The Purchase: Parts 1 & 2

“And this: My good sir, is my pride and joy.” The heavy set man announced with a grand sweep of his arm and a smile so large I began to feel his face would tear in two. As he stepped aside I looked into the room at which he gestured, and a small gasp escaped my lips.

“They’re so… beautiful.” I said in a hushed whisper.

Casting my gaze over each in turn, I noted their various expressions, ranging from solemn and defeated to those of intended murder or rage. Most wore their hair long, either flowing down their back or done in long twisting braids, some even twisting the braids around their necks as a form of scarf. Their frames seemed to either be universally lean and a bit lanky, or naturally flaring out at the hips, and it seemed that the  one who wore their hair straight and unbraided were those with the leaner forms.

“Yes sir, Half-Sent’ll do yuh if you are only interested in spellcraft as a hobby, but for a true Druid or Thaumaturge you need an Elf. Now we got four kinds here, each with their ups and do- Oi! Line up you shivering bastards! We got a customer!” His already abrasive voice boomed in my ear and I shrank away out of instinct, covering it to prevent further damage. He seemed to notice and began apologizing profusely before turning and scolding his property.

Righting myself I followed as he trotted into the room, his thick grey-ish shoulders almost too wide to fit the narrow doorframe. He again indicated his flock, which had broken up into four rough groups. He first stood by a group of wide-hipped, what I assumed to be women, elves and clapped the closest on the shoulder who, to her credit, stood stock still and stared ahead.

“This here is the female full-bloods. They are really popular for a slew of reasons.” He smiled then, a rather hideous grin implying things better left unsaid. He continued, “You can tell on account of their hips,” he smacked the slight framed girl on her backside, “and their ears.” He then took this opportunity to tug on her pointed ear, causing her to momentarily cringe, and I could tell that I had cringed as well.

She quickly recovered though, taking a deep breath and flicking her short, wisp-white hair to the side. I took the time to look across the lot of them as the large Orc made his way to the second set. I noticed a trend then, all of them wore their -universally pale- hair either short or in braids. Their eyes were dull but I could make out their vibrant colors, beautiful golds and coppers and teals and greens.

Turning to follow, my eyes locked with the last one in line. She wore her ash-grey hair short, offsetting her softly browned skin in a way that visibly drew the eye. Her eyes were a deep, almost glowing green that reminded me of the green glassed gas-lights of Freke Galae. A pale, horizontal scar traced over her nose and something in me immediately wondered where it had come from.

In the back of my mind I knew that Mr.Dlaver was discussing the males and how they were better in a fight and the like, but something about that one’s eyes kept me focuses. It was a look of accepted eventuality but yet also determination, as if she knew would likely never see home and family again, but she refused to let it break her. My chest hurt at that look.

When I could no longer stand it I turned away, just in time to catch the beginning of the salesman’s rant on half-elves. How they were hardly on par with a Half-Sent for memory retention, but that they could also cast minor spells “like they were people”. I noted the shortness of their ears in comparison to their full-blooded cousins, and the unique and strangely vibrant ringing around their pupils.

Eventually he asked me which looked the most promising, and my eyes flicked back over towards those immaculate green eyes. “What’s that one’s name?” I asked, almost without thinking.

“Name?” He man questioned, almost not understanding. “Oi! You.” He hollered, pointing at the girl and finally drawing her eyes from mine, “Come over here. That’s good one there kid, a great choice. She’s 36, just finishing off her girlhood, and she’ll last a long time. Hell, if you treat her right your grandkids could use her.”

He belted out a hearty laugh as he clapped me on the back, nearly knocking me over.  She had arrived before us just as the thought clicked in my head. “Shaelagoth have mercy she’s older than I am.” I mumbled, my mouth dropping in disbelief. How could I possibly own someone who had been through more and seen more than I had?

As I contemplated this, she leaned forward, her face nearly touching mine as she tried to catch my eyes. I only snapped out of my musings and noticed when I felt her soft breath on my face and she whispered something. Springing back out of some baser reflex I found myself caught by the heavy-set orc, who seemed most amused at my expense.

“Friendly ain’t they?” He managed, nearly doubling over in his guffaws. “They like to do that, something about ‘Lack of personal boundaries’.” He emphasized his point by curling his fingers into a crude approximation of quotation marks, “Still, I think she’s taken a liking to you my boy.”

“Oh.” I managed, still breathing a little heavy as I straightened, my face nearly level with hers. Leaning in, I took a quick breath and tried to meet her unwavering eyes, “I’m sorry. What was it you said?”

