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 Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:58 pm
 The last time Haqikah left the Black Market it had been with a great sense of relief and a pair of slaves in tow. She had vowed not to get back in a very long time, but... that didn't quite work out as planned, did it? Akil had done a decent job of picking out the other slave, Nuri, and she would have sent him this time too unless he had been the main cause of this visit. Her personal servant was injured and with her ongoing renovation there was simply too much work to be done for one healthy and one injured slave. Not that he slacked, not at all. In fact, she had to order him not to exhaust himself or he'd just make it worse.
Haqikah was worried, and she did not like being worried. Not at all. It was hard to blame this particular bout of bad luck on others, but she still tried. If her servant hadn't been so stubborn... If those incompetent Colosseum workers had told her the truth about the dangers in the first place. If that dog that should not be named hadn't dragged her to the Colosseum time and time again. Made it look easy with his mangy slaves...
Walking the streets of Zanzibar had always made her feel out of place, and definitely better than the rest of the crowd. Now it also made her very angry, and slightly anxious. She might meet him. She might meet the little b***h. If she wasn't of such good breeding and had such excellent manners she'd bite that little b***h.
Ah, to say that Haqikah was in a foul mood might be a bit of an understatement. Her face, however, didn't betray the extent of the turbulence within. She walked into the disgusting excuse for a slave market with a haughty expression on face, giving Hyde a short nod. Hopefully this would be over with quickly.
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Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:33 pm
 The slave kitten had spent much of his time trying to look the part of a self respecting slave, but had now grown weary of trying to keep his fur clean and looking for potential masters. Some had looked at him, others had ignored him completely. And he could guess this had been the same for his friend Nesser. He could also feel his hope for ever getting out starting to increase, replaced with a fear of being trapped in here forever. In order to escape his fear, Azibo would spend time trying to sleep, but it was hard to do so when the floor was dirty and he could hear the others mewing at times, some sounding distressed while others cried out in despair. Sometimes, when he did find sleep, he would be able to escape to a much nicer place. Back before he was sound olf to the black market. Now he sat in his cage, glumly gazing at the others, his ears slightly dropped as he tried not to fall into despair. He had not been able to talk to Nesser for a while now, and there was no one else to talk to save him. He had seen a few hounds walk past today, one which he had made sure to look as bad as possible when he saw him snap at his slave. For a minute he thought the hound was going to beat him up. But once he had disappeared he came back into the light again, and resumed his sitting and waiting routine.
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 1:43 am
Haqikah looked over the caged slaves as she moved through the market, this time without Hyde breathing down her neck. The hyena must be busy with another customer or something of the sort. She quickly moved past a cat with dual-coloured eyes. After meeting the master of the funeral parlour in Prussia she couldn't quite look at cats like that without getting reminded of the horrible tour of the house. How could someone be so rich and at the same time so bad at social interactions? It was a mystery and it was not fair... There was a thin line between eccentric but charming and plain weird. She would have handled that large house and abundance of slaves much better...
A scarred slave with red eyes hissing at her from a nearby cage brought her back to reality. She was pretty sure she recognised it as one she had absolutely refused to buy last time around. And she was still not interested in thugs. Later on she might need some kind of guard as her household grew, but it better be a guard with some manners towards her and her invited guests. Better take a slave that wasn't too aggressive or unpredictable and teach it to fight. Someone that was only interested in a slave to throw into the arena would probably be happy to find one that was already aggressive, but she needed more than just another mindless fighter.
Oh, this was not right! Shopping was supposed to be fun, but this was slightly less entertaining than accidentally clipping a blood vessel when trimming ones nails. But there was no helping it, and she would have to start interacting with the slaves to try to find a decent one. The sooner the better, because the mewing and complaining around her was starting to get to her. She stopped in front of the next cage, one containing a striped and blissfully silent slave.
"Slave," she snapped, "Can you do anything useful, hmm?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 1:59 am
His ears had twitched, detecting the soft pat pat of paws, so he was not to surprised to see a hound was coming his way. She looked quite proper, even beautiful for a hound, the fluffy tail a odd sight instead of the small ones they were known to have. He was wary though, her posture suggested one who was a little annoyed.
Once she had snapped at him, he jumped back into the cage, not expecting to be barked at. It was the first time anyone but a cat had addressed him directly, and the question caught him off guard. What could he do? Not much to be honest.
"I-I-I" he stammered, his brain working to find a answer that would be appealing. "I've b-been taught h-how to serve a-at a s-s-slave school, s-s-so I am a-able to m-most things t-that is required o-of a slave" Try as he might, he could not get rid of that stutter
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:22 am
A bit skittish perhaps, this one. But Haqikah decided to give him the benefit of a doubt. His coat looked decent and there was no smell of disease in this corner of the market. It was hard to tell with all the scents blending together, but this cat looked healthy. No runny eyes or nose, no scabs or visible wounds. Nothing crawling on him as far as she could see... A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of cat fleas, but she did know an establishment in Zanzibar that offered flea baths. Any slaves she bought today would be thoroughly treated just in case.
