius stood in the doorway, eyes wide as he took in the scene. He shook his head. "You lot are going to bring the whole house down! What on earth happened?"

Tamina grit her teeth as she grabbed Serenity's shoulder and steered her toward her employer. "Serenity was teaching," she spat in Essyrni.

This ridiculous situation was going to be the death of her.

Darius sighed and covered his face with a hand, holding the other out to Serenity. "Serenity, dear- oh gods. Okay." He looked up to Danning. "Are you alright? Tamina didn't hurt you, did she?"

"What makes you think I-?!"

"Oh shut up, Mina."

So.

Not that kind of teaching?

A look at the clothing on the bed and then down at her naked chest and then back at Darius and she took his hand and moved to stand beside him. It was too hot or shirts anyway. "I... I'm sorry?  I was teaching him some Essyrni and then we stopped and talked and then he got aroused because we were holding hands and I thought I would help!"

At her remark, Danning choked and a hand shot to his nose where it now bled.

Darius sighed, taking her hand as he would a child and pulling her a little closer. "Sweetheart, did he want you to? Did he ask you to stop?"

He had a hard time believing the priest would have submitted entirely willingly. He glanced back to Danning with a frown. "Mina, help him would you?"

Tamina grumbled and looked down at the priest. "Here." She handed him a scrap of cloth to press to his nose- it may have been a silk scarf.

Serenity frowned.

Did he want her to?

A brief look to him, a wince from the bleeding and she ducked her head down. "He ... He said 'no we should stop the lesson," she played with the ends of her hair and looked up at Darius, "But... it wasn't a lesson! I was helping!"

"Serenity." He knelt and put his hands on her shoulders. "Danning's body is his own, do you understand? If he seems uncomfortable by what you're doing, you need to stop."

He knew she meant well, but she needed to understand consent. Unfortunately, it wasn't a concept often taught in Essyrn.

He took the silk scarf and muttered his thanks, holding it hard against his nose. He kept his face shamefully away as he told the group, "I'm sorry for all of this... I didn't meant to cause such a scene."
Things just.. escalated too fast and he was still not sure what was going on. he just wished his body would calm down. The tent in his pants was awkward.. and painful at this point.

Tamina muttered something in Essyrni and Darius gave the other man an understanding look, but he kept his attention on the girl in front of him.

"Serenity? Do you understand what I mean?" His voice was soft and kind, eyes searching her face carefully. "Sometimes people don't know how to ask for what they want, or they've been taught they can't. If you stay here, it's going to be your job to listen to more than what they say, you see? If they seem uncomfortable, or they try to push you away, you have to respect that."

Tamina sighed, feeling a little guilty. She knew how much Darius was trying to instill an important lesson in the girl and she remembered how she'd acted toward the priest his first night in The Stray Cat.

She could have behaved better. She should have.

Lowering her voice, she knelt next to Danning and murmured in her accented Common, "I am sorry, about before." Not really pausing to register if he'd understood or not, she straightened again to look at Serenity and Darius.

"But!" Shw motioned to Danning, looking a little concernned but she dropped her hand to her side and her head froward, arranging her hair over her breasts while Darius spoke. "Yes, Master," she said simply before she turned away, gathered her shirt and pullled it on over her head.

"Can I still teach him Essyrni?" Her voice was small and she sounded a little defeated

Danning was still too flustered to react to most of what was going on as he numbly nodded at Tamina before lowering her face yet again.
"I.. I'm sorry if I've become a bigger burden for you all... I... am still unsure.. unclear of these customs. They.. are trying to my morals.. my values and I... These.. these are things I can not compromise on." He trembled a little as he tried to calm himself. "They're my life."

Darius sighed. He wanted the girl to understand, not just blindly obey. "Yes, sweet thing, you can still teach him Essyrni," he assured gently, then added, "but I think I'd prefer it if you had someone with you. Perhaps Tamina? She needs to improve her Common anyway."

The half-demon scoffed quietly but didn't argue, and Darius turned to address Danning. He offered the other man his hand to help him up. "Don't apologize, Father. It is clear you both only mean well, but Serenity must learn boundaries." He smiled a bit. "And perhaps you should practice seeing naked women, no? It is hardly restricted to brothels in Essyrn, and I like my staff to dress comfortably if they wish."

He was grateful for the help to his feet, but found himself gaping at the suggestion as his face burned hot to his ears.
"Yes I.." he blinked, tongue twisting. "Perhaps I should try to... get.. get used to the customs here."
But what did he mean by.. practice?

Darius clapped the man's shoulder gently, almost smirking. "I will talk to the girl," he said quietly. "No one is going to try to make you uncomfortable, but our customs are just...different."

Boundaries.

Serenity's lips were drawn into a thin line and she looked away. Pale cheeks flushed with... Embarrassment? She'd done wrong and she ducked her head down, frowning at the tears that were in her eyes. This place was different and...  Her hand moved to brush away tears before they fell in a lame attempt to keep them from noticing.

"I'm sorry," She said, looking at Danning through her hair and she curled her arms around her waist and looked to Darius, "I... I'll teach them common and Essyrni," She said softly, "And only language."

"Oh, sweetheart." Darius sighed. Gods, when had this become his life. He ran a hand down his face, then moved toward Serenity with a small smile.

"Are you alright?" He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back slightly so she could meet his eyes. "You know I'm not angry with you, don't you? I know this is new for you, you'll just have to learn."

He whistled softly, a the faint padding of paws could be heard. "Why don't you help me give Ifrit a bath, hm? Damn animal certainly needs it."

Tamina looked between the three of them, then settled on Danning. "You need anything?" she asked gruffly. "For tomorrow, I mean. Watching the children."