“Liflyhn Aveshj” Her voice very much did not match her frame, being relatively husky. However something about it fit her. Leaning back she examined me, eyes starting at my simple boots and travelling up. I took this time to examine her as well. Mr. Dlaver had dressed in her in a simple, uncolored linen dress with sleeves that extended just past the elbow that did nothing to accent or enhance her figure. Around her neck was a simple ribbon choker with a small metal ring in the front and I felt like something once attached there.

My eyes moving down, lingering a bit longer than I was comfortable admitting on her modest chest. Even with the oversized dress I could plainly make out the widest parts of her hips pressing against the fabric and I felt something stir in me. Moving along I took note of the occasional scar that traced over her calves and ankles. Her feet were hidden under simple leather slippers that ended just under her ankles, they reminded me of the functional short-boots the women of my hometown wore and a smile crossed my lips.

That faded as my eyes returned to hers and I noticed her cheeky grin. I felt a blush lance over my cheeks as I turned towards the gleeful Orc.

“So what do you say my boy? Do you fancy her? She has impeccable penmanship and a keen eye for detail. And I know what you’re thinking, ‘she’s too old’, well bear in mind that in your years she’s just now becoming a woman. They start their bleeding much later and it takes them a lot longer to age. This one started as late as 20 in fact.” He swept his hand towards her and now it was her turn to look away and blush. “I’ll take as little as 15 Kings for her, since you two get along so well.”

Taking a deep breath, I weighed my options. On one hand, that was no light sum, and it would leave me with barely 4 King’s Heads and a couple Queens but on the other I needed her if I had any hope of getting my Druid’s Mark.

With a heavy sigh I reached back and unhooked my satchel from my belt, “The road to treasure is lined with thorns.” I assured myself, nodding my head to the delight man before me.

As the money entered his palm I could hear the unbridled joy in his deep voice, “Oh great mother watch over you my boy. I’ll have her washed and delivered with all due haste. Where are you staying if I may ask? I can leave her waiting in your room if you like.”

“I’m at the If Trouble Inn, or, that’s where I will be staying. I need to do some shopping first and-“

“No worries my boy. I’ll get you a room all set, just have a word with the owner when you get there and tell him I sent you.” He gave a wink as he ushered me back out into the main room, closing the door behind him. After that it was a simple matter of signing the proper documents and the like and before it even fully connected in my mind, I was the owner of an elf.

 

-

 

As I ended up outside of the Inn, hardwood dock softly shifting under my feet, I felt oddly nervous. As I eased open the old oak door I attempted to reason with my worries. After all, people bought elves every day; some even purchased entire groves –a group of six or more elves- of them at a time. So why I were my knees shaking as I made my way through the crowd? Making it to the bar, I rapped a couple of times on the bar to let the owner know I wished to see him and then turned to face the small mass that occupied the bar floor.

Looking over the odd parade in front of me I attempted to count all the various races before me. There were Dwarves and Drakekin wrestling arms, Halflings debating the pros and cons of various river routes with Gatos while a human scholar charted ancestry with a handful of gaily dressed Devil-folk. This is what I loved about Freke Galae, aside from its astounding underwater architecture, was that it was the perfect size; large enough to draw a slew of various races, but small enough that they all had to share the same space. I did take note of the absence of Elves or Half-Sents around; perhaps they were all being kept in their owner’s rooms?

Just as the thought entered my mind, a stern voice sounded behind me: “Oi boy! What can I do yuh?”

I nearly leapt into the air from the sudden proximity of the voice, wheeling around to face the speaker. I was met with the friendly but well worn face of a human, likely 60 or more years old and baring the scars of an adventurous youth.

He smiled as I extended a hand towards him, and I was thankful that he didn’t take the opportunity to laugh at my expense. “Hi, sorry you startled me.” I said, straightening my waistcoat, “Mr. Dlaver sent me.”

“Ah! Yes the boy with the elf. Good for yuh. Don’t feel odd about it kid, half the folks here have a companion or two of their own. Hell I have a couple Half-Sent working the kitchen, handy lot them.”

That came as a welcome relief and I informed him of that, much to his amusement. He gestured me to around the bar and as I filed down the several flights of stairs I took the opportunity to look outside the large windows. I loved the water, and the fact that I could watch the fish outside swim and cluster around the green glowing gas-lights outside reminded me of how great things could be if one took the chance to pursue what they wanted. Perhaps owning an Elf would be just as worthwhile as leaving home.

As we arrived outside my door, the large man pressed a key into my palm and wished me the best of luck, before turning to leave. As he slowly made his way back up the old creaking stairs he told me, “If you need anything, just find me.”