"Once more," she said, trying to sound patient since this slave looked fairly young. Young ones could be shaped to your liking... "Look at my chest or feet when you talk to me. A slave should never look into the eye of a hound without permission. And speak up if you can. Now slave, what are your strengths and weaknesses?"
She wasn't sure if the stutter was permanent or if he could talk properly when he wanted to. It would be a pity if she bought a slave and then had to take out its tongue because its speech pattern annoyed her. But she did like his stripes, and she did like the price marking at this cage too. Not too expensive, she just had to find out if there were any hidden faults before buying him. Hyde was not known to make discounts or take back defect goods. Haqikah looked around and noticed that Hyde was not entertaining another customer at the moment, he was busy gobbling down a plate of... uh... she could have lived without seeing that.
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:37 am
"Oh!" Azibo said in shock, lowing his eyes quickly and now staring holes into the floor. "I- I apologize, It has been some time since I have addressed someone of higher rank". He swallowed, finding his throat to be rather dry as he tried to come up with a suitable response. "I'm not particularly strong...or fast..but I have been told I'm 'to smart for my own good" Was that a good thing? he wondered if this was something he should of said, but he pushed the thought aside. "I'm also a quick learner...I try to learn as many things as possible"
He could tell the hound was staring at him, and he felt himself shrink even more, head bowed in a sign of submission as he waited for whatever she would ask of him next.
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:22 am
Ah, this was much better. He still talked very fast, but without the stutter it wasn't a problem to understand him. She didn't expect any young slave to be particularly strong or fast. In fact, she was pretty sure she could overpower many of the slaves in here if she had to. Not that she would ever do something as unladylike as starting to wrestle with mangy cats. But lack of strength wasn't a real problem, since any slave that worked for his or her living would get stronger eventually. Funny how scrubbing floors and carrying heavy things did that to you. Not that Haqikah would know since she tried to avoid doing things a slave could just as well do for her...
If she bought this slave she'd have to test him thoroughly, because she knew some slaves said they weren't strong just to weasel out of the more backbreaking tasks. But lying to her would do him no good; that much was for certain. The part about being a quick learner was probably true, however. Haqikah allowed herself to smile a little at his show of obedience. She liked that. And she decided that further questioning was in order.
"Quick learner, eh?" she said, "What would you like to learn then, slave?"
She was very curious about the answer and was fully focused on the cowering slave in front of her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:19 am
Azibo paused, not giving his answer straight away, his thoughts whirling away. He then lifted his head, not much, just enough so he could look at her toes. "I'd...like to learn how to read and write..." He said truthfully. "I..know it must seem silly to someone who's able to do such things naturally...but I'd think it would be a grand skill to know. To be able to read the wealth of information that hounds and other educated slaves write down, and to learn all their skills..." He seemed whistle for a few seconds, before reality broght him back to his current situation, and then he looked down at the floor again.
"And! and there are also many skills 've heard of that would be of great use to a hound such as...as um..baking!" He said the first thing that came to mind. "Or, sowing...and many others..." not that the wouldn't mind to learn those things, but those weren't as interesting to know, and he was sure it would not take him to learn such things.
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Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:25 pm
Haqikah didn't show what she thought about Azibo's answers. The slave stared at the cage floor for the most part, but he seemed genuinely interested in learning how to read and write. It was cute how he talked as if every hound was born with the innate ability to read... But if he really believed that she wasn't going to be the one to correct him. Slaves could be really stupid, but as long as they worked hard and knew that hounds were better than them they could be as stupid as they wanted in her opinion. The last part, about useful skills seemed to be tacked on just to please her, but she decided to ignore that. Reading and writing, huh? Perhaps she could use this somehow.
"A-ha," she said airily when he was done, and after a small pause she repeated it again for no reason other than to give him time to second-guess what he had just said, "A-ha. Reading and writing... And others. Well, slave... I suppose I could teach you that if I wanted, but don't know if I need a scribe at this time. Could you be of use in some other way until then?"
At the moment she couldn't see any reason to keep a scribe, but the striped slave did not need to know that, did he? She was curious about what he would answer this time. Questioning him was a enjoyable little game that momentarily made her forget about where she was and how filthy her paws would be tonight.
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Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:11 pm
Indeed, Azibo seemed to tremble at the way she seemed to question what he had just told her. Perhaps he had divulged to much information about himself. Slaves were supposed to keep to themselves, and only say what they are supposed to say.
However, he did hear her mention of a scribe, He had heard of them before...they were supposed to write down things their master had said, or tare care of their money. It wasn't a bad job for a slave to have...but she did say she did not need one right now, so he wouldn't get his hopes up.
