(Private, solo flashback thing)
August 22, 3016
The sun beat down with scorching heat in the market square, summoning forth a light sheen of sweat onto the faces of those who had no reprieve from its relentless glare. Ava hardly glanced at any others as she moved leisurely along the various merchant stalls and shops. The
pale green garment of silk was cool and smooth like water flowing over her skin, while panels of intricately embroidered cloth of gold created decorative contrasting parts to the gown. The matching pale green veil of sheer fabric draped over the back of her head, held in place by a jewel-encrusted diadem. It was decorative while serving to keep the sun off her neck.
She had felt like getting out and seeing what the market had to offer today, simply out of boredom. A flock of well-dressed servants trailed along with her, partially behind her, and partially around her. Most were carrying packages and parcels; the things she had already purchased during this outing. Pausing to take a look at a display of shiny jewelry glinting in the hot sun, Ava soon turned up her nose and went on her way. Though still in her early twenties, the young woman had already developed an acute eye for telling when jewelry bore false jewels, or if the metal itself were fake. These were
good fakes, but fakes they were, nonetheless. Yet, she made a mental note to speak with the merchant later, in private. Perhaps, she could commission a few custom items to be made for an idea that occurred to her. A little smile played about the corners of her mouth as she considered the idea of filling her treasure vault with fakes, while the real items were hidden away somewhere safer where no thief would consider looking.
Aside from that thought, Ava was growing bored of the market. There was little here of interest to her, now. The obnoxious voice of the auctioneer droned on and on in the background, advertising the latest slaves brought in from this or that region, and who would give this much or that much. She grew weary of the sound of his voice, and she was considering whether it was not time to return home. But then, something the man said caught her attention.
“Just give it a few months, and this gorgeous pelt will be large enough for harvesting. Imagine the rug it would make, ladies and gentlemen! All you need is a sturdy cage, toss in a side of meat now and then, and just a few short months, your floor can be adorned by the most luxurious fur rug in the city!” Along with many other words to build up this unique sale. Words like ‘pelt’ and ‘fur’ were often repeated, which seemed.. odd to her. That was no
human slave they were selling, then.
With her interest piqued, Ava ventured closer to try and get a glimpse of what they were selling. An animal, surely. But what sort of animal? As she approached the market, two of her menservants flanked her. As if she needed bodyguards. It was more for show, really. But soon, the way was cleared for the young lady to get a look at what was being auctioned off. Her lips parted in shock as she stared at the fuzzy, newborn feline, her breath catching in her throat. It squeaked and cried as it squirmed in the man’s grasp, while he held it out for all to take a look at this tiny fur pelt he claimed would be full-grown in but a few months. The poor little thing looked so tiny, helpless, and pathetic.
Moved by the sight of this tiny creature, held both literally and figuratively between safety and danger, Ava took a slow glance around at the various men and women who were gathered around, eagerly awaiting the sales pitch to end and the bidding to open. Her eyes narrowed a fraction, gazing at the greedy, eager faces of her fellow citizens. She heard a few men talking in less quiet tones about how much sport they could make out of feeding time.. tossing in a slave now and then, or perhaps use it to instill more fear into them, make them work harder, and so forth. Another pair were discussing the exciting hunt that it could provide, once it was full grown. Ava’s own dark eyes hardened as she raised her chin, determined that she would not allow this poor creature to become another victim of this cruel society.