His heart went out to her. He could't help it. He couldn't see someone in distress.
Tamina's inquiry was a moment's distraction as he assured her he did not with a shake of his head. But then he crossed the distance between he and Serenity and paused to take in her form. Then he knelt before her, reaching out to take her hand.

"Please don't be sad. I too.. will learn in time how to adjust to life here." Though he had a feeling her problems here honestly stemmed from well.. him.

"I'm.... not good at well.. any of the things you know," he went on, blushing as he smiled awkwardly. "But I also do not wish to cause you any harm. If... if my presence here is that much of a burden to you-" he began. But he couldn't finish the statement. he had no choice to go or stay or offer that to anyone. He looked to Darius- but then an idea struck him.

He smiled, truly now as he looked to Serenity and helped brush her draping hair from her face.

"I'm good at consoling. If.. if you ever need to talk to one.. about how you feel.." he went on, pressing a hand to his heart then,... one over her's. "My door is always open to you. That.." he assured her, feeling her heart beat beneath his palm. "Is what I was taught. What I am to teach, in the blessings of Ansgar himself."

Foolish.

There was a few moments where she resisted looking at Darius's eyes but finally, her lilac eyes met his and she sighed and gave a little nod. She knew he wasn't angry with her, but she felt bad for forcing Danning to do something he didn't want to. It made her feel... Guilty.

Then there he was. The Priest. The holy man who was all blushes and awkward movements.

"I'm sorry for making you touch my breast," She said softly, looking down again after turning her attention from Darius to Danning. A brief look when he moved her silvery hair away and she looked at him with surprise when he touched her. The contact made her pulse speed up a little and she chewed on her lip, blinking at him with wide eyes. Talk? About how she felt?

"I'm sure you wouldn't understand," She whispered, placing her hand over his on her chest, fingers lingering at his wrist, but she smiled at him all the same, "but thank you. I'll remember," She didn't really know who Ansgar was so she kept quiet after, looking down, "You're no burden, Danning, I just... Need to think of others. Not... Everyone is... Seeking to use what I know," She looked away after a moment before taking a step away and looking up at Darius, "You said the puppy needs a bath?"

Darius just about beamed. It seemed she was beginning to understand after all.

"Yes, he does." He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and tilted his head slightly. "Help me wrangle him? Gods know he'll probably obey you better than he does me, furry traitor."

He glanced over his shoulder at Danning and mouthed Thank you. Clearly the man wasn't comfortable, but he was trying to encourage the girl, and Darius was grateful for it.

Awkwardly, he smiled to Darius, but didn't move to step away. He'd let the others take their leave. After all, he did just want to help and..
In it's own way, she had wanted to help to.

Perhaps she had. His lips smiled a little. He was beginning to understand.

"Go have fun washing the dog," he encouraged.

A brief glance to Danning and she moved her hand to curl around Darius's, fingers clasping between his. The hand was comforting and she briefly pressed her cheek to his arm before curling her other arm around it. It was nice to touch. "I will surely smell like one," She smiled over her shoulder at Danning before she turned to Darius again, waiting to be led away.

Despite himself, Darius was a little surprised by how easily she accepted and expanded his touch. He offered her a small smile and guided her back into the hall, his faithful companion waiting for them and giving a soft woof in greeting.

Tamina hovered, glancing back at Danning. "I, ah..." She rubbed at her neck. "Sorry. About...early. I though you were-"

She cleared her throat and looked away, wishing she hadn't been quite so quick to jump to conclusions.

He held up his hands apologetically.
"Please.. no harm done." he bowed his head. "I'm still grateful to all of you for being so kind and allowing me a chance to adapt and figure this situation out. I.. know it wasn't by choice that I am here, but it will be my choice not to allow myself to simply lose who I am over what has been done. I am a servant to Ansgar, and I will continue to keep that in mind and remain respectful to your Essyrni virtues as well."

Hearing "Essyrni" and "virtue" so close together made her snort, then she realized he was sincere. She flushed, not wanting him to think she was mocking him.

"Well. I am...here. If you need something..." She shrugged and glanced at the door again, shuffling her feet, not quite sure what to do with herself.

"Tamina, wait," he called after her fleeting form. He moved to her side. "I meant it. Honestly. I know you were trying to protect Serenity. And I would never be mad at you if.. int he future you continued to do the same. In fact, I hope you always do and always listen to your inert sense of judgement." He gave her a smile. "Even though... nothing here happened, I'd... I'd hate for anything bad to happen to her." Or Tamina. Or Darius. Or anyone who didn't deserve it.

The half-demon paused, glancing sidelong at him. "I..."

She sighed and dropped her head, shaking it slightly. "I don't understand you," she grumbled, in a tone that said she clearly didn't like the feeling. Another breath, then she murmured, "But I will...gah, how do you say it? Watch her? Look over her?"

He blushed and raised his hands in apology. But smile when she gave her answer.
"Yes.. please. Please watch over her." Because he still believed he wouldn't be here long enough to see any of them past the year.

Tamina nodded, brow furrowed in a thoughtful sort of frown. "Call for me if you need something," she murmured as she slipped out into the hall.

Danning was having a difficult resting after an incident like that. He needed some fresh air, and took it upon himself to take a short walk. Though a walk through the whore house didn't help, as his eyes tried to avoid all of the naked woman strewn about- He eventually saw himself outside, but was trying to be smart about it. And he was thankful for his choice to do so. It was cool outside, cold evening, something that contrasted the blistering heat of the desert day.

At least now his entire body cooled down, and quickly, as slowly he made his rounds around the building....
and inspite of himself to remain nearby, his mind was so clouded and distracted that...
He hadn't realized he must've stepped away from the place.. because he was in the middle of some street somewhere, right int he heart of Essyrn.