But to answer her question...what could he do? nothing! beyond what a normal slave could do. There was nothing extra special about him besides being smart. And that wasn't a useful trait.He wracked his brain to try and come up with a suitable answer. "I can...do the shopping" he said, "If here is any items that need to be purchased..I know a little of the value of stones..enough so I would not pay more then I need to..."
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:03 am
It was evident that the striped slave had a hard time figuring out what to say. He was clearly thinking hard, even if she had no way of knowing what he was thinking about. Haqikah had seen both hounds and slaves that deliberately delayed an answer to seem more thoughtful or to stall for time while they invented a suitable lie, but from what she could tell this wasn't the case here. She was pretty sure this was part stalling and part not knowing what to say. But he didn't seem to be lying, even if she was sure he was sucking up just a little and trying to give a pleasing answer.
Fine. If he wanted to do her shopping she could always make him carry her purchases until she was sure he could be trusted with stones... Haqikah had pretty much made up her mind, but it was fun to watch him squirm. She could see that Hyde had finished his plate of 'food' and was slowly making his way over, but she decided she had time for just one more uncomfortable question to mess with little stripey. Oh, she could wag her tail but that would spoil it.
"The value of stones," she said slowly, and showed her canines in a cold grin, "It can vary from place to place, and what's valuable in one city might be common as sand in another. Have you ever been to Babylon, slave?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:28 am
While Azibo could not see the cold grin on her face, he could hear it in her voice, feeling himself cower even more before her mighty presence. This hound had his future in the palm of her paw, and he knew it.
But while her question hinted at something that was supposed to torment, he furrowed his brow instead, nodding at her statement. "Yes...I have heard that before...It's a common technique Masters use to...'gain profit'" he said instead of 'trick' so as not to offend her encase she was the type who would decide to trick others.
When asked if he was from Babylon, he almost looked up in surprise. the name...yes...he wasn't able to read, but he had heard that name before. He was pretty sure it was the place he came from. "Babylon...It...has many palm trees...and very large walls..." he said softly to her, as if conforming his answer
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:02 am
The slave seemed to understand, at least partly. Haqikah might even send him off to other cities to buy and sell goods if he proved trustworthy. It seemed risky to send slaves on such important business, but she would not risk making her paws calloused by travelling to and fro without need. Ladies travelled for pleasure, and she was not going to be seen as a simple trade hound. She had to think about that, and about the risk of robbers taking stones or goods from lonely slaves on the road. No, Akils suggestion about fixing up defect goods sounded better then.
"Yes, yes," she said impatiently, "Lots of cities have palm trees. And yes, walls surround the city of Babylon. Have you been there or not?"
Not that it mattered, really. She doubted that this slave could navigate Babylon better than her even if she had moved in just a few moons ago. This one would be tested just like the rest, and she would be the judge of his talent with stones. And until she knew what he was good at he'd come in handy when she was out shopping and needed someone to carry the purchases. Akil was not well enough yet so she hesitated to burden him too much. Come to think of it... She could send both slaves until Akil had healed and this one had learned her preferences. It would be annoying if she sent one of the new ones out and they came home with the wrong kind of biscuits. She'd have to find her whip then, and she hated having to whip slaves. Perhaps she could train a slave to whip the rest, but who would whip that slave if it didn't perform? Oh, the trouble with cats...
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:40 am
"Oh. um, Yes! yes I have been there" Azibo quickly said as she had grown impatient. "I grew up there before I came here, so I know a little about the layout." 'A little' was stretching it since he was not aloud to travel by himself, and rarely was he allowed out of the school except the odd occasion he had managed to find his own time, but those were rare, and if he was ever discovered during this time the punishments were harsh. He shivered at the remembered pain he had received from the whip. However, it still did not stop him from finding time to climb up the palm trees.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:54 pm
Really? A slave with some knowledge about the city might actually come in handy... At least if he knew of less travelled passages in the city, or if he could build contacts with other slaves. Haqikah knew that rumours travelled quickly among the slave population, and if she could tap into that wealth of juicy rumours... Oh, she was sure she'd be able to use it somehow. However, Hyde had nearly reached her by now and she had to hurry up with the last questions she really wanted to ask before she bought the slave.
"Are you healthy, slave," she asked, "You don't smell diseased but one can never be too careful, hmm? Any broken teeth, aches and pains... or fleas?"
The young ones should have a higher chance of being healthy, but she knew some of the weaker ones were broken in school. The ones who were later damaged by careless and violent owners usually had scars or missing eyes, but some crafty hounds knew where to hit in order to cause pain and suffering without leaving visible marks. Haqikah was pretty sure she could do that if she wanted to. But when those owners went overboard with the beatings it was hard to tell that the slave was damaged goods. And she did not want damaged goods.
"Mr Hyde," she said to the hyena that had now joined them, "Could you take this slave out of his cage, please. I want to see him walk."
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