Forums » General Roleplay » Aeryn + Altair [1x1]

The sun had long since risen over a city in the east, and already you could hear the local merchants shouting out their sales pitches. The streets were flooded with people, busy going about their every day lives. The road of merchants led to a plaza, where there was a wooden stage set up in the center. Eight cages lined up the back of the stage, each holding strangely dressed women and men. A group of men were busy setting things up on the stage while a single man wearing a long overcoat stared at the cages, a sly smile gracing his lips ever so slightly.

"Alright men, everything in order?" The man in the long overcoat called out, glancing towards the group of men who nodded in response. "Excellent!" The man sang, clapping his hands together slightly before approaching one of the cages. "It's going to be a good day men, these slaves are in much better shape than the last batch, and we have more built men who can handle hard labor which is just what these Nobles need.".

The man then walked down the line of cages, looking into each one as he walked by. He stopped at the last cage on the end, a smirk growing on his lips once more. "Make this one half the price." Inside the cage was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties. Her hair was long and looked like silken chocolate even as a tangled mess. Her skin was tanned from the sun, and it looked like she hadn't properly bathed in days. Her face was in fact beautiful underneath the dirt, and her sharp green eyes stared at the man with rage.

The mans smirk grew as he stared back into those green eyes. "Tell me slave, what is your name?" he asked, gesturing one of his men over. The girl did not answer, and only continued to stare down her captor. The man sighed and turned to the man he had just gestured over and took a book from him opening it up and scanning the pages. "Aeryn, been with us for about ten years now, she's reaching her age limit, these nobles want young capable hands...if no one buys her today, dispose of her." The man said coldly, shutting the book and walking back down the line of cages.

The plaza slowly started to fill with more and more people as the auction came closer to starting. Aeryn stepped towards the bars of her cage, her slender hands coming up to hold a bar as she looked out across the crowd. Most of the slaves did not know English, and as far as the slave trader was aware, neither did she. She had understood every word he had said though, and knew today would be the day she would most likely face death. She almost welcomed the thought of death after watching the devastation of her people and then sold as a slave throughout her childhood and teenage years. The night before Aeryn had a vision, and though her visions are often jumbled and don't make sense, they hold truth. Aeryn closed her eyes, remembering the vision and how everything had went black, and the only thing she could see was a silhouette of a person surrounded by bright and vibrant colors. She still was not quite sure what this vision meant for her, but she had a feeling things were about to change.

Auctions. Altair hated the things. He hated slave markets in general, but he hated auctions the most. Never reliable, auctions. Never reliable. He'd known too many an auctioneer who had hired friends to call out a bid just to get the real buyer to raise his price. Altair looked the part of a Noble, at least; a long overcoat, a top hat, an ornate cane that carefully grazed along the ground. His entire outfit showed his status, though he certainly was not a peacock. Eyes glanced around everywhere, perhaps too much; never staying in one place long enough to actually see anything.
And that was mostly because he was blind. All he saw were auras, and it only took a glimpse to know what aura was good and what aura was bad. There were a lot of bad auras at a slave market. He managed to get himself a spot in front of the auction stage, watching a man with a bad aura walking around in front of a line of muddy-aura'd peoples. Slaves, most likely in cages. The bad-aura man seemed to be walking on 'air', so he knew that he was on a stage.
While he waited, Altair carefully considered the auras of those about to be auctioned off. He could tell some genders. Men often had a certain aura that dominated the others, and women had a different aura that dominated the others. He was still trying to decide which would be best when he came upon something strange. The one on the end, a woman he felt, had a very strange aura. Not like any of the others at all. It had a white glow to it. And that was exceedingly unusual. White did not mean purity. It meant magic.
Altair knew what he wanted to do. When the auctioning reached that girl, and the auctioneer gave a starting price, Altair lifted his hand to show he was bidding. He was going to get this one.

The auction had started off with a bang, and before Aeryn knew it she was up. The slave trader opened up her cage before grabbing her chain and yanking her to the center of the stage. Aeryn winced some, feeling fear slowly creep up her spine as she stood there.

"We'll start this one off at five grand, do I have any takers? You sir with hat and cane, we have a bid of five grand, going once.." The slave trader shouted out.

Aeryn looked around the crowd, someone had made a bid? She blinked in confusion, having not expected this at all. She scanned the crowd looking for the bidder as the slave trader continued his shouting.

