Another Role|Ekaitz

[Deleted]

His head was killing him, his wrists and hands were throbbing, and there was something uncomfortable rattling beneath his sore body. Da'cien could safely say this was the worst wakeup call he had ever gotten.

He forced his eyes open, fully prepared to bawl out the special effects crew -they had a tendency to be horrible pranksters when not on duty- only to gasp in alarm when he saw six other people bound and unconscious with him in a wagon. Instantly panicked, Da'cien struggled upright and frantically started chewing the cords around his wrists. Something was terribly wrong and he had to get away to see if he could get help. While he didn't have wings, he could wind-walk a sufficient distance- he couldn't have been taken too far from Humontis, could he?

The wagon jarred to a halt among many voices, and Da'cien instinctively flopped back down, wincing as his head spun, and forced himself to become completely limp, as if he had only just roused.

"Rise and shine!" someone called, untying the wagon flaps and lowering the tailgate before grabbing a handful of Da'cien's long hair and giving it a good yank. "Wake up and get out here, pretty boy!" he ordered over the other man's cry of pain.

The actor drew himself up on his knees and awkwardly crawled to the tailgate, tumbling gracelessly to the dirt, and was yanked upright by his hair. Da'cien's cheeks burned as he realized he was still in the costume jewelry, makeup, high-laced sandals, and filmy white drape that only went to his knees, baring most of his chest before it clipped over his left shoulder and wound around his forearm to trail to the ground. Without a stage, the costume made him feel exposed and vulnerable, especially with all those people looking at him like he was a stud for sale.

Da'cien's heart twisted with fright as he realized he was in very real danger: These people must have abducted him right from the costume wagon, and because he had foolishly separated himself from his co-workers, it was possible no one yet knew he was missing.

Etaf! Efil! What am I going to do?

Then the snickers started, followed by chuckles and howls of laughter. "I don't think that one has any dignity left to lose!" someone called.

"Where did you find him, Yureik? In the red lantern district of Humontis?" someone else hooted.

Da'cien drew himself up as straight as possible, now furious. He was an artist, not a prostitute! He put on his "dangerously angry royalty" glare, dark eyes snapping.

[Kender Bard]

"Now, now," came a smooth feminine voice. A dark, tall woman with long, straight black hair and sapphire eyes stepped forward, daintily. "That remains to be seen." Anarchy tilted her head up slightly and looked down her nose at Da'cien. "He is a pretty boy, though, isn't he?" She took a step closer and started to move in a slow, deliberate circle around him, sizing him up. "Where did[/u] you find him anyway?"

[Deleted]

The slaver shifted. "In one of the little towns on the edge of Humontis. A whole bunch of 'em were around, but he was the one stupid enough to be alone in the dark."

"The troupe I'm employed by will be looking for me," Da'cien spoke up, trying to sound reasonable. "This can be resolved without trouble, I am sure of that. If it's money you're after, my employer, Amano of the Winds, will pay whatever you ask. In the meantime, I must request- AGH!"

Yureik had yanked on his hair again. "You don't get any requests."

"Let GO!" Da'cien whipped his tied fists towards the slaver's jaw and connected hard enough to make the other man spin sideways and pitch to the ground. But at least he let go of the actor's hair. The Wind took advantage of that and flipped the scarlet mass over his right shoulder, hastily trying to braid it as best he could while his hands weren't free. "Damn it! I apologize for this, but boorish manhandling won't get you what you want."

[Kender Bard]

Anarchy laughed merrily. "Oh, he's got spunk! I like that. Poor Mathew would chew him up and spit him back out again, though. Hmm, I could do with some entertainment. I'd like to keep him for myself. He'll keep my other pet company, I'm sure." She smirked at Da'cien, a cruel expression.

"As to your troupe looking for you, well," she chuckled. "All to the good for you, but don't get your hopes up. We have at least one or two more slaves here of much higher rank and nobler birth than you and they haven't been 'rescued' either."

[Deleted]

"'All in time, as time follows its own way, blessing those who are patient,'" Da'cien quoted, and tied a knot at the bottom of the braid.

"You can HAVE him!" Yureik spat, rubbing his sore jaw as he got back to his feet.

"Yes, you can," Da'cien agreed, "but while I am now apparently enslaved, I will never be a slave, nor will I be a pet. This will be resolved before it gets too far." He hoped. In any case, he had to be untied some time, right? Then when attention was lax, he could try to wind-walk out of there.

This was just another role he had to play. Thinking that way helped calm him down. He inclined his head to Anarchy, figuring being polite wouldn't hurt for now, though it stung his pride. "Where to, my lady?"

[Kender Bard]

Anarchy continued to look very amused. This one would certainly need breaking, but with a little luck, it wouldn't take too many lessons before he learned his place. "This way," she remarked crisply, pointing. "You walk in front of me for now. We'll be going to my home. I'll introduce you to Danny and to myself and we'll lay down the ground rules and see how well you obey them."

[Deleted]

"Very well." Still acting the part of the prince, Da'cien stepped slightly in front of Anarchy and started walking in the appropriate direction. At least now the woman couldn't see his hands shaking. Despite his bluster, the tall man was feeling the effect of frayed nerves, embarrassment and physical pain; his body was still hurting.