“Alright, can we start with...” The moment the auctioneer opened the bidding, several people’s hands shot up around her. The price was raised, bit by bit. Ava looked around her, waiting. Biding her time for the right moment. Paying attention to which ones were still bidding, and which ones had given up already. Soon, the competition began to thin, as the total climbed higher and higher, ascending to more than many were willing to pay. There were some stubborn men still in the running, however. A fellow nobleman was clearly bidding so that he could have a rug made of the creature’s fur, so that his home would have something no other had. Another couple of men were those who had wanted to make a sport of the animal, hunting it in a fenced-in space once it had reached a suitable age. Another man who was still bidding commented to someone next to him that he’d always wanted to add one like this to his collection of taxidermy trophies, and how thrilling it would be to hunt it after it was grown. Ava kept her lips pressed together in a thin line as she continued watching the bidding. The cost did not matter. She had plenty of money, and what she didn’t have, she could take from some of the folks around her. That would be poetic justice, wouldn’t it? The thought amused her. In fact, she began planning which one to rob, and decided that whoever the highest bidder ended up being would be getting a nighttime visit from her, soon. The rest would be added to the to-do list.
At last, the bidding had increased so high that no one offered a counter bid after the nobleman’s last one. The auctioneer paused, waiting. “Any other bids?” He asked, preparing to wrap up the auction. And finally, sensing that her moment had come and that there were no more bids about to come in, Ava spoke out loud as she raised her hand. “I’ll double it.” The nobleman and auctioneer stared at her in shock. Ava kept her gaze steady. She turned to the nobleman. “Well, do you match my offer?” She asked with an edge of ice in her tone.
“I..
d-double? No.” The man answered, still a little stunned.
With a hint of smugness in her smile, Ava turned to the auctioneer. “I am sincere.” She assured him.
The man barely suppressed his smug smile, since he got a cut from all of the profits. “Going once? Twice? SOLD! To the lovely little lady in green.” He declared happily.
Breathing out a little sigh of relief, Ava dipped her head in acknowledgement, and motioned to her servants to come along as she made her way through the crowd, toward the man who had put the animal up for auction.
“Well, congratulations, my lady!” He celebrated her win, mainly because of the fact that his fortune had suddenly increased. “You must have wanted this little critter very badly.” The man seemed amazed.
“I did indeed.” She agreed, holding out her hands to receive her prize. The soft, furry newborn was placed in her hands, squirming. Ava smiled and cuddled the small baby cat as he crawled onto her shoulder, trying to hide in her hair. All this noise around, and being held up in front of everyone must have frightened the poor little thing. “Tell me about his history.” She requested/demanded of the man selling the tiny feline. “Where is the mother? How long ago was he born, and where?” She frowned, curious.
The man scoffed as if in annoyance. “Well, I bought its mother from one of the ship captains. *Matsu Halsad, he procures a lot of our more exotic showpieces. He captured her and brought her back from one of the jungles down south. She was a great attraction down in the pits, you should’ve seen her! Fought with such ferocity! The crowds loved watching her rip and shred.” He grinned, then the grin faded. “But then a week ago exactly, she wouldn’t come out of her cage to fight, no matter what we tried. It wasn’t ‘til then that we realized she’d given birth to a litter.” He shrugged. “Two were born dead, another was as good as dead, having taken some battering from some of the previous fights the mother had been in. But this little one seemed mostly unharmed.. yet, we have little use for him.” He explained. “So, we took the kit away... which wasn’t easy. She sure fought then!” He said, clearly pleased with himself about that.
Ava did not look amused, listening to all of this with growing distaste toward the man before her. “Why can the kit not stay with his mother?” She asked. “Is she for sale?”
“Ah.. alas, my lady. Yesterday, she was killed by a fierce white bear that another captain brought from the northern regions, and we did not know what to do with the kit. I haven’t got the time or resources to nursemaid the little thing, but I figured maybe someone could find a use for it, if they can keep it alive long enough.” He looked at Ava as she cuddled the baby cat, gently rubbing between his ears. “You realize he’s going to need milk.. and a good, strong cage. You got a plan for that, my lady?”
Ava had to draw in a slow, steady breath to refrain from unleashing her anger at this man. Struggling to maintain a facade of calm, she let it out again, slowly. “I am sure I will manage however I must.” She answered coolly. “As for payment, I do not have the necessary amount
with me, for it is a large sum, and I have only brought enough for a bit of casual shopping. Shall I write a promissory note, or must I return to my estate and retrieve the necessary amount?” She inquired, all business now. “My estate is a few miles outside the city.” She warned, letting him know it would take a little while if she had to go back.