I was alone again, or as alone as one could be in the city, and it occurred to me that I may never be this alone again once I walked through that door. I took a deep breath and steeled myself, putting the key into the lock and turning. The hard click was surprisingly definitive and I debated trying my hand at a Piercing Ring to get a look inside. I quickly abandoned that idea when I realized how pathetic that would make me and simply turned the door handle. As I opened the door and cast my gaze inside, my first instinct was to look right at the form standing in the center of the room but I resisted and instead took in the room itself.

The floor itself was a beautiful, red hardwood with a dark accent strip separating it from the wall, upon which was a beautiful mural depicting the story of Shaelagoth turning men into the first fish. The bed itself looked very comfortable, being large enough for two and covered in a large, thick blanket. A lump caught in my throat when I realized there was only one. The room also held a bedside table with a lantern, a small table with two chairs and a small writing desk. All in all not bad for 5 Queens a night, which he could likely make up for with some morning fishing to sell back to the owner; a common way to pay for rooms.

Finally he brought his attention the young girl standing in the center of the room, eyes locked on his even as he turned towards her. She was dressed in a beautiful dress, definitely worth a pretty penny, and it was clear that Mr. Dlaver was going all out to impress me. The slight off-white matched her hair and the embroidery at the bottom and long-sleeves was clearly trying to match her eyes, but paled in comparison. The shape and cut was close at the top, obviously trying to showcase what breasts she had before narrowing at the center with a simple ribbon like the one around her neck. It flared out below that, visibly flowing over her broad hips and thighs before ending just about her shoes, the same ones she had been wearing when I first met her.

As my eyes made their way back up she did a quick turn, showing off the unique lacing patter that danced its way up the back of her dress, even if my attention was stolen by the way her dress traced the shape of her buttocks and her womanly thighs and it occurred to me she may not have anything under her dress. As a blush heated my cheeks and I felt a stirring in my trousers, she turned to face me again and my eyes flicked quickly up to her eyes, hoping she hadn’t noticed.

It was obvious from her grin that she had, and as she stepped forward she extended her hand to me, “Hello sir, it is my pleasure to serve.” She was smiling but I could tell that it didn’t reach her beautiful eyes.

Out of courtesy I took her hand and shook it, I was caught slightly off guard by how worn they were, much different from the soft dainty hands of most Human and even Halfling women. “The pleasure is mine.” I assured her, releasing her hand and taking a step back.

I was unsure of how to proceed from her, but decided to start with the obvious: “So um, is there anything you need? How long exactly have you been waiting for me? Not long I hope.”

She smiled then, in a way that did reach her eyes, and it made them brighten further. At this point I was certain that they would glow in the dark. “I am well sir; I have only been here for a half hour. If you would pardon my bluntness though, I do lack a change of clothes.” She nodded her head towards her clothes as she said that.

“Oh! Yes of course. I didn’t know if you would be given anything to wear or not so I gathered a few things.” With that I unhooked the leather bag that hung from my belt and held it out to her. It contained the few things I had thought would fit her or that she might enjoy. Reaching in she pulled out something long and sea-green, I quickly recognized it as the scarf I had gotten for her on a whim and as she looked it over her mouth dropped open.

Wrapping it instantly around her throat she again twirled, the long material trailing behind her. Her small mouth was made wide with a full smile and I knew instantly that it was a good choice, well worth the King’s Head I spent for it. Remembering the bag she held in her hand she looked in again, pulling out a short-sleeved shirt that was a similar ash-white to her hair. Setting it on the desk, she dug out a pair of blue trousers I had gotten from a Naval Stockade for a few Queens, having decided that a pair of functional breeches would be of more use in my line of work than a fancy dress.  

Giving it her nod of approval she removed the last items from the sack, offering it back to me with one hand as she looked over the items. One was a waterproofed case, designed to hang from a belt and hold the ink used in painting the sigils and marks for spellcraft. Also included was a simple belt, a waterproofed satchel that attached to the belt, much like mine, and a small holster for a miniature paintbrush attached to a thin chain.

“So? Do you like them?” I asked with a slight nervous quiver in my voice.

A smile crossed her lips as she answered, “Yes sir. Though I must ask, why the trousers and shirt? Do you not like the dress?” She gestured at herself, her face one of adorable confusion.

“Oh no, nothing like that,” I assured, for some reason it felt rude to let her think that, even if she was my property, “I just have a very active line of work, and I need you to be able to keep up.”

“I see.” She said, nodding her head and obviously considering the implications of this.

“So… do you want to try them on? I’m unsure if they’ll fit or not.” I queried, pulling her from her contemplation to address the task at hand.

“If it please you sir.” She replied, not really paying attention and her new tools of trade aside. Before I even realized what was happening she had begun unlacing the back of her dress, and something about that held me in place. Would she really undress in front of me?

As it would happen, the answer was yes.