Just keep thinking of this as a role. All roles end eventually; you're always able to return to yourself afterwards. You can do this, even without a script. You HAVE to do this until the Troupe finds you. And they will find you: Keep believing that.

[Kender Bard]

As they approached her house, Anarchy brushed her sign and murmured something, then sent a clap of thunder resounding. It was muffled by most standards, but the effect was instaneous. The door flew open and a man peeked out, fearfully. Dressed in odd garb, made of the rough material that all slaves wore but in a style that was distinctly unique, he seemed to be dressed in a nomadic style that was more... tasteful to his mistress - in short, his entire upper torso was exposed. He looked at Da'cien and his eyes widened slightly, but otherwise he made no other move, aside to immediately whisk the light cloak off of Anarchy's shoulders the moment she stepped into the house.

Anarchy gave him a slightly fond smile and nodded approval. Some of the tension seemed to melt out of the man's form, and he bowed to her.

"Danny, I've brought you some company," Anarchy remarked with a smile as she settled into a plush seat. "Now, new slave, introduce yourself to Danny. This is probably the last chance you'll get to say whatever you like without my leave."

The other man, Danny, looked inquisitively at Da'cien. He spoke not a word, though, and his eyes ocassionally darted towards Anarchy. He was very well trained.

[Deleted]

Da'cien had to wait until his ears stopped ringing before he could comply with Anarchy's orders. He bowed courteously to Danny. "My name is Da'cien Lyra, formerly of Talen'sul, employed to the Flights Of Fancy Entertainment Troupe. Please call me Da'cien, not Mr. Lyra or anything of the sort," he requested. "That's embarrassing. It is a pleasure to meet you, Danny. I hope we can work well together."

The last part was a common greeting in the Troupe whenever a new member was hired. Using it also helped remind the man this was just another role. "May I have some water, please?"

[Kender Bard]

Danny managed a very, faint smile, then looked to Anarchy. She gave him a slight nod and the man walked off, returning with a wooden cup filled with water, which he handed to Da'cien.

"all right, now," Anarchy purred. "Here are the rules. We're going to be putting some patches over your signs before you're unchained so that you can't do anything stupid. If you're caught tampering with these, you'll be punished. If you try to run away, you'll be punished. Do not speak unless spoken to or given permission to. You'll do what I say, unquestioningly. Insolence is met with, you guessed it, more punishment. But it's not all bad. If you do a good job, and please me, I'm very open handed with my slaves. Danny here enjoys a moderately comfortable life compared to his kin."

While she spoke, Danny, unbidden, had left again and come back with thin metal chain, complete with some cloth and a little lock.

"Where are your signs located?" Anarchy asked Da'cien.

[Deleted]

The patches were a problem; he would have to try removing them when the entire place was asleep, it seemed. Nose in the cup, Da'cien was tempted to tell Anarchy to just look for his Signs herself, but that most likely wasn't a good idea.

Maybe, if he was canny, he could make them believe he was Signless? No, best not to push his luck. He would have to try passing for a one-Sign. Both marks were relatively easy to hide, but given his height, it might not be as easy to find clothing that would reach his knees, and if he had to walk around bare-chested like Denny, the one on his shoulder would be exposed.

He'd have to risk keeping the Sign on his thigh covered. Decision made, Da'cien put the cup aside and awkwardly unclasped the pin at his left shoulder, gathering the cloth in his hands. "It's here," he said, using his chin to gesture to the "feather" between joint and neck.

You're doing very well so far. Just keep your head and you'll be fine.

[Kender Bard]

Anarchy clucked her tongue, disliking its position as she contemplated. The chain-and-cloth wouldn't do. They would have to try something else. "Get the bandages, Danny." The slave did as he was told and interpretted what Anarchy wanted; he wrapped up the sign, using the bandages to cover it nice and snugly, held together only with a pin.

"Now if I see you messing with that, it'll be much worse for you," Anarchy warned Da'cien. "Depending on my mood, you might very well just lose it." She smiled and reached into her shirt a little, just enough to touch the Storm sign on her chest. "Now," she said with a grin. "Strip."

[Deleted]

Damn. Da'cien stalled. "I cannot with my hands tied," he said. "If I am released, may I turn my back?"

[Kender Bard]

"Ohhh," she cooed. "My mistake, I forgot. And no, slave, you may not. Danny, oblige the man."

Danny looked extremely uncomfortable but gave a bow of his head and nodded, hesitating though and giving Da'cien a look that begged him to do it himself as best as he could.

[Deleted]

Da'cien noted Danny's discomfort and cursed under his breath, but paused briefly as inspiration struck. He added another, louder curse, and started with his jewelry. The thick collar, the wristbands and bicep bangles, the rings, and the belt. Pushing off the tunic allowed him to scratch the sign on his thigh with the ropes; the welt would render the sign useless for a while, but the redness of it would hide it for the same amount of time.

The sandals were last, and Da'cien gave Anarchy a pointed "Happy now?" look. He wasn't actually uncomfortable with being nude in front of an audience; actors got used to their bodies and the bodies of others very quickly, since the costumes wagons usually had to be shared before shows. He had hoped for a little more time to hide the sign, though.