"SOLD! That's a wrap folks, come back next week! For those who were highest bidder, please meet me behind the stage!" The slave trader looked smug with himself, and his voice grew quieter "Least I got something out of you.." he said, pulling her chain and leading her to back behind the stage where the other slaves who were bought waited. Soon nobles took their bids, exchanging money for the slaves and then taking them off into the crowded mess.

Aeryn was still dumbstruck, someone had bought her? She stood still as she waited, watching as each noble came up and paid, then left with a slave. She wondered which person had bought her, she worried what would be in store for her now, and thought back to her vision, maybe this was connected to it somehow.

Altair was pleased that he had won the bid so easily. He got up at the end and walked behind the stage, following the aura of the girl. He stood by the man with the bad aura and paid him, then waited for the papers. He turned his head towards Aeryn while he waited. "So, what is your name, miss? It is miss, isn't it?" His eyes were fogged over, making it obvious that he couldn't see. Still, his eyes moved around, taking in her aura. He took the papers and the chain that led her. "Once we get back to the house, we can get these chains off you. For now, this is the easiest way for me not to lose you."
He started walking, carefully making his way to the carriage that was waiting for him. He got in, waiting for her to follow and sit inside as well. "My name is Altair." He realized an introduction might be smart. He hadn't told her his name until then. Things like that tended to slip his mind. "It's interesting...I heard some of the workers say you've been in the slave market for around ten years. Is there a reason no master has kept you?"

Aeryn's new owner was the last to pay, and she relaxed only slightly when she finally got a look at him. Something about him was different and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She realized he was blind, even though his eyes moved as if they were seeing, but it was something else that made him different and it peaked Aeryn's curiosity. The man asked her name, but before she could reply the slave trader snorted at his question. "She doesn't speak, she's been with us for ten years now and hasn't said a peep." he said as he leaned back counting his money. Aeryn chose to keep her mouth shut for now, letting her new owner lead her away.

Aeryn was surprised at how well he moved through the crowd, and wondered how he could sense where to go. They shortly came upon a carriage, and the man open the door and crawled inside. Aeryn bit her bottom lip slightly, before taking a deep breath and following suit behind him. The inside of the carriage was nice, unlike anything Aeryn had ever seen before. Her thoughts were interrupted when the man suddenly introduced himself as Altair. Aeryn looked at him, sensing it would be okay to speak "Aeryn..my name is Aeryn." she said quietly, her voice was smooth and calming with a slight hint of nervousness. "I have never been bought.." she said even more quietly, answering his last question. Being in such tight quarters of the carriage it became very apparent she needed to bathe, she smelled worse than a horse stall.

Altair lifted a brow. So she did speak! Clever girl, not speaking in front of the traders. Probably saved her a lot of hassle, after the initial beatings for disobedience of course. Maybe they finally got the idea that she was mute and stopped hurting her for her silence. "I see....Hmm. Well, why haven't you ever been bought?" He held onto his cane calmly, 'watching' her with the eyes that certainly couldn't see. He was trying to pick at her aura, figure it out in his head and decide what exactly she was about.

The carriage moved along and he made no comment about her smell. He expected as much from a slave market. When the carriage stopped, they had pulled up in front of a beautiful mansion. Altair got out and took precise steps along the cobble sidewalk to the door. He tapped on it with his cane, and the door was opened by a butler. "Coming, Aeryn? Waltson, the butler, will show you to the bathing room. There is a stack of clothing in there, choose whatever fits. I got all sizes. When you are cleaned up and dressed in proper clothes, Waltson will bring you to see me again."

Aeryn glanced at him when he had asked why she had never been bought before, "Well, I am not sure. Perhaps it was because I was a woman? Most slave buyers look for working able men.." she said softly, speaking rather well for a slave. She was about to ask why he had purchased her when the carriage came to a stop and Altair moved to get out, Aeryn following behind him. She almost fell over as she looked up at the mansion, her jaw dropping slightly. The mansion was almost as big as her village was!

She followed him up the cobblestone path, admiring the huge structure before her, having never seen anything like it. She jumped slightly when Altair lifted up his cane and knocked on the door, and almost collided with him from staring at the house as she walked behind him. She caught herself just in time to not bump him at all as the door opened and a butler allowed them in. Altair called for her as she stood there, causing her to jump again slightly and follow him into the house. Altair then left her in the care of Waltson the butler who would show her where she could clean up and dress. She nodded, and then realized he could see and inwardly scolded herself as she replied "Yes Sir."