The man hesitated. “If I may ask, to whom am I speaking? I can see that you are a lady of great wealth, but.. I’m afraid I am at a loss for who you might be...”
“I am Lady Avalêazar, granddaughter of the late Lord Zagarôth Hazadazra.” Ava replied in the same businesslike tone. “I can assure you that a promissory note from me is as good as gold in hand.” She answered, trying not to sound as curt toward him as she wanted to be. She had learned, by now, not to bring up her father’s name any more than necessary, lest it remind the folks around here about why he had been killed.. and set them toward suspecting her of being a heretic as well. But her grandfather, though she had never known him, had always maintained a reputation for being exactly what these people expected. His name bore no suspicion of heresy.
The man’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “Of course, my lady. I have heard of you, most certainly, but to my knowledge, you do not visit the arena, as your grandfather used to do. That is a sore regret, for you are certainly missing out! I highly recommend coming to watch, if you should ever feel the desire for entertainment. It is most thrilling to...”
“I have no time or interest in your sort of ‘entertainment’, sir.” She cut him off, leaving out her own personal opinions about such things. Watching animals rip each other apart, with no way to get away from one another? Watching them tear helpless people to pieces? She found it astonishing that anyone would enjoy watching such a sight, and it made her despise the man who encouraged such things, all for ‘entertainment’. “Will a promissory note suffice?”
“I suppose it will.” He agreed. After all, if the payment was not made, they knew where to find her, and so would any assassin. It would be a very bad idea to not pay up, and she fully intended to pay, so that there was no question she had purchased the little creature legitimately. The best part about this? Today happened to be her birthday. This seemed like the best birthday present she could have gotten for herself.
Ava nodded once, then turned to her nearest lady servant and gently passed her new acquisition to her. “Careful with him,” She warned the woman, then turned to another servant, who already held out the writing supplies to her. Before long, she handed the man a note promising that if he came to her estate at any time to collect the designated amount, it would be given. Her signature assured that it would be so.
“What’re you planning to do with him, anyway?” The seller wondered as he inspected the note, then tucked it carefully away. “I’ll bet you’re wanting a rug… Or, I know.. you’re gonna make yourself a fancy fur coat, right?” He laughed, meaning that as a joke; it was far too warm for coats around here, especially made of fur.
Ava gave him an icy look. “What I will do with him is my own business.” She replied, clearly displeased by the remark. She turned to her servant, ignoring the man now. After taking her new baby back from the servant, Ava cuddled the kitten as she walked away, smiling at it. She was already thinking about what all she would need to do to ensure he survived. She’d learn everything she needed to know. She’d ensure there was a suitable amount of space for him to run and play, and later, hunt. She would also have to train him, and of course.. first of all, acquire milk for him until he could eat meat. She would have to figure out what sort of milk was acceptable to feed him, and so forth.
The tiny feline nuzzled her chin and squeaked, then tried to lick her jaw. “Aww,” She gently kissed him on the top of his little head. “You’re so adorable,” She whispered lovingly. “Poor little thing, left an orphan so young, by cruel and evil men.” She murmured, then blinked and looked into his fuzzy little face. His eyes were still closed, so she couldn’t look at those. “Just like me.” She added softly, so softly even her nearest servants would either not hear, or they would pretend not to have heard. The small creature wriggled and crawled closer, then sniffed her nose before squeaking again. Ava laughed softly. “You’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you?” She asked, then her smile widened a little. “That’s what I’ll call you. Izrê.” She grinned as she pried a tiny little claw from her shoulder, while lightly stroking his fiery, black-streaked coat. “Izrazor,” She amended, thinking she liked the sound of that better. Izre could be a shortened name for that. “Let’s go home, Izrê.”
*
as discussed and plotted with Ercassie
