The Purchase

“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 boundries’.” 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 her, 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 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.