"Hmmm..." Altair murmured doubtedly. Not that he thought she was lying, but he knew women slaves were more popular than they should be. He wasn't going to tell her that, though. If she didn't know by now, he'd prefer not to let her know, so that she wouldn't think that was his goal for it all. Altair left on his own, without bumping into a single thing, and Waltson walked her up an ornate staircase and down the hall. He opened the door to the one room. "This is your room, miss." It was a guest bedroom, completely furnished and very lavish. Waltson walked inside and went to a door in the room, opening it. "And here is the bath, miss." No yucky wooden tubs for this girl! Certainly not! The bathtub was porcelain, beautifully done with carved feet to keep it standing. The water had already been prepared and was nice and steamy. Bath salts and soaps were set up on the counter for her to choose from, and a towel to dry off with was folded up beside the stack of folded clothes.

"I will be in the room, simply come out when you are dressed and ready." Waltson said. "If you need any assistance please let me know." There was even a hairbrush on the counter for her to brush her hair with! The man bowed his head, then left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Aeryn had followed Waltson up the staircase, reveling in how big and fancy the house was. She wondered why someone would need such a big place, and figured Altair was high up in the noble world. When Waltson showed her where she would be staying, her jaw dropped again. The room was beautiful, unlike anything she had ever been in. She nodded to Waltson, only slightly paying attention as she admired the room. She walked towards the bathroom, smelling the sweet aroma from the soap and bath salts. She barely even noticed Waltson shut the door to give her some privacy, her eyes glued to a mirror above a polished marble counter. She did not look like the princess she was, she looked like a slave. She frowned at herself slightly, shaking her head lightly before stripping out of her tattered rags.

After some much needed bathing and scrubbing, Aeryn climbed out of the tub and grabbed the towel next to the clothes and dried off. She then set the towel to the side and started going through the stack of clothes, which were dresses. Aeryn smiled slightly, she hadn't worn a dress since she was a child and none of the dresses she wore as a child were as nice as this. She picked out a simple dress and put it on, the dress fitting her every curve perfectly. She then ran the brush through her tangled hair, wincing only slightly as the knots came out. When she was done she looked in the mirror once more, looking completely different almost. Her chocolate strands flowed around her, framing her face slightly. Her skin was clear of any dirt and looked soft to the touch. Aeryn felt like herself again for a moment and a small smile graced her lips as she turned to leave the bathroom.

When Aeryn came out of the bathroom, Waltson was waiting quietly in the room for her. She could feel her nervousness coming back, everything was happening like a fairy tale. It was almost too good to be true. She met eyes with Waltson, who seemed to only be watching her curiously. "I am ready." Aeryn said softly, wondering what was in store for her next.

Waltson looked over at her when she came out and he smiled approvingly. "Master Altair will be very pleased." He led her down the stairs and through the hall. There were so many rooms in the house! He led her to a pair of double doors at the end of the hall. "You must never enter this room without the master's strict permission." he warned, before knocking on the door. "Master Altair, she is ready."
Altair's voice sounded from the other side of the doors. "Good, good. Take her to the sitting room, I'll come to discuss things with her there. Much cleaner than in here." He chuckled slightly, and Waltson simply gave a 'yes sir' and led Aeryn to a nice sitting room, which was used for entertaining and meeting with guests.

"Please sit here until Master Altair is ready." He gestured to one of the plush chairs, and then left to go upstairs and clean up the bathroom. It would only be a couple minutes before Altair arrived, walking without a cane. He smiled as he spotted her aura and he sat down on the chair across from her. "Well, how do you feel? I can tell that Waltson felt you cleaned up very nicely. It was obvious in his tone of voice." He thought for a few moments, giving her a chance to respond before he spoke again. "We'll discuss business first, and then get you something to eat. You must be starving."

"On the note of business, however, there are a few things you need to know. Waltson already warned you about my study. Do not go in unless I give you permission. Every other room in the house is open to you. I'll have Waltson give you a tour after we eat. Your job is simple. You will keep the house tidy and dusted, and accompany me on my outings to assist me. As you can already tell, I cannot see. I can get around in the house perfectly well, since I grew up here, but in new areas it is very difficult for me to move around without bumping into anything. Which brings me to your other instruction. Do not move anything. If you move something, you must put it back exactly where you found it. This goes mainly for furniture. Nothing has moved in this house since I was a child, and that is how I can get around so well. I know where everything is. If you move something, even just a little bit, it throws me off and I'll end up stubbing my toe or hitting my knee. And I don't need to tell you how unpleasant that is. Dusting shouldn't be hard with this fact, since you can move around the decorations on the shelves and such. Just make sure to put them back in case I need them. But for those, it is less pressure to not move. I am mostly concerned about the things like the furniture and the rugs. For the dining room, always make sure the chairs are pushed up against the table as far as they can be."

He paused, knowing that this was a lot. "Do you have any questions?"

Aeryn had followed Waltson to the double doors, and nodded at his instruction to not enter unless told otherwise. Her curiosity peaked again, wondering what was inside. She followed him down to the sitting room, doing as she was told and sitting down while she waited for Altair. He arrived soon after Waltson left, taking a place in the chair across from her. He asked her how she felt, and she wondered if she should answer honestly. "Yes, it is nice to feel like a human again.." she replied back softly, leaving her growing list of questions for later. She listened to his instructions on what her role was to be in the house, her shoulders slouching some in relief. She had heard stories from some of the other girls in slavery, and had been slightly worried about her actual 'purpose' here. So far, nothing seemed too bad and she could understand his need for keeping everything in the same place.

Once he was finished and asked her if she had any questions, she didn't even know where to start. "Well, I have quite a lot of questions actually, but they have nothing to do with the duties you gave me..." she paused momentarily, glancing down at her hands folded in her lap. She wasn't sure she should even ask. "I am just a little baffled...why me?" she asked in a small voice, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes as all her emotions she had been keeping sealed up started to overwhelm her.

Altair smiled slightly at the question. "Hmm. I guess I should have expected that. Well you see, I chose you because you're special. You're not quite usual, are you? You're not quite normal like the others. Tell me your secret, and I will tell you mine." He was patient, certainly. "And please, if you have any questions whatsoever, you may ask. I cannot always guarantee an answer, but at least you can ask and I will try to answer." He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, waiting, listening. He wasn't going to tell her about his gift of auras until she told him about why she had a magical aura around her. This was also a test, in a way. It would show how honest she was.
(Sorry it's short xD)

Aeryn frowned slightly at his response, he knew something was different about her, something she had kept hidden for protection. She pondered for a moment whether she could trust him or not, but so far he had not given her a reason not to trust him.

She sighed softly, "Well, I am different from the other slaves that were at the auction...I come from a completely different tribe of people.." she paused slightly, still staring down at her hands in her lap. "I was born to a tribe that used to reside in the northern mountains..we did not live with such luxuries as these, and used only what was needed to survive. When I was a child an army attacked our village without warning...My father, who was the leader of our tribe was killed, my mother..was our tribes oracle..she could foretell the future, and heal the sick...but she had not seen the army coming.." Aeryn closed her eyes, continuing on. "I was considered a princess...the next oracle to watch over the tribe..." she paused again, her mothers face flooding her memories. "My mother and sister were taken somewhere else, while I was put into slavery..I have not seen them since that day. My mothers abilities were passed down to me..but without proper training and study my visions are often unreadable.."

Altair didn't open his eyes until she had finished. "An oracle? That's amazing. How interesting." He leaned forward a little, watching her carefully, trying to pick out what about her aura made it an oracle's aura. It was starting to make more sense. He smiled. "Incredible. Well, I always keep my promises. You see, I am not entirely blind. I can see auras. That is how I knew you were different. You have a different aura than the others. It also helps me get around a bit more. But inanimate objects do not have auras, so I can only avoid bumping into real people. I can still run into things like rocks or tables or chairs." He gestured to her. "Your aura is what made me choose you. I could tell you are a good person, and I was also very intrigued at the strange color in your aura." He paused for a moment and smiled gently. "There was also fear in your aura. A much more somber fear than the others. I've seen it before. It's the aura of one resigned to death. I can't just let that happen, now can I?"

He leaned back in his chair again, settling into it once more. "So, what other questions do you have?"

Aeryn felt a bit a relief when he seemed only curious about what an oracle was, and felt more relief when he opened up about seeing aura's. She had noticed he avoided the crowd well, which made sense if he could see their aura's. She looked at him when he mentioned her aura was showing she was resigned to death. She frowned slightly, "Yes, I had been resigned to death..this was my last auction...since I had never sold their answer was to dispose of me.." she paused, realization dawning on her. "You! My vision was you..." she whispered excitedly, suddenly off track. She closed her eyes, remembering her vision of darkness, and then the silhouette of a person standing in the darkness, radiating what she would consider an 'aura'. The warm inviting colors dancing about the silhouette, drawing her in. Had she foretold his bid? Or was it something else? She realized she had been quietly thinking for quite some time now and quickly looked up to Altair, "I'm sorry, it's just..the night before the auction I had a vision...I was surrounded by darkness..and then a silhouette of a person appeared, and around them was a very bright and colorful hue of light..is the only way I can think of to describe it.." She looked into his cloudy eyes, searching them.

Altair didn't question her when she settled and stopped talking. He just 'watched' contently and smiled, and when she finally spoke about what she'd been thinking of, he brightened. "Really? Wonderful! That's fantastic. You have an amazing gift, Aeryn, you really do. You are so very blessed with it." He was quite content! This was a pleasing turn of events. "This is all very interesting, Aeryn. Very interesting indeed. Well, we can think more about it later. For today, you don't have anything to do. Just eat, rest, and explore. Your duties will start tomorrow, and I'll walk you through what a normal day looks like." He smiled and stood up. "Are you ready to eat? Or do you have anything else that you would like to ask me about?"

Aeryn was not used to this sort of kindness, and Altair continued to baffle her. Perhaps she had become prejudice, seeing only the worst from these more advanced people. Her hope was returning to her, slowly but surely. Aeryn's thoughts were interrupted when Altair stood, asking if she was hungry. Her stomach responded with a small growl, Aeryn honestly couldn't remember the last time she had ate and she normally would luck out and find a scrap of bread someone had discarded. She blushed some at her stomachs vocal acknowledgement of food.

"I suppose I am quite hungry...but there is one more thing.." she said, standing up as well. She looked up at Altair, smiling slightly even though she knew he couldn't see it. "Thank you. I owe you my life Sir. I will not try to escape you.." Aeryn paused for a moment, her smile fading, "but..I would like to try and find my mother and sister..eventually..they may not even be alive still...and it could be a lost cause, and you've already given me so much..for a slave." her voice caught in her throat slightly "I just want to know..so the wondering stops.." she whispered, glancing down.

Altair led her to the dining room where food was already set out for them, listening to her as she talked. "Of course. In time, that would be a very interesting thing to find out. It may be difficult, or even impossible, but everything is worth the effort, is it not?" He stretched slightly and then sat down in his seat. "Please, sit and eat." He took his fork and ate, as if he could see. He was quite used to eating on his own, he'd mastered the art of it.
(Again sorry for the shortness!)

Aeryn sat down beside him, the aroma of the food drawing her in. She was thankful enough that he would even consider it. "Not knowing whether they are alive or dead has been the hardest part.." she said softly, looking at her food. "Sometimes I wish I could control what my visions show, but such a gift can be misused if such a thing was possible..my mother..before we were separated told me not to tell anyone of my gift for that reason alone..but I never choose what I see..and it happens randomly.." she continued, picking up her fork finally and taking a small bite. It was like an explosion of flavor in her mouth, and she had forgotten how real food tasted. Silence overtook her as hunger took control and she ate like a starved animal. Her hands shook slightly from the small shock her body was going through from getting proper nutrients suddenly.

(lol it's okay I'm not a picky post person. I know some of mine get short too)

Altair reached over and put a hand on hers. "Slow down. Careful. You need to eat slowly or else you'll throw up. Just try to relax. Don't worry, the food isn't going anywhere. You'll get breakfast, lunch and dinner like I do. It's okay." He smiled softly and went back to eating. "I understand. It is a difficult thing to live with, not knowing something like that. Don't worry. Some day I'll see about looking into it. Unfortunately, first I have business to tend to, so it can't be right away. But in time, when things get settled, I'll call in some favors and get some people to investigate." He continued eating, listening carefully to make sure she didn't keep scarfing down food. It wouldn't do for her to get sick on her first night in a real house, with a real